has started. It is the first year that we have started school in August. It is the first year that it's been pouring rain on the first day. Parking was a nightmare, and my friend and I ended up walking quite a bit to get to the new school. Did I mention it was new? So many firsts this year.
I ran around lost in this school more than I've done in the past 11 years of my schooling career. It was quite an adventure, but extremely tiring. Fifteen minute class periods with a trek out to "District 9" (aka the underappreciated arts) for orchestra. I love not having to walk outside every passing period, bracing yourself for the weather. But then again, in college I'll probably be doing that again, right? :)
My classes this year are daunting. Today I already feel tired just typing up my vocabulary list for AP Bio. But it's a good tired--that feeling that you're being productive. I don't mind yet. Being in a new school is so rejuvenating; I just hope that students don't abuse it.
I can't wait until we settle in to a rhythm and I finally know my way around campus, and I can't wait for the school to lose its pristine quality and become covered in posters, spirit, and a feeling of home.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Yale
I've finally made my way to Yale. (Erin will be happy, I'm sure. :)) I traveled to Yale mostly out of curiosity and not because I felt that I wanted to go there. If I'm going to spend my time touring the East Coast, why not visit that grand school along the way? The architecture was pretty awesome--it was intricate and very clever, to say the least. However, Yale had a way of making things seem ostentatious. Well, of course they're Yale, but I really didn't understand the point of weathering the buildings to make them look older. (More detail on that later.) And the tour guides did seem a little egotistic, and a little less serious than I thought they'd be. Which could be a good thing, but their presentations didn't wow me on capture me like the other schools I'd visited. There are some pretty cute guys at Yale though, not gonna lie.
Yale stats:
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Students: 11,276 (5,350 undergrad)
Acceptance Rate: 10%
Setting: Urban
Cost: $51,400 (forbes.com)
this is the view of Yale I had when I woke up in the morning.
the Yale bulldog. Sadly, this only reminds me of Bellevue College...
inside the exhibition library. the light coming through is sunlight through marble.
two of the remaining seven Gutenberg Bibles.
outside the library.
the other library. the architect poured acid down the front to blacken it and make it look older. he also left the alcoves where statues normally go empty to look like they had been pillaged.
maya lin's fountain representing the women on Yale's campus from the beginning to 1993
Bottom line: The curriculum and the overall atmosphere for Yale just wasn't a fit for me. New Haven can be kind of seedy, and I felt like at Yale I'd be trying too hard to keep up with a bunch of smart people that don't have to try.
Yale stats:
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Students: 11,276 (5,350 undergrad)
Acceptance Rate: 10%
Setting: Urban
Cost: $51,400 (forbes.com)
this is the view of Yale I had when I woke up in the morning.
the Yale bulldog. Sadly, this only reminds me of Bellevue College...
inside the exhibition library. the light coming through is sunlight through marble.
two of the remaining seven Gutenberg Bibles.
outside the library.
the other library. the architect poured acid down the front to blacken it and make it look older. he also left the alcoves where statues normally go empty to look like they had been pillaged.
maya lin's fountain representing the women on Yale's campus from the beginning to 1993
Bottom line: The curriculum and the overall atmosphere for Yale just wasn't a fit for me. New Haven can be kind of seedy, and I felt like at Yale I'd be trying too hard to keep up with a bunch of smart people that don't have to try.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Vassar
I heard of Vassar after my college counselor suggested it. I became interested in Vassar when I learned that my friend Erina would be attending this fall. After looking at the virtual tour online, I wanted to visit this college more than any of the others. Hardwood floors in your dorm, anyone? I liked the school. It definitely wasn't Princeton, but it's like Yale for women (they were asked to be Yale's sister school in 1969 but chose to go coed instead). I liked the atmosphere and the sense of community at Vassar. It also helped that I knew Erina and she introduced me to some great people, but I really did think that the administration acted like they cared a lot about getting to know you and the students were all really friendly. When we first drove in, I almost thought that Vassar was France or England, but it's an eclectic mix of old architecture, 60s architecture, and more modern facades. Vassar really values the arts, which I think is important. And each of the residential halls has a Steinway, as well as all of the practice rooms--pretty awesome if you ask me.
Vassar statistics:
Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
Students: 2,389 (just undergrads)
Acceptance Rate: 29%
Setting: Small town
Cost: $51,370 (ala forbes.com)
the drama building is a little strange--the brick facade and the modern looking entrance are all the same building.
vassar has a mix of architecture, which i found to be interesting and confusing at the same time.
My mother said the main building looks like one you'd find in France or England.
longest freestanding horizontal branch in the world for a long time...until a chain was used as support due to safety issues.
the library was by far my favorite building. it was relaxing and so beautiful.
the dorms are really nice! i didn't take a pic when i went up to erina's dorm, but the bathrooms are clean and the rooms have a lot of space (not to mention generous closets!)
Bottom line: It's not the top of my list, but I would be very happy to go to Vassar. After all, their students are some of the happiest in the country (besides Brown. but we'll get to that later.).
Vassar statistics:
Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
Students: 2,389 (just undergrads)
Acceptance Rate: 29%
Setting: Small town
Cost: $51,370 (ala forbes.com)
the drama building is a little strange--the brick facade and the modern looking entrance are all the same building.
vassar has a mix of architecture, which i found to be interesting and confusing at the same time.
My mother said the main building looks like one you'd find in France or England.
longest freestanding horizontal branch in the world for a long time...until a chain was used as support due to safety issues.
the library was by far my favorite building. it was relaxing and so beautiful.
the dorms are really nice! i didn't take a pic when i went up to erina's dorm, but the bathrooms are clean and the rooms have a lot of space (not to mention generous closets!)
Bottom line: It's not the top of my list, but I would be very happy to go to Vassar. After all, their students are some of the happiest in the country (besides Brown. but we'll get to that later.).
Friday, August 27, 2010
Princeton
I'm having trouble sleeping, so I thought I'd blog a bit about my favorite college so far: Princeton.
Yes, it's an Ivy League; yes, that makes it prestigious, but that's not why I loved it so much. Even on a dreary day, I wanted to be there. The tour guide gave so much history about the university, and the buildings were gorgeous. Unlike Yale, which I'll get to in a couple of days, Princeton felt like home. People didn't seem as pretentious as other Ivies I've visited--I just felt like I could fit in. It's a suburban setting with an Ave type area right outside the campus gates, perfect for going out and getting a bit of ice cream when I'm stressed. :) And of course, the courses at Princeton are top notch, and the tour guide, who is a rising sophomore, really convinced me that the professors are willing to get to know you well and give you personalized attention despite the larger size (though it is probably still considered small, since it is under 10,000). Princeton encompassed what I really wanted in a campus--not too big, but full of history and great architecture; good classes and teacher:student ratio; suburban setting. I was constantly in the back of the tour group taking pictures of the intricate work on the buildings, which I take as a sign of how much impact the school had on me. It's quiet, but not so quiet that I feel out in the boonies. So sad that the college is so selective though...
Princeton Statistics:
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Students: 7,494 (5,044 undergrad, 2,450 grad)
Acceptance Rate: 9-10% (eek!)
Setting: Suburban
Cost: $49,830 (ala forbes.com)
frist campus center. apparently the front side of this building is used in the opening credits of House.
"the mother of all triangles"
princeton has so many cool arches, as well as a intricate staircases.
the heads on this cathedral represent the architect (a yale alum) and his assistant.
frank lloyd wright's favorite building
ironically, the architecture building is, and i quote, "the ugliest building on campus. one time an architecture professor came on the tour and heard that, and now architecture students often call the tour guides the ugliest people on campus. this is all, of course, slander on their part"--matt, the tour guide
our tour guide with the school mascot, the tiger
hibiscus flowers in the beautiful garden.
after our lovely tour at princeton, we headed off to fishkill, which is in proximity to poughkeepsie, ny. we had a nice italian dinner at a restaurant in the town. It reminded me of Italy...afterward we walked around a bit and I took a couple of pictures.
semifreddo dessert...it was like coffee ice cream.
Yes, it's an Ivy League; yes, that makes it prestigious, but that's not why I loved it so much. Even on a dreary day, I wanted to be there. The tour guide gave so much history about the university, and the buildings were gorgeous. Unlike Yale, which I'll get to in a couple of days, Princeton felt like home. People didn't seem as pretentious as other Ivies I've visited--I just felt like I could fit in. It's a suburban setting with an Ave type area right outside the campus gates, perfect for going out and getting a bit of ice cream when I'm stressed. :) And of course, the courses at Princeton are top notch, and the tour guide, who is a rising sophomore, really convinced me that the professors are willing to get to know you well and give you personalized attention despite the larger size (though it is probably still considered small, since it is under 10,000). Princeton encompassed what I really wanted in a campus--not too big, but full of history and great architecture; good classes and teacher:student ratio; suburban setting. I was constantly in the back of the tour group taking pictures of the intricate work on the buildings, which I take as a sign of how much impact the school had on me. It's quiet, but not so quiet that I feel out in the boonies. So sad that the college is so selective though...
Princeton Statistics:
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Students: 7,494 (5,044 undergrad, 2,450 grad)
Acceptance Rate: 9-10% (eek!)
Setting: Suburban
Cost: $49,830 (ala forbes.com)
frist campus center. apparently the front side of this building is used in the opening credits of House.
"the mother of all triangles"
princeton has so many cool arches, as well as a intricate staircases.
the heads on this cathedral represent the architect (a yale alum) and his assistant.
frank lloyd wright's favorite building
ironically, the architecture building is, and i quote, "the ugliest building on campus. one time an architecture professor came on the tour and heard that, and now architecture students often call the tour guides the ugliest people on campus. this is all, of course, slander on their part"--matt, the tour guide
our tour guide with the school mascot, the tiger
hibiscus flowers in the beautiful garden.
after our lovely tour at princeton, we headed off to fishkill, which is in proximity to poughkeepsie, ny. we had a nice italian dinner at a restaurant in the town. It reminded me of Italy...afterward we walked around a bit and I took a couple of pictures.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Ursinus
Ursinus is another small school around Philadelphia. When we arrived on campus, I immediately felt like it was a cozy campus--not big at all. It was nice to see that athletes were there for school sports, so I got a better feel of what it'd be like with people around. I also interviewed with one of the counselors--it's an easy way to get to know the school better, and to let the school know what you're interested in. On the tour I didn't take too many pictures; I let my dad have the camera most of the time. The campus was nice, and (for me) it was nice knowing that there were single-sex bathrooms that looked really clean. The dorms looked about the same as Haverford's as far as size and furniture.
Ursinus is a school strong in both the sciences and arts; however, from what I've heard, it has more of a reputation for being artsy. For me, I liked that they had regular chamber group performances in addition to an orchestra.
Ursinus stats:
Location: Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Students: 1,750 (undergrad only)
Acceptance rate: 57%
Setting: Suburban
Cost: $48,310 (ala forbes.com)
a typical classroom
the oldest building at ursinus. it has a huge organ if that's your thing!
the library. it's pretty small but it connected to a network that can get you books if you need. (i'm the one in the skirt :))
the dining hall is currently under construction in order to accomodate more students.
a typical lab room
the kaleidoscope school of music
Bottom line: Ursinus will most likely be a safety school for me. I liked it, but it does seem a bit secluded. I'm sure there's plenty to do, but I'm a city girl.
Ursinus is a school strong in both the sciences and arts; however, from what I've heard, it has more of a reputation for being artsy. For me, I liked that they had regular chamber group performances in addition to an orchestra.
Ursinus stats:
Location: Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Students: 1,750 (undergrad only)
Acceptance rate: 57%
Setting: Suburban
Cost: $48,310 (ala forbes.com)
the oldest building at ursinus. it has a huge organ if that's your thing!
the library. it's pretty small but it connected to a network that can get you books if you need. (i'm the one in the skirt :))
the dining hall is currently under construction in order to accomodate more students.
a typical lab room
the kaleidoscope school of music
Bottom line: Ursinus will most likely be a safety school for me. I liked it, but it does seem a bit secluded. I'm sure there's plenty to do, but I'm a city girl.
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