Another year with the Ivy League Connection

Last year, around this time, I was attending a blog tutorial by the Ivy League Connection. I would be going to be Providence, Rhode Island to take the course Women and Leadership at Brown University. Fast forward to yesterday - I attended a blog tutorial through the Ivy League Connection, this time preparing to take the course Constitutional Law at Columbia University in New York City. I am excited and honored to be given another opportunity to take a summer course at an Ivy League institution.

Columbia University

The tutorial took place in a computer lab at Hercules High School. I was excited to meet others from the program and learn about why they chose to apply for the programs that they have been accepted to. It was also a nice touch to meet some of the chaperones and see my own chaperone, Ms. L, again.

The tutorial consisted of going over a 30 page packet that detailed:

• Blogging - I went through the Ivy League Connection last summer, so figuring out how to blog, appropriate content to put in blogs, formatting, and text sizes was not a problem for me. However, blogspot has recently upgraded and it was very good to have others help to figure out the site. In the packet, Don included "bad blogs" and "good blogs" - even though I recognized some of them, it was good to refresh and remember what not to put in the blogs. It was also really cool to find out how I can move my photos around the text and not just have them at the bottom of the text, a feature which I hadn't known before.
• Responsibility - Rules are rules, and the Ivy League Connection is definitely tightening down on the rule that everyone has to be respectful, act like an adult, and, essentially, not get themselves sent home. I believe I present myself in a respectful manner, but at the same time, it's good to get a reinforcement of rules. I was also disappointed about the new rule for loaner items (having to enter codes for everything people check out). I returned all the items I borrowed last year and was disappointed to learn that Don lost 800 dollars worth of equipment because other members of last year's program didn't return the loaned items. Hopefully this new way of checking will be efficient and Don will get everything back at the end of summer.
• ILC protocols - Of course, I was ecstatic to go over events like the dinners, school board meetings, and activities that will happen when we go out East. I enjoyed every event last year and am sure to enjoy them even more this year! 

Talking to Ms. L with Lucas and Lenny after the tutorial ended was a good touch and she really got all of us excited to go to New York City. I still haven't met everyone in my cohort, so I'm glad we're having a potluck with the Brown I group later this month to get acquainted with everyone. I know this will be a wonderful and nurturing experience.