Wrapping Up Our Last Day Before School

Being the last day for us of life away from Columbia University, today was planned in a way that would save our energy, entertain us, and kind of wrap up the past week. We woke up much later than usual, and after a good breakfast next door, took two buses down and over to the East River at 45^thStreet, the site of the United Nations.

This was a particularly important visit for me, as I am a huge fan of the goals of the United Nations. I don’t know enough about how they carry out these goals to say that I am a huge fan of everything they do, so I’ll just say that the set of goals they have are a set of goals I strongly support. It’s not that the UN is corrupt or anything, I would just like to be sufficiently informed before I give my opinion on something. Anyway, we entered the UN and slowly walked through the various exhibits, viewing the various art, photos and statistics. One exhibit concerning the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) really caught my eye, as I have a great interest and passion for helping those in need. Internally displaced persons are those who have been forced to leave their homes to escape conflict, famine, persecution, etc. I personally believe that reaching out a hand to those in need whenever possible is not just an act of kindness, but a moral expectation, and for that reason I have great interest and passion in reaching out my hand to those in need of a helping hand. The exhibit included a number of cases of families in Colombia, Senegal and other places around the world, all displaced due to issues they faced in their home countries. Thankfully, the UN is there for support.

To give you an idea of my reasons for supporting the United Nations, the United Nations:

-provides food to 90 million people in 73 countries

-combats climate change and heads a campaign to end leaded fuel in over 100 nations

-assists over 36 million refugees and people fleeing from war, famine and persecution

-vaccinates 58% of the world’s children, saving over 2.5 million lives a year

-keeps the peace with 120,000 peacekeepers on 16 operations on 4 continents
-advances democracy assisting some 30 countries with election
-protects and promotes human rights on site and through treaties/declarations
-fights poverty helping 370 million people rural poor achieve better lives in the last 30 years
-mobilizes $12.4 billion US dollars in Humanitarian aid to help people affected by emergencies
-promotes maternal health, saving the lives of 30 million women a year

Some other alarming statistics

After visiting the UN, we made our way back to the hotel, although it took much longer than expected. Nevertheless, we were able to grab some delicious pizza, explore a part of Manhattan we had never seen, and we even stumbled across an awesome Colombian fair on 49^th Street. At the fair, we stopped and listened for about 10 minutes to an amazing group of artists performing some Latin music that excited the entire crowd of about 100 people watching.

Later that night, after returning to the hotel for a nap/start to my blog, we went out to a Greek restaurant on 56^thStreet for a fancy dinner with four alumni and two current students from Yale University. I sat again next to Yohanna Pepa, and we talked about an assortment of things, such as how we can best utilize the Ivy League Connection to help more students generate a college-going attitude to how I can best utilize my Ivy League Connection experience to get into the schools I would like to attend. We both have had trouble at times with science in the past, and I asked her how many science classes she had to take. Thankfully, she said it was only a few, and she was able to weave them all into her interests, similar to what I did with my physics class this year, so it wasn't bad. I would go over more about what we discussed, but a recap of my day would take way too much time (although I've taken way too much time already).

To recap the four of our college visits, I found something that appealed to me in each of our visits; however I can picture myself enjoying myself much more at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania. I’ll start by stating why I ruled out Sarah Lawrence College and Vassar University; Sarah Lawrence I found to be far too small, and Vassar far too isolated. My reason for wanting a larger university is that I’d like to have the opportunity to meet new people every day and see new things every day, and I feel that going to school at Sarah Lawrence (and Vassar, although not as much) would become much too repetitive. I’d like to be in a urban area when I go to school for a number of reasons; I like to be very involved in my community and an urban area leaves with me with far more opportunities to be involved and volunteer. Additionally, similar to my reason for not wanting a small student body and campus, I’d like to always have something to explore in the area I live in so that my life would not seem as repetitive. While I am no longer considering these schools, visiting them has helped me to direct my focus more on schools with a student body of at least 3,000 (hopefully 5,000) and in more urban areas.

Yale University and University of Pennsylvania gave me exactly what I was looking for in this regard. Both are in urban areas, with sizable campuses and large enough student bodies. Students at the schools also seemed to have extreme passion in calling themselves a Penn or Yale undergrad, and gave me a really warm atmosphere to learn and live in. The campuses of each also were gorgeous, and it goes without mentioning that these are two of the best schools in the nation. Core curriculum at both of these schools is not extremely flexible, but loose enough. My top reasons, though, are the location, the campus, the atmosphere created by the passion of students, and of course, the academics.

Secrets, Thoughts, and Honesty.

I've been staring at this computer screen for a good amount of time, still lost in an array of emotional feelings and sentiments, as well as realizations and character development. I feel like a mute woman right now in the middle of a jumbling urban street hearing everything and absorbing all things around her but not being able to communicate. In my case, so much has happened today that it is hard to explain through writing the journey that I, in particular, had.

First things first, I think after reading my blogs you should at least have some sort of idea as to how passionate I am about the United Nations. Well, I'm sure our chaperon has also gained a glimpse of my enthusiasm for the UN and allowed us to visit the center this evening. I was so excited this morning about this opportunity that I woke up literally with a tremendous smile on my face and I got ready a lot sooner than I've ever been of this trip so far. Thank God we had more sleep last night so I had the ability to be more alert while experiencing today!

Lately I have been so desperate to start a UNICEF club on my campus, it's unbelievable. Pinole Valley High School has a lot of great clubs and extracurricular activities that students can be a part of. Amongst these clubs, only one of them functions to help the community, and that is interact. However, unlike other schools, Pinole Valley High does not have any sort of organization that dedicates itself to the PEOPLE of our community, or the world. To be fair, leadership does arrange different fundraisers once in a while for different causes, but we never have anything with a specific motive that dedicates itself solely to one specific cause. There isn’t a “target” or a main focus, it’s usually just scattered which prevents it from having huge success. Having a club with something it’s specifically dedicated to gets more things done, and contributes a lot more to the cause. As a leader I am determined to start this club, the first club on campus made solely for the interest in fighting global child survival. The club itself will affirm the power of young individuals to make a major difference, and that in itself is very important in our modern day society. Today, the world may see us as just a minor set of individuals in society, but it's up to us to prove to the world that we are more than just kids; we are the world, and we are the future. Some outlets to self expression us teenagers find are organizations such as Junior Statesmen of America that allow us to step outside into a world where teenagers' voices do counts and we aren't considered children, naive, or inferior in regards to philosophy or belief. One sort of change that I can make in my community/school is create another one of these "outlets" where young students despite their age or background can somehow contribute to something larger; thus day by day until I provide this to the students of my school my passion for starting such a club will continue to grow. I think the reason why Pinole Valley High school students aren't as involved in philanthropic activities isn't due to the fact that they are not interested, but they are not given the opportunity due to lack of resources to take advantage of such organizations. Sure leadership may contribute to a wide variety of such organizations, but lets be honest, aside from the more limited group of individuals that contribute in leadership, not many regular students know such things are event going on on campus! Of course they are contributing to a good cause, but I believe the involvement of our school community in helping other individuals is a lot more powerful and creates a more active school body. These are only a few main reasons why I am so passionate about it. The reason why I chose UNICEF in particular is because of the sense of unity it also provides and my passion for United Nation as a whole. The past three years I have been trying endlessly to take every opportunity I may have and volunteer at a center, but each time it has been completely impossible. In Iran, I went with my mind set to volunteer, but it turned out the center was way to far for it to be possible for me to volunteer there. Now we're in New York and again, it's way to far from campus but I also want to make sure I'm focusing mainly on my course to ensure I fully take advantage of what is being provided to me. I worked very hard to be here today, and I'm determined to make the best out of it so study most definitely come first!

On our way to the UN.

So overall, the reasons behind my excitement for such a visit were very clear, and once I arrived I was breath-taken. The first thing I noticed was a group of individuals performing a royal Scottish dance. I just sat there for a good amount of time while my cohort looked around the visitor center and I felt a deeper meaning of the dance as a whole. It wasn't just a group of people dancing, it was a group of different individuals of different backgrounds uniting in respect and despite their differences, holding hands and smiling in a peaceful environment. I'm not quite sure if the spectators thought as deeply of it as I did, but the dance certainly amazed me. Lately I've been seeing a lot of people in the city that don't care at all about one another, and this simple dance symbolized just so much to me.

Secondly, the photos on display were extremely touching. Just viewing each photograph was like entering a portal into a world of differences and feeling the pain others feel that you might not have ever experienced. While looking around I noticed a hidden door on the side of one of the exhibitions and couldn't help but to take a peek and I'm really thankful I did. Beyond the hidden doors was a room dedicated to silence in the outward sense and stillness in the inner sense, opening doors to infinite lands of thought and prayer. However, while authorities and nations today fight over matters causing blood-shed, discriminating against one another based on faith, and disrespecting each others beliefs, people here unite under one roof practicing many different religions together respectfully. When I entered the room, it was dead silent and completely empty. The room was simple and relatively ornamented, but I sat there for about 20 minutes completely fascinated. I later called in all my friends to join me, but I'm sure they all felt like I was crazy for being so excited about an empty room. Regardless though, I still loved what it stood for and I will always continue to admire the purpose of it's creation. There, people scream with their thoughts than speak with their lips.

Totally mesmerized by the such a simple room.

Sending a postcard to my mom and dad from the UN.

A while later we were each called out from the room to speak to Mrs.L privately to communicate our thoughts about our trip so far. The meeting was completely confidential, but I will tell you that everything I mentioned was positive. I'm proud that I'm among a group of such welcoming students because we all practically feel like family.
As soon as we were all done we walked towards the hotel and through a fair. What was different about this particular fair was that the most attention was attracted to a toddler! It was actually one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life because that specific toddler was playing the drums in the most professional manner that perhaps a lot of people 5 times his age could not. He was so talented that we all put down everything we had in our hands and just stood aside for at least two full length songs to witness the genius of this young boy.

When arrived back to the hotel, we had a lot of time to relax and prepare packing for the following day when we move to our dorm rooms. The dinner that followed was the most emotional dinner I've had thus far. It seems to me that each dinner for me has been memorable for one particular characteristic, and this one will probably always stay in my heart for the level of intense learning. I talked to one of the alumni's at Yale who is also a life coach. I started talking about myself and my interests, and later progressed to what we expect of colleges we might like to attend. For me, the answer to this was a school that not only can provide me with endless opportunites, but a school that I can use those opportunites provided to me to utilize my resources and actually give back to the community that develops my character. So for me, a school is a "good fit" if I know I can take advantage of all things and use it for the benefit of the school itself. Later, he asked me questions and we started speaking about how I feel like there's so much to say about myself and theres so much I must say about my character, but in the personal statement I feel like I can't express the level of my passion and personality as much as I'd love to. Throughout the dinner, the conversations just became more and more intense to a point that Aurea and I became so emotional that we actually teared up by the end of the dinner and had to go to the bathroom. Let's just end it at that...

By the end of the night, I was walking under a dark, starry night just trying to absorb everything that had gone throughout the day.



Quick recap of colleges: I've definitely gained more interest in the universites that we have visited and learned a lot from both things I like and dislike as well. I'm definitely interested in Yale and UPENN, but I'd like to speak to more individuals from Vassar and Sarah Lawrence to make my final decisions. The community and student body is very important to me and all four schools consist of very passionate students that take part in a variety of activites. Academic wise, the schools were all challenging in their own unique way and interested me in regards to different aspects that I have previously mentioned in my former blog posts. Overall I can say I will definitely apply to all 4 universities, that's for sure.

United Cohorts

I honestly have to say; today was probably one of the best days of the trip thus far. Not only were we able to sleep in, but our schedule wasn't as jammed pack as usual with only two events planned for the day--one being a trip to the United Nations and the other a dinner with our Yale alumni.  

In the spirit of our "relaxed" day, we chose to start of the morning by eating breakfast at a nearby dinner, rather than quickly picking something up from the subway station like we usually do. After breakfast, we were off to our next stop--the United Nations building in New York City. Speaking off bus stops, ended up taking the bus instead of taking our usual subway ride. While the bus itself wasn't really spectacular, the view from the windows were! Not only was I able get a better look and feel of the city, but it helped give me a few ideas of some other places I would like to visit before the end of the trip. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the UN building were unable to get a tour, so we were restricted to only the main floor as well as the gift shop downstairs. That't not to say, however, that that UN didn't have plenty of thing to keep us entertained-- in fact, it was quite the opposite. 

One of the exhibits they had on display were the cultural artworks from various indigenous people. The art came in the forms of painting, weapons, wood carvings and many other mediums that traced their roots from places from all over the world including Australia, Europe, and various tribe from multiple African countries. I found the art to be gorgeous and seeing it collected all in once place just shows that the United Nations is not only a center of peace and progress, but also a cultural melting pot where many different backgrounds are both represented and admired. 

Another exhibit was the live performance of a traditional Scottish dance group. The dancers, who were all amazingly talented, continuously danced in a section of the Visitors' Lobby, whilst people enjoyed the show.  

Better yet, not everyone in the group was of noticeable Scottish descent; there were African American and Asian dancers as well. Though I may just be over thinking the situation, I think that it shows just how important both diversity and the appreciation of different cultures really are. 

Their final exhibit was, in my opinion, the most impacting one. It topic was that of a major issue that is currently affecting millions of people--the number slowly increasing trend of refugees and country displacement. Presented by the United Nations Refugee Agency--or the UNCHR--the exhibit was created to help raise awareness about this issue and to celebrate World Refugee Day, which was the 20th of this month. Every year, millions of people are forced to leave their homes and refuge with horrible living conditions. Reason for their need to flee tend to vary--they can range from internal conflict, to war, to even natural disasters--but the main issue is the same. The exhibit showed everything from why and where this was happening, to many country's initial neglect of this issue, to success stories of refugees being able to regain their citizenship and return to their home country. I think that this illustrates the UN's mission to improve the quality of living for all around the world, as well as their effort to advocate these issues. After we left the UN we returned to the hotel and began to get ready for our dinner with the Yale alumni.  

Our Yale alumni included Tana Fridland, Yohanna Pepa, Angela Ning, and Beatrice Ma. During the dinner, I mainly talked with Beatrice Ma about her time at Yale, the ILC, and what my own school is like. 

After dinner, we returned to the hotel for what will be the final time--tomorrow we move into our dorms in Columbia! 

However, before we head off to Columbia there's still one thing I have to do, and that is review all of the colleges we've visited. 

First is UPenn. What I love about UPenn are it's student policies and the extent to which they try to ensure their students' time in college is as great as possible. UPenn seem like a very encouraging environment with plenty of resources and a wonderful staff. The only thing that I wasn't a big fan of was the amount of students. Personally, while I think I get along with people well enough a college of over 10,000 students is just not for me.  

Next is Sarah Lawrence. First I would like to say that I absolutely love it's campus as well as it's student policies--this school really seems to understand the financial and social situations a prospective student may be in as well as how to academically support that student when they arrive on campus. What I'm not too in love with is Sarah Lawrence's curriculum. While I think the idea of concentrations may be a great method of learning for other student, I would personally prefer a more structured curriculum to help guide me.

Now time for Vassar. With yet another beautiful campus and a student body that is not too big or not too small. I also really enjoy it's curriculum--it's has some required classes to keep you a well rounded student, but it also allows students enough freedom to also take courses that relate to their majors. 

Finally, let's talk about Yale. Like Vassar, I also love it's curriculum. In addition, I also think that Yale's populace is nice size for me. 

Street View

This was the most relaxing day I've had, all week. We didn't wake up early. We didn't tour a campus. We didn't take any long train rides. All we did in the afternoon was take a bus down to the United Nations. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

We ate breakfast at a diner right next door to our hotel. I had a strawberry smoothie and a bowl of frosted flakes cereal. Lucas noticed a sign outside the restaurant stating that a fine would delivered to drivers that honk their horns. Ms. L. explained that those have been placed all over the city in recent years, because there was too much noise in busy intersections. I hadn't realized until then how rare it is to hear a horn in NYC.

We boarded the nearest bus and headed to the UN. On the way, we had to switch lines at Times Square. While waiting, I saw a vintage car, a giant golden hand, and, my favorite, Sponge Bob having a conversation with two Minnie Mouses.

The UN was awesome. We didn't know that they offered tours today, so we just perused the exhibits in the Visitor's Center. There was a Scottish dance troop performing in the lobby the whole time that we were there. I was amazed at how everyone there, even in the Visitors' Center, was speaking a foreign language. I bought my sister a little something while I was there.

A series of missed buses and subway trains made us take a much longer time getting back to the hotel. On the bright side, we saw a whole new area of Manhattan. We passed by a small Colombian street festival, with food and music. The band was great, but the main attraction wasn't the music they played; it was the second drummer: a 5 year-old.

Back at the hotel, we got a head start on packing (we leave tomorrow) and dressed for the dinner with Yale.

Tonight's dinner was Greek. We met with Yale alumni and students at a Milos, near Petrossion. The environment was great. The restaurant had high ceilings, to make room for olive trees, growing right by our tables.I sat next to Max and Tanya, Yale class of '11. Max works in finance, and Tanya is a Harvard law student. They were both a lot of fun to talk with.

I really have no complaints about this week. We were really overworked the first few days, but we got a lot done and rested up yesterday and today. I was really impressed with every school that we toured, and even if I didn't fall in love with them, I enjoyed my time there and learned more about my own tastes. I'll go into greater detail about each school on their individual blog posts, mainly discussing what I liked and disliked. My two favorites were Yale and UPenn.

Tomorrow, we move into our dorms at Columbia.

Us and the UN

Bus Ride through New York

No words can describe the whirlwind of events after what was expected to be a “chill” day. So our day started later than usual. We congregated at 10:30 AM to have breakfast at the diner right next to the Beacon Hotel. After a nice breakfast, we took the bus to the United Nation’s Visitors Center. The bud ride compared to the subway is more familiar to me than the subway; in bus, you don’t feel the same hustle and bustle atmosphere New Yorkers display when taking the subway.

Inside the United Nations Visitors Center

UN Fallen Flag from Afghanistan

Displaced people in Kenya

Fundraiser for UNICEF

Once we arrived at the UN Visitors Center, we all were granted thirty minutes to look at the displays before having a little one on one time with our chaperon, Ms. L. What was really unique about today in the UN was a Royal Scottish dance fundraiser they had to raise funds for the United Nations Children’s Funds, or more popularly known as UNICEF. The displays stirred emotions inside of me; although I knew in the back of my mind the problems of the world, being able to see them in pictures and manuscripts was a whole different thing. My perspective of the suffering of displaced people and refugees has become clearer than ever. From refugees fleeing Somalia on a boat to camps and huts where displaced people of Kenya live, the problems of our world have never impacted me in such a way and have made me realize what a fortunate life I’m living right now. After my little tour, I talked to Ms. L about a how I felt about everything and few ground rules. In all, it was a good talk and it reassures Ms. L about her faith in our group.

Live Colombian Music at a Street Fair

After our visit to the UN Center, we tried looking for a bus to take us back to the hotel. Our map directed us to a stop where it said the bus would be while the directory said it wouldn’t, so our group became stumped for a while. We finally just decided to take a train and transfer. Along our way to the subway, we passed through a Colombian street fair. There was live music with a talented little boy who played drums and many different booths with food and activities. Then our growling stomachs directed us to a pizza parlor where we ate a late lunch. After lunch we headed back to the hotel and prepared for our dinner with the Yale alumni and current students.

Family Style Meal: Appetizers

Family Style Meal: Entree

Our dinner tonight, for me, was one of the best by far. It wasn’t just the family style meal we had at the delicious Greek restaurant, Estiatorio Milos, but the people we were able to converse with. I had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron Shipp and Angela Ning. Aaron studied English Literature and Theatre while Angela studies the History of Science and Medicine. The Yalies were all so animated about their experiences at Yale University. From the social life  to admissions process, my conversation with the two was very helpful. As a life coach, Aaron even probed deeper into my character and has helped me decide what my own personal statement shall be. In all, it was a very rewarding evening for me. When I first visited Yale University, I didn’t know whether or not it was for me but now that I’ve talked and understood the protocols and experiences I never realized what an amazing school I was disregarding.

So from my previous statements, most people can infer my preference to Yale University. I will admit that it is now a school I am considering along with Sarah Lawrence College. For me, Yale University has the atmosphere and type of people I would love to experience my four years of college with. Although the university does not offer my intended major, I know I will be able major in something similar to prepare for graduate school elsewhere. For Sarah Lawrence College, I find the school to be an absolute fit for me due to its 3-2 Engineering program. This program will enable me to study three years at Sarah Lawrence and two at Columbia University, gaining a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and engineering. Although Sarah Lawrence is in a rather rural area, the commute to metropolitan NYC is only thirty minutes. University of Pennsylvania left a better impression on me after our dinner with a few of their alumni. I loved the campus and the programs are similar to that of Yale University, but I didn’t feel the comfortable atmosphere I felt at Yale. As for Vassar College, I don’t think it would be the right choice for me. Vassar is a very nice liberal arts school but I also didn’t feel the comfortable atmosphere I felt at other universities.

Peace, Love, Yale

Today was probably the most relaxed day we will have in the program. We only had two things for our agenda: a trip to the United Nations and the Yale dinner. Tomi and I awoke at 10 this morning and headed down to the lobby to wait for the others. Once everyone had arrived, we went next door to eat breakfast at the local diner. I was very happy that we got to do this because all our past breakfasts have been quick stops for bagels and juice at the train station. We definitely upgraded this time; I got a heaping load of three buttermilk pancakes, bacon, and a large glass of cranberry juice. It was delicious.

My wonderful breakfast

Outside of the diner 

We took two buses to the United Nations and arrived within twenty minutes. The United Nations is a place where representatives from different countries come to combat poverty, keep peace within the world (and especially in terms of keeping the countries from going to war), and to improve human rights. After going through security, we were able to look at different exhibits. I enjoyed this because I learned a lot about ongoing poverty in Asia and Africa and how food shortages really affect the world. After being at the United Nations for about two hours, we decided to head back to the hotel. However, there were bus troubles and we ended up eating lunch at a pizza restaurant before taking the subway back to the hotel, which took a long time as well. When we got back to the hotel, we had a little over an hour to get ready for the Yale dinner at Estiatorio Milos. I was especially excited for this dinner because I wanted to learn so much more about Yale.

Gift to the United Nations 

Posing (=

Information about how the United Nations wants to help indigenous peoples

Exhibit about indigenous peoples and the foods they are able to eat

Growing cracks in the ice in Alaska

Short piece about food shortages

Group of girls learning in school in Asia

What I wrote in the journal about hopes for the world

Children and an adult during the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake

I really wanted to buy this book but it's very long and I feel like I'd be better suited just checking it out at the library. I got to read it for a little bit and it was superb.

Delicious pizza lunch!

Opinions about the Yale dinner:

1. One concept I have really learned about Yale is how connected the community is. There really is a loving and supporting student body at Yale. What has really appealed to me about Yale is how they do not want students who need someone to hold their hand through college, but people who are willing to take support and learn from others. Freshman year in college is a foreign experience for everyone, and I feel that Yale really makes sure that freshman are given a lot of support from upperclassmen and given a good base in their residential colleges so that they are able to have very strong years at Yale. That is definitely something that appeals to me. 

2. To my right was Beatriz, who graduated from Yale in 1998 with a double-major in History and International Studies. At the time, International Studies could only be a second major, and she was very interested in political science and history. She said that she definitely loved the community at Yale and felt that they were very welcoming. Beatriz gave us good advice in terms of signing up for a college interview; she stated that if you feel you look shaky on paper or just really want to learn more about the college, sign up for them. She admitted that alum don't have much of a say in terms of admissions officers making their decisions but it is at least worth a try. We shared a lot of laughs and I will be definitely be contacting her with questions about Yale. 

3. On my left was Angela, who is a rising junior at Yale and one of Yohanna's suitemates. Angela is pre-med and is majoring in the History of Science & History of Medicine. She gave me lots of advice on the personal statement, such as to write about experiences that really help the person grow. I definitely agreed with her, as my personal statement topic is going to be about an experience that affected me and caused me to change. Angela also stressed how important it is to start college applications early and to not wait until winter break to start them (she did that and assured me that it was the worst winter break of her life).


4. Sitting a couple of seats away from me was Aaron, who graduated from Yale and was an English and Theater Arts major. He gave me really good information on Yale's English department, which really focuses on strengthening the writer's opinion and helping them work on their essays. He also gave me great information about the Comparative Literature major at Yale, which I am interested in. I didn't talk to him too much but am grateful for that information. He also said some super funny stuff, which made me laugh.

5. Yohanna really emphasized the importance of showing your interest in the school and really making sure that it comes across how you are special. She stated that college applications are simply the way to present yourself to someone who doesn't know you and to take advantage of that opportunity and really show what makes you stand out.

6. I thoroughly enjoyed the Yale dinner. What I mostly enjoyed was how comfortable the alumni were and how much they showed that they cared, not just about Yale, but about us as well. They gave us all their contact information to not only email them questions about Yale but the college application process as well. The Yale community seems very loving and opening, and Yale is a fantastic university. I am really interested in Yale now and definitely plan on applying.

Assortment of bread, cucumber salad, and calamari

We ate a really big family style dinner, which I enjoyed

Filet mignon and French fries

Tomi, Beatriz, and I

Raspberry, strawberry, and vanilla sorbet

Yohanna and I

This is the last night we will be spending in the hotel room. Tomorrow we move into Columbia, get to meet our floormates, and enjoy a schoolwide barbecue. I'm very excited yet nervous, however, the excitement weighs out the nervousness by a lot. I'm really excited to meet new people and see what Columbia has to offer.


These college tours have really affected me. I've truly begun to realize what I want and don't want in a school. I want a medium-sized campus in an urban area that has great departments in English and political science. I do not think I will apply to Penn and Vassar, but I am definitely applying to Sarah Lawrence and Yale due to their urban areas, beautiful campuses, great departments, wonderful extracurriculars, and wonderful campuses. I am glad we visited all these different colleges because I feel like I have a better grip on the college application process and truly know what I want in a college.