tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76646293956340283902024-03-13T05:43:33.020-07:0011 ILC at YaleMadeline Kronenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809038721402994691noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-451389183643344202012-05-06T22:48:00.000-07:002012-05-06T22:48:51.559-07:00The Movers and "Quakers" of Tomorrow: Impression of the ILC Penn Dinner 2012<br />
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">The truth is I didn’t know what Ivy League schools were until my sophomore year in high school.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">College had always been in my plans, but it had also been a vague and distant concept. My parents seldom brought it up as they knew only a little more than I did at the time, but not enough to hold drawn-out discussions about it with me. The most exposure I got about higher education came from when my older cousins started getting into UC schools, but even then the conversations ended when our families disbanded after dinner. It was at this time that UC Berkeley became appealing to me. With older cousins going to UC Davis and UC San Diego, the competitive nature within me reasoned that I should strive to be the first in the entire family to become a Cal Bear. Yet, if you had asked me why I liked that school so much beyond that previous point, I would respond with a very limited – possibly nonexistent – answer because frankly, I never looked into the details of my supposed “dream school”.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">This mindset was just enough to motivate me to do my best in high school, but it was also a very naïve approach. My inveterate work ethic was like flying auto-pilot without a destination. I lacked a specific, post-high school goal – something to aspire to beyond general ambitions like maintaining “straight A’s”. Had it not been for the Ivy League Connection, I admit that I probably would not have considered applying to many out-of-state schools, especially the University of Pennsylvania.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">This past Tuesday – May 1<sup>st</sup>, 2012 – I had the honor of attending the annual ILC Penn dinner as a guest – an incoming freshman of the Penn c/o 2016. The purpose of these ILC dinners is to not only commemorate the high school students’ admittance to the summer programs of their respective Ivy League schools, but to also give them the rare opportunity to meet the local alumni from that university. With special consideration on the part of Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kronenberg, fellow classmate, Alex Elms, and I were also invited to take part at the La Folie Restaurant in San Francisco for such an exclusive opportunity.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Ever since December 9<sup>th</sup>, 2011 – the fateful day I burst out in tears of happiness at the school library computer where I was informed of my admittance to the University of Pennsylvania – I’ve only loved Penn more and more. I reconnected with Dr. June Chu, the ex-Director of the Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH) at Penn (she now works at Dartmouth College). We met at the ILC Penn dinner on the East Coast last summer – just a couple of days before I started the Yale Ivy Scholars program – and Dr. Chu had been so helpful in getting me in touch with several upperclassmen alumni who all took the time to answer my questions in detail. This exchanging of emails gave me a refreshing view of my next four years because they were from the eyes of current students. In addition to personal research I felt that I was gradually becoming more accustomed to not only Penn, but also the whole idea of attending college.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">At the Penn dinner, I sat directly across from Beth Topor, the Vice-President of the Penn Alumni Club in Northern California. I was also in the company of El Cerrito junior, Clara Lengacher; her father, Mr. Lengacher; and Middle College High school junior, Alysa Butler. Both Clara and Alysa will be taking part in the Experimental Physics Program at Penn this summer.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">I thoroughly enjoyed my corner of acquaintances. Not only did we exchange conversations about our mutual connection of Penn, but also snapshots of everyone outside this very fancy dining. With Clara and Alysa, I was able to recollect my past two years as a participant in the ILC, in addition to learning about their impressive involvement with school and their talents – Clara is a tough mountain biker and Alysa is a passionate trumpeter. Their bright minds and enthusiasm for trying new things reminds me very much of my first dinner with Cornell alumni and fellow classmates back in 2010; I couldn’t be more excited for them about the amazing time they will undergo this summer.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Mrs. Topor and I have contacted one another in the past, but this had been email exchanges in passing and neither of us had yet to meet the other in person. I am very glad that Mr. Ramsey sat me besides her, as Mrs. Topor’s perspective of Penn was most sincere and wise. It was easy to make conversation and share my opinions with her as she was familiar with Northern California, our schools, and the types of students from our school district. From encouraging me to subscribe to The Daily Pennsylvania online newsletter to making the most of freshman year through living in the most social hubbub on campus – the Quad – it was pleasant to rub off the excitement I had for Penn on someone who felt the same way.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Perhaps one of the greatest things Mrs. Topor left me with by the end of the dinner was something nearly all college-bound seniors have on the back of their minds. I expressed it casually between our various conversations, not expecting an answer and not expecting that Mrs. Topor would know. “In all honesty,” I admitted to Mrs. Topor. “I’m not completely sure why Penn chose me; my test scores were not that great…”</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">“It was your personal statement and your teacher recommendations,” she said.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Upon hearing this, I was elated that my application strategy paid off. I knew my test scores were not as high as I would have liked them to be but I only wanted that to be a subtle anchor in my application. I wanted to show Penn that I was more than test scores, that beyond numbers, I was smart, well-rounded, and a Quaker-at-heart in person. The ILC has allowed me to meet with so many college admissions officers in the past two years alone that I’ve come to connect all of them by a common theme: the personal statement. Unlike the UCs, which do not weight these essays as much, out-of-state private colleges, like Penn, do pay attention to the student behind the words. These schools value the self-portrait you paint for them because they’re looking to accept students they can easily visualize thriving on their campus.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Of course, this isn’t to say that one should not do well on their tests and rely solely on their personal statement and other essays. By all means, getting the highest score possible should be a priority, but if you happen to share a similar situation with me, where your test scores were just a hair from the median, you need to make up for it through hard work and through focusing on the remaining aspects of your application. I toiled on draft after draft until I was satisfied with my personal statement, and thanks to Mrs. Topor, I am very happy to know that it really did pay off in the end.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">I am also eternally grateful to all the teachers that wrote letters of recommendation for me. I had asked them – Mr. Wade, Ms. Lamons, Ms. Carson, and my principal Mrs. Sue Kahn – because I felt they each knew me from a different light. There were many sides to me that I wanted Penn to be aware of and these teachers, I felt, possessed a good introduction to at least one or two of them. I never knew what they wrote as I waived my right to view their letters but I was pleasantly touched to discover that their faith in my capabilities played a major role in my admittance to Penn.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">This Penn dinner was a splendid event. I enjoyed meeting all the other alumni and ILC students; our mutual connection with Penn was all we shared at the start of the dinner and thanks to the ILC, all of us were able to return home with something greater. Saying that I am more excited to attend Penn now because of all the alumni I met that night is an understatement. I am very proud to call myself a Quaker – very, very proud to be going to Penn as a first-generation college student.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">The ILC is a dynamic force of positive change. It changes the way students from our school district view their future and the way Ivy League schools view students from our district. It exposes parents to the bright opportunities available to their sons and daughters and gives these students the chance to show their parents just how capable they are of going to college thousands of miles away from home.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">May my gratitude and those from whom the ILC has made such a positive change to never cease. I thank the program’s founders – Mr. Charles Ramsey and Mrs. Madeline Kronenberg – from the bottom of my heart for the priceless journey I’ve undergone for the past two years. From Ithaca, NY to New Haven, CT, I’ve grown a lot since my first year in high school. I thought all I wanted was to be a Cal Bear simply because my knowledge of the college world consisted only of UC schools.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">Now, this Quaker is ready to take all she’s learned in high school and embark on an even grander scheme of things within in the city of Brotherly Love – on the campus of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.</span><u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;">This is far from the end; it’s just a really great introduction to an even greater beginning.</span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-30262758993816935582011-08-17T20:00:00.000-07:002011-08-17T20:24:06.986-07:00Reflections on Ivy League ConnectionI am still astounded at the generosity of the Ivy League Connection. They have placed an enormous responsibility upon us students who accept their donation. As I wrote in my very first post, I would be remissed if I took this gift, used it as a springboard, and went of to be enormously successful for myself alone. Yet while the money plays a roll, it is the responsibility I feel to the people I go to school with, and the community I am from itself, that urges me to do something positive for them. Because I went to a "future leaders" program with a bunch of other people who had no idea what it was like to go to an intercity school, who had never even interacted with someone who was totally out of their social or economic class. I am an unabashed liberal, and I met many people who had similar views as I did, but had no empathy for the people they wanted to help. Even in them I saw a disconnect, and while it was better than the "let them eat cake" attitude I saw in many students, that worries me about their capability to represent people like those from WCCUSD.
<br />I do not know what the ultimate goal of Ivy League Connection is; what the purpose of encouraging a select few from our district to go on and be successful. But I know how I feel about it. I will take all the help I can get, to become equipped to promote positive change, and act on the understanding I gained from El Cerrito High. I hope my program mates feel the same way because now I know how few of us there really are who feel as I do, and know what I know. Most of all I hope that the ILC's investment in us is worth it in that regard.
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<br />Tom Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417006960610695665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-49926314993759543532011-08-17T17:17:00.000-07:002011-08-17T20:00:44.910-07:00Reflections on Grand StrategyThe more I learn the more I am astounded at how not simple the world is. All the reflection on myself and the world through this program has culminated in the great realization of how little I know, how little most people really know. It's less like a machine as I wrote in an earlier post, and more like an infinite labyrinth that is always shifting. I think that this is the ultimate example of Clausewitz' idea of friction-the problems that arise when theory is put into practice. How society is built today is humans trying to live together, while balancing all the different desires of nations down to individual people, and as I have learned, it is neither perfect nor clear why it is imperfect.
<br />This kind of thinking always leads me to questions that are perhaps too big to answer, and the important question arises of whether it is worth thinking about at all, as opposed to just molding what we already have into something better. In the Grand Strategy program, I would say the latter. What the program came down to was how to view the world as a whole, through many different lenses, come up with plans that could make an effective difference based on that more holistic understanding, and above all, how to succeed. The world's imperfection leaves gaps, holes that must be filled by powerful people to function successfully. At Yale, I met 50, give or take, of those people in 20 years. The hope is that through education, and a moral compass provided by God, society, or whomever, these people will move the world in a positive direction. Unfortunately there is no test that power will not be abused, leaders will always act justly, or that they will make the "right call." But there are ways to approximate who is on a track for success, and again, Grand Strategy found them, and I met them. My hope, and something that I think is very wrong with the world that I can pinpoint, is that future leaders become less focused on victory and success. The paradox of politics and leadership is that you want power to implement policy based on your ideology, but you must continuously sacrifice that ideology to stay in power, and achieve your more important goals. My question is when does one stop? At what point is it better to lose power for the sake of your principles?
<br />My criticism for the world is that winning almost always is a greater incentive than upholding one's principles. Moreover, I felt that the need to win was conditioned into many of my fellow Grand Strategists.
<br />So what does this mean for me? Well if the majority of "future leaders" are not thinking about the intrinsic imperfections in our society, and I my have the potential to be a leader, maybe it is my responsibility to think be an advocate of that mode of thinking. I think that what I will have to answer for myself, is how to reconcile that with being a societal leader, and whether it is even possible to function as both a gear and a critic of the same machine.
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<br />Tom Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417006960610695665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-44674793911658493302011-08-11T00:02:00.000-07:002011-08-11T00:44:44.493-07:00A Whole New MeThese past 3 weeks have been a blur, but this was one of the most memorable blurs I've ever had. I've experienced so many things these past couple of weeks, and learned about so many different things. <div>
<br /></div><div>Before I start I'd like to say that I'm sorry but this one blog cannot accurately describe everything I'm feeling inside. I'll do my best to convey what I can.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I guess the best way to start off my reflection would be to say this, the world is not as small as one might think. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>The most important thing, in my opinion, that I've gotten out of this whole experience is not the academics, or the colleges (don't get me wrong I learned a lot in these categories), but it was the people I met and the bonds I made with them that made these 3 weeks exceptionally great. In my 3 weeks away from home my network expanded from the Bay Area, to the entire world. I met kids from Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, etc. All of these people were so great to meet. Through them I was able to get a glimpse at what their lives were like at their home, I was able to hear their stories about their own experiences. Before this program I had no idea that boarding school was such a popular option. In my blog before this one, I talked about the great relationships I've made and how I never want to see them falter. I feel like these relationships are special, in light that they are with a network of people that are destined to do something. Dr.Luong never failed to mention that we were the leaders of our generation, and that everyone around us would be there to help in maintaining our world. These connections will not die. I've never had the pleasure of working with such an amazing group of students before.</div><div>
<br /></div><div> Everyone here wanted to be in class, they wanted to learn, and they were all smarter, if not as smart as myself. This was an amazing atmosphere to be in. Usually I am the smartest in my class, I have to do all of the group work, and I do most of the participating. But the situation here was completely dedicated to the task on hand and they all invested 100% of their efforts in it. From the marshal briefs to the daily seminars, everyone put their all in it. We all had to wake up to morning lectures, and sleep during the late hours of the night. I don't think I'll ever be in a class room setting such as this ever again.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Aside from just the relationships I forged, seeing the other college campuses really opened my eyes and my mind. I've always said that the UC system was all there was for me, I never once considered applying for any school out of California. Well I am happy to say that this program did a complete 180 for me. Now I yearn to go back to the east. I want to go to schools like UPENN or Columbia or better yet, Yale. I've fallen in love with the schools back east and I plan on applying to the three that I mentioned above.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>A question was posed to myself and my other ILC Yalies regarding the continuation of this program. Well in my humble opinion, I think that this program is the best program that the ILC has right now. Although the world cannot hear our thoughts while we experience everything, that is more than enough of a price to pay for this awesome experience. Before I left I thought about my program compared to everything else. It seemed like everything else was specialized in one way or another. From physics to biotechnology, to religions, etc. My program was totally different. My program focussed on Grand Strategy. Grand Strategy deals with everything, one must account for all things before one makes a decision. Our lectures and seminars dealt with a wide breadth of knowledge. We learned about philosophy, current events, economics, politics, and law. Our knowledge didn't stop at just academic subjects, but life long lessons as well. We got seminars about how relationships work and about the manners of fine dining and networking. We emerged from this program not just smarter in school, but smarter in life as a whole.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>This program was probably the hardest thing I've done up to now, yet at the same time it was one of the most enjoyable. Being surrounded by this group of scholars, in a great environment such as Yale produced so many benefits and eye openers for me. I came in as someone who didn't know what they wanted in life, who lacked strong work ethic and was scared of leaving home. I came out as someone who knew where he wanted to and the drive to get there. Most importantly I came to realize that leaving home isn't all that bad and that some day I'm going to have to do it for real. When that day comes, I hope that it is to depart, yet again, to the wonderful campus that is Yale University. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Thank you Mr.Ramsey, Ms.Kronenberg, Don Gosney, Lori Nardon, and all of the ILC sponsors for everything you've given me. You helped me realize what opportunities are really out there for us. You all have a great thing going, don't stop it. </div>Matt Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14480648943383756110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-88823901934381612082011-08-10T22:32:00.000-07:002011-08-10T23:56:53.815-07:00"We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers"Like all the other days I had at Yale, my final day began with a quick shower, leading directly to a morning lecture.<div>
<br /></div><div>Our lecture's guest speaker was the same as the day before, Mr.Paul Solman. Mr.Solman is the lead man on economics for the T.V station, PBS. I was able to pay full attention for my final morning lecture. I even got called upon to participate in a little "game" that we did in class. I don't remember the intent of the game, but I do remember what actually happened. Basically my suite mate and I were called upon to offer up some money, and then to accept some money. Keep in mind this money was REAL cash. So I got picked to be the offerer, and my friend Jay got picked to be the accepter/denier. I made a fair offer, $30 for me and $30 for Jay. However Jay was a bit greedier than I had anticipated, he declared that he would go for only $40 and no lower. Therefore we had "lost" the game and we both walked away empty handed.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The day went on according to schedule. Morning lecture ended at 11:30 AM and lunch went from 11:30 AM- 1 PM. I ate lunch with my fellow suite mates for the last time in Siliman's dining hall. We shared many laughs in that place, and I will never forget it. Our food was always good, ever-changing meals combined with a complete salad & sandwich bar. Fountain drink machine, and always a variety of deserts to choose from. Yale food lived up to its expectations.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Our lunch was followed by yet another "lecture." I put lecture in parenthesis for a reason. Our truly final "lecture" was given by none other than our very own, Dr. Minh A. Luong, and it wasn't really a lecture at all. Dr.Luong talked to us about what challenges a leader like us may face, he described to us that we went through many difficulties these past weeks and that there may still be questions lingering around, this led into the bulk of the talk. We had a massive Q & A session for everybody who wanted to know about anything at all. It was a great way to cap off our lectures. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>After our lecture we all got ready for our big graduation dinner. They boys were getting their nice threads on, and the girls were getting dolled up. At around 4:55 PM we all met in the courtyard. All of the suits and ladies in beautiful dresses, combined with the flashes of a camera combined to give me the impression that I was getting ready to go yet another prom. It was a great feeling though don't get me wrong. I took many pictures with my group mates, with my suite mates, and with friends in general. Everyone looked spectacular. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>We filed into a line, and proceeded to the Presidential Hall, where all other Grand Strategists before us have dined their final meal together. We waited in the waiting room for a good while, socializing and whatnot, before we were let into the main room to sit at a table with some friends and chit chat some more. We ate and talked together, and soon it was time for the award ceremony. We all got quiet and listened to Dean Nick Coburn-Palo announce the finalists and winners for each of the categories. My friend Jay ended up being a finalist for the speaking competition, and I even won an award as well. My group won the award for the best written marshal brief, we were a bit surprised when we won but happy nonetheless. We wrapped up our dinner with desert, and proceeded to our final activity of the night. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Our final event was a big end to the whole experience. 5 whole hours, from 10:30 PM-2:30 AM, with our fellow Grand Strategists. We had a plethora of activities to choose from. Board games such as Risk! and Monopoly, movies in the lecture halls, and even just a social room if you wanted to talk. I ended up floating around all the rooms, except the movies, playing a game of Risk with some friends, then going back to the social room to chat it out with my peers. The night was great. I ended up getting back to my dorm around 3 and fell asleep around 3:30 AM. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>The next morning I woke up to say farewell to my suite mates, and my peers. I was amazed just how attached I had become to all of my friends. After spending only 15 days with these people, they went from being complete strangers, to some of the nicest, smartest, and funniest friends I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I'll never forget them, and thanks to Facebook, it looks like I'll always have a way to talk to them all. The YISP Grand Strategies was a great program, and I got to meet so many new people. As I drove away I thought of something to describe what I was feeling inside. This is what I came up with:</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Suite mates headin' out one by one,</div><div>Every time it feels like I'm gettin shot by a gun.</div><div>I ask myself why I feel this way,</div><div>I think it's because I live in the bay.</div><div>The seas divide us, the USA too,</div><div>But we know we'll always be that same old crew!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>To all my fellow Grand Strategists out there reading this, you were the best. Thanks for making those 3 weeks some of the best 3 weeks of my life. This isn't good bye, we'll cross paths one day.</div>Matt Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14480648943383756110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-45023860094935322222011-08-10T21:52:00.000-07:002011-08-10T23:30:17.978-07:00Tide Embraced: Reflection of the YISP Experience<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> 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0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:"Century Gothic"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:"Century Gothic"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Remember the tide?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Prior to boarding the plane and prior to everything I was to experience in the East Coast, I envisioned an incoming tide and myself an amateur surfer. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into entirely. I kept an optimistic and brave front most of the time, even though the fear of not meeting expectations or making a fool of myself were common nightmares I’d let surface now and again. This was how I’ve always carried myself despite the ultimate coward I was capable of being internally. I envisioned myself coming out successfully in the end as much as I imagined myself undergoing all possible routes of failure. In the end, was I going to become plankton in the big ocean, or an obnoxiously large whale in an elementary school drinking fountain?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was a participant of Yale Ivy Scholars for the summer of 2011. I was among 72 students this year, all studying under the “Grand Strategy” course. Before I started this program, I admit that I had a hard time explaining what this program was really about. Now, I can say with more confidence, just what “Grand Strategy” really is. Being a “Grand Strategist” is a never-ending climb, not to perfection, but a climb for the sake of climbing. You’re constantly learning and curious. You’re always trying to solve the problems before you by using the best method you think is possible. You never stop asking yourself: “If I was in his/her shoes, how would I have handled it?” You are a leader striving for effectiveness and understanding; you shun power and personal rewards.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Simply saying that I learned a lot from these past fifteen days would be an understatement. Rather than bore all of you with lengthy recollections of what I learned during lecture, however, I will share with you some of the most important things I’ve come to realize and now, fully abide by.</p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="">Spending Time with People Smarter Than You</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">You feel a mixture of inspiration, jealousy, and intimidation whenever you hear any one of them admit to their past achievements and accomplishments. I may not know every detail about my fellow peers, but never once have I heard them admit to any of these without being humble or somewhat shy about their successes. One of them was nationally ranked 19<sup>th</sup> as a policy debater, while another can claim they’ve sat on the British parliament for simulation. Some of them never bothered to share their achievements, but their reservoir of knowledge – displayed throughout lectures or casual conversations – was obvious. Everyone around me was exceptional, one way or the other. I didn’t get the feeling that they paid their way through alone; they all deserved to be there. Many fearlessly participated and spoke their mind during lectures and seminars – you’d rarely see this in my high school. And if they were not as outspoken as the aforementioned group before, they were surely talented in other ways – especially in writing.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The talents among them were endless; in addition to their intellect, there was a handful that could also sing, dance, draw, and/or play sports, just as skillfully. There is really no way to rank these people. You easily feel subordinated. Yet, despite constant exposure to these brilliant beings, I still, remarkably, had room for personal pride. Many of my fellow peers were a lot stronger than I was, in a variety of areas, and I was not the least bit surprised. However, the yearning to be like them subsides when you realize that you’re imperfect and cannot expect yourself to be like everyone who inspires you. Instead, you accept that you’re not nationally ranked 19<sup>th</sup> for policy debate; you indulge in the exceptional company before you and be thankful for all the unique qualities that make you, you. </p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="">The Meaning of Great Education</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Everyone that’s been there tells me that college education is wonderful. If in high school you didn’t feel particularly satisfied, than college education would fulfill that void, or so I’ve been told. At YISP, the education that was promised was delivered. All the guest lecturers that graced their presence before us inspired and amazed me to no end. There are some undergraduate students, even graduate students, who’d want to sit in one of our seats for during some of these lectures. Four to five students alone, as Dr. Luong told us, wanted each of our spots based on the total number of applicants this year.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">In addition to the extensive topics covered during seminars and lectures, I especially liked that this program avoided a grading system. And yet, even without grades to act as incentives among us, no one took advantage of them to avoid class. It was learning for learning’s sake – not even the best private secondary schools in the country could boast these high percentages of mutual attitude within a classroom. Granted, levels of attention varied from lecture to lecture, but generally, everyone tenaciously stuck with the heavy workload expected from our everyday schedules. In addition to the breadth of renowned teachers we had giving us lectures, it was also an honor to sit with such driven and intelligent group of students. Every day, they’d bring to lectures their own knowledge and ask questions I haven’t even thought about. They fearlessly stand by their opinions, unafraid to meet those who challenge them in the eye. Some may stutter to attempt a rebuttal, but they’d never sit down in hopeless defeat. They’re not always right and their questions may not always be the smartest, but all of them share ruthless courage.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Back at Pinole Valley, I sometimes feel ashamed to hog class time with my questions, especially when none of my fellow classmates seem to show any interest in asking questions of their own. Many students within our lectures never ask questions too, but that doesn’t stop the rest of them from asking questions when they really had one. These lectures always devote an hour in the end for questions and answers; I’m going to miss seeing a forest of raised arms when I start senior year at Pinole Valley.</p><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">No Longer The Top (Accepting The Inevitable and Moving On)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>When I was much younger – when I boldly thought the world was a lot smaller than everyone thought it wasn’t – I used to believe I could, or would, eventually become the best at [fill in the blank here]. I was so competitive; I hated admitting to defeat. This attitude served me well during my early youth, when my fellow peers were more interested in playtime or naps then fretting over being number one all the time. Only I was crazily obsessed with ambition (to this day, I am baffled by where it all came from).</p><p class="MsoNormal"> As I grew older, however – moving from fish bowl to aquarium – I ran into defeat and rejection more frequently alongside occasional moments of triumph. The first time – okay, the first several times – they hit me really hard. Physically, I never harmed myself, but emotionally, I felt sharp stings. I was so uncomfortable with defeat. I scolded myself for not living up to expectations. At every downfall, I felt like “the magic” was rubbing off. What was wrong with me? What was I doing wrong? Eventually, and thankfully before this program, I realized that there really wasn’t anything wrong with me and that I didn’t do anything wrong. It was life.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I cannot expect to be the best at everything; there will always be someone better in some degree. Being at YISP this year, strengthened that lesson. Most of the 71 students around me were just as, if not equally as, ambitious as I was. I could’ve strained myself to an extent to beat all of them (though I highly doubt it), but that would be such a waste of my experience. You risk your potential to get the best from an experience like the YISP by being close-minded and treating all those around you as threats to your spot at the top. Sure, proving yourself to be one of the best among this pool of students would have surely been something to boast about in the end, but weren’t all 72 of us chosen for a reason? There will never be an adequate apparatus to measure success and capability; they will always be weighed and scaled through personal opinions. In my opinion, everyone YISP Grand Strategy was already at “the top”. I did not receive any special awards in the end, just the same certificate of completion that everybody else received. Yet, I’m not bothered at all. Indefinitely it would thrill me to return home to Pinole, CA to wave two certificates in my hand, but I’m perfectly content with the one I got already.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The expectations I try to fulfill are solely my own now. I take those of others into serious consideration, but in the end, I make sure I satisfy my own desires first. “Are you happy?” I’d ask myself. Even if I honestly replied that I was somewhat disappointed, I remind myself that there was always a brighter side to things and that tomorrow was a clean slate. It’s not because I’ve lowered my own expectations of myself or that I was pulling myself away from competition. I continue to set extremely high goals and refuse to give up without a good fight. For me, lingering in the past and beating myself over errors was counterproductive and a distraction from moving forward.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">To pick up from your mistakes and move forward, ask yourself what it is that you can do to avoid the same error in the future, not screaming impossible questions to yourself, like "Why can't you do anything right, for once?!" I certainly didn’t leave YISP as one of the “top” students (if we’re really considering any form of rank here) and I do not consider myself less of a person. I gave my best effort – arguably, I should’ve been a bit more confident in putting myself out there – and I can’t expect something that I couldn’t deliver. Being able to consider myself an Ivy Scholar is a big deal to me. It makes me proud.
<br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The Importance of Knowing the World Around You</span>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>If you do not already read newspapers and/or watch the news as close as you can get to daily routine now, I highly suggest you start. The modern world we live in offers no excuse for anyone to continue going about life without taking the time to check up with current events. The entire faculty at YISP either stresses this and/or engages in this routine as if the day would be incomplete without it.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I used to make up some excuse – like how busy I always was – to make me think this jagged faith to the world around me was okay. It is not. Now, I see this as a poor excuse. If you can’t find time, you make time. Different news articles have different effects on the individual but you’re not being asked to become an expert on the world. You just have to be aware.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I am reminded of Mr. Paul Solmon as I write this. He covers the economics portion of <span style="font-style: italic;">PBS NewsHour</span> and I look up to him highly. For Mr. Solmon, he is concerned that by the increasing number of Americans – especially young adults – who know so little about the economy. It’s extra knowledge that could only help and better your future in the long run. Don’t let the need to catch up with old news stop you from reading current news. Go forth and be knowledgeable. Having an interest in the present means you show an earnest care for the future.</p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Teamwork</b></span>
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">My Marshall Brief group was told that we had the hardest topic among the rest. Later, the whole groups expressed that they heard similar comments. Whether Mr. James “Jeb” Benkowski – our Marshall Brief advisor – was trying to inflate our discouraged and frustrated heads or not, our group were guinea pigs to an “experiment” Marshall Brief topic. Our topic – “International Action for the Korean Peninsula (PRC)” – was the first Marshall Brief the YISP attempted to do under the perspective of another country. In addition to learning as much we could about the DPRK, our group also had to adjust our thinking so that every policy we wanted to implement was something the PRC, not the US, would do.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">My Marshall Brief consisted of four girls in total, including myself. Not only were we one of the smaller groups (the average was five or six); we were also the only all-girl group. Among each other, we constantly joke just how horrible this combination was. A grouping of equally driven girls working together – are you looking for trouble? Perhaps. But the four of us worked – pardon my French here – our asses off to be prepared for our presentation in the end. Yes, it took us much longer to choose what it was exactly that we wanted to do with our topic. Yes, we missed some deadlines by minutes. Yes, we’ve pulled all-nighters to stay on top of things. And yes, we sometimes skipped delicious meals at the Silliman Dining Hall.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Some groups had one or two individual that rose to take charge while others had too many taking charge, thereby jeopardizing progress. In our group, any one of us could’ve taken charge, but instead, we all took equal, dual roles as leader and follower. There was no finely drawn line in terms of our individual responsibilities. No one really assigned things; we all determined whether the duty at hand measured equally with the weight the others were pulling. Looking back at it all now, I can see how this method was both a good and a bad thing.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I honestly have yet to figure out what the ideal method of teamwork is among a group of leaders. I can tell you what a leader should do in a team, but when it comes to leaders leading amongst each other, I am still a bit lost. However, I do know that it is possible. I also know that when leaders do work well with one another, some of the best work imaginable results. The astounding Marshall Briefs each group produced only after a couple of days work is proof.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">My Marshall Brief group’s teamwork was not perfect but how well we performed during our presentation capped any remaining frustrations we had in a bottle and was tossed out to sea. Our Marshall Brief did not win any awards, but none of us complained. The hard work we all put in, obvious by our tremendous reaction once it was all over, was incredible. Even though we didn’t end up as “the best Marshall Brief”, I’d trade good teamwork and harmony over winning such a title under an imbalanced and constantly bickering regime. </p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Life-long Friends</b></span>
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">There was so much work to do during these fifteen days that simply attempting to squeeze an adequate social life would loosen the fragile, delicate fabric of progress. Yet, despite all the opportunities that this schedule gave for all 72 of us to become lone wolves, nearly everyone rejected that wonderful option.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It seemed as if the more lectures and challenges we were constantly being thrown at by the faculty, the more prone we all were to support and confide with one another. With similar work ethics and sense of independence, many of us, remarkably, found it all the more easily to establish close bonds. These friendships are some of the strongest and most unique bonds I’ve made for such a short period of time. There was a mutual understanding of the struggles and frustrations we felt from the work put before us – like a language we developed among one another.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The girls I shared a suite with always brought a smile to my face, even though I often returned to our dorms with Marshall Brief work that extended across the night and into early morning. Everyone understood the need for quiet time to concentrate; they respected everyone’s need to work instead of joining the circle of latest gossip. By the time this program came to an end, I surprised myself with misty eyes. I feel very blessed that I had the chance to call these incredible people my friends.
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - -</span>
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">To revisit the concept of the aforementioned tide, I’ve come to realize that I wasn’t an amateur surfer at all. If I had to provide a more accurate analogy, it be much more appropriate to say that I am like a baby turtle, freshly hatched from my egg. Unlike the surfer and more like the turtle, I am not alone on the sand. There are a bunch of other baby turtles, just like myself, struggling to reach the tide.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Through the eyes of man, the distance is only several paces – such an effortless task. For these baby turtles it’s a journey of life and death. Looking back at the entirety of summer vacation, YISP looks like several paces but it really was a long, challenging journey. Just like these baby turtles, making their way across the sand, the Yale Ivy Scholars of Grand Strategy braved through these fifteen days. Some moved faster than others; some dodged several seagull attacks. In the end, though, we all made it safely into the tide.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The tide was good all along. When you see yourself as a surfer – so caught up in yourself and what it is that you want to accomplish – you’re so anxious to worry about the outcome and not the actual process to reach that outcome. As an amateur surfer, I worried about whether the tide would bring success or failure; I didn’t even consider whether I’d even reach the tide or not. I was so caught up with the conclusion, I forgot about the climb I had yet to even start. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The tide was good all along. As one of the 72 baby turtles slowly sifting through the sand, it was completing the journey on time and as safely as possible that ranked as our number one priority. Baby turtles do not spend their first moments out of their shells, casually daydreaming what the ocean was like. For them, it was work first, reward later. Just like these hardworking baby turtles, that was how everyone at Ivy Scholars viewed these fifteen days. We couldn’t wait to experience that happiness that all our accumulated hard work would eventually come to highlight, but before we could have happiness over our accomplishments, we needed the hard work.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">All of us made it to the tide in the end. The strength of the current could no longer keep us together, as it yanked each of us to individually different directions. Although the final destination of these hardworking baby turtles remains a mystery, all of them are bound for something big within that endless ocean. Their struggle across the sand does not guarantee their success, but their incredible ability to defy their slim chances for survival have turned all of them into toughened turtles, ready to face whatever obstacles comes their way. With hope, some of these turtles may cross currents one day, but then again, they may not. These turtles will never forget their journey across the sand, greeting a tide that was good, exceptionally good, all along.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Part II </span>of a Series of Reflections on the YISP
<br />by Dyana W. T. So</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-6836053765448880102011-08-10T06:18:00.000-07:002012-08-17T10:24:14.072-07:00Encore!<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 130%;">Immediate Emotions and Reliving a Bittersweet Day</span></div>
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This post-YISP feeling is hard to describe. It's almost as if someone suddenly stripped me of all my emotions – those I've strove so hard to keep aligned and separate – and placed them in a merciless blender. This feeling looks like a heavily mixed, but equally distributed, pulp of happiness and sadness. It smells like a delivered pizza at 11PM, when all you've eaten before then were words of encouragement used by your fellow peers - working through dinner on your Marshall Briefs. This feeling feels like the piercing Bay Area chill that surprises non-California natives, who are more used to warm and humid summer nights. The taste of this feeling is unfathomable – a bittersweet delicacy overall. The fine lines between bliss and melancholy are blurred. I cannot tell one from the other anymore, and it’s only been a couple of days since I've left Yale Ivy Scholars.</div>
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Eventually, it hits you.</div>
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Some felt it the minute they stepped foot into the airport, while others felt it after their parents peeled away from a welcome-home embrace. I know this because, when all of us turn on our Facebook accounts back home, we immediately head straight to the group we made to stay in touch. By now, most of us have settled back to our daily lives, be it Singapore, Texas, or Canada. The Facebook group makes the distance between all of us less immense than it really is, and the thought of never seeing each other again, unthinkable.</div>
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This paradoxical feeling came to me even before I struggled down two flights of stairs with my luggage to sign out under the Silliman College main archway. It first visited the moment I woke up from my minima, but fulfilling sleep, on our suite's common room couch. I can still remember that moment very clearly.</div>
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It was about 9AM when I woke up - the latest time since my fifteen days at Yale. Our second-floor suite – the I building at Silliman – already felt different since Claudia Shin left the night before, just after graduation dinner. I was the first to wake up again, but I was less enthusiastic about greeting this new day. I knew the inevitable departure lay ahead, and for once, I took my sweet time to get ready, letting the natural flow of life take me to where I needed to be. One by one, the remaining five residents of this suite would eventually grab all they've brought with them, check out, and head home. I started to miss them even as two familiar, sleepy faces – those of Jean Wang and Isabel Scher – groggily walked past me to brush their teeth. Through an outsider’s eyes, nothing was too out of the ordinary, but we all knew that, internally, things would never be the same again. For old times’ sake, the three of us decided to head off to Blue State Coffee together for breakfast. The two Katherines – one from England and the other from California – were still deep in sleep.</div>
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At Blue State Coffee, the three of us ran into more familiar faces. Despite the duration of time all of us knew one another individually, we sat together as if we've been friends since way back when. This was the usual feeling one immediately felt with their closest mates at Ivy Scholars, but after fifteen days of mutual hard work, nobody had much reason to be shy anymore. Still, I exchanged small talk among them. I was a bit lost for words, hungry, and desiring more to absorb the moment before me than interrupt it with my own words, in fear of spoiling it all. This scene – a select few of Ivy Scholars huddled over coffee, tea, and pancakes at Blue State Coffee – was too fragile of a picture.</div>
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Isabel Scher [left] and Mr. Drew Ruben [right] - the YISP Dean of Students and Founder of Blue State Coffee - wait for their breakfast orders. </div>
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The table next to us - more YISP students, moments from returning home. </div>
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Jean Wang. </div>
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Sunny Huang [left] and Jeffrey Hu [right] enjoying Blue State coffee and pastries.</div>
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The look on everyone's face, I realized, seemed unnatural. I was more used to seeing fast-moving jaws and alert eyes, with the typical topics among them ranging from their Marshall Briefs to already-established inside jokes. At Blue State Coffee that morning though, the amount of hard work and the lack of sleep from several nights before, finally caught up with all of them. Yet, despite this being our final morning together as Ivy Scholars, everyone had some form of a slight smile on their lips. If not as a visible curve from cheek to cheek, it was through their solemn words, deeply coated by a tone of bliss.</div>
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There were 72 of us in total. I did not get to meet everyone at the same level of familiarity in the end. A more accomplished, dare I say, "Grand Strategist", would have certainly been able to do this alongside all the work that was expected of us, but I clearly still have more to learn. The fifteen days I spent at Yale felt like a dream. It was such a small fraction of our individual summers, and yet, it took center stage for most of us. I can’t speak for my 71 other brilliant and unbelievably inspiring peers, but these past fifteen days have been the greatest summer experience to boot.</div>
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After about an hour’s worth of sipping mochas and munching banana pancakes, the good-byes began – first, only one said it, then, it seemed like everyone was leaving all at once. Isabel Scher was the first from our suite. Her older brother came by to pick her up. After several hugs, a photo, and more good-byes, we all exchanged one final smile with one another as we watched Isabel get into her brother’s car. Our suite family now dwindled from six to four.</div>
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Once Isabel left, the rest of us – minus British Katherine – were almost set to leave. By then, no one wanted to return to our depressing dorms. We grabbed all our belongings and placed them along the walls of the archway. In addition to waiting for our departure times and rides, we waited for those fellow scholars that were due to leave before us. Those who were scheduled to leave the Yale campus much later – some due tomorrow – also gathered at the archway with us. Nobody will admit it, but internally, we knew we’d never see some of these people every again. It’s a sad but honest reality. One that I couldn’t really keep inside completely as my eyes became misty.</div>
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Currently, I am sitting in the Peet’s Coffee in Pinole. (This coffee addiction has unfortunately taken over – thank you, Blue State Coffee!) Returning to the Bay Area, I feel so alive (and that’s not only the caffeine talking). I can’t really put it into words that would adequately satisfy how I’m feeling at the present moment. I feel like I’m still hovering above ground. I’m excited to face challenges; I’m looking forward to the pile of AP assignments ahead (they’re due in a little less than two weeks). I know this sounds crazy and I doubt I can keep this momentum, at this high level of drive for long, up but honestly, life has never felt this good.</div>
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I’m looking forward to my senior year – looking forward to making change now and not only after I graduate from high school. These past fifteen days as a Yale Ivy Scholar was like an internal surgical procedure. On the outside, I look the same, but on the inside, I feel like a completely different person – a better person. I’m still an imperfect, stubborn, and overly ambitious student, but I’m looking at life now, less like a rat race, and more like a brilliant chase with welcoming detours. I do fear that this high will eventually fade, but something inside me tells me it will only erode from me slightly.</div>
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If one more week of YISP was offered to us but also required another Marshall Brief to be completed in the end, I’d accept it in a heartbeat. A very good friend – Yvonne Hsiao – and I share this special inside joke we call, “Operation: Employment”. We remind each other of this throughout our stressed Marshall Brief meetings and sometimes to have a good laugh. Pretty much, we jokingly set the possibility of returning to YISP to be instructors as our ultimate reason to always work hard and never give up. Granted, this was not our main reason to do our very best, but sharing this silly goal of all goals between the two of us just elevated the love we had towards, and I quote Yvonne for this: “the best academic decision I’ve made in my life”.</div>
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[From left to right] Dyana So, Isabel Scher, Katherine Yu, Jean Wang. These girls were like sisters; we shared the same suite together. [Missing from this photograph] Claudia Shin and Katherine Spooner. </div>
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[From left to right] Jean Wang, Dyana So, Dean Coburn-Palo, Jeffrey Hu. </div>
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[From left to right] Matt Lee, Dyana So, Jeffrey Hu, Ahmed Hameed, Sunny Huang, and D.K. Guo. </div>
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Yohanna Pepa: you are such an inspiration. You have no idea how much prouder I feel being a Spartan knowing all that you've already achieved. It was great seeing you as one of the YISP student instructor. </div>
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Appropriately, the last photo I took at Yale. This here is Matt Lee.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Part I </span>of a Series of Reflections on the YISP
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by Dyana W. T. So</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-14509199837526545072011-08-03T19:04:00.000-07:002011-08-03T19:05:05.719-07:00Yale School of Medicine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtDtqWKjnMlE1kk_Jhk_m3-tmYMYfwj9PfJVrOKxMs5a1VNI8VWE-OdTlmv347Rq_iALiYMNiT98gQ41qCyVvhVrjHxJ3c-zAaV08OWMB0HbyfGB10mXuVECD-ZWNlVkd7hY-6yGjnBY/s1600/dartmouth+havard+brown+059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtDtqWKjnMlE1kk_Jhk_m3-tmYMYfwj9PfJVrOKxMs5a1VNI8VWE-OdTlmv347Rq_iALiYMNiT98gQ41qCyVvhVrjHxJ3c-zAaV08OWMB0HbyfGB10mXuVECD-ZWNlVkd7hY-6yGjnBY/s640/dartmouth+havard+brown+059.JPG" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqaxx4rPvMUPlZAukjbZBiPu2fvocGQtB2Cya0otjQHgJ1cN7j8jCfoeS3QWD0TNUNk5NC3dfYXpEXXExINYR-uO4-BnLzdCvniQeCv3YB8xK_RrAKY15jE94JikAsSoevHrjg-s1PkA/s1600/dartmouth+havard+brown+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqaxx4rPvMUPlZAukjbZBiPu2fvocGQtB2Cya0otjQHgJ1cN7j8jCfoeS3QWD0TNUNk5NC3dfYXpEXXExINYR-uO4-BnLzdCvniQeCv3YB8xK_RrAKY15jE94JikAsSoevHrjg-s1PkA/s640/dartmouth+havard+brown+051.JPG" t$="true" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div>So you maybe wondering why I visited the Yale School of Medicine, but to me this is in the hope that for some this might be the next step for you after your graduate from College. I was honored to meet with the Director of Admissions Mr. Silverman. He as well was wondering why a High School Counselor would be interested in this program. I explained that all of our students in WCCUSD have the opportunity to participate in an academy, and at De Anza we have a Health Academy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While many of these students will go on to college, not all will go on to medical school, nor is this the intent of this system. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I personally wanted to have a better understand of some the opportunities outside California for our students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This allows a student the opportunity to bloom, and spread their wings.</span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very excited to hear that Yale Medicine has a large contingent of students that had come from California and even have a support system that they created, to help adjust to the east coast. While most of us change our career paths many times, the idea of having options and ideas beyond the small area that we live in is vital to making the best choices for ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> While much of the application appears to mirror that of many other medical programs, Yale Medicine has a wonderful book called "100 Reasons" that give some amazing insight into why Yale? One of my favorite is number 10. Haven Free clinic that was created by medicial students, nursing and public health in 2005 to help the area here around Yale University.</span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The program sounds amazing, but they key appears not to have the right combinations of classes, internships etc. but rather a grasp on who and what you are and be commitment to that goal, as well as the confidence and belief that this is what you are meant to do.Lori Nardonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14542173213138572058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-20535830605623820672011-07-26T19:17:00.000-07:002011-07-26T19:17:49.432-07:00Yale Here We Come<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniFga9xiAHgkQ3XNoTUcSfFUKMNS-VyZB99k-6jyyZiwPplY_Fw4XFgblq74vQ7MfSe_2Oe45JzGC2EjUK1LWxx2r2p0Ldk2adozXhPGm8imPHjzxSwjG28Ki5OsWgyf9XZBl1bnXReU/s1600/741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniFga9xiAHgkQ3XNoTUcSfFUKMNS-VyZB99k-6jyyZiwPplY_Fw4XFgblq74vQ7MfSe_2Oe45JzGC2EjUK1LWxx2r2p0Ldk2adozXhPGm8imPHjzxSwjG28Ki5OsWgyf9XZBl1bnXReU/s640/741.JPG" t$="true" width="640" /></a> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Tom Miller, Dyana So, Matt Lee 6:15 AM departure to SFO then off to Philadelphia</div><div align="justify" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think we were all a little scared and apprehensive about our 20 days away from home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never been away from my family that long either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worried about if I packed the right things, if I brought to much or too little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But first and foremost I felt greatly honored that my three student’s family would trust me with their students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I realize that these three young people will soon be going off to college, as they are high school seniors, this is just the their first taste. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think we are all excited about what we will learn and bring back to our schools and our communities. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish there had been a program like this when I was a student as I truly never thought outside California. I thought why should I?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This question will be a reoccurring theme throughout my stay on the east coast. I will also try and look at this trip not only as a parent and counselor, but also question why Ivy League Universities and Colleges might make sense for your student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Picking the right school and the right fit is a very important decision that many of us leave up to fate and where a student submits their applications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Some of you maybe</span> unaware of the Common Application used by Ivy League Universities; I will also be passing along any tips that I learn along the way. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each student must ask their counselor for a letter of recommendation as well as two teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These recommendations will be sent though email.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your student asked their recommenders for their email address and then places them in their Common Application and then the recommender is sent a online recommendation to fill out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please be aware that when your student starts their application each college is aware, as well as when they submit and send the recommendations to the counselors/ teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Waiting to the last minute is not a good idea. </span>You make think this is a simple form to fill out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year I filled out 14, common application recommendations, while there is a part to check, it requires a full letter of rec. to be uploaded, and if I do not have good information about your student then this becomes very difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also must upload a PDF copy of the transcript.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is done more than once, at each quarter and at year end for your student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">While this may appear to be a negative it really is no harder than a UC application. If just requires your student to do a little more leg work. I also reccomend that your student give a resume or information to each so that they can write a really good letter. If they are apply for scholarships they will need letters for this as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;">I have had the pleasure to talk to a number of students that I done these trips in the past and all say that a college education at an Ivy League school is well worth it.</span></div>Lori Nardonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14542173213138572058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-83684321924572164052011-07-26T17:59:00.000-07:002011-07-26T17:59:23.710-07:00University of Pennsylvania-The Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMLwTGvUtM3UQvmja2WFqSNmCm9kVt6yPIjeQHm9eUfuaaVX7xz2rXE4vwmTu6kjWUuBNjaMzx2DtNbDyAkAdl518cgmFraWgs57QcMEGKfS1Lxz8F2BXcSUqIB1PSeBFfe13Xz4oqcs/s1600/Upenn+%2540+cambridge+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMLwTGvUtM3UQvmja2WFqSNmCm9kVt6yPIjeQHm9eUfuaaVX7xz2rXE4vwmTu6kjWUuBNjaMzx2DtNbDyAkAdl518cgmFraWgs57QcMEGKfS1Lxz8F2BXcSUqIB1PSeBFfe13Xz4oqcs/s640/Upenn+%2540+cambridge+001.JPG" t$="true" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Campus tour of the Univeristy of Pennsylvania and Informational Session, 7/22/2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvbsB402Dgh2it6UUWP844KUaT6JOAsBtiZX_GnUou0Yy239fs28KcVjzHf2dCz5keZyxn2nKKxzwSQ-cPEVGN3v_HMsXwkiBN8XN4-DPveWJCwmOvRK0eJxa35wm3ItZJfBVtWRtHmk/s1600/Upenn+%2540+cambridge+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvbsB402Dgh2it6UUWP844KUaT6JOAsBtiZX_GnUou0Yy239fs28KcVjzHf2dCz5keZyxn2nKKxzwSQ-cPEVGN3v_HMsXwkiBN8XN4-DPveWJCwmOvRK0eJxa35wm3ItZJfBVtWRtHmk/s640/Upenn+%2540+cambridge+009.JPG" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My wrist and the ground of the UPenn football stadium. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I found every informational session that I have attended useful on a number of levels. From being a parents, chaperon, to a high school counselor. As a parent my concerns are will my child be safe and welcome on the campus that they choose? I was very impressed with the security measures on the every campus that we have visited. You can not just walk up to any of the buildings and enter you must have a student ID to enter. I also am pleased that the Ivy league school's have an amazing way of looking at financial aid. They help families by significantly reducing what a parent must contribute towards their students education financially. As a parent I worry about how am I going to pay for my childs education. One of the truly amazing parts is that the people who have the lowest income benifit from the Ivy league school's financial aid the most. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We have also spent some time with students from WCCUSD who are attending the University of Penn summer program. As a parent it has been wonderful to see that they feel comfortable here and that they are enjoying their course work. I can't believe that these young people have been given this amazing opportunity to blossom and grow at no expense to them or their family. Pretty amazing that a public school can make this type of program happen. It shows me people we need more people like Mr. Ramsey, Mrs. Kronenberg and Mr. Gosney, who really believe in the young people of West Contra Costa Unified School district. They want our students to grow and expand their horzon's beyond the small boundries of West Contra Costa. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenEMDIq6xsYne-KdfdyKI3fAjsXDrczbSfhpvw3-gx7ZCrvHHUy6K2IJRR_F8g4tzYt20gHl1GfaX1eL1n1-SnRi-SxUXsAP3UaGSNNv366UkLW886tl7P8gz-BFnqJCPKSpBz2UznhE/s1600/Upenn+%2540+cambridge+167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenEMDIq6xsYne-KdfdyKI3fAjsXDrczbSfhpvw3-gx7ZCrvHHUy6K2IJRR_F8g4tzYt20gHl1GfaX1eL1n1-SnRi-SxUXsAP3UaGSNNv366UkLW886tl7P8gz-BFnqJCPKSpBz2UznhE/s640/Upenn+%2540+cambridge+167.JPG" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell</div><div align="justify"></div>Lori Nardonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14542173213138572058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-74082007610156597892011-07-23T22:49:00.000-07:002011-07-23T22:51:01.509-07:00Adieu For Now<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Below is a supplement blog for 07-23-2011</span><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Before it was days; now it is only minutes – 47 minutes to be exact. By 47 minutes, I am referring to the “official” arrival of tomorrow – where future transforms into present, where these back-to-back college visits and dinners end and the objective of our trip will finally begin. Unfortunately for you – the readers – the policies of the Yale Ivy Scholars Program does not permit its students to write blogs during the entire duration of the program. It will be about two weeks before activities by either Matt, Tom, or myself will resume here. Therefore, I'd like to share my final thoughts with you before I return after two weeks as, undeniably, a changed individual. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in" align="CENTER">----</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Teleport yourself back to a high school classroom. You're a good student – doing the best you can and trying to stay out of trouble. There's this one student in your class that just returned from a summer studying at an Ivy League university and you discover later in the year that she was taking another summer class, but at a different Ivy League school, this upcoming summer. She's on scholarship again. She could have left the spot open for someone else. She could have. Do you think she should have?</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Now I am the student in that theoretical classroom and, if I was asked to respond to this scenario – to this student spending another summer on scholarship at Ivy League schools – I may just roll my eyes and say she really should have left that spot for someone new. The Ivy League Connection is all about giving bright and talented students in our depreciated school district – the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) – the opportunity of a lifetime to be exposed to, not just random colleges on the East Coast, but prestigious ivy league institutions that most have probably never even thought about. Therefore, why is this student going again? Why is she taking up the slot for another bright and talented student? </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Well, this student has a name and you're reading my words. This thought has been the uncomfortable thorn I let live under the soles of my feet for the longest time. I do not make references to my summer spent at Cornell University to study “Freedom and Justice” very often, even though I can easily share to you my various moments of deja vu and similarities just in these past few days alone. I do not mention them much because I am reminded of that guilty feeling. You could be reading the reflection of another student instead of mines. That student would probably tell you of all the new things he's come to understand now because of these dinners with alumni, or maybe, she would tell you all the interesting details about the new environment she's witnessing on the East Coast. Instead you got someone who's been there before, so her words are old news; she's no longer inspired. She's spoiled.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">My name is Dyana So and I know I deserve to do this program and participate in the ILC again. I mau have been there but I'm not old news. I am more inspired than ever and I am most certainly not spoiled. The ILC does not discriminate if a student such as myself – or Andrew Gonzales, Alex Elms, and Beilul Naizghi – wishes to try and apply again. Our slates our cleared; our summer in the past lingers but it does not affect our readmission. We've joined the rat race again and yes, we do have prior knowledge based on experience, but we have also – and always have – had the same equal chance of getting in and not getting in as everyone else. And by knowing all of this, why do I not be more considerate of trying to let someone else potentially take my spot?</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">First of all, I never knew that that was ever destined to be my spot. The fear of rejection during both the essay and interview process were real. Being able to board another flight to spend a summer again at the East Coast and study at Yale the second time around is still an unbelievable miracle to me. The ILC was open to everyone; it was th worm dangling on a hook, waiting for the student fishes to take a bite at it. I did not step aside for YISP, nor make my attempt at getting in any less weaker, because, truthfully I'm tired of not fending for myself. I'm tired of thinking for those who do not think for themselves. You’re probably wondering who I'm really addressing this spiteful message to and, if there really was someone that would have been that student that rolled their eyes or not, I am ultimately speaking to this demon within me.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I truly felt at the end of Cornell Summer College last year, even more so than I already had, just how much this program meant for me and had done to change my life in no other direction than the better. I still feel this way even though it is my second year; I am grateful that another hefty scholarship was put into me when it honestly could have gone to someone new. Yet, as guilty as I may let myself feel for that unknown student that could-have-been, I've come to tell myself to stop prying those heavy doors of opportunity to these invisible beings. They certainly exist – these bright students from our school district who could also do just as well in this program – but why let the breeze in for someone who refuse to be visible and open the doors themselves? They are heavy but it's not like I didn't strain to get it to open either.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">My position as a two-year participant of ILC is reminded when I see one of my current cohort, Matt Lee. Before we boarded the plane, I asked if he was going to apply to any schools on the East Coast. He quickly responded that he was probably only applying to the UC schools and other colleges strictly in California. He admitted that these college tours may just change his mind a bit but he wasn't sure if that would likely happen. But now, four days in and many college visits and dinners later, Matt's attitude has changed. He tells me what it is that he liked and didn't like about certain campuses; he actively asks questions regarding the schools at the dinners. I recently asked him again that same question and now he tells me that he will highly consider applying to East Coast schools or definitely will apply to some. That's the intended effect the ILC is supposed to give the first-year students – that realization that they are just as capable as another student somewhere in the United States attending the best private schools around. They start to consider an option they never really thought about – especially for those who always saw the UCs as their dream schools. They start to fall in love with these “new” schools and desire to, more than ever, work harder to ensure admittance. Knowing Matt since middle school, I was very pleased that the ILC has truly reaped the biggest of epiphanies for not only my friend Matt, but also for its many cohorts including myself.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">As a second-year ILC cohort, I look at everything differently and there's no changing that. The first time was the life-changing moment – that one-time chance to be the lucky recipient of such a phenomenal scholarship – and the second time around has been more of a cycle of wisdom and realization. The exciting opportunities to visit colleges – even back in California I never visited a single college campus except Contra Costa College for summer classes – sometimes overshadowed the conference I'd hold within my head to debate whether this college was an actual fit for me or not. Now, as a second-year, the excitement is still there – but controlled. I'm less interested in the idea of being somewhere new and more interested in asking all the questions I can and visioning myself at this particular school only a short, one year later. I value admissions officers who take their time out to meet us more than the first-year. I start to pick up ideas and advice I hear that does not necessarily do me any good but does do a good deal for others. I am thinking about how I can be a better ambassador and bring these experiences to life for people back home. I start to feel this awful strain my stomach whenever I sit before fancy meals and purchase items under the ILC because I no longer believe that such elaborate expenses, as good as they were to experience obviously, could really buy me a good time. The chance to be here, even if it meant eating cup noodles every single day until I came home, would still mean the world to me. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The YISP program means more to me than nearly everyone would assume from how little I let myself talk about it in fear of sounding like a boastful brat. In the end, I am very proud of my achievements and I'm proud that, despite taking up a spot that could have potentially gone to someone else, this spot was rightfully earned by me, just as anyone else could have taken it as well. My stomach felt funny today when I went to the nearby Rite-Aid to purchase some items for the YISP that I didn't pack in my suitcase. They were items I needed but the prices of some of them were much higher than I would dare spend back home. I knew I was on scholarship and that the policy of the ILC was to help me pay for anything I needed as long as it was not anything of personal benefit of leisure, but I cannot escape the sensitivity I have to expensive things. My own upbringing made them foreign to me.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Tomorrow I will be staying at a more longer-lasting residence. I have jitters about this program and the thought of failure continues to be an overly redundant naive reflex of yours truly. I am confident in the confidence others have put into me though I am not so generous to myself. My method has always been to work hard, harder, and harder some more. Maybe that method would do little but it might just do a lot. Either way, I can only storm into Yale tomorrow and give it the best I got because if there w</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-81745751289489897762011-07-23T20:19:00.000-07:002011-07-23T20:59:42.854-07:00My Kind of PeopleIf the question, "What do you want to major in/what do you want to do?" behaved like water vapor above my head, I would be experiencing serious precipitation for a several weeks. Listen reader, if you knew what you wanted to do at 17, write a book, because that's a real poser for the rest of us. Now I may not know exactly yet, but at a dinner tonight with Alex Richardson, the Northern California Admissions Rep. for Yale, I surprised myself by coming up with at least passable answer.<br /><br />First let me say that, so far, I love Yale people. I don't know what their reputation is, but to be as smart as they are, and as open and friendly is astounding to me. I honestly feel that Alex's attitude and demeanor as a conversationalist allowed me to talk about that which I am most passionate about, giving me true insight into how to answer that age old question. As I spoke about my time at El Cerrito and the transformation that occurred in me there, culminating in my time at Mosaic, a non-profit youth education project in Oakland, I was able to come up with an answer. While I have so many interests that I love to explore at my leisure, what I love most is looking at traditional fields from a human perspective. Studying political theory, economic policy, etc. through the eyes of an anthropologist, socialogist, cognitive scientist, or psychologist. This is something that has fascinated me before I even heard the term "cognitive science." In fact as I mentioned the field, a current Yale student also attending the dinner, Maria, lit up in response. It turns out she was very interested in the subject as well, sparking a wonderful and passionate discussion of what we loved about it.<br /><br />I've talked to many people about their reasons for choosing a college, what I have heard time and again, is that someone connected to the college somehow made them want to go. The way that Alex quickly got me to talk about what was most important to me, and to then engage me in a meaningful way about that topic was remarkable to say the least. If I had to choose a college based on the character of the people then Yale makes a compelling case.Tom Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417006960610695665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-53837316105784432352011-07-23T19:55:00.001-07:002011-07-26T21:31:00.690-07:00Yalies on Yalies<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-23-2011/025.jpg" /><br /></div><br />At the final dinner I had the pleasure of sitting next to both of Yohanna Pepa's dorm mates - Mariya and Samantha. After knowing Yohanna for a few years, I can quickly see why both these rising-sophomores are so great. Mr. Alex Richardson, the California representative for Yale admissions was also present, but because I was seated the most distant from him than Matt and Tom, I spoke mostly with Mariya and Samantha.<br /><br />When it comes to learning about a potential college that I want to apply to, my approach is not traditional. I do not shower these students with questions about the school unless it was something I personally wanted to know or something that I think others may find interest in. With time, the accounts of current college students share nearly the same outline. They all enjoyed their experience; they wouldn't be so great at answering our questions and telling us about their school otherwise. Therefore, I like to get to know the students more through casual conversation, interjecting any curiosities I did have when I had them. I've always found that once I made my guests more comfortable to speak before pure strangers, they naturally start to expel, with more enthusiasm, their input and much more.<br /><br />With Mariya, we shared immigrant origins. She was from Bulgaria, whereas I was from Hong Kong. The struggles our parents share to come to America for no greater prize than to secure the academic opportunities for their daughters reminded Mariya how much Yale meant for her and how happy I was to hear that.<br /><br />I connected especially well with Samantha, whom I shared so many personality traits with. I know this not because I showered her with questions regarding only Yale, but because I also ask about her life and time as a high school student. That information is important to me because it gives me a better idea of what Yale is looking for in a student should I choose to apply. Some of the students tell me they had lower test scores but cannot help gushing how proud they are about their personal statements while others commend their collection of extracurricular. Samantha was the first and only present student that gave me the college student perspective from a female standpoint and I am glad to report to report that due to little dissimilarities between male and female students, college is honestly the place to start over. No college student goes out of their way to talk about high school. Everyone is the top of their class but many people bother to compete to extensively or compare one another anymore.<br /><br />Towards the end, I spoke briefly with Mr. Richardson. He is a very friendly person who is very easy to talk to. I greatly admire his interest in the ILC, in addition to explaining to us more about the admissions process. I hope to keep in touch with him in the future - and everyone else I've met for that matter - with more questions I may come up with.<br /><br />The Yale dinner was a great one to end our five nights of fancy dining. Swarthmore was a good that the admissions officer lead most of the conversation and spent much time to answer all of our questions in detail. The Princeton dinner was a chance to establish a new connection with a complete stranger - hearing of his successes as both a Princeton alum and progressing lawyer. The U. Penn dinner was the ultimate melting pot of all sorts of representation that it gave more insight from a variety of sources that we had yet to achieve. The dinner with Columbia was great that the alumni were great in convincing myself to be just like them and apply for Columbia. The Yale dinner was unique in its own that it was a surreal preview of what these next fifteen days will be somewhat like.<br /><br />I thank the ILC for making these dinners happen; they convinced me more about U. Penn and Columbia, and gave me the opportunity to make a good impression on admissions officers. As Peter Chau commented: "This opportunity is such a luxury; legacy kids couldn't even get to meet admissions officers so intimately like this and they get everything!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-42818732293436913202011-07-23T14:57:00.000-07:002011-07-23T22:07:41.810-07:00An End To The Feasting<div style="text-align: left;">As I got up this morning, my heart sank a little bit. New York City was like an untapped reservoir of excitement and entertainment, and I had barely explored its wonders. To get my self out of this pool of depression I think about what lies ahead of me. I say to myself, "I am leaving this concrete jungle to go to an even better place. Instead of looking for flashy lights and name brand shops, I'm going in pursuit of something much less flashy but infinitely more valuable, something no one can take from me, simply an education.</div><div><br /></div><div>Train seems to be the way to go over here in the east coast, and the ILC goes with whats popular. We hop aboard our amtrak train for the final time to go to New Haven and more importantly, our home for the remainder of our stay here. Luckily I was able to catch a few Z's on the way here. Dr.Luong told us that we should be well rested before we begin the program, and after these 6 hour sleeps a nap was well needed. When my dreams lifted and my eyelids opened, we had arrived at New Haven. Luckily the weather was cooler today than others and we got to our Hotel comfortably (the AC in the taxi helped too.) As we rode through town towards the Omni hotel, Mr.Ramsey pointed out all of the characters in this town that made us all think twice about safety here. I thought of my dad as we passed a park that reminded me of People's Park in Berkeley. His direct, but wise, words echoed throughout my mind, "don't ever hang out there."</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SyEtoxOKQM3sQYNiGoGgK20c0H1vULTZiWjwRp6VVuaP21MOVAELmEqA212bPMTlxIqSBQBjRKKEKPD_NBBTjIuSSSvnFETpR2DHeG0KHf5_BmAt58GxQD_F_GwjN-_bQJ4nKNBXy70k/s400/IMG_7129.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632758024430887650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrRJL86dBdHH7769rufQA6BbZkI90B0V8E3NSqUt5oYSjttwOKgmI6t9UHZb_XdHtn2iIWRZPRio-uRylURH_ysAt5YuZOpJ_2CI5n44pzICu9ztsujEXmQLAQbfjtCbmhpoXrcXLpM0D/s400/IMG_7130.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632758028642047666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div>We checked into the Omni, went upstairs to settle down and immediately went back out to do a bit of shopping. We all had a bit of a shopping list handy, so the shopping went smoothly. We got the essentials such as food, personal hygiene items, however one of the necessities that we needed for our stay at Yale wasn't there. Fans. Although Yale does provide us with 1 fan, it was highly recommended by several individuals that we purchase another. Hopefully Lori can purchase one tomorrow. On the way there and back we saw some of New Haven up close and personal. It was definitely much different from New York, smaller and not as busy.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8K3mciuUo6XwdXvpcC1MFSZLxrIPLTZKrdCsTnl2JEIQNdzVG12BR1igk-1jVYrphmK6P7IHZNBPfogyeKm7uVBOLqP8g9WLORqobuk7JN2c9nP3gnJSIzmimBToosDCBDgdjM49gCpVV/s400/IMG_7151.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632760833981772850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK5hM0heRcOgCvMi0akldYrescuhcujhjQTeoDJLVMkWG4MY-qy0pJ_N77Djn7-a6XjxeZ6ngf2pejS979FBbB1vrLfyr2V6LTS5VDjsoMe-CnuL53hP_0zO_l04TBOc3owp7kQIgBjSk/s400/IMG_7152.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632760843365653170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8ZsZo5rkl_BUTeYSPQ4OP4-SIey6VNHvNUbIBFKQIaJC6JsXhjcnSUlm2zLsxxcKkNH_xps0K9p_G730jq067vI1vKGd-v50fyavVngFSBj8JSqqfaojxA23TYSgxSXYpAbQ2cM7QdLV/s400/IMG_7153.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632760836298296194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEu880lnTEGMB3eUkQUWBuHEcxluJS9UxIsxYTR3icli6yz3gAEAEFLpyM9_GNqcDoe3w1z0_U7gRQ5HGeKL1iBc7SsfKZaY-QqV3-nOu_BOA3o1bzJISAHL0-torSeEiMeG_efKx5KP1/s400/IMG_7154.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632760845177221218" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>After our little shopping excursion, we went back up to our respective rooms, and just prepared ourselves for tonights dinner with current Yalies, and a Yale admissions officer for NorCal at the lovely Union League Cafe. I got suited up for the last dinner I was going to have with the whole gang, Lori, Mr.Ramsey, Ms.Kronenberg. We walked together down Chapel Street, towars the restaurant. We were greeted by the workers on our way up, and then by the guests of the hour. Two current Yale students, Mariya, and Samantha, and our NorCal admissions officer Alex Richardson. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the beginning of our meal I was seated next to Alex, and Ms.Kronenberg. I was able to get in an engaging conversation with Alex, we talked about things such as the way things worked on Yale, such as living style, a little bit of an overview of the programs, his experiences as an alum and as a student. However not too long into the dinner Tom started talking to him and I did have a bit of an awkward moment. Fortunately for me I still had Ms.Kronenberg to my left and started to talk with her. However the ever-watchful Mr.Ramsey, saw my predicament and made a switch so that I'd be sitting next to Mariya. </div><div><br /></div><div>*Just a side note, I have nothing against Ms.Kronenberg or Alex Richardson. Ms.Kronenberg and I were getting on a nice topic (that we were never able to truly finish), byt the point of the dinner was to talk to our guests, and I couldn't effectively do that sitting where I was sitting (Tom was getting into a very long and exciting conversation with Alex that I didn't want to interuppt) which was why I was thankful that I got moved.*</div><div><br /></div><div>Mariya and I immediately got to talking. I spat out the same spiel I've given all of the other current students I've met. How's campus life? Is it fun going there? Can you tell me how the curriculum works? What are the students like? Etc. Like all of the other current students, her answers did not disappoint. I've said this time and time and time again, for every dinner I've attended with the ILC, these conversations we hold with the students are invaluable resources. It's like we get to put on a special pair of glasses, that give the vision of the students we're talking to. It's as if we get to step into their shoes for a little bit and live their lives as students. Yale sounds like a really good place to go to learn, it's curriculum is different than the other schools we've attended in the aspect of its Distribution System. In order to graduate you have to take classes in 6 different categories, but 2 classes in each one. I really liked this combination of a liberal arts, and structured core curriculum. It definitely made Yale appealing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like all dinners before, this one too came to a close. We followed the ILC tradition of ordering deserts, followed by closing comments, and then followed by the group photo session. We left with new connections to the Yale community, and our brains bursting with new insight. As we walked out of the restaurant, a wave of emotion washed over me. I remembered what Mr.Ramsey said earlier that day, as we were walking towards the restaurant. He said "well guys, this is the last dinner. I hope you've enjoyed everything, it was a pleasure doing business with you." However as sad as I got from his words that these dinners were over, I couldn't help but disagree with him. It wasn't the end of business between myself and Mr.Ramsey. It was only the beginning. I am going to be a member of the Ivy League Connection for the rest of my life, although there isn't a formal alumni group of this organization I still think of one existing, and that even when I graduate I'll just join the ranks of people like Matt Arciniega, Yohanna Pepa, Peter Chau, Cristina Pelayo, and many, many more. </div><div><br /></div><div>I end my night with one closing remark. If there's one thing I've learned from this whole experience talking with all of these people from the top universities, is that they ALL share a strong sense of unity and pride of their school. This unity and pride carries on for the rest of their lives as they join the alumni groups of their respective schools. I always hear about how these alumni groups are fantastic pools for resources and is also a great connection device for everyone in the organization to benefit from. I believe that the ILC is very much like these schools in that aspect. All of the ILC alumni are a resource for the current ILC students. Whether it be to ask past participants how their programs were, to actually giving them tours of the schools they go to, they are always there to benefit myself, and the future ILC cohorts to come. Huge thanks go out to Mr.Ramsey, Ms.Kronenberg, and to our sponsors. Without any of these people, this program wouldn't be possible and we would't have this amazing network of connections to work with. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.</div>Matt Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14480648943383756110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-69205282403945692592011-07-23T14:56:00.000-07:002011-07-23T20:19:28.902-07:00The MachineThere are things that everyone knows, and there are things that no one knows. Most importantly, there are things that only a handful of people know, that everyone should know. I'm talking about the system, the inner-workings, the "machine", whatever one wants to call it, of society. From breakfast cereal, to political candidates, to college, there are things most people know, and there are things that only people who are taught about, or are part of the "machine" know. The average person doesn't know how cereal is made, but they know it can be found in a grocery store. I didn't know about the machinations of college admissions until I began talking to people on the inside.<br /><br />This idea that the majority does not understand how the world works on a fundamental level has become one of incredible interest for me, and devoting my time towards an understanding of the "workings" has become a driving force to learn in my life. Just this morning I untangled from my hotel bedsheets (who needs four layers of sheets anyway?) and lurched down late to breakfast with the gang at the hotel restaurant, walking right into a conversation about school profiles. Now school profiles are a detailed report on your school-- written by the district. These reports can cover everything from diversity and API scores, to how much money the school has to spend on lab equipment. The nature of these reports can literally determine on <span style="font-style: italic;">what scale your application will be processed on.</span> One student could be admitted over a student with a comparable application because of this profile. However, this is a mere example of this idea of behind the scenes inner workings, college admissions just so happens to be a particularly stellar example.<br /><br />Post 1 of 2 for Saturday the 23rd.Tom Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417006960610695665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-74673172984828880152011-07-22T22:01:00.000-07:002011-07-22T23:43:35.581-07:00To Be Remembered...New York, the city of dreams and wonders. Today the Yalies arrived in this giant metropolis via train, around 11 AM. Like Philadelphia, New York was blistering hot and it made all of us groan as we walked with our luggage through the heat. Our first stop was to quickly get to the Empire Hotel. We rushed to the side walk and tried to find a cab as quickly as possible. Luckily within the next 5 minutes we were in a cab, and well on our way to our hotel. <div><br /></div><div>Lunch today was planned at the fabulous "Modern" in the NY MOMA. As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I could tell that this was part of MOMA. Modern's architecture accurately showed off its name, as did the decor, the salt and pepper dishes (instead of shakers) and the plating. As for the food, the food was delicious. However I did have trouble eating the Maine lobster salad, it was a bit nasty and hard to stomach. Now onto the guests. Today we had the star of the ILC dining with us, Peter Chau. For those of you who don't know Peter, he was the man who helped facilitate the very first ILC program at Dartmouth College and the program has grown ever since then. Peter offered his insight into a variety of issues. College admissions, what goes on behind the scenes in the admissions office, SAT tips and tricks, and what is important in terms of applying to college. The two things that I appreciated most about what he told us was how long the admissions officers actually looked at your application (about 7 min for Dartmouth) and the SAT tips. He brought real issues into the light for me, including how to train yourself to combat focusing issues during the test, and to test in the actual location.</div><div><br /></div><div>The college of the day was Columbia, and in order to make our 3 PM information session we had to rush out of the restaurant. The day was hot, my bladder was full and I was eager to get to Columbia. Lori, Tom, Dyana and I arrived at the university first and I didn't hesitate to talk to the first people I saw to find out where everything was. It turns out that we had missed our informational session which was actually at 2, and not 3 however we still had time to catch up to the guided tour. We came up to our guide, whose name was Dakota, and heard him start talking about some of the old traditions of Columbia. The one that he was talking about when we came up to him was about the swimming test. Every Columbia student has to pass a swim test before graduation, just in case Manhattan sinks, except the engineering students. The engineering students petitioned the dean of the school to exempt them from this requirement because they said that they could just build a boat to traverse the Hudson. Unfortunately we didn't get to see much of the campus before we had to depart. However what we were departing for was for something that no one else received that day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to the connections that Mr.Ramsey has he was able to arrange a private meeting with the admissions officer for NorCal, Mr. David Buckwald. David was able to inform us about alot of the things that we missed from the informational session. We also had two current students of Columbia with us, a girl from Wisconsin, and a boy from California. Between these three wonderful resources we were able to get a good grasp at college life, admission rates, the way the school runs, how the different schools at Columbia run, etc. I was, and still am, extremely thankful to David for taking time out of his schedule to privately meet with us. He was able to answer all of the questions that we had to throw at him. Mr.Ramsey shot a barrage of questions, one after the other, to both the students and David, and they all answered them without fail. However we only had about an hour with them and our time soon came to a close. I was the one with the honor to end this meeting and I ended it with a thought that had been on my mind for a while now. I asked him,</div><div><br /></div><div> "David, when I got into the ILC I heard about all of the fabulous dinners that we were going to have, and all of the admissions officers we were going to have them with. I've also heard stories of these admissions officers remembering students whom they chit chatted with and when they actually applied that they remembered them, advocated for them and that they got accepted. However after dining with all of these admissions officers, and hearing about how long they spend on these applications and at the sheer number of applications they have to read, I find it hard to believe that they truly can remember us. Do you remember people that you've met who then apply?"</div><div><br /></div><div>David was a bit confused at the question but Mr.Ramsey helped clarify what I was asking by saying "once were out the door are you gonna for get us."</div><div><br /></div><div>David's reply was well thought out and convincing. He told me that there was a lot of people who apply, and that he doesn't remember the ones who don't get in. He does remember people though, the admissions officers do talk about people over and over again, back and forth, and he recognizes these people. That these faces do not go forgotten. He even assured me himself that he would not forget me. I find this comment, no matter if it lacked in true meaning or not, very comforting and it made David seem more like a human friend, than a scary admissions officer.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the day was free except for dinner. Dinner was at the luxurious 21 Club. I had the honor of arranging this reservation for our party. Gosh, I'm so sorry for being so repetitive but this dinner was one of the best dinners I've had in the ILC, it ranks right up with the dinner with Yale alums at Prospects and the UPENN dinner at Le Bec-Fin. We had the great pleasure of dining with 3 current Columbia students, all three of them rising-sophomores. I sat between Matt Chau, a poly-sci major with a computer science minor, and Yoachim Haynes, an environmental engineer major. Unfortunately I did not sit next to our third guest, Suhas Thalapaneni and as a result didn't talk much with him. I found both individuals to have a gold mine of information. First Matt, while talking to him about his major we wound up the Yale program Tom, Dyana, and I are taking. As soon as I mentioned the words "grand strategy" Matt's face lit up like a candle. He then burst out saying "you're taking grand strategy!? I took that class with Matt back in 2009!" From there we ended up talking about the program itself, including the general structure of the class, what we'll be doing, what the lectures and seminars are like, and of course the martial briefing that we'll all have to turn in eventually. Tom chimed in on the conversation and also partook in the wise words of Matt. Yoachim on the other hand was in the department that I was interested in. He told me all of the core classes special to engineering. He told me what engineers are expected to do at Columbia, his personal experiences, and also his hobbies and life at Columbia. One of the most important things that Yoachim said to me was about some of the core classes. Yoachim told me about a class that makes you divulge into all of the other fields of engineering to help you experience everything so that you could, if you wanted to, change your major to a different discipline of engineering.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dinner ended with much laughs and conversation. Yaochim and I discussed how great our creme-brulees were with each other. I talked with Matt a bit more about his own experience at Columbia. We all filed out together, as one big happy group of friends just hanging out now. We stood, smiling for a group photo, said good bye to one another and continued on with our night. Since it was our only night in NYC we decided to go on top of the "rock", by that I mean Rockefeller Center. We saw the dazzling lights of NYC from atop that building, and we even drove through Time Square to see it up close and personal. All in all, this day was great and bad. It was bad in the aspect that we couldn't attend the information session at Columbia, nor could we finish the tour. However it was great when we think about David Buckwald, the dinner with Matt and Yoachim, and the night to end NYC. The fact that David took time from his busy life to attend a private meeting with us. How Matt and Yoachim gave me so much insight to what I truly wanted to know from them. Finally how I was able to wrap up NYC with a glimpse of how the "city that never sleeps," truly never sleeps.</div>Matt Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14480648943383756110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-62717296197343492082011-07-22T21:37:00.000-07:002011-07-23T21:58:10.529-07:00Big Apple; Big Ambitions<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/002.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Waiting for the train from Philadelphia to NYC.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/004.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/005.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Last glimpse of Philly... :-(</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/009.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lori Nardone on the train.</span><br /></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Our surprisingly short train ride from the wonderful city of Philladelphia to New York City was highlighted by none other than the boisterous Mr. Charles Ramsey and his increasing curiosity over the infamous social networking site known to nearly everyone as Facebook. As Tom twisted his brain around a crossword puzzle, the rest of us took turns answering to the baffled Mr. Ramsey and his frustration over why more people choose such sites for communication than simple email. In the end, we discovered that Mr. Ramsey was probably the only one in the world without a Facebook account (just kidding) but, with so many friends he's got and will continue to have in the future, he will soon "come over to the dark side" as some may call it.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/011.jpg" /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kronenberg</div><ol><li> <b>Frustrating Situations: </b>NYC is quite an eyesore to take in at a first glance, with so many activities and sights fighting for your attention the minute you step foot out of the train station. We've been carrying all our luggage from home since we got off the train station and were desperate to escape this heat wave melting the concrete jungle in which we stood. The struggle to get the luggage around and wait for taxis in the blistering heat among so many crowds passing by did get a bit aggravating. Eventually a taxi picked all of us up and drove us to our current residence for the evening - The Empire Hotel – a great sigh of relief.</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/017.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/027.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/030.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/033.jpg" /><br /></div><ol><br /><br /><li><b>Acknowledging the First Leader:</b> Lunch followed shortly after we dropped off all our heavy luggage. Braving through the intense heat, the seven of us headed for The Modern for lunch - a fancy restaurant located besides MOMA. There, we would eventually meet up with Peter Chau. If you do not know Peter and you are reading this blog or any blog from the Ivy League Connections blogspot site, than you ought to know now that Peter Chau is our first ILC student. He never attended these summer sessions at Ivy League schools under the ILC, but he did go to Dartmouth College after high school thanks to the superb letters of recommendations written for him by both Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kroneberg. From there, Peter helped connect the infant ILC to Dartmouth, paving the way for students from the WCCUSD to join the high schools students attending summer classes at prestigious ivy league schools.</li><br /><br /></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/034.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Entrance to The Modern.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/035.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Modern Bar.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/038.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Peter Chau and Mr. Charles Ramsey.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/039.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Gift treats from the chef.</span><br /></div><ol><li><b>Blunt and Honest:</b> Peter tells it like it is. He stands strongly by his opinions and is very good about defending them. When I asked him about personal statements, he said the best way to tackle them is to ask yourself the following question “If you could only tell the admissions officers one thing and one thing only to represent you, what would it be?” Immediately, I briefly asked that question in my head but a stubborn voice shot back to say: “But what if you have more than one thing?” I then did repeat this question to Peter, who bluntly stated “No, you must choose only one.” He explained that, at best admissions officers have no more than seven minutes to look through your application; they do not have time to read through a very detailed summary of what it is that you’re exceptionally special. After helping Dartmouth College with reading undergraduate applications, Peter's insight is phenomenal and for me, definitely worth trusting.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">B</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">e Early; Don't Procrastinate</span>: Another great advice by Peter that's worth repeating here is the importance to being early in, not just your college applications, but in everything in general. To be early is to be on time and to be on time is to be late. The admissions officers may hold the fate of your attendance in its hands but you hold some factors in yours. Among them include the time you submit and what you put on your essay. Ask your teachers for recommendations before everyone else. Finish those personal statements now. Talk with your counselor once school begins. Take the first standardized test coming up (but remember to study). And lastly, submit your application as early as possible!</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">More photos of NYC:<br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/040.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/043.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/048.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/050.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/052.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/060.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/056.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/063.jpg" /><br /><br /></span></div><ol><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Onward to Columbia University!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Tall, black gates open wide greeted us Yalies as we got off our cab to enter Columbia University. Wrapped by the sheer heat and humidity, we walked straight to this large, open path, exposing the first glance of the true Columbia campus. To my left, you could see Columbia's largest library – a massive building of pillars and wide steps leading to what I'm sure was probably a nicely air-conditioned facility. Because it took us several tries to get a cab's attention to drive us down to 116<sup>th</sup> and Broadway – where Columbia University was located – we missed the first part of the campus tour. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">After getting dual exposure of both the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University through their back-to-back information session and campus tours, it was hard for me to feel adequately informed about Columbia when I only saw North Campus. In addition, it is very difficult to enjoy the architecture, mood, and speeches given by our student tour guides when the mad heat wave currently plaguing the East Coast turned prolonged stops during the tour into baking sheets of human gingerbread. Therefore, as disappointed as I was to stop our tour short for the 4 o'clock meeting with the Nor Cal admissions officer, Mr. David Buckwald, I was also relieved that we were returning back into an air-conditioned building.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/068.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/070.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/071.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/072.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/074.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/075.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/076.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/077.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/078.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/081.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/082.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/085.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">First impressions</span>: What struck me immediately about Mr. Buckwald was his openness and friendliness. You'd expect admissions officers to always be smiling and welcoming – eagerly shaking hands – but that's not always as authentic as some would hope. Mr. Buckwald is a friend of both Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kronenberg; he reads the Northern California applications which, among them, included several from the WCCUSD. I was very pleased that that already-established connection between them gave us this rare and valuable oppurtunity to speak intimately and informally with an Columbia admissions officer.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Role Models</span>: We currently have two El Cerrito High School alumni – also participants of ILC – currently attending Columbia. Mr. Buckwald shows a sincere interest in our large, but admittedly under-represented district, reminding me of the influence and potential students from our school district – or any district for that matter – has to the students following behind them in high school. If an upperclassmen you used to see around your high school was now studying at a very selective university and having a great time there post-high school, you feel both pride for your school and a push to do just as well as they have when time comes for you to take on those dreaded college applications. I certainly had upperclassmen from Pinole Valley high School that I look up to – Yohanna Pepa, Austin Long, Vaughn Pare, and Ashley Nakai to name just a few – and among the many reasons why I do include their admittance to highly selective colleges and universities. It makes me say to myself: “Wow, I want to be just like them.” I was exposed to them a lot even as a freshman and I think that just being around the right group of people in high school definitely drives to further to do your very best at all times.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Value your Experiences</span>: These college visits, therefore, are extremely important to me. It's not a visit I'm taking during sophomore year - twoyears away from college applications and truly able to remember the visit as freshly in my mind. Now, as a rising-senior, each step I take throughout a college campus is a serious question to ask myself: “Can you imagine yourself here for four years?” Because, if I cannot answer that question honestly to myself there, there is no reason to force myself to like it despite the features I do appreciate about the college or the fact that it is a highly regarded university. That was how I felt about Princeton. I liked it before I went to its campus simply because it was Princeton – currently the second best school in the nation on several national polls. That desire to have the best thing offered out there used to be how my ambition and drive were led by. I wanted the best even if it was insanely hard to obtain. But such an attitude was merely a phase. I continue to seek the best but not so much what is named the best. I seek the best for myself and that may or may not align with the opinion of others. Therefore, it is in my best hope that my fellow classmates, underclassmen, and PV students to follow acknowledge what it is that they want that best satisfies their desires. Do not get too caught up with prestige because, until you witness a campus first-hand, the college you thought you'd like based on reputation, may make you absolutely miserable.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Someone to Relate to</span>: In addition to Mr. Buckwald, there were two current Columbia students sitting in the meeting room with us during our personal information session. One was a rising-junior who changed his major from Engineering to Psychology that was also from the Bay Area. The other was a rising-senior of Ghana origins, a student from a public high school in Wyoming, and currently majoring in music with a minor in pre-med. Mr. Buckwald allowed these two students to speak often and share their input on answers that were asked among us and between those two, I was especially inspired by the young woman who was a music major (both their names escape me unfortunately). I related to her because, prior to college, there was moment in her life where she was determined to pursue a vocational college to pursue her musical ambitions. Although it was tempting, a side of her that beckoned for academics and the opportunity to be exposed to it alongside music, changed her mind to find an institution that satisfies both loves. This comment struck me very well. I cannot choose between art and academics; both are an unchangeable part of my being that would make me utterly miserable should I be absent of one. This young woman's experience finally assuaged any lingering thought I had about possibly attending art school: I am most definitely pursuing a university that satisfies both my interests and not merely one.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Opinion Changed</span>: I wasn't sure if I liked the idea of having a mandatory core curriculum to follow in college. I was okay with distribution requirements – where you could choose a from a list of available classes to meet the requirements – but I wasn't sure if I liked the idea of taking the same classes as everyone else, especially when I've always seen college as the opportunity to become specialized in a particular field or fields. Columbia's reason for core curriculum requirements changed my mind. According to Columbia, core classes offer what they believe are fundamental knowledge that all their graduates should know as well-rounded scholars. In addition, these classes was a unifying element that brings Columbia students together even if their majors would make them very distant with one another as the years go by. If you think about it, entering college as a freshman is a very foreign experience no matter how mature or well-prepared you think you are. These core classes offer a chance for Columbia students to have direct path to start off on so they have time to get assembled and pursue their interests after more time of getting comfortable. That aspect has such an appeal to me. I am independent spirit, but I definitely wouldn't mind turning my new school into a home first before I started leaving it to have adventures.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Admitting What Works and Doesn't Work for You</span>: To be honest, the meeting with Mr. Buckwald and the other students was not as potent to me as what a typical information session colleges often offer along their campus tours. The reason for this was because the meeting had no distinct agenda. It was really a nice, informal discussion about some aspects to Columbia. That information was indeed important and probably better than what I could get from a normal information session, but there was a limited amount of topics discussed. The usual information sessions provided a road map of aspects regarding a college that cover the basics of what prospective students and parents are interested in. At this meeting we only covered certain features of the school, such as student life and the two Columbia students' experiences throughout their years at the university. What these Columbians told us at the meeting was indeed informative but it honestly did not really leave me with a well-rounded impression of Columbia since I had a lop-sided description. I was warming up to Columbia but that was it. It was like turning on the stove but having the gas burn out suddenly, leaving you with lingering heat that had no push to get any hotter.</li><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings</span>: Yet, believe it or not – I like Columbia very much. Penn is still my favorite among the colleges I was exposed to these past three days and half but Columbia is certainly at its tail. Now, you're wondering how this could be when I admitted feeling somewhat incomplete after the personal information session between the ILC and Mr. Buckwald. The reason for my heightened appreciation for Columbia has a lot to do with the dinner we had shortly afterward with three Columbia students – all rising-sophomores. Unlike the previous dinners, this was the only one where the conversations I had with present students or alumni had enough impact on me to love the university they came from and desire to apply for it. Usually, these dinners are supposed to either help or hinder your impression of the college you just visited and was informed of, but not for Columbia in my case. I was convinced that Columbia might be another school for me to consider largely thanks to our guests at dinner.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/P1014243.jpg" /><br /></div><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/P1014244.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/P1014245.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/P1014249.jpg" /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Well-Rounded Genius of Similar Origins</span>: Suhas sat to my right. There were many thing about Suhas that many students would admire and become jealous of. He was a fine example of what it means to be exceedingly well-rounded but without the impression of forcing oneself to be one. His many interests at Harker High School – located in the Bay Area – ranging from varsity soccer to art and writing, struck such a beautiful-sounding chord with me. His accomplishments were inspiring and made me all the more determined to continue working hard, follow my interests, and keep up my academics. Admittedly, I do not think my own genius can rival that of Suhas but that does not discourage me to go to Columbia to meet more students like him. To both our surprise, both Suhas probably passed by one another three years ago without knowing that we would meet at a place like 21 club under such a chance meeting. Both of us were in our school's JSA chapter and we both share vice-president roles for our respective schools. When I was a freshman and he a senior, both of us attended the NorCal JSA conventions at Santa Clara. It truly is a small world and I still can't get over that coincidence.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Carribbean Engineer Who Understood Himself</span>: Suhas was incredible by what he was capable of doing but speaking to someone of such high talent and intellect can sometimes make one self-conscious of their own ability to succeed. I know that taking 15 AP classes and only get three 4s and all 5s for the rest was an impossible feat for me, therefore, it was nice to have someone like Yoachim sitting beside me on the left. Yoachim was just as brilliant as Suhas but in a completely different light. As an international student from Trinidad, Yoachim was very friendly, mature, and optimistic about his education here in Columbia. He actually took a year off before going pursuing higher education after high school to really think over what it was that he wanted to do with his life after high school. For many people, that's what college is for but for Yoachim, college served more of a purpose for him if he entered already having a very good idea what it is he wanted to do for his future. Yoachim's public school education opened up more venues for me to ask him questions since I'm also a student from such schooling as well. Hearing the opinions of an international student is much different than that of even an American student from the furthest state possible. Not only was the culture in which he grew up with different, his outlook at college life was different at all. In addition to how friendly and equally interested he was towards our lives and upcoming Yale program, I really enjoyed talking with Yoachim because I share a similar attitude towards independence. One thing that prospective students often forget is whether they can honestly handle being away from home for a very long period of time despite the initial excitement they would probably feel on campus in the first few days, weeks, or months. There's something called “seasonal depression” - a branch from “homesickness” that many out-of-state and international students get during the holidays. The lack of family presence at those holiday events and traditions can hit students really hard and majorly effect their focus at school. Yoachim misses his family but his confidence in taking a year off and fearlessly pursuing engineering at Columbia University shows that not even a drastic transition from the Caribbean Islands to the City that Never Sleeps could not deter him from his mission to succeed.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The YISP Alum</span>: Matthew Chou went to the YISP program in the same year as Matt Arcineaga two years ago. I didn't get to speak with him often unfortunately because of the distance in our seats and other restaurant guests, but I'm glad that I joined in on his description of the Yale program and his feelings toward it.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Invisible Inspiration</span>: Another Columbia student that also made a big impression on me wasn't at the dinner. Yet, despite his attendance, his strong presence was obvious. I am talking about Matt Arcineaga - YISP alum and current rising-sophomore at Columbia. At least once, I could remember the other three Columbian students talking about Matt and how "he's friends with just about everybody". Mr. Miranda commented on how good of a student he was when he taught him back in high school. And even Mr. Buckwald said he remembered Matt fondly. That is a powerful presence. I wish I could have met Matt in person because the connections he can develop AND maintain is truly a skill critical to be a great, contemporary leader.</li></ol><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Our evening ended with a visit to the "Top of the Rock" monument where, at the observatory deck on top, you could see NYC in all its glory in the beautiful summer night. As I stood there overlooking the scenery and taking photos, I say to myself with a smile: "If I can make it here, I can truly make it anywhere".<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/P1014271.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/002-1.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 780px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/003-1.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 780px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/005-1.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 780px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/010-1.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/009-1.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 780px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/011-1.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 780px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/012-1.jpg" /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-22-2011/008-1.jpg" /><br /><br /></div><br /></div></div></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-41827324795978040192011-07-22T21:16:00.000-07:002011-07-22T22:00:33.597-07:00The Days Are Just PackedBrevity is the soul of wit, and I also am extremely tired, therefore I shall be brief, and direct.<br /><br />Today most of all we met people who inspired me to reflect on my future. After takng the train into Penn station we met with Peter Chau, one of the original connectors for the ILC, after attending Dartmouth he put the school in contact with Mr. Ramsey which helped set the ILC in motion seven years ago.<br /><br />Peter is direct. He pulled no punches in clearly outlining, step-by-step, chunks of advice based on different aspects of college admission, be it the essay, testing, or what have you. While part of me is just more neurotic about the entire process, the other part is calmed with the thought that no matter where I go, I trust that I am the type of person that create something positive wherever I go. Furthermore, that I realize want everyone in WCCUSD to be able to get the same caliber of professional insider advice that I am now getting, and the awareness of options that comes with it. And as per Peter's advice, I'm planning on beginning the whole process ASAP when I get back from New Haven.<br /><br />Later we sat down with David Buckwald, another Nor-Cal rep., this time from Columbia. Aside from giving us a personalized Columbia info session, he opened himself up to questions from Matt, Dyana, and myself. I took this opportunity to ask him a question I have come to ask all reps. that I meet: everyone in the Ivy League is smart, why would someone choose Columbia over any other school of its caliber, wht qualities set them apart and make them feel at home there? What I took from his answer is that there is a spirit of adventure that animates much of the student body. It takes courage to brave the city, compete at a top university, and to make the most out both experiences, it is their ability to take advantage of their situation to such a high degree that sets Columbians apart.<br /><br />Lastly we had dinner with a group of Columbia alums, and while I only was able to talk to one, Matt <span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Garamond","serif"">Chou, I will certainly remember our conversation. After a brief introduction and icebreakers, we quickly got into the swing of conversation. I won't bore with details but I will end with this: awhile back I received some advice about how to choose a college, "Go visit, walk around, talk to some people. If they seem like people who you would want to hang out with, it might be the right place for you." We did not always agree, nor did we even have many of the same sensibilities, but I genuinely enjoyed talking to him as a peer and based on our connection, I felt as though I could see myself in a place like Columbia.<br /></span>Tom Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417006960610695665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-28645787406815017552011-07-21T21:39:00.000-07:002011-07-21T21:44:38.021-07:00My Penn EulogyThis morning I went to an information session for Penn that I was very struck by, due in no small part to the admissions rep who gave it, the following is an email I sent to her:<br /><br /><br />"I am a rising senior at El Cerrito High School from the San Fransisco Bay Area, as part of a scholarship program that allows students from my district to attend Ivy League schools I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Penn, and even more fortunate to hear your information session. Let me tell you, I've been to what seems like ten thousand of these sessions, and from UCLA to Princeton, most reps say the same thing with varied statistics. I was blown away by what yours.<br /><br />I've realized over the past year, that I have no idea what I want to do, I feel like I just have passion, for the most part only in the form of ideas, but the way you described Penn made me feel like they would really be actualized there. And the breadth of my interests makes me think that a liberal arts education would be perfect for me. And especially because I don't see myself pursuing a career in most of them, I loved the emphasis that you placed on interdisciplinary learning, and being able to take classes for their own sake.<br /><br />After meeting many alumni from different Ivy Leagues, I have really begun to pick up on the distinctions between them. At every one, people are exceptional, there is no way around that. But I believe every university selects students for certain qualities, and throughout their time those qualities are fostered by the environment of the school.<br /><br />I've never had any intention of going to Princeton, and I was even more sure after I visited. Yet later I met an alumni for dinner who was just a great guy. Physically huge (6'7", ex-rower), <i>hardcore</i> smart, funny, and LOUD, he brought the conversation volume around us up to compete with him. While I really liked him, I noticed an attitude about him, one I've noticed in several other alums from both Princeton and Yale: that success was a given, he exuded an aura pf accomplishment, either present or future.<br /><br />Now the subtle differences in each school of top caliber enormously hard to characterize, nor are they true for every student by any means. Yet I feel they are present nonetheless. As I sat in the front row I was struck by pithyness and preciseness in which you described your school's personality. Penn students are doers, they are engaged in every possible way, be it socially, politically, theatrically, in the classroom, etc. And most importantly, they are going to use their practical education to do great things. It's almost like Princeton wants their students to rise to success and then do great things, and Penn wants their students to do great things and then to rise to success. In a biography of Genghis Khan I read it began with the quote, "Genghis Khan was a doer." Maybe he would have liked Penn.<br /><br />Maybe these distinctions are abstract, irrelevant, etc. but they have really helped me understand what I should be thinking about when choosing a college.<br /><br />More than anything, I just want to thank you for delivering an engaging information session, it was incredibly striking, and I very much appreciated it, and I was thoroughly impressed.<br /><br />PS I laughed at your Princess Leia analogy (I like Star Wars).<br /><br />If you are interested, the students in our program are required to blog daily, here is a link:<br /><a href="http://11ilcatyale.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://11ilcatyale.blogspot.<wbr>com/</a><br />I've decided to post this email as my daily blog."<br /><br />I would also like to note that to those who perceive this as a bash to Princeton or Yale, I would disagree. 1) It is only my opinion, and I could very well be wrong on all counts. 2) Different strokes for different folks, I have no problems with pursuing a career of success, nor do I think that everyone at Princeton and Yale do so.<br /><span style="color:#888888;"><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman,serif;">Tom Miller<br /><span style="font-family:garamond,serif;"><span style="font-family:times new roman,serif;"><span style="font-family:arial black,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:times new roman,serif;">El Cerrito High 12'</span></span></span></span></span></span>Tom Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417006960610695665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-2577567439905634442011-07-21T20:53:00.000-07:002011-07-21T22:04:45.094-07:00My Gosh Where Have You Been All My Life?As I open my laptop to blog about my day, only one thing came to my mind over and over again. A sense of comfort, and of home. The agenda of today revolved around the wonderful school known as the University of Pennsylvania, or more commonly known as UPENN. The combination of the lovely informational session, the campus tour, and the dinner with the alumni/staff really made me feel like UPENN was definitely a school to seriously consider applying to, and hopefully attending as well.<div><br /></div><div>Now each of the 3 factors stated above each had a unique role in swaying me to the UPENN side of the force. First off, the informational session. The previous day we visited Princeton and also listened to an informational session, however I did notice some very key differences in the two sessions. The most notable one was just the person who delivered it. Princeton's was much more serious, and a little bland to be honest. It didn't feel like the speaker had the spark nor the energy that the UPENN speaker had. The UPENN speaker was engaging, humorous, and I have to admit aesthetically appealing. Even though her beauty obviously beats out a male's, such as Princeton's speaker, the energy and excitement for her school really beat out Princeton's speaker. One might as why would the speaker really make that much of a difference, but I look at it at the bigger picture. This person is a representation of the staff of the school, and would you want to go to a school with an average energy staff, or an energetic staff who not only loves their school but shows it as well? I think the answer is quite obvious. It wasn't just the personalities of the speakers that got me but the information as well. The Princeton speaker told me good information, but it really didn't get me to love the school. It stressed certain things such as a liberal arts education and multiple majors/minors, but nothing seemed to pop. The UPENN speaker really emphasized that point, and more. What I really got from UPENN was learning, for the sake of learning. </div><div><br /></div><div>Secondly, the tour. Here is where it equals out a bit more in terms of the energy in the people on campus. Both the Princeton tour guide and the UPENN tour guide were both good tour guides. Both were well versed in the customs and traditions of their respective schools, both knew about the majority of the majors there and the way things were run. Student life, recreational activities, academics were covered pretty well by both of them. However as equal as the people were, the campuses are completely different. The first difference was the general location. Princeton is located in a quiet little town, that basically revolves around the college, this reminded me greatly of UC Davis back home. UPENN was completely opposite. UPENN is an urban campus, and instead of it being a one way street in terms of the city-college relationship its evenly balanced. UPENN and the wonderful city of Philadelphia complement each other to almost a perfect degree, the students can wander the city to explore its endless wonders, and the city has its own local Ivy School in which to gain a wide breadth of resources. The location accounts for the rest of the differences in the campuses. Princeton was indeed beautiful, but its beauty seems very limited now. What I mean by that is that the campus feels completely bordered out. One can obviously tell where Princeton starts and ends, and that all of its architecture and wonders are all concentrated in that little area. UPENN feels much more open to the community that it is in. It's borders are a blend of the college itself and Philadelphia. It's hard to explain what it is exactly about UPENN's campus that attracts me so much, but it's just that feeling, deep inside that gives off a sense of home. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final event of today was the dinner, and (I know I said this about the Princeton dinner) was one of the best dinners that I've had with the ILC. It stunned me at first at the sheer number of representatives we had from UPENN, ranging all the way from current students, to alumni, to members of the board of admissions. I had the pleasure to sit near all three kind of people. David Toomer, a man who worked in the admissions office for undergrads, was sitting on my right. Shawn Chen, a rising junior at UPENN majoring in both business and engineering, was diagonally in front of me to my right. Finally Sam Gilbert, a recently graduated mechanical engineer now in grad school for vets, was diagonally in front of me to my left. All of their input was very informational and really helped me get a sense for what life would be like if I were to attend UPENN. Both Shawn and Sam told me how great of a community UPENN was, how many events there were year-round, basically how much they love going there. Both Sam and Shawn explained to me their majors, and it all seemed very interesting. I liked how they both had something to do with engineering, which, as of today, I am especially interested in. I got an idea for how things work in their engineering department, and the different options you could do. David Toomer talked with me about his experience with UPENN. He also said he really enjoyed working there, however I didn't talk with him too much about the admissions process. I remember asking him if there was any advice he could give to a prospecting UPENN student, what would it be. His reply "well you have to make sure you challenge yourself, and keep up your grades. Besides that you just have to give us a sense of who you are through your the rest of your application." These words, although very true, are easier said than done. I plan on emailing all of them in the future to help me with the application process.</div><div><br /></div><div>UPENN blew my mind today. I felt like I was opened up to an entirely new world. The buildings, the atmosphere, and the general way of life. I have to say that UPENN is an amazing school and for once I feel the feeling "my gosh, this is definitely going on my college application list no matter what!" I extend a warm blanket of thanks on everyone today who helped both myself and the rest of my ILC cohorts. This includes the lady at the information session, Alex my tour guide, David, Shawn, Sam, and all of the other wonderful dinner guests who dined with me tonight.</div>Matt Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14480648943383756110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-11940456623345679412011-07-21T19:52:00.000-07:002011-07-23T15:14:46.846-07:00Love at First Sight?Tonight I leave to you my departing words as I join the my fellow Yale cohorts on our train ride to Columbia University tomorrow morning. Philadelphia - the downtown area especially - is an amazing city. It reminds me of San Francisco but is also distinct in itself because of its East Coast flavor of brick buildings and narrow streets that you don't see too often in the Bay Area. It's not the kind of city that never sleeps; it's a diverse community with all shades of faces passing you by or casually enjoying their time outside local restaurants and cafes. In addition, the presence of colleges such as nearby Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania has turned its local areas into productive hubbubs of bright and ambitious individuals everywhere you look. It's only been three days and I'm already very comfortable with the "City of Brotherly Love". With regret, I wish we had more time to actually walk around the downtown area some more - especially in the evening among the beautiful lights from within all those stores and restaurants. Leaving Philadelphia will be a bittersweet departure but time has arrived to move along again. Prior to boarding the plane just three days ago, I couldn't wait to see New York City above all the things we had scheduled, but now, I actually wouldn't mind staying in Philly a little bit longer if I could. However, I can assure you that I will come back someday - I don't know under what circumstances exactly but I'll definitely return to the "City of Brotherly Love".<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/004-Copy.jpg" /><br /></div><br />For myself, today has been the best day so far. All of us - minus Mr. Ramsey and Mr. Miranda - met at the lobby at a very reasonable hour to head over to the University of Pennsylvania for their first information session of the day. Initially, as our group of five stepped onto the campus looking for the student center, I wasn't all that taken aback by U. Penn. However, that quickly started to change as we walked deeper and deeper into the heart of what turned out to be truly remarkable campus. The outskirts of Penn - the view from across the crosswalk - will appear somewhat bland for many but a few seconds in your initial impression will surely change for the better. And that, to me, was a great aspect of Penn - right off the back. It was a beautiful school but more beautiful if you actually took the time to explore what this institution was all about.<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Finding Your Unique Preferences</span>: The information session was held in Penn's largest lecture hall - a college building with an interior unlike any I've yet to encounter. The ceilings are adorned with this intricate motif of repeating shapes, patterns, and colors. It made you want to stare endlessly at its ceiling, just to admire its beauty in awe. With a sensitivity to design and architecture - as I've mention before in my previous post - such details in a college has a relatively large impact to me. I like being surrounded by beautiful things and being exposed to fantastic architecture while getting my higher education would make my experience in college all the more enjoyable. Everyone has different standards and preferences when it comes down to what it is exactly about a college that makes it a good fit for them. Among the various ones I have, the outlook of the campus is certainly something I value. In the long run, the outside of the building probably would mean little when its the inside - the quality of your everyday learning environment - is what should matter most, but such unique preferences like these at least gives you an opportunity to better understand what it is that makes you different. For myself, this constant exposure to brick motifs and intricate designs on most buildings here in Philly has taken my breath away.</li><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/045.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/047.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/046.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Taking Notes</span>: What I've discovered among my peers is that everyone has their own take on which learning method works best for them. Although I'm still trying to figure out what mine are exactly (yes, even as I enter my senior year in high school I'm still searching), I have developed this habit to take notes whenever possible. I am not gifted with impeccable memory unfortunately and the paranoia of forgetting certain information or failing to recollect something someone said that once meant a great deal to you usually makes me take out my little, yellow notepad with little hesitation. Therefore, as Kat - our great speaker at the information session - delivered her elaborate speech of Penn, I took off with my pen across lined paper. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Admiring Foundations</span>: Before I go any further, I will spoil all of you right now that I absolutely love the University of Pennsylvania. This strong attraction is honestly rare for someone like me who's always been very open to pretty much anything due to a philosophy that it is the students that make his/her experience at college, not the college itself. But before I go on and on about why I suddenly had this strong pull to this university, I will backtrack and introduce one of the first things I liked about Penn. That first thing is Benjamin Franklin. I think back to my days in AP U.S. History this previous school year and the amount of exposure I had to that great founding father, Mr. Franklin. This very individual - an avid scholar, well-liked by many and having an earnest desire to assist those around him through his acquired education - was the founder of Penn and many of his philosophy transcends to the general attitude of the school. An appreciation for the individual that founded the school you are particularly fond of has never been something I thought would have significant weight in my pool of features I look for in colleges but I guess that's what a school like Penn can do to you. I admire Benjamin Franklin greatly for his achievements and general take on life, but I admire Penn more for echoing those ideals.</li><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/048.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/012.jpg" /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/013-Copy.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/017.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/020.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/023.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/027-Copy.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/024-Copy.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/029.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/030.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/039.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/040.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/062.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/063.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/064.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/066.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/070.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/079.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/080.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/082.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/083.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/084.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/085.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/096.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 799px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/098.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/099.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/100.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/106.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/107.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-21-2011/109-1.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Major Brownie Points</span>: Another aspect to Penn - one of my favorite among them - is "one university". When prospecting students apply to Penn, they much choose, then and there, which of the four schools they wish to join. These four undergraduate schools are: School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Nursing, and The Wharton School. When I hear that a school expects me to choose immediately what path I already want to walk on before I even start college, I cringe. In the past three years of high school alone I've altered my possible career paths more times than I count - entering freshman year thinking about law, going through sophomore year with my mind set on pilots (I'm too short unfortunately), and crawling through junior year with a very strong desire to pursue anything related to art and leadership, with some tangents of architecture. However, Penn does not line their students into one school and expect them to stick with it. A student may start off at a specific school but that does not mean they cannot take classes in the other schools and even have many minors in them too. That sort of structure - a need to follow some line but not be completely faithful to it - is just what I've been looking for and I realized this before I thought I'd actually like that sort of aspect.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">About the Four Schools of Penn</span>: (1) School of Nursing is the smallest but mighty school of Penn. Students studying there have a very hands-on education in additional to those of the traditional settings. Sophomores can start immediately on clinical work and many Penn students from this school graduate as leaders of their fields, often pursuing careers as doctors afterwards. (2) School of Engineering and Applied Sciences requires all incoming students to have a strong physics background. The class sizes are very small allowing for closer connections with the professors. There are hundreds of courses students can choose from and they are all of great breadth. (3) The Wharton School is renowned. The sparknotes mantra for this school is teamwork, leadership, and communication. Eighteen concentrations are offered; it's not solely theory since lots of hands-on projects are offered. There is a strong liberal arts core and business majors do not necessarily have to follow a path of finance. (4) School of Arts and Sciences is understandably the most populous school with its 26 departments and about 50 available languages. Many of the courses offered serve as foundations for many of the Penn students despite their school affiliations.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Observations That Stand Out</span>: I knew that Penn students were distinct not because the tour guide repeated it constantly but because I could extract such an attitude from simple observations. There is large broken white button sculpture designed by a Penn student that is more than what one look would tell you. It was an artwork representing the missing button on the coat of the Benjamin Franklin statue sitting just across from it; the student artist told the story that perhaps Franklin was eating so much that his button popped right of his coat and landed as a gigantic replica in front of the largest Penn library. In addition to this creative take on a seemingly simple statue, there are the unique study tables in the library designed to look like diner booths to encourage study groups and conversations. These are little details but to me, they're impressive because they display a lot of depth in thought and creative thinking. And if that is what Penn student is all about or will graduate to become, I'd love to join them.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good Signs</span>: I've yet to leave a college tour with a very satisfied feeling that immediately captivates me to apply on the spot until today. Just as we left the campus I thought to myself, "wow, I'd really like to be at Penn". From there I was hooked. I didn't feel awkward admitting that I had really enjoyed Penn and what it had to offer and although I was cautious not to get too carried away with how much I liked it, it felt good to say that I finally had a school that ranked really high on my list of colleges.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Patriotic High</span>: Another reason why this day had been so wonderful was spending time at Independence Hall and its nearby areas. As someone who really enjoyed learning American History, walking around such historic ground quickly elevated a sense of pride within me. Inside Independence Hall, I repeatedly said in my mind: "This is so surreal." I see the signing of the Constitution before my eyes as our guide tells everyone the history lesson. I greatly enjoyed visiting this historical landmark, in addition to seeing the Liberty Bell. I'm proud that I can now claim I've been to the part of Philadelphia where the major, political actions of our premature nation was constantly taking place.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Cherry on Top</span>: As I was changing for dinner at La Croix that evening with the Penn guests, I told my excited self: "this dinner will truly seal whether you truly like Penn as much as you think you do at the moment". And, to my greatest pleasure, my interest in Penn only heightened after dinner. This was largely due to the Penn guest sitting around my area. To my right was the very open and friendly Dr. June Chu - one of the advisers among Penn's Asian students - and to my left was the engaging and insightful Mr. David Toomer - The Director of Multicultural Admissions. Although getting myself comfortable to chat freely took some time within that crowded table of 16 people, I quickly got past it. I am very fortunate to have Dr. Chu talk with me so candidly. She offered advice to me from a very personal and understanding perspective, with both of us making connections with our shared aspect of being Asian scholars. Such a nice adviser convinces me that if I were to go to Penn, I'd probably have a more comfortable time seeking one for guidance. With Mr. Toomer, I spoke mostly of random things - from details about admissions to his personal life to his opinions on contemporary issues and ideas. These casual conversations greatly reduced the straight-spine tensions I sometimes feel in such fancy restaurants and made the entire dinner there on after very smooth and enjoyable. Near the end of the meal though, I did also get to talk with one more Penn guest - Mr. Shawn Chen - a currently rising junior under the dual program with an extremely admirable academic stature. Although he is in The Wharton School, he also takes classes in two of the other schools. Hearing of his success in getting into several selective schools as a high school student reminds me of the reality and the need to limit daydreams. Imagining yourself in Penn will do you no good at all if you do not spend that time and more working towards securing yourself the best chance of getting accepted.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thank Yous</span>: I really have to hand it to all our Penn guests for not only joining us for dinner but for being such unexpectedly open and relaxed characters. As our table was giving introductions around the table, Dr. June Chu said something that really caught my attention: "We're looking forward to seeing your applications". There was no guarantee of acceptance but that little acknowledgement alone furthered my appreciation for both Penn and its people. There are so many colleges that I cannot see saying the same such words at even fancier dinners than this. I've been looking for those details of every college that immediately stands out to me and makes the school unique and I'm beyond happy that I found that in Penn. Therefore, I am greatly thankful to both the ILC and the people of Penn for instilling such a remarkable change in me in a single day. I know there are no guarantees of acceptance no matter how much I comment on what I like about Penn. I know my particular reaction to rejection would be understandably higher due to such heightened appreciation for the school. However, despite all these factors, I'm glad I learned more about myself and actually found a college that resonated so well with me. Penn is no perfect and no institution out there will be but as of now, it's the closest in my standards.</li></ol>To conclude, it's been another great day out here in the East coast, hot and humid days and all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-80313845723798993922011-07-21T05:52:00.001-07:002011-07-21T05:53:04.773-07:00Greetings on a Train<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-RHzGk4SbL8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="560"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-81973348066698101902011-07-20T23:16:00.000-07:002011-07-20T23:16:30.956-07:00Princeton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5HhHZn6KCsV34s0U7arzyaxyd9FDU0HhhDACEkX4XWv0bLvuonHAFvFehJPnMW3RapCfcAbOfPeFE55744or-E0sGY8JN2NNq0P27dY3ErUkGOhQYhgF9DbMnCPMy7KCfor6_hVS9Hg/s1600/762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5HhHZn6KCsV34s0U7arzyaxyd9FDU0HhhDACEkX4XWv0bLvuonHAFvFehJPnMW3RapCfcAbOfPeFE55744or-E0sGY8JN2NNq0P27dY3ErUkGOhQYhgF9DbMnCPMy7KCfor6_hVS9Hg/s320/762.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dyana So, Matt Lee, Tom Miller, William Mongan (Princeton Alumi)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The end to a wonderful day was found at Le Bec-Fin a French dining experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hoCNFx_OscoKz_Y_0_tr6pMPLWB7xYv7y0Bu1jRqwo56xVCH2L_yhrJQVqKpV7eefo75jAr5SJcBmaNfPO6feDo5REVyo7nHwdrD33PZ9Ga0N7mQGheUeT2Zj2PJnrFXKrhV1xvTz5I/s1600/olympus+1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hoCNFx_OscoKz_Y_0_tr6pMPLWB7xYv7y0Bu1jRqwo56xVCH2L_yhrJQVqKpV7eefo75jAr5SJcBmaNfPO6feDo5REVyo7nHwdrD33PZ9Ga0N7mQGheUeT2Zj2PJnrFXKrhV1xvTz5I/s320/olympus+1111.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I really enjoyed the walking tour of Princeton. The buildings are old and beautiful; the courtyard in the above picture was in the Transformer 2 movie, when Sam goes away to college. The back of one of their other buildings is suppost to be the medical college in the show "House".</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK88flaGVfokuLKM8WYp4a5Pt00y-tnUI4bWh1RSWwNTaH2-32lEaeaPBvLJFR_C8SdzvtUfb1MfDGCcR0b4x8T9diC6eRmwwtK9L5s2h5fCsUCpPKsExICRbTOfgOvgAk0yTMUIW-PYU/s1600/Princeton.6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK88flaGVfokuLKM8WYp4a5Pt00y-tnUI4bWh1RSWwNTaH2-32lEaeaPBvLJFR_C8SdzvtUfb1MfDGCcR0b4x8T9diC6eRmwwtK9L5s2h5fCsUCpPKsExICRbTOfgOvgAk0yTMUIW-PYU/s320/Princeton.6.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We started our day on a train to Princeton; the weather was a balmy 90 degrees. No need for a sweater, however lots of sunscreen with multiple applications. It rained yesterday, which helped with the heat. The skies were cloudy and grey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike the heat in California, the heat here is sticky and makes you feel like you cannot take a deep breath. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The trains are a great way to get around, but when a high speed train comes by you feel as if the gust of wind will throw you onto the track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first time it happed I must admit I was kind of scared. It feels like you will be sucked away and there is nothing to hang on to unless you are sitting down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also surprised that many of the train stops looked more like dugouts rather than a train station.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I brought 6 bottles of water for the 7 of us; I guess math is not my strong suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mario Miranda who is the chaperon for the University of Penn was kind enough to act as our tour guide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very glad as we would have been lost for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to change trains two times; we left from the 30<sup>th</sup> street station, and then transferred at Trenton, to head to Princeton University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the young people who I am chaperoning do not seem to mind the walk, I find that no matter what type of shoes I am wearing my feet feel like they are 10 pound weights.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I love to hear Dyana, Tom and Matt talk they are so full of life and they remind me what so great about working with these young minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are our future and investment in that future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conversations are mostly about their futures and what type of school that they hope to be accepted by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am amazed at their quick grasp of a situation, and the depth of their understanding of themselves and the colleges that they think would be good fits for the type of person that they wish to become. These young people are truly amazing! This is an amazing experience and it is hard to believe that there is no expense to these students!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Posted by Lori Nardone at 2:13</span></div>Lori Nardonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14542173213138572058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-58369223936678914782011-07-20T20:26:00.000-07:002011-07-20T23:48:03.845-07:00All Aboard!Good morning Philadelphia! What a spectacle to behold, brushing aside those curtains and especially those to your single room at the Sheraton University City Hotel.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS1.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">View from my window.</span><br /></div><br />Because of the slow connection at the Sheraton, it took me a very long time to upload just a couple of photos to both the Media Fire account and on Blogspot. As a result, I shamefully slept at 3 o'clock in the morning despite knowing that I had a very fun-filled day centralized at the famous Princeton University tomorrow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS2.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I absolutely adore the column motifs of this train station.</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS4.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Here in Philly, a cab is the way to go. (I think in these two days alone we've ridden on at least six taxis).</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS7.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Waiting for Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, and Mr. Miranda at the station.</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS8.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Princeton, here we come!</span><br /></div><br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Something New Everyday </span>- I absolutely love trains. They're not common like your average buses, not as unclean as your typical subway, and not as compacted as planes. I rode trains before when I was a little girl, tagging along with my family as we traveled from Hong Kong to visit friends and family up in China. However, I have never been on a train in the United States before though I can claim that I've been living here as an American citizen for over ten years. The thrill of the seeing these trains whiz past us at intimidating speed and piercing roars sends your heart beating even as you enter into those trains and have sat down at one of the passenger seats long before. Trains, in addition to cabs for the slightly wealthier individuals around these parts, are the most common way for local students and businessmen and businesswomen to get around - especially if we're talking about constantly making back-and-forth trips from major cities like Philadelphia and New York. Although this was my first time riding on a train the United States, I can honestly see myself doing this quite often in my future, perhaps as a college student in the East Coast or for my future career. However, one thing's for certain, this first-taste of an American train has prompted me to include and continental train ride from West Coast to East Coast on my bucket list.</li><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS10.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS12.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS13.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS20.jpg" /><br /></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Platform nine and three-quarters anyone? </span><br /></div><ol><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS24.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS26.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS27.jpg" /><br /><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Having Someone Who Knows</span> - If I had to award an MVP award of the day, I'd give it to Mr. Miranda. Not only has he been a phenomenal traveling companion to all of us (talking about world history and sharing opinions with him was probably one of my most favorite part of the entire day), he has also been a much worthy guide to us since he's been quite familiar with the East Coast. It is through his knowledge and focus towards getting all of us to Princeton University this afternoon that we had a really smooth ride to Princeton, New Jersey. Therefore, Mr. Miranda, thank you so much for being such a vital component to our travels in the East Coast, in addition to your very in-dept and intriguing insight on a wide variety of topics.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Suspending Some Pre-Made Opinions</span> - Among one of the conversations I had with Matt Lee over train rides was an extensive debate regarding the definition of college. "If you had to choose between going to school that resembled an absolute dump but had the best education anywhere or a a school of a very positive social environment but with mediocre academics, which would you choose"? Obviously this entire question was theoretical and could not resist realistically, but since we were trying to kill some time and dive into some fun, theoretical scenarios, I played along. For those who know me, it's very obvious which of the two schools I'd pick. I'd definitely go for the college with the best academics despite its poor social life and/or general environment purely because my personal definition of college is really to get the best education possible and have those great resources available to you so as to make these four years the golden threshold to a sound and successful future (no guarantees of course but my chances are in no doubt heightened). Matt chose the latter because, in his opinion, college should be more about the experience thought he admits academics is important. There is some truth to his opinion and I certainly do not want to go to a run-down dump of a campus for my higher education, but since the question required the choosing of one or the other option, I stand by my original decision. Among the many reasons why Matt and I were polar opposites about this issue, I jest to assume, is probably our very different upbringings. Matt, having had both his parents graduate from U.C. Berkeley is encouraged to seek out a fulfilling college experience that will guarantee him a great time spent. Myself, being the first in my family to go to college and probably the first in my family to attend an American college outside California, wants to seek out a great institution based more on its ability to secure me with a well-rounded and worthy education. If worse comes to worse, I would accept poor social life for the sake of a great education. However, after seeing how gorgeous the Princeton campus was and how frequently the guides spoke of that tight-knit group of friendship among the Princeton students, I started to see why Matt put the social life so high on his wishlist. </li><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS30.jpg" /><br /><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Princeton University</span> - It was such a strange feeling walking past some of the summer college Princeton students hiding underground for the coolness and shade since I realized almost immediately that I could have been one of them instead of going to the Yale program. Back in last year's winter, I had two equally great opportunities before me. It was either the Yale Ivy Scholars Program or Princeton's Journalism Program - both being all expenses paid. In the end, I'm glad I chose Yale's program, but it was just nice to recognize the alternative universe that I could have lived. In regards to the campus tour, we had a very friendly and great tour guide. The campus of Princeton University is absolutely beautiful. I have a sensitivity towards architecture and design so seeing all these historically magnificent brick buildings and intricate designs made the campus tour all the more wonderful. I could picture myself walking through this campus and I took that immediately as a good sign. Princeton was honestly the first college that captivated me slightly on their campus appearance alone - perhaps because I did consider heavily what Matt said earlier about appreciating the social ambiance of a college. The information session had some redundant information but I thought that it was a nice side to the the tour. The tour offered an informal perspective from a rising Princeton junior and the information session was a very direct, more parent-oriented session. My favorite part of the information session was probably hearing more about what admissions officers are looking for in regards to the applications directly from an admissions officer greatly involved with the process. I cannot tell you how relieved I feel after hearing that such a prestigious university as Princeton admitted that, as important as nationwide tests are - such as the ACT and SATs - it is really only one aspect of it. You know they mean this when they further that statement by introducing Princeton's new policy of super-scoring your test scores. In other words, they see all your test scores for, say, your SATs, and among those three times you may have taken it, only accept the highest scores among the three tests, such as your highest math score established your second time around with your highest reading score the first time around. To summarize, my interest in Princeton has certainly risen and I'm happy to say that this fondness was derived not solely from this university's prestige but actually from finding things from the tour and information session that honestly caught my attention. In terms of putting Princeton on my definite list of colleges to apply to though, that has yet to be confirmed. I'm still a bit attached to idea of a small liberal arts college for undergraduate education and a prestigious ivy league for graduate, but opinions certainly can change.</li><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS32.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS37.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS40.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS41.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS43.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS42.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS36.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS47.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS44.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS51.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Walking down Nassaur St. for lunch.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS49.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS38.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS35.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS54.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS60.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS61.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS63.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS64.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS67.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This was our location for lunch - Princeton's famous, Hoagie Haven!</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS68.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This crowd knows these are no simple hoagies. </span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS69.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS65.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px; font-style: italic;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS74.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Eating our hoagies inside Princeton's large and main student center.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS75.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS76.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Display at the Princeton Student Center.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS77.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our Princeton Campus Tour guides. (We got the cool guy with the tiger socks.) </span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px; font-style: italic;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS79.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Only a portion of our large party.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS80.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS81.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Guess what? President Woodrow Wilson's office as Princeton's president stood right above our heads!</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS85.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bruce, our tour guide.</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS87.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Say hello to the third largest college cathedral in the world. But wait until you see the breathtaking inside...</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS90.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Beautiful.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS93.jpg" /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS94.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Back outside in the hot, hot sun.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS100.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">These archways are not only the best shade during these hot summer campus tours of Princeton, but also great for choir performances due to its great acoustics.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS101.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The foreign languages department. About 24 language classes available here.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS103.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">These Princeton mascots, the tigers, guard the oldest building on the campus. Back when this school was first founded, the entire university was just this building. During the Battle of Princeton during the Revolutionary War, British soldiers hid in here thinking that the Americans would not destroy this historic landmark</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> but George Washington blew a cannon through those brick walls anyway.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS105.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS107.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS108.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Information Session - a very full lecture hall of students and their families.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS109.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Heading back to the Trenton Train Station to go back to Philly.</span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS111.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Waiting to head back to the City of Brotherly Love.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS112.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 600px; height: 800px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS113.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS114.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS115.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 449px;" src="http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l609/dyanaso/07-20-2011/07-20_DWTS116.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Matt Lee.</span><br /><br /><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dinner with Mr. William Mongan, our Princeton Alum</span> - The story of how we eventually found Mr. Mongan to be our Princeton representative to our dinner at the very fancy Le Bec-Fin restaurant is quite a remarkable tale. I share with Mr. Miranda a similar frustration with trying to secure some sort of Princeton representative for dinner, and of all places to find one, Mr. Miranda discovers Mr. Mongan by a chance meeting with his younger sister who, after hearing Mr. Miranda speak of the ILC, remarked that she had a brother who graduated from Princeton. And that was that. Mr. Mongan is a character you certainly cannot miss on a first encounter. He is exactly 6 feet 7 inches tall, his legs not really fitting so comfortably under our round table as mine easily could. Mr. Mongan entered Princeton as a great rowing athlete but also due to his fabulous record as a scholar in high school. With acceptance from Dartmouth as well, you can tell Mr. Mongan was a very established learner not only by how eloquently he carried himself throughout the entire dinner. His life and interest as a lawyer with an apt for sports captivated many interests among us, turning this dinner to more than just a learn-more-about Princeton session. Although the encounter did little to change my present mind regarding Princeton- a on-the-border choice - it did greatly inspire me to be more well-read as he was. His English major has definitely showed through both his conversations and knowledge on vast areas of material. Overall, I greatly enjoyed meeting Mr. Mongan - our last-minute stranger-turned-friend - at no better place but the especially classy Le Bec-Fin restaurant. (I am positive that if I ever get invited to such a fancy French restaurant again, I will know how to order from the menu correctly!)<br /></div><br /></li></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7664629395634028390.post-31396555329461247842011-07-20T15:43:00.000-07:002011-07-20T21:46:58.251-07:00First Full DayToday, we took a little train ride to Princeton, PA to visit college #2, Princeton University. First, a brief description: I expected a traditional, old money, ancien regime institution surrounded by a dinky conservative town. While I was unsurprised to pay a visit to the Christian Science Reading Room (two words which, in my opinion do not go together) I also witnessed several women in Burqas passing in front of the Jewish Heritage house, which allegedly has the best food on campus.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74050h07QcbWh7CPWP7FM76Na2mrscEZTWPcD3GWGH_MjFskYxhUXLKcbNxA-BLeGrSD-a85phwQejE13tmLb7YNDs3xa_f3uAmhZpuQxNz9KM9qflZDcSUMLd86Vtslw3dFniGFA7A7n/s1600/Christian+science+reading+room.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74050h07QcbWh7CPWP7FM76Na2mrscEZTWPcD3GWGH_MjFskYxhUXLKcbNxA-BLeGrSD-a85phwQejE13tmLb7YNDs3xa_f3uAmhZpuQxNz9KM9qflZDcSUMLd86Vtslw3dFniGFA7A7n/s320/Christian+science+reading+room.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631571951922579938" border="0" /></a><br />Our tour guide drove this point home repeatedly as people predictably asked him about Prnceton's conservative leanings. He replied earnestly that while that is its reputation, college campuses almost everywhere are becoming more and more openly liberal, in Princeton's case this means that they now are roughly balanced in the student body's political views, and opposing sides often hold lively debates. While it's no Brown, where conservatives are an unhappy minority, Princeton has managed to transfer gracefully off its pedestal as the right wing bastion it once was, promoting a well rounded student body of politically active peers with myriad views. As it should be in my opinion.<br /><br />Later today we attended dinner at the fabulous Le Bec-Fin with an alum who's sister Mr. Miranda, the Penn chaperone, met in happenstance. Compared to the Princeton info sessions, he was refreshingly honest, while genuine in his love for Princeton, he was quick to point out its flaws unabashedly. Which to me made Princeton more enticing. Bill Mondan was a fantastic guy, and to me, I want to apply to Ivy League schools because I will be surrounded by fantastic people. He was genuine, gregarious, honest, funny, and LOUD. Meeting him gave Princeton a real sense of character for me. However, while I he was great, I am not sure Princeton is right for me, and the reason is abstract and nigh inexplicable. I got the sense from the way he talked about Princeton of the environment: a positive place full of exceptional people, and in this way the Ivies all have one thing in common. Yet each undoubtedly has a shaping effect on students, and while the students seem wonderful, I got the impression that the university tends to orient students in a very pragmatic, goal driven mindset. While Bill explained that university has improved upon graduating a rounded class that does not ALL instantly move to lower Manhattan, I didn't feel as though the class came out with a more open, global thinking mindset of the students at say Brown who I've met. That is not to say that there aren't global thinking Princetonians or narrowminded Brownies, but in the end I might want to choose a school with a less directed and driven culture.<br /><br /><br />Also here is a picture of some food I ate:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWUZPH5O3b-47VhcXst3y2wXPgD21YhkKhE99LR920dc9BdBijzQJIApVj1tpQgmwp3rc8TUxHWTaGEldevvO51_QJ4HGEtfWStI5vZHtGV_LWHn8BjrBXiPfTcUj1jo_hyLucB-tktTN/s1600/hogie+haven.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWUZPH5O3b-47VhcXst3y2wXPgD21YhkKhE99LR920dc9BdBijzQJIApVj1tpQgmwp3rc8TUxHWTaGEldevvO51_QJ4HGEtfWStI5vZHtGV_LWHn8BjrBXiPfTcUj1jo_hyLucB-tktTN/s320/hogie+haven.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631662292109780754" border="0" /></a>Tom Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18417006960610695665noreply@blogger.com0