Two Amazing Colleges-- One Awesome Day

The alarm clock went off and woke us up nice and early at 6:15 AM and after preparation, we had a hearty breakast at the restaurant, Aspire, located conveniently inside Hotel Providence.

After everyone had their meal, we loaded up the cars with Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Larson driving. There was horribly congested traffic on the way there and we thought we wouldn't make it to Boston's campus tour on time. There was no problem as we arrived and our tour guide was an upcoming junior named Anna.

She was very thorough and covered everything curious students wanted to know. Some of the highlights of this University are: community service is really big and everyone is involved in some way, their study abroad programs are great and some students attend school there JUST FOR those programs, and 10% of the population is comprised of international students. That made me realize how diverse this school was and how there is a huge tolerance for all different cultures. This is something I want in the college I will attend.

As we toured the campus, I realized the placement of the buildings on the campus is uniquely cozy. The space between buildings are very close so it gives a sense of togetherness. The weather was too hot for my liking, but Mr. Ramsey reminded me that the weather during the school terms is not during the summer so the hot conditions shouldn't discourage me from looking into this institution further.

There is an amazing library with real documents from past historical events such as presidential letters of resignation, journals from various world leaders, etc. This library is actually open to students who want to study the works if they set up an appointment with the librarians. I find that to be a invaluable resource for research projects and paper.

An interesting fact is that Martin Luther King Jr. studied theology at Boston University and there was a statue made, dedicated to him. the idea behind the work is that there are 50 doves, that represent the 50 states in America, in peace.

The BU tour ended around 11:30 AM or so and by 1:00 PM we arrived at the Canoe Club Restaurant for our luncheon with Dartmouth COllege Admissions Officers. Fortunately, we did arrive on time despite the long BU tour and had a very informative discussion and Q&A with admissions officers John and Clark. John was very helpful with the admissions process and Clark took us on the tour around Dartmouth's beautiful campus.

An interesting fact, that is also a tad bit overwhelming in my point of view, is that 60% of the students in the sophomore, junior, and senior classes pledge to a sorority or fraternity. That is a HUGE part of the population and it makes one think of the school as a party college, but Clark said otherwise. Usually students who want to come do not get rushed until sophomore year and by then they realize that these Greek systems are not all about partying, it is a family bond that is extremely nurturing and sincerely want to help individuals who want to pledge.
Also, another thing that stood out is that Dartmouth has 43 study abroad programs that students take advantage of. Around 60% of students will study abroad once, and the other 40% twice. There are amazing opportunities that can be hard to access due to finances or the lack of certain programs, but Dartmouth will help you with your finances; they match up whatever you need 100% after the family gives what they can.

My overall impression of Dartmouth is that it is a great school with a very competitive population, however the students genuinely want to help one another succeed. There is a very strong support system and these are connections that will help you where ever you are in the world. I believe one has to experience it to really understand how it feels, but so far it seems incredibly powerful.
For dinner, Brown 2 finally got to meet up with Brown 1! It was such a great get together and everyone was so genuinely happy to see each other. Brown 1 shared their experiences and gave us some tips and recommendations for local restaurants and shopping centers as well as fun places to go on campus. It was Josephine's birthday and we all sang Happy Birthday very loudly.
Happy Birthday Josie!