Being in New York Yesterday for the day, was a dream come true because I have always wanted to visit the BIG APPLE. While being there, I realized that the city in fact does not wait for anybody. One has to be their own person and do what they need to do because in the city of new york no one waits for you including the subway doors.
Visiting Columbia University was a very beautiful experience, the campus was very pretty but we were not able to go and see inside the buildings. Even though I enjoyed being there I can not see myself studying on that campus because I feel like it would be too easy to get distracted.
We also got to visit Ellis Island while being the city which was a very interesting and educational experience for me. It was something I had learned in my history class that I now had the chance to see for myself. I got to see how it was for newly immigrants to come to the United States.It was a very difficult to task to go through. They had to go through medical inspections, legal inspections, and questionnaires. It was a very hard thing to go through in a strange new place and would be hard for me to be able to imagine going through it. I thought it was a very informative trip that students taking U.S. history should visit to get a better perspective of the event.
I find these college tours on the weekends to be so helpful for me because slowly and efficiently I have been going down the list on what I want out of a college. I now know that I do not want a big city campus and would much rather prefer a smaller campus with more trees than buildings. That is why I am looking forward to going to visit Wellesly tomorrow because I did not get the chance to go last weekend because of class assignments. I glad that the opportunity came across for me to get the chance to see a school which can be in my future.
When I go back home I will definitely encourage my underclass whom have no idea about where they want to go to college to join the ILC because they will get the opportunity, just like did, to get to see universities up close and figure out what it is they want.
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2 comments:
Thanks Mercedes, I love the post. Now I am going to provide you the same comments that I just made over on the Columbia Blog. I want you to "slow down" and re-read your post before hitting send. It is important to know that proofing is critical to writing and if you just take a moment you will catch the majority of errors. So, in the future, just proof the document before sending. I have to wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Gosney on this point. I am now joining his chorus with respect to having the posts be tighter.
I would encourage everyone to visit the Cornell and Yale Blog. They have great examples to read. These are not criticisms, but observations and as your mentors, and I know you trust us, that we are giving you valuable advice that will assist you in the future.
Now back to the post. I love it!! Yes, you are growing and learning who is the real Mercedes Montelongo. Tufts is a fit for you. You will find the same with Smith, Wellesley, Mt. Hoyloke and Brown. These institutions are small and give one a chance to get into the campus life. Some people love the hustle and bustle of the big city, like we see at UC Berkeley, UCLA, Harvard and Columbia, but this is not for everyone and I hope that you will get a lot of the trip tomorrow with Ms. Pelly. I want you to take copious notes detailing what you find attractive about these colleges.
Thanks for letting us know that these college tours have made a bid difference because this is the first year that the Ivy League Connection has made this a requirement. It now seems that we did the right thing by implementing this to our routine. You now see how the ILC does not rest on its laurels, but works hard to enhance the program. I am glad that you were able to be a beneficiary of this new practice.
We need for you to also remind Sue Kim about the importance of the campus tours and to see if she can find out more information about the Multi-cultural "fly-in" programs that are offered to those who get admitted into these highly selective colleges.
It is worth noting that Brown University does have a multi-cultural fly in program for those who qualify. I hope that you will investigate what other Universities have this program. Funny thing is that Mt. Holyoke, Tufts, Smith and Wellesley all have fy in programs. I would strongly encourage you to contact their admissions office when you return home and get on their mailing list.
You will also want to find out when they are visiting in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now is the time for you to be pro-active and stay engaged. Mercedes, you are a fantastic student who has a bright future ahead. I want you to embrace all that the ILC has to offer and to demand that Sue Kim and your school counselor put you in the best possible position to be admitted to any of these fine academic institutions.
Also find out what programs they have on campus that enhances diversity. Too often are students fail to understand and appreciate that you have to "market yourself" and put yourself in a position to get accepted. Ms. Kronenberg can weigh in and talk about being the "irrestible candidate". Mercedes, we want the best for you and know that you are poised to sail. Your senior year can be one where you take calculated chances with the hope that one of these great schools can be within your grasp.
Thanks again for taking us through your analysis, but I want to remind you to do a draft and then clean it up before you send it out. Your feelings are clear and your determination is evident. I am also pleased that you will mentor our younger students at Richmond High School to become active participants in the ILC.
Enjoy the balance of your Fourth of July. I guess you decided to opt out of the trip to Newport. One last thing when you visit the colleges tomorrow remember to take some pictures, we want to see all of you, including Ms. Kent and Carla smiling on those beautiful campuses.
Charles T. Ramsey, Esq.
School Board Member
West Contra Costa
Unified School District
Mercedes,
I enjoyed reading of your experience at Ellis Island and what it must have been like to have passed through there on the way into their new country.
Like most people, much of what we know about Ellis Island we know because of our readings or The History Channel. You were fortunate enough to pay Ellis Island a visit to see some of this first hand. Most of us, though, may never make it to New York City and even if we do, we may not be able to visit Ellis Island.
Living in the Bay Area, though, you have it well within your reach to visit the Ellis Island of the West. It’s sitting right in the middle of the San Francisco Bay on Angel Island. Although not as big as Ellis Island it’s where immigrants from Asia were processed before being allowed into the US.
While we may have welcomed immigrants from Europe, such was not the case for immigrants from Asia. We discouraged Asian immigration at every turn and passed numerous laws that made it difficult for immigrants from Asia to survive here. Some of these laws prohibited them from owning property, marrying whites and even from bringing their families over. We even had strict quotas on how many immigrants would be allowed each year (and the number was small).
You owe it to yourself to catch the ferry from Belvedere in Marin County and spending the day there. The Park Service conducts some nice tours and there’s much to be learned. It’s not nearly as fancy as Ellis Island but perhaps that’s partly due to shame we now feel for what went on there.
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