Chicago; Two Days Past And Three To Go

Wednesday evening, some cohorts and I attended Northwestern University's information session at El Cerrito high. Though the lure of Chicago had long since faded for me since descriptions of the weather, the presentation smoothed even that rough spot over and was expertly presented.

Northwestern seems like a grand place to go to college. Clubs, dance marathons, sports games, and places to visit galore! The verve with which alumni spoke of it was the best back-up one could get.

Not only did Northwestern have a lot of school spirit, it's academics are highly regarded as well. Their medical program and journalism schools are both highly prestigious, but I was more interested in the Bienen School of Music and SESP- or School of Education and Social Policy. I thought it cool that you could attend Bienen- and whichever other school of your choice- for just five years, but come out with TWO bachelor degrees!

I'm looking forward to seeing the campus with my very own eyes in less than a few days. The countdown begins.

Premonitions

Hello to everyone out there in the world that is either keeping up with our continuing adventures or even those who are just becoming avid readers of the blog.  As many know we are leaving for our four-week-long journey next week.

School has finally ended and life is taking a turn for the surreal.  Not that it is weird in any way, no -- it is because it feels extremely fast and strange.  Now that there is time to relax, the clock is flying by.  Meanwhile, packing has been a hassle and finding a good bag has been a bit difficult, but for the most part, everything is set.

However, there is one more ILC event the group attended before we depart next week.  Last night was the Northwestern University presentation at El Cerrito High School.

There were six of us present, two of the Hotel Cornellians and the Freedom and Justice Cornellians.  After meeting up outside of the school, we entered and took our seats in the centre-front of the theatre.

The presentation in of itself was interesting enough.  We learned of the quarter system and of the many prestigious schools at Northwestern, including their Pre-Med program, the Journalism program and the many Communications courses that were present at the school.  We also learned a bit about Evanston, the town where Northwestern is based, along with student life and the many organizations present on campus, such as the Happiness Club, which made me smile a little.

After the presentation, we spoke to one of the alumni currently studying at UC Berkeley.  She gave us some tips on where to go around Chicago, and to see the beautiful lake views in the area.

All in all, it was a great experience, and it gave good foreshadowing for what's to come next Wednesday, at Northwestern.