Getting Acquainted

Our first official Columbia cohort 'meeting' kicked off this Sunday in the ever-lovely Arlington Park right here at home. A combination of blue skies, warm weather and just the right amount of shade set the stage for a perfect potluck setting. 

While we all got to catch up with old friends from school, or extracurriculars, and (finally!) make new friends with the rest of the cohort, we enjoyed a buffet of various dishes brought from home - it was pasta, salads and pasta salads galore! Unfortunately, one member of our cohort was not able to make it, but I'll be excited to see her again next time around!

Our chaperone, Ms L, got straight down to business informing us all about the basics. We'll have to hit the ground running from the very beginning, waking up early everyday in order to incorporate our busy schedules. She told us all about the various dress-code requirements, based on events we'll be attending and daily situations. We also learned for the first time today about how dorm-life would look for us. Everyone will be staying right on campus, girls living in suites and boys in rooms off a main hallway. I'm really excited about this living arrangement, as for me, it means living with several people, and according to Ms. L, there's a good chance the people I'll be meeting and possibly living with will be from foreign countries. 

Our class schedules will be 10-12 and 2-4 weekdays, allowing us to stay focused and simultaneously giving us time to study, research, and of course, blog. I can't wait to meet other members of my class at Columbia, and finally get to taste college life while experiencing a truly prestigious and rigorous education.

Aside from school-life, we've all been massively privileged with any and all assortments of weekend activities. Living in Manhattan for a few weeks has got to have its perks. With so many different opportunities to visit national sites, museums, plays, sports and landmarks, it gets harder and harder to wait until our plane takes off. Ms. L has informed us about regulations regarding going anywhere, and such regulations are agreeable and thoughtful. Ms. L definitely cares about our safety, and we'll all have plenty of freedom as well. 

Ms. L wrapped up by giving us all a little assignment - to think about ten things we're most excited about come June, when we get to Manhattan. Living in a big city like NYC means that this assignment will likely be a breeze - narrowing it down to ten things means that my To-Do List will have to be an Absolutely MUST-Do List.