Thursday, June 20, 2013

A Day as a Philadelphian


Today we left early, boarded an Amtrak Train and headed to Philadelphia. Our itinerary for the day was packed with a visit to Independence Hall and its conjoining museum, a lunch with students and admissions officers of University of Pennsylvania, and a tour and information session on campus. 

The hour and a half train ride to Philadelphia gave us time to relax and observe the outside landscape. A vast urban sprawl intermixed with overgrown plants provided us with an alternative view from the New York we had previously experienced. Early on in the train ride, we realized that we had boarded the “quiet car”. We had just unpacked our breakfast and were commenting on the orange juice when a woman angrily approached us. She irritatedly asked Margaret if she knew if we were on the quiet car and then left before she had time to respond. We had officially received our first taste of the rumored harsh and to the point New York way of speaking.

After an hour and a half of silence, we arrived and walked into the iconic Penn Station. Although not as grand and busy as Grand Central Station, this station was very elegant. The soft colors of the walls and ceiling paired with rustic wooden benches gave the station a very comfortable feel. On one of the walls, there was a huge sculpture. It captured the imagination of a child carrying a toy airplane by illustrating a gang of horses and other people in movement behind the boy. I am happy that I had the opportunity to spend time looking at it.


On our way to Independence Hall, I encountered another angry individual. This time, it was my taxi driver. Armol, Elena and I took a taxi from the train station. When we arrived we handed him a twenty-dollar bill and asked for change. He told us that he had no change for a twenty. He only had five dollars and two twenties. I know this because he angrily handed me all of his money to prove it. If I had known then that it is the law for taxi drivers to always provide change for twenty dollars, I would have walked out of the cab without paying him. Instead, I told him that we would pay him fifteen dollars. He could give me his five one-dollar bills and I would give him a twenty. He then asked why I was speaking Chinese because he didn’t speak it. Thankfully, Mrs. L walked over and handled the situation from then on.

When we reached Independence Hall, Mrs. L encouraged us to get into the mindset of the 18th century. I was reminded that our founding fathers were wearing full suits in the middle of summer. On the road, I could see the original markings of the wheels of horse drawn wagons. Unfortunately, we were unable to see the Liberty Bell but we were still left with a ton to do. When we went into the museum, the 1968 exhibit immediately intrigued me. This exhibit showcased the Hippie Movement, Civil Rights Movement, in conjunction with the Vietnam War. We then watched an informative and dramatic video about “We the People” and what that iconic phase means to the people of America.


After our historic excursion, we took a far more pleasant taxi ride to have lunch with admissions officers and students. The lunch was delicious and the conversation was even better. Dianna, a student who participated Ivy League Connections two years ago, provided us with her honest and positive views of the school. I was also able to speak to an admissions officer who gave me incredibly helpful advice on the admissions process and really keyed in on what a college essay should have. I even asked him about my idea for an essay and he provided me with honest and helpful feedback. Before the trip, I felt so overwhelmed by the college admissions process. I still feel this way, but to a much lesser extent. Speaking to the admissions officer, gave me a much clearer idea of the steps I need to take in order to put forth an impressive recommendation.

After lunch, we headed to the campus and took a small, informal tour led by Dianna. We didn’t have much time so she made sure to take us to the most interesting spots on campus. It was absolutely beautiful. I loved how diverse the settings of the campus were. For example, one area looked like the middle of a forest while another spot close by felt like the middle of the city.

After the tour, we attended a very crowed information session and then stopped at a famous spot on campus for ice-cream. Next we took another pleasant taxi ride to the Amtrak. From there we took a train ride back to the subway transfer station and finally arrived back at the hotel. Once there, we ordered pizza and spent our converted free time bonding with our cohort. I can’t wait to see Vassar tomorrow! 

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