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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