Nothing new really happened today that did not conform to the ordinary. I awoke at the same usual time to get ready for class and then I was off. In the morning session we discussed cases that dealt with the Fourth Amendment. These cases encompassed a variety of issues such as what classifies as unreasonable searches by officers and whether evidence acquired from wiretapping is admissible in the court of law. With each new case my analytical skills are drastically improving and I feel that I am able to analyze a document more in-depth.
After the end of morning session I headed back to my dorm where I met up with my suitemates for lunch. Like always, we use this time to just sit back and relax for a while and relive ourselves of the intensities of our courses. I am still surprised by the variety of different courses each of my suitemates is taking and their course really shows their goals in life. The classes range from Economics to Creative Writing, and each really shows deep passion for their course.
During the afternoon session we began with a discussion over the "War on Terrorism", which sparked an incredible amount of polarization within the class. As soon as the topic of the 9/11 attacks came into play, the emotions and passions of each student really came to light. There were so many hands raised, each offering a completely new opinion and view over the issue. I have never had the privilege of experiencing such an incredible discussion, one that focused more on supporting a stance with facts instead of who could speak the loudest or angriest. I feel that the session really opened up my views on terrorism and how this nation responded to it. There are some things I learned to agree with, but there are also some things I learned to be questionable about.
At the end of the school day, we headed out to the small courtyard in front of where I have class to await for Ms. L and Ms. Kronenberg to return from their meeting with the director of the program. They both extended his good remarks and how he was truly impressed with us. Furthermore, we gave Ms. Kronenberg a short, but detailed description of how our experience here was going. I talked mainly about how the class was changing my views of the how the government works and why I have the rights I have today. Also the topic of the immense diversity of international students was brought up, and as each of us in the cohort went around describing where our suitemates were from, it became evident that the program has influence all over the globe. Towards the end of the meeting, Ms. L gave us instructions on the plans for tomorrow afternoon. The goal was to enjoy a lovely cruise around New York, and experience the breath-taking sunset.
When the meeting adjourned, Ms. L offered us all frozen yogurt. After such heavy persuasion we all agreed to join. It was really nice to eat frozen yogurt with the entire cohort. It reminded me of the first day we came to Columbia. We had stopped to buy frozen yogurt at the exact same store and now that we are so close to leaving it all, it was a great way to recap our journey so far.
I then proceeded to my dorm room in order to do my work for my essay. I have made significant progress so fat and with the aid of my RA, I feel that I am developing a college-level essay that will amaze my instructor.
Overall I say that this day was, mostly, a get-work-done day in which my prime focus was to make progress in my essay. I know that there were a lot of options with which to spend the day doing, however I felt that my work takes precedent over anything else and that this extra work will pay off in the long run.
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