July 10: FINALLY!

After 3 weeks of mild confusion, academic growth and college experience, it is all over. The final began at 9:38am and by 12:08pm, I could finally say that I "graduated" from Professor Kramnick's Freedom & Justice course. I am so proud of our trio, and I also commend the Hotelies for all of their hardwork in the past 3 weeks. I'd like to place a little interjection in here before I say my final words. Minutes before beginning this blog, Julia, Ramiah and I ran into our TA Desmond. He happily let us know that we all received A-'s on our Plato papers. I am EXTREMELY proud of the three of us. He even told us that if we manage a B or higher on the final, we may receive A's for our final grades. How cool is that!? Now back to our day. As of right now, the 6 of us are in Olin Library making sure we complete our blogs before 5:00pm. After doing our daily duties, we will do a little more campus exploring, making sure we visit every last spot before tomorrow's afternoon departure.

This morning started with nervous butterflies, for it was our last day of class and the day we have been dreading: Final Day. While we spent many hours studying over the course of a week, high-achieving students like ourselves couldn't settle our nerves and believe that the final would be a cinch. After doing a last minute review over our last breakfast at Appel Commons, we made our last trek to McGraw Hall. Upon our arrival, we took our seats, grabbed our pencils, and hoped it wouldn't be too bad. To our surprise, it wasn't. We knew our concepts, and there was nothing on the exam we could not answer. I wrote so much that I required a 2nd exam booklet. Time wasn't too much of a constraint as well. All 3 of us had extra time to review our work and assure that it was the best we could produce. Again, I'm so proud of us 3 ladies.

After running out of McGraw in pure excitement, we made our way to Trillium where we met up with our Hotelies. We then made our way to Day Hall for a campus tour. It may have been a little out of order considering we've been here for 3 weeks, but I did learn a few new things about Cornell. For instance, on a outdoor stairway next to Olin, there are "musical steps." There are thousands of small rocks around benches that are meant to be thrown across a patio, which produces sound! Because I am in Olin Library right now, I cannot post any pictures or video. I promise I will once I return to my dorm after exploring. Overall, I was proud to say I knew a majority of the information presented during the tour. I've really come to know Cornell. I can even tell you a few myths if you'd like to hear!

This being my last Cornellian blog, I have been asked to reflect on my experience. In regards to my personal experience, I learned that I can handle being away from home, but I just don't prefer it. I love seeing Julia and Ramiah every day, but I miss those familiar faces at home as well. When I go off to college, I know that I will be just fine, for a few calls home always eases any hints of homesickness. All in all, I think my emotional state of being is just great, and I'm sure my mentality will carry on to my upcoming college entrance.

College is about working in groups. Luckily, I came to Cornell IN a group! High school is an individual competition, and I've broken that habit upon arriving here. I enjoy discussing concepts and ideas with Ramiah and Julia. It is a great way to reassure what you've learned and know what you're saying isn't made up (Sounds a lot like J.S. Mill, doesn't it?). I've also learned the power of TA's and office hours. There are so many resources for students on college campuses, and I found my experience here much less stressful thanks to those accommodations. I wish that this concept existed in high school, but I fear that students wouldn't take advantage of it like college students do.

Who would've thought that a girl who grew up in the public education system could excel in an Ivy League college course? I can assure you that I would have never thought of myself in that way a year ago. The class experience was a nice change. I found out that I enjoy college lectures much more than high school "lectures." I also enjoy discussion sections in that you have a TA who really gets to know you as a student. Desmond has been a great instructor, and I am certain that I will keep in contact with him this upcoming fall. He has great knowledge, and I will make sure to learn as much as I can from him, even when I return back to California.

The roommate experience isn't as pivotal as it is made out to be. Due to hectic scheduling, I hardly found myself in my dorm room, let alone in there at the same time as my roommate. When we were accommodating our room at the same time, we found that we had many interests in common. We're both looking into applying at the same colleges, and we both love certain subjects in school, i.e. math. I'm definitely going to miss accommodating a "mini-household" with someone of my own age, but it won't be too bad going home and seeing my family. I'm certain that Julie and I will keep in contact after our Cornell experiences.

Now comes the big question: Will I apply to Cornell? That's a difficult question to answer at this point. I love certain things about Cornell, but other ideas also exist that would prevent me from traveling across the country for college. I truly enjoy the "natural" feel of Cornell. I don't want to go to a college where it's building, building, building. I enjoy the trees, grass and wildlife. It's very comforting. I also like the resources here at Cornell. I'm never too far away from a library, a dining hall, or some sort of activity. I enjoy the small environment, but I also love bigger campuses. For me, bigger campuses = more to do. That's where I have a problem with Cornell. I feel slightly constrained. Ithaca isn't too much of an up and coming town. I enjoy nature, but I also enjoy balance. I find this balance prevalent in California, more specifically at Stanford, if you didn't already know. I also have trouble seeing myself at Cornell due to their academics. Cornell is very well-known for their business and agricultural departments. I want to attend a school that is known for their science departments, for I am certain that I will be majoring in some sort of science. Then of course, there is the weather. I don't think I could handle endless months of winter nor countless days of rain. I am one of those people who likes to stay indoors when it rains. Weather can truly bring me down. This is only a small factor in my college decisions, but it is a factor, nonetheless.

Overall, this experience has taught me what I am and am not looking for in a college experience. I've met amazing people, who I know I will keep in contact with for a long time. I've also strengthened my established friendship with Julia, and budded a brand new friendship with Ramiah. Upon returning to Hercules, all 6 of us will have been changed people. Hopefully, we will have the opportunities to enlighten our peers of the experiences outside of Hercules. Who knows, maybe students in WCCUSD will start to feel like, "Hey, if those 6 girls can succeed at an Ivy League, maybe I can too." If I can help in just that sense, I feel as if my job as an Ivy Leaguer has been fulfilled. Of course, I wouldn't be an Ivy Leaguer without the help of the ILC. For that, I can only say thank you. I hope that my experience and opinions will help this program thrive, for our district can only benefit from this program. Again, I cannot say thank you enough for this opportunity. I'm ready to take on higher education. Nothing's stopping me now, thanks to the Ivy League Connection.