I am currently sitting in Butler library with Eric, trying to focus on writing my 20 page paper as Eric tries to concentrate on his essay. I keep getting distracted whenever I look up at the ceiling and see the beautiful architecture.
Today as I was walking down the stairs of Butler library after my PM session it hit me that I could really picture myself going to Columbia. Earlier, I had thought this is a great school but maybe not the school for me. But, finally realized that I would really enjoy going here and studying.
Today our morning session had a guest speaker, Nancy Ramsey. She is internationally known and has written for the LA times, the NY times, Sports Illustrated, and the New Yorker. It was really interesting to learn about her stories as a journalist. She told us about how she travels to write different pieces for different papers. The story she told us about how she became a journalist was rather surprising. She did not intend to be a journalist at all. Her college degree was in English and History and happened to run into journalism by chance. She enjoys it a lot and encouraged us to try different subjects to really know what we want. Her and Dr. Z. encouraged us that by the end of high school if we're not sure what we want to do to take some time to think about it. There's no rush in deciding what we want in life. They also told us that we shouldn't look for colleges that have the exact major we want, rather a school that would fit us the best. Nancy told us what to look for in journal articles or newspaper articles to make sure they are a reliable source. If the author tends to say that most of his sources are not certain, then maybe that article isn't the best one to be using as a source in our papers. She gave us advice on how to follow the upcoming presidential elections, by not only listening to the news on TV but reading newspapers like the Washington Post. The TV is very convenient but does not give you all of the information. It mostly just give you an overview and skips over the details. I enjoyed listening to Nancy Ramsey. I had never met a journalist before and it was amazing to see someone so passionate in what they do, even thought it was not what she had originally planned on doing with her life.
After class we went to Vine Sushi Bar down the street to meet with Brian, and alumni from Vassar. He was different from the other alumni that we had visited. He was passionate about his school but he was not afraid to tell you the downsides about the Vassar, like the surrounding geographical area. He also gave us some insight in what he went through when he applied and decided to attend Vassar. He said that he liked how everyone at Vassar had a variety of things they liked to do. They were not focused on just one particular subject, but two or even three. The information that I found the most helpful was what he said about the application process. He mentioned that colleges might say certain parts of the application are optional but they really aren't. It's just a way for the college to see if you are willing to go above and beyond when filling our your applications.
As I said earlier in my blog, I am currently at the library. Tomorrow we have a 12 page draft of our paper due. I have pretty much everything done except my bibliography and footnotes which I am working on right now and hope to finish tonight. If I do, then I'll be worry free and can start on my weekend homework early. Thank goodness there is a Starbucks down the street! I'll need the caffeine.
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