The Orientation Express

I arrived at the Ivy League Connection orientation very early, and carpooling with Simon Cohen and his mom  proved to be a good idea. Don and Mr. Ramsey both made it very clear during the few minutes we spent waiting for everyone to arrive that tardiness would not be tolerated. During the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Ramsey spoke to us about being on time, having good behavior, and staying organized. The chaperones were presented to the group, and Don took a number of photos during the introductions which may or may not include me yawning in the background. Don spoke about the trip, and explained the necessity for each guideline with a story, which is a major reason why I'll remember so much of this meeting. He covered everything from the weight of our bags to the appropriate length for a surge protector, and his ability to be thorough must be admired.

Pinole Middle School, where the meeting was held

Tiffani  Neal speaking to the
Women and Leadership cohort

After that, we split into groups, so I sat with my cohort, Women and Leadership with Tiffani Neal, where we filled out some forms and discussed the group's plans. Don stopped by the Brown II table to tell us that as far as he knew, there wouldn't be any reading requirements, which was a huge relief, because he had also mentioned the 1700-page book that was part of the reading for Columbia. I'm really looking forward to visiting Wellesley, Brandeis, Boston University and Yale while I'm back East, because those visits will give me a better idea of the college-going lifestyle than the impression I would get from Brown alone.

 

Today Mr. Ramsey announced that we had all "survived" and were now officially members of the Ivy League Connection, but I didn't feel much different. I didn't expect to develop superpowers when I heard that, but know that there's still pressure in this program to act like adults even if we're fairly out of practice. From the meeting, I was happy to find that I will get along with many of the ILCers and I look forward to spending time with them.