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College Trip Takes 28 Rising Seniors/Juniors to New England

College Guidance Directors Tasha Toran and Joe Yung, along with Upper School English faculty member Brian Kosnik, chaperoned 28 rising juniors and seniors on a three-day college tour from June 9 to 11. They visited seven institutions in New England: Amherst College, College of the Holy Cross, Clark University, Dartmouth College, Hampshire College, Smith College and The University of Massachusetts (UMass) at Amherst. According to Mr. Kosnik, these students "behaved maturely, asked incisive questions of the tour guides, and, in general, acted as good representatives of our D-E community."

Below are snippets of feedback on six of the schools visited, including the one they called home for two nights, UMass Amherst, from six of the students who attended the trip:

Anastasia Kuske '15:
"It was a cloudy day when we visited [Holy Cross] and, while that may have affected my view of it, I felt jailed. The campus was really beautiful, except there is a strange area where the students prefer to study: the campus cemetery. The Montserrat “program” sounds interesting, but it is still unclear in my mind, so I cannot fully take the program into account when I think about the College of the Holy Cross. Overall, it was not a bad experience, but I cannot see myself attending this school.

"Although Clark is on the 'bad' side of Worcester, its gates were wide open and inviting; the community was integrated into the campus in such a symbiotic manner that it seemed something out of a textbook. The dorms were of an average size, but the common rooms were modernized and seemed very comfortable. Overall, the campus seemed very inviting, despite external circumstances, and it has a strong connection to the surrounding area."

Atilla Ozkan '15:
"While Holy Cross offers things like a liberal arts education, travelling abroad and athletics, the thing that really struck me when visiting there was their Jesuit roots and religious affiliation. This may either pique interest in the school or cause some people to shy away from it, but, personally, I believe that it is the most striking and memorable aspect of the College of the Holy Cross.

"Like Holy Cross, Clark is also a liberal arts school. Rather than be remembered for its liberal arts education, Clark sticks out to me for something else. The students and community of Clark are heavily focused on community service. The campus is located in a 'bad' neighborhood in Worcester, and that decision is purposefully made. There are literally hundreds of programs, clubs or associations within Clark that have students going out into that neighborhood or the surrounding local areas that need help, and actually doing things to positively benefit the people who live there. While all, if not most, colleges and universities do have lots of community service endeavors, Clark really stuck out in my mind because of how focused it seemed to be. From the tour guide to the actual admissions officer that took the time to speak with our group about what sets Clark apart, everyone seemed to really take pride in and support all of the community service that they took part in. So, like Holy Cross and their religious affiliation, Clark is more remarkable to me not because of its liberal arts education, but for its commitment to service."

Nathan Gordon '16:
"When visiting Dartmouth, it was immediately obvious that this school was very passionate about its students... As they put it, 'You are the architect of your intellectual experience.' All in all, Dartmouth displays a good deal of academic rigor, tight community values and compassion for each student from the staff.

"Hampshire was almost immediately strange to me. Being greeted by vast, open fields and one single red barn didn’t seem like a normal beginning to a college tour, but no matter; this place still demonstrated its bizarre nature with a sense of quirky charm... It is oddly progressive, but perhaps in too sharp a tone."

Kendall Kim '15:
"While we stayed at UMass throughout our trip, not until the final day did we tour it. While we lodged in upperclassmen dorms at UMass, which were nice. UMass itself, from my perspective, was not so nice. To start off, UMass is a massive school. The feat of walking across the campus itself is tiring. The classrooms are huge, some classes spanning over 300 kids in one room... My impression of UMass was certainly biased by my dislike of large schools, but I felt that, in general, the atmosphere of UMass was very impersonal and industrial.

"Our [Amherst] tour guide informed us of the small class sizes and student-to-professor ratio. That was comforting for me, because a college that cares about individual attention is certainly ideal. Another cool part of Amherst is that they don't require students to take general requirement courses. Overall, Amherst was a beautiful school and basically ideal for someone like me."

Jared Pomerantz '16:
"Amherst is a pretty tiny school, with a total of 1,800 students, all of whom are undergraduates. Unlike many similar schools, Amherst does not offer pre-vocational majors, as it takes the idea of liberal arts to its 'logical extreme.' There are only two course requirements at Amherst, these being the mandatory first semester of freshman year seminar and the minimum of four courses per semester. This freedom from academic restraints allows students to take interdisciplinary courses of their own volition, as opposed to being forced into taking foundation courses."

Alexis Fiore '16:
"[After visiting Amherst College,] I can see myself in a liberal arts school, because I agree with the reasoning behind a liberal arts school; it is preparing you to become a better citizen within a community and to have a better knowledge of a wide variety of different values in the world rather than having a strong education in one specific area. Amherst seemed to have a strong involvement within their community (they go to Holyoke High School and mentor/guide those students through their work) and take community service seriously, being that they are a wealthier, privileged school.

"I was able to see the comparison of a large school (UMass Amherst) to a small school, and a co-ed school to an all-women's school. Although my view on college still remains a little hazy, this experience has enhanced my knowledge of the college world. Thanks!"
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