Preparing to Leave

Washington University in St. Louis

I have a lot to think about as I finish packing and doing last minute preparations for our trip to the East coast. There is much to be anticipated and I think that at first, I will have to go into this trip thinking one day at a time, rather than getting ahead of myself. After all, I have many experiences and events ahead of me in the next couple of weeks. First we will be visiting Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Then we will be visiting multiple universities in Washington D.C., the University of Pennsylvania and lastly, the universities in Chicago. First we'll visit Northwestern University, and then, of course, the University of Chicago, where I will be staying for the remainder of my trip. All of the college tours and dinners with alumni, admissions officers, and students of the universities are taking place within the first week, so there will be a lot of information to take in. 

The goal of this trip is to learn as much as possible about the college experience and what each of us students would look for in a school personally. The goal is also to bring back what we have learned and share and apply this knowledge in our communities and lives. Besides getting a taste of the college experience by attending a class, living in the dorms, eating at the dining halls, and meeting people with new perspectives on college life, I will be learning about developmental psychology. I am really excited about this class because I have always been interested in health and medicine, and psychology definitely intersects. I have looked at the textbook briefly and I cannot wait to learn more. 

Since I will be away from home for a month, it is likely that I will feel homesick and miss my family at some point, but luckily, I have been away from home for extended periods of time before, and I am sure I will have more than enough to focus on besides missing home. I feel so grateful to have received this amazing opportunity that will open many doors for me in the future and will allow me to grow and mature as a person. I am going to try to get at least a couple of hours of rest before I have to wake up at two in the morning to start the big trip!