Yalesleyan (Yale+Wesleyan)

I was throughly convinced, because I had been waking up at 6 AM all year, that waking up early would not be a big deal for me. My expectations were more along the lines of, "Waking up at six to take a shower is no biggie, we'll have time to eat breakfast," than the reality of, "Oh God why did I stay up so late I'm so hungry." Kelly, Tayler, and I shared David's extra French Toast, then we were out the door to get to Wesleyan in Middletown, Connecticut. 

Wesleyan

Earlier in the year, at our first potluck, I was assigned to become the 'expert' on Wesleyan. Unfortunately, I didn't get to show off my basic knowledge because our tour guide, Danny, was super good, even through his allergies. I didn't even mind though, because I was so captivated by the campus. It was raining, so there weren't a whole lot of people out and about, but I was comfortable in my pink rain jacket so I was able to really enjoy everything about it. Though it takes some imagination, I can picture the 3,000 students walking around, enjoying music at Spring Fling. Danny, a rising senior with a double major in Computer Science and Music, really took the time to explain what exactly made Wesleyan such a good choice: I'm not beyond convinced. I'm sure that in a couple months, I'll be writing out my Common App and sending it to Admissions. 

Bennet Hall, an undergrad dormitory

After a quick Information Session, we had lunch (awesome sandwiches from Nardellis) with Chris, the NorCal admissions rep. What stood out for me about him was that he didn't even go to Wesleyan, he went to Haverford, but he still was really enthusiastic about the awesome education and philosophy that are available at Wesleyan. I love that there are no required classes, but they give you 9 General Expectations Classes that are suggested, in case you need some direction.

After Wesleyan, we hopped back into the car and headed down to New Haven to tour Yale. As a West Coaster, I've always imagined Yale as 'untouchable'. It took some time to get to the Admissions office, where the tour was leaving from, but when we did Nick, Kelly, and I got the most energetic guide, Campbell. She started off as a pre-law major, but switched to History after taking more classes. Yale had a gorgeous campus, though I still had a preference to Wesleyan. The libraries at Yale though, were spectacular. In the rare books library, Beinecke, the windows had a coating that made them glow golden when there was enough sun. Sadly, we came on an overcast day, but I know that it would have been absolutely stunning. 

Yale campus, the undergrad quad. 

My opinion of Yale was definitely changed at the Yale alum dinner. We went to Providence Prime, a restaurant with delicious meat, and got to spend a few hours just chatting with four graduates. I sat nearest to Chris, who graduated 2012, and John, class of 2011. Charlotte, class of 1984, and Nate, who just graduated three weeks ago, I didn't get to talk too much, as they were on the other half of the table, but if they were half as entertaining as Chris and John, I know everyone had an amazing time. As a West Coaster, I had always imagined Yale as a slightly (okay, more than slightly) pretentious school. I was very pleasantly surprised when Chris and John were two of the funniest people probably on the East Coast. They were both very open about their experience at Yale, and told lots of funny anecdotes about their clubs. John, who was a member of the Alley Cats, tried to interest me in a capella until I very resolutely announced that I cannot sing, the most true fact in the whole world. 

I'm pretty convinced that I want to major in economics, so I was excited to hear that that's what Chris did. I learned a lot from Chris that I didn't have a chance to learn from the tour guide: the secret societies, special events held in the Sterling Memorial Library, and parties with funny dress codes. I also got to hear the inside scoop on all the Yale myths. An anonymous person was 'exploring' the basement of the med-school, and actually found a room with shelves on shelves of human brains. Thankfully, this was shared with me before my filet mignon arrived. The dinner, which was, of course, incredible, was a wonderful end of an amazing day.