All together now!

The view from the car drive. Snow!

Today was a full day starting bright and early. We met in the lobby of Hotel Providence at 6:45 AM and took our massive, white Suburban out to Amherst to visit Amherst College. Along the way we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts for tradition's sake and after two hours of driving on the tree-lined, snow covered highway, we arrived at Amherst College in time for the information session. I was happy to learn that they have a very popular and active neuroscience major as that is what I am interested in. In addition, they have an open curriculum so the opportunities are endless. But it doesn't stop there. Beyond the open curriculum are 4 other colleges all part of the 5 College Consortium. The advantage of this arrangement is that any student at any of the colleges can take classes and participate in clubs at any of the schools so there is plenty to do and many people to meet. As if that was not enough, the campus was beautiful. 

Reading up on Amherst before the information session.

After our tour we met with the West Coast admissions officer for a more informal Q&A. She was able to tell us about what a day in life of a Amherst student was like, describe extracurriculars like Homecoming and recommend great places to eat. She was really honest about her experiences in college as well as high school so I felt comfortable asking questions. 

The freshmen dorms were beautiful!

Then, we climbed back in to the car and drove down the road a little bit to Emily Dickinson's house. There, we got a detailed tour from a woman who was passionate about Emily's poetry and life. I always enjoy getting a little look into history when I'm back east. By the end of the tour it was time to head back to Providence in time to register for the Symposium and get our room assignments. So we began our two hour trip back.

We were greeted back in Providence by a table full of Brown Symposium materials. After we got our registration packets and room keys, we went upstairs to get ready for dinner.

Perfect weather for a campus tour.

Amherst has a very prominent natural history museum. 

Amherst also has a beautiful war memorial. 

This is Emily Dickinson's house. She lived here most of her life with the exception of a few years in which
her father couldn't afford the house after his parents (the original owners) died.

The mayor telling his inspiring
 story of success.

Dinner was held in a large room in the hotel with a buffet of lasagna, salad, soup and garlic bread--all very delicious. After reconnecting with some friends from this summer and filling our bellies, the presentations began. First, the mayor of Providence spoke of his experiences in law and how that led to his eventual career in politics. He said he wanted to become a lawyer when he was younger because he wanted to help people. He then advised us that to make a difference you had to have three things: a vision, a team of supportive and dedicated people and finally, tenacity. After he spoke, we had a short break and then came back for a presentation by Youth in Action, an organization based in Providence, Rhode Island and run almost completely by students. They showed us a quick documentary and then opened up the floor for questions. For the last event of the night, we did the always popular and much needed name games to get to know the others participating in the Leadership Symposium. I was so thrilled to be surrounded by other dedicated and smart students and I can't wait to see what the next two days bring. 

Youth in Action presents.

Getting to know each other.