Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Bard and Me

Hey Everyone,

Glad to finally be addressing some questions posed previously. I didn't even know about Bard until I saw it on the tour schedule for the Ivy League connection, and frankly, I wasn't interested. I had had a pretty closed mind about any college not on my top 3 list and had shut Bard out of the picture. After being admitted into the Ivy League connection program and being "urged" :-) to research other schools, I felt bad about my unwillingness to explore other possibilities and saw how what I thought was resolve was actually detrimental to a key part of my college experience--the college search. The Ivy League connection helped to open my eyes to yet another of the many possibilities in life.

Any school with the name Bard is definitely a school to consider for me since creative writing is one of my passions; what better place to master my craft than a place named after the master craftsman. From my trip back East overall however, I expect to learn much more than just how to write a mean poem. I know that I will explore myself in relation to the world, learn my place in a totally new city, learn about the balance of power here in the US and how that has changed since our inception with emphasis on how that power has changed for the President, and much MUCH more. Once again, I AM SOOO JUICED!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Bard Info


We've got a great tour set up to get to know Bard, so here's a little info on it for all my fellow Columbians:

  1. Bard College is in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 90 miles north of New York City and 220 miles southwest of Boston.
  2. Bard College was founded, as St. Stephen's College, in 1860, a time of national crisis
  3. In 1928 the College opened a radically new chapter in its history when it became an undergraduate school of Columbia University
  4. In 1944 Bard became a coeducational institution. As a result, it severed its relationship with Columbia University and became independent as a secular, nonsectarian liberal arts college affiliated with the Episcopal church.
  5. http://www.bard.edu is the link for their site
"The College offers the bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in more than 40 academic programs in four divisions: Arts; Languages and Literature; Science, Mathematics, and Computing; and Social Studies. Students who undertake an interdivisional academic program receive a degree in one of the four divisions, depending on their individual course of study and the subject of their Senior Project. In addition, Bard College offers two dual-degree programs: the Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a bachelor’s degree in music and a B.A. in another field in the liberal arts or sciences; and the Program in Economics and Finance offers a B.S. degree in economics and finance and a bachelor of arts degree in another field in the liberal arts or sciences other than economics"

Division of the Arts

Division of Languages
and Literature

Division of Science, Mathematics,
and Computing

Division of Social Studies

Interdivisional Programs

Interdivisional Concentrations

LOOK AT THESE AWESOME PROGRAMS!!! and you just know that they're high caliber because this school was associated with an Ivy League for some time. Looks like a great school.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Columbia Here I Come!!!

Can I just start by saying HOW JUICED I AM TO BE SPENDING 3 WEEKS AT THE SCHOOL OF MY DREAMS!!! I am so grateful for this AMAZING opportunity and it's thanks to many, many people but especially Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, Don Gosney, Mr. Hoffman and the Administrative staff at MCHS, and my family and friends.

New York is the place to be and I still can't believe I'm going to be there :-) . I am so proud to be among the lucky few who gets this opportunity. I have a passion for politics and Columbia University, in New York, for a class on Presidential Powers?? There's no better place for me in the world. I can't believe I was lucky enough to have a chance at this but then I remember all the all nighters and boring weekends at home I went through to get it :-D.

I can't wait to experience New York but I'll be doing my homework: studying weather patterns, fashion trends, cultural customs for different groups, and the works. I'll also be doing some real studying to prep for the class :-) and I can't wait to spend it with all you other cool Columbia kids.

I have no idea what this summer will hold in store for me but I'm ready to go full speed ahead and shout to the world COLUMBIA HERE I COME!!!

Greetings

Hello everyone! My name is Yueming Wang and I am a junior at Hercules High School. And I have been blessed to be one of the six 2010 Summer Columbians!

Before I talk more about myself, I want to thank Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, Don, and all of the Ivy League Connection donors for offering me this great opportunity! I would also like to thank Ms. Ishmael, Ms. Kent, Mr. Litvin, Mr. Nguyen, Ms. Wojinski, my family and friends, and just everyone who has helped and supported me through the application process. I will be a student ambassador at Columbia University because of all of you. Thank you!

I cannot stress how great of a program this is. As a 2009 Summer Cornellian, I experienced first hand the thrills and challenges of living independently for three weeks. Even though there were some challenges along the way, last summer, in retrospect, was one of the best summers I've lived. I simply loved everything, as you can probably tell now that I am back to live another amazing summer. I'm really looking forward to learning a lot about American politics -- the things that are NOT covered in US History -- from the Presidential Powers course. And of course, we will visit many great colleges and live in NYC for 3 weeks! I mean, how much greater can it get?

I shall spare you of my ramblings and save them for another time. But before I conclude my first blog post, I would like to tell my fellow cohorts a little more about who I am since we come four different schools. I am 17 years old and I have lived in Hercules ever since third grade. This year, I am playing tennis and badminton for the school team. I am also a member in the Interact Club, Mock Trial Club (as well as a member of the Defense Team), and Kiwin's Club. At school, I am also involved in the school's journalism program. I LOVE music and I've played the violin since fourth grade, but I am barely proficient (haha). I am also a beginner at learning to play the guitar and piano.

I hope that we will all get to know each other before we leave for New York this summer. And let's make this trip fun-tastic!

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Columbia dinner! Take Care!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Here we go...

I guess this is the first post for the ILC Columbia 2010 blog? I'm pretty excited that we have a blog since I am a “blogger” and it’s pretty neat to look back at posts and reflect on things that have happened.

For months I've been planning my summer according to the Columbia Summer School Schedule even though I just got accepted into the program about a week ago. And I must say, I think I’m finally getting excited for Columbia. I mean, I’ve never traveled so far from home and I’ll be completely independent in a huge city. Will I get lost? Probably all the time. Will I use a lot of money? Sure! But none of that really matters.

What matters is the experiences I'll have. I get to be around a great group of people (Beulah, Yueming, Winston, Michael and Jamie) in New York! We’ll get to visit some of the top colleges in the world. We will be taught and mentored by some of the best professors in a challenging course where we won't only learn from the class but from our surroundings.

I really want to go “all out” and experience everything in New York. I want to check out Broadway, Madison Square Garden, Union Square and Ground Zero. I want to shop and meet beautiful people. I want to go to the beach and hear different accents. Doesn't that sound perfect?

But I must admit, I am a little nervous. I have no idea what will happen and what it'll be like. I’m afraid I’ll miss my family, friends and my adorable dog. I'm scared for the possibilities but excited at the same time...

Well, we’ll have to just wait and see, won’t we?

On a side note:
All of this dreaming (and by summer, the dream come true) is thanks to Charles Ramsey, Madeleine Kronenberg, Don Gosney and the rest of the ILC advisors, supporters and sponsors. I am so grateful to receive this amazing opportunity to experience Columbia and New York without having to use a dime along with the opportunity to prove to myself my strengths and self-worth. It is truly remarkable.