Day Three - From DC to NYC

A later departure time this morning allowed the entire group to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at our super-chic hotel, Aloft.  Some students played pool while others hung out in the lounge (or slept in).  After packing up and checking out, we were on our way to George Mason University, the first stop of the day.  Weather reports had said Friday would be the warmest of our trip, but they were wrong!  The snow started coming down as soon as we exited the bus for our tour at GMU.  The Collegocity scarves we received that morning sure came in handy....

 

Even though the temperatures were low and the campus was huge, most of the students really loved their tours of GMU.  After all the groups returned to the student center, they had 30 minutes to warm up, explore the bookstore, and take advantage of the food court before heading to our final college of the trip: The Catholic University of America.  The drive from GMU to Catholic also took us right past Howard University, so we were able to get a glimpse of an additional campus, which was a nice bonus.

After lunch in the Pryzbola Center, we headed out in five tour groups to get a glimpse of Catholic's DC campus.  The guides were especially knowledgeable and helpful, and even managed to return all our groups to the buses in front of the Basilica on time.  We were back on the buses and off on the road to New York by 4:30.  After braving a bit of DC rush hour traffic, it was smooth sailing up I-95.  We made one quick stop in Maryland but then kept on trucking and were back in Washington Heights by 9:30 PM.  A group of parents were there to greet students, and after hugs, baggage distribution, and a final adios, the trip was over!  

Happily, we all returned safely, soundly, and with much more information about college than we had when we left.  Keep reading the blog for more detailed information and pictures about some of our stops, as well as some of the students' comments about their experiences. 

Day Two - From PA to VA

Another very busy day for the New Heights crew!  Just a quick update from the Aloft Hotel in Ashburn, VA, our home for the evening.  We'll write more soon to fill in the details.

Our day began with breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Philadelphia and then a brief walk over to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and a few other Philly historic sites.  Once we were all on the bus, we left the city behind for a more rural environment. As corn fields rolled by and cars became more sparse, we got closer and closer to our first college of the day: Lincoln University, an historically black college, and home to such notable alumni as Thurgood Marshall and Langston Hughes.  Believe it or not, our information session was conducted by Mr. Rodwell Cole, a graduate of Lincoln and...a native of Washington Heights!  He grew up at 153rd & Amsterdam and surprised the New Heights crew with his first-hand knowledge of their neighborhood.  Not what they expected to find at a college in the heart of Amish country!

Even though our stay at Lincoln was relatively brief, we filled our brains with information and our bellies with food before leaving for Maryland.  So far during the trip the entire group has been visiting each college on the itinerary, but we split up for the next leg of our journey.  One bus went to visit Goucher College and the other went to Johns Hopkins University, both of which are located in the Baltimore area.  Happily, the sun was shining and we weren't too cold while walking around the campuses.  After about two hours on those visits (about which we'll write more later), the group was united at St. John's College in Annapolis.  This is the smallest school we'll see on our trip, just about 500 students in total (compare that with Rutgers, the biggest school on the tour, which has 38,000 students!).  St. John's is also notable in that it has a rigorously set curriculum--also known as The Great Books program.  The New Heights kids (and chaperones) asked many questions of Alexandria, the admissions officer conducting our information session.  They ranged from queries about the academics to life on such a tiny campus.  It was clear that students were becoming more comfortable asking questions and starting to make sure they were getting the info they needed while visiting a college.

Once the info session at St. John's conclude, our entire group took a winding walk through their small but beautiful campus.  The sun had set and campus was dark, but we were able to see lovely lit up buildings and get an even better sense of the school's size.  After our quick stroll, we loaded up the buses and hit the road for our nation's capital, Washington DC!  The 50-minute bus ride went by in a flash and before we knew it, we were being dropped off at the National Mall amidst its many incredible monuments and memorials, all stunningly lit up in the crisp night air.  Students were given an hour to explore in small groups, starting near the World War II Memorial and ending at the Lincoln Memorial.  A memorable experience, for sure.

Once the entire group had arrived on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, we boarded the buses again for our drive out to our hotel in Virginia.  It took us past many of the sites in DC, including the US Capitol and the White House (which was kind of obscured by a gigantic Christmas tree and Menorah).  Forty minutes later, we arrived at our super chic Aloft Hotel in suburban Virginia.  We immediately divide into our chaperone groups and took some time to talk about how the trip was going, what we were learning, and how we can make sure tomorrow is another successful day.  Providing some pizza helped move conversation along!

It's late now and everyone has been safely checked into their rooms.  Night supervisors are on patrol, and our final day will be here soon.  More to come!