Columbia - No Tour - Way to go B...

So, we step out of the cab and walk across the street to begin our visit to Columbia and Maura spots a hawk in the trees. Somehow this strikes my twisted mind as good luck.



I don't think this bad boy is a red-tail. Time to head for the bird book and dig.


Long story short, there are no tours at Columbia on Saturday, except for the second Saturday of the month. I am a boob. Time to shift to plan B. There is some kind of public service event, with Columbia students at tables. We find a table with three nice students and we as them about their experiences at Columbia. High marks all around. One girl looked at me a bit funny when I asked if housing was for all four years and she said that given NYC prices, why would anyone consider living off campus. Oh, yeah.


Here Grace and Shmee ham it up with the main quad in the background. Shmee's footwork is a copy of the Admissions guy from BC who did the toe up 42 times during the information session. Maura and Grace with the count on that one.

So we toured ourselves.









The girls stroll past the Philosophy building.

Monday at American University

Here we are on our tour of American University in DC. It was cold and windy, on its way to a warm day, but it wasn't there yet. Probably a great school, but nobody on my team was biting. So the big event then became, to whom is Dave chatting up now?



This guy is from Kentucky. Their basketball coach had just been fired, so that was a topic of conversation.




The next guy was the former Harvard Goalie (he beat the Gophers in the finals). This man now takes kids to ivy league colleges and shows them around. Apparently there are two guys who will get your kid into an ivy for 25 big.











Here is what we are supposed to be looking at while Dave is finding out about how the goalie
makes a living.



Here is Grace in Dave's Ray Bans.

Brown and Providence

Here is the main gate at Brown. Another great looking school. The student body was on break, so we had three young men leading three tour groups. Usually, the majority of tour guides are young women.

Brown has no core, but each department has requirements for the earning a "concentration" in that department. You take four classes a quarter and most people take one pass/fail.

In the informational meeting more parents were taking notes than at any other school we had visited. This "type-a" mom was melting down her Blackberry with a couple of thumbs that could type a warp speed.

Here are the girls in downtown Providence. Grace and Maura waved us off a tour of RISD, as they have both been to art schools, and didn't want to go RISD's long tour. We hit the book store and then walked along the canal downtown.



This plaque is celebrating the burning of tea by the citizens of Providence in March 1775.

Pass the coffee.

BC is Beautiful, but BU make be the Real Deal...

Boston College was the most impressive college campus I have been on in my five years of college trips. All the buildings have a similar architecture and many of the buildings are quite new. Lots of beautiful architecture and a gorgeous campus. The "Eagle's View Information Session" was very well done. This school has lots of money.

The biggest disappointment of the BC experience is that I missed taking a picture of the woman with Big Hair. The back half of her hair was normal, but she had product in the front half and then she must have stood in front of a wind turbine. Huge loss that I missed this shot.



The Management building has a Wizard of Oz theme.














Several of the buildings at BC looked liked chapels. Here is one of their libraries. Apparently, BC has the largest group of Jesuits outside of the Vatican. This library looked like a great place to study.










Our tour of BU started in a commons room of a dorm. It reminded me of a lot of the buildings at Lewis and Clark. They must have been built about the same time. A woman from Admissions and a student, Holly or Mary...Early Education...talked about the school for an hour. This was at least thirty minutes more than I could take. Out comes the camera and let the games begin.


Boston University is in the Kendall Square part of Boston. Here Ericka Brownson (Breck '09) gives us a tour.













Between Nickerson Field and the Citco Sign is where most of BU sits. Lots of colleges to choose from. Good stuff.

Crew and sailing across on the Charles. This picture is from the BU beach.

Visit to Boston and Emerson College

Today we visited Emerson College in beautiful downtown Boston.

Here is the Information Session room. Notice the dad and son in purple/chino. We decided to dress like our daughters for the rest of the trip...so adolescent.



Here is one of their classroom. The students here are learning all the different aspects of learning how to produce television. This is typical of many of the classrooms at Emerson. They look state-of-the-art, like a professional setting.


Here is an attempt at an artsy shot between buildings.



Here is one of their showy theaters.



Here is my shot of the day. We are in an elevator with a mirror ceiling. I am shooting up. Man Purse in the corner.....Too fun...






Here is the whole crew waiting for an elevator.

Rolling....

This week Maura and I found 007 on Tuesday or Wednesday. The next day I saw a 008, and today (due to three trips to the hardware store) I have seen 009, 010, and 011. Amazing.

The First Owl - Minnesota Bird #16 for 2009

Moonie and I found this cute owl at Fort Snelling State Park today.