The Countryside and Clean Teeth

Instead of the usual routine, our Friday off allowed us to sleep in and head to breakfast around 9 o'clock. I met Asher, my R.A. on the way up to the community center and we were able to chat for a bit. He is taking linear algebra during the day to fill his requirements for his engineering degree. Two years ago he took a summer program at Cornell, which convinced him that this was the school for him. He applied early decision and was accepted. 

Colgate University

Since everyone else except for Freedom and Justice, very few people occupied the Robert Purcell dining hall; for once I did not have to wait in line to receive my chocolate milk and hash browns. We took our time with breakfast and soon left for Colgate with Mr. Chan-Law.

The car ride on the way to Colgate was amazing. Not only was it refreshing to go off campus and ride in a private vehicle once more, but also the rural scenery was beautiful. We drove through farmlands, spotting over a hundred cows on the way; on the way back we even saw an Amish person in a horse and buggy. After about an hour and a half we arrived in Hamilton, New York.

After a drive up a steep hill (similar to arriving to Cornell), we entered the admissions building and we greeted by Susannah, a rising junior at the school. We explored the campus: the Olin science building, Curtiss Dining Hall, and were even admitted into a dorm room in East Hall. In the science building there was a fossil museum that held a real dinosaur egg. Funny story: some undergraduates (Colgate hosted fewer than ten graduate students this past school year) tried and succeeded in stealing the dinosaur egg from the museum, only to return the egg the next day with a sign saying "you need better security!"  Though I really like Robert Purcell dining hall, the Curtiss dining hall allows unlimited swipes throughout the day (at RPCC you swipe by the meal) and has six flavors of ice cream!

Looking over the lake at a fraternity house

Similar to Cornell, Colgate is located right next to a small town. Before visiting the school, we had lunch at a small eatery, where we all got hot sandwiches. Eric's family used to live in Hamilton, only blocks away from the university. The town is smaller than Ithaca; the downtown consists of a couple of bars and restaurants, and a movie theater. 

The campus tour focused mostly on campus life at Colgate. Students can declare their major in the middle of sophomore year, but many end up changing their major. A variety of majors are offered at the school, many involved in the sciences. This campus tour did not focus as much on academic life as the Ivy League tours, but still remained very informational nonetheless. 

After we got back to school we joined Mr. Chan-Law for pool before leaving to for dinner. We had to be quick to catch our movie, The Amazing Spiderman, but ended up arriving with plenty of time to spare. It was fun spending the night with the Hotelies, who had to pull an all-nighter the night before, just like old times. We spent the rest of the evening in the Donlon lounge before calling it a night. Tomorrow we will visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, something that I am really looking forward to!

And finally, if you were wondering: yes, the university is named after the same Colgate family as the one's who created the toothpaste brand.