(no subject)

[sidewalksparkle]

I loved Earlham. Staying in the dorm was a little awkward--I really liked the person I stayed with, though. She was very nice and laughed a lot and didn't make me feel too young or inexperienced. We didn't eat dinner in the normal dining hall--we ate in this secluded meeting area called "the coffee shop." It had Subway, which was good, but I was really worried about how lonely it seemed. Then, a couple hours later, we walked past this big dining hall and I saw all the hustle and bustle and felt a lot better. I mean, it's a small school, but I didn't expect ISOLATION--I'm glad I ended up being wrong. We went to a convocation during which an amazing mentalist/hypnotist performed. I was truly stunned by his skills. It was obvious that the college was trying to make the prospies feel welcome, but it was apparent that it isn't unusual for interesting speakers, bands, and performers to come to the campus. For such a little school, there is so much to do. The people were very friendly and the atmosphere doesn't seem competitive or cutthroat. 75% of the students go on to graduate school. English is one of the school's strongest programs. The Art major requires a concentration in a certain area, but students take classes in multiple areas, including art history--the major concentrates a lot on contemporary craft (such as metalworking, beadworking, papermaking, and other areas I haven't explored) in addition to traditional fine arts. The buildings are big and brick, some old, some new.

I just don't know. It's going to come down to the money (ahem, and actually getting admitted to the schools), because my newfound love for Earlham cannot take away my love for Kenyon, nor does it detract from the practicality and literal largeness of opportunity at IU. (And I don't even mention Purdue and Northwestern and Carleton here, because they are respectively so close, expensive, and wintery--perfect for some people, but most likely not for me.)

The only thing left to say is that I bought a bright blue ballpoint pen that says "Earlham College," and as I took notes in government I looked down at the pen and smiled.

(I'm going to type up my student council minutes and make a posterboard window for our dumb play in French class. I am also going to watch about 15 minutes of the State of the Union and then watch more of the "West Wing" DVD.)

..


I'm still trying to figure out what I think about Kerry winning Iowa. I hope Clark does well in New Hampshire. He's not necessarily my favorite (I don't really find any candidate ideal, as far as Bush-beating capabilities aligning with my own personal political preferences) but I think it is important that he does well at this point.

Comments

[spiderwhite.livejournal.com]

i should pay more attention to these things because i am out of the loop when it comes to politics. :sigh: it always seems like all people do anywhere is argue about it, though.

where is earlham? i can't picture myself going to a big college (even though i will eventually) but that's probably just because i'm so used to the community college i've gone to since i graduated.

[sidewalksparkle.livejournal.com]

Earlham is in Richmond, Indiana, about 2 hours from where I live. It's very little and very cool. :)

The thought of going to a big school isn't at all miserable to me. IU is huge, and Kenyon and Earlham are small, and those three are my favorites overall. (RHYME!)

[axis-evil.livejournal.com]

state of the union....ha! i watched a minute of it, and kept picturing myself there and how if i actually was there, how i would stand up and start yelling obscenities at bush. a girl can dream, right?
I'm glad you like Earlham, i think the o'neils go there (last years' twins the o'neils). Not that that really makes a difference...

[sidewalksparkle.livejournal.com]

Yep, they do go there. I saw John O'Neil, I think....(well, I saw one of them, and he had messy hair, and I always remembered that Nate has Neat hair. Then again, a semester away at college could make anybody's hair messy, so it could have easily been Nate. It doesn't really matter because they have no idea who I am, I'm sure, even though both were in my Novels class last semester.) Cart was also on the visit, and he and I crossed paths a few times. He said he was hanging out with the O'Neils a lot because they are friends of his.