Several juniors took a 2-day trip from Friday, February 8 to Saturday, February 9 to visit 6 top-tier colleges: Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, Georgetown University, George Washington University, and Johns Hopkins University.
According to guidance counselor and trip organizer Jeremy Wang, the trip took two months to plan and involved a lot of coordination with the colleges and alumni to determine an ideal time. He explained that for the spring semester trip, February was the optimal month to visit colleges, as both Townsend Harris and college students were just starting a new semester and typically experience lighter schedules around this time.
Throughout the weekend, students stayed at the Key Bridge Marriott hotel and visited three colleges each day, attending both an information session and tour, four of which were led by THHS alumni.
“We got to experience how college students eat, [walk] through the campus, and [have] free time before curfew,” said junior Leah Seo.
“My favorite part was definitely the overnight stay at the hotel. We were allowed to go out until 11 so my friends and I decided to go out to visit the Lincoln Memorial and see the Washington Monument at night,” commented junior Nancy Lin.
Following the trip, students reflected on the insight they gained into the college experience, admissions process, and criteria. “I realized how important the college essay and teacher recommendations were. I also learned to consider the importance of things such as campus life, financial aid, major/interest during my college decision making process,” said Nancy.
“It made me take a couple of schools off my list,” said junior Deborah Moline. “Being able to visit a college in person allows you to realize if you would actually like being there daily in the future, or if maybe you just don’t get the best vibe from it…. I decided that it was very important for me to go so that I could figure out what kind of environment and location I wanted and learn more of colleges’ expectations for me.”
Leah added, “It made me realize there are many good colleges outside of New York that I should consider.”
“When you read college brochures, they all sound alike, they all are great, they all have this, they all have that,” said Mr. Wang. “But when you step your foot on campus, you have a completely different feeling, especially when you travel from one school to the next, you see the difference clearly.”
Mr. Wang hopes to further Townsend’s involvement and communication with these schools through upcoming college trips.
