Boston Tour Blog, Part 4 and End

Beautiful Boston College

Our last day of the tour started with a soggy walk around Boston University.  Our tour guide told us about the benefits of a truly urban campus, showed off the university's various colleges, and explained how a large urban institution can feel like a tight-knit community.  No one seemed daunted by the off-and-on rainstorm (someone said Boston was crying over our impending departure), and aside from the lack of seating in the crowded student dining hall, I think BU was a highlight for many.

The afternoon took us to the much more traditional-feeling campus of Boston College. Think gothic architecture, beautifully manicured quads and lawns, and an obvious Catholic presence.  We learned about BC's Jesuit legacy and how that shapes student life.  BC is a place where academics are important, but where students also focus on giving back and being part of something larger than their campus community. Our tour guide was a fellow St. Louisan, but only allowed me to distract her for a few minutes to talk about Cardinals baseball.  Probably better for everyone that conversation was cut short.  Tour director Erik wouldn't let us leave without paying homage to the similarly diminutive Doug Flutie, whose statue stands proudly outside the football stadium.  We boarded the bus one last time, and that was it for our Boston tour - off to the airport after some nice farewells with Frank the Driver and Erik the Tour Director.  Four days, eight colleges, lots of eating, some bus-ride bonding, and a lot of badly imitated Boston accents - all told, it was an action packed fall break.

Boston Tour Blog, Part 3

The view from Amherst College

After a scenic bus ride west, we started our day at Amherst College. We learned about the open curriculum, the 5 school consortium (Amherst + UMass, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Hampshire), and the student-centered nature of the liberal arts at Amherst. Our tour guide told us about the importance of residential life and on-campus clubs and explained how such a diverse group of individuals comes together as a community.

We then ate an amazing lunch at UMass-Amherst. The dining hall offered hand-rolled sushi, among other more traditional staples. Oh, and hibiscus water. That's a thing. Who knew? Anyway, we feasted. Then we walked around campus - a much bigger campus than Amherst College and than most we had seen previously. We saw a dorm room, the library, the gym, the student center, and we browsed the bookstore. We then spent 2 hours hanging out in the college town that is Amherst, MA. We did some more feasting - favorite local burrito and pizza places for most of the group (I told you food was a theme on this trip, taking a back-seat only to the college tours on level of importance). A long bus ride back to Waltham ended our penultimate day on tour. Tonight we'll pack. Tomorrow we'll see Boston University and Boston College. Then we'll fly home. It's been a whirlwind fall break.

Boston Tour Blog, Part 2

Today we learned about the Salem Witch Trials, ate delicious seafood, basically drove into a parade (and the grid-locked traffic jam surrounding it), and checked out a massive street festival in Harvard Square.  That was all before we visited our first campus of the day.  

The day started in Salem at the Witch Dungeon Museum.  It's probably an understatement to say that Salem gets geared up for Halloween.  Children and adults alike were dressed in costumes, a guy in a demented clown mask played saxophone on the street corner, and the locals were surely counting the days 'til next Friday's Zombie Prom.  That's a real thing.  After some educational programming about the Salem Witch Trials, we ate lunch in Salem then boarded the bus for what was supposed to be an easy trip to Northeastern University. 

Hanging out in Harvard Yard

As it turned out, a Columbus Day Parade (we assume) made it nearly impossible to get into downtown. Frank, our expert driver, navigated us through closed roads and less-than-accommodating tourists in SUVs.  Erik, our tour director, called a quick audible and we skipped Northeastern to head to Cambridge. We would re-visit campus later.  

After some pretty serious bus-ride napping, we arrived in Cambridge with an hour to kill and were provided with the perfect outlet. A massive festival was happening in Harvard Square, including live music, more people in costumes, and lots of street vendors.  We browsed the Harvard Coop (their bookstore), ate ice cream, and people-watched.  

We then toured Harvard.  We first saw Harvard Yard, which was full of activity.  Josh, our North Carolinian tour guide told us all about the various traditions around housing and dining and pointed out where a number of famous alumni and ex-presidents lived and sometimes high-kicked dressed in drag (see: JFK and the Hasty Pudding Peformers).  Josh also taught us how to Primal Scream like Harvard students (fully clothed, however, unlike actual Harvard students).  

After dinner we drove back into the city to see if we could have better luck visiting Northeastern. Lovett alumna and NU Huskies basketball player Te'Erica Eason recruited a sophomore teammate, and the two of them led us around campus.  We learned about the co-op and internship opportunities Northeastern is known for, saw the only Taco Bell in Boston (so they say), and walked a beautiful city-campus that really didn't feel very urban at all, considering its proximity to the Boston city center.  Now it's time for bed.  Tomorrow's an early start; we're headed on a little road trip west to Amherst.  

Boston Tour Blog, Part 1

We all made it to Boston last night: 11 HIES students, 8 Lovett students, and 2 college counselors from each school.  It only took 8 hours from original departure time to hotel check in.  Spirits were surprisingly high during the 4 hour flight delay (must've been the anticipation of lobster rolls and cannolis).  And the energy was surprisingly good this morning, given the 1 AM lights-out call last night.

Our action-packed first day included a tour of Brandeis, co-led by HIES alumna Amber Abernathy and Lovett alumna Carlyle Vincent.  We learned all about Brandeis' emphasis on social justice, its wonderful study abroad programs, and its unique sophomore housing option - a castle.

Following lunch (food is playing a critical role on this tour), we visited the beautiful campus of Tufts University where we learned about PT Barnum's role in the school's history and its subsequent link to Jumbo the Elephant, hence their mascot.  Go Jumbos.  That history was eloquently shared by Tufts history professor Reed Ueda.

We ended the day with a walking/driving tour of Boston and a meal, followed by some shopping, on Newberry Street.  That's a productive day.  And this chaperone is exhausted.

Along with this tour blog, you can follow our progress on the HIES college counseling Twitter and Instagram accounts: @hiescollege; instagram.com/hiescollegecounseling.  Hope you enjoy following our tour online as much as we enjoy it in person.