A visit to the west | Teen Ink

A visit to the west

May 31, 2023
By ohyolk BRONZE, San Gabriel, California
ohyolk BRONZE, San Gabriel, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

This is my first time being in Boston and Providence, and things were a lot different than what I imagined. I was hit with a wave of cultural differences between the west and east coast and one of them was on eating habits. I noticed people ate a lot at Dunkin Donuts, compared to the few that do in Los Angeles. Secondly, the downtown was a lot more developed and there weren't many homeless people wandering on the streets. Then as I ventured onto the campus, I saw many gorgeous baroque English style buildings, giving me a sense of our great American history. Excited to get my student ID, I walked quickly towards the Sayles hall. But, I was shocked to see many unpleasantly long lines, shaped like centipedes, waiting for me in the hot and humid air of Province summer. It took me nearly 2 hours to get through the first line. I was exhausted, but when I was notified that there was another line for ID pickups, I saw my life flashing between my eyes. It was quite a journey to get my ID and room keys but I managed to push through. I felt all the time I've spent during lines was worth it when I got a singles room while my friends got another roommate. When I first visited Barus & Holley, the Brown Pre-College program building, I was amazed by the environment of the classroom, not because of how it looked, but its atmosphere. When I stepped inside, I got a feeling that I never felt in highschool, the intense stress had pressed against my chest. I picked a spot where no one was nearby and sat down. The professor soon walked in and did a self introduction then headed right into the course, Set Theory. When I first signed up for the course, I thought  it would be easy since the course doesn’t require you to have any prior knowledge, but I was wrong. The course was the foundation of math, it had no numbers, you had to deal with sets, power sets, unions, and axioms. I had no idea what he was talking about on the first day, so I gathered some of my classmates and formed a group chat. But that is when I realized the course blew everyone's mind in class. As the course moved on, even though I was able to catch up to the pace and fit in the study groups, the course and the homework was gradually increasing in difficulty. I decided to email my professor about the homework, and they (prefered pronoun) managed to reply back instantly. Speaking of which, the campus is filled with bright students and staff with an uplifting vibe. This creates a less competitive environment than highschools. I’ve also observed that not only are genders diversified among people, the LGBTQ+ community was also respected as they hosted events throughout campus, which was heartwarming. Some might ask, is the campus safe? Is it convenient to get food? Or is there a time to check in at your dorm? My answer is yes to all three questions. Although the campus isn't closed like how highschools are, there are emergency poles located everywhere on the properties of the college. All you need to do is press the button and a police officer will head your way. Your safety is also improved by checking in with your room assistants before 10:15p.m. latest, and if you don’t show up by that time, they will report this case and people will look for you. The cafeteria, The Raddy, is located right next to the dorms, around 100 meters. If you don't like the food, walk down a block or two and you will reach a street full of restaurants. Nevertheless, as my summer course was reaching the end, I really got to connect with my professor by playing chess with him, and we became friends till this day. Looking back on this after going through multiple trains and car rides to get back home, this trip has taught me valuable life lessons on how to interact with people, how to live by myself, and a taste of real-world society.                                                                                                                            


The author's comments:

Just an experience I wanted to write since its my first time being in a college summer program as a highschooler. 


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