Don’t Wear Doc Martens on College Visits
As a junior in high school, an important part of the college search is touring schools you like. Given the whole pandemic and all, I haven’t really had the opportunity to do so, since the schools I really like (*cough* NYU *cough* BU *cough*) aren’t offering in-person guided visits. I’ve done a ton of virtual info sessions and tours, but those aren’t really the same.
But, lucky for me, I don’t live too far outside DC and was able to do 2 college tours over my spring break, which was honestly more like spring weekend since I had 2 days off :(.
I seriously need to stop going off on tangents when I do this. Back to the actual post.
On the Saturday before Easter, my dad and I made the drive to DC for a scheduled tour of American University and to do a self-guided tour of George Washington U. I ultimately want to become some sort of political journalist (White House Correspondent would be AMAZING), so touring journalism schools in the heart of the political industry seems perfect.
My dad and I drove down and arrived around noon, 3 hours before the AU scheduled tour. We parked right by the main part of GW’s campus, and it definitely has that urban feel since it’s right in the middle of everything. Since my top schools are NYU and BU which are the same sort of thing, I really liked the location. Of course I won’t be certain about the order of my college list until I tour the rest of my current list, but I really liked the parts of GW I was able to see.
After walking around GW to feel the vibes, my dad and I made a 20ish minute drive to the other side of the city to check out AU.
Although I’m more of a city girl, I really enjoyed the AU campus. It was tucked away in the quieter part of the city, and my tour guide really emphasized how safety was the most important part of AU. With alarms that could alert authorities and officers around campus ensuring everyone’s safety, I felt comfortable the whole time. Not literally, though. I made the mistake of wearing Doc Marten boots…the blisters are healing, I promise.
Not to mention the BEAUTY of the campus. I was there right during cherry blossom season, so the entire campus was bathed in the beautiful shades of pink.
The buildings are beautiful too- the College of Communication, where I’ll be studying if I get accepted and attend- looks like something out of the Greco-Roman era. Maybe not that old, but the architecture is
definitely European-inspired.
Overall, I could really see myself studying in DC. Although I’m mostly set on NYU and NYC, I will forever have a soft spot in my heart for our nation’s capital; and I’ll make a mental note to myself to maybe wear a pair of walking shoes on my next college visit.
