I'm happy to announce that I've successfully made it through
my first full day at Cornell University! Although classes have yet to commence,
the day was still full of plenty exciting events and happenings. I woke up at
8:10 AM with the intent of meeting with the rest of my cohort and Mr. Chan-Law
for breakfast. However, due to a few complications, we decided to abandon our
initial breakfast plans. Instead, we agreed to eat our meal at the dining hall
at a later hour.
Determined to make use of our morning, Rochelle and I
decided to return to the foyer of Risley Hall's in order to receive our class
schedules and Summer College memorabilia, thus officially completing our
check-in process. Once we had been provided with all of our materials, Rochelle
and I parted ways, promising each other that we would meet up again.
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| Robert Purcell Community Center |
Whilst waiting for breakfast to begin, Mr. Chan-Law arrived
with the course manuals for the Hotel Operations course. After delivering
Rochelle and Michelle their copies, I spent the rest of my time skimming
through the manual's 317 pages, taking note of the various hotels and
franchises cited within the text.
By 10:30 AM, the other girls and I reconvened in front of
Risley Hall and together we made our way towards Robert Purcell Community
Center, our residential dining hall. Summer College provides its students with
a generous meal plan that allows students three all-you-can-eat meals a day.
Students are offered a wide selection of assorted foods, desserts, and drinks.
During breakfast, I ate waffles and potatoes as the girls and I discussed our
expectations for the upcoming weeks.
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| Bailey Hall |
At 2:00 PM, all Summer College students and their guardians
were required to attend a one hour orientation meeting, held within Bailey
Hall. The orientation opened with a welcoming statement from Summer College's Program
Director, Jim Schechter. After relaying the demographics of the current Summer
College populace as well as giving an overview of the program, Director
Schechter was then followed by several other speakers, including Nick
Salvatore, an esteemed faculty member who is revered by all due to his vast
wisdom, seniority, and impeccable wit, and Janna Bugliosi, the Associate
Director of Summer College.
The main orientation was immediately subsequent by a faculty
convocation, course orientation held between professors and their students. The
faculty convocation was held within Statler Hall, and it was here that I was
finally able to meet with my two instructors Professor Reneta McCarthy and
Professor Mark McCarthy. During the convocation, the professors explained how
class was going to be run; we have two three hour sessions every weekday from
8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and then from 12:30 A
At 7:30 PM, Summer College hosted an ice cream social where
a large portion of the Summer College students met together for an evening of
music and mingling. During the social, I was able
a wide array of people from various areas around the world,
such as China, Japan, Canada, and India. I was shocked to learn how
multicultural Summer College really was, with over forty countries being
represented in our student body. I'm very happy with our diverse population, as
I've already been able to learn a lot about foreign educational systems. For
example, I learned that in some parts of Hong Kong, children spend three years
in kindergarten, as opposed to the one year children spend in America. I hope
to learn more about my fellow schoolmates and the countries, so that I may become
more aware of the world around me.
The last event of the day was a mandatory residence hall
meeting, wherein our RCAs explained the rules of Summer College along with the
various services and trips being provided by Cornell University.
Today was a very tiring, yet satisfying day. I was able to
get acquainted with a large variety of people, as well as get to learn a lot
more about my course. I hope to get to meet even more people during the next
few weeks.
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