Along with hundreds of other families from across the country we are on the first of the 'Great College Tours".
As the title suggests we are visiting five of the 60+ colleges in the Boston metro area. All but one the schools we are seeing begin with the letter "B".
The view out our window is of Copley Square, just past the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The building with the red tile roof is the Boston Public Library or the BPL. You can see the white tent top of the race organizers. I think it's the medical tent. We walk past it all every day we visit a college in the city to get to the "T" stop.
Tuesday marked the first anniversary of bombing at the end of last years race. The vibe in the city was a combination of remembrance, mourning and defiance. It was heart breaking to see the little girl who lost her young brother placing one of the wreaths at the sight of the bombing. Watching her standing there wiping her years away and then walking away on her own prosthetic leg was so sad.
We also could hear, very clearly, the explosion as the bomb squad detonated the back pack that had been left near the finish line, a scary reminder and a terrible reminder of how easily terror can grip your life.
Moving on to the purpose of our visit. Having lived on, worked on and being married to a college professor and dean for the past 36 years you'd think we wouldn't need to do this, that we would know all there is about the process of choosing, applying, and selecting a college, au contrar!
Out first school was Brandeis. This is the castle on campus. It is currently a dorm. They had a great presentation, an informative tour but I came away thinking the fit wasn't right for Alexa. It ranks at 3 out of the 4 we've seen so far.
Weather was a bit of a downer on Tursday as we visited Boston University. We took the T and struggled with wicked wind and rain.
We took the tour then had to wait over two hours for our Dean's tour at the School of Management. Here is one if the school cafeterias, Mariano, and it was really good.
We had some communication issues, "Norman, answer your phone!" We eventually ended up at the Dean's tour and we even met the Dean and a spare!
The building was gorgeous. This is a sculpture in the lobby. Here are a few photos of the building.
We were very impressed. Right now BU is either 1 or 2 on the list. That's it for our first two days more tomorrow and, Saturday my feet hurt!
