Thank You Abbey Road!

My experience with Abbey Road was fantastic. During the two weeks that I spent in Boston, I matured, made friends, and got a taste of college life. I feel more prepared for my future, both during and beyond college. Taking this trip with Abbey Road was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I will never regret it.

All of the people I met during this program were very friendly, especially the staff. Damon, one of our overseers, did a great job planning out our activities. Without him, the trip would not have been as much of a blast as it was. He always had a backup plan, so when the weather was not on our side, we still had something to do. Freddy and Danae were both very great counselors that we could talk to anytime about anything. They also made excellent teachers and really helped prepare us for college essay writing. Ellen, the supervisor, was always fun to have around, since she lightened the mood no matter how tired we all were. I will never forget these four people and I am very grateful that they did their best to make our trip fun, and succeeded.

Staying at the Emerson College dorms was amazing. The best dorms were picked out for us; they had great views and were very clean. We were told that it is very rare to get such great dorms, making us well aware of how lucky we were. I am happy we didn’t stay in the usual college dorm rooms that are small and very sad looking. Even though we spent little time our dorms, because of all the activities, I got used to them quickly and felt comfortable almost right away.

Something I doubt anybody could say about the trip was that it was boring. Boston is a great city filled with all sorts of places to see and things to do. I loved every activity we went to. The ghost, duck, and historic tours were all fun. I really enjoyed the freedom that we had. We were allowed to explore the city after our classes; we just had to be back in the dorms by midnight. I quickly learned how to navigate around the area we were in and explored as much as I could. When we weren’t walking around the city, we were doing activities that helped us students get to know each other and our counselors better. I really liked these activities because not only did they help me overcome my shyness, but I got to know the people I was with very well.  

I was extremely pleased by the results of the SAT prep classes. Judging by the practices SATs we took, my score improved by more than 300 points, getting me exactly where I want to be. Out teacher, Matt, was very friendly and always tried his best to make sure we understood everything. We were provided with two practice books that are very helpful and that I will definitely be using in the future.

Overall this trip was amazing and I could not be happier with the results. Thank you Abbey Road for this great summer experience!

"This'll be on my videotape." Radiohead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBAadDZgujk&feature=youtu.be

A short video of our duck tour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBP13_ADv-4&feature=youtu.be

A video of our ghost tour.

"The price is what?" The Rapture

I am very sad to be wrapping this all up now. After the Fourth of July, everybody seemed to be glum. We all have got used to each other and have fun doing things as a group. Yesterday we were wrapping up our essays for our college preparation class, and we continued to do so today. We went to a very nice seafood restaurant on the bay this evening. I had a crab cake dinner and am now very satiated. Later tonight a group of us will go to see Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer and another will go see the Katy Perry movie. I'm going to see Abe Lincoln with two counselors and two friends.. and I'm REALLY looking forward to it. 

I will miss Boston and this Abbey Road summer group. 

Not only did I have a great time, but I also learned a lot about the SATs and college admissions. 

Thank you Abbey Road!

"Now I let the others pass." The Black Keys

On Sunday, it was all work work work. We had a little free time, during which I went and bought shoes for a guy friend desperately in need of them. XD
Today, we had our SAT practice class and then got on the subway to go to MIT. The environment was too intimidating for somebody like myself, but some of the group liked it. Afterwards, we went to Harvard Square and walked around. When we got back, most of us dispersed into our rooms, settling down to do our homework and study for the third SAT we're doing tomorrow.

"You've got too much to wear on your sleeves." The Shins

The fourth of July was a very eventful day. We had our regular SAT course in the morning and then we were supposed to have a whole day planned to celebrate. Unfortunately, it began to rain really hard so we cancelled the visit to the park we were supposed to go to. We had about five hours of free time, but it was really great. I went to Build-a-Bear with some friends because one of their birthdays is the 10th, and we wanted to get her a present. We ended up getting her a white bear and naming it Oggi, after everybody's favorite student on this trip. (:
Then we just walked around the city... going to Starbucks and whatnot.
We went to dinner at this very cool restaurant called Fire and Ice, where we could choose what to put in our platters and watch our food be made right in front of us.
At the end of the day, we ended up going to the Boston Commons to watch the fireworks. Our hopes were up since the rain had stopped, but not too long after we arrived, it began to rain again.

We still all had a really great time. The only bad thing was that the sorrow of leaving finally hit me. I have been looking forward to returning home to see my mom again for a long time, but I have really gotten used to these people and will miss them quite a lot.

"Take a picture you could never recreate." Atlas Genius

Saturday was a very jam packed, exciting day. First we  had our college essay writing class and lunch, then right after, we went on a duck tour. The duck tour was a bus that drove around the town and then drove into the Charles River, turning into a boat. The driver was very nice, letting us have the opportunity to drive the boat if we wanted to. When we got back, we had an hour and a half to either go to the dorms and take a shower or to go out and eat. Then we all got on a trolley-fashioned bus and drove to Plymoth, which was about an hour away. We had a ghost tour, which was not as scary as I anticipated. By the time we got back, we were all very pooped. Nearly all of us went to sleep, but some had the endurance to stay up and watch a movie.

Risha (left) and Olivia(right)

Oggi

Marco

Tania and Aidan

Our lovely Kimmi

"I bet that you look good on the dance floor." Arctic Monkeys

The past two days have been quite eventful. Our group seems to be getting closer and closer as the days pass by. Yesterday we had loads of free time, so we all just walked around the beautiful city of Boston. Some of us shopped, I personally went to Starbucks with a friend. The environment here is very welcoming, I feel extremely safe walking around. We had so much free time yesterday because our lovely counselors took pity on us and let us relax after taking our second SAT test. We also started writing an essay in our college applications class, which made me very excited. I love to write so practicing for college application essays is enjoyable for me. Today in our college preparations class we  finished our essays-- I can't wait to get it back to see my score. After our classes, we went to dinner and then had more free time. Again, we just roamed around the city. There are so many interesting people here. We saw a group of break dancers, they extremely talented and I got carried away cheering for them. Everything here is so exciting. What makes it all better is that I know my SAT scores will improve and I'm working had, but I also get to have fun and make friends. This has been a wonderful experience so far and I know I will never regret signing up for this program. (:

"We'll all float on alright." Modest Mouse

So this is my third day with the Abbey Road College Prep Session. Wow. What an experience I've had so far. We've got fourteen kids total, nine girls and five boys. We are all from different parts of the world. Learning about everybody and what they expect to get from this program is quite fascinating. On the first night, we ate dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant, sitting at an extremely long table and having conversations with one another. Damon, Danae, and Freddy, our counselors, along with Ellen, the dean, are all absolutely amazing. I can see they are putting in their best efforts to help us get to know each other and feel very welcome. Our dorms are wonderful, we have an amazing view of Boston, making this experience so much greater. Boston itself is better than I imagined. I've been here before, but I never stayed long enough to appreciate this city's beauty. It is very relaxing to walk around, sightsee, and chat amongst the other students. On the second day, we started our classes. From 9 to 12, we have our SAT Prep course. Then we have a lunch break from 12 to 2. Our college admissions and essay preparation class starts at 2 and ends at 5. We then have something planned to explore Boston. The second day, we walked along the Freedom Trail and had a very funny tour guide that gave us a nice overview of the history of Boston. Today, we are planning to go to another restaurant and then-- shopping! I just know I'm going to love waking around outside and looking into shops here and there. I have high hopes for the remainder of this program. Everybody here is so nice and enthusiastic about everything. Although I'm sure there will be some bumps along the way, I know the stone will keep rolling and overall this trip will be fantastic.

"Boston, where no one knows my name." Augustana

“So you want to visit the north now, don’t you?” was my mother’s joking remark when I told her I wanted to attend one of Abbey Road’s College Prep sessions in Boston. Although my family loves to travel a lot, I was always a southern girl, feeling more comfortable and welcome in states like Texas and Louisiana. What made me change my mind is that I wanted to break my boundaries. I wanted a new experience that would help me not only with my social skills, but also with my education and my near future in college. In the past, I had been on a school trip to Turkey on account of my taking Turkish as a foreign language. Since I don’t plan on taking Turkish in college, that trip mainly helped me improve my interaction with people that were new to me. This trip is different. I won’t be surrounded by my friends and people that I’ve known for quite a while. I will be exposed to a completely different environment than the one I grew up in and will be forced to meet new people and get out of my comfort zone. When I return home from Abbey Road’s College Prep Session, I expect to be more confident in myself and my people skills as well as having a clearer image of what I want to do in the future.   

I love people. Even though I am a bit shy and can be slightly awkward, I try my best to make great first impressions. Getting to know people is the single most interesting thing I have done, besides discovering new music. Granted, meeting new people may also lead to discovering new music, making the entire experience a perfect package for a person like me. Looking at colleges is definitely something that I think will be exciting. I am always up for going to someplace new, unless it is a restaurant, which is mainly because of a handful of bad experiences related to trying out new restaurants. I am hoping that I will be introduced to new methods of studying. I have always thought that finding out how people study is very interesting. I am hoping that one day I will find the best way of studying for myself, and won’t have to worry about it anymore. I will also enjoy taking photographs for a purpose. I take pictures during every vacation I go on, but usually the pictures are taken just to show to my family later. Since it is a requirement to take pictures and post them on our blog, I will be trying my best to capture moments in this trip that mean a lot to me and that other people will enjoy looking at.

I am very grateful to have been accepted as a student ambassador for Abbey Road. I know I will have an amazing time during my trip to Boston and I know memories will be made that I will never forget.