"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.