I toured my first college yesterday. It was a lot of fun. My dad and I left the house at 11:45 and drove up to New Hampshire to visit SNHU. I don't really know what I was expecting from the school; I didn't even know it had a culinary program until recently. But it does and apparently it is quite good.
We went through the basic tour with everyone else that was considering this school. Our tour guide was Brad and he showed us the basic things like dorm rooms and the athletics hall. Basically all the places that he would hang out day to day. It was fun and it really told me how small and individualized the school's approach is, and also how open the environment is with all the students. The classes there wouldn't be much bigger than they are in high school, about 20 people, and the campus itself is small, so it's a guarantee that you could easily find your way around after a month. I'm still not entirely sure what I would like in a college, that's why I'm just trying different places seeing what it is a good fit.
Well after that generalized tour, my dad and I got some food at the cafeteria and met up with my friend who attends the school. She is majoring in math, but her roommate is a baking and pastry major, so she actually knew quite a lot about the program. She took us to the Hospitality Center, which is where all the classes would be held. That's also where their restaurant The Quill is. What's special about this place is how their students get to work dinners and lunches in The Quill (and they get to keep the tips). It's a nice way to tell people what they are in for in working for a restaurant. I believe it's only the more advanced students that do the cooking, and the others are waiters and waitresses. We walked into the restaurant area and I met the man in charge, Chris. He was very welcoming, even letting me into the kitchen, where people were cleaning up and eating leftovers. My dad and I basically got fed dinner, and my goodness, was it delicious! Some things were a bit heavily salted for my taste, but there were so many flavors in everything that it was unbelievable. I really wished that we hadn't gotten that food in the caf so I could have finished my plate. So at least I know that I would be learning how to make really good food. Chris gave us a very individualized tour which really helped answer my questions. He was extremely informative, even asking some passing by students to back up what he was saying. And yet he wasn't pushy, saying that this was the school for me. He recommended that I try other schools to really see what is the right fit for me. After my visit, I feel more comfortable with this school and it is definitely more present in my thoughts of places I would like to go.
Still, I can't completely picture myself going there. The whole time I was walking the streets, I was trying to visualize what it would be like if it were me attending this school and walking through the hallways as if I knew exactly where I was going, but for some reason it didn't fit quite right.That could just be my nerves, so I'm going to disregard it for now. My dad told me today that we will be touring Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island on Friday, so that should be fun. I hope we get fed there too. The key is to do the generalized tour and listen to what they have to say, but afterwards, just wander around and see if you can find some students and ask them what it's like and why they chose the school they're in. You'll get a lot more information and added confidence in your final choice. Wow, I really sound like an informational pamphlet right now. I thought it would help to write my thoughts on this school before they were clouded by my impressions of other schools. It can get jumbled up in my head. So I figure this will be a great way to keep it all neat and straight, and also to share my excitement with my friends!
'Til next time!
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