Spring Break 2012
When you think of spring break you are probably imagining something like the warm, sandy beaches of Florida. Well this year that was not the case for me. I went on a road trip to visit multiple colleges with my dad. Although it doesn’t sound like the ideal spring break, I had a blast exploring all of the new places. Throughout our trip we visited the University of Georgia, the University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University, and the University of Iowa.
But first, here is a little bit about me. I am very passionate about cars. I have grown up around them my entire life due to the fact that my dad is in the industry. Late last year I was given the incredible opportunity to become an intern here at RBM of Atlanta-North. I am currently working in the marketing department, which has been a great learning experience for me. A majority of my friends have jobs at Wendy’s or Publix but I think working at a Mercedes-Benz dealership is the coolest job someone my age could have!
Now back to the colleges… The first stop on our list was the University of Georgia in Athens. We took a short road trip in our new Mercedes-Benz ML350, which is quite comfortable. Overall, I really enjoyed UGA. The campus has many cool historical facts and a neat downtown area. There are plenty of restaurants to eat and cute places to shop. The warmer winters sound very appealing and come on… Who could turn down SEC football?
My dad and I then flew to Detroit and drove to Ann Arbor, Michigan. This was my first trip to Michigan and was very exciting. Once the tour of the campus started I immediately started to like the school. The buildings had a gothic look to them which was fascinating and the whole campus was so pretty.
My dad and I spent most of the week in Michigan so we got to do more than just visit the college. We spent an afternoon at the Henry Ford Museum, and we also visited the Ford Motor Company World Headquarters. Both of which were fascinating to me because I love cars.
Our next stop on the map was South Bend, Indiana. I have always heard the University of Notre Dame was a wonderful school, but when we first pulled into town I wasn’t very impressed. I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, but as soon as I saw the campus I quickly changed my mind!
The night before the actual tour my dad and I were able to get out and walk around a bit. The campus was beautiful! There is no other word to describe it. The lawns were perfectly manicured and the weather was great (which made it even better).
The tour the following day just reassured me that this college was wonderful and might be a good fit. Secondly, being raised Catholic makes this school even more appealing. There were only two flaws that I could come up with. There was not much of a downtown area and the winters are pretty cold.
After we left Notre Dame we drove to Chicago to visit Northwestern University. This campus was way different from any other campus I had visited previously. It is located twelve miles north of Chicago so it is a much more urban area. I really liked how there was a nice view of the lake and the campus was pretty. After the visit, I got the feeling that it wasn’t the one for me. All of the information about the school just did not grab my attention as much as the other schools I had visited. As a result, I ended up removing it from my list.
The last stop on our trip was Iowa City, Iowa. Both of my parents attended the University of Iowa so my family is very biased towards the school. It was actually the second time I had visited the campus. I just wanted to refresh my memory after all of the other colleges I had seen during the week. It is a really neat campus because the main building happens to be the old capital building, which is very pretty. I also like how the campus is in the downtown area. The school just has a very comfortable feel to it. Plus it is near the rest of my family which would be convenient.
I am so glad I had the opportunity to go on this trip with my dad. Overall, I think it was a very productive trip. I got to visit some great colleges I had never been to before and I was able to cross one off of my list. While most of these schools are pretty far away from home, I think I want to go back to the Midwest. I am looking forward to applying to all of these colleges in the fall!