College Already?

Not yet.  Three more years to go.  However, Princess got a wonderful introduction into the culture that is college over the last 2 weeks.  She was part of the Leadership Institute at James Madison University (my alma mater).  She was busy from sun up to sun down each day and wanted nothing more than to sleep after arriving home.  The girls weren't allowed to call home the first couple of days and when she finally called, she could only talk for a few minutes.  However, she filled us in on all the details on the 2 hour drive back home.

Here is what our girl looked like the day we dropped her off.

On her very first call home she made mention of how good the food was as they ate at the college's main dining facility.  Nothing has changed about that since the mid 90's when I was there.  JMU continues to be ranked in the top10 for the best University food.  It is really good.  True to form, Princess ate the same breakfast every morning.  She knows what she likes and tends to stick with it. 

Eggs, Ham, Tater Tots, Yogurt

soft serve chocolate ice cream

Hot Dog, Mac n Cheese, Greens

My potato loving girl

my girl is not a dessert fan but she said every other girl raved over this cheesecake

The first morning back from this experience Princess commented "Oh now I have to make my own breakfast!"  Yes ma'am the ready made buffet is no longer open. 

One of the many highlights of her stay included working out at JMU's new University Recreation Center (U-REC).  Princess likes to work-out and got her chance everyday.  They didn't get to use the pool but she enjoyed the indoor track, Zumba classes, and Yoga.  If I could go to a work out facility as nice as this I would workout everyday too (uh...maybe).

 

 Indoor track

 Racquetball courts

 This facility was actually off limits but she wanted a shot of it.

 

She was not a fan of the rockwall.

Every morning the girls attended Math, History, and Creative Writing classes.  Her class assignments included business planning for a new business, mock interviews, and resume writing.  Projects included oral reports with powerpoint presentations with video inserts (great for public speaking). Math was mainly review but there were Geometry concepts introduced that Princess wasn't too familiar with.  We will be doing Geometry next year. 

The weekend between the 2 week stay the girls enjoyed a trip to Washington DC/Baltimore.  This trip included a visit to the MLK memorial, the Black Wax Museum, and a theatre trip to see the stage play Greece.  My family's favorite movie is Greece so although the play was entertaining, Princess says it falls short of the movie.  The trip ended with a visit to Six Flags America. Princess forgot her camera when she left for the trip so I have no pictures of the excursion.

Other activities during the two weeks included a cultural dinner at a local Ethiopian restaurant.  Princess couldn't understand why everyone else didn't like it because she enjoyed the food.

They volunteered at a childrens' center and a elderly care facility and of course there was plenty of time for goofying around with new friends.

 

 This program was absolutely phenomenal.  For all the activities the girls were involved in, it was a great value. It is my goal to have Princess do something like this every summer to widen her perspective and experiences. I am very pleased with this first experience.  There is a male institute as well on campus.  Both programs are a minority student initiative so if you have a student who is part of a minority population check out the Female Institute at JMU.

JMU has doubled in size since I was there.  They were building the new engineering school when I left.  There is a complete second campus there - new buildings, new outdoor recreational facilities, new dining halls.  It is absolutely phenomenal.  I have to go back just to tour this new side of the campus.  I fell in love with my alma mater all over again.  You better believe JMU will be on our list of schools to apply to in 2 years. 

Bust of James Madison