of Michigan next year, where she will be in a program that allows her to take classes at both the Stamps School of Art and Design as well as in the College of Literature, Science and Arts. “I’m really interested in how art and my other studies intersect, and the program I’m in at Michigan allows me to [explore that],” Smith says. “I can take those intensive art classes and then go and talk about Faulkner and connect that to my work.” Smith credits the Bryn Mawr college process with helping her to figure out exactly what would make her happy in college, as well as some other important self-truths. “In the beginning they would say, ‘Essay writing can be fun!’ and I was like, ‘No, that’s not true!’” Smith says, laughing. “But through my writing I identified a lot of things about myself that I hadn’t really known before. It was a really valuable experience.”
SABRINA ILLIANO New York University Prospective Major: Politics, Sociology & Law Hear Sabrina’s story >
For some students, the college process was much simpler than they had first anticipated. When she first started her search, Sabrina Illiano ’15 had a pretty good idea what she was looking for – a school that was relatively large, in an urban environment and that had a lot going on. The summer after her junior year, Illiano visited New York University. “I already had known that I really, really liked it and that it was the top of my list, but that’s when NYU became an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 for me,” she says. After talking with her parents and Whalen, her college counselor, Illiano decided to apply early decision, which meant that if she got in it would be a binding commitment. In December, Illiano got the good news, and just like that, her college search was over. At NYU, Illiano will be in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she will work with an advisor to craft a major that encompasses all of her interests – politics, sociology and law. The culmination of the program will be her senior colloquium, a two-hour presentation to Gallatin faculty members. Illiano is also looking forward to being part of NYU’s Division III track and field program. “It was really not until senior year that I realized that I wanted to continue track in college,” Illiano says. “I realized how much time I had put into track, and how I didn’t regret any of that time at all – I loved it and I didn’t want it to end.” She contacted the coach at NYU to express her interest, and was excited to find that she could join the track team. “Now,” she says happily, “it doesn’t have to end.” In total, 11 members of the Class of 2015 will participate in athletics at their chosen schools. Among them is Quichey Johnson, who will be playing field hockey for Goucher College. An avid athlete, Johnson played field hockey, basketball and softball during all four of her years at Bryn Mawr. She also served as the president of Athletic Association her senior year, helping to keep brynmawrschool.org
May/June 2015
Mawrginalia
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