Visiting Dominican University

On September 27, 2014, I woke up at 6 o'clock in the morning to travel up north to San Rafael - twenty minutes away from San Francisco. As my mom and I drove pass the Golden Gate Bridge, I was at awe as to how tall and big the bridge was. Don't get me wrong, I've seen the Golden Gate before, however, it still leaves me speechless whenever I see it again. After an hour and twenty minutes, we finally arrived at Dominican University.

Dominican University is a private college residing in San Rafael, California, surrounded by nature and a beach 10 minutes away. Built in 1890, Dominican University is a very old school with Victorian-looking buildings. In addition, the school has many sponsors and donators making it a very rich school that provides a lot of scholarships, grants, and financial aid.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Dominican Student Ambassadors, dressed in black, whom led us to Angelican Hall. Angelican Hall is like our school's theater, but with two stories and better facilities. I told them my name at the Registration Desk and they handed me a name tag, a folder filled with informational papers, meal tickets, and a college shirt. As I observed the building's hall, my eyes immediately stopped at the table stacked with croissants, coffee, water, and scones. Having left home at six, I didn't have the time to make breakfast. My body gravitated towards the table and I ate two croissants and drank some coffee.

After filling my stomach with delicious food, my mom and I sat in the theater-like room and waited for people to arrive. Once the majority of the families arrived, there was an opening introduction by important figures such as the Assistant Director of Admissions, Joshua McCoy. This was the schedule of the tour followed by the name of the buildings where sessions were located:

8:30-9:00  Registration - Angelico Concert Hall
9:00-9:30 Penguin Preview (introductions) - Angelico Concert Hall
9:40-10:40 Campus Tour with Student Ambassadors
10:50-11:20 Information Session I (exploring your major session, in my case, I went to the Nursing, Guzman Lecture Hall)
11:30-12:00 Information Session II (Pre-Occupational Therapy, Albertus Magnus 105)
12:10-1:00 First Year Students - Penguin Life, Guzman Lecture Hall (Get all your student life questions answered first hand by current Dominican students.)
Parents - Financial Aid, Angelico Concert Hall (Learn more about how a private school education is affordable through this presentation about the financial aid process, including scholarships, grants, and loans that are available to your student.)
1:00-2:00 Lunch - Be our guest for lunch at Caleruega Dining Hall

Observing each building during the tour, I felt like I was in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since I was surrounded by nature and the buildings were old, but not run down. Previously a Catholic school, I saw angels mended into the upper corners of the wall of Guzman Hall. The lecture hall had wooden carved Renaissance looking plaques hung around the wall, a statue of a priest in the middle of the room like in church, and two chandeliers that looked like it came from the dining hall of Hogwarts.

Even though the lecture halls looked like it belonged in a different time, Dominican's gym, exercise, sports, library, health and sciences facilities are brand new. Also, at the time of my visit, they were constructing a new 3-story facility, specifically for the nursing program, which is set for completion in 2015.

The food was my favorite part about the entire tour. Not only was the food delicious, but also it was free. I am not a picky eater so I tried almost everything they offered. Though I do not remember the names of the food, I know I ate some gluten-free macaroni and cheese, yellow Indian rice, these mushrooms that looked like sliced beef, and garlic French fries. The cafeteria itself was bright, comfortable, and clean. Due to being a lit up room with tall glass windows, it is definitely a great place to start your day and become more motivated.

Overall, I enjoyed my first visit at Dominican University and I would definitely visit more colleges in the future. I love how I am surrounded by nature which makes it a very calm and relaxing environment. The campus of Dominican was like a small city - a community. The location of the University was far from home, but not too far so that I can go back home when I wanted to if I do decide to attend the university. The class sizes range from 16-25 students so everyone knows each other and students have a one-to-one connection with their teachers. I look forward to applying to this school.