Forms V and VI Explore Colleges During "Uniquely Browning" Trip

The Browning boys in Forms V and VI boarded a coach bus at 7:30 a.m. on September 14 to embark on the School's College Trip. Led by college guidance counselor Sanford Pelz '71, who was accompanied by Head of Upper School James Reynolds and Dean of Faculty Michael Ingrisani, the three-day trip visited eight campuses in beautiful weather. Mr. Reynolds provides the following report:

The first day featured visits to Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., where the boys saw Del Schunk '16, and Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. At both schools, the boys heard presentations from admission representatives, had guided tours and ate a meal in the dining hall. For the two nights of the trip, the travelers stayed at the Hampton Inn in Rutland, Vt., a central location for the three days of college exploration.

On day two, after weathering the shock of the 43-degree morning temperatures that greeted the boys in Rutland, they headed for Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., where they were thrilled to see and to be warmly greeted by Arthur Mensah '15. From Dartmouth, the group slipped back across the border into Vermont and rode to Burlington for lunch and a tour of the University of Vermont. After the completion of the UVM visit, the boys walked a few blocks to Champlain College for a tour of this small and beautifully situated school. We ended the day by having dinner at Middlebury College before heading back to the hotel.

The group began the final day of our tour with an information session and tour of Bennington College. If any of the students had a preconceived notion of what Bennington is as a school, they were quickly dispelled as they walked the beautiful campus under the leadership of tour guides who truly loved their college. From Bennington, we dropped into Massachusetts and onto the campus of Williams College. The boys ate lunch before attending an information session and tour of that "little-Ivy" school. From Williams we headed back to New York City and arrived in the early evening. 

The boys were terrific ambassadors of Browning and handled themselves admirably on all of the campuses. Their enthusiasm for the trip and their appreciation of the work Mr. Pelz contributes to their college process was palpable. The College Trip is alive and well, and it is an invaluable piece of Browning's unique college guidance program.