More from my own "I Love the 90s"...

1994

1994. The year of college applications. The process of looking at schools, visiting them, applying to them and interviewing for them seemed like it completely consumed me for the entire year. And that includes taking the SAT and doing all the prep work for it including Saturday sessions of The Princeton Review. The first college that I visited actually took place in late 1993 - SUNY Binghamton. The rest of my visits took place in the summer of '94 and they included Princeton, Brown, Amherst, Vassar, Haverford, UPenn, Cornell and Wesleyan. I wound up applying to all of the above except for Haverford and UPenn. Princeton was my first choice and I applied Early Action but was deferred into the regular pool of applicants. Of the other choices, I was most impressed with Vassar. Elsewhere in 1994, I rejoined the legitimate student government by winning an election for Vice President. This was also the year I felt the most comfortable in my social skin, spending time with a great group of friends including Joslyn, Lisa, Dan K, Dan H, Adam, Lauren, Jessica, Melissa and others establishing ourselves as the "second floor" crowd. And I should also mention visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. right when it first opened.

1995

What a year this was. The end of high school. The summer transition. The start of college. The year started with some sad news as my Grandma Rose passed away, my last remaining grandparent. Then with college applications in the mail, I was able to relax and participate in Sing! (an original musical production). I helped write the script and had several roles in the show including Elvis! Then I was casted in another musical, "The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd." In the spring I was disappointed to get a rejection letter from Princeton but happy to get an acceptance letter from Vassar. It was clear that I much preferred Vassar to the rest of the schools that accepted me so (once the financial aid details were worked out) I made the decision to move to Poughkeepsie! The rest of senior year included a weekend trip to Quebec City, a prom on the Spirit of NY cruise ship, and a graduation at Madison Square Garden where I again got to speak! The summer was spent working for Anthony Weiner again and preparing for the big move. Many weekends were spent with the parents at stores like Bed Bath & Beyond and Linens and Things. Then in late August it was off to Vassar! I was glad to have Jess with me from H.S. to help smooth the transition. Once there I quickly made friends with my own hallmates in Noyes House and with Jess's hallmates in Davison House. In October, Hillary Clinton came to campus to speak at freshman parents weekend. I also had one roommate, Otis, drop out after only six weeks and another roommate, Jon, replace him. Oh, and Jon brought his loud bird with him. It was an exciting semester!

Stay tuned tomorrow for 1996 and 1997 - juicy Vassar gossip!