Flight Dates, Numbers, and Alumni

There seems to be a new link on the Salzburg Seminar website, either that or I didn't see it the last times I visited. Check out a description of the International Studies Program for Undergraduate Students. They offer lots of information, including what CUNY schools have been going to the seminar: BMCC, Bronx Community College, Hostos Community College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Kingsborough Community College, LaGuardia Community College, and Queensborough Community College.

I also found out that initially around 70 people applied for the seminar at BMCC out of which 30 were chosen to interview. Then, over 2 and a half days of interviewing, the 15 finalists were picked. It's surprising to me that not more than 70 apply, but perhaps that has to do with the fact that it is only the third year that BMCC is going. Dean Craig went with a group of students in 2005 for the first time. In 2006, Vice President Haynes chaperoned the group, and this year Mr. Mars is going.

We had our last workshop on Friday, and we have one more next week when we will get our T-shirts, laptops, etc., and then it's off to Austria! We also received our flight dates: on April 1, Sunday, we will be leaving JFK on Lufthansa, flight 405, at 9:10 PM. We'll have to be at the airport two hours early, since it's an international flight. We connect to a flight on Austrian Airlines (264) in Frankfurt, Germany (not long enough to meet up with my friends) and finally arrive in Salzburg at 1:40 PM. We leave Austria on Monday, April 9, at 2:25 PM on Austrian Airlines, flight number 265. We connect to Lufthansa in Frankfurt on flight number 404 to arrive at JFK at 5 PM.

At our last workshop Dean Craig invited some former attendees to speak to us about their experience. Sabine, whom I recognized from my first semester Philosophy class, said that she had been at a crossroads before attending the seminar. She encouraged us to talk to the professors and make connections. Many of them said that it was an emotional, eye-opening time. BMCC stood out by how they presented themselves. Some alumni who weren't able to attend sent e-mails: Graham said that his experience was like a painting: you attempt to look at small beautiful parts but realize that in its entirety can it only be fully appreciated. Like a fish who lives in a bucket is transferred into the ocean. Ilva added that in order to change the world today one must understand how international organizations work. Just to see the magnitude of the change Salzburg had on her, she told us how she was now studying International Studies with a focus on Green Architecture. Everyone agreed on one thing: be open-minded.

Other ideas were to spend time in the beautiful and resourceful library, to take notes, they will be helpful later on. Talk to everyone, other students, professors, facilitators. And if you want to be extra prepared, read up on current events and research as much as you can with a focus on globalization.

In the end of the meeting we practiced German for a little while. I recommended Language Guide, as well as a great book titled "German in 10 Minutes a Day."