This happened a little while back (oh, say three or four months ago) so I don't know if I'll be able to write this well. This summer I thought I'd be able to keep this thing up well but I was just too friggin' busy and when I actually had time, I was too lazy. Anyway...
Last June, my dad decided to torture my mom and I as he does each year by making the American Truck Historical Society annual truck show into a family trip. This past year it was in the lovely city of Minneapolis, MN so the Mall of America kept Mom and I pretty busy. Another form of entertainment was doing a test-run college visit to Augsburg College.
Mom's really gung-ho about my future education, probably more than I am and I'm pretty bad. Augsburg College was listed as having a good foreign language department and decent international relations department, too. Both things I'm pretty interested in. So we decide to take a look. I'd checked out the website and Mom called to schedule a tour. So far, so good.
Friday morning we leave Dad at the hotel (I don't even think he noticed us leaving, he was so happy looking at his trucks) and catch a cab to Augsburg. We get dropped off at the admissions office and it looks pretty nice, so far. The admissions office is a pretty house and the inside is decorated with posters of the German city of Augsburg. It looks pretty neat.
While waiting for our student tour, one of the admissions staff talks to us and answers any questions. It slips in casually that the school is affiliated with the Lutheran church. Big deal. Almost every school I'm looking at has at least a minor religious affiliation. I don't mind.
It's tour time. Our guide is a short girl wearing a Grateful Dead sweatshirt and ratty old jeans. I'm also touring with a girl from Florida and her mom. This girl is real flake. Oh, well.
Anyway, our first stop on the tour is the school chapel. Not a good sign. Our guide now adds the word "evangelical" to the religious affiliation. Shit. That means Billy Graham, holy-roller style. Yea. Nowhere on the website or in Mom's phone call to schedule did anyone mention "evangelical".
We are now going through the dorms. They're nasty and small. Nasty as in dirty. I can live with the small but not the dirty. I might not be Christian but isn't there something about cleanliness being next to godliness??? Ick. Even my mom commented on it and she went to college in the early '70's.
I'm used to cold winters but I think Minneapolis has central New York beat well. All of the buildings except one or two at Augsburg were connected by tunnels. The underground ones were pretty nasty. Cold concrete walls that reminded me of a fallout shelter or something.
I'm glad colleges do emphasise visits but perhaps Augsburg shouldn't. Maybe better luck next time?
Sunday, September 19, 1999