Hamilton College Admission Journals: Leighton Smith

Summer, yes!

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:18:17 GMT

After finishing my exams at Hamilton, I enjoyed a week of recuperation and relaxation before beginning my summer job. But before I talk a little about my summer so far, I would like to tell you how my year at Hamilton finished up.

Exams went well. It was a rough week, but I did survive. Before exam week even began, though, I participated in Hamilton’s fourth annual sprint triathlon, HamTrek. There were many individuals who chose to swim, bike, and run on their own, but I was asked to participate on a team as the cyclist. (For the record, I would not have done all three on my own, even if I wasn’t asked to be on a team). Our team was damn good, and we finished second in the coed team division. For our efforts, we won a $75.00 gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse to split among the three of us. Coincidentally, my two teammates also both won prizes in a raffle held after the race. Our runner won a book about triathlon training and our swimmer won an iPod Nano.

Since I’ve been back home, I have kept pretty active. I just finished my second week of work at the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) where I’m an intern. So far my time has been devoted to helping revamp their library. In the next few weeks I will begin to assist some economists there with their research. That should be a bit more stimulating. The internship has a lot of plusses, such as its proximity to where I live (the boonies), it pays (a little), and - the economists out there won’t believe this – we get a free lunch every day.

Ah, exam week

Thu, 10 May 2007 05:16:24 GMT

Well, it’s exam week. In the past, my exam schedule has tended to be a little nicer than it is this year. I like balance, and this week there is very little. I had two exams on Tuesday, and I have my last exam on Saturday. I really don’t mind having to wait around until Saturday, though. The weather has been simply beautiful, and while I am eager to get home, I am just as eager to stick around a bit longer.

These last few days before I head home on Sunday will give me a chance to spend time with some good people I won’t see for a while. Most of my friends are going abroad next year, either for one semester or for the whole year. I plan on going to Ireland next spring, so if my friends are going abroad next fall or all of next year, I won’t be seeing them for a year and a half! That is really kind of a weird thought.

And then there are the seniors. While I am sure that this won’t be the last time I see the ones I am closest to, I will still be sad to see them graduate. Many of them have positively impacted my first two years at Hamilton. There are great advantages to having older friends, especially in college. They can direct you in simple ways by telling you which professors to good, letting you know where the best parties are, or maybe just giving you a lift into town. While such things are important, however, the true value of friendships with older students is the perspective they can offer. They know Hamilton better than you do. They have been where you are and have felt the same stresses.

As I prepare to begin my second half of college next year as a junior, I hope that I will be able to influence some younger students in the same manner I have been influenced. To the future students of Hamilton: make sure to meet older students. If they reach out to you, don’t pass up the opportunity. Your efforts can yield only positive benefits. And to the seniors: thank you, good luck, and enjoy your final days on the Hill.

My latest addiction...

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:37:29 GMT

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. For years I watched my grandmother zip through the New York Times Crossword. Usually I’d be eating my breakfast while she did them. She might occasionally try to involve me by asking for some help, but for the most part I offered very little.

Recently, though, I decided to take a crack at the sucker myself. This Monday, I got about halfway through the Crossword before calling it quits. Then on Tuesday, I solved the whole damn thing. It took me, off and on, the entire day to complete, but complete it I did. And when I checked my answers against the answers provided in Wednesday’s paper, I found that I had only made one/two errors (I had “nudge” instead of “budge,” which also gave me “noors” rather than “boors”). It is now safe to say I am hooked.

Fortunately – or, perhaps, unfortunately – Hamilton subscribes to the New York Times. Numerous copies are made available in both of the major on-campus dining halls, Soper Commons and McEwan. So, while it may take me a little time to get this new addiction under control, at least I know that I can always get an easy fix. Damn you, Will Shortz.

April is Jazz Month

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:07:17 GMT

Apparently April is Jazz Month at Hamilton College. I usually attend every jazz concert that the College offers, but, in the past few weeks, I just have not been able to see every one. There has been at least one concert a week and sometimes two. By the end of the month, I will have attended a minimum of three, but perhaps four or five depending on how things go.

The first concert was a small affair held in Café Opus. For those of you unfamiliar with this location, Café Opus is a small coffee shop/lounge area. Many students congregate at Opus to study, eat or sleep on the myriad couches and easy chairs scattered about. On the night in question, though, the seating area was reconfigured to accommodate the Hamilton Jazz Combo’s performance. The Combo features four musicians: a bassist (my good friend, Grant Zubritsky), a guitarist, a drummer and a pianist. Concerts are always more fun when you know someone who is playing. There was also a special appearance by the Hamilton Jazz Archivist, Monk Rowe, on saxophone.

I really loved the concert. The quartet played a variety of songs, ranging from Miles Davis to original compositions by the musicians themselves. Grant introduced the songs from the mic and gave the audience some background information on what they were playing. It was a fairly intimate setting, one that I find quite conducive to listening to jazz.

The other concert I attended featured Ravi Coltrane (John Coltrane’s son) and his quartet. They didn’t play in Café Opus (which would struggle to seat more than 50). Instead, Ravi and Co. played in Wellin Hall, Hamilton’s major performance space, which is actually located right next to Café Opus. Several hundred people attended the concert. The quartet performed all original songs composed by Coltrane. They played two sets, each about an hour, with a short intermission in between. Their playing was very tight and sounded great. While I prefer styles of jazz from the first half of the last century, I did find myself getting into a few of their songs.

I plan on going to see the Hamilton Big Band play tomorrow night. They will also be performing in Wellin, and I expect them to put on quite a show. I have a few senior friends in the ensemble, so this will be my last chance to hear them play. I am really looking forward to it.

Spring intramural sports are underway

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 23:31:03 GMT

Like so many high school athletes, I just wasn’t ready to call it quits when I got to college. But I also didn’t really want to play on a varsity team. That’s just a little too intense. Fortunately, a happy medium exists: intramural sports. Hamilton has an incredible IM sports program. We have almost any sport you can imagine, such as soccer, football, golf, water polo, badminton, softball and a few others. And if you can’t find a sport that interests you, you can always start a new league and run it yourself.

During my freshman year at Hamilton, I played on many IM teams. In the fall, I played soccer; in the winter, basketball and indoor soccer; and, in the spring, softball, squash and soccer. This year I have taken it down a few notches due to the increased academic demands placed on sophomores. Last fall I played soccer, and this spring I am playing softball and soccer.

Now that the winter is finally over, the spring intramural season has begun. I had my first soccer game over the weekend. Unfortunately, the lackluster turnout for the game forced us to play with five-man teams. We had a blast though nonetheless. Everyone was just glad to be outside kicking the ball around.

This afternoon I had my first IM softball game. There are two leagues, A and B, and I play in the less competitive B League. It’s more fun. The game was hotly contested, but in the end my team, The Fighting Squirrels, ended up losing 9-10. It was a real heartbreaker, but we learned from the loss and are already looking toward our next game.