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I find stories from the past that relate to my life to be dreamlike and somewhat disconcerting. The first reading had me floating in mid air as Merion was built around me. Carey Thomas's Bryn Mawr revealed a very familiar world that just didn't feel quite the same as my reality. Just as my dreams often bring some subconscious ickiness to the surface, the reading highlighted the ickiness of Bryn Mawr's beginnings. I wake up with a better understanding of where I come from, even if the learning process has shaken me a little.

Thomas's unbridled ambition, materialism, and disregard of Taylor's vision sheds a less-than-ideal light on the woman who originally defined Bryn Mawr and therefore on the college itself. Also, the articles on the summer school force me to ask myself if I appreciate my education as much as I should. They also make me question how effective the education is: if I can skip a few math classes and make up for it by reading the text book, is it my fault for choosing an insufficiently challenging class or is it the school's fault for offering courses that could just as easily be learned from a book?

Sleep well,

Audra