request for advice

I wouldn't mind going to the Eastern State Prison in a large group, because I've never been to a prison before and safety in numbers (just in case an ex-innmate tries to kill me or something). As for the other trips, I would prefer to self organize and go in our small groups. I like the feeling of independence and going in big groups all the time makes me feel like I'm back in high school again (God forbid). Advantages for this proposal include increased mobility, ability to make closer friendship bonds with the people we're with, and we can use our time more effectively by deciding things faster. Disadvantages include increased risk of getting harrassed by people we don't go near, and increased confusion because almost everyone in our Esem is not from Philly. 

I like being told what is worth seeing in the city but I also prefer being able to decide when to go and who to go with.  That being said, I don't really have a preference either way.  I feel that being told where to go forces us to go to places in the city that we might not normally go to but allowing us to select where we go means we might enjoy it more.  I think that the ideal way of going about it would be a combination of both: we are given suggestions and we get to form groups select a place and time to go. This would mean that we would all have similar experiences that would allow us to relate to eachother but we could schedule our own trip which would help avoid conflicts.

* do you want to go as one large group to the same space?

I would prefer to go in smaller groups. While it might mean that we don't get to know as many people in the two sections, I think it's much more practical, since extracurriculars are starting to pick up, and it gives us more freedom to plan around our other interests.

* would you prefer to self-organize (to visit some sites we will select, and others which you'll select)?

I've really enjoyed the locations that you've selected so far, and I've also enjoyed being given the freedom to explore by ourselves. I think a combination of the two is definitely the way to go. That way we'll see a wider variety of things, as well, because the trips we plan will probably be different from the ones you plan.

* what are the advantages/disadvantages of each of these arrangements?

The only real disadvantage to smaller groups, again, is not meeting as many people. It does give us more options in terms of planning around other things we want to do, though.

Trips planned by you might not be as relevant to our interests, which could make it easy for us to get bored, or could pique our interest in a new subject or find a way to relate it to something we wouldn't expect. I think the tradeoff is worth it. Trips planned by us might not be as organized, and that could be either a good or bad thing.

I'd prefer if we go on trips into smaller groups, rather than large groups combining both classes. It'd be fine to mix both groups and ultimately create one small group to travel into our destination but one large group I personally feel is too distracting. Having tried both, the smaller groups and larger group in the beginnng, I can take in more of an experience with less people. It also makes for better interaction within  the group and adds to the trip experience. A possible disadvantage could be wanting to travel with the same group of people because we've grown comfortable, but in that case we should switch up the groups we travel into the city every once in a while. 

I'd prefer self-organization because I know what would interest me, but I don't feel quite ready to take on the decision upon my self to fully declare where to go. And so, a combination of both, having to choose some destinations and other trips being declared by both professors would be great. It doesn't hurt to look into places you'd never thought of going, like the prison, which although never came into mind as a trip, it's definitely something I'm now curious about. A big advantage to this would be open to different possibilities and a possible disadvantage would be that if we just went accordingly to what the professors chose, we wouldn't take full appreciation of some of the trips because to some people it wouldn't interest them. 

I would prefer to go in smaller groups. I think when we go in smaller groups we are allowed to spend more time in each area that interests us (for example, this would come into play at the museum trip: some of us may want to spend more time there, others less). It also allows us to have a more intimate feel for the space we are in, it feels more authentic.

I have enjoyed the things that have been preplanned, and I think that they give us a chance to see things we wouldn't normally think to look up (like the Quiet Volume) or things that might seem too complicated (like the penitentiary). However, I do think that we need the chance to do some trips on our own, that we have planned ourselves –– it makes us responsible for where we go and how we'll get there, which is something we need to be able to do ourselves.

I'd like to continue self-planning trips. A definite pro of this is that people are able to go do their own thing like rehearsal and meetings while still being able to have a flexible time for the trip. Chances are, at least one other person has the same schedule and time space. One con might be the experience sometimes not being as great as it could be since we aren't all together, although I'm not too entirely sure how this would affect the trip overall. In addition, a con of not going as a giant group would be the lack of guidance from both Anne and Mark, in terms of direction. However, I do enjoy going in a smaller group as this allows more exploration and play.