May 6, 1958
Period 5

My College Plans

This was when I decided to study at a State Hospital. Willard is on Seneca Lake. It is a huge hospital of about 1-1/2 miles of square ground.

After my interview, a Senior Nurse took me around the campus. As she went through the wards, she locked and unlocked all the doors as we went through them, a necessary procedure for the hospital staff.

Everyone was friendly with me and I was so thrilled when I talked to the patients. I was taken to the dining room for a free meal which was delicious. It was in a separate building as was all their other businesses, such as the laundry, bakery, bowling alley, fire department, police department, laboratory, and nurses' home.

The course at Willard is a three-year course. The first year is taken at the University of Rochester from Monday through Thursday. The second year is spent in a hospital in New York City. The Senior year is a major in psychology at Willard.

This is the perfect course for me. While I am attending the U. of R. I will be receiving college credits for my studies and a stipend of thirty dollars per month. The college credits will help me toward my degree when I graduate.

I felt as if I had accomplished something as I left Willard. I had the pleasure of being escorted by their taxi service, a policeman, back to the bus stop. Then I said good-bye to this friendly man and his small community inside the hospital walls.

Two weeks lager I received a letter from the Director of Admissions stating that I had been accepted and could start school in the fall. I was delighted to have found such a friendly college to attend.