Comments on: And Then There Was Harlaxton: 20 Years Since My First Big Trip

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 17:16:02 +0000

Indeed DK, very similar to what happened to many. UE certainly knew (and still does) how to market Harlaxton, although it was a very different type of program when I went there. I think that all changed in ’90 or so, when Dr. Rowland (Principal) retired and they brought in a new chap and a whole new academic plan. It was no longer an opportunity for the ‘average student’ to attend, which I think is a real shame. But, UE was also changing too with the retirement of Dr. Graves and the regime of Dr. Vinson, beginning in ’88. They had raised the bar and so I guess it seems logical that Harlaxton had to do so as well.

Harley High and The Harlaxton Country Club were no longer.

By: David

David — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 15:20:10 +0000

I dont remember a mailer but I’m sure I received one. My first introduction to the words Harlaxton College came through a college fair where UE had a booth. Every year Franklin and Brentwood High Schools held a joint college fair and my Jr year the event was hosted by Brentwood in their gymnasium. Each school had colorful backdrops and tons of giveaways. I wandered from booth to booth taking free pamphlets and pencils. I distinctly remember the huge photo of Harlaxton Manor on an easel. I want to say it was more prominent than Olmstead Hall.

Like Mark I applied to one school and got in early. I had every intention of filling out additional applications over Christmas break but that didn’t happen.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 16:58:25 +0000

that was actually easy. I told them the ONLY reason that I was applying to UE was to go Harlaxton. I told them if not, then I will go to DePauw. They tried to give me the blah blah maturity speech and I whipped up some ‘mature rebuttable’ to their hokiness and the next thing I know, I was ‘approved/accepted’.

I had no intention of going to UE, even after Harlaxton, but DePauw (in their arrogance), told me that they wouldn’t accept any of my credits from Harlaxton (ala UE) and that I would have to start as a freshman in the fall of ’87. So, I ended up at UE afterall. I found this out in April of ’87, needless to say, I wasn’t real pleased, but I have no regrets of both Harlaxton and UE.

There were actually 8 of us from the states that went to Harlaxton as freshman, only 4 of us made it through (2 chaps didn’t even make it through the first semester). There were five others from the UK and Germany that were living abroad for whatever reason….military (3) and daddy was a high roller (2). We were all tight. Only three of us ended up at UE afterwards.

BTW……Jeff Jenkins, our PKT brother, went his 2nd semester freshman year, and that is where I met him in Jan of ’87, along with fellow PKT bros Charles Whelan and Brent Kaufman….three very very different dudes. PKT became appealing to me at that point.

Oddly enough, I received a mailer from Harlaxton in the early fall of ’85, not UE, and that’s how I found about it. Then I read the small print and it said UE and I asked myself, ‘who the hell are they?’. Harlaxton sent to me because of the study abroad question that I had answered that was part of the ‘personal interests’ section of the ACT.

Had I not answered that question on the ACT and then Harlaxton mailing me their flyer, my life would be completely different!!

Cheers to Harlaxton!

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 16:00:46 +0000

I still don’t know how you convinced them to let you go there for a year….as a freshman. 😀

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 04:32:42 +0000

The Harlaxton Experience was the single most important aspect of my collegiate life and just maybe my life period. My year there as a freshman in ’86-’87, when it was still an international school, was a very similar experience that you speak of Mark, and I suppose many other’s too. It is the little things that we all took for granted and all of the sudden they weren’t there and we had to adapt, overcome or peacefully accept. I surely would have gone straight jacket crazy by now living in the Caribbean (aka the 2nd/3rd world) had I not gone to Harlaxton so many years ago (or never even moved here in the first place)!

BTW, I just saw where Harlaxton was voted the #1 Study Abroad Program of US colleges and universities.

Cheers,
DeMooseMon

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:51:03 +0000

That was Matt’s 1800’s tintype no smiling expression.

By: James

James — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 18:46:16 +0000

I have two questions. First, what’s with Kells and the wigs? Second, do you have any pictures of Matt without the stunned surprise expression? Or is that a pharmaceutical expression?

By: David

David — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 18:24:43 +0000

I still have the army jacket and Ottowa baseball hat. The Jacket has been dry cleaned and is still useful. The hat despite how much I try to clean it still smells like death.