During Spring Break, I accompanied the University of Chicago Upward Bound program on a college road trip. Ten close friends, rising juniors, and seniors traveled to the East coast, visiting highly ranked universities. One of the best parts of this one-week trip was that it was free of charge.

Yes, you read correctly.

The program covered all of our expenses, ranging from the bus to the hotel rooms, and especially the multiple restaurants we dined in.  Although all of the universities we visited have many appealing factors and are very diverse, only Yale, Harvard, Temple, Cornell, and Denison have captured my attention.

Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.)

At first sight Cornell was a cozy town. It was cold and snowing, but that’s the usual for the small town of Ithaca. With gothic styled buildings, it gave the university an otherwordly feel. But other than that, I loved it. Cornell has over 500 student organizations, and has a thriving Greek life, with approximately 70 fraternities and sororities. Cornell has 14 colleges, including the top ranked College of Veterinary Medicine. Eight graduate engineering areas at Cornell are ranked in the top 10 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 “Best Graduate Schools” report, and many of the students I traveled with were ecstatic at that fact.

Naa Ashitey, a student at Lincoln Park high school, was a big fan of the school. “I actually liked the school. When we toured the engineering building, I fell in love with it. And given the high rankings, it only makes me get more hope that going to Cornell will aid me academically and help with finding a great career in Engineering.”

We visited the College of Vet Medicine, where we were able to witness the day-to-day jobs of Veterinarians, and one of the students, Tyree George, a junior at Urban Prep high school, realized that this was his calling.

“I talked to our guide, who was a veteranian himself, and I learned more from him talking to me and showing me things than I’ve learned in a year worth of researching myself.”

Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.)

All my life, I have been waiting to visit this school, and upon reaching our destination, I was stunned. It felt surreal, to visit such a talked about school. Harvard was huge, with restaurants on every street. The Harvard library is the largest academic library in the world, housing the oldest United States documents in the country. Harvard has the number one medical school in America, according to U.S. News and World report. Another huge motivation to apply for Harvard is that if your family income is under $65,00, Harvard tuition for all four years is free! Freshmen live around the Harvard Yard at the center of campus, after which they are placed in one of 12 undergraduate houses for their remaining three years. Harvard is made up of 13 other schools and institutes, including the top-ranked Business School and Medical School and the highly ranked Graduate Education School, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Law School and John F. Kennedy School of Government. Eight U.S. presidents graduated from Harvard College, including John F. Kennedy.

Yale University (New Haven, Conn.)

Yale is an exact replica of a London street. And combined with buildings that look like Hogwarts (from Harry Potter, if you did not know already), this school was a perfect match for me. Yale is rated in the top ten universities in the world, and in the top five universities in the world for the study of English, history and archeology, law, languages, politics, and psychology, according to The Christian Science Monitor. Yale also has the number one Law school in the world, known for its prestige. Students are assigned to live in one of 12 residential colleges during their time at Yale. Each college has a master and dean who live in the college and eat with students in the dining halls.This is exciting because you get to bond with the same friends from your dorm for all four years. A comfortable campus really appeals to me and aids me in my decision to pick a college, because if I don’t feel comfortable in a school I will be miserable for all four years. Cultural houses provide a space for students to build a sense of cultural identity on campus. Tuition is free for students whose families make under $75,000. Yale alumni include actress Meryl Streep.

Denison University (Granville, OH.)

Before the tour, I had never heard of this college. But I did figure out that this school was beautiful. The environment is so carefree and green, and the town close to the school was very dainty. Denison has approximately 2,200 students, with a higher male population than female. Financial aid can be found by being part of POSSE, or with academics and athletics.

All students have to live on campus, unless you have a valid reason to live off campus. The first two years you live in a single sex or co-ed dorm, but starting junior year students have the option of rooming with the opposite gender in the same room. There are over 150 student clubs and organizations, and students can get on-the-job experience before graduation with the help of the Denison Internship Program. With this program, students have the chance to intern in a firm and gradually receive a chance to work at the firm. Some alumni include actor Steve Carell and actress Jennifer Garner.

Temple University (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Although Temple is a public school, it is one of the best public schools in the country. At Temple, instead of being assigned housing, students select their own room assignment through an online system and are encouraged to find their own roommates through online social networks. According to US News, Temple is ranked number one for their business school in the United states, and ranked 25 in the nation for entrepreneurship programs. With more than 300 student organizations and over 80 educational programs set around the world, you will never get bored. Sadly, Temple does not offer free tuition for a fixed income.

My top four schools reflect the categories of college research that I find highly important: financial aid, curriculum, and the campus. This trip opened my eyes to more to schools I’ve never heard of and provided me with more insight and information on all colleges. Our journey is one that none of us will ever forget. And when you are visiting a college, make sure you pay attention to every aspect of it, including how comfortable you feel in the environment and also the financial aid offered.