Month: October 2012

Fright Fest

Fright Fest

As my friends and I walked through the Centennial Forum Student Union (CSFU), we noticed a poster offering students tickets to the 2012 Six Flag’s Fright Fest. I walk through the CSFU countless times a day, usually in a rush and not paying any attention to all of the advertisements. Loyola often receives discounted student tickets to various events around the city.

It was the last night of Fright Fest, which meant that Six Flags would be closing soon for the winter. We got the tickets for $20, which included admission and transportation via school bus to Gurnee, Il.

We bundled up, had breakfast and met up around 9 a.m. to catch the bus. The weather was beautiful and we were ready for a fun filled day at Six Flags. It’s always nice to get off of campus for a day every once in a while.

The park was decked out with headstones, pumpkins and other various scary decorations. There were also designated “scare zones” where employees in costumes jumped out at guests. There was even a 10 minute long “Haunted Trail” that included zombies following you through a forest of electronic skeletons moving around in the bushes.

Aside from the Fright Fest events, we made the most of the array of rides and roller coasters. Because of the long lines, we were forced to pick the Raging Bull, Batman and Superman over the other coasters. We developed a system of reserving spots in line and taking turns to get food, go to the bathroom and do whatever else we needed to make the time go by faster.

Of course, we also ate way too much. Hot chocolate was a favorite of the day, along with Johnny Rockets hot dogs, Six Flag’s nachos and funnel cakes.

By the time the busses were ready to leave, we were beat, had sore feet and runny noses. After sleeping the whole way home, we finally arrived back at Loyola. I took a warm shower and got right to bed.

Saying I slept good that night would be an understatement, but it was a good sleep – the kind you get after a full, successful day. I attribute the day as one of my favorite this semester and I will definitely pay closer attention to the off-campus events in the future.

Loyola vs. Russia

Loyola vs. Russia

Photo taken by the Rambler Rowdies

This past Wednesday the 2012-2013 Loyola Men’s Volleyball team played against a very strong Russian national team.

For a exhibition game there were a ton of students in attendance and the game was among the best that I have seen while . Sure it is not quite the same without the old Alumni Arena but the Men’s Volleyball team hits the new digs really nicely.

NCAA Champions maybe? We will find out, but with the 50th anniversary and lots of prospects, it is looking like a promising year.

Onward to victory, Loyola U!

Halloween Numero Uno

Halloween Numero Uno

So as you all know Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year. That means there are two weekends to celebrate it! Tonight is the first night and boy are my roommates and I excited!

We are doing a group costume and being the characters from Peter Pan! I am Tiger Lily, the Indian princess. My roommate (below) is a lost boy. We also have Wendy, Captain Hook, Peter and best of all, his shadow. One of my friends is wearing a black morph suit and going to follow Peter around all night and act like his shadow!

We are getting ready now and super excited! I’ll upload more pictures of our whole group next week!

My roommate Kelly preparing her Lost Boy costume.
Some of my accessories for Tiger Lily!
Peter Pan's shadow! Awesome costume!
Halloweekend Begins

Halloweekend Begins

These past few weeks have been busy for me, as they have been for everyone else. Midterms have been coming and going, but they’ve been like that for over a month. My schedule has calmed down now on the school front, and the waters should be relatively calm until Finals.

First order of business I want to cover- Registration for Spring semester is rapidly approaching. For those of you worried about it, like me, I suggest you start stocking up your class shopping cart on Locus now. I have already planned a schedule for myself, and I can only hope that everything goes as planned. I’m going to try to take 21 hours, and right now I’m quite nervous.

Along with seven classes, I hope to find an internship for myself. The seventh class that I want to take is BSAD 351 in the Business department, which requires an internship during the semester. So far, I have found several internships to apply to on RamblerLink and internships.com. Anyone looking for internships should check these two sites out, especially RamblerLink, our school’s job and internship website.

Like I said, my schedule has slowed down now that Midterms are basically over. I have two tests left leading up to finals, and just several more papers before semester’s end. Up until now, I have survived, and in my opinion, successfully. Knock on wood that I keep it up.

In less than one week, it’ll be Halloween, which means that (for me at least) this weekend is Halloween weekend! Though dressing up in a costume isn’t a big concern of mine, I am really looking forward to going to Fright Fest tomorrow. Even though I’m not going with Loyola, a friend of mine told me that the Loyola trip to Fright Fest is also tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to running into some of my friends.

The last time I went to Fright Fest was in high school, junior year, which means that it’s been four years since my last trip. Back then, I only went on several rides and walked around with friends. This year, I want to go to the Haunted House and see the other Halloween-themed events they have set up. I also can’t wait to see the character costumes they’ll have. Here’s a picture of one from “back in the day”:

I doubt they’ve changed much, but I’ll post a new picture of one of the coolest costumes from this year in my next post. Happy Halloween weekend everyone! Stay warm, stay safe, stay fun.

Some Simple, But Obvious, Tips For Applying

Some Simple, But Obvious, Tips For Applying

Applying to college can be a daunting process. It appears like there is an endless number of things to fill out and send. I remember applying to schools not too long ago and thinking how over whelming it was. Now looking at the application process from the other end, I see how stress can take it’s toll on an applicant and application. To help combat the stress and errors that come with it, here are my 5 super obvious but rarely practiced tips to remember when applying to college.

1. RELAX

It’s important to keep things in perspective. Yes, applying to college is important. But when you’re not relaxed about what you’re doing mistakes can/will be made. Simple things to remember: don’t rush, breath and give yourself time. Make sure you’re applying in a relaxing environment with ample time to fill out your application and focus on your writing sample. This seems like something trivial, but it’s important. If you do make a mistake, don’t worry, call the admission office. We’re here to help. This leads me to my next point.

2. Call/email for help or if you have questions. We’re here to help!

Part of our job as admission counselors is to help students navigate the application process. We are a great resource. Use us! Don’t hesitate to ask questions about anything or bring up any issues you have filling out your application. It’s also nice developing a relationship with your admission counselor. It’s nice for admission counselors to match faces/personalities with names.

3. Proof read your essay. Read it aloud to yourself.

You might sound a little crazy reading to yourself, but it’s one of the best way to discover spelling errors or awkward phrasing in your writing. And if you’re writing multiple essays for different schools, make sure the proper essays are going the proper places.

4. Make sure all your materials are ready to be sent.

Request transcripts to be sent once you’ve completed your application. Check in with the people writing your letters of recommendation so they are aware of any deadlines. Don’t bother these people, but offer friendly reminders if you’re waiting for the letter to complete your application.

5. Check on the status of your application after your materials have been sent.

A vast majority of schools allow you to do this online, we are one of them. You can also give us a ring or email us as well to check. It’s important to make sure you’re complete before any review deadlines. But it’s also important to know your materials made it in.

That’s it. Seems to simple right? It is! Following these tips will help your overall emotional health when applying and in the review process too.

Happy Applying!

Busy Bee!

Busy Bee!

Hey guys!

Sorry my blogging has been seriously lacking in the past month. Remember when I said that things were going kind of slow?

Since then, my life has been CrAzY! (Yes, it has been so crazy that letters of the word crazy need to be alternated between capital and lowercase to emphasize this.)

Immediately following fall break, I had to complete the following:

– 1 blog (I was supposed to write a few more. Whoops…)

– 3 midterm examinations

– 4 written critiques

– 1 eight page short story

– 3 overnight shifts

– 1 Alpha Sigma Nu induction

– 1 Alpha Phi Omega board meeting/1 chapter meeting

– 2 pharmacology case studies

– 31 pharmacology drug cards

– 1 Chicago Ideas Week speech

YIKES. I still don’t know how I managed to do all that within a week’s time and not lose my job or fail out of school.

I do know that I spent the majority of the week looking like this:

Tard the Grumpy Cat, looking pretty grumpy at the clock!

I also had a minor epiphany in which I realized that I can’t please everyone and agreeing to perform favors that I don’t have to do helps no one.

With that in mind, I just cut back my work hours and am taking a mental health break by spending Halloweekend with my friends at University of Michigan!

So get ready for a bunch happy, less stress filled updates! It’s going to be awesome!

Picture of Tard the Grumpy Cat Attributed to Tabatha Bundesen

Beginning The Study Abroad Process

Beginning The Study Abroad Process

One of the great things about Loyola is that they really encourage their students to study abroad. And many students do!

Loyola makes it really easy to study abroad by providing a ton of information on their website and offering a lot of different study abroad options. We even have a campus in Rome, Italy and a program in Beijing, China! Students can go to these international campuses and pay roughly the same tuition and take classes that will count toward their graduating requirements with no hassle of getting course approvals from department heads.

As a student, you can study abroad for a year, a semester, 6 weeks in the summer and some programs even have 2 week programs in the summer or over winter break. If you are an education major, you even have the opportunity to do your student teaching in Rome! How cool would that be? Student teachers teach at an international school so no Italian is required and they live on Loyola’s campus.

I am taking advantage of the summer programs and hoping to study in Ghana this upcoming summer. Loyola does not have a campus in Ghana but I am able to apply through a program called USAC. Loyola also offers students opportunities through the Institute for the International Educator of Students program or IES and the School for International Training or SIT. I encourage you guys to click on these links and look at the dozens and dozens of countries and cities world-wide that Loyola students are offered the opportunity to study in.

I have just begun the process of applying for study abroad but so far it has been super easy! Loyola has a database that has a list of the pre-approved courses in Ghana and all of the course I am interested in are already approved! My adviser told me that if a course happened to not already be approved, it is pretty easy to get most courses approved. I would just need to fill out a request form and bring it to the head of the appropriate department.

Loyola’s website has walked me through the necessary steps for applying to the study abroad program and it has not been confusing like I feared it might be. I will keep all of you updated when I find out more about my study abroad progress and in the meantime check out all of the cool countries you could go to if you wanted!

Filling the Void

Filling the Void

For all of the hockey fans who are really looking to fill the gigantic gap another NHL lockout has left, I can relate. An avid fan myself, I have had a difficult time finding a remedy to my hockey lockout blues. In fact, it are days like today when I miss coming home after a long day of school and watching the slick shots, heavy hits and stunning saves on NHL.com. However, I have found at least a few things to divide my time between, and the nice part is, these double as tools to relaxation during test/exam season here at Loyola.

1) Parks and Recreation– A fan from episode one, I have not found a funnier show on television today. Parks and Rec, as the aficionados call it, mixes an eclectic cast of quotable characters together in a small town, Indiana government department (the parks and recreation department, of course). Throughout the show, the characters find themselves in odd situations, often times at odds with each other. The reason I am such a huge fan is because of the balance of content and humor, and also, the type of humor. There is a clear story line in each episode, and there is always a protagonist, a small, seemingly insignificant problem, and a whole bunch of true characters who try (or try to avoid) solving the problem. The humor is often witty, quick, and usually at the expense of someone else’s dignity. If you can’t tell, I highly recommend this show.

2) Arrested Development– I must admit, I was let down by the first few episodes of the Fox TV show.  It wasn’t that I didn’t like the show, but rather, I didn’t understand it.  However, a few episodes in, I realized that Arrested Development hinges on the strange and silly occurrences that lead the Bluth family from where they are in the beginning of the show to where they end up in the end.  The humor is not as obvious as it is in other shows on TV today, but it can easily be found in the sheer wackiness of the situations the characters find themselves in.  Plus, each episode is only 20 minutes on Netflix, so it fits neatly into all of the crazy schedules college students have.

3) Top Shot– This show is considerably different than the two previous.  For one, this show can be found on the History Channel’s website, which says a little bit of something about the show.  The neat part about this show is that it is reality TV without the reality.  The show consists of 2 teams made up of some of the best gun shooters around the world.  While on the show, the teams compete at a number of very difficult looking competitions, sometimes with weapons no one has ever used (tomahawks anyone?).  As contestants are eliminated (based on a voting system), the teams get smaller, until there are just two shooters left.  The winner gets $50,000, and the loser walks away looking without money, but definitely looking like one bad apple.  This show is great when looking for that sense of competition lacking from no hockey.

Here are a few shows I find enjoyable, and I hope you can too. Hopefully by the time I get to the season finales hockey will be back in action. Hopefully.

A Key to the City

A Key to the City

Roller blades – they are indeed an overlooked, hidden key to the city. I got this idea as I was doing one of my favorite hobbies, thrift shopping. At the very first location of the day, a little resale outlet in Lincoln Park, I found this treasure. On these adventures I usually find things like vintage records or recycle-styled lamps, so I was not expecting to find what I did this on particular day. My face instantly lit up when I saw the back of what looked like a roller blade on the bottom shelf, tucked under some other rummage. I rushed over, hoping and wondering if it was true. I was determined that no one was going to get their hands on those skates before me. They were in fact a pair of in-line roller blades in top condition and most importantly they fit me perfectly.

People literally spend up to $600 on skates like these, but they were waiting for me for the low price of $25. The previous owner of the skates did NOT know how to live the city life, but I would not make the same mistake. Rollerskating is making a huge come back into college campuses, becoming just as popular as skate boarding, biking, etc.

Loyola’s campus is relatively small compared to most other college campuses, but having an alternative to walking is not uncommon here, and in a big city like Chicago, it is popular. These roller blades cut my ten minute walk to class into six minuets… that’s another cup of coffee in my world. Aside from this, it is also a great way to get some exercise and relieve stress. Besides skating on campus, people often skate on the Lakeshore path and around their perspective neighborhoods, which helpful in getting acclimated with the streets and various areas of Chicago.

As it is slowly but surely turning into winter, I will definitely be utilizing these skates to the fullest to help enjoy the last weeks of the fall season.

Around the Country and Back Again

Around the Country and Back Again

It’s been a long October. I’ve been literally all over the country, visiting high schools and attending college fairs. At one point, I visited three time zones in less than 48 hours. I felt like some world famous rapper on a global tour. But I wasn’t on tour. And I am not a world famous rapper (yet). What am I really? A bit tired and an admission counselor. Curious as to where I’ve been?

Well my travel started in Columbus, OH in late September. I spent a couple days visiting high schools and eating Blizzards from a cool DQ north of the city.

Columbus reminded me a great deal of my home town, a bit smaller and a capitol city, of Sacramento. Speaking of home…

My first stop in October was to head back home to Sacramento, California.

(For some reason there’s a massive rabbit in Sacramento’s Airport)

I was lucky enough to head back to the Golden State to do some school visits/college visits. I don’t get to go back West Coast too often, so it was nice staying at home for a while. It was even nicer having a home cooked meal prepared when I finished college fairs late at night. Thanks Mom! I met a lot of great students while I was in Northern California. Many of the students I chatted with didn’t even know there was a Loyola in Chicago! I had to do some educating.

Next I flew back to Chicago for 30 some odd hours.

On Columbus Day I jetted to Dayton where I then drove to Cincinnati to stay for about a week.

This was my third time in the Queen City and I have to say it’s growing on me. The city is nestled in a beautiful group of tree covered hills. I came at a wonderful time of the year, just as the leaves began to turn yellow and gold for the start of the Fall.

I saw a number of students at all the high school visits and college fairs I attended. I felt pretty popular. The students were brimming with great questions about the application process and about life at the university.

While I loved meeting with students and their families, the best part of the trip was something I got to do on an afternoon off.

The Cincinnati Reds were in a playoff battle with The San Francisco Giants. The five game series was down to the last game at the Great American Ballpark. Being a Giants fan, I jumped at the chance to attend the game. This being a playoff game, I assumed the tickets would reach astronomical prices. I checked Stubhub before one of my visits to see if I could find anything in my price range. To my luck/surprise I found a $15 bleacher seat! I snagged that ticket ASAP and traveled to the game later that day. It was a beautiful day for a baseball game (check out the photo above), made even better when the Giants won.

After the game I had a couple more high schools visits then I drove back up to Dayton to catch my flight back to Chicago.

Now is when the real fun starts. We’ll start reviewing applications for the Fall 2013 semester very soon!

In the coming week, I’ll be sure to post some of my tips for applying to Loyola.