October 2012 – Page 2 – College Admission at Loyola

This semester has been quite a whirlwind! From classes to work and to participating in extracurriculars, I have hardly been able to take a breather; but I know that what I have been experiencing as a junior at Loyola University Chicago will be all worth while.

This semester I am taking a course on technology for journalists. In this class, I have been exposed to and picked up general skills on software and equipment I may be using in the field. In the video above, I used a video editing program called Final Cut Pro. Getting used to this kind of program was interesting because it can be a bit more tricky than just using iMovie or Windows MovieMaker. I definitely will pursue getting familiar with this program, for it will come in handy one day.

In the video I covered AfroDescent’s dress rehearsal before their first performance at the Taste of Africa Thursday.

Top Ten Reasons to Attend Loyola’s Fall Open House (part #2)

By Lori Greene | October 19, 2012

Last week, I outlined some of the top 10 reasons to attend a Loyola (or any) open house. Here are the remaining 5 reasons.

5. You have questions about admission deadlines.
Every school has different deadlines and a different process. Attend a Loyola admission presentation specifically for high school juniors or high school seniors or transfer students to see what deadlines are important for you. You can also talk personally with an admission counselor and learn how to APPLY.

4. You want to know about scholarship availability.
YES, we offer scholarships! The best part is that your APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION IS YOUR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION. Our admission presentation reviews all the possibilities.

3. You want to talk with current students about social life and student activities.
Look at the schedule. You have the opportunity to go on a student-led campus tour. Ask questions. You have the chance to sit in on a session about first generation and/or multicultural students. Ask the students on the panel what resources are available and why they chose Loyola. If you have an interest in the arts, check out the Fine Arts Annex or the new Newhart Family Theatre.

2. You have questions specific to your academic record.
Our entire admission staff is on hand to assist both days. Ask away!

1. Loyola is a TOP CHOICE but you want to know if it is a real “FIT.”
We want you to make the choice that best suits you and helps you attain your goals. But if you haven’t visited campus, you will never know if Loyola is the right choice for you. Walk the campus. What do you think? Can you see yourself here? Talk with students you see walking by who aren’t a part of the formal program. What do they like about Loyola? Do we offer what you are interested in studying? Are you thinking about studying abroad? We have many options and a global presence.

It doesn’t matter what your questions or concerns may be. These two days are set aside to assist you in your college selection process. So, pardon our construction—we are making progress—with a new student union and new residence halls. Come check out what the Loyola Experience might hold for you!

Join us!

The Best Thing About Rome

By | October 18, 2012

Going abroad was the greatest decision I have ever made. I was exposed to the beauty and history of Rome and I got to explore parts of the world I never thought I’d see. I am really grateful for the opportunity as well as all of the great friendships and relationships that were created in the eternal city.

I was positively impacted by everything I experienced, but the thing (actually, person) that made the biggest impact on me was a little girl named Annie. Annie is one year old, and she has Down Syndrome. She is the daughter of the director of residence life and the John Felice Rome Center. She is the happiest baby I have ever met! When I babysat her once, she took a nap and woke up by clapping her hands. (A rarity for a one year old!)

Annie taught me so much about Down Syndrome. She taught me that although she has a chromosomal condition, she is still a person. She may be behind most babies her age developmentally, but she still laughs, attempts to crawl, and plays with her toys. She taught me to be more accepting and understanding. She inspired me to raise awareness for Down Syndrome.

Her mom writes a beautiful blog about her adventures with Annie in a foreign country. In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness month, she has been writing a blog every day. I look forward to reading it every day; Annie’s mom is such a talented writer and her stories are very touching. She and Annie definitely made my Rome experience that much better. Here’s the link to her blog: http://ourromababy.com

Settling In

By | October 18, 2012

After almost two months since leaving for school, fall break finally gave me the opportunity to travel back to my hometown. This break always comes at a genius time, when I physically can’t pull any more all-nighters, I crave my mom’s home-cooking all day long and most of all I miss my family and friends. All semester long I have been using the same phrase to complain when I am homesick and tired: “I just want to sleep in my own bed.” What I found however, was that after a day of traveling and excitement back home, I was finally back in my own bed and couldn’t sleep. As a matter of fact, although I greatly enjoyed my time at home, I really wasn’t able to get a good night sleep at all.

Upon arriving back at Loyola, I laid down in my bed in Fordham Hall and the next thing I knew it was nine hours later, just in time for my first class of the day. I had slept the best that I had the entire fall break.

I tend to read into small signs like this. I have heard it usually takes six months for someone to move-in to a new space and become fully acclimated. For me, this was a sign that the freshness of the beginning of the year is officially over and I have finally settled in here. Even something as little as feeling comfortable and safe in my bed is a comfort measure that reminds me of home and helps me deal with homesickness. It is in finding these little things that help make Loyola home. I needed this fall break trip to reaffirm my roots at home and at the same time acknowledge my life as a college student.

Now confident and reenergized, I feel ready to conquer the school week as the mid-academic semester approaches.

I Can Here The Bells

By | October 16, 2012

I can here the Christmas On Campus bells. Yes folks thats right, IT’S BACK! Christmas On Campus 2012!

Christmas On Campus is an event that a core group of my friends and I founded at Loyola last year. My friends Nic and Alex did it at their high school and thought that it would be a great idea to do it at the university level.

We just began working on Christmas On Campus, so many of the details we are still working on. For anyone who read my blog last year, you will remember how stressful planning for Christmas On Campus was! We planned it all in about 4 weeks and somehow managed to pull it off. This year, however, we are taking a more logical approach and started planning about 10 weeks ahead of time.

We just had our first meeting last week and as crazy as it sounds, I am already getting in the Christmas spirit! Stay tuned for future posts describing the event in more detail!

Chicago Marathon 2012

By | October 15, 2012

This last weekend I volunteered at the Chicago Marathon. While waking up at 3am might not be the best thing to do on a Sunday, there is one moment that makes it all worth it. Its that moment when you realize the accomplishments of these people running.

Some have their own reasons for running and others simply do it for fun but no matter what it is months of dedication all brought together to one day.

This year I got to support my friends as they worked through the pain to finish.

I would like to recognize all these people and I can’t wait to run the marathon myself.

1963 NCAA Champions

By | October 15, 2012

This is one of our newest additions to the Rambler Row in the Norville Center.

It stands about 3 feet tall and sits at about the midway point in Rambler Row but it is actually much different than the original.

This is the NCAA Nations Championship trophy, but if you look closely it is actually only partially the original piece. The original was damaged by some poor handling by the university in the 90s.

This past summer is was rectified and saved. The Athletic Department has rebuilt it and put it up for display so that this University can be proud of our history and look forward to the days to come.

Fall In Northern Michigan

By | October 15, 2012

I love living in the city. I would not trade living in the city for anything. I can not get enough of city life! Get the picture? I LOVE living in Chicago.

Once in a while, however, when school is stressful and life gets crazy, getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life can be very therapeutic. So, that is exactly what I did with my fall break!

I took the train home to Kalamazoo on Friday. Then, on Saturday, I headed up north to Glen Arbor Michigan for some beautiful scenery and to watch my friend Haley run her first half marathon! It was quite chilly but so beautiful. We took a hike through the woods and played a lot of card games. Sunday morning we woke up and watched Haley run all 13.1 miles before heading back to Kalamazoo.

I got home from being up north around 4:00p.m. on Sunday and realized that I still had two days off of school! I spent my time sleeping, catching up on homework and bonding with my family. I have learned to appreciate my family much more since coming to college 🙂

I also applied for an absentee ballot so that I can vote in the coming election! It was an amazing, much needed, break and I am refreshed and ready to tackle the next few weeks of the semester.

View out of the window of the car while driving through Michigan.

Haley and I on our hike up north through the beautiful trees.

Fall Break

By | October 11, 2012

Every October, Loyola spoils us a little bit and gives us a fall break. My friends at other schools only get one day off, so we’re awesome in that we get two. The break was this past Monday and Tuesday. I was excited to have a change in pace and come home to beautiful Kirtland, Ohio. Here’s a few things I was most excited about.

1. The beautiful landscapes of suburbia. Yes, Chicago is one of the best places to live, but there’s something comforting about the fall trees in suburbia. It also helped that I came home right in the middle of fall, when the trees were changing colors.

2. My cute little dog, Marley. Marley is the friendliest dog- always wants to cuddle, no matter who you are!

3. The cake my family made me. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the masterpiece, but my mom bakes me a big chocolate cake for a late birthday celebration. Delicious.

4. Little League Football. On the Saturday of fall break, I got to see my little cousin play in his football game. My other little cousins were there, and it was the perfect fall day of football, hot chocolate, and family.

5. My family, of course! They are the best. It’s always an adventure coming home because they are super obnoxious and a ton of fun. Here we are in Rome in front of The Vatican. It was a nice, relaxing fall break, but I’m so glad to be back in Chicago!

Top Ten Reasons to Attend Loyola’s Fall Open House

By Lori Greene | October 11, 2012

Every college or university hosts campus visit days and/or open houses where you and your family can check out the campus and experience that particular college for yourself. Loyola‘s fall open houses are right around the corner on Saturday, October 20 and Saturday, November 17. If you’re a high school junior or senior, or if you’re thinking about transferring to a new school, you’re invited to sample the Loyola Experience.

There are lots of good reasons to make a campus visit, but here are the Top Ten Reasons to mark your calendar and plan on spending about half a day with us at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus.

10. You don’t know where to begin in the college selection process.
An open house offers answers to many questions in a period of short time. In a matter of hours, you will learn a lot about a particular university, like Loyola. You’ll also find out about other things that will help in your overall college selection process.

You will learn what questions to ask. You’ll also realize that being on a college campus helps you to get a ‘feel’ about whether or not it may be the right fit for you. You’ll find out how the financial aid process works. And, you’ll get to see how big a dorm room really is.

9. You’re not sure exactly where the campus is located.
You have heard about Loyola and maybe you walked by a portion of the campus, but you just don’t know what that means for you as a potential undergraduate student. Loyola has 4 campuses actually. Our traditional undergraduate experience is hosted at the Lake Shore Campus which has some 45 acres right on Lake Michigan and it’s only a few miles from our Water Tower Campus, located off of N. Michigan Avenue, where students can also take classes (or live). Where are the other two? One is our Maywood Campus where Stritch School of Medicine is located and one is the John Felice Rome Center in Rome, Italy.

8. Visiting during the week is a challenge given your schedule.
We offer regularly scheduled visits any Monday through Saturday. Attend a group presentation and go on a student-led campus tour. But I want to let you know that the Saturday Open House programs are really geared toward helping you in the college selection process—by putting them on a weekend and making sure everyone is on hand to answer your questions.

7. Your Mom and Dad have questions too.
Great! This is exactly why we have so many faculty, staff, and students on hand to make sure that all the details are addressed. Saturdays may work better for your family too!

6. Everyone seems to know their major but you.
First, you don’t have to know your major. Roughly 20% of any incoming freshman class is undecided and many more will change their minds once if not multiple times. Why not take advantage of Loyola’s large department fair where each College/School and their different academic departments are available with current students and top faculty to answer your questions? This happens only twice in the fall!

Want to know more? Sign up for one of Loyola’s upcoming open houses! I’ll be back next week with the remaining top ten reasons to attend an open house.