Month: September 2013

Summer in Ohio

Summer in Ohio

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My last summer as a college student was bittersweet! I tried to make the most of every moment because I knew next summer I would (hopefully!) be employed or in graduate school.

I spent my summer back in Kirtland, Ohio (just 20 minutes outside of Cleveland) with my parents, brother, sister, and cute puppy, Marley. I worked at a breakfast restaurants on the weekends and some weekdays as a server.

I did a lot during my four month break, but I thought I’d narrow down my favorite events of the summer.

1. Birthdays on Birthdays on Birthdays! Most of my high school friends have late April or summer birthdays, so it was a lot of fun to celebrate together, just like old times. Next up is the baby of the group, me! I turn 21 next week!

2. My cousins wedding: My oldest cousin Ashley got married this summer. It was a beautiful wedding with the reception located at The City Club in downtown Cleveland- an amazing venue. It was the hottest day of the summer, so their wedding pictures right by Lake Erie were a little uncomfortable!

3. Cedar Point: Every year, my dad’s side of the family goes to Cedar Point, the greatest amusement park in the world! It’s a tradition that has been going on for 25 years, and it’s not stopping anytime soon! My favorite ride will always be the Magnum roller coaster. It’s a smooth ride with no spinning or going upside down – right up my alley.

4. Lounging by my grandparent’s pool: Almost every day that I didn’t work, you could find me lounging by my grandparent’s beautiful pool. It was often very relaxing, but other times it was crazy and hectic (which I also liked) as my five youngest cousins would come over with a bunch of their friends.  Either way, it was one of my favorite parts of the summer.

My last summer as an undergraduate student at Loyola was fantastic! I always enjoy my summers in Ohio. There’s no place like home!

The Third Week Of Classes

The Third Week Of Classes

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Somehow time has once again fooled me into believing that I had more time than I thought. I can not believe that it is already the third week of classes!

If you ask me, it still feels like the first week, or the infamous “syllabus week”.

This is a wonderful week during which professors spend class time going over the class rules and expectations and there is little to no work involved. So you can imagine the bitter surprise when I looked in my to-do notebook and realized that yes, in fact this is the third week and things are really starting to pick up!

The first items on my agenda that I noticed were my extracurricular activities that begin this week. I’ve been enjoying my semester with classes that get done between 12:00 and 2:00, which means that I have the rest of the day for myself. But this time of extra sleep, extra workouts, extra reading is slowly coming to an end. I will now babysit until 6:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a family of three children, the same family that I babysat for last year. Loyola’s chapter of UNICEF is starting up its weekly meetings from 7:00-8:00 on Tuesdays. And finally my Wednesdays are taken up by tutoring at Jordan Elementary through L4C for a couple hours right after class.

While all of these commitments may mean that I will get less sleep and feel a little more stressed, I enjoy doing them and always manage to adjust to the busy schedule so that i survive. Plus, being involved in campus organizations is usually really fun and a great way to constantly meet new people.

 

Summer in the City

Summer in the City

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It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me that I’m already a sophomore, and yet here we are. Watching the new freshmen begin their lives here makes me realize how much I’ve changed in only a short year at Loyola.

But before I get all sentimental on you, I’ll fill you in on my summer.

I couldn’t bear to say goodbye to Chicago for 4 months, and decided to stay for June and July on a full-time paid internship with Loyola’s University Marketing & Communications department. After a relaxing, much-needed month home with my family, I was back to the grind in the city.

Working in the city without the safe bubble and routine of school gave me a real glimpse of adulthood. Working a 9-5, paying rent on a sublease, and (get ready for it….) buying my own groceries is a very different experience than the one I had last year living in Chicago as a student with a residence hall, class schedule and a meal plan. My internship not only gave me valuable career experience, but it taught me how to really take care of myself.

At my internship, I worked as a writer for the Advancement division. I wrote articles for Loyola Magazine (our alumni publication), proofread and wrote and brainstormed for literature to be sent out to our Rambler alumni. The job, which I expect to have all four years of undergrad, gave me an interest in a major I hadn’t ever considered: Advertising and Public Relations. I realized that I love the creative process of it and writing in a different way than I am used to. I haven’t decided to switch yet but it is something I am seriously considering. Advice to incoming freshman: you have time to change your mind, and be open to it!

What was strange about my summer was having what seemed like unlimited amounts of free time. Two months without homework or rehearsal meant I could fully experience Chicago. I went to the Art Institute, on an architectural boat tour, shopped on Michigan Ave, saw shows in the city and just relaxed. The summer made me fall in love with my city even more. Now that I’m back to the grind, I really appreciate the time I had then.

I came home in August to go on vacation in Saugatuck, Michigan with my family, which was mainly spent lounging on the beach. Midwesterners, I have to recommend Michigan for your summer vacation.

Now that I’m back, I’ve started rehearsals for Loyola’s Mainstage production of Lost in Yonkers, which opens at the end of September. I’m so excited to get back into theatre. Being insanely busy at the start of the semester will soon pay off. Anyone close to the city should definitely come see the show!

 

My view of the city from the architectural boat tour!

 

Photo Time!

Photo Time!

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I want to upload some photographs from this summer to give you guys more of a visual of what I was up to. These photos capture just several of the awesome days I had these past few months.

Spring Awakening 2013– I didn’t take many photos so this isn’t the best representation of Spring Awakening, but the concert was great. Seeing Krewella play was the only reason I went, and I am so happy that I got the opportunity.

I saw fireworks twice this summer, and this was one of the days. Many people know that while the weather is nice outside during the summer, Navy Pier has fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday night. I went to see them one of the nights, and though it was raining and slightly chilly outside, they were beautiful. The whole time they were going (which was only about 15 minutes), Jimmy Buffett‘s music was playing and several times I caught the fireworks shooting to the beat of the songs.


These three photos were taken at Brookfield Zoo where my boyfriend took me to celebrate my 21st birthday. I had only been there once when I was much younger and I had been talking about going to the zoo for weeks so it was a wonderful surprise. We walked through the entire zoo and saw nearly everything, from all the cats, the bears, monkeys, reptiles, wolves, and my favorite- dolphins! Next time I go, I hope to see the dolphin show.

This last photo I’m posting was taking during my last fishing trip in Utica. It may just be a photo of a little fire going, but this fire took over an hour to get going at about four in the morning by four people who hadn’t slept yet. Needless to say, it was an interesting fishing trip even if it wasn’t really a successful one.

All That’s Left of Summer Is Some Blogs

All That’s Left of Summer Is Some Blogs

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We’re back in session for the 2013/2014 school year! Who’s excited? Even if you’re not, I hope you aren’t too upset that summer is over. Summer was nice, but my favorite season is Fall so I’m happy that school has started up again.

There will be plenty of time ahead to blog about this semester, so I’m going to tell you all a little about what I was up to this summer.

Most of my summer was spent working at XSport Fitness as front desk staff. When I wasn’t working, I spent time exploring the outskirts of Chicago with my boyfriend. Before May, I mainly knew Chicago as downtown and what I passed when I was on the different CTA lines. I rarely saw Chicago west of the Kennedy Expressway. This summer though, I finally got past my unintentional boundaries.

Aside from exploring more of Chicago by driving around, several of my favorite discoveries included the following:

1. On a clear day, the Chicago skyline can be seen from Bensenville out near O’Hare Airport

2. Harlem Irving Plaza– to people that frequent the “HIP”, this may seem lame, but other than Watertower Place and 900 North, this is the only mall I’ve seen in Chicago. I love going to malls because they are all so unique on the inside, and the HIP is no exception. I didn’t see much of it, but I liked that to get into the mall, you go through an entrance where you take an escalator down from the outdoor parking lot.

3. I learned to fish in August and took several trips for fishing. I went to Fox River, Lake Michigan and Utica, IL. It’s a very quiet and peaceful activity that took me outdoors for some fresh air, even if all I could catch were logs. One of these days I’m hoping to catch a real fish instead of just feeding them my bait. Maybe tomorrow!

4. Country music- I’ve listened to country tunes for years and have some of my favorites bands and musicians, but listening to county music on the radio day after day really made me listen to it and appreciate it more. My iTunes has greatly expanded due to the extensive list of country songs I added to it this summer, like one of my new favorite songs, “I Want Crazy” by Hunter Hayes.

5. I went to quite a few restaurants and small food places this summer that opened up my taste buds. My healthy eating unfortunately came to a halt at the beginning of summer because there became too many temptations for me to pass up. Several places that were new to me were Longhorn Steakhouse, Roma’s, Twin Gyros and Outback Steakhouse. I tried lots of delicious food, some that I’ve had before at other places, and some that were completely new. One of my new favorite treats, courtesy of Roma’s, is Watermelon Italian Ice- delicious!

Tips for College Fair Attendance

Tips for College Fair Attendance

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Oh man, it’s been a minute since I last blogged. But the Fall is upon us again which means another admission cycle and more importantly, COLLEGE FAIR SEASON!

While College Fair Season isn’t an official season like Summer or Fall, there are a number exciting things about the start of this time of year. College fairs are one of the best ways to see and learn about a large number of universities in one foul swoop. They’re also a great way to get excited about the prospect of higher education.

But just like any season there are adjustments that need to be made. And that’s why I’m here. I’m here to give you some tips and pointers to maximizing your college fair experience. Let’s dive on in:

Do Some Pre-Planning– Most fairs have a list of institutions attending well before the start of the fair. If you can, check out the list and note the top school you’re interested in. Then, mark some schools you’ve heard of and want to know more about. When you arrive to the actual fair grab a map and head to your top schools first (but don’t run) then your secondary schools. Once you’re done with those wonder around for a bit. Explore some places you’ve never heard of and grab their information. The point of these fairs is to learn more about the schools you’re interested in and to explore others you may have never heard of before.

Think of Some Questions Before Attending– You don’t need to have a list of written questions you ask to every table you visit, but having a couple pre-thought questions will help you utilize your time properly. Asking simple fact questions (like size, minimum requirements etc) can be avoided since most of those answers are in the hand-out materials. Instead ask more in depth questions like, “what makes your school unique?” or “what are some of the popular and active student groups on campus?” Asking these types of questions will help paint a more well-rounded picture of the college or university beyond stats /figures. If you’re stumped on what questions to ask, see your college counselor. They are a wealth of information in all aspects of the college search.

Avoid Asking, “How good is your X program?” and “What do I have to have to have get into your university?”– These are my least favorite questions to receive at a college fair. They’re difficult questions to answer when they’re phrased that way. How do you want me to judge good? How do you judge good? And when you ask about minimum requirements for admission you might be missing other (equally important) aspects of application review. Luckily, there are two extremely easy ways to ask these questions and receive the same information. Ask, “Can you please tell me more about your X program?” This allows the admission representative to tell you about the curriculum, student involvement and accolades a program might have received. The other is, “How do you review applications for admission?” This allows the admission rep to explain the  whole process beyond just the numbers.

Snatch and Grab Politely– If you want to be strictly business at these fairs, go for it. But if you’re going to just grab information from a table then go to the next please be polite about it. When you approach the table smile and say “hello” grab what you’d like then say “thank you.” Most counselors understand your time is precious and you probably have other things you need to worry about that night. But, running through the fair grabbing anything you can is not cool.

Enjoy The Fair– Seems like hokey advice, but it’s still valuable. I see too many stressed out parents and students at my fairs. They run around the fair grabbing everything they can and talking with absolutely every school. If that’s what you want to do, go for it. But, I think people lose sight of the fact that we (admission reps) are there to serve them. The college fair is your time to explore and learn more. Don’t feel like to need to get to the fair right as it starts and stay until it ends. Use your time the way you want to. Ask questions, walk around casually, see a variety of schools and make connections with admission counselors. Most importantly, enjoy this whole college search experience.

Loyola’s admission counselors will be out all over the country over the next couple of weeks. To read more about each counselor and their respective territory check out this page.

The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End

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It is my senior year at Loyola University Chicago. Typing the sentence itself for my last first post as an undergraduate student is still surreal.

This year I am looking forward to begin the steps needed to embark on the next chapter in my life. I will be enrolled in graduate school, hopefully in the fall of 2o14.

With the help of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, facilitated through the Graduate School, I have begun the process to prepare for my post-graduate education as well as gain research experience.

Conducting this research this past summer has been similar to peeling off the layers of an onion. Every macro idea thus far reveals many micros that cannot be explored in nine weeks.

Why spend time behind the computer exploring the “virtual world” that is New African Social Media? The advent of African youth having the space to show creativity and to share it through virtual communities hits home. Producers are able to communicate and share what they believe Africa was like in the past, what Africa is like in the present, and what Africa will be in the future. New African Social Media is an example of how new forms of media impact culture. Those within this “virtual world” are able to re-appropriate content and attach new meaning to the content they create or share.

With this, it is interesting to unpack how this content differs from Africa-content material in mainstream media. New African Social Media allows producers and consumers to shed a different light on what Africa means and is to them: diverse, progressive, and positive. People are given the freedom to be bold to create, report, and share what they do not see in mainstream media; as well as to give a more balanced view of what occurs on and off the continent.

So far in my research, I have found that people most popularly share visually contextual content that depicts people, daily life, and women. The peeling of this onion continues as I unpack the why, how, where, and when of these findings.

Luckily, with the help of my faculty mentor, I am currently continuing what I started this summer through an independent study. I look forward to interviewing participants to learn their perspective on this topic.

With my research aside, my class schedule is light compared to semesters past. I have a little more free time to study for the GRE, as well as catch up with friends; especially those who studied abroad last semester.

I know that this is the beginning of the end of my undergraduate career at Loyola. My senior year will flash right before my eyes, but I will savor every moment of it.

Coming Home From A Summer Abroad

Coming Home From A Summer Abroad

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I’m home! I’m back to my home at Loyola as well as my home in America. I spent the summer abroad in Ghana, Africa. I was in Ghana for two and a half months, both volunteering and studying abroad. I studied through a program called USAC that Loyola partners with to help students go global.

I spent the first month of my time in Ghana volunteering at an orphanage that also functions as a primary school during the day. I helped take care of the children there in the mornings/evenings and during the day I had the opportunity to help teach. It was definitely one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life. I volunteered through a program called IVHQ. They are a relatively cheap organization that has program sites all over the world.

After my time at the orphanage I moved to the capital city of Ghana which is Accra. I lived in a student hostel on the campus of the University of Ghana. I took 6 summer credits while there: African Literature, African Music and Dance, and a Service Learning. For my service learning I worked with a local NGO called S.I.S.S. or Self-help Initiative Support Services. S.I.S.S. works with people who live in the slums in Accra. It puts them through a program that not only teaches them about vital things such as work ethic and motivation but each participant learns a trade that they are able to make money off of after they graduate from the program. Some of these trades include things such as bead making, batik fabric making, and catering.

I also had the opportunity to travel almost every weekend. I spent some weekends on Ghana’s beautiful beaches, visited the Cape Coast Castle where slaves were held before being shipped to the Americas, saw elephants in the northern regions and monkeys in the eastern regions. I also was able to take a weekend off of traveling toward the end of my trip and make it back to the orphanage to visit the children that I had grown so close with.

I did so many amazing things in Ghana and had so many experiences that I could not go into detail about in this post. But don’t worry! I will definitely write another blog or two describing some of my experiences in more detail in the near future. In the meantime, welcome back to school and I hope you are adjusting better than I am! I still need to get my notebooks!

Children playing at the orphanage.
Elephants in Ghana!

College Essays

College Essays

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It’s officially application season! Loyola University Chicago‘s 2014 application is live, so be sure to start your application right away. While December 1st (the priority deadline) is still pretty far away, you don’t want to wait until the last minute to submit your application or your required supporting documents.  Loyola’s application requirements include: submission of the online application, all high school transcripts, either an SAT or ACT score (Loyola’s code for the SAT is 1412, and the ACT code is 1064), a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor, and a writing sample.

To clarify a little confusion about our application – Loyola does require a writing sample! The writing sample or essay is necessary in order for your application to be considered complete for review. You will have the option to upload your essay AFTER you submit your application on your applicant status page. As an admission counselor, I think I receive more questions about the essay than any other component of the application, so hopefully my tips below will help:

  • Choose the Right Topic: At Loyola, we do not have a specific question or prompt that is required for the essays. I personally love that it’s open-ended because it gives students the opportunity to be creative with their writing. The essay is really a chance for students to talk to us; to tell us more about themselves that we do not necessarily see from their applications. I receive excerpts of: research papers, essays written for class, poetry, short stories, personal statements, explanations of past hardships, future goals and many more. Many students choose to write about topics they’re passionate about (which are my favorite because you can pickup on their enthusiasm), volunteer experiences, part time jobs, their favorite classes, inspirational family members/teachers/friends, travel abroad, favorite sports or extracurricular activities. And some essay that are just truly random. One of the best essays I read this past year was about skittles (yes, a very random topic) but it was incredibly engaging and well-written. So, don’t be afraid to get a little creative. However, if you are going with a more random topic, be sure that the topic is appropriate!
  • Watch Your Word Count: When writing essays or choosing an essay to submit, keep the length requirement in mind. At Loyola, we require a 500 word essay, so do not submit a 200 word essay or a 1000 word essay. While I do not count each individual word you submit, you don’t want to stray too far from the word limit. We’re looking to see if you can be concise & direct in your writing, so don’t ramble on simply to fill up the page! If you are looking to use an essay  or research paper that you’ve previously written and it’s over 500 words, that’s fine – just choose an excerpt of that approximate length (we will understand that this is likely not the full piece of work).
  • Proofread: The most common mistake students tend to make is not proofreading their essays, which are filled with silly spelling and grammatical errors. I always recommend that you proofread your essay a day or two after writing it so you are looking at it from a fresh perspective. I’d also recommend that you have your classmates, parents or teachers look it over for any mistakes.
  •  Submit the Right Essay: Another common mistake students make- submitting the wrong essay. Students will have several different college essays saved to their computers and will accidentally submit the wrong one. My tip for this problem- always clearly name your documents and label each essay for the appropriate college. If you’re using the same essay for several schools (which is fine to do if the essay is appropriate for each one), be sure to switch out the school’s name or any specific information that would apply to one university. If you do by chance send in the wrong essay, email your admission counselor right away to see if you can correct your mistake.

If you have any questions about the application process don’t hesitate to reach out the Undergraduate Admission office at 1-800-262-2373 or via email at admission@luc.edu. Best of luck to everyone with their essays!

You Can Call Me MC

You Can Call Me MC

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As a newcomer to the Loyola blog-isphere, I figured it was a good idea to start with a short introduction.  So here it is – a brief glimpse into my life at Loyola!

I am currently a senior majoring in English and Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, with a minor in Sociology.  Being a double major is no walk in the park, but having an interest in what I am studying certainly makes the homework load seem much more bearable.  I am on track with graduate in May 2014, and I am looking to go law school soon after.

Over my three years at Loyola, I have increasingly involved myself in things outside the classroom.  One of my true passions in life is people, and doing what I can to serve others.  Recognizing my role as a member of my Loyola community, but also a citizen of the larger global community, has given me a determination to give back.  On campus, I am on the leadership board of UNICEF and Loyola 4 Chicago.  I am also part of the planning team of an annual non-profit event called Christmas on Campus that serves the children in urban areas of Chicago that might not have a traditional Christmas experience.  Service and social justice have become very important to me, and Loyola is great at supporting those interests.

When I’m not on campus, I am taking advantage of life in the Windy City!  There are so many things to do, and sometimes it seems like four years is just not enough time to do them all.  I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio, so I came into college with the impression that I was somewhat adjusted to life in a city.  The two cities could not be more different.  My favorite part of Chicago is that there are always people to meet, places to be, and things to do.  While Cleveland has a special place in my heart, Chicago is certainly my home away from home.

I’m looking forward to living it up in my last year at Loyola.  So throughout my senior year, I’ll be recording all my Chicago adventures in this blog!  Enjoy!