April 2015 – Page 2 – College Admission at Loyola

Finals Week and Final Roman Adventures

By | April 23, 2015

Somehow this semester slipped past me and now here I am trying to write end of the semester papers and study for finals…in Rome. It’s hard enough to push through finals week in Chicago and now I’m finding it even harder here. My classes are starting to feel like actual classes and I have to prepare to fly back to the States in just one week. Where did my semester go?

My course load definitely isn’t as intense as usual because I am taking less credits this semester. The harder part about my finals week is going to be balancing my studies with finishing off my Roman Bucket List. I lucked out with a pretty good finals schedule that should allow me ample time for sight-seeing…assuming of course I get this 2,000 word essay finished.

My friends and I worked out a schedule so that we can make the most of this last week abroad:

THURSDAY: The last day of classes at the JFRC is followed up by the End of Semester Banquet. “A Night Among the Ruins” more lovingly referred to as JFRC Prom, will be the last time that all of the students, faculty, and Student Life Assistants will be together as one big group. We’ll celebrate an absolutely incredible semester with good Italian food, an awards ceremony, and some really great people.

FRIDAY: The JFRC’s Fine Arts Festival begins on Friday. Early in the afternoon students who earned the International Leadership Certificate will give poster presentations to the administration about their leadership experience abroad. At 5 that evening is the JFRC players performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (which I’m in!), using the JFRC’s courtyard as our stage. This performance is followed by an art exhibit from the sculpture class and fiction readings from the writing fiction course.

SATURDAY: Final exams begin! All students will be taking their Italian exams on Saturday and to celebrate crossing final #1 off the agenda my friends and I plan to celebrate by going out to dinner at a Roman restaurant we have yet to visit.

SUNDAY: For a bit of a study break 2 of my friends and I planned a day trip to Pompeii–one Italian destination we had yet to visit. Don’t worry though, we’ll be studying on the train.

MONDAY: It’ll be back to the books for most of us (especially for me as I have 2 tests on Tuesday). So I see potential for a mid-afternoon gelato break. That evening the Fine Arts Festival continues with vocal performances from the voice class and a viewing of the short films created by the film class.

TUESDAY: My last day of testing with finals for my European Novel course and my Italy Culture and Context course. Hopefully there will be time for an afternoon nap to refuel and go on a Roman adventure that evening–I’m thinking about finding a good spot to watch the sunset over the Eternal City.

WEDNESDAY: One of my friends is done early with her finals as well so we’ll spend the day exploring the city. The number one sight on our list is “The Keyhole”–a literal keyhole on a gate that perfectly frames a view of St. Peter’s Basillica.

THURSDAY: By this point hopefully I will have started the expedition that is packing my suitcase for the journey home and making sure my room is all cleaned up before spending one last night in the city. One of our SLAs mapped out a walking tour of Rome (gelato stops included) that hits all of the major sights. So I’ll have a chance to say good-bye to Roma–for now anyway.

Friday morning the entire JFRC has to be cleared out by 10 in the morning and all 235 of us will be on to our next adventures. Some are staying in Europe for another week or so, a few spending most of the summer here, and then there’s those of us (like me) who will be returning to the States. See you in a week, America!

Study Spots: Mundelien

By Samantha Eddmeiri | April 22, 2015

Happy Dead week, everyone!

If you’re reading this you’re probably procrastinating very very very hard, and to be quite honest I don’t blame you. This week is stressful and not fun for anyone, including your professors.

While everyone is preparing for finals, one thing that I really have found an issue is the lack of places to study. People are coming out of the woodwork, and even the places that are usually empty are packed full. It’s not a huge surprise, as this apparently is a trend that starts around this time, but it can be frustrating.

One of the places that I’ve found really good for studying, however, is Mundelien. It has Palm Court, which granted won’t have as much space due to the weather not allowing patio use, that includes a study area or a place for you to zone out and relax while looking at Loyola’s gorgeous campus. Additionally, it has a lot of empty classrooms that you can study in. throughout next week, classrooms will be available, however if a class starts to come in, you obviously must leave and find different space.

Additionally, it has a cafe on the first level that you can go to and get snacks, sushi, and refreshments at. Across from the cafe, there is a room filled with comfy chairs and sofas for you to zone out in.

Recorded Lectures: a love and hate relationship

By Stephanie Rodriguez | April 22, 2015

I cringe every time a professor tells me that they record his or her lectures. Why? Well, at that point, he or she is giving me the chance to not listen. I am tempted and the struggle is real. However, I understand why the professors do it. I really do! I love hand writing all of my notes. I am a fast writer, but sometimes I cannot get every single word that the professor is saying. Sometimes, it is so difficult to understand what he or she is saying. Sometimes, my thought processes are faster than my typing. There are pros and cons to every method of note taking. This is why recorded lectures have been very beneficial to me as well.

When reading my notes, I find uncompleted sentences and sometimes I do not even understand my own handwriting! However, these recorded lectures do allow me to follow my notes and clarify what the professor was saying. This is a pro, right! This is like listening to the lecture twice. Then, there are other days…

…Days which I find myself just sitting in class. Sitting in class and that is all. I am not listening to a single word the professor is saying. This is just very easy to do since I know that I can just listen to lecture later at home. To me this is a con because it is not fair for the professor or for you. The professor is obviously trusting that you will still listen in class, regardless whether she uploads the lecture or not. This is why I cringe every single time a professor says that he or she will record the lecture. It is a love and hate relationship! Do you love it more or hate it more? Please leave your comments below. What are your thoughts on this?

I think that recorded lectures are great for reference use while studying, but you cannot solely rely on them! I understand how some commuters appreciate this because accidents happen and sometimes they are unable to make it to class. We are all old enough to understand that recorded lectures are not substitutions for class time. We should still go to class, right?

Care for Self

By | April 22, 2015

As my first year of college comes to an end, I find myself instinctively reflecting upon the two semesters I have spent here at Loyola. With inexplicable certainty, I have come to the conclusion that, although I may not be able to ‘feel’ it in a palpable way, the Student Promise has become a significant theme in my life, forming the guideposts by which I judge myself. Sitting down with a handful of dark chocolate M&Ms, I introspectively gauge the choices I have made along my college path since first arriving late last summer, new to college life, new to the Loyola, and new to fabulous city that now feels like home.

Of the three parts to the Promise, caring for self is the pillar I put the least amount of effort into, thus allowing it to slip through my fingers. Having taken on so many different commitments, I became so busy that ‘tired’ became a constant state of existence. I barely had time to get a full night’s sleep, let alone to complete my assignments for class. Allowing myself to get overexcited about Loyola’s ‘candy store’ of campus events and activities, and not stemming my enthusiasm with an appropriate amount of pragmatism, resulted in “too much on my plate,” and took a toll on my grades, especially this semester. As much as I love “getting involved,” I had spread myself so thin that by March, I felt burned out and wanted to drop everything. However, because I had made a personal commitment to these organizations, I feel it is my responsibility to uphold all obligations until the end of the semester. So, for now, a good night’s sleep remains in the category called “wishful thinking.”.

I know it may sound selfish, but the impact of leaving time to relax and be alone is huge. I thought being busy meant being productive all the time, but this misconception resulted in my incapacity to be productive at all. One of the most helpful self-help phrases in a situation like this is “It’s okay to say no.” I need to learn to say no when, like sweets in a candy store, everything offering on the student activities board calls out temptingly, “Choose me!” Since [registration is] next week, I have decided to prioritize next year’s commitments, narrowing them down to a number of hours I can realistically handle. As my friend Victoria always reminds me, “It is quality not quantity that matters.” So while I feel sad to be retreating from several activities due to time constraints, I know that doing so is good time management and ensures some allocated time for Me, a lifestyle factor that deserves much more importance than I had previously given it.

Last week, I decided to complete the 100 Happy Days Challenge, encouraged by a good friend who attests to the difference it made in her life. The challenge consists of posting a picture of a happy moment every single day, as a self-reminder to focus on the maybe small, but good things in life. Since starting the Challenge, I have noticed myself looking for and appreciating that happy moment every day.

My advice to all, including the Happy person in the mirror: With finals in sight, the work load piling up, and sleep deprivation becoming a norm, caring for self is increasingly crucial in order to make sure those all-nighters you have been pulling won’t be the reason you’re stuck in bed during exams week!

Images from: http://vegenistaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/truthbomb_375-1.png

http://www.saratmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Creating-a-Culture-of-Self-Care-for-Physicians-C.jpg

Lyric Opera’s Carousel

By | April 22, 2015

This past Friday night, I had the wonderful opportunity of seeing the Lyric Opera’s production of Carousel—for free! In this post, I’m going to tell you all about this stunning performance and how I scored free tickets—and how you can too! (Or at least discounted tickets).

Last week, I saw a contest through a company I follow on Twitter called Choose Chicago. The contest was to win two free tickets to see Carousel on April 16th, 17th, or 18th! All we had to do was tweet in saying why we would like to see the show, and a winner would be selected from the pool of entries! Me being a musical theatre buff entered why I wanted to see this amazing production (the sets, music, stars) and was selected as the winner! I usually do not win things, so this was extremely exciting for me! My roommate and I decided upon attending the performance on Friday night, April 17th.

Let me tell you a little about the show. Carousel is the composing duo Rogers and Hammerstein’s second musical, written and premiering on Broadway in 1945. The show is about a misguided love story between a young carnival goer and a carousel barker. The whole entire production was absolutely stunning. The sets were huge and breathtakingly beautiful, the songs were so catchy and sung well, and the dancing was mesmerizing. The storyline was wonderfully written and portrayed, and had many hilarious moments! I found myself laughing and crying within the course of two hours! Quite possibly the most amazing thing about this show, however, is that the two stars are Broadway and television famous! The leading man was Steven Pasquale, who has appeared in some movies but is most recently popular for starring in The Bridges of Madison County on Broadway and guest starring in CBS’s The Good Wife. The leading lady was Laura Osnes, who has multiple Broadway credits including Cinderella in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Sandy in Grease, Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde, Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes, and much more! They were both absolutely stunning to see live, and I am still in awe of Steven Pasquale’s singing of “Soliloquy”.

After the show, my roommate and I waited at the stage door to meet the actors! I got awkward selfies with both leads, and also had them sign my show program. They were both really kind, and although they were swamped, made time to say hi to as many of us as they could! I’m so honored to have met such talented people!

If you have an interest in seeing this production of Carousel at the Lyric Opera Chicago, there are many ways to get discounted tickets before the show closes on May 3rd! They are offering a discount for Earth Day until the 28th, where tickets are $39 with the promo code “EARTH”. There is also a student rush tomorrow, Thursday April 23rd, where college students can get tickets for only $20 at lyricopera.org/next. They also offer 50% off rush tickets two hours before curtain with the promo code “RUSH50”. They also have a contest going where anyone who takes a picture with an advertisement for Carousel and posts it on twitter to the Lyric Opera page can win free tickets! You have until Friday at noon to enter using the hashtag #CSLAroundTown.

So, as you can see, there are many opportunities for you to see this amazing production for a cheap price! It truly was an amazing show, and I’d recommend it to anyone! Go see it before it heads to Broadway! ☺

I See the IC

By | April 21, 2015

Finally after the end to the brutal winter weather, the two fountains in front of the IC are now turned on! For some people, this officially marks the beginning of spring/summer with warm weather, vibrant colors of budding flowers, fresh green grass, and bright blue skies. At this point of the school year, the IC is usually packed with students studying for their final exams next week, completing papers in the writing center, and practicing presentations in the study rooms. Needless to say, it is pretty hectic.

To others, people see these things as a pretty typical definition of college life. To me, I see success-in-the-making. I see bright minds at work on completing their major and minor requirements such as accounting, psychology, biochemistry, international studies, and last but not least, health systems management. I see future lawyers, teachers, accountants, doctors, artists, and more. I now understand how much time and effort students, especially at Loyola, must put in to do well in school and ultimately have a prosperous career. As my biology teacher always says, “Hard work pays off,” I too believe that academic dedication will one day be truly gratifying.

As I digress, I am relieved that my first year of college is almost done. So many things have happened since August- good and bad (my final blog post next week will cover my reflection of freshman year). As I continue through this week, I must give in all my effort for my classes to finish off the year strong. I know I can do it. Hard work pays off.

Spring on Campus

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | April 21, 2015

There is nothing better than Spring time on campus when all of the snow has melted away and the flowers begin to bloom. Even on a cloudy or rainy day, Loyola’s campus looks beautiful. Below I’m sharing some of my favorite photos of campus this season:

Tulips bloom near the Mundelein Center Fountain at Lake Shore Campus. Photo Credit: Lindsy Fagerstrom

Taking in the view of the East Quad at the Lake Shore Campus. Photo Credit: @marcellobdm via Instagram

Enjoying the view of the Information Commons at the Lake Shore Campus. Photo Credit: @m1ggyy via Instagram

Trees being to bloom outside of Cudahy Hall at the Lake Shore Campus. Photo Credit: @wheresjennau via Instagram

The sun reflects over Lake Michigan at the Lake Shore Campus. Photo Credit: Christina Hernandez

If these photos haven’t sold you on Loyola, come visit campus for yourself! If you’re an admitted student who’s ready to commit to Loyola, submit your deposit now before May 1st!

Loyola Alumni Video

By Stephanie Rodriguez | April 19, 2015

I may be too excited to graduate, as I am already looking up alumni YouTube videos, but I wanted to share this awesome video with you all! 🙂

The end of my internship

By Stephanie Rodriguez | April 19, 2015

Last Wednesday was the last day of my internship at Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation. It was difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I had been interning for 3x a week for a total of 3 months. I do not know how 3 months went by so quickly! It was so sad to leave all of my good friends at Bear Necessities. The amount of time and effort they put into granting a “Bear experience” for a child with cancer is beyond amazing!

I never realized how time consuming it is to plan an experience with someone. We have to make many calls to find someone who is willing to help us with donations (trust me, there are people out there who are not willing to help). I have gained so much knowledge during my short time at Bear Necessities. I became a pro at sales-force and filing/sending non-profit paper work. I learned how to talk to businessmen and leave very detailed 10-second voice-mails. I learned that you do not stop at a no. I learned how a desperate and helpless mother sounds like, but I also learned how happy a child can sound like. I learned that people are not nice, but I learned that some are willing to give more than they have.

This internship, not only brightened me with new knowledge, but it touched me spiritually. Working as a Certified Nurses’ Assistant for 5 years, I became very good at talking to family members after the death of a father or mother. I became good at this because this was all I would see. I was able to talk about the wonderful life that this person lived, and reminisced with the other family members about his or her life. But what do you say to mothers who have lost their one year old? This internship opened up challenges, but nonetheless made more conscious about a different aspect on life.

I am happy to say that my time with Bear Necessities is not completely over, yet. I loved this internship so much that the 20 hours a week was something I looked forward to every week. I believe that it emanated to them because I was asked if I could keep volunteering with the Spanish-speaking families. All I have to do is make calls and translate; of course, I said yes! I look forward to this new adventure, because the excitement on the kids’ voices is indescribable! Next week, is my first week making phone calls with the Spanish-speaking families; I will keep you updated 🙂

Taking Our Turn With International Leadership

By | April 19, 2015

Before I set out for my semester abroad people told me that my experience would be one of the most enriching experiences of my life–and an experience that would look good on a resume. I planned on coming abroad regardless of adding a line to my resume, but when I first got here I wasn’t sure how exactly I could even put my study abroad experience into a few sentences that would get me hired. I didn’t think that “Studied in Rome and had the time of her life” would translate quite how I wanted it to. But the John Felice Rome Center had my back this semester and thanks to a new program I easily earned a certificate that allows me to put “Study Abroad” on my resume that says more than “I experienced Italy for 4 months”.

This semester Student Life Assistant Jessica and the JFRC’s Director Emilio Iodice put into place the JFRC Student Life Leadership Certificate. The goal of this certificate was to offer students something tangible to market their study abroad experience with by participating in activities and organizations they would have been involved in regardless. To earn the certificate students had to complete 4 of the following: Enroll in Emilio Iodice’s leadership course, be a member of Student Activities Committee and organize or lead an event, participate in calcio as a captain or commissioner, go on the WWII study trip, write a reflection paper in any format (as in this blog post!), volunteer at panini distribution or the Ronald McDonald House, or attend two of the four monthly leadership workshops. Then at the end of the semester (this coming Friday, actually) students will give poster presentations reflecting on their leadership experiences from the semester.

This certificate has enriched my study abroad experience by allowing me to market the past four months of my life in a positive way to future employers, so that they know I did more than prance around Europe seeing sights and eating good food. All of the programs and clubs that counted towards my certificate are things I would’ve been involved in anyway this semester. And now I’ve got proof that I was enriched as a person and of course as a leader this semester.

“Global Leadership” is an intimidating term that I’ve heard tossed around here and there, but now I’ve realized that this term is much more accessible than I thought. My time here has shown me that a good leader is a good leader no matter where in the world they are. And when you become a “Global Leader” you are certainly more aware of the world and more willing to adapt yourself to someone else’s culture in order to lead to the best of their ability. I don’t think I could pinpoint all the ways I’ve been changed this semester, but when I get home I know it will be obvious to others and myself that my time abroad impacted my life in positive ways.