Month: January 2016

Times of Transition

Times of Transition

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Transition: Passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another.

Throughout our lives we all undergo transitions, whether its slow like the changes of age over the years, or fast like moving from your childhood home to someplace completely new. The transition from high school to college I think falls somewhere in the middle. This is something that most of us have been planning or thinking about for a while, an inevitable change that we all must endure if we want to get a degree or lead successful careers. This change does develop slowly, but then all of a sudden it’s happened. One day you’re sitting in your dorm and you realize that everything is officially, finally, irreversible changed.

I’m not trying to scare you. If anything this should be a good thing. The transition from high school to college is often a smooth one. For me it was definitely scary, especially in the weeks leading up to the move, and very much so around the time I had to decide where I would go to college. But moving in and adjusting to my new life was like a new adventure.

If I had to pick the hardest part about the change, I would have to say adapting to new study habits and work styles. Your schedule is not longer 7-3 with maybe a few hours of practice or extracurriculars after school and then homework till you pass out. Yeah I still do homework till I pass out sometimes, but I also do homework at 2 o’clock between classes, or while I eat breakfast, or lunch. At first, this concept was unthinkable. I studied at night. That was how things were, and how I thought they should stay. This of course started to backfire when I realized that my friends wanted to see me at night and I wanted to actually sleep so I could get to my 8 am the next day.

The transition from high school to college is going to be different for everyone, there is no doubt about that, but just because it’s a change doesn’t mean it has to be awful. Like anything in life it will have its ups and downs, and you’ll have good days and bad days, but by the time you get through first semester you’ll be comfortable and college life will be normal for you. So don’t be scared, be excited, and be ready for the amazing adventure ahead.

-Mere

Career Week 2016: Resumes in Review

Career Week 2016: Resumes in Review

Your ticket to the industry, a piece of paper listing your greatest accomplishments, or your rite of passage to adulthood. No matter what you call it, a resume is a vital part of entering “real life”. Something that, for me, is approaching more quickly than I’d like to admit.

Considering the necessity of a good resume when entering the workforce it was a no-brainer for me to attend the resume workshop, an event hosted through Loyola’s School of Communication Career Week.

On Wednesday, 30 communications professionals joined students at the Water Tower Campus’ Lewis Towers for the “Resumes that Pop to the Top” event. Students had the chance to meet with several professionals for resume critiques and career advice. The workshop was “round robin style”, which allowed us about ten minutes with the professionals we met before rotating to someone new.

Prior to the workshop I had thoroughly convinced myself that my resume would need to be completely thrown out and started over based on the critique I received. Thankfully, I was wrong. I had the pleasure of meeting with three different professionals, all of whom offered really helpful advice for not just my resume, but for the start of my career. In general the reactions to my resume were positive, which allowed me to take a huge sigh of relief.

The most common criticism I received was to change the order of my resume, so my most recent experience was showcased first. A piece I hope to add to my resume is a personal statement of sorts at the top. A few short sentences that provide insight into my personality rather than my technical skills is something I can only hope will “pop my resume to the top”.

Now that I’ve reorganized my resume, changed some sentence structure, and gained some insight into the professional world, I feel far more confident in my resume. I was, however, reminded that a strong resume is only one piece of the puzzle and I’ll need an impressive cover letter and interview to complete the picture. Although my resume is solid for now, it is a living document that will even need updating by next fall. But I’ll worry about that when the time comes.

For now, I’ll be grateful for the advice and continue to ask for reviews from others at every opportunity I’m given.

 

From Ohio to the Windy City

From Ohio to the Windy City

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog, A Rambler’s Travels. I created the title inspired by Jonathon Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels to play to the irony of college life here at Loyola. No, I will not be traveling to different dimensions or worlds but I hope to make your transition from home to campus life a little easier. Now that I’ve covered the inspiration of my blog name, I would like to tell you all a little bit about myself. My name is Theresa Amato and I come from a small town of Worthington, Ohio just outside of Columbus, Ohio. I am a sophomore studying Classical Studies and Ceramics & Sculpture with a minor in Latin. During my initial college search, I sought a place that had excellent academics, had a study abroad program, was near a city and held many internship opportunities. Loyola soon became the perfect option.

Although I consider myself to be an adventurous person, being away from home can become difficult for anyone at first. Freshman year, I lived in a building with 400 other people. I had to share my room for the very first time, I didn’t have the resources to make fresh cooked meals everyday and I knew absolutely nobody on campus. Little did I know, Loyola has so many resources that accommodate people like me to this new way of living. During our first week and a half they had trolley rides, a trip to Target,  an organization fair, a new school year festival, get to know you events, poker night (not dealing with real money) and much more. Another great resource was connecting with my R.A. (Residence Assistant). He told me about upcoming events, great places to dine at near Loyola and awesome thrift stores. My last recommendation would be to connect with the people on your floor and in your classes. I found myself becoming lonely but when I began to open up, talk to people and participate in different events, I found that many other people were having a rough transition like I was.

Although most of you have another seven months before attending Loyola, I would suggest thinking about what college experiences you would like to have. Pull up google maps or yelp on a computer and search for fun places to visit in Chicago. If you are bored one day, search around on the Loyola website and see what is going on campus. There are so many opportunities and they can seem overwhelming but think positive and you’ll have the time of your life.

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Life and Relationships in the Digital Age

Life and Relationships in the Digital Age

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Every college student with a smartphone and a potential romantic life knows how quickly the phone, a seemingly innocent communication device, can become a toxic incubator for second-guessing and unnecessary stress. You think you’re a reasonable person, but then you find yourself obsessing over a message marked “read,” wondering why you haven’t received a reply.

Stand-up comedian Aziz Ansari feels your pain. He knows how unpleasant it is to stare impotently at a screen waiting for a message that never arrives. He writes in his book, Modern Romance, “Do I call? Do I text? Do I send a Facebook message? Do I send up a smoke signal? How does one do that? Will I set my rented house on fire? How embarrassed will I be when I have to tell the home’s owner, actor James Earl Jones, that I burned his house down trying to send a smoke signal?”

Technology has changed our lives and the way we interact with one another. Whether it’s for the better, I’m not quite sure. “Social media and the internet are introducing all kinds of new options into social and romantic life. And while it’s exciting, sometimes even exhilarating, to have more choices, it’s not necessarily making life easier,” writes Ansari.

“We live in a culture that tells us we want and deserve the best, and now we have the technology to get.” This perfect thing we’re looking for applies to every aspect of our lives. Unlike in previous generations, where girls married their high school sweetheart, or found a gentleman who was capable of providing for a middle class lifestyle, now, millennials refuse to settle for anything less than someone who is their soulmate, together with whom they can create some sort of perfect harmony. This also applies to something as seemingly simple as looking for a place to have dinner. Let’s say you’re feeling Mexican food. As opposed to just going to the closest place or the first recommendation, you instinctively traverse Yelp, reading all the various reviews, driven to find “something better.” By the time you get through the list and decide on a place, they’re either already closed or completely booked, so you repeat the process to choose another restaurant. You end up being either hungry, because you took too long and everything closed, or, unsatisfied, because you ran out time or simply gave up, and settled for something less than ideal.

So, does technology empower us by giving us access to practically all the possibilities in the world? Or does it overwhelm us and make our lives harder by making everything more complicated? I’m not quite sure. But Aziz Ansari presents a hilarious investigation of this phenomenon in his book.

Chicago and Unpredictable, Crazy Weather

Chicago and Unpredictable, Crazy Weather

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If you are a native Chicagoan, this post heading should not be any surprise to you. Chicago weather, not matter what the news say (even if it’s Tom Skilling), the weather will not be exactly what you expect it to be. The winter season, especially, has been very funky lately. We haven’t had a white Christmas in years and snow does not fall much until late January and much of February.  Luckily, we haven’t had much considerable snowfall yet, or at least not like the northeast states just recently.

The mornings can be super cold and freezing, yet in the afternoon and evening, it can be so warm that you’ll find joggers outside in shorts (and no, I’m not being dramatic).

Especially with Lake Michigan located right next to the Loyola Lakeshore Campus, students experience a lot. From lake effect snow to lake effect winds, or even both, things can get crazy- the lake waves are a visual sign.

One moment in particular, as I remember it, it rained in the morning, hailed in the afternoon, and toward the evening, it rained. Another day, it was so windy that some students fell over the sidewalk and rolled onto the grass ( I may be slightly dramatic here…). Nevertheless, it was funny to see what Chicago weather can do.

One more thing. ‘Snow days’ are rare at LUC. So let’s all assume that we all have sled dogs and snowplow machines as we make commute in the “last-judgement/end of the world” snow blizzard (if it happens).

On a lighter note, LUC students are more/less prepared for any weather. We are strong! The city and Loyola University are prepared for any crazy weather and will make sure sidewalks are shoveled and free of slippery ice. Not much longer, spring will come and then we’ll relax back outside on the quad playing Frisbee and reading books.

Stay Warm!

Here’s to Hoping for Spring 2016

Here’s to Hoping for Spring 2016

 

We’re only one week into a new semester and already things seem to be back to normal on campus. There are plenty of students in the IC on a Sunday afternoon, the downtown campus shuttle is always full, and the Damen Student Center has been busy with student organization meetings all week. At first glance it looks about the same as any other semester, but Spring 2016 has us all in very different places.

The freshmen are starting to find their feet and feel comfortable on campus. The sophomores are embracing their last year of underclassman-ship and are (hopefully) settling on a major. The juniors are buckling down to await senior year with joy, relief, and perhaps a little bit of fear. And the seniors are battling “senioritis” while making sure they pass their classes, make plans for post-graduation, and enjoy their last semester of their undergraduate careers.

So, here we are. Each of us looking at Spring 2016 from different perspectives and all pushing ahead hoping for similar things.

I hope that as we tackle this semester from our different walks of life we find time to enjoy each other and be grateful for our experiences. I hope we find time for weekend naps and coffee shop dates. I hope we get involved on campus and befriend students different from ourselves. I hope we get the grades we want and have a chance to leave this campus better than we found it. I hope we explore Chicago and reach out to our community. I hope that our professors cancel a class or two so that we can sleep in and I hope it doesn’t feel like winter until May. I hope that we find peace in our differences and that the Spring 2016 semester treats us all well.

Let’s see where this one takes us, Ramblers.

 

 

Life at Loyola

Life at Loyola

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Hello to anyone reading this! I’m Meredith Simmons and I’m a Freshman here at Loyola, this is my first post as a LUC admissions blogger so introductions are necessary. I am a marketing major and I grew up in Northwest Indiana about an hour outside the city. I love reading, music and exploring the city. I chose Loyola because I love Chicago and wanted to go to school in the city.

As we enter the second semester of the school year I want to reflect upon my first semester as a Loyola student, and really as a college student! It’s so hard to judge what life is going to be like as a college student. I think that everyone has a preconceived idea of what college will be. Some imagine the classic University from the movies, others imagine fast paced city living, for me I was really unsure of where I wanted to be after high school. I was torn between the fear of missing out on a “normal” college experience if I didn’t go to a big state school and the fear of missing out on the opportunities and excitement of living in the city. I found the perfect balance here at Loyola.

I didn’t know, of course, when I first applied to Loyola, that I would end up loving it as much as I now do (or even that I would end up a Loyola student at all). The decision was difficult, but Loyola became the best option for me. Though, I knew that I would be fine where ever I ended up, my decision to go to school in the city was the best decision I had made in a while. The first semester absolutely flew by, and I know everyone says that, but it’s true.

The adjustment to college classes took me a few weeks. I was truly scared that I wouldn’t adapt well to my new schedule, I think that’s a common fear for anyone starting college, but it didn’t take long for me to find the right balance of fun and work. Going into second semester I have already formed my study habits and found my favorite study spots. You can find me doing homework at Metropolis Coffee Co. or the second floor of Damen any weekend.

Overall I am very happy with my choice to come to Loyola. Everyday I find new reasons to be happy, whether it be with the amazing friends I’ve made or discovering new parts of the city. If you’re a senior in high school considering Loyola, I urge you to visit and take some time to get a feel for the amazing community and location that Loyola has to offer in addition to the phenomenal academic opportunities.

I can’t wait to continue sharing my journey as a Loyola student and am so grateful for the opportunity to write about it for you! See you next time!

-Mere

 

Year in Review: 2015

Year in Review: 2015

Another year has started and the “new year, new me” comments have come in once again. No doubt people will attempt to be a more updated version of themselves- even I.

The entire year of 2015 was a life-changing year- for good and bad (but let’s focus on the ‘good’ portion!).

1) I play the cello now. The cello is such a beautiful instrument that produces a large and resonating sound. I was initially inspired by the cello by The Piano Guys (which I assume you may know or have heard about). Steven Sharp Nelson (the cellist) is so talented and makes cello playing seem so enjoyable, peaceful, and awesome. I am a current student at Old Town School of Folk Music. I am happy to say that I now do not make any shrieking noises! I can play a couple of Bach pieces and hopefully soon, I’ll be able to play one of his famous Suite compositions!

2) I am taking photography more seriously. I am learning how to capture better images using a Canon camera and see things in different perspectives and angles. I have a site which I post my pictures up on so people can see. Here’s the site: thinklife.shutterfly.com.

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3)I was a pediatric lab assistant at Rush Medical Center. Over the summer, I work in the lab alongside other lab technicians and doctors. (There’s a blog about this that I posted a couple months back).

4)I became a sophomore. Alright. I know that was obvious, but it’s nice to acknowledge the fact that freshman year was done and now I’m at the midpoint of my time as a LUC undergrad student.

5) I joined TNTT- a religious youth group. I joined this group for other reasons, but when time passed by, I began to enjoy it a lot more. I found that there many people who were my age, had similar interests as I did, and came from similar backgrounds. Around these people, I could be myself comfortably and I was happy about that.

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6)I take my brother to school each morning. He and I take the train together and walk to school. I get to interact with the parents which is always fun (at school and the train commute to work/school).

7)1000 origami cranes were made, as said in the Japanese tradition, to make a wish for peace. With everything that has happened in my personal life as well as the tragic events such as the gun shooting attacks and Paris terrorist attacks, the message of peace is much needed.

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All About Me

All About Me

First Soccer Game I attended ! By the way, I am the short girl at the right. :)
First soccer game I attended ! By the way, I am the short girl at the right. 🙂

Hello Future Ramblers, welcome to my amazing journey at Loyola.

First of all, my name is Emily Carreno and I am just beginning my journey at Loyola. I am majoring in nursing and minoring in psychology. Many people ask me, “Why Loyola?” and I tell them because of the fascinating nursing program they offer. Loyola University Chicago has an outstanding nursing program where I am able to pursue my undergraduate degree. Also, the nursing program is rigorous and it will strengthen me as a student and prepare me for a career. I am thrilled to be one of the few incoming freshman accepted into Loyola’s selective nursing program.

Loyola also provided me the opportunity to be part of a TRiO program called Achieving College Excellence (ACE) at Loyola. ACE provides additional help to students to achieve college goals and has free one-on-one tutoring and individual advising and guidance. ACE gave me an opportunity to attend a transition program to help ease my transition to Loyola and college life. Another reason why I chose Loyola is because it is close to home. I wanted to see my two-year-old sister grow up from being a baby to being a toddler and teaching her many new things. But that’s not the only reason I chose Loyola, I chose it because of the mission they hold. They believe in expanding our knowledge through learning, justice, and faith and are “preparing people to lead extraordinary lives.” Loyola was just right for me and now here I am telling you why I chose to become a Rambler.