Chicago Dining – Page 6 – College Admission at Loyola

The Cheesecake Factory

By | January 30, 2015

If you love cheesecake and live in the city of Chicago, then you must know about the greatness that is The Cheesecake Factory! In this post, I will be talking about how wonderful of a place The Cheesecake Factory is for cheesecake lovers like me!

Since moving into the city in August, I have been to The Cheesecake Factory about three times. Twice I have just ordered cheesecake to go, and once we actually sat down in the restaurant for dinner and dessert. Both experiences were excellent! The Cheesecake Factory offers a wide variety of cheesecake flavors, both traditional and some original! I have tried only two cheesecake flavors so far: the Godiva Chocolate and the key lime cheesecake. They were both so different but so delicious in their own distinct way. I am dying to try more flavors, and look forward to doing so within the next few years of living in the city!

For those of you who may not like cheesecake, don’t worry! The Cheesecake Factory offers other desserts as well as the beloved cheesecake. For example, different types of cakes are always available, specifically a giant chocolate cake with many layers that looks absolutely delicious! In addition to desserts, The Cheesecake Factory is also a wonderful restaurant with a delicious menu. When my friends and I visited for dinner one night, we ordered a salad that was so big it almost fell off the giant plate! My one friend ordered a burger that was bigger than her head! The food was absolutely delicious, and it’s always nice that one can finish off their delicious meal with some gourmet cheesecake! ☺

Not only is the restaurant food and dessert amazing, but so is the atmosphere. The interior of the restaurant is very dim and has a mellow aura. The ceiling and posts almost resemble giant mushrooms, making one feel like they have been transported into a fantasy world. This atmosphere makes the visitors more comfortable, ensuring that they will enjoy their meal and have a visit they are sure to remember!

The Cheesecake Factory is located below the Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue, right next to the Water Tower Place. There is usually always a small wait, so it is recommended that you keep that in mind and plan to do something else while you wait for your table to be ready. It is also a little bit pricey, but when they have food and cheesecake that good, waiting and paying more is definitely worth it. If you have never tried it before, this is one restaurant I’d recommend visiting before your stay in Chicago is over!

Winter Break!

By | December 15, 2014

My last final was on Thursday and I was relieved and happy to have finished testing before most of my friends. Nonetheless, I had come back to school the next day to wish my friends good luck on their tests and for the whole day, I was relaxing in a comfy chair enjoying myself watching Netflix. That very weekend for the first time since August, I was able to sleep freely without any worries. I am proud of myself to have accomplished so much in my first semester of college, and I personally think I deserve to relax, be happy, and finally breathe during my break.

During my break, I do not plan to travel or do anything extraordinary. I will be at home, just like every year, taking care of my brother and house while my sister goes to school and mom goes to work. We might have a Christmas family party and I will forward to that very much as I will be able to see my other family members I have not seen in quite a while. I have a lot of young cousins in the family, so I am certain that we might take them to see the zoo lights or Navy Pier, or the Christmas market they have downtown at Daley Plaza (all of these options would be the first time these youngsters).

With all that being said, I wish each and every one of you an amazing winter season filled with your beloved family and friends.

Make More Adventures

By | December 7, 2014

Living in the third largest city in the United States means that there is always something to do. I can come up with a number of reasons why I haven’t truly taken advantage of exploring Chicago, but those are all petty excuses. That’s why my first New Year’s Resolution, which I admit has come a little bit early, is to make more adventures, no matter how big or small.

I am fortunate to be living on a college campus where making friends is part of everyday life. I am even luckier to have made a good friend who, like me, enjoys a spontaneous excursion every now and then, just to explore the city. Only yesterday, she and I took a mini-escapade amidst studying for finals. We stepped out to enjoy a late-night dinner at Summer, a rice-and-noodles restaurant next to the Grandville stop, per recommendation from a dorm-mate. In the short span of only an hour, we experienced a multitude of embarrassing encounters, including making fun of a guy leaving his lights on, just to discover he was in line right behind us. I had such a fun time—laughed until my stomach hurt! These are the moments that make college (and life in general) memorable, meaningful, and, for lack of a better word yet forever my favorite word, fun.

I have listed for myself, a number of Loyola endeavors that I plan to take on next semester, including attending the People’s Institute, applying to join the Student Government of Loyola Chicago, and perhaps rushing for a sorority. While pursuing these on-campus activities, I must remember to make time for more exciting ventures, to continue journeying beyond the university border in order to engage in the surrounding community. As I enter into the final week of my first semester as a college freshman, I am encouraged to ‘make more adventures’ and make next semester even better than this one.

Image from: http://elkemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/6a017ee7d0403c970d019b04139226970d-800wi.jpg

Benefits of Being a Loyola Student

By | November 20, 2014

Here at Loyola, students have the privilege of getting more than just a regular college education; they have membership to different places like facilities and get discounts at different stores. Using the school ID is essential to access these privileges as it is the key way to validate to a person that you are a current Loyola student.

On campus, your student ID can get you to many places. For instance, you can scan your ID at the Halas Center and be able to workout– play basketball in the court upstairs, use the different kinds of exercise equipment they have, use the weight room in the basement, or even swim in their lap pool. Besides the Halas Center, if you are enrolled in a music class, you are automatically given access to the music rooms they have in Mundelien where they can practice their musical instruments (most rooms already have a piano inside). At the IC, you can rent out technical equipment such as laptops and cameras to use in class or for whatever reason. Also, you can attend many concerts, free of admission, hosted by Loyola clubs while people that are not Loyola students may have to pay their way to get in.

Off Campus, you can get discounts on specific days at some restaurants that affiliate themselves with Loyola University such as Felice’s. In addition, by showing your student ID to the staff, you can get yourself free admission to the Art Institute!

Altogether, being a Loyola student is more than just receiving an education; it allows you to become more independent, explore the vast City of Chicago , and enjoy the best of your time here at school!

Food Around the City

By | November 7, 2014

As an out of towner, one of the first things I did upon arriving in the city was go exploring to find the good eats of Chicago! I have always heard such wonderful things about food specific to Chicago such as deep-dish pizza, and I was dying to try everything! In this post, I will be sharing my personal favorite places to get food and snacks in the city so far!

Prior to moving to the city, I have never tried or even thought about trying deep-dish pizza. Since then, I have had deep-dish pizza at least four times and each time it was delicious! My two favorite places to get deep-dish around the city are, of course, Giordano’s and Gino’s East. Both places are absolutely delicious and have a huge variety of different pizza’s, both stuffed and thin crust! There are many Giordano’s locations around the city, with at least two locations downtown and one just a few blocks away from Loyola’s Lakeshore Campus! I only know of one Gino’s East location, downtown, but if you ever find yourself in the city wanting pizza, I definitely recommend waiting for Gino’s! Trying deep-dish pizza is a must when visiting Chicago, and honestly, my life has been changed. It is delicious!

Another favorite snack place of mine around the city would have to be Sprinkles Cupcakes. I have never tasted a cupcake more delicious than the ones found in Sprinkles. With so many flavors ranging from traditional to specialized ones on display, Sprinkles is the place to go to buy cupcakes. Although I try to try a new flavor every time I visit, I always end up sticking to my all time favorite: dark chocolate. In addition to amazing cupcakes, Sprinkles also has a cupcake ATM! (Don’t worry, when my friends told me this I thought they were lying, too!) But the cupcake ATM is very real, and is quite possibly the best idea in the world. The point of the ATM is so that customers can purchase cupcakes long after the store itself closes! These many amazing things are why Sprinkles is one of my favorite places to visit when downtown.

Other favorites of mine around the city include Cheesie’s-a restaurant that specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, Pinkberry, Forever Yogurt, Jamba Juice, The Cheesecake Factory, Eataly, Pizano’s, and Portillo’s. Although I have only been here for just over two months now, I have been lucky enough to try food from every single one of these places, and each one has been amazing. I can’t wait to go out and explore more places to get delicious food around the city. The food has to be one of the best parts about living in Chicago!

This is a picture of hand-made pasta that I ordered at Eataly in downtown Chicago! It was delicious!

Connections to the Community

By | October 27, 2014

Being a student at Loyola does not mean that you strictly focus on academics alone. With the u-pass (which gives you unlimited access on the CTA- a privilege for college students), you along with your friends can explore the city of Chicago at no cost through public transportation. You can visit different neighborhoods, fancy restaurants with delicious foods, and famous attractions.
At the Granville or Thorndale train stop (which is one train stop away from Loyola), you can visit Lickity Split, an ice-cream parlor that has all different types of ice-cream, sundaes, shakes, pastries, candy, and so much more. At the Adams & Wabash brown line stop, you can visit the Art Institute (for Loyola students, you can go in for free). You can also take a lovely stroll through Millennium Park to admire the art, scenery, and urban, modern atmosphere. From the Loyola red line, you can take it all the way to Chinatown and experience/explore a new culture filled with exotic, ornate architecture and sounds of a new language. Like most students here, they will use u-passes to hang out downtown. This includes visiting the many shops that run down the Magnificent Mile, the famous Water Tower, and more. Either way, being a Loyola student does not withhold you from connecting to the community of Chicago. It teaches you to be independent, go out and learn new things, and relax.

Open House Recap

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | October 22, 2014

Open Houses are some of my favorite events of the year. They are simply fantastic, and I’m not just saying them because I coordinate them.

Here are my TOP 5 Reasons for LOVING Open House:

1. Reconnecting with prospective students – I absolutely love recognizing students from college fairs and high school visits and seeing them explore our beautiful campus for the first time. It’s even more exciting when they recognize me and stop by to chat for a few minutes about questions or to share their latest thoughts on Loyola. I was lucky to have several of these interactions throughout the day.

2. The Department Fair – where I get to catch up with some of our fantastic faculty members. As an alum, I have the pleasure of knowing many of the faculty on campus, but I don’t get too many opportunities to catch up with them. Fortunately, the department fair not only gives me an opportunity to say hi, it also gives all of our prospective students and guests the unique opportunity to meet with faculty from all 80+ majors and minors!

The department fair at Loyola's October Open House. — The department fair at Loyola’s October Open House.

3. The food – who doesn’t love free food?! And there is a TON of it at Open House. My personal favorite though is just being able to enjoy Loyola’s hot apple cider on crisp fall day.

4. Spending a Saturday morning on Campus – Rain or shine, there is no location I love more than the Lake Shore Campus early in the morning. It’s simply impossible to find a better view than the sun rising over Lake Michigan as we are getting ready for the thousands of guests at Open House.

5. The Undergraduate Admission Student Workers – they are the best. Seriously, how many people do you know that are willing to work overtime on Friday night and Saturday morning? They not only do this, but they do it with a smile on their faces because they genuinely love Loyola and having the opportunity to connect with our prospective students. It’s great to be able to spend time with current students who are loving their Loyola experiences. They also seem to have fun with the hundreds of balloons we had this past weekend.

Student Workers pose with balloons while prepping for Loyola's October Open House. — Student Workers pose with balloons while prepping for Loyola’s October Open House.

THANK YOU to the nearly 2,000 guests we had on-campus this past Saturday! We’re so thrilled you had the opportunity to join our Loyola community for the day.

For those of you who were unable to join us, it’s not too late! You can still register for the Saturday, November 8th Open House by clicking here or you can register for a traditional campus visit by clicking here.

Find Yourself at Open House!

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | October 7, 2014

As the on-campus event coordinator in the Undergraduate Admission Office, some of my favorite weekends of the year are coming up – our Fall Open Houses! This year we will be offering two Fall Open Houses on Saturday, October 18th and Saturday and Saturday, November 8th on our Lake Shore Campus for High School Seniors, High School Juniors, and Transfer Students. Open Houses are a great way to spend some time on campus to see if Loyola is the best “fit” for you. All of the different tours, sessions, and activities are designed to introduce you and your guests to the Loyola community.

Open Houses at Loyola differ from our daily campus visits in that they offer students, parents, and guests insight into the entire Loyola Community.

We offer presentations on: Freshmen Admission/Scholarship, Transfer Admission/Scholarship, Financial Aid, Study Abroad, Pre-Health Advising, Career Development & Experiential Learning, and Residence Life.

We offer tours of the Lake Shore Campus, all first year Residence Halls, and the Institute of Environmental Sustainability.

We also offer a Department Fair where guests have the opportunity to meet with faculty, staff, or students from every major at Loyola.

Click here to register for Open House!

Click here to view the full agenda for Open House!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to bring anything to Open House?

You are not required to bring anything to Open House. Though we do recommend that you spend some time looking at the schedule before hand so you can select which sessions you would like to attend. Also, be sure to come prepared with any questions you have for admission counselors, financial aid counselors, or faculty members from your major/program of interest.

Do you have hotel recommendations for the weekend?

Yes, click here for recommended lodging options nearby.

Is parking available on campus?

Yes, we recommend that all visits park in our main parking structure on campus. Parking will be free on both Saturdays.

If I cannot attend Open House, is there another time I can visit campus?

Yes, you can attend a campus visit at our Lake Shore Campus on Monday – Saturday and our Water Tower Campus on Monday – Friday.

If you have any additional questions, give us a call at 800.262.2373 or email us at admission@luc.edu.