Category: Undergrad Admission

Last First Day as a Rambler

Last First Day as a Rambler

By |

 

How bittersweet, the time has come, where it will officially be my last first day of my undergraduate career. It seems as if just yesterday I was a Freshman entering with no clue how to handle college level classes, making my way to different buildings and commuting almost an hour and half everyday. Also not knowing what you’re truly passionate for is something so challenging during the first few years of Undergrad and is something I personally struggled with. Today, I stand confident during my senior year, and finishing strong.

Something I told myself this winter break, was to not let senioritis get the best of me. As hard as that is, I feel confident that I will hold strong till the end. I recommend you all to do the same, whether you are a senior or not. Make a plan for this semester and aim high.

Some stuff that I do to make sure that I am on track is put down all my important dates on the calendar for this semester. That includes quizzes, labs, exams, papers, etc. The first week, that is what I primarily focus on because I know if I push it any later, I most likely will get caught behind, or just won’t do it because I will be so busy. Doing this, REALLY put me in the zone and got me to do stuff on time, especially studying for exams on time and not cramming when I realize I have more than 1 exam in a week or day. Include all of your finals slots. Yes its in 15 weeks, but it will definitely help you half way through the semester when you definitely WON’T do it.

Another thing I do is calculate my cumulative GPA. I know. So unnecessary. But no, really. Do this under https://www.luc.edu/advising/gpa_calculator.shtml and it will help you so much! I used to never do this my first two years, but now I do this in the beginning of each semester. The reason I do this is because I set a goal cumulative and/or overall GPA I would like based on this semester and figure out what grade I need in the class. Obviously, you should aim for an A always, but if I ever feel like I am falling into a B category, I kind of freak myself out and tell myself I won’t get a certain GPA and it makes me work hard for the A. It also kind of helps to not beat yourself up over a grade. It may not work for everyone, but I think it definitely makes me realize how I need to work for the A and to not slack off during the middle of the semester.

Additionally, I have told myself to incorporate more social time. A lot of times, I struggled with social time, where I would have too much, or too little. I definitely want to focus on balancing the two so that it doesn’t become a stressful semester and I can enjoy the last bit of memories I have left here at Loyola.

Make the most out of every semester, whether you’re a Freshman or a Junior. Take the endless snapchats, create study groups, explore the city, force yourself to go the library, let yourself get a bag of chips and watch Netflix. Whatever it may be, just try to do some of the things I suggest, it definitely will help rather hurt you.

Such a ‘Bler: Language Competency Exam Results

Such a ‘Bler: Language Competency Exam Results

By |

Earlier last semester, I decided to take the Vietnamese Language Competency Exam. Here’s a closer look at my process and why it was such a nerve-wracking experience for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wY7nA_qA1c

During Winter break, I finally received the results via email: I PASSED and honestly feel very empowered. After growing up nervous and even embarrassed about my control of the language, I can now truly say that I am academically certified in Vietnamese, a have an extra 6 credits for my 4 years at Loyola! All it took was an hour each in two separate buildings and a dash of courage.

For those looking to free up credit hours for more courses, I highly recommend taking a Language Competency Exam if you are bilingual. I’m so glad I did. Simply email David Pankratz, the Director of the Language Learning Resource Center (dpankra@luc.edu) and he can easily help you set up an exam. Just trust yourself, what you know, and you’ll do just fine.

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS!

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST:

Such a ‘Bler: Sophomore Fall Reflection

Such a ‘Bler: Sophomore Fall Reflection

By |

Look alive ramblers, SPRING 2019 IS UPON US.

With a new year and 14-week adventure beginning, here are a few things this sophomore has taken away from a rollercoaster of a semester:

  1. Don’t trust your bi-weekly planning routine. There’s a reason the syllabus is prewritten and read through for specific queries on the first day of class – professors aren’t looking to let you have an easy start with the ‘tell us a fun fact about yourself’ ice breaker – THIS IS THE REAL EASY START. From this year onwards, I’m committing to jotting down ALL my quizzes, exams, assignments, presentations, extra sleep days – they type it, I write it – to make sure I have a clear vision of the semester and am able to preplan and reschedule more strategically.
  2. Be honest about your mistakes. Not only is it right, but the truth will always work in your favor one way or another. Frankly, professors are human – very intellectual and organized humans – but humans. They will listen to your concerns and fears if you let them. They want you to succeed, so be honest and let them help the way they can.
  3. Venture when you get the chance. This includes on-campus events, off-campus events, new study spots, odd hour adventures and things you want to go to but somehow landed in the situation of going alone. Doing this not only allows you to refresh your mind in order to tackle more words but always remember that you are here to experience. JUST GO! YOU. WILL. LOVE. IT.
  4. And well, take the chance! I’m essentially reiterating the last point because it is THAT important. Budging out of that burrito of comfort is so important because you’ll never know if you don’t try. That thing you’re so afraid of, may be the best thing ever. It may be the thing you’ve always been searching for. I took plenty of chances this semester and can’t even say that I regret the ones that ended less pleasant.

I’m ready for another ball game, are you?

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS!

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST:

Such a ‘Bler: Theatre Scenic Practicum Final: I Made A Miniature Drum Set!

Such a ‘Bler: Theatre Scenic Practicum Final: I Made A Miniature Drum Set!

By |

I felt adventurous last semester and took THTR 312S or Theatre Practicum: Scenic Construction. In this course, we learn about the making of the stage, its setting and properties and the unmaking of them. Within the scene shop and Loyola’s two stages, we touched upon idea formulation, research, design, cut lists, scenic machines, tools, setting up, strikes etc. The experience overall consisted of a lot of hands on work but also very fundamental theories.

Feeling even more adventurous towards the end of the course, I embarked on the challenge of creating a miniature drum set for my final project. With this last piece, we were asked to create anything of our desire from scratch. This accumulated all we’ve learnt throughout the semester and buckets of imagination.

Here’s a closer look at my process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbZx19CeXAg&t=4s

And here is the final product!

It is a lot more simplistic than my initial drawings, and definitely not as clean cut as ideal but, and as cheesy as it sounds, I really did learn so much while making it. A lot of trial and error, deconstruction and reconstruction and patience went into this little piece.

One month, 2 cuts and 1 burn later, my scribbles and scratches are a 10”x15” reality. I am proud and am ready to walk confidently towards new and even more challenging visions.

Pre-Christmas at Loyola!

Pre-Christmas at Loyola!

By |

The Damen Student Center had its Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony! This year’s event was held on Thursday, November 29th, at 5 p.m. in the Damen Student Center Atrium. The tree was officially blessed by our partners in Campus Ministry and was officially lit at approximately 5:10 p.m.

Damen Student Center provided a chocolate fountains (and all the trimmings), gingerbread house making, a synthetic ice skating rink (skates provided), and pictures with Santa Claus! There was also plenty of hot chocolate that was served with yummy marshmallows and chocolate!

Here is a link with all the pictures, and if you missed it this year, be sure to stick around for next year! It is open to the community as well!

https://loyolachicago.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000JzTp1C2sMdA/G0000bU32tDdfm3k/Annual-Damen-Christmas-Tree-Lighting-Ceremony

Finals Breakfast 2018!

Finals Breakfast 2018!

By |

Finals are approaching faster than it may seem, and as nerve wracking that sounds, the bright side is that winter break is almost here! You should be preparing for finals because you’re going to have a lot of reviewing to do, depending on how many exams you have, whether they’re cumulative or not, and the level of easiness or difficulty of the content.

You should also know when your finals are scheduled, and if you don’t, here is the link: http://www.luc.edu/academics/schedules/spring/exam_schedule.shtml

NOTE: Make sure this matches up to your syllabus, and if it does not, bring this up to your professor.

Now enough of the scary stuff, FINALS BREAKFAST IS ALMOST HERE.

Finals breakfast takes place at the end of each semester, the Tuesday of every finals week! The fun part of it is that its at 9PM instead of the morning, so take a break from the stress and get together with friends. Take advantage of the free food, after all, food makes everyone happy.

I wish everyone the best of luck on finals! Do the best you can, make sure you have tons of caffeine, and be optimistic. You won’t have to deal with this again until January 17th!

Remember: Finals Breakfast Fall 2018: Tuesday December 11, 2018 9-10:30PM in Gentile Arena

Just J-term it!

Just J-term it!

By |

 

Something quite unique at Loyola is the J-term. What is the J-term? January term is an condensed, intensive, two-week session. Courses are available online, on campus, and abroad to give you a variety of options to make the most out of your winter break. Get ahead and graduate early as J-term is one of the best ways to do so!

J-Term 2019 classes will meet for 10 days, Wednesday-Saturday, January 2-5, 2019 and Monday-Saturday, January 7-12, 2019.

Registration opened on Monday, October 15, 2018 and closes Wednesday, January 2nd, 2019. Students can register for a J-term class via LOCUS by selecting J-term 2017 from the term selector menu. There still is time!!

 

**REMEMBER: J-term is not part of the Spring term — Students can ONLY register for a maximum of 3 credit hours for J-term.

 

This is the best way for someone to fit in a tier 1 or tier 2 class! It will definitely pay off in the end and winter can get pretty boring sometimes too, so definitely take this into consideration! Similarly, you can enroll in the summer term and fit in any other additional courses as well.

Nashta November

Nashta November

By |
No automatic alt text available.
Pakistani Students’ Association (PSA) hopes everyone is ready for the Thanksgiving holidays. As we approach the end of the semester, things can be quite stressful, but that is why PSA is inviting you to yet another exciting event! To celebrate a successful semester and to thank you all for your support, BREAKFAST IS ON US!!! We will be serving Halwa Puri with Aloo and Cholay, Seekh Fry, Naan, Paratha and Omelets along with Chai. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this popular Pakistani breakfast, halwa is a sweet that comes with a deep fried bread (puri) and is typically served with potato (aloo) and curries mixed of chickpeas (cholay). Seekh Fry is We will also be giving a run down of the upcoming spring semester!  Bring your friends along and enjoy Nashta November!!!
 
When: Monday, November 19, 2018 from 11am-2pm 
Where: Damen MPR South
 
 
 
Note: Loyola Students Only.
 
 
We look forward to seeing you all this Monday 11/19/18! This will be our last event of the semester so stay tuned for what we have planned next!
Our mission is to recognize the struggle and hardship facing Pakistan today and help alleviate these hardships through fundraising events, while simultaneously raising awareness about the culture and beauty of Pakistan. We hope to create a diverse group of members through our outreach and fundraising efforts.
Through many of our previous events taken place this year, we have raised over $1,500.00 and have donated this to the Dam Fund in Pakistan. PSA could not have done this without the help of Loyola students, so we thank you all!
Colossus is over.

Colossus is over.

By |

 

Guess what guys… after many years, Loyola’s annual two-night show, which often featured a musician one night and a comedian the other, won’t continue.

The event has been cancelled since May, current and former Department of Programming (DOP) students said. While DOP is student-run, the decision came from the top of Loyola’s Student Activities and Greek Affairs (SAGA) department without any input from students, according to the DOP students.

The decision was made after Colossus 2018 on March 17. On its second night, comedian Hannibal Buress, told a joke about Catholic priests molesting children. His microphone was cut. The restrictions banned content related to rape, sexual assault, race, illegal drug use and sexual orientation.

While university officials cited financial reasons for Colossus’ cancellation, the students at Loyola said they thought the Buress incident also played a factor.

Now, DOP can’t have a two-night event that weekend and feature a comedian and musician, the students said. It also can’t be called Colossus.

Instead, the students said DOP aims to spread out events featuring big-name guests across the academic year. Having musicians and comedians perform at Loyola is still an option, the students said.

That doesn’t mean an event that holiday weekend is off the table. Because of DOP’s “alternative programming” philosophy, the students said they’ve been brainstorming ideas for another type of event for St. Patrick’s Day weekend, but nothing’s been approved yet.

Why am I at Loyola 4 years later?

Why am I at Loyola 4 years later?

By |

First and foremost, for those of you who don’t know me, I am Husna and I have been working in Loyola’s Undergraduate Admission’s Office since I was a Freshman so this is quite bittersweet, being my last year here. Just to get a little background, I am from Chicago, IL, I love to shop, travel, explore the beautiful city of Chicago, weight lift, and play soccer. Now you’re probably wondering why I decided to come to Loyola and not go out of state for college, but let me tell you… it was definitely the best decision I’ve made. I am also not just saying this because I go to Loyola, or else I would have not been here! I really wanted to go to Loyola all throughout high school and I don’t doubt that one bit till this day.

I love Loyola because the moment I had my first class, I felt so welcomed and comfortable in the environment I was learning in, which was one thing that was super important for me. The intimate class sizes make learning so powerful and that was definitely the moment I knew that I was the type of person who preferred small classes, where my professor knows who I am as a person and I know my professor as well. It is definitely a personal preference, but to my knowledge, a lot of other universities tend to have large lectures, which vary from about 200-300 students in one hall or even like 500-600 for the bigger core classes. Smaller classes are better for me because I like when the professor knows me and its a better chance of getting recommendation letters, more resources, easy participation points (so its not all dependent on exams sometimes) and asking questions in general helps with learning. In this way, if you are the type that is afraid to speak in big crowds, this would be a great chance for you to engage in an environment comfortable for you.

Also, Loyola is a popular school so a lot of students are from out of state, which I think is super cool to have friends from different states so you’re not stuck with the same people from high school intend on meeting new people. Not to mention, Loyola has made it to top universities many times throughout the years, so be sure to check out my older blog posts on that as well!

I don’t live on campus; I commute which is about 45 mins-1 hr, and it is honestly not that bad (to all my commuters). We get a Ventra card so I must say, it is quite tempting to go downtown all the time because of the Loyola campus on Michigan Ave, right by the Water Tower Place. It can be so much fun because not only do we have Ventra cards to take L, we have a shuttle service right on campus so we can go anytime and explore.

Most commonly known for is our lake, of course,  but that wasn’t my decision maker. It definitely is a plus because studying there is THE BEST. Our library is so peaceful and aesthetic, which also includes The Harry Potter Room, and besides the library, Loyola has so many cool places to study and chill.

Loyola has lot of programs, whether they are the pre-professional programs offered (such as pre-physical therapy, pre-medicine, pre-dental, pre-law, etc.) and it is very easy to be involved with the hundreds of organizations, clubs, sports, etc. which can build an overall great reputation. Our success rate for careers and graduate schools are really high, so it is evident that our education is of great importance and it definitely pays off within the 4 years.

As a senior (finally) reflecting on my four years at Loyola, I can say it proudly of how grateful I am to be a part of this institute. I’m majoring in Psychology right now with a minor in Exercise Science and not only are my classes so much fun, the professors are extremely helpful and caring.  I did get a scholarship which helped a lot, and became involved with the Muslim Student Association and Pakistani Student Association. Through this involvement, I met a lot of my friends and connections and it’s an unforgettable experience.

The last things I would like to mention is that we get an Easter break as well as a mid semester break (fall break) which not a lot of other schools have… so it definitely is a plus and bragging privilege (haha).  There are many on campus job opportunities that are offered if you are interested in working as well!

I hope my experience is able to help many of you, and if you do have any questions, please let me know at hafzal@luc.edu and I would be glad to give you some more feedback based on my experience at Loyola!