DOP – College Admission at Loyola

I’ve been hearing rumors of Colossus since I attended Orientation Week before freshman year. I heard raging reviews of a huge concert and comedian combo in Gentile Arena. They told me about the super cheap student tickets, which meant the show was usually sold out. And I learned that the reveal party was almost as exciting as the show itself.

And this weekend I finally got to attend my first Colossus. My freshman year ((dop))–Loyola’s student-run Department of Programming– invited Kesha and Mike Birbiglia to perform. Because I didn’t actually know who Mike Birbiglia was, I decided to only go see Kesha. Just a few weeks later Kesha had to cancel her performance due to personal issues. Luckily, I hadn’t invested in any glittery attire so I was just out a Colossus experience. My sophomore year I spent the spring semester studying abroad at Loyola’s John Felice Rome Center, which meant I invested in gelato instead of tickets to Colossus.

Now here I am, a junior, finally able to attend my first Colossus. The performers: Kesha and Nick Offerman. Upon hearing the performer announcement I was more than happy to invest in Nick Offerman tickets, because who wouldn’t want to pass up a night with Ron Swanson? Admittedly, I was on the fence about purchasing tickets for Kesha’s highly anticipated reappearance in the Colossus line-up. I would’ve been happy to go, but in the end it didn’t matter because Kesha had to cancel her performance. I feel so bad for the drama this pop star has been dealing with and completely understand why she couldn’t perform at LUC.

I had only ever seen Nick Offerman perform in his hilarious role as Ron Swanson on the TV show “Parks and Recreation”, so I had no idea what to expect from him as a stand-up comedian. And he was certainly…unexpected. His first joke was about how Loyola had asked him to keep his show PG-13, but as he explained, he simply could not be kept to a PG-13 level. So the first bit of his show didn’t offer much that I can share.

What I didn’t realize about Nick Offerman was his ability to play guitar and sing. He was no Kesha, but still quite funny. My favorites were his songs about how much he dislikes Facebook and how much he loves America, and of course his song, “I’m Not Ron Swanson”. I’d say that he hit it off with the sold-out Loyola crowd, who were happy to have a wild card like him on campus.

I’m definitely satisfied with my first round of Colosuss. But here’s to hoping that next year I can have the full-blown Colossus experience I’ve been hearing about since 2013.

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias at Loyola!

By Stephanie Rodriguez | March 17, 2015

Saturday night was epic. I mean I’m a girl that always cracks up jokes, even when I’m the only laughing time after time. So for me to see Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias live was beyond perfect! I am so glad that my boyfriend talked me into buying tickets! After a crappy week of feeling super sick it was nice to feel better and laugh my tears out!

Before the show started there were already many, many people lined up at the entrance of the doors. It was worth the cold wait, as we were not too far behind! We were able to get floor seat, but TO MY LUCK I sat next to a tall person (I’m only 4’11). Even though, I couldn’t get a direct view of Fluffy, I was still able to see him perform via the screens.

His friend and the famous “Maaaaaartin” kicked off the show! Following him were two other comedians until Fluffy came out. I cannot express how funny he was! At one point my boyfriend was in tears. Unfortunately, we were refrained from taking pictures and/or videos.

My favorite part was when one student “booed” Fluffy when he stated that hybrids were a good example of doing “good to nature.” Fluffy just said “Oh, really?” and went through an entire joke to shut him up. He picked on him for the rest of the night. Actually, I do not think that he ever got to the hybrid joke because he trailed off saying other ones.

He truly is a stand up comedian because he would just start talking about anything and everything. His jokes were effortlessly! Fluffy went an hour past what he said he was going to perform. At one point he was so fed up with the time he unplugged the timer!

He ended the show with old, classic jokes. He did say that he didn’t like to repeat old material, but everyone was chanting out that they wanted the old jokes! He sighed and said: “Fine, y’all better still laugh, though!” Once he started it seemed like a unified chorus. Everyone knew what he was going to say, and it was so funny!

I am so happy that Loyola brought him to Colossus 2015! The DOP staff at Loyola did a great job; it was such an organized event. I had SO much fun! I cannot wait to see him again.

“Frankie, where’s ma?”

Applicant > Student > Alumna > Staff

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | August 20, 2012

The title of this post sums up my Loyola experience, and I have to say, I’ve loved every second of it. It’s true, I even loved Loyola’s application process. I appreciated that there was NO application fee, that I didn’t have to answer some crazy question for my writing sample, and that the application was completely straightforward.

After completing the application process, I went on a tour of campus with a friend who was already a student at LUC. After that, I was hooked. How can you not fall in love with this campus, the IC, the Lake, and the fact that it’s in Chicago, the world’s greatest city!? I began my undergraduate career here at Loyola University Chicago in the fall of 2008 and I spent 4 years here studying marketing and psychology.

As a student, I was very involved with student activities on campus and they had a huge impact on my Loyola experience. ((dop)) or the Department of Programming, a student-run organization that plans events on & off-campus, provided me with so many great experiences during those 4 years. I went skiing, kayaking, to a White Sox game, saw a Joffrey Ballet performance, took photos with live wolves, watched Harry Potter, built a stage for Gym Class Heroes, met Jim Gaffigan, ate a lot of free food, and collected tons of free t-shirts. But more than that, getting involved on campus led me to new friends, mentors, jobs, travel opportunities, leadership experience and unforgettable memories.

Then came Saturday, May 12th 2012… Graduation Day… the day I transitioned from student to alumna. I absolutely dreaded this day. I was not ready to say goodbye to Loyola, to the campus, to the Jesuit values that guided who I’d become, to the staff and faculty who became mentors and close friends, but thankfully, I didn’t have to do that. Just 10 days after graduating from Loyola, I had my first interview for my current position as an Undergraduate Admission Counselor! I remember when HR emailed me the job offer and I literally screamed out loud. I smiled ridiculously the rest of the day knowing that I was still going to be able to call Loyola home.

So here I am, working at the University I fell in love with and working with students to see if Loyola might be that perfect fit for them, too. My blog will mostly cover admission tips and life at Loyola University Chicago. Best of luck to all applicants, it’s such an exciting time in your life so make sure to embrace every moment!

Looking Forward to “Skating in the Sky”

By Hannah Colborn | February 7, 2012

Loyola’s Department of Programming (“dop”) is great at organizing events and making discounted tickets available for students to do fun things in Chicago. I bought tickets yesterday with friends for “Skating in the Sky” on February 18th— $5 for ice skating, skate rental and hot chocolate on top of the John Hancock Center (one of the top three tallest skyscrapers in Chicago). I’m excited for skating and I’ve heard it’s a great view up there!

Best Way to Get a Welt

By | December 5, 2011

This last weekend the Department of Programing had a paintball trip for only $20. So a couple brothers and I went to show off our skills (as in we have none). It was simply awesome; I now have a welt on my elbow, shoulder and I was happy to give out many more. Kill to death ratio of 1 – 5!