sophomore – College Admission at Loyola

Sophomore Goals

By | October 27, 2015

I have learned many things from Freshman year – the do’s and the do not’s. This year, I hope to improve academically and learn more about who I am as an individual.

1. Make Connections. I am at the point where connections (to medical school, hospitals, and clinics) are essential to have. I am halfway through college and I need to plan ahead so I have a secure pathway towards my aspiration to work in the medical field.

2. Get enough sleep. Sometimes I become so consumed in my school work that I forget that getting enough sleep is necessary to “recharge” myself for the next day. Especially when it is close to midnight or past midnight, I realize that the quality of work that I do is not that good. Instead of doing a bad job of studying, I should sleep instead. I need to effectively prioritize.

3. Use my time wisely. If I am in front of a laptop, the chances of me listening to music and on Facebook and other sites are highly likely to happen. This causes a major distraction and I get work done in longer periods of time. I need to use my time wisely. If I have any free time, I should get work done, especially on-campus when I have free time. The more work I get completed, the more leisure time I get to have when I commute home.

4. Eat. Just like sleeping, I always forget how necessary it is to eat. I might be busy with schoolwork or something and simply forget to eat. Consequently, sometimes my stomach will make noises in class. To keep myself healthy and nourished, I should eat snacks (at least) throughout the day.

5. Stop thinking negatively. Somehow, I will get through my classes and eventually graduate. I shouldn’t need to complain over the smallest things and make a fuss about it. It is a waste of time. Instead, I should focus on ways to work around the problem and/or resolve the issue.

It’s Good to be Back

By | October 5, 2015

Hello All!

It’s so wonderful to be back in school and blog for all you readers again. It is an honor to be one of the first people you meet (indirectly) as you begin your college search. My blog, Rambler’s Pie: A Fresh Slice of Loyola, describes the life of me as a Loyola undergrad and commuting student. College life is never dull; there are so many events and activities that happen on-campus that I love to write about and share with you. Since I am a commuter student (living in Albany Park- 45 minute commute), I will sometimes write about things that happen in my personal life, my hobbies, and events I attend. This way, you can get a sense of what a commuter student is like. Noting that most of my fellow bloggers are living on-campus, you can visually see the differences in the daily life of a student living on-campus vs. the daily life of a student living off-campus.

I am beginning my sophomore year here at this beautiful (and windy) campus. It had been a fun yet challenging start to the semester as I am taking 3 intensive courses- Organic Chemistry, Cellular Biology, and Calculus II. Organic Chemistry, as many of you may know or have heard, is considerably time-consuming and content-heavy. BUT, it is doable; it is not as ‘scary’ as I thought it would be, so for all of you guys who are doing science majors/minors and/or pre-med track, you can do it!

As a sophomore, there are some things I have learned from freshman year. As a commuter student, it is critical to make the best use of your free time on-campus – take advantage of tutoring, visit professors’ office hours, get homework done. When you go home after a long commute, the workload will be less and you can get more time to sleep. Secondly, there’s no need to buy some textbooks or carry them to school. Some textbooks at the Cudahy Library are put on reserve for students to read, but not borrow outside the library. If you can, you can go to the library and get assignments done there. Last but not least, remember to have an optimistic attitude and have faith in yourself. With enough dedication and commitment, you can do what you set out to do. As my BIOL 101 professor says every time we have an exam, Hard Work Pays Off. Therefore, make good use of your education, here at Loyola, and take advantage of the many opportunities and facilities Loyola has. Get your money’s worth.

Until the next blog, I hope you will visit my blog regularly to see my life story unfold. You won’t be bored of it, I can reassure you that!

I will end this blog with a Dr. Suess quote (because who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss?!)

Almost a Sophomore

By | March 31, 2015

With just a little over a month left of school, I can say I am almost finished my first year of college. So much has happened here at Loyola. I have created so many memorable experiences, both good and bad.

Hopefully when the fall semester begins and I become a sophomore, I will learn from my mistakes from freshman year and do better. Academically, I now know that I must not push my personal limits on how many classes I enroll in per semester. With many classes, it is extremely hard to balance each class out alongside its homework, projects, and quizzes/exams. Also, because I am a commuter, I intend to enroll in classes that do not carry over past 3:30 or 4:00pm. (Currently I have a class that ends at 4:40 and I always find myself exhausted and tired).

Besides academics, I must remember to take care of myself. If I am not well, then the outcome of the things I do will not be so good. With that being said, I want to aim for 7-8+ hours of sleep per day, a good, full breakfast, have some time for relaxing, and some time to socialize. If I accomplish these things, I know my mind and body will be in the right place and I will be able to be more active and productive towards myself and society.

And Then I Was a Sophomore

By | December 21, 2014

As far as I’m concerned I feel like I just started college this fall. But going back to my high school for a basketball game this week reminded me how long it has been since I was a student there. It’s been two years since I was a senior in high school. I still find it weird that college is my new normal. My friends and I spent our 4 years of high school doing our best to not wish our time away, and anxiously awaiting the day we would graduate and go to college. Now when we get together, we ask ourselves where all the time went? What were we thinking when we were sophomores in high school?

Sophomore year of high school the college question had just started to find its way onto our radar. I had my sights set on a Chicago university, as long as I was headed to the same school as my best friend. We were all thankful not to have the “freshman look” on our faces anymore and couldn’t wait to be big, bad upperclassman.

As I sit at a sophomore standing once again, I’m still definitely glad to have gotten past the freshman look. Overall, I’m pretty surprised at how quickly I adjusted to this whole college thing. Sure, I was terrified my freshman year. But now when I walk around campus, I’m much more confident and comfortable with where I’m at. A feeling I never thought would be possible after my first week or so of freshman year.

This time, though, entering my junior year is much more intimidating. Rather than looking forward to attending college, I’ve got to look forward to the “real world”. Having just settled on a major and being unsure of my career path, my college graduation might leave me a little more anxious than high school. Now that I’m familiar with college life it will be scary to leave it behind for something new.

But hey, I adjusted alright to college so post-graduation won’t be so bad either, right? Well, I sure hope not.

Last Week of Summer!

By | August 23, 2012

So this week is the week when all the freshmen are moving in, so as I walked to work this morning, I got to witness many eager new students with their parents unloading their cars to move into their dorm rooms. Their expressions got me thinking about what I was like as an incoming freshman versus how I am now, about to start my junior year.

For one thing, I’m calmer and more collected than I was when I came in to school. Back then, I was hyper and excited and worried- about my classes and teachers, about my family and old friends, about the new friends I wanted to make, and overall about the person I wanted to be. I wanted to make a good first impression, and I’ll admit that I wasn’t very successful at it. I made mistakes with how I approached people, but with trial and error and time, I grew into my college self.

Freshman year was full of experimentation, with friends and with interests. Not all of it was good. But overall, my freshman taught me so much about my new self.

After a crazy first year of college, I came back from the summer eager to begin my second year. It was a tough year all around, and it taught me as many important lessons as my first year.

One lesson that I learned was that all of the friends that you make your first year won’t be there the second year, and that you need to pick your friends wisely. The keepers aren’t the ones who are free to go out with you on Friday night or who are all fun and games. Though having a few of those people around is awesome, and even essential, the best of friends are those who will listen when you are having a bad day, who put you in your place when you are out of line, and who are by your side. Whether you’ve been apart for months for the summer or too close together in a small apartment.

This lesson was crucial for me during my sophomore year, and it was the main year I got to formulate my relationships with friends and see people for who they are, whether good or bad.

I’m going into my junior year now with the best knowledge of who I am and whom I want in my life. My goals now are clearly defined, and I’m confident that though this semester is going to be very challenging, it’s going to be one of my most memorable ones. I look back at my freshman self and the journey I went through to get to where I am today, and I’m proud of myself. Though I made many stupid mistakes and had to overcome hard trials, I wouldn’t change anything about my college experience thus far.

So therefore, I welcome myself, as well as the incoming freshmen and returning students, back to Loyola for what I hope to be the best school year yet!

Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year?

By | May 8, 2012

Sorrryyyyy. I just couldn’t help making that the title of this blog, especially considering that within 48 hours (when my professors have promised my grades will be finalized in LOCUS), I will no longer be a college sophomore.

That’s right, ladies and gents…I’m halfway done with my undergrad college career!

This year was not what I expected it to be at all. My freshman year was the best year of my life. I expected the new, fresh, exciting feeling of college (See: This article by Ryan O’Connell, except with a bit more of a positive ending.) to still be there when I returned this Fall.

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

Getting readjusted to college life was hard, but in the end, I got a lot out of this year. After all is said and done…

1. I survived what is considered the hardest year of my program, nursing.

2. I pledged and got initiated into an awesome service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega.

3. I got elected to be as part of the e-board, as Vice President of Fellowship, of said awesome service fraternity.

4. I made the Dean’s List last semester, and I’m fairly certain I made it this semester as well.

5. I got nominated to send in an application for Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honors Society. (I’ll find out in July if I get in, so cross your fingers for me!)

6. I got my undergraduate dream job working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Children’s Memorial Hospital.

7. I signed my first lease and am currently getting ready to move out of my mom’s place in June.

8. I took my first road trip sans parental unit, and got to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the process.

9. I learned how awesome the gym, health stores and running are.

10. I was chosen to give the speech at the nursing dedication ceremony for my class next fall.

and finally…