March 2012 – Page 4 – College Admission at Loyola

Mr. Rambler Pageant

By | March 16, 2012

Monday is the second annual Mr. Rambler Pageant!

Mr. Rambler is a pageant that is hosted by Loyola’s chapter of UNICEF in order to raise money for UNICEF’s Tap Project. All of the money raised this week goes to UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean water to communities that currently lack it.

Loyola’s chapter is contributing by hosting the Mr. Rambler Pageant. The pageant contestants come from different organizations on campus including sports teams, greek life, and other clubs. It is a great opportunity to see friends and peers in a different light than we normally see them. For example, last year I was able to see my friend on the cross country team get up in front of about 200 people and sing! It was awesome!

Mr. Rambler consists of categories such as: formal wear, beach wear, talents, and an interview section. I can not wait to see what surprising talents the contestants will have this year!

A Cool (and Free) Exhibit

By Antoinette Isama | March 16, 2012

The Chicago Architecture Foundation houses free exhibits open to the public that explore spaces, places and structures that shape Chicago and all communities. The Chicago Model City exhibit displays its 320 square-foot model of downtown. It is the only accurate and up-to-date three-dimensional portrait and it enables visitors to see it as they have never seen it before.

I found this exhibit very cool because it helps me understand how modern the city is, and it also helped me understand the orientation of Chicago, being that I am not from here.

This exhibit is free (that’s always a plus), and it has been extended due to popularity for the public. I may have to go there again!

March Madness has begun at Loyola!

By Lori Greene | March 16, 2012

OK…we aren’t in the tournament. I get it. I have faith in the Ramblers for next year!

But, I have to tell what a great day this is on campus. It’s 77 and sunny and the lake is a beautiful clear blue-green color.

I just got back from a walk across the East Quad and over to Chipotle for lunch. If you are looking for a space on the lawn along the lake or outside the Information Commons or by the Norville Center…think again. Students, faculty, and staff are out everywhere enjoying the day. Frisbees are being thrown. Students are laying out on benches texting. Beach towels have taken the place of winter coats. Finally, spring is here.

At lunch, I ran into a number of people who had the same idea. Folks from Financial Aid or the Hub or even our Graduate Assistant who was making the most of his ‘off’ day. When I walked back through campus I noticed all the progress on the new Student Union and heard one student exclaim, “You know they are going to have a movie theater in there right?” She seemed happy about it. No one had a problem finding shorts, short-sleeve t-shirts, or my favorite, flip flops. It was nice to don the shades and just take a stroll.

As I was walking back to our admission office, I went by Cuneo Hall. A faculty member I had never met before started up a conversation with me about how he met the design engineer for the building earlier this week. He was thrilled to hear that this will be the most energy efficient building on campus until San Francisco Hall goes up, which apparently will do an even better job. Being Green is important around here.

I also chatted with a few students who were trying to decide if they could hang out a little longer outside. One student was thrilled saying he is from Georgia and loves this is his kind of weather. I can’t agree more.

Events on Campus

By | March 16, 2012

As a Senior, I acknowledge that the perspective may not be the most relevant to the readers of this blog. After all, the Undergraduate Admissions Office’s primary audience is prospective Freshman. But I think that my perspective after an “average lifespan” of a Loyola student can be helpful. They say hindsight it 20/20, and I am in a unique position to see my time at Loyola more clearly than others.

Which brings me to the subject of this blog’s post: on campus events. If there is one thing I regret it is not going to as many on campus events as I could have. My advice to incoming Freshman and underclassmen is to make a habit of going to events that may not interest you.

As somebody who hosts events on a professional level I can tell you that there’s no such thing as an uninteresting event. The amount of work, time and planning that goes into hosting an event on campus is great enough that you are guaranteed to have an enlightening experience.

I believe I can say with confidence that I have enjoyed every event I attended on campus and that I never left an event saying, “Well, I got nothing out of that.”

A lot of events offer free food, t-shirts or other prizes just for showing up. So that is reason enough to go. But the content is what will make you stay. At Loyola you will be at the center of a multicultural, multidisciplinary contingent of ideas and activities. That experience is unlikely to be duplicated any time soon.

So don’t make excuses such as, “I do not have time today,” or “I will start going to more events later.” Because I can tell you, you will always feel like you’re too busy, and you will always put it off, if you don’t make it a habit not to do so early.

I’ve listened to famous philosophers speak, heard great music from Loyola’s a cappella groups, tasted amazing middle eastern food, learned about the fascinating culture surrounding political cartoons, learned how educators are trying to improve my college experience and more. Each time I go to an event I leave knowing more about a part of the world that until then I had no idea even existed.

College events will open you up and pleasantly surprise you, if you let them. So just give them the chance, you won’t get it again.

Paris- C’est magnifique!

By | March 15, 2012

A few weeks ago, I ventured to Paris! It truly was magnificent and it is my absolute favorite place in the world. It was everything I expected and more. Little cafes lined the streets, beautiful parks and gardens were everywhere you turned. And the main attractions were as spectacular as they look in books and travel magazines.

I saw everything I wanted to see in Paris, but my favorite thing would have to be the Eiffel Tower. It is spectacular, especially at night, which is when I went. Every hour, it lights up and sparkles for a good five minutes. I climbed to the top and the views of Paris from up there were unreal. It was definitely the highlight of my trip to Paris!

I also saw some other pretty amazing sights.

1. Notre Dame– Notre Dame was beautiful. The stained glass and different sculptures inside were unlike anything I have ever seen. It was cool to actually get to go inside something so historical.

2. Champs-Elysees– This is a huge shopping street full of expensive shops as well as more touristy places. The street leads to the Louvre, and goes through beautiful gardens. It’s a scenic route.

3. The Louvre– This art museum was awesome, but nearly impossible to see all of it. However, I got to see what I went there to see- The Mona Lisa!

4. Sacre Couer– This basilica marks the highest point in Paris (besides The Eiffel Tower). The views from the top are amazing, and it’s a big tourist spot so there’s a ton of street performers. Kind of like all the random street performers in Chicago! It’s in a neighborhood called Montmartre, where Moulin Rouge is also located.

5. Arc de Triomphe– This is a huge arch built for all those who fought for France during The French Revolution. The inside of the arch contains names of some of the fallen soldiers, as well as the tomb of the unknown soldier.

This trip was amazing. I hope someday I can come back!

Housing: Apartment Hunting

By | March 15, 2012

Loyola requires its students to live “on campus” during Freshman and Sophomore year. Some disagree with the policy, but I found it a good way of weaning me off dependency from my parents and later the university.

But by Junior year most people start looking for apartments. Some people prefer to stay in the residence halls, but since I chose not to do that I can not speak much to that experience. However, as a graduating Senior I am going through the same process that most Sophomores are going through as I look for a new place to live.

But this time around I found some pretty neat resources. One is called Mapnificent.

Everywhere accessible from Loyola in 25 minutes via Public Transportation — Loyola's 25 minute Mapnificent map

This site shows you how far you can get in any amount of time using public transportation. You can use a sliding scale to adjust the time of the trip and watch the available area change. They also have options to change the time of day or day of week and whether you can use a bike in your trip.

The second is called Walk Score. It gives you a score based on the walk-ability of your address. You can see how many coffee shops, grocery stores, music venues, and more are within walking distance of any location.

Loyola's campus has a pretty good WalkScore — Loyola University's WalkScore

Armed with these two sites I feel like I’m going to be able to find a pretty sweet place for next year.