Loyola Adds Value to Your Education

When I speak with prospective students at this time of year, the focus is usually on the application and scholarship deadlines. This is completely understandable.

However, one of the key pieces of information that I try to encourage students to also consider is the type of student experience a particular school offers. For example:

• Does the ‘college experience’ go beyond the classroom and social activities?
• What value can you expect to get from your education—in addition to your degree?

What am I referring to? Loyola stands out as a university that brings the meaning of ‘engaged learning’ to life.

The University recently made changes to the Core Curriculum to ensure that students are active participants in their education through service-learning, academic internships, field work, undergraduate research, and/or public performance. Bottom line: engaged learning adds value to your Loyola education.

Loyola’s Center for Experiential Learning offers a wonderful coordination of efforts to ensure that students can take advantage of a variety of hands-on learning opportunities. These are the activities that truly enhance a four-year college experience—and the annual impact report tells the story. While you’re reading:

• Check out what students say about taking part in experiential learning.
• See how Loyola helps students build their personal e-portfolio, which offers a compelling overview of a student’s strengths and experience. The e-portfolio can be a valuable tool when applying to graduate or professional schools and/or a first professional job.
• Look at how our students have impacted more than 100 Chicago area non-profits.
• Find out about the 103 courses in 34 different majors that offered an experiential learning component as part of the curriculum.
• Picture yourself as one of the engaged 2,780 Loyola students who gained valuable experience while providing more than 106,900 hours of service last year.