Month: September 2012

A Great Year Ahead

A Great Year Ahead

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I am excited to be back at Loyola University Chicago and blogging my experiences once again! I cannot believe that I am a junior. The past two year have flown by so fast!

My summer was definitely a busy one. I had the opportunity to intern at a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. called Words Beats & Life. This organization was unique because it bases its purpose in the positive values of hip-hop, professional development, youth development and the arts. My main project consisted of marketing their bi-annual peer-reviewed journal on hip-hop culture. I was able to work closely with three other marketing and communications interns by writing and editing press releases, facilitate a social media based fundraising campaign and be a set of helping hands at their annual teach-in.

Along with working retail to save up before school, I value the experience I had at Words Beats & Life greatly. I felt prepared with the courses I have taken so far at Loyola and I also felt the time and energy I put into projects given were worth while.

Now that I am in my third year, I have an inkling that it will be a busy, yet fulfilling one. I will continue to be involved with the Black Cultural Center as vice president, the African Student Alliance as president and co-choreographer of AfroDescent. I also look forward to working with the department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs with the Empowerment Pipeline program for a second year. Being in my position and reflecting on the experiences I have had by being a leader, I am eager to pass on my knowledge and advice to those who have the potential to be future student leaders on Loyola’s campus as well!

My blog will again be my gateway to reflecting on my experiences this year. I do recognize that I am a student first, but I will try to squeeze in some me time and fun times!

I cannot wait to see what junior year has in store for me!

Dwindling Summer= Back to Chi!

Dwindling Summer= Back to Chi!

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After 8 long, long, months I was ready to get back to the greatest city in America! I was incredibly eager to get back to Chicago and Loyola, since I hadn’t been there since December because of my trip abroad this spring semester.

My summer wasn’t too eventful, but it was very relaxing! It mainly consisted of work, work and more work. (Can you imagine how broke I was after roaming around Europe?)  I worked at a small breakfast cafe as a waitress, so that took up most of my time seeing as I had to be there every morning at 5:30.  Yep… 5:30 A.M.  I just cringed typing that.

Besides working, I spent a lot of time with my family and friends.  We took our annual three day trip to Cedar Point, the largest amusement park in America.  It’s basically Ohio’s claim to fame.  It has a ton of roller coasters, a water park, and it’s right on Lake Erie.  We go with all of my dad’s brothers and sisters, and all 16 of my cousins. Here’s the tallest roller coaster in the park, the Top Thrill Dragster.  It’s literally about a ten second ride. Straight up, straight down.  Terrifying.

The remainder of my summer was spent getting ready for Loyola.  I was on a mission to find cute decorations for my apartment.  I was extra excited for this year since I would be living right off Michigan Avenue- the most prime location!   I knew it was about to be the best school year yet.

True Life: I Survived The First Week Of Classes

True Life: I Survived The First Week Of Classes

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It was painful, but I did it. I survived the first week of classes!

The first few days back from Summer break are always the hardest to get through. After an amazing, relaxing Summer spent sunbathing and swimming, sitting in class is the last thing I look forward to. It is the inevitable end to every Summer however and I have found that there are a number of emotional stages that every recently back to school student must go through:

1. Denial – “School is not actually starting that soon. I still have time. It’s still Summer, for goodness sake its 95 degrees out!”

2. Crisis – (partly a result of the denial) “I’m not ready! I haven’t even thought about my classes yet and they start tomorrow morning!”

3. Depression – “I am actually up at 7:30am getting ready for class…”

4. Acceptance – “Well I am here I might as well pay attention. This may be boring but I need good grades”

5. Excitement – “OK wow, turns out that this is actually interesting material. I am excited for this class!”

Now, if you’re lucky, like me, you are actually taking classes that really interest you and apply to your future. I am taking 5 Education classes and 1 English class. I have found that the content we are learning in my Education classes is actually incredibly interesting and very applicable.

This Fall I have a new tutoring job that I look forward to starting with a company called Frog Tutoring. Also starting soon is volunteer opportunities such as Loyola’s chapter of UNICEF and Loyola 4 Chicago.

After I got through the initial stages of denial and depression (which didn’t take long) I see that coming back to school is actually something to look forward to and to be excited about.

I am going to miss this! A sunrise this Summer from my house back in Michigan.
Coming to a School Near You…

Coming to a School Near You…

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Happy fall! What’s not to love about this time of year? Students are back on campus, the summer heat is slowly disappearing, pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks and it’s travel season for Admission Counselors!

This will be my first travel season and I’m ready to hit the ground running after weeks of phone calls and emails trying to schedule as many high school visits/college fairs as possible. I’ll attend 62 school visits and 12 college fairs in just 26 days in the following 4 states: Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey and New York.

All of the Admission Counselors are putting the finishing touches on their schedules, and we will be traveling just about EVERYWHERE! You can check out the travel schedule online to see when a Loyola Admission Counselor will be at your school or town. My advice if you do meet with an Admission Counselor- Ask Questions! Take advantage of the opportunity to meet with us in person; we can provide you with tons of information about our school and the admission process.

Not only is the office busy with fall travel this month, but we are also busy planning the first Open House of the year, which is Saturday, October 20th! If you’re up for a little traveling of your own, Open House is definitely a great way to visit campus and get a taste of Loyola University Chicago!

I’ll spend much of the next two months in planes, trains, automobiles, and hotel rooms, so that should allow me some time to blog and share tips about the admission process and Loyola!

Starter Survival Tips

Starter Survival Tips

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Week one of the semester is over, and I’m about halfway through week two. This past weekend was Labor Day, and on Labor Day itself, I went to Six Flags. I definitely got a lot out of my season pass on Monday (and this summer), and now I’m just waiting for October to go to Fright Fest. I can’t wait!

Going back to the topic of my classes, school is going really well so far. Though the workload is very high overall, I’ve managed to stay on top of it. Even though it’s only been a week, I feel the most in control over my work and pace than I ever have before. Some useful tips that I’ve been using (even though they’ll be quite obvious) are:

1. Don’t procrastinate.

Every day when I come home, I start my homework right after eating. I get home at either about 4 or 6 every day, and I work till about 10 or 11. I try and do the homework I get assigned on the day that I get it so that I’m always a little ahead.

2. Switch subjects.

Studying one subject for 4 hours straight is annoying and by the end of it, I don’t feel accomplished. That’s why I usually switch between two or three subjects every hour or two. For example, last week I was reading my Accounting book. After an hour and a half, I hadn’t made drastic progress compared to when I began the subject, so I took a break to read Sociology. The result? I got my Sociology reading out of the way AND I cleared my head enough to continue with Accounting afterwards. Double win!

3. Take breaks and give yourself rewards.

While I study, I usually take a 5-minute break every hour or every time I begin feeling tired. If I’m feeling particularly energetic and focused, I won’t take a break until I’m done with what I’m doing, but in that case, I’ll treat myself to a TV show or to some ice cream afterwards. I feel more motivated when I do this, and therefore I get way more done.

4. Find your right time of the day to study and go to bed!

I’ve realized that my best time to study is after all of my classes are over and the sun is still out. When night hits, my concentration begins to fall; because I’m tired, my shows are starting to play, whatever other excuses I can come up with. Therefore, I start my homework once I get home while material is still fresh in my mind, natural light comes into my room and I still have my focus.

At night, I don’t let myself go to bed past 11:30 because I want to get at least eight hours of sleep. If I’m tired in the morning, I’ll be worse later in the day, and no one wants to deals with a crabby tired college student!

These are my most useful tips so far. If anyone has anymore, share them!!! We can all use more tips to survive this semester.