Lindsy Fagerstrom – Page 4 – College Admission at Loyola

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Explore Campus!

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | October 14, 2013

Only 26 days until the first Undergraduate Admission Fall Open House of 2013 at Loyola University Chicago! This year’s Open Houses will take place on Saturday, November 9th and Saturday, November 16th starting at 9:00 a.m. Many students & parents have been asking questions about the event, so hopefully this post will provide some answers!

What is Open House?

Open House is an opportunity to explore campus, tour the residence halls, learn about academic programs, find out about admission and financial aid, and connect with current students and faculty! There will also be presentations on experiential learning, residence life, study abroad opportunities, pre-health advising, and the new Institute of Environmental Sustainability. Click here for a full schedule.

Who can attend Open House?

High school juniors & seniors, transfer students, and their families are invited to attend Open House. Click here to register online!

Do I need to bring anything to Open House?

You are not required to bring anything to Open House. Though we do recommend that you spend some time looking at the schedule before hand so you can select which sessions you would like to attend. Also, be sure to come prepared with any questions you have for admission counselors, financial aid counselors, or faculty members from your major/program of interest.

Do you have hotel recommendations for the weekend?

Yes, click here for recommended lodging options nearby.

Is parking available on campus?

Yes, we recommend that all visits park in our main parking structure on campus. Parking will be free on both Saturdays.

If I cannot attend Open House, is there another time I can visit campus?

Yes, you can attend a campus visit at our Lake Shore Campus on Monday – Saturday and our Water Tower Campus on Monday – Friday.

If you have any additional questions, give us a call at 800.262.2373 or email us at admission@luc.edu.

College Essays

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | September 3, 2013

It’s officially application season! Loyola University Chicago‘s 2014 application is live, so be sure to start your application right away. While December 1st (the priority deadline) is still pretty far away, you don’t want to wait until the last minute to submit your application or your required supporting documents. Loyola’s application requirements include: submission of the online application, all high school transcripts, either an SAT or ACT score (Loyola’s code for the SAT is 1412, and the ACT code is 1064), a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor, and a writing sample.

To clarify a little confusion about our application – Loyola does require a writing sample! The writing sample or essay is necessary in order for your application to be considered complete for review. You will have the option to upload your essay AFTER you submit your application on your applicant status page. As an admission counselor, I think I receive more questions about the essay than any other component of the application, so hopefully my tips below will help:

Choose the Right Topic: At Loyola, we do not have a specific question or prompt that is required for the essays. I personally love that it’s open-ended because it gives students the opportunity to be creative with their writing. The essay is really a chance for students to talk to us; to tell us more about themselves that we do not necessarily see from their applications. I receive excerpts of: research papers, essays written for class, poetry, short stories, personal statements, explanations of past hardships, future goals and many more. Many students choose to write about topics they’re passionate about (which are my favorite because you can pickup on their enthusiasm), volunteer experiences, part time jobs, their favorite classes, inspirational family members/teachers/friends, travel abroad, favorite sports or extracurricular activities. And some essay that are just truly random. One of the best essays I read this past year was about skittles (yes, a very random topic) but it was incredibly engaging and well-written. So, don’t be afraid to get a little creative. However, if you are going with a more random topic, be sure that the topic is appropriate!

Watch Your Word Count: When writing essays or choosing an essay to submit, keep the length requirement in mind. At Loyola, we require a 500 word essay, so do not submit a 200 word essay or a 1000 word essay. While I do not count each individual word you submit, you don’t want to stray too far from the word limit. We’re looking to see if you can be concise & direct in your writing, so don’t ramble on simply to fill up the page! If you are looking to use an essay or research paper that you’ve previously written and it’s over 500 words, that’s fine – just choose an excerpt of that approximate length (we will understand that this is likely not the full piece of work).

Proofread: The most common mistake students tend to make is not proofreading their essays, which are filled with silly spelling and grammatical errors. I always recommend that you proofread your essay a day or two after writing it so you are looking at it from a fresh perspective. I’d also recommend that you have your classmates, parents or teachers look it over for any mistakes.

Submit the Right Essay: Another common mistake students make- submitting the wrong essay. Students will have several different college essays saved to their computers and will accidentally submit the wrong one. My tip for this problem- always clearly name your documents and label each essay for the appropriate college. If you’re using the same essay for several schools (which is fine to do if the essay is appropriate for each one), be sure to switch out the school’s name or any specific information that would apply to one university. If you do by chance send in the wrong essay, email your admission counselor right away to see if you can correct your mistake.

If you have any questions about the application process don’t hesitate to reach out the Undergraduate Admission office at 1-800-262-2373 or via email at admission@luc.edu. Best of luck to everyone with their essays!

Choosing the Right City

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | November 1, 2012

Throughout the travel season, I’ve noticed that quite a few students are applying to a wide array of schools. Applying to many schools can be a good way to keep your options open, but it can also be quite time consuming. I would recommend narrowing the list to save your self some time (and money if there are application fees, which Loyola does NOT have). One of the easiest ways to shorten the list, spend some time considering the city your school is located in and whether or not it’s a good fit for you.

Some things to consider about cities:

Distance- Is it the right distance from home? Are you looking to stay close by or do you want to move further away to get a new experience? What forms of transportation can you take to get back & forth? Will you be able to afford to commute home easily for holidays?
Weather/Climate- Are you looking for a city with all 4 seasons or just 1? Do you want a snowy winter? Do you want to be near a beach? (Loyola offers both of those options!)

Culture- How is the social scene of the campus/city? What types of events/food/shopping/etc. are you looking for? (Check out what Chicago offers here!)

Rural Life Vs. City Life- Are you looking to study in a small, rural town or do you want to experience fast-pace, city life? Are you looking for a quiet environment or are you okay with a little city noise?
Transit- Will you be able to easily commute to grocery stores, restaurants, etc? Do you need a car? How does parking work on campus? Can you rely on public transit to get around? Or is everything within walking distance? (At Loyola you can always rely on the CTA, Chicago Transit Authority, to get you around the city at no cost with your U-Pass!)
Diversity- How diverse is the campus & the neighborhood? Will you get a different experience from your hometown? What opportunities are there to explore different cultures, beliefs, etc.? (Loyola is in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, Rogers Park.)
Internship/Job Opportunities- Are there businesses nearby who will provide internship opportunities? How far will you have to commute for work? How far are you willing to commute for an internship or job? (Being in Chicago, Loyola is very close in proximity to uncountable internship & experiential learning opportunities.)

There’s no right or wrong answer to the questions listed above, they’re all things you need to consider and answer honestly for yourself when deciding if a college or city is a good fit for you.

Good Luck!

Traveling & Study Abroad

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | October 5, 2012

So for the past month, I have spent A LOT of time on the road and living out of a suitcase for fall travel, recruitment to various high schools and college fairs around Indiana & Illinois. This has led to quite a bit of reminiscing over my study abroad experience while I was a junior at Loyola University Chicago.

The summer before junior year, I traveled to Rome for a 2 week international 3 credit hour marketing course with a small group of students and one of my favorite professors, Stacy Neier. During our short-time abroad, we traveled throughout Rome, Florence, Lake Como, Milan and then we ended our trip in Paris. I started going through my photos from the trip and decided that the old saying is true, “a picture is worth a thousand words” so instead of writing about my experience, I’ve decided to share some of my photos!

-ROME-

-Florence-

-Lake Como-

-Milan-

-Paris-

Overall, it was an absolutely phenomenal experience, I’d definitely recommend that you consider making study abroad a part of your college experience. Loyola offers over 100 study abroad programs in over 55 countries, so you can definitely find the right location for you!

1,794 Miles

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | September 25, 2012

As I’ve mentioned before, fall means travel season for Admission Counselors! So far I’ve spent a total of 9 days on the road and I’ve driven a total of 1,794 miles throughout Indiana! That’s an average of 199 miles per day, woah. While I love fall travel and the opportunity to meet with so many awesome perspective students, being on the road does make me miss Chicago.

I specifically miss the CTA or Chicago Transit Authority. The CTA is not only my regular form of transportation throughout the year, but also the 2nd largest public transportation system in the country. (Click here for more fun facts about the CTA!)

After living in the city for 5 years now, I definitely prefer taking one of the many CTA buses or trains instead of driving. It’s nice to be able to sit back and read my kindle or the RedEye, listen to music and watch the stops go by as I near my destination. By relying on the CTA, I never have to worry about navigating road construction, gas prices, car insurance, or finding parking in the city.

The CTA is a great option for Loyola students, as all full time students receive a U-Pass, which gives them unlimited use of all CTA transit during the semester. The red line, probably the most popular train route for LUC students, runs between Lake Shore Campus and Water Tower Campus (the Loyola stop & the Chicago stop). The #147 (Outer Drive Express) bus route also runs between the two campuses on Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue, also known as the “Magnificent Mile“..

The U-Pass is more than just an option for getting between classes, it’s a passport to the city! It will get you to Soldier Field to watch the Chicago Bears, U.S. Cellular Field to hopefully see the White Sox make it to the postseason, Millennium Park, Museum Campus, Chinatown, the House of Blues for a concert, or maybe just a random stop where you can do some exploring! It was definitely one of my favorite possessions as a Loyola student, and I think most students would agree with me.

If you’re up for a road trip yourself, I’d recommend planning a trip up to Loyola University Chicago on October 20th or November 17th for an Open House. They’re a great way to determine if Loyola is the right fit for you, and you can always hop on the CTA and do some exploring in the wonderful windy city!

Coming to a School Near You…

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | September 6, 2012

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!

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!