No, it’s not the latest ploy by an airline sponsoring a direct flight to a destination of your choice at a discounted fare. I am appealing to the part of you that thinks, ‘I can’t wait for the chance to study abroad in college. Where will I go?’

It’s true—studying in another country can be an unforgettable part of your college experience. It’s also one that will transform the way you view the world. Immersing yourself in another culture will open your mind to different ways of thinking and doing, making you a more well-rounded person and better prepared to succeed in the global marketplace. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet new friends from all over the world.

The options are many. At Loyola, nearly 40% of our undergraduates study abroad at some point in their four years. Many students opt for Loyola’s own John Felice Rome Center, where they can sample a prominent European city within a setting of a traditional American campus. And faculty-led excursions are just a short train ride or flight away, to places like Greece, Ireland, Tuscany, and more.

Or maybe your destiny lies in the Far East at the Beijing Center, where students immerse themselves in all that the city and the region have to offer. Witness the Great Wall. See the Gobi desert. Check out the pandas in Sichuan. Visit a Daoist temple in Chengdu. Raft down the Li River in Yangshuo. Try it all. But don’t take my word for it, take a look at the slideshow Loyola students have created from their study abroad experiences in China.

Or perhaps your dream resides deep in Southeast Asia in the heart of Vietnam, where you can tour the different regions of the country and surrounding countries like Cambodia. Take courses that range from the Religions of Asia to Modern Vietnamese Literature to a current environmental sustainability course focused on contemporary Vietnam.

Pack my bags! I am ready to go. There are more than 100 programs in 55 countries to choose from via Loyola’s affiliate programs. Students are raving!

There are many reasons students end up choosing a college or university. Often, once a student knows that a particular school has his/her major, a desired location, etc., the biggest factor remaining is knowing what the social life will be like.

High school seniors everywhere wonder about what campus life is like at their short list of college choices:

• What is there to do outside of class and study groups?
• Which clubs or organizations are similar to those I liked in high school?
• Which groups are new or present something different for me to try?
• Are intramurals or club sports popular on campus?
• Does everyone look forward to basketball season?
• Will Greek life be a major or minor factor?
• Do many of the students study abroad and if so, where?

A typical college Web site will attempt to answer all of these questions. But in reality, the best way to get a feel for student life is to plan a visit or attend an open house.

Here at Loyola, our newest students have kicked off their Loyola Experience by settling into college life naturally—just by being on campus and meeting people.

And the opportunities they encounter are abundant and varied. The Student Development division offers programs that range from diversity to leadership development. The Student Organization Fair can really help students get started ‘shopping’ for ideas. Retreat opportunities, such as the Loyola 360 program held out at the Retreat and Ecology Campus, help students connect while thinking about larger issues. There’s also the Meet the Greeks event that helps students learn about Greek life at Loyola and the many sororities and fraternities that are available.

In the end the choice is yours!

This is quite the hot topic in college admission—and not without reason. Every family who has a son or daughter going through the college selection process faces many of the same issues. How are we going to pay for this? What resources are available to support my son/daughter as he/she attends college?

I sincerely hope parents are including their children in this discussion. The earlier this begins, the better. The junior year in high school is a good time for students to begin developing a list of prospective schools while also beginning to gather cost and financing information.

Here are a few starter questions parents and prospective students should be asking early on:

• What does it cost?
• What is the difference in public school tuition for in-state students vs. out-of-state students?
• What fees are charged?
• What about living expenses?
• Are scholarships available? If so, how do you qualify for/maintain them?
• What are the potential deadlines?
• What type of financial aid is available?

Many parents and students wait until the senior year of high school to consider financing options. On the surface, this makes sense because of the wait time needed to see about admission, scholarship opportunities, and financial aid. But even with that in mind, it’s always a good idea to know early on what resources may be available to make college a reality.

Occasionally, I hear about students who aren’t fully aware of their family’s financial picture when it comes to paying for college. They assume that everything is going to be taken care of because their parents haven’t talked to them about cost. Meanwhile, the parents are struggling and stressed about how they are going to pay for school. Obviously, this isn’t ideal.

When parents and students make assumptions about how to pay for college without talking about the larger issue, they may be surprised to find later in the college selection process that the student’s dream school may be out of reach. So I want to reiterate how important it is for both parents and students to take part in the paying for college discussion. Knowing their family’s situation not only helps students see the big picture when looking at colleges, but also it equips them to explore opportunities (i.e. Federal Work-Study) for attending their dream school.

As you look forward to the college selection process, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

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.

Campus is buzzing. Move-in finally finished last weekend and classes began on Monday, August 27. In the midst of students trying to get their rooms set up, they found themselves in a flurry of activity. Welcome Week packs in a ton of activities with everything from family picnics, multiple welcoming receptions, walk-in advising hours, a student organization fair, a session on Greek life and more. Telling you about it all just doesn’t fully explain the bustle of activity but the photo gallery certainly helps. Take a LOOK.

The highlight of Welcome Week for me is Convocation. This is the first formal opportunity we have as a community to welcome a talented new class to Loyola. This year, all new freshman and transfer students gathered on the East Quad where I introduced the class to our Vice President for Student Development, Dr. Rob Kelly. Dr. Kelly, our Student Government President, Julia Poirier, and our Young Alumni President, welcomed the class and discussed Loyola traditions and how students will earn keys at various milestones in their college careers.

After that introduction, we lead students on a walk around the Lake Shore Campus. Faculty, staff, and students formed loud, clapping tunnels as students approached the Gentile Arena. Once inside the arena, students were formally welcomed into the Loyola community by top administrators, including President Michael J. Garanzini, S.J. The program was topped off with a talk from Sonia Nazario, the author of this year’s chosen common reading, Enrique’s Journey. Afterwords, students moved into dinner and small group discussion facilitated by Loyola faculty.

Welcome Loyola Class of 2016!!!

It’s that time of year again—when we see lots of flyers delivered to mailboxes with ads for school supplies and TV commercials with great sales on clothing for school-bound kids. I remember August as the time when my family was in a mad rush to get the last vacation in while rushing to get everything we needed for the start of school. When I was in grade school, my favorite part of the whole process was the chance to purchase a new pack of crayons.

Oh, the fun of being a kid!

Not much has changed really, whether students are prepping for grade school or high school or even college. The mayhem has only just begun.

I was at Bed, Bath, and Beyond this weekend and saw the frenzy beginning. (Aha…the semester is about to begin. Thank goodness.) Admission offices do a lot of planning over the summer and work with many students and families visiting campus, but now we know that campus will soon be invaded by returning and new students alike. It is rewarding to see the students we worked with for over a year finally become official members of the Loyola family.

Back to my shopping experience… I didn’t realize that some stores actually offer a guide to help college students purchase all they need for their dorm room. Really? I saw quite a few parents taking note and at the same time, observed some of the college-bound girls knowing what they want already and trying to get their mothers to just follow them to the next aisle. The conversations were all about the time it would take to drive to campus, what the roommate was bringing, or my favorite—a discussion about a particular lamp one young lady really wanted.

No matter how the process begins, it is that time of year. I am glad I could witness that sense of excitement and a bit of the ‘unknown’ because it means that new experiences are around the corner.

So get the car packed or stuff it all into a few suitcases for the flight. We will see you soon!

Lines of cars were backed up along Sheridan Avenue. Traffic in the area reflected more than your typical commute to work during April —end of school year or not. People were scattered outside of campus selling merchandise that proclaimed “Free Tibet.” IDs were checked. Conversations about peace and petitions for peace were plentiful.

His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama was at Loyola University Chicago.

I didn’t have the chance to be there in person, but all you had to do was walk around campus and you got the picture. The live broadcast was heard via our own WLUW FM 88.7 and I enjoyed listening to the Dalai Lama’s comments. Our students even had the chance to get in on the action with some thought provoking questions at the end of his remarks. His answers were thorough and insightful.

What did I take away?

First, His Holiness commented that the ultimate source of happiness does not come from money, big cars, fame, power, etc. Peace of mind and joyfulness comes from an inner peace and self-confidence. He talked about how we all come from different religious traditions and philosophies, but we all have the same goals in life: to find meaning in life and celebrate a level of joyfulness and human dignity.

I also enjoyed his discussion on ethics. The Dalai Lama proposed that ethics is not a faith based discipline, because if it were, ethics would not be universal. Regardless of background or faith, he said that individuals ultimately have an inner voice, an inner self discipline that guides what one should or should not do.

Nicole Caddo, a senior anthropology major, asked about what advice He would give to a student who wants to act as an advocate for peace? He distinctly noted that peace starts with oneself, one’s family, and one’s friends. But most importantly, peace doesn’t happen through prayer or meditation, but rather through actions and efforts to educate others. To illustrate, the Dalai Lama commented about people releasing pigeons as a sign of peace. While releasing a pigeon might be a nice thing to do, he stated “a pigeon never brought peace.”

Thank you to our special guest, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for joining us at Loyola and letting us all take a very much needed ‘time out.’

One of the trademarks of a Loyola education is a focus on social justice. On campus, you’ll find many initiatives where students can get involved, gain some hands-on experience, and make a difference through coursework, research, and student organizations.

I am amazed by the students I’ve met over the course of this year, many of whom plan to enter the Class of 2016. One of the themes in the conversations I’ve had with these incoming students (from all over the U.S. and internationally) is their concern for social justice issues and their involvement via their high school experience. To highlight Loyola’s commitment to social justice, we have a new web portal highlighting Social Justice at Loyola. Check it out today and see how you might want to get involved!