July 3, 2019

After waiting for two months, I finally started my Retail Marketing summer class yesterday!! This class just becomes my all-time favorite class, even though it is a three hours and fifteen minutes long class per class section! There are many reasons why I joined in this class. Dr. Stacy Neier is my favorite marketing professor at Loyola! I have taken her class in the past. It was the most interesting class I have ever taken. I love the energy during our class discussions and all the creative knowledge about Marketing. Also, she is the faculty advisor of my fraternity! @DeltaSigmaPiLUC

When I first saw the class title, I was very confused by the name “MARK 360W Blend”. I think most people understand the “W” which means this is a writing intensive class. This course incorporates a variety of assessments that are specifically designed to help students become a better writer. This is another reason why I joined this class, to improve my writing skills.

The word “Blend” was where I got lost. But before I explain the meaning of the word. I want to share a fun fact about this class: most of our class meetings are online, but there are couple meetings we have to meet in person. Guess where do we meet for the in-person classes — a coffee shop!!! Yep! At first, I thought maybe because it is a small class, so we don’t even need a normal classroom to meet up. But the truth is we are working together with a local coffee shop name Helix Café near the Lake Shore Campus! The coffee shop is also owned by our Loyola Alumni!! (And FYI, there are about 15 students in this class.) We will work on the retail strategy about this coffee shop and write audits as a Retail Analyst. I really cannot wait to have a class at a coffee shop! Okay, back to the “blend”. I guess the word starts making sense because this course has both online and in-person class meetings. Yesterday during class, Dr. Stacy explained to us the word “blend” means a class only meet up in person under three times. Since we are only going to meet twice at the coffee shop during this six-week summer class, we get this special title!!

After yesterday’s class, I learned there are so much more interesting and new stuffs about this class. I will share them in my next blog! Quick hint: Do you know there are actually scripts for podcasts?

Stay tuned!

And happy 4^thof July everyone!

News about Helix Café: https://abc7chicago.com/business/edgewater-cafe-provides-jobs-for-unemployed-chicago-youth/5404082/

Hey folks, my name is Jie (pronounce as G). Today I would like to introduce myself and my life at Loyola. Before we get into the Blog, just a quick fun fact about my name: almost every person asks if my name is spell as the letter G after they first heard my name. It always makes me wonder should I just change my first name to letter G?

I am an international student from Beijing, China. Also, I am a raising Junior student and majoring in Marketing. The past two years have gone by very fast. From being a first-year university student in a foreign country. To a person who sees Chicago as his second home with all his great friends. About a year and half ago, I had the opportunity to join Delta Sigma Pi, a business professional fraternity. I could not tell you how much all the brothers have helped me through my life in this totally new environment. It has always been a pleasure time to work and hang out together with them. After became the social media manager of the fraternity last year, I gained more skills and made many friends around campus!

As a business major student, I think college life and Loyola taught me a lot of lessons on managing relationships with people and the importance of building networks. Last Spring Break, I got an amazing opportunity and honor to participate in the Quinlan Ramble trip to Boston. The Quinlan Ramble is an annual alternative spring break trip that enables Quinlan undergraduate students and Arrupe business students to experience business in another part of the United States. Where I got to network with amazing professionals in different business fields and with our great Loyola Alumni. I also got to make many new friends with whom I know I can count on during my time at Loyola University Chicago and beyond.

For now, I am currently one of the Social Media Student Ambassadors of Loyola University Chicago. I joined the team at the end of last semester. It has been more than a month since I started working as the Social Media Student Ambassador this summer. I am very grateful and excited to join this wonderful team with our leader Adam, even though I have not had chance to meet with my other teammates during this summer break. I really enjoy been in a creative and motivated team. With all the future plans we have like creating Loyola memes and promoting our own YouTube channel, I cannot wait to work with the rest of our teammates together and contribute each of our unique skills to this team!

And, that is my boss Adam in our Instagram Name-tag!

You’ve finally gotten over the crazy midterms, quizzes, endless nights of studying, homework, labs, and soon you will conquer finals week! Even though some of you may be taking classes over the summer, enjoy your summer break! Take the time to acknowledge all of the hard work you have put forth these past semesters and treat yourself. Summer break will officially start May 4th, 2019 and classes will resume August 26th, 2019. Make sure to take advantage of this lengthy break and enjoy it with your friends and family. Get the sleep that you missed out on for the past couple of months, go out and explore, take road trips, go to the LOLLA concert, go to the 4th of July parades, work and make some extra money, try new restaurants, do some fun reading! This is your time to give yourself the well deserved break you needed, and throw the stress out (at least until September…). However, keep in mind, you should probably do some review and look into the classes you will be taking next semester, because the worst thing you can do is forget everything you have learned and have a rough start so early in the semester! Here are some school related things you should do aside from your fun shenanigans:

1. Add some classes to your cart and register!!! Even if the times don’t seem so great or it’s a professor you don’t want, just register so that you’re in a class! You can always drop this and switch it with another one.
2. Complete your to-do list on LOCUS! Many people may need to do verification worksheets, immunizations, or residential/commuting sheets, so look into that!
3. Check for any holds on LOCUS  because trust me, it will be annoying if you put these off to the last minute.
4. Stalk the registration page at random times! This will allow you to get the best classes at the best times when someone randomly decides to drop or swap.
5. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
6. Start the monthly tuition plan if it’s something that interests you. Some students prefer paying that big chunk of money over the couple of months, so look into the monthly I PLAN so that you can start paying your tuition and relieve the burden that may come later!
7. Look for research/internship opportunities
8. Set goals for the upcoming semester – this will reduce anxiety and make it more clear what needs to be accomplished.
9. Readjust your 4 year plan and make sure it is updated and clear.

There may be a lot of things you need to still look after during your Summer break, but make the most out of it. These are the moments you definitely don’t want to forget!

For many of you, this may be your first year; for others, it may just be another long semester. We all need a break from these crazy days or even just after finals! I don’t know about you guys, but my resort is usually food. During my first year at Loyola, I was able to discover awesome places to eat at so I thought i’d share it with you all and get a little study snack or lunch to make the summer more worthwhile!

Need a quick breakfast before that 8:15a class you are dreading: Anne Sather

This is super close to campus and one of the most popular breakfast places! Quick service, inexpensive, and pure satisfaction.

Where is it? 3415 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60657 (next to the Granville Station!)

Ordering: Their cinnamon rolls are perfect! If you are on a budget (about $3) and want to be filled up, I definitely recommend this!

Need some Instagram love?: Amorino Gelato 

Warning. When you get this… you won’t even want to eat it because it’s too pretty to eat! You can choose a bunch of flavors and somehow transform it into a flower.

Where is it?: 838 N State St. Chicago, IL 60610 (right across the Quinlan School of Business at the downtown campus)

Ordering: You can basically order whichever flavors you like! In my opinion the bright, pretty, fruity colors make the best flowers but the chocolate does its magic as well!

Have a sweet tooth?: Lickity Split Frozen Custard & Sweets

This should be a simple reward for you hard workers! If you need a break from all the studying, simply go to this place! Its very close by and they have items such as frozen custard, baked goods, candy, special sodas, etc!

Where is it?: 6056 N Broadway St. Chicago, IL 60660

Ordering: You can simply get a frozen custard flavor or if you really are indecisive, you can literally blend a cupcake in your dessert! Get the best of everything!

When you want a pizza and you can’t decide on a topping… get everything!: Blaze Pizza 

This is a hip pizzeria where you pay less than 10 bucks for a delicious pizza of your choice! It is fresh, made from scratch dough, healthy and quick! You decide what you want on it and then it goes right in a blazing hot oven made in seconds!

Where is it?: 6550 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL 60626 (Right next to the Loyola Train Station!)

Ordering: What can’t you order here? I usually get all the veggies because it’s so hard for us veggie lovers to get a pizza with as many veggies possible!
When you need an elegant atmosphere with some great tea/coffee: Three Arts Club Cafe

This place is so beautiful. You will fall in love the moment you walk in. Definitely something worthy of pictures, friends, and formal clothing.

Where is it?: 1300 N Dearborn St Chicago IL 60610

Ordering: The RH scramble is delicious and includes 4 pieces of toast with avocado and eggs with chives. Tie it with a cup of coffee and you are set! BTW I heard the cookies are amazing as well!

Need a lot of options and a nice place for lunch/dinner?: Grand Lux Cafe 

Where is it?: 600 N Michigan Ave Chicago IL 60661

Ordering: The pastas are always great and the macaroni and cheese skillet is definitely a great appetizer!

Craving a classic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza?: Giordano’s 

Where is it?: 6836 N Sheridan Rd Chicago IL 60626

Ordering: Deep dish and your favorite toppings will satisfy your cravings! Make sure to plan early because it takes about 45 minutes to cook! The garlic parmesan fries and the frozen lemonade are the best pairings!

It may seem a bit too early to even talk about what you can do in preparation for finals week; however, the truth is that its never too early. After going through my first semester, I realized that it’s better to mentally prepare yourself for what may seem so far away. What I did to prepare for finals week is just kept it in the back of my head throughout the semester so that it doesn’t come by surprise. Don’t let this stress you out, but motivate you. I always thought of it in a way to prove to myself that I actually learned useful information and that I will be stress free afterwards, so might as well do well if you’re going to do it.

Here are some things you can do to prepare:

1. Find out which days you have which finals, and at what time. This helps you clearly see if you have two finals the same day and how you can equally study for them.
2. Find out if your final is cumulative or not!!
3. Whenever you’re in class, make sure to take beneficial notes that can help prepare for finals week. This will help you not only for the next midterm you may have, but it will also help you prepare information for the final.
4. When you find out if it is cumulative or not, this will give you an idea of how much to study. You might want to add in more study days if it is cumulative. Don’t let that scare you though.
   1. If its cumulative, it’s most likely 1-2 questions per unit — so make sure to get the key point out of each topic.
   2. If its cumulative, its going to be shorter and more spread out, so don’t focus too much on one topic!
   3. More than likely, it will cover 2/3 of the more recent stuff, and 1/3 of the previous stuff! **this may depend on the professor, however.
5. DO NOT study a couple days before the finals week, or only the week before. That is why I make this post. I know a lot of people that waited until the last minute and did not do so well; staying up until 4 am just a few days before is not going to be beneficial for many people.
6. Start calculating your grade based on the syllabus, and see what you minimally need to get the grade you want for the class. STRIVE FOR THAT GRADE.
7. Start AT LEAST 2-3 weeks before and make a schedule. Dedicate a certain amount of hours to each class. Type out/rewrite notes so you can make sense of it again. Form study groups and go over a topic a day.

NOTE: A CUP OF COFFEE/TEA/SOME SORT OF CAFFEINE IS REQUIRED FOR THIS – NO EXCEPTIONS!

These are just some things you can do in preparation for finals. Don’t let it scare you, conquer it! Think about it, if you get a head start on it now, you will kill those exams and then have an awesome Summer break back at home (or else where) until next semester, I don’t know about you, but that sounds awesome to me… 🙂

 

Finals are approaching faster than it may seem, and as nerve wracking that sounds, the bright side is that summer break is almost here! You should be preparing for finals because you’re going to have a lot of reviewing to do, depending on how many exams you have, whether they’re cumulative or not, and the level of easiness or difficulty of the content.

You should also know when your finals are scheduled, and if you don’t, here is the link: http://www.luc.edu/academics/schedules/spring/exam_schedule.shtml

NOTE: Make sure this matches up to your syllabus, and if it does not, bring this up to your professor.

Now enough of the scary stuff, FINALS BREAKFAST IS ALMOST HERE.

Finals breakfast takes place at the end of each semester, the Tuesday of every finals week! The fun part of it is that its at 9PM instead of the morning, so take a break from the stress and get together with friends. Take advantage of the free food, after all, food makes everyone happy.

I wish everyone the best of luck on finals! Do the best you can, make sure you have tons of caffeine, and be optimistic. You won’t have to deal with this again until August 26th!

Remember: Finals Breakfast Spring 2019: Tuesday, April 30, 2019 9:00-10:30PM

Sometimes we become so caught up on what we HAVE to do, rather than what we CAN do. Don’t let a list of plans overwhelm you from doing it. I have learned to make use of my time by not overworking myself nor wasting my time. This doesn’t necessarily have to be school related, but in general, we become so stressed over things we have yet to do, and that takes up the time we actually have to do it. What I personally do to overcome this, is make a list of what I need to do for that day. I enjoy waking up early and being productive, because if I don’t, then I just get lazy and watch Netflix. This is okay sometimes, and I’m not encouraging non-morning people to do this too, but find what works for you and what allows you to get the most things checked off your list. Also, when I wake up, my motivation to get up is usually going to get a cup of coffee; sad, but true. Find something that motivates you to get up and running.

You don’t need to get everything done back to back. Take a break in between and get something healthy to eat, hang out with friends, surround yourself with optimism. Set goals for yourself to get certain things done in a day. I have learned to set aside some time for myself, so after classes I go for a 20 minute run just to get my mind off of things and relax. I found myself doing significantly better in classes and relatively much more relaxed and happy.

If you find yourself being “lazy” when you have so much to do, just get it over with so that you can be lazy and not even have to look at a list of “yet to-do’s”. (Its an incredible feeling, trust me.)

These tips may or may not work for you, but find what does. Everyone deserves leisure time, but it comes best knowing you don’t have to look at a list. Don’t stress over the little things, avoid complaining, and just do it.

 

Yup, you read that right: “Anatomy Fashion Show.” It consists of students volunteers having an organ system painted on their body by other students and then modeling in front of a crowd. Sounds fun, right? The Anatomy Fashion Show is one of Phi Delta Epsilon’s (our International Medical Fraternity on campus) ways to collect funds to donate to their Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, and all proceeds go to the Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. I remember looking at the info for the AFS and thinking “Oh that looks cool! I wish I could go!” Well, this year I took it a step further and decided that I would be modeling myself (for the children, of course!), opening my own fundraising page in order to support the cause.

As soon as I had committed myself to be part of the AFS, I felt extremely conscious about my body and how I would look that day and started getting worried that nobody would donate towards my page. However, I remembered that this event was for a cause, a GOOD cause, and that even if it meant getting out of my comfort zone, I would be doing a good thing. Therefore, I put myself together and decided that if I was going to do this, I was going to do it willingly and to my best abilities. And so I did: I started posting on my social media a week before, letting all of my friends know what I was doing and that if they wanted to support me, they need only to donate $1. Thankfully, many of my friends responded, and on the day before the AFS, I felt like I was really going to enjoy this.

· · · · · ·

I had no idea how much fun being painted on was going to be. Before the day of the event, I had chosen that I wanted to have the female reproductive system painted on me that day, and that itself had brought up the fears that maybe my artist would do something small on me, and that it would be barely noticeable. Fortunately, my artist, Emily, had come with an open mind and an ace under her sleeve. Seeing that the theme for the Fashion Show was “Heavenly Bodies,” Emily had the idea to depict the female reproductive system as our Solar System, floating in space and representing the center of my body, my galaxy. I was fascinated by the idea, and let her paint my whole body in dark blue to simulate. As Emily finished the last touches and added some rhinestones to simulate the stars, I was in shock by the transformation my body had undergone in the lapse of two hours: I had gone from a normal body to a celestial one and was in awe at how beautiful it looked. Now it was just time to model that masterpiece down the runway.

When the time came to model, I have to say, I was so nervous. Not only had I been running around the building for around 4 hours in only my underwear and covered in paint, but I was also very cold. To say the least, I was very excited to get the Fashion Show started, as I wanted to see what I would do on stage. As my turn came to walk down the runwa, I froze and stopped in my tracks. I now look back and think that it must have been very funny to see me, but I was petrified at that moment. Thankfully, I was able to snap out of it and continue strutting down the runway, bedazzling the crowd with Emily’s beautiful art and my awkward modeling moves.

The AFS was a success: PhiDE was able to reach their donation goal, and everybody who had been involved in the event that day was happy and satisfied with themselves. The audience also seemed to have had fun, as they congratulated us and the artists on our way out. And on a personal note, I am so happy that I participated in such a fun experience. I hope to be part of it again in the next couple of years, hopefully with a friend of mine strutting down the runway with me next time to make it twice as fun. 🙂

Eventually that point into the semester is coming where you are starting to feel slightly home sick but can’t really go home either because all those first round of exams are here. Did you know the variety of hotels near Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus that your family can lodge at? Definitely check out the variety of selections, especially during Commencement Week, which will take place May 7-10!

Hampton Inn-Chicago North/Loyola Station
1209 W. Albion Avenue
Chicago, IL 60626
Phone: 312.265.5800
www.hamptoninnloyola.com

*The Hampton Inn is now filled to capacity for Family Weekend, please see below for other hotel options.

Loyola Flats (Loyola’s student run luxury guesthouse)1216 W. Arthur Avenue
Chicago, IL 60626
312.508.0200

Hilton Garden Inn

1818 Maple Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
847.492.6548

DoubleTree by Hilton – Skokie

9599 Skokie Blvd
Skokie, IL 60077
847.679.7000

There are other options as well that are closer to the Water Tower Campus if you reside there!

140 East Walton Place
Chicago, IL 60611
312.422.1417

The Talbott Hotel – Corporate Code 3224
20 East Delaware Place
Chicago, IL 60611
312.944.4970

Residence Inn Marriot
201 E Walton
Chicago, IL 60611
312.943.9800

Other options near the Loyola Campus area are:

Loyola’s Baumhart Hall Lodging
26 E. Pearson St.
Chicago, IL 60611
312.915.6178

Lang House Bed & Breakfast (formerly Cat’s Cradle B&B)
7421 North Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL 60626
773.764.9851

Millennium Knickerbocker
163 East Walton Place
Chicago, IL 60611
312.751.8100

The Hilton Orrington / Evanston
1710 Orrington Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
847.866.8700

So no need to fear or have your parents awkwardly squished into your dorm with your roommates, Loyola has a variety of hotel options that are fairly distant and will make Commencement Week, or any weekend in general, an amazing experience!