Tag: Campus Life

Deposit Paid and Forms Signed: Now What?

Deposit Paid and Forms Signed: Now What?

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Well done, you. So you’ve done everything the UAO asked you to do – took the placement tests, promised to keep doing good senior year (right?), turned in your money, signed away your life. Now all there’s left to do is… what?

Chances are, you’re going to go into this whole process without knowing where you’re exactly going to live, without knowing who you’ll be rooming with, without knowing how you’ll handle being away from home for a big chunk of your life for the first time. And you’ve got all summer to worry and get yourself into a frenzy about all the unknowns.

Let me give you the number one pro tip that saved my life.

Join the facebook group. Whatever your class will be, Class of 2020, 2021, 2050, join or make the facebook group. Chances are it’s already been made, but you never know. Go join it. And then, if you’re in any other groups, join or make those too – like Honors, or your LC, or even ‘Loyola Class of 2020 Students from Michigan.’ Anything like that. And then get involved in them.

Now, I’m not saying use it like a blog, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to make introductions and put your opinion out there on some questions, or do some research and help to answer some questions people with less Googling skills than you might have. Be active. Make friends. Make a group chat. Go into campus with people you already know, so that you can start with a solid base of people to branch out and hang out with, if only for that first week before you make other friends.

Now for number two: communicate with your roommate, when you get them.

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Text them. Call them. Pack your stuff while Skyping with them. Meet up with them, if you can. You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, but if you start it off with a foundation of friendship, or even mutual respect, it’s gonna be a whole lost easier. Disliking people you live with is something you want to try to avoid all your life – it’s just not good. It helps nobody.

For a lot of things, you won’t know until you get here which of you is more likely to wash dishes or take out the trash, or if they scratch in their sleep, or if they’re the type of person that will go out every. single. night. Most people haven’t gotten the chance to learn who they are in a non-monitored living environment, so they can’t tell you honestly whether or not they’ll go to bed late or if they’ll eat in their bed, just because they can. All those sorts of things are totally unknown until you find the rhythm that works best, so you have to try to start everything off on the right foot.

Number three: when it comes time, make a packing inventory list. Make a packing list for things you’ll need for college, but don’t set it in stone – be willing to add or detract things you find you might or might not need. But write it all down, and make some sort of note when you definitively have packed it. You’ll know what you have left to pack, what you have packed, and what you have overall so that you’re not at the very last moment going crazy on whether or not you’ve packed deodorant or gotten all your school books.

And, if you have forgotten something, don’t worry. I’ll tell you in advance that a time-honored tradition of Welcome Week is a late-night Target run for everything you didn’t know you’d need.

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Number four: enjoy your time right now. Enjoy the last few weeks of your senior year, enjoy your parents cooking and your hometown. Enjoy each and every moment you spend with your friends, cause it’s gonna be a lot harder to get together when the fall rolls around again. Give your pets as much affection as your heart can handle. Lie around and watch tv. Recognize that your job is gonna be useful when you’re in college and all you want to do is go down to Molly’s Cupcakes and get some cupcakes, and you can do that because you have the funds.

Really, don’t dread it – be excited! This is whole new world and an opening to experiences you can’t even begin to imagine right now. It’s going to be great. I’m excited for you!

Loyola keeps winnin’

Loyola keeps winnin’

It’s difficult to not sound cliche every time I have to answer the question: Why did you choose Loyola?  First, let me take you to 2007.  I remember that year perfectly because I had my list of universities I wanted to apply to.  Loyola was the first one down on the list.  My mother’s good friend had two sons who had just graduated from Loyola and she always talked to me about it.  Always.  Among DePaul, U of I, UIC, Saint Louis University, Iowa State University and Northwestern, I knew Loyola stood out the most to me, but I wasn’t sure as to why just yet…

It wasn’t until my senior year of high school when I received all of the acceptance letters that I started feeling overwhelmed.  I took it one step at a time and decided to visit the campuses.  You know how they say don’t judge a book by its cover?  I had to.  No other campuses compared to Loyola’s breathtaking views.  Needless to say whenever I mentioned Loyola to anyone they always “oohed” and “aahed.”  It’s prestige made it that much better.

I had finally realized why Loyola stood out to me the most.  I always wanted to be a city girl, but still be close to home.  I wanted a prestigious education, but at a reasonable price.  I wanted a beautiful campus, but still feel at home.  I wanted to meet people, but make lifetime friends.  I wanted to challenge myself as a student, but find myself as a person.  I knew Loyola would make all of this happen and it did.  It also made me realize that it’s OK to sound cliche when you appreciate your education THIS much.

What I Learned Freshman Year

What I Learned Freshman Year

Freshman Convocation Walk

Moving away to college is one of the most intimidating, exciting, nerve-racking adventures you will ever have. There are so many wonderful opportunities to lose yourself in pure awe of Chicago, find yourself while taking challenging classes, and being yourself in every experience. But I hate to break it to you, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, you are bound to make a mistake or two in year one. So buckle up, because you are in for quite the trip. To help you on your journey take note of what I learned freshman year.

 

  1. You can’t study like you did in high school. I didn’t always buy it when people told me, “One hour of class means three hours of homework!” This certainly isn’t always the case, but if you’re spending less than two hours on homework you might want to read your syllabi again to see what you are forgetting to do. Reading fifty pages, writing a two page essay, and prepping a study guide for your exam next week are all in a night’s work so staying on top of your schedule is key.

 

  1. Everyone knows you’re a freshman. This is one thing I didn’t learn until the very beginning of this year, because as soon as you walk on campus as an upperclassman it becomes painstakingly obvious who belongs in the freshman class. You can do your best to look like you know what you’re doing, but the lanyard on your neck and class schedule in hand are dead giveaways. Since every already knows you’re new here don’t be afraid to ask “freshman questions” like, “Which one is Cuneo?” or “How do I print in the IC?” We’ve all been there, embrace it. Next year be sure to return the favor.

 

  1. No parents, no bedtime. In college you have the luxury of scheduling your classes at any time you see fit. But trust me when I say that an 8 a.m. class is so much earlier in college than it was in high school. You no longer have the help of your parents to get you to bed at decent time. Which means plenty of students are still studying in the wee hours of the morning. Keep that in mind before you schedule early morning classes all week.

 

  1. Making friends is awkward for everyone. Whether you came to Loyola knowing 10 people from high school or not knowing a soul, you want to meet cool, new people in college. However, introducing yourself to strangers is awkward. Once you get passed the “Name, major, where are you from?” questions you might get a little stuck. Trust me when I say that everyone is nervous about making good impressions. Just approach your fellow classmates and ask them about their favorite movies or if they know any fun things to do in the city. Whether they become your best friend or you never see them again, people will appreciate you mixing up the average we-just-met conversation.

 

  1. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to walk into the wrong classroom, it’s okay to take the redline the wrong direction, it’s okay to make some awkward first impressions, it’s okay to cry when you miss your family, and it’s okay to eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s in one sitting. Be prepared to mess up a few times, but shrug it off when you do.

 

College is a time to learn and grow academically, emotionally, and socially. Honestly, freshman year will be a bit of a mess, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Go get ‘em Ramblers!