Housing – College Admission at Loyola

I remember when I got my acceptance letter from Loyola in the mail. It was during my winter break in December when I received a huge envelope from the university. It was thrilling because it was implied that getting an impressive and fancy envelope from Loyola meant getting accepted; there was no need to open the mail and read the letter to see whether or not I got to be a Rambler.

The anxiety of applying and waiting for a decision from colleges is over and now, you can finally breathe (a little better- the tedious part is over and complete). So you got admitted into Loyola, what next?

Of course, if you do consider on making the final decision to attend Loyola University Chicago (Decision Day is May 1st, 2017), you should be on the look out for emails and physical mail coming from us. There will be a series of administrative things to get yourself enrolled here, which will be quite simple and easy. Financially, the Financial Office will look on your FAFSA that you may have done, take into account any scholarships you have been awarded, and other contributing factors to determine what you owe the university. Personally, I believe this is important because money is earned through time and hard work; it does not grow on trees, as we all know. Keep track of certain dates and remember that there is a commitment fee to officially put your name into Loyola’s list of people enrolled.

Next step is to sort out living arrangements. Soon, LOCUS (your online Loyola Hub for everything) will be available to you to figure out which dorm buildings are available, what accommodations each building has (laundry room, living room, kitchen, etc…), and more. My best advice to those who plan to live on campus is to attend a tour and view the dorm rooms in-person to have a better idea. To those who live within good distance from Loyola and plan to commute instead, there is an “opt-out” option in LOCUS. Commuters, understandably have less to when figuring out living arrangements on LOCUS.

I know this may be a little bit far in advance, but a requirement for ALL freshman is to attend orientation. There are a variety of dates during the summer that you can pick, so it may be best to look at them and plan for the summer to make sure your vacation to wherever does not interfere with the orientation date session you have chosen. My advice would be to choose the earlier dates for a couple of reasons. (1) You get it done and out of the way. (2) You register for classes earlier than those who have orientation later in the summer (which means you may get the classes at the time you want and teacher that you need before they get filled up and closed). (3) It is not that hot in late May or in June… weather is quite nice, especially with the lake breeze and blue skies.

Click here for more Freshman requirements.

If possible, get acquainted with the campus and/or even meet some staff or students. The more you get in touch with LUC, the more comfortable you will be when it comes time to being an actual student. You will make the transition to college seamless if you start going around campus and know some people already.

Most importantly, I recommend you conclude your senior year of high school on a good note. Even though you got accepted to LUC, we still ask that you still do well in your studies and we will check to see if you ended this semester off on a good academic note. At the same time, have fun and enjoy your time as well. Create those memories because obviously, high school won’t be like college and college won’t be like high school. 🙂

If you have more questions, feel free to comment below or contact me at clam3@luc.edu.

Living On Campus After Freshman Year

By Meredith Simmons | November 4, 2016

When most of your friends are headed off to state schools, it can seem really weird that here at Loyola you’re required to live on campus for two years. Of course, there are always ways to get around this rule, but for the most part, sophomores tend to live on campus. Don’t fret though, living on campus after freshman year isn’t all bad, and here’s why.

Freshman year you’ll live in one of five dorms; Mertz, Campion, San Francisco, De Nobili, or Simpson, but after first year you have a lot more options. Now you can pick from residence halls like the beautiful lake side Santa Clara, or if you prefer a double, Regis Hall. Another interesting thing about upper class men dorms is that some of them do not have front desks! If you’ve already lived or are living on campus, you’ll know the luxury of this.

Another luxury of living in upper class men housing is the over night policy. While living in first year housing you have a pretty strict non-Loyola student overnight guest policy. Once you graduate to second year housing you have much more relaxed guest policies and don’t have to worry about getting a guest pass 24 hours in advance to your best friend from out of town spending the night.

Living in upper class men dorms is also nice because it gives you a chance to adapt to living with a little more independence before actually getting your own apartment. You can live apartment style after freshman year which means you’ll have your own bathroom and kitchen. This makes it easier to cut down your dining hall plan (which you’re required to have) to only a five day and start cooking for yourself!

In the end, living in student housing for two years really isn’t that bad. It gives you one more year to live in a community with your classmates and not have to worry about adult things like bills and cooking. You’ll have plenty of time to live on your own and be an adult, so don’t rush it. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up loving your upper class men housing and keep living there till senior year, you never know!

Why join a Learning Community?

By Lori Greene | February 9, 2012

Here we are, at the start of February, and you’re admitted to some great schools.

One of your next steps is to sign up for housing. And, like many next steps, questions abound: Who will my roommate be? To which residence hall will I be assigned? How do I weigh the options? This is a major factor for any student preparing to start college in the fall.

Residence Life is a big part of who we are here at Loyola. All first- and second-year students are required to live on campus. The priority deadline for completing and submitting your housing application and pre-payment is May 1. Students wishing to request an exception to the residency requirement must complete a Request for Exemption Form. More information is available on the Residence Life Web site. You can find Loyola’s Housing Contract as well as the Request for Exemption form in our Next Stop portal.

One of the pieces of the puzzle that you may not be fully aware of yet is the role of Learning Communities. What is a Learning Community? Why would you want to be a part of one? Do you have to join a learning community? How many other students sign up to be a part of one? How do you apply?

To be direct, learning communities have been around for a while now. Some universities have actual ‘houses’ or entire residence halls dedicated to a learning community. At Loyola, learning communities inhabit separate floors in several on-campus residence halls. The goal is to present first- (and second-) year students with an opportunity to live in community with students who share a common interest.

This doesn’t mean that you all necessarily share the same major or come from the same hometown. You do however live in relatively close proximity and share a few classes, specifically geared around your area of interest. Members of learning communities also have the chance to build friendships with classmates in a unique way as well as with the faculty.

You don’t have to be a freshman student to live in a learning community. We have transfer students involved as well. Learning communities at Loyola range in topic and theme. Is leadership your thing? What about a care for the environment and sustainability? Do you have a unique global perspective given your background or are you interested in meeting other students who think along international lines?

Check out the options for first-year and transfer students.

The classes you take will count toward the Loyola Core Curriculum, which are courses required of all students in any degree program. You take two classes together in the fall and one in the spring so you have plenty of time to schedule any other courses of choice. You’ll also have increased interaction with faculty—with trips to museums, programs on exploring majors, or even dinner in a faculty member’s home!

Parents…you will be excited to hear that research shows that in general, students who are involved in a learning community have higher GPAs, have a better sense of community, and feel a better connection to their university.

Are you thinking about it? I hope so. More than 300 new Loyola students are involved this year!