Tag: IC

Learning Loyola’s Lingo

Learning Loyola’s Lingo

In the same way that you’ll never understand the language in a foreign country you’ve never studied, you’ll never understand the ins-and-outs of Loyola without brushing up on the lingo. So to get you prepared for campus I’ll give you a quick LUC dictionary:

 

Ramblers (ram-B-lur-z)
mascot
1. Loyola’s mascot, represented by LU Wolf, formerly represented by Bo Rambler, which was short for Hobo. In 1990 the university stopped using Bo based on the fact that using a homeless man as the mascot for a top university was unfitting and decided to use a wolf instead because of the animal’s tie to St. Ignatious
2. The name is derived from Loyola’s previous mascot-less football team of 1926. The team travelled extensively across the United States earning the nickname “ramblers”, the football team is now gone, but the nickname lives on

LSC (el-S-see)
campus
1. Lake Shore Campus
2. Loyola’s main campus located in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood with more than 40 buildings and housing over 3,000 undergrad students
3. As the name implies, the Lake Shore Campus has one of its borders along the shore of Lake Michigan offering beautiful views and the perfect place to study or relax

The IC (eye-see)
place
1. The Information Commons
2. The floor-to-ceiling windowed building (connected to the Library) that sits on the shore of Lake Michigan
3. Three floors of pure study space, with every resource a student could possibly desire

Madonna (mah-D-on-ah)
chapel
1. In no relation to the popstar, Madonna della Estrada is Loyola’s on-campus chapel
2. This stunningly beautiful chapel hosts mass daily and is a proud symbol of the Catholic faith this university is rooted in
3. Voted as one of the most beautiful campus churches in the United States

Core (k-oar)
curriculum
1.Loyola’s layered system of “gen eds” that involves 3 credit hours of college writing seminar, artistic knowledge, quantitative analysis, and ethics and 6 credit hours of historical knowledge, literary knowledge, scientific literacy, philosophical knowledge, and theological and religious studies
2.Designed to provide a well-rounded education for all students while promoting four vales essential to a Loyola education: understanding diversity, understanding and promoting justice, understanding spirituality or faith in action, and promoting engaged learning
3.Required for all students, but some course exemptions apply depending on your major

Sakai (seh-K-eye)
online resource
1. Accessed using your university ID and password
2. An online tool used by Loyola students and professors to access assignments and resources for each of your courses

LOCUS (low-k-us)
online resource
1. Accessed using your university ID and password
2. Loyola’s online student portal used for class scheduling, posting grades, requesting transcripts, paying bills, registering for housing, and more
3. At times complex, but with trial and error will become a familiar and frequently used resource

LUREC (loo-R-eck)
retreat campus
1. Loyola University’s Retreat and Ecology Campus
2. Located in Woodstock, IL this campus is used to host many Loyola sponsored retreats for students throughout the year
3. The campus is dedicated to restoring the wetlands and woodlands it calls home and is also home to an organic farm and apiary, much of this produce is used and served in LUREC’s kitchen

I See the IC

I See the IC

Information-commons-scroll-web

Finally after the end to the brutal winter weather, the two fountains in front of the IC are now turned on! For some people, this officially marks the beginning of spring/summer with warm weather, vibrant colors of budding flowers, fresh green grass, and bright blue skies. At this point of the school year, the IC is usually packed with students studying for their final exams next week, completing papers in the writing center, and practicing presentations in the study rooms. Needless to say, it is pretty hectic.

To others, people see these things as a pretty typical definition of college life. To me, I see success-in-the-making. I see bright minds at work on completing their major and minor requirements such as accounting, psychology, biochemistry, international studies, and last but not least, health systems management. I see future lawyers, teachers, accountants, doctors, artists, and more. I now understand how much time and effort students, especially at Loyola, must put in to do well in school and ultimately have a prosperous career. As my biology teacher always says, “Hard work pays off,” I too believe that academic dedication will one day be truly gratifying.

As I digress, I am relieved that my first year of college is almost done. So many things have happened since August- good and bad (my final blog post next week will cover my reflection of freshman year). As I continue through this week, I must give in all my effort for my classes to finish off the year strong. I know I can do it. Hard work pays off.

A Short Ramble (no pun intended)

A Short Ramble (no pun intended)

 

35 days until Graduation Day, but no one is counting.  Wow, Class of 2015, we did it!  Guys, it is so hard to not make this a mushy post.  I really don’t want to, but I might have to.  The other day, as I was walking to my Tu/Thur 10 am class, I ran into an old friend who was just leaving Biochemistry class.  I spoke to her briefly and we caught up on our plans.

She asked me why I was not pre-medicine anymore, and I told her my interest in pursuing a graduate degree in something else.  She has always been so sweet and when I found out that she was still pre-med, I was so excited!  She has worked so hard and has gotten exceptional grades.  You want to know how?  She did not have to tell me for me to realize her smart techniques!  I know she tried very hard in each class, but she always…ALWAYS…made study groups.

If you are new to Loyola, or if you are already a Rambler, listen carefully: make study groups.  Besides the fact that it is much more fun (avoid going with your best friends because you will just end up having rap battles – true story), it is very helpful!  I am not sure why this makes us remember information better.  Perhaps because we are making connections between the time when Amanda sneezed while she was explaining the Krebs cycle?  (What is this: true story #2?)  All I know is that this is how I made many of my friends, as well!

I am going to get mushy, now.  When my friend told me that she was studying every day for the MCAT, it made me feel so proud and happy about being a Rambler.  I did feel sympathy because I remember studying for the MCAT, but the sole fact that she was studying was what made me happy.  I am so appreciative that I had the opportunity to study in such a prestigious University; nonetheless, the people here are beyond smart and helpful.  My peers are amazing people and it is such a great feeling to share a passion for education with all of these people.

If you are debating between which university to attend, let me give you a hint: pick Loyola.  You will not be disappointed! 🙂

Until next time!

 

Preparing For Finals

Preparing For Finals

This week is the last week of classes before finals.  For many students, this week is just as difficult, if not more difficult, than finals themselves.  As the semester comes to a close, the last couple of weeks are almost always packed with lengthy term papers and final projects.

One of the most daunting assignments on my pre-finals to do list is a research paper for my class, Studies in the Renaissance.  I am researching John Donne and George Herbert, and examining how their poetry was influenced by the religious and historical events of seventeenth century England.  The paper is not due until Friday afternoon, but with all the other things I have to do I figured I would get a head start.

Unfortunately, I have had a hard time concentrating.  With hints of approaching warm weather and plans for Ghana, it has become increasingly difficult to rid myself of distractions long enough to write.  Thankfully, I am able to go to Loyola’s Information Commons (IC) to get some work done.  Though it gets pretty crowded around finals week, it is still much easier to concentrate in a library setting.

My favorite place to study in the IC is the silent room, which many people call the “Harry Potter room” due to its Hogwarts-esque quality.  The room is silent, which is perfect for students such as myself that work best without noise.  Loyola also allows students to reserve private study rooms, which can also be prime studying locations during finals.  The IC is a great place to focus on school work, and does a great job of catering to many different study styles.

So as finals week quickly approaches, I will surely be spending a lot of time in the library.  My only comfort is that in less than two weeks, I will be done for the summer!

The View from My Office

The View from My Office

I wanted to share the view from my office with you today. Take a look:

The view from the 11th floor of Mundelein Center. Click to enlarge.

This view actually means a lot to me.

First, it is a sign of the parallel between how far I have come and how far Loyola has come since I arrived here. It has actually been pretty fun to watch this school grow alongside me. Despite the annoyance that construction brings, it is pretty exciting to watch and it feels good to know that something better is always on its way.

When I was a Freshman, that green lawn (which is our East Quad between the Information Commons and Dumbach Hall) was a hole in the ground. The year before I got here the IC had just opened for the first year and the year I arrived they were re-doing the roads, sidewalks, and lawn around it. In the picture you can see a construction crane. They’re working on finishing up Cuneo Hall, which is standing on the stump of old Damen Hall. Loyola has grown a lot.

I remember looking out onto this view from my old boss’ old office. I was a Freshman and he was the Operations Manager of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. During the year I set up chairs and stands for ensembles and helped my boss with events. I finished my first year of college with a 4.0, a lot better than the GPA I had in high school. Now I have a new boss (Scott Heston, who rocks), a new office, a new set of jobs (Event Manager, Jr. Marketing Specialist, Blogger, and Media Analyst) and I’ll be graduating this May. I’ve grown a lot, too.

I like looking out on the lawn during a sunny day and seeing everybody looking so small in our beautiful campus in the city. Being so far above things and seeing this view is a great de-stresser. It helps keep things in perspective. I can see so many little people bustling about their daily lives. From eye level it feels as if you are in your own little world down there. But from up here I can see them next to the lake and with Chicago all around. It helps put things into context. The world is a lot bigger than your problems, and you’ve got plenty of places to go- plenty of things to do- that you haven’t yet.

When I leave work I’ll be back down there among them and on my way to class. I’m no different, but at least I am lucky enough to enjoy view from my office for a little while.

Loyola Theater: My Exclusive Experience

Loyola Theater: My Exclusive Experience

This week I had the unexpected delight of being invited to a rehearsal of one of my good friends’ girlfriend’s directing scenes. She is a Theater major and a Senior, so I believe she is required to direct a scene for her class.

It was a pretty cool opportunity, and I was glad for it because I had been working in the IC (Information Commons/Library) all day and needed a break. I was told that it would only last a half an hour, so it seemed like the perfect study break to me.

I went into the room and met with 2 other mutual friends (I myself had brought along my study partner of the day.) The director told us where to sit and spread us out around the actors as if we were in a thrust stage. The point was just that the actors needed to practice performing the scene in front of an audience, so our job was to just be a set of warm bodies to act towards.

The scene itself was pretty awesome. They ran through it once and I was really impressed by the power it packed in under 15 minutes. There was some really funny moments and some really deeply disturbing moments. The second time they ran through it I got even more out of it.

But to me the real value was getting to see this little subculture of Loyola’s Theater Major. So rarely do I realize how many other things are going on all the time. Had I not been invited to this exclusive viewing I wouldn’t have realized that all over the place in classrooms at night are small groups of students meeting to work on their scenes. This has been going on since my Freshman year and I had no idea. It makes me wonder what else is out there that I still haven’t heard of.