Tag: Nursing

Choosing a College Major VS Undecided

Choosing a College Major VS Undecided

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While there are over 80 majors and minors to choose from at Loyola, believe it or not, one of the most popular majors in college these days is UNDECIDED! So don’t be afraid or embarrassed if that’s your current major of choice; you have plenty of time to finalize your choice during the first two years.  If you apply as a traditional Undecided student, you will be admitted to the College of Arts & Sciences which is home to most of the majors on-campus (but you can easily do an internal-transfer to the other schools should you choose a different major). Or, if you know you want to major in something related to business, you can choose the Undecided Business major so you’ll be enrolled in the Quinlan School of Business, but you’ll have time to narrow it down from there.

If you apply undecided, there are many different resources on campus designed to help you choose a major:

There is only one major at Loyola that is impossible to transfer into and that is Nursing. So if you are interested in nursing, be sure to indicate that on your incoming freshmen application, as you can transfer out but you cannot transfer in (even if it’s only your second day at Loyola and you started as a Biology major). You are able to transfer into any other major, so again, don’t be hesitant to apply undecided!

It’s more important to submit your application in a timely manner instead of waiting because you can’t choose a major. However, if you are certain which major you identify with, be sure to indicate that on your application, because all of our programs are direct-entry, so you are admitted to them and will begin in that program on you first day of classes.

All of our majors fall under these different undergraduate schools:

Good luck, future Ramblers!

 

 

 

How to Choose the Right High School Classes

How to Choose the Right High School Classes

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Everyone wants to know the secret recipe of high school classes to earn admission at Loyola, and while there is not one right combination of classes to choose, I am going to share some of my personal advice for making these decisions:

How are Honors, AP, or IB Classes perceived by Loyola?

  • It’s always nice to see students challenging themselves by taking some of these high level courses. However, it’s not a good move to stack your schedule with these classes if you’re not going to be successful in them. A transcript full of failed AP courses is not going to impress an admission counselor, so talk to your teachers and counselors to find the level that is really the best fit for you. It’s also important to know that you can be admitted without taking these classes, so don’t feel the need to force yourself into one of these classes that might be too much for you.

So is it better to take an honors class and get a B or take the standard level and get an A?

  • In my opinion, take the AP class and get a B. We accept weight GPA’s so if your school weights AP, IB, or Honors classes, you’ll still benefit in regard to your GPA (but keep in mind, your GPA isn’t everything… all aspects of the application are used to make decisions).

Should I take AP or IB exams?

Speaking of exams, should I take the SAT subjects tests?

  • Loyola doesn’t look at these scores at all during the admission and scholarship review process, so no. However, make sure you know the requirements of others colleges you might be applying to in the fall.

Should I take the writing portion of the ACT or SAT?

  • While we don’t look at this section for admission and scholarship purposes, other schools might. If you’re interested in doing the Dual-Acceptance Pharmacy Program with Midwestern and Loyola, Midwestern will want to see the writing portion to make their admission decision.

Will I get transfer credit from Loyola for Dual-Enrollment Courses with other Colleges or Community Colleges? And is there a limit to how much credit I can receive? 

 

If I want to go into the following major or advising track, what classes should I take?

  • Nursing – Definitely focus on taking higher level and elective classes in the maths and sciences.
  • Engineering – Physics and Calculus are must-haves and then solid results in  your other math and science classes.
  • Pre-Med – Again, focus on the maths and sciences.
  • Pre-Pharmacy – Maths and sciences are key again, specifically Chemistry.

Do I need 4 years of a foreign language?

  • Not necessarily. Loyola will be content with less as long as you still meet your high school’s graduation requirements. This goes for other subject areas, as well.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

 

Big Things

Big Things

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Some pretty exciting things have been going on in my life lately, and I’m feeling pretty pumped about everything, so I thought I’d share two of my favorites with you guys before I disappear into my pharmacology textbook for the rest of the weekend.

1. Alpha Sigma Nu Initiation

Posin' with my official certificate, mom, and family friend, Barb

Last spring, I found out that I had been nominated to apply to Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honors society. It’s a huge honor to even be considered for membership, so I was just happy knowing that I had been selected to submit an application.

However, to my surprise, this summer I found out that I had been accepted to become a member!

Earlier in October of this year, we had our official initiation in the beautiful Madona della Strada chapel. Since I am a Jewish student, I had never really went into the chapel before, so let me just tell you now: it’s gorgeous!

The ceremony was also gorgeous, as well, and it felt pretty special to get officially inducted into Loyola’s chapter of the fraternity. (And it’s definitely the extra kick in the pants that I needed to remind myself not to let my grades slip this year!)

2. Nursing Dedication to the Profession Ceremony

My Uncle Bob and I after the ceremony!

The following weekend, I went back to the chapel to take part in the Junior year Nursing Dedication to the Profession Ceremony. This ceremony, in which our hands our blessed to heal as we dedicate ourselves to the profession and our professors welcome us into field of nursing, is the modern day version of the old “capping ceremony.”

It came at just the right time.

Junior year is one of the hardest years in the BSN program at Loyola, so this was the perfect way to remind ourselves why we’re going through all of these sleepless nights and countless hours in the library.

I thought the ceremony is very nice; but then again, I was our class speaker, so I may have been a littleeeee biased. Heeheehee.

Overall, both ceremonies provided just right amount of pumping up at the right time to give me the energy to make it through the last stretch until finals over! I’m officially revitalized and ready to go!

ASN Picture – Attributed to Mark Carlson

Dedication Picture – Attributed to Andrea Gordon

The Great Escape

The Great Escape

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I wish I could write something witty and eloquent about my week and upcoming weekend, but I just don’t have it in me.

This week I had a lab practical, a lab competency and an anatomy exam. While I get a brief two hour break this afternoon, I work three 8 hour shifts at the hospital (from 3 pm – 11:30 pm) tonight, Saturday and Sunday, meaning that I don’t really get to relax this weekend, especially because I have to study for my two upcoming tests next week.

While I love nursing more than anything else in the world, sometimes I just want to run away from school for a few days.

Recently, I came across the following article at Thought Catalog:

5 Fantasy Exit Strategies by Courtney Preiss

Besides being extremely rhetorically pleasing, the article put into words everything I was feeling.

And while, at the end of the day, I don’t think I’d change my sleep deprived, nursing obsessed, over worked, social life lacking life for anything, it’s definitely fun to fantasize…

…as long as I go back to studying as soon as I’m done! 😀

Livin’ The Dream

Livin’ The Dream

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Warning: You’re about to be bombarded with exclamation points!

Something so exciting has happened to me that the only way I can possibly post about it involves an excessive use of the aforementioned punctuation. However, I think it’s worth it. That’s because, as I casually mentioned in my previous blog…

…I recently got my dream job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Children’s Memorial Hospital!

I'm officially a member of the workforce!

The position is everything I could ever want (At least until I pass the NCLEX and become an actual RN at Children’s Memorial Hospital!), so I was pretty pumped when I first found out that I got it. But after a week of orientation, I’m even more excited that I thought was possible!

As I child, I was treated at CMH, so I already knew that it is a great place to go if you need medical care. Little did I know that it is also a great place to work!

All of the staff seems extremely excited for me to be working there, and the hospital offers a ton of support and perks for its employees. I feel so valued there…and I don’t even have my first official shift until Monday!

I’m sure I’ll be posting about how this affects my (lack of) sleep, study time, and life plans, but if you have any questions in the meantime about how I got the position, what duties I have, or anything else, feel free to ask me!

And thanks for putting up with my overused punctuation!!!!!

Nursing: We Call the Shots

Nursing: We Call the Shots

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Me dressed as Agnes (from Despicable Me) and my friend dressed as Desert Rose (from It's Always Sunny in Philedelphia)

I’m not too good at introductions. Even on Facebook, my “write something about yourself” section simply says “something about yourself. haha. i’m so witty.” (Get it?  It says, “write something about yourself,” so I wrote the phrase “something about yourself.”) I don’t think I can get away with that in this case, so I should probably just start with my name and some basic information.

My name is Ellen Gordon and I’m a sophomore BSN (nursing) major here at Loyola. I was one of those kids with a restless parent who moved them around a lot, but I consider Palatine, IL to be my hometown. I chose to come to Loyola University Chicago because it has an amazing nursing program and because I had an amazing overnight visit my senior year of high school; it was the first university I visited in which I felt like I truly belonged.

As a nursing major, almost every aspect of my life is consumed with labs, classes, planning for clinicals and studying. That’s how I came up with my blog name – you know that cliché of the girl walking around campus, looking like she’s running solely on magic and clutching a Monster in her hand like it’s the only thing keeping her upright because she’s been studying until 4:00 am? That’s me, along with the other few hundred or so nursing majors.

In fact, the picture of me (I’m the one dressed as Agnes) at the beginning of the post was taken with a fellow nursing student, Jackie, at her awesome Halloween themed lab practical study party birthday party.

When I do have the occasional second of free time, I watch Doctor Who, bombard people with facts and food from my Jewish culture, read anything that I can get my hands on and go on random adventures. My favorite part about Loyola is having the city as my backyard.

I can’t count the nights where I’ve been convinced that I’m going to spend the whole evening in my residence hall, yet somehow find myself ending the night at the other end of the Red Line, having gone on a journey to Chinatown or some other Chicago locale with my friends. And I look forward to telling you all about my adventures, nursing and otherwise. I hope you enjoy reading!