Almost four months of college have passed by filled with hard work and consistent studying. The new spring semester is quickly approaching which means final exams are near and registration for next semester’s classes are here!
This week, November 3-7, all Loyola students will register for classes. It can be stressful in the sense that everyone must fight against time to claim their seat in the class they have chosen that fits in with their specifications: teachers they like, times that cooperate with their schedule with respect to their other classes, days of the week in which the class meet, and which campus they are going to( Lake Shore, Water Tower, Rome, Vietnam, Beijing, etc). For me, as a commuter, I will hopefully register with the intended classes I wish to get which mainly consist of morning and afternoon classes (no evening or nighttime classes).
Next semester will be a lot to handle as Chicago winter weather becomes a crucial factor and I will be taking two more credits than I did this current semester. With that being said, it is obvious that I now understand the basic idea of how to do well and tackle these college classes- sign up for tutoring, visit professors during their office hours, surround myself with good students in my classes, and prioritize.
There’s less than a month left of classes, so why not write about them I say. Registration is coming up really soon, which means that I need to begin coordinating my schedule for next semester.
For now, I’m finishing up my Spring semester, doing my best to balance work and school. This semester has been slightly tougher than my other ones, not because I’m taking more classes, but because my classes are all at higher levels than what they used to be at. Before, I would take six classes, varying from 100-level courses to 200, but now almost all of my classes are in the 300s because I’m a junior.
I’ve written before what my classes are, so right now I’m going to cover some of the general pros and cons that I have experienced from them.
Pros:
I like the professors who try to learn all of their students’ names. This is especially difficult for professors who teach large classes, so for them to take the time and effort to learn who we are, it makes me want to put in more effort to try and impress them by doing well in their class.
Class sizes- Some higher level classes are small. I like this design because most students who take higher level classes are doing it because they need to for their major or want to because they are seriously interested in the subject matter.
Homework- I like classes that hand out homework assignments because it keeps me on top of the material. Even better, a load that is reasonable is just enough to keep you busy and learning, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed or you get behind in other activities.
Cons
Some professors have a tendency to lecture throughout all of their classes without catching a breath. Sometimes, you can’t change how the professor structures class; you’re just going to have to tough it out. It may be hard to pay attention in class, so I suggest reading the books very carefully and doing everything possible on your own to know the material.
Homework (as a con). As I said, classes with reasonable homework loads are really helpful, but classes with no homework are not. One thing that is difficult, for me, is taking a class where the final grade is based solely on two or three exams and a final. Again, this just requires reading the book material very carefully and taking on the responsibility of doing everything in your power on your own to do well.
Loyola classes vary in every criteria, from the subject taught to the professor teaching it to the student engagement in learning it, and each class has its good and its bad. Most students will get to experience nearly every different type of class Loyola has to offer, which in and of itself is worth both the good and the bad.
Right now, I’m healthy and I’m happy, the two most important things a person should be. Therefore I am beginning a fresh new week in a great mood. For all you stressed out college students, remember that- do everything based on keeping yourself healthy and happy (most of the time). Try to pull minimal all nighters, eat right, and give yourself a break every once in a while- your body and your mind, and probably your grades too, will thank you.
With that said, one reason I’m so happy is because registration is over and done with, and I have my schedule just how I want it! I’m signed up for seven classes, but I might bring it to six based on my future work schedule. I have four night classes and three Tuesday-Thursday classes. As of right now, I’m going to take THEO 297, LREB 315, CRMJ 373, MARK 311, INFS 247, OPMG 332, and COMM 101- lots and lots of business classes.
To some, this schedule may seem absurd. To me, it’s wonderful. With a schedule like this, I will be able to find an internship or another job to fill my time with on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It’s going to be a challenging semester, but then again, what semester isn’t hard.
Now that registration is complete, the job and internship hunt will take over full power. Looks like I may already have a job lined up to begin over winter break, but I’m going to continue searching just in case that position is filled. If anyone has any suggestions for places to apply to, preferably Marketing firms, feel free to share!
Registration week is always a stressful one. Whether it be rearranging your schedule a million times or struggling to get into that class with the perfect time/teacher, many students have a hard time with it. However, it always works out in the end. I got extremely lucky this semester- I had no problems registering and got my top picks for all of my classes!
I got to register at a very early time slot on the first day (one of my favorite perks of being in the Honors Program.) There was very heavy traffic on the website at that time, as tons of people were trying to register, but I was able to register right away.
My schedule semester is looking really great. I am taking the Social Work classes I need, one of them being research methods and the other one Social Work methods, which requires a service learning component. The service learning component basically means that I will have to do thirty hours of service at a social service agency or volunteer site. The other classes I’m taking are child psychopathology, which should be really interesting, psychology statistics, and a human rights honors class.
Registering for my second semester of junior year made me realize how fast my college years are going! Only one and a half more years until I’m out in the working world… I don’t think I’m ready yet… I want to stay at Loyola forever!
I couldn’t let registration week pass without a small posting about it. This is always an important, hectic time of year that will shape everything about the spring 2013 semester. Seniors are scrambling to make sure they have all their required classes in order to graduate and crossing their fingers for a spot in a class with 3 seats left.
It is during this time when being organized, informed and aware are the most important. Loyola has numerous resources to aid students with their academic questions such as daily walk-in advising hours.
Aside from this, I would encourage prospective students and new freshmen starting in fall 2013, to browse Loyola’s various websites and become as aclimated with the resources available and other various events going on here at LUC. Doing so will enlighten you more than you think and will be especially helpful during stressful times!
Halloween has come and gone, and it’s now November. Registration is next week, so those of you who haven’t started preparing your classes, get on it! I’ve come up with a crazy schedule for myself, and it’ll be a miracle if I get it just right. I’ll update you all next week on how things went. Here’s to hoping!
As promised, I said that I would post a picture from Fright Fest last Saturday. Here it is:
And just because this was amusing, one more:
This year’s festivities weren’t quite as outgoing as they were several years ago. The costumes were definitely better, I’ll give them credit for that, but by the time daylight had gone and night had fallen, only several creatures had come out to play. If I decide to go next year, I’m hoping that this changes, because with the weather being that cold, it’ll take more entertainment than I got to stick around.
One fun new thing that I experienced at Fright Fest, though, was the showing of a short musical called “Love at First Fright”. It was cute, funny, and entertaining, incorporating jokes in relation to “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Hunger Games”. Another plus? It got me out of the cold for about an hour.
Back to talking about school and registration, along with signing up for classes, people should start considering searching for jobs and internships. Whether you are looking for a seasonal Winter break job or a Spring semester internship, the positions are filling up rapidly. I’ve begun my search for an internship, and so far it’s coming along smoothly. I’ve gotten two calls back, and I’m hoping to land one of them. I’ll keep you guys updated!
Since we are preparing for Spring semester already, that means that Winter break isn’t too far away, and before break come the dreaded Finals. I know that you all don’t want to think about them quite yet, but begin to consider reviewing materials because for many of us, like me, tests are cumulative and worth a huge chunk of our grades. No matter how well you are doing in a class, some Finals can make or break your grade, so don’t let them swallow you up.
Just a little tip for preparing so early in advanced- look over your materials and try and refresh your memory for now, and material that you didn’t understand before, now is a good time to figure it out. If you need help with a subject, but have not yet gone in for some, don’t be afraid to ask. Find a buddy in class, talk to your teacher, or get help from a tutor. From personal experience, I know that I love to study with classmates- it’s fun and social, and yet very helpful to have a student like yourself explain material to you that you didn’t understand from your teacher or the text. Take that into consideration.
These past few weeks have been busy for me, as they have been for everyone else. Midterms have been coming and going, but they’ve been like that for over a month. My schedule has calmed down now on the school front, and the waters should be relatively calm until Finals.
First order of business I want to cover- Registration for Spring semester is rapidly approaching. For those of you worried about it, like me, I suggest you start stocking up your class shopping cart on Locus now. I have already planned a schedule for myself, and I can only hope that everything goes as planned. I’m going to try to take 21 hours, and right now I’m quite nervous.
Along with seven classes, I hope to find an internship for myself. The seventh class that I want to take is BSAD 351 in the Business department, which requires an internship during the semester. So far, I have found several internships to apply to on RamblerLink and internships.com. Anyone looking for internships should check these two sites out, especially RamblerLink, our school’s job and internship website.
Like I said, my schedule has slowed down now that Midterms are basically over. I have two tests left leading up to finals, and just several more papers before semester’s end. Up until now, I have survived, and in my opinion, successfully. Knock on wood that I keep it up.
In less than one week, it’ll be Halloween, which means that (for me at least) this weekend is Halloween weekend! Though dressing up in a costume isn’t a big concern of mine, I am really looking forward to going to Fright Fest tomorrow. Even though I’m not going with Loyola, a friend of mine told me that the Loyola trip to Fright Fest is also tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to running into some of my friends.
The last time I went to Fright Fest was in high school, junior year, which means that it’s been four years since my last trip. Back then, I only went on several rides and walked around with friends. This year, I want to go to the Haunted House and see the other Halloween-themed events they have set up. I also can’t wait to see the character costumes they’ll have. Here’s a picture of one from “back in the day”:
I doubt they’ve changed much, but I’ll post a new picture of one of the coolest costumes from this year in my next post. Happy Halloween weekend everyone! Stay warm, stay safe, stay fun.
