Roommates – College Admission at Loyola

What Living with 4 Girls has Taught Me

By | December 14, 2014

This year, four of my best friends and I were lucky enough to live in Georgetown, an upperclassman residence hall. Scoring the last apartment in Georgetown turned out to be a pretty sweet deal. With three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room, the five of us couldn’t have been happier. Now, when you throw five girls into a living space they tend to hit certain highs and lows–we were no exception. Here’s what I learned this semester:

1. Every night is girl’s night. No matter what we were up to–cooking dinner, movie night, studying–I was always got to spend time with my best friends. Which meant there was always a chance for a Taylor Swift jam session to ensue.

2. Washing the dishes is everyone’s least favorite chore. Turns out when five people share a kitchen, dishes pile up pretty quickly. And the five of us all really despised washing the dishes. After a few roomie meetings and some sticky note reminders we’ve been able to keep the dishes under control…for the most part

3. My closet expanded x4. I don’t have a sister so I never had the chance to share clothes with anyone growing up. This year I was blessed with four more closets–all belonging to girls who were willing to share.

4. Someone’s always waiting with a hug if you need it. There are certain days when you really just need a hug. Because I lived with four girls that love me, I could always count on a hug to brighten my day.

5. Confrontation is uncomfortable. Like I said, we had our lows and in that I found out that every single one of us hates confrontation, no matter how we went about it. But I think it’s fair to say that we each learned it was completely necessary to keep a peaceful home.

6. I couldn’t love our dysfunctional family more. These four girls seriously mean the world to me. I am so grateful that I got to live with them this semester. When I go abroad next semester I’ll miss laughing all night, eating pints of Ben & Jerry’s, singing at the top of our lungs, crying when we missed our moms or when class was too hard, calling Georgetown home, and living with these four incredible women.

Thankful Loyolans

By Lindsy Fagerstrom | November 25, 2014

In order to show their gratitude and thankfulness this year, Ramblers took hundreds of post-it notes to a chalkboard on-campus to share what they were thankful for:

Happy Thanksgiving from our Loyola family to yours!

For When You’re Missing Home

By | November 2, 2014

It’s been a while since you’ve seen your parents, your siblings, or your pets and at this point in the semester you’re probably dragging. It’s already been a month since fall break and we’ve got another month to go before Thanksgiving break, so how do you cope with the homesickness that just kicked in?

Well, in my year and a half of college I’ve gone through my fair share of homesickness. At times I’ve overcome it quite easily, but other times that hasn’t been the case.

Last year, I definitely found it hard to be away from my family for such a long time. When my roommate and I were having serious cases of homesickness we thought it best to spend time with our other good friends…Ben & Jerry. Not so much spending, but actually sharing a pint of our favorite flavor of ice cream. Every once in a while this is the perfect homesickness strategy, but I would suggest a different game plan.

If you’d rather skip the ice cream therapy, try one of these strategies instead:

Talk to Your Roomie. I always feel better after I talk things out. Plus, the chances are pretty high that your roommate is feeling the same way you are and will really appreciate having someone to talk to.
Take a Chicago Adventure. Doing something fun in the city with your friends will be a quick way to get your mind off of anything. Hang out in Millennium Park, explore a neighborhood, or eat some authentic Chicago deep dish.
Go Ahead and Call Home. Your family will be excited to talk to you. Hearing a little bit about what they’ve been up to will be good for you too. (Be cautious with this one though, if your parents live close enough a surprise visit to cheer you up might be in the works.)
Do Something that puts You in a Good Mood. Try watching a funny movie or having a dance party. Anything that is sure to put a smile on your face is perfect

When it comes down to it almost every college student will get homesick at some point. Don’t panic. Over time you’ll learn what strategies will cure your homesickness.

Living With My Best Friends

By | November 5, 2012

I often hear horror stories from friends and family about people who have roomed with their best friends in college and ended up hating their friends by the end of the year. So when making the decision last year to get an apartment with four of my best friends, I was a little hesitant and scared that the same thing would happen to us.

But I could not have been more wrong! My friends/roommates have turned out to be the best, and most supportive roommates I could have asked for. I am posting this today because just this morning they once again showed what wonderful people they are.

So today I had my first day of clinicals! For a secondary education major like myself, that means it was my first day observing in a classroom. This may not sound very intimidating, but let me tell you I was so nervous! I had never been in a classroom before as an adult and I was not sure what to expect. My roommates knew how important today was for me, so after I went to bed last night they hung up good luck signs all over our apartment! I woke up to a handful of encouraging signs and my roommates even woke up early to say good luck before I left!

I had to leave early, 6:45am, for my clinicals because I was placed at Coonley Elementary school in Mrs. Meegan’s 6th grade classroom. A degree in secondary education certifies me to teach grades 6-12, so this is the youngest I could be teaching.

And how did my first day go you ask? It was wonderful! My mentor teacher, Mrs. Meegan, was so friendly and helpful. It was only my first day and I already had the opportunity to take attendance, help put grades in the computer, grade papers, and work with small groups. Such a busy first day!

I look forward to the next two and a half weeks of working in my classroom and I know my roommates will be there for me if I run into any road bumps and need support.

One of the signs my roommates hung up for me this morning.

Another sign my roommates hung up for me this morning. Hanging from our ceiling fan!

“Monkeying” Around

By | November 22, 2011

So this is a bit silly, but I have a giant sock monkey I got two years for Christmas. I brought him up to put in my dorm, but one day I came in to find that my roommate had dressed him up in my clothes! This turned into a recurring event, and its always amusing to see what outfit my friends will put together for him. Here are some of his top looks:

Enjoy!

All photos by me.