Learning at Loyola University
While I didn't start out at Loyola, I'll be finishing my degree here. I'm currently in my last semester, about to finish my undergraduate degree in Global Studies, with a specialization in Globalization and Sustainable Development, and a minor in International Business. I came to Loyola in my junior year, and have loved (almost) every minute of it!
I transferred from a large university in Canada, and the change in both size of school and location was something to get used to. All of a sudden, I went from living in Montreal and going to a school with over 27,000 undergraduate students to moving to Baltimore, studying at a school with roughly 6,000 undergrads.
I decided to switch schools, searching for a smaller undergrad student body and smaller class sizes. I wanted to be able to form connections with professors for letters of recommendations down the road; like most students these days, I know that I'm not stopping at an undergraduate degree and will need another degree in higher education. For all of those reasons, Loyola was the best fit for me.
On campus, I've been able to go from class sizes of 500+ at my old university to under 20 at Loyola. I've gone from not being able to get in to office hours from the sheer volume of students waiting to speak to professors to getting emails from the professor if I miss a class asking if I'm ok. I've gone from never being able to put a face to my advisor's email address in Canada to saying hi to my academic advisor in the line for Starbucks in Baltimore.
At Loyola, I've noticed that there's a strong campus presence; almost everyone is actively involved with clubs and activities outside of classes. I've gotten involved with student government, a consulting group that partners with small businesses in Baltimore, the theatre productions, and am a resident assistant. It's a small school, but especially as a transfer student, I've loved getting to know different groups of people outside of classes through activities. Outside of more formal clubs, Loyola is great about having a lot of different programming for students; the activities will run the gamut from bingo to financial literacy fairs!
It's easy to get swept up in on-campus life, but students have to remember that living in Baltimore has its perks, too. Baltimore isn't like other cities I've lived in; here, there are more pockets instead of a cohesive city, which adds to the charm of exploring different neighborhoods. All in all, if you want the perks of a small liberal arts education while still being within 10-15 minutes of a city, Loyola (and Baltimore) might just be the place for you!
Comments
Post a Comment