萝莉社

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When You Visit a College Campus

There’s no better way to find out if a school is a good fit than to visit. Here are some tips on what to do when you visit a campus.

College fairs, checklists, and website research all help you prepare for college and assist in making an informed decision. While these are all great ways to get to know a university, visiting a school is an entirely different experience.

By visiting, you get a better understanding of the layout, you can ask students questions, and you can see if their facilities are right for studies that interest you. Visiting every school that you鈥檙e interested in is a great idea, but it can be expensive and time-consuming. Whether you鈥檙e visiting one or ten colleges, here are a few things to keep in mind to maximize your time there.

Set up a tour

Call ahead and set up a campus tour. It will likely take place with an admissions officer or a Student Ambassador. Some schools will also have preview days or group tours. North Park has certain days when students can take a campus tour and spend the night with a current student in a dorm; it鈥檚 a great way to ask the student questions and explore the surrounding neighborhood or city.

Never be afraid to ask lots of questions

Spend your time asking every question you can think of. The more information you get, the more informed your decision will be. And make sure you ask to see the places where you might spend most of your time: the gym, lab spaces, or the campus hot spot.

Get a feel for the environment

This will be your home for the next few years as you earn your degree. Use your visit to see how other students and professors interact with each other; then match your personality and desires against your experience there.

Take notes and pictures

Chances are, you鈥檙e looking at multiple colleges and universities, and it鈥檚 easy to get your memories mixed up. Notes and pictures will help you remember what you did and didn鈥檛 enjoy about the school.

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Author Ana FundukPosted on Format AsideCategories Blog, StoriesTags ,

Advice for Writing Your Personal Essay

Learn about the kind of impression you want to make when writing your personal essay for college applications.

The purpose of a personal essay is to position yourself as the prime candidate to be picked for admission.

Why are personal essays needed?

Personal essays allow the school to gauge you and your abilities on a non-academic basis. It is easy for us to see how well you’ve done in school, but personal essays provide a secondary window for the admissions counselors to get to know you better and gauge your聽potential to thrive. It helps to bring depth and understanding to a transcript, allowing you to offer more than your GPA and test scores.

What should I include in my essay?

Your personal essay should begin by capturing attention. This is where you make yourself stand out from the crowd. Tell us something unique about yourself! Expand on this and other parts of your story. A funny story is great, but keep it short. Finally, let the reader in on something important about yourself that they couldn鈥檛 glean from your application. Remember, the purpose of the essay is to show that you’re able to communicate well, and to help the reader understand you, your ambitions, and how you’d fit into the school鈥檚 environment. A well-structured and grammatically-correct essay will go a long way, but don鈥檛 fret over absolute perfection . . . this isn鈥檛 a thesis paper!

How long should the essay be?

As long as you feel you need to showcase yourself! However, multiple page essays generally contain more information than the admissions counselors need. Remember to highlight yourself and achievements in a thoughtful and deliberate way. A concise essay which clearly defines you is perfect!

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Two students study together at a table with their silver laptops.
Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Blog, StoriesTags ,

Advice for Standing Out On Your College Application

More students than ever are applying to schools for undergraduate degrees. Learn what you can do to stand out.

Male students sit at a round table and study.

More students than ever are applying to schools for undergraduate degrees. Ivy League schools still have acceptance rates in the single digits. Most other four-year colleges and schools still admit only two of every three applicants.

So what can you do to increase your odds of catching the admissions counselor鈥檚 attention? How can you stand out?

Personal essays are always great places to stand out. Admissions counselors want to get to know you, to see if you would be a good fit for the community at the school, and to see what you can add to the campus community. The best ways to do this are through your application, transcripts, and personal essay.

Take your time聽creating your application. Make sure you stay above the minimum word count for responses, but below the maximum. Find ways to present yourself in as many quality words as possible.

Don鈥檛 skip the extracurricular activities section.聽List all that you participated in throughout your high school career. This section and your transcripts show the counselors what kind of drive you had both inside and outside of school. In high school, take as many Advanced Placement or challenging courses as you can, and take them seriously.

Not only do schools want students who can take the challenge of college-level academics, they also want students who can get the most out of the school鈥檚 resources, and students who give back to the school. Colleges are looking for students who want to use their higher education to become leaders and enact change.

This is exactly how North Park sees its role in higher education, to prepare students for lives of significance and service.

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Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Blog, StoriesTags ,

NPRESS Presentations Bring Summer to a Close

On Friday July 28, 12 North Park research summer students presented their findings to close out 2017鈥檚 summer NPRESS Program (North Park Research Experience for Summer Students).

On Friday, July 28, 12 North Park summer research students presented their findings to close out 2017鈥檚 summer NPRESS Program (North Park Research Experience for Summer Students). Dr. Boaz Johnson began his opening remarks in the Helwig Boardroom in the Johnson Center: 鈥淭hese students have had the opportunity to work alongside the best professors in the world, and I have been all over the world, so I can say that.鈥�

In this highly competitive program, only 12 students were chosen to participate in summer research. These students are provided with on-campus housing and a $3,500 stipend to accompany their 40-hour work weeks of PhD-level research. 鈥淎s in the past, students have said that this has been their most intense and yet most enjoyable experience at North Park. They get a professor to work with them, all by themselves,鈥� says Dr. Johnson.

 

ABOUT NPRESS

The NPRESS (North Park Research Experience for Summer Students) program provides opportunities for North Park students to conduct research with a North Park faculty mentor for eight weeks over the summer. It was the brainchild of a core group of faculty and funded by a small group of donors, allowing students to dive into a topic in a way that the constraints of an academic year do not always allow. Students received a $3,500 stipend and were given the opportunity to live on campus, making it possible for them to focus solely on research.

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Announcement, News, StoriesTags , , , ,

Book Announcement: Just Debt by Ilsup Ahn, Carl I. Lindberg Professor of Philosophy at 萝莉社

Baylor University Press to release on October 15, 2017.

Baylor University Press to publish聽Just Debt: Theology, Ethics, and Neoliberalism by聽Ilsup Ahn, Carl I. Lindberg Professor of Philosophy at 萝莉社 and Carnegie Council Global Ethics Fellow.

Dr. Ahn’s Profile

From the publisher:

“Debt鈥攑ersonal, corporate, governmental鈥攊s so pervasive in contemporary economies, with its moralistic logic nearly unquestioned. Debt鈥檚 necessity renders it morally neutral, absolving it of the dehumanizing effect it brings in unbridled financialization.

In Just Debt Ilsup Ahn explores ethical implications of the practice of debt. By placing debt in the context of anthropology, philosophy, economics, and the ethical traditions provided by the Abrahamic religions, Ahn holds that debt was originally a form of gift, a gift which was intended as a means to serve humanity. Debt, as gift, had moral ends. Since the late eighteenth century, however, debt has been reduced to an amoral economic tool, one separated from its social and political context. Ahn recovers an ethics of debt and its moral economy by rediscovering debt鈥檚 forgotten aspect鈥攖hat all debts entail unique human stories. Ahn argues that it is only in and by these stories that the justice of debt can be determined. In order for debt to be justly established, its story should be free from elements of exploitation, abuse, and manipulation and should conform to the principles of serviceability, payability, and shareability.

Although the contemporary global economy disconnects debt from its context, Ahn argues that debt must be firmly grounded in the world of moral values, social solidarity, and political resolution. By re-embedding debt within its moral world, Just Debt offers a holistic ethics of debt for a neoliberal age.”

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Announcement, StoriesTags , , ,

萝莉社 Cadaver Lab Opens Its Doors Bright and Early to All Interested Undergraduates

During the near-dawn hours, North Park鈥檚 Coordinator of Anatomical Resources Dr. Jeff Nelson leads visits to the Cadaver Lab鈥攁s early as 6:30 am.

Students have all different ways of starting their morning. Some with a cup of java or a work-out at Helwig Recreation Center or hitting snooze a couple of times. But for both the science-driven major as well as any student interested in anatomy, the morning starts with access to North Park鈥檚 Cadaver Lab.

Study in cadaver lab with Dr. Jeffrey Nelson

During the near-dawn hours, North Park鈥檚 Coordinator of Anatomical Resources Dr. Jeff Nelson leads visits to the Cadaver Lab鈥攁s early as 6:30 am. 鈥淭his time of day is perfect for students to openly converse which also sets the tone for professionalism,鈥� says Dr. Nelson.

Learning together early in the morning, when all is quiet on campus and classes have not yet started, distils distractions and focuses the learning experience on exploring anatomy. Supervised by Dr. Nelson, students meet two times a week and every three to four weeks where fellow students can see the work to-date and refresh their knowledge of anatomy. Dr. Nelson readily greets the groggy-eyed yet ready-to-learn undergrads from a variety of majors鈥攑sychology to art to health sciences鈥攐pening the doors into the world of anatomy where students learn by conversing, observing, handling, and exploring.

If a student is interested in optometry, they can study the eyes; if there鈥檚 an interest in physical therapy then they can look at the muscles. To keep track of the areas of the body already studied, students maintain their own logs. In the Cadaver Lab, it鈥檚 the students who are actually doing the work with the cadaver. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an element of discovery and mystery that鈥檚 experienced during these wee hours of the morning that gets students to start thinking about their interests and career path,鈥� says Dr. Nelson.

Dr. Nelson encourages students to have their own experience with anatomy. For many, being in the Cadaver Lab is about having their first patient experience and for others, it鈥檚 about what is yet-to-be-discovered. Modeling the peer-teaching style, students prepare to teach to their fellow classmates, a necessary skill developed in medical school.

萝莉社 is unique in having its own cadaver lab for undergraduate students. Located in the basement level of the state-of-the-art Johnson Center, the Cadaver Lab provides students with hands-on learning experiences found right here on campus. Before the Cadaver Lab existed on campus, students traveled to nearby hospitals such as Rush Medical Center to receive this sophisticated level of learning most often found in graduate schools.

鈥淣orth Park is fortunate to have the Cadaver Lab on campus and the students really enjoy expanding their knowledge and skills alongside their peers,鈥� remarks Dr. Nelson.

To participate in a Cadaver Lab session with Dr. Nelson, set your alarm and look for the sign-up sheet outside his office in the Johnson Center, room 020.

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Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories News, StoriesTags , , , ,

Making the Most of Your Education: Kathleen Dillon C’11

Kathleen Dillion C’11, English literature alumna, shares about growing into her professional life and giving back to her community.

Kathleen Dillion, C'11, graduated with a degree in English Literature and minored in Politics and Government. She participated in multiple clubs and organizations including 萝莉社 Press, was Secretary of the Queers and Allies group, and was a member of both Sigma Tau Delta and Pi Sigma Alpha.

North Park will forever be the place where I met lifelong friends and mentors. It will also always represent challenge and growth for me. The most valuable lesson I learned at North Park is that your education, and your life in general, is what you make of it! Though I was a transfer student and rather shy, I put myself out there and made friends with whom I am even closer today.

I spent my first summer after graduation working for Shoreline Sightseeing downtown and having a wonderful time just enjoying living in the city. I then moved back to Michigan to begin a position as a substitute teacher. I had been unsure as to what was next for me and wanted to gauge my interest in returning to school for a teaching certificate. After taking on multiple paraprofessional roles, I decided that I would like to go back to school for a Master鈥檚 in English. I knew that I wanted to teach at the college-level. Loyola University Chicago, in Rogers Park, had a 鈥榯eaching track鈥� for their Master鈥檚 in English program.

I found a graduate assistantship as a Tutoring Coordinator with the TRIO Student Support Services program on campus鈥揂chieving College Excellence (ACE), which serves students who are the first in their family to go to college, have higher financial need, and/or have a documented disability. After graduating from Loyola, I went on to teach College Composition at College of Lake County, and Developmental Writing at North Park! It was so very interesting teaching in the same classroom in which I took so many of my undergraduate courses.

I later applied for a new Academic Counselor position ACE wrote into their grant. I got the job and have been with ACE as a full-time staff member for over a year now.聽I am the academic counselor and primary first and second year advisor for a group of about 70 students. I see myself as an advocate, ally, and, along with the rest of ACE, a support system for our students, who need guidance in navigating college life. I also teach two sections of UNIV 101, supervise a staff of ACE students who have trained to be peer mentors, and supervise the graduate assistant Tutoring Coordinator, my former position.

At North Park, because it鈥檚 small, students, staff, and faculty wear multiple hats鈥揑 can juggle multiple positions and projects because of my time at North Park and the opportunities I was given there. My time as a Writing Advisor, under the guidance of the great Carol Martin, gave me the experience I needed to work as an English Language Arts paraprofessional for at-risk students, which lead to Loyola鈥檚 English Master鈥檚 program and positions at TRIO.

My position with the North Park Press, political philosophy courses, and summer internship in D.C. prepared me for community organizing. I am now a Community Organizer in Rogers Park, am on the Steering Committee for our independent, progressive ward body, and am the Political Coordinator at the Heartland Cafe. This experience has been invaluable and I am putting my education and values into action.

One of the best things you can do, in my view, to give back to 萝莉社 is to go on and be a credit to the University鈥檚 mission. Are you a person of character, compassion, and common sense? Think through what it means to live a life of significance and service. It can feel like a corny line sometimes when you are in college, but I find myself reflecting on these values every day now. Folks who live lives of significance and service are so desperately needed in this world.

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Profile, StoriesTags , , ,

“Potential to Research, Develop, Explore”: Jorge Ortiz C’17

Jorge Oritz C’17, economics alumnus, shares about his experiences at North Park.

Alumni, Jorge Ortiz, describes why chose North Park.
"The student-faculty relationship is exceptional, and the staff are always helpful when you start any academic project."

One of Jorge Ortiz鈥檚 most memorable moments at North Park was the day he graduated. He walked in front of the procession carrying his home-country鈥檚 flag, the Ecuadorian colors flying ahead and above him on his way to the stage. 鈥淣orth Park is an institution that has a lot of potential if a student wants to research, develop, or explore; its diversity challenged my perspectives on many of my views.鈥� Jorge counts it a great accomplishment that he 鈥渟tudied and graduated in a foreign country in a foreign language.鈥�

Jorge enjoyed his time at North Park, involving himself in much of what the University has to offer students as far as extracurricular activities. He was president of the Economics Club, as well as a member of the executive team for the inaugural TEDx event held at North Park. Jorge also had this to say about the summer research program he participated in, 鈥渢he opportunity to do NPRESS with professor Gavoor, studying the relationship between the cost of goods sold and inventory, was one of my favorite opportunities at North Park.鈥�

Life after graduation has served Jorge well, landing a full-time position as a business developer executive at North Side Community Federal Credit Union just two weeks after commencement. Jorge credits North Park’s Career Development and Internships Office with helping him develop a strong resume and offering guidance through his job search. He plans to continue working for the next couple of years and starting graduate school in 2019. 鈥淚 explored a lot of economic theories at the University. This is a wonderful institution where I made friends for life, including professors who have become mentors.鈥�

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Presidential Search Committee Launches Online Survey

The committee that is conducting the search for the 10th president of 萝莉社 has created an online survey where interested members of the North Park constituency can share their opinions and reflections on the search.

CHICAGO (June 30, 2017) 鈥� The committee that is conducting the search for the 10th president of 萝莉社 has created an online survey where interested members of the North Park constituency can share their opinions and reflections on the search and on the University鈥檚 strengths and challenges. It will be available through July 31, 2017聽at

.

鈥淭he committee hopes that North Park alumni, faculty, students, and staff 鈥� and, in fact, anyone interested in the future of the University 鈥� will take 15 minutes to complete this survey,鈥� said Owen R. Youngman, chair of the committee and a member of the North Park Board of Trustees. 鈥淭he results will help us to set priorities for the search and to evaluate potential candidates.鈥�

As previously announced, the 15-person committee has been instructed to present a candidate to the full Board of Trustees by early 2018. Approval by the Board of the Trustees, the Executive Board of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and the Annual Meeting of the ECC will be required to call a successor to David L. Parkyn, who retired at the end of June.

Results of the survey will be published in late August on the committee鈥檚 Web site, .

More about the Presidential Search

Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Announcement, StoriesTags , ,