JCU Blog Central

Fall 2009 Admissions Open House

Saturday, November 7, 2009, marked the third admissions open house which John Carroll University has held.  Earlier in the semester, the John Carroll Office of Admissions hosted a Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theater Arts open house as well as a Bohler School of Business open house.  The open house held yesterday appealed to prospective students who are more interested in departments other than communication, theater arts, and business. Furthermore, this open house appealed to prospective students who are simply undecided as far as a major. Ultimately, the open house served as an information session to those who wanted to discover more about Johhn Carroll University as well as its admission process.

The open house began at 9 AM and came to a close at approximately 1:30 PM.  After check-in, prospective students and families were provided with a buffet-style continental breakfast (The hot apple cider was amazing!) and given the option of taking a campus tour. At 10 AM, a welcome presentation took place in Donahue Auditorium. Shortly after, a current JCU student, fellow tour guide Sarah Barchick, spoke about her experiences thus far at Carroll. Prospective students and families were then offered the option of taking specialized tours to such places as the high-tech laboratories of the Dolan Science Center or attending an informative financial aid presentation. Finally, a closing presentation took place and families proceeded to Schott dining hall for lunch (The tater-tots were delicious!) or to the underground to embark on a campus tour.

All-in-all, the open house was a complete success! It was a warm, sunny November day which created a great atmosphere for campus tours. Approximately 40-50 prospective students, with their associated family members, were in attendance! I was given the opportunity to take two diverse groups of wonderful guests on tours of the campus. Furthermore, I assisted in the specialized tours of the laboratories in Dolan Science Center. As a biology major, I felt right at home while showing students and families the facilities. I was very excited to share the knowledge I have about the John Carroll biology department with our guests. I even encountered a few pre-dental prospective students with whom I engaged deep conversations about my experiences thus far as a pre-dental student. At the end of the day, I truly felt that I had made an impact in each students' individual admission process.

Until next time,

Meghan May

"What a small world..."

During my junior year as a student at John Carroll University, I am still astounded by the degree to which John Carroll students are connected to both people from afar as well as those nearby. This past Friday afternoon I gave a tour to a mother and her daughter who reside in the Akron area; the daughter attends Walsh Jesuit High School. As I described the importance of living on campus in creating friendships at Carroll, I happened to mention my good friend whom graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School. I explained that she transfered to John Carroll for her sophomore year from another institution and that we had become very close because we ended up living on the same floor in Hamlin Hall. Just by chance, the daughter's older sister attended this institution before my friend had transfered. They, in turn, were very good friends! The mother and daughter also knew many of the friends which I met through my good friend. All three of us then exclaimed: "What a small world!"

I discovered more connections when my roommate and I ate breakfast the next morning at Eat at Joe's, a gem hidden along the nearby Mayfield Road. As Niki and I enjoyed our four dollar specials, we entered into a conversation with a young couple seated next to us. After we shared the routine introductions, the young woman expressed that she graduated from John Carroll in 2008 and that she knows many faces from both John Carroll, as well as my hometown of Youngstown. It turned out that she knows Niki and I 's past tour guide coordinator who is currently attending graduate school at John Carroll. She also knows my high school boyfriend's older brother who I had just spoken with the night before! And, she knows my brother's best friend's baby sister. My brother's best friend was just married two weeks ago and he was the best man. She exclaimed that she almost attended the wedding!

All-in-all this weekend served as a pleasant reminder as to how deeply inter-connected students at John Carroll become with other students, both current and past, as well as those from all over the nation. I anticipate the growth of my connections in my upcoming years at John Carroll and I can't wait to unexpectedly discover them!

Until next time,

Meghan May

National Make a Difference Day...John Carroll Style! :)

This past Saturday was National Make a Difference Day, and for the third year in a row, John Carroll celebrated by organizing a service project for the surrounding community. In about a month from now, you and I both will be sitting around a large table with the people we love most, sharing a delicious Thanksgiving feast. As much as I try to prepare myself each year, without fail I will end the meal so full that even the thought of standing up from the table seems impossible. Thanksgiving dinner is something that most of us rarely think about and just take for granted. However, for some residents of the Hough neighborhood in an area near JCU, Thanksgiving dinner is not always easy to come by. So, the students of John Carroll University organize a canned food drive in the entire area of University Heights.

For a majority of the day, groups of students involved in the Arrupe Scholars Program on campus, as well as many volunteer students, walked the neighborhoods of University Heights collecting the food and distributing it into a University owned house at the edge of campus. The food was sorted and the students determined what additional food would need to be purchased to help fill in the gaps and create multiple complete Thanksgiving dinners.

As Thanksgiving actually gets closer, Aramark, the food service on campus, will donate about 100 turkeys. We will use the collected food to create 100 food baskets for 100 families in the Hough neighborhood. Supposedly, the baskets provide the families with an extravagant Thanksgiving dinner as well as enough food to last the remainder of the week. Thanksgiving has a whole new meaning to me now that I have the chance to help spread the joy of this holiday with others who may not have the chance to celebrate.

Senior Year

Hello Readers!

Bridget Fitzgerald here- back for another and final year of blogging. In my past blog one could find that I have studied abroad, traveled the world, interned at NBC Today Show in New York City, and lived the NYC dream. Now that I am back at JCU and approaching Thanksgiving it is a bittersweet time for me. I have grown so close to this campus, faculty and staff that it is difficult to imagine my daily routine without them. I am currently engulfed in the post-graduation career decisions. My most hopeful is an opportunity exclusively for John Carroll University students. With the newly re-named Tim Russert Department of Communications and Theater Arts present two new aspects to the division. One, being a post-graduation fellowship with Meet The Press. And second, a scholarship for incoming freshman. So for all those incoming freshman, I encourage you to not only fill out your FASA but to research private scholarships as well. I received one from the John Carroll University Chicago Alumni chapter whom I am still keep in touch with four years later.

As I am also looking into Graduate School therefore I know how you students feel. I am filling out applications, studying and preparing for the GRE and trying to figure out how it will all work together. This is a  stressful time, I can concur. But if anything if you are able to take a break, take a drive, take a weekend please come visit us-because we would love to meet you!

-Bridget

Weekend Convenience

Two weekends ago John Carroll students were given the annual Fall Break. Students could have chosen to reside at Carroll for the weekend or take refuge at home or elsewhere. I chose to spend my time in my hometown of Youngstown visiting friends and family. Although I appreciated the time I was able to be with them, I am so glad to be back at John Carroll. I anticipate the exciting events that are approaching. This upcoming weekend is Halloween and several events are already planned for the time of my favorite holiday. The Student Union Programming Board is hosting a trip to HalloWeekends at Cedar Point and a trip to enjoy hot cider and a bonfire will take place this week as well. Just last night, the children of University Heights community went trick-or-treating throughout the residence halls of John Carroll. I truly cannot wait to participate in these Halloween festivities!

Before I jumped back into the busy life-style of being at Carroll, I decided to ease into the swing of things by chilling out and relaxing with friends this past weekend. Luckily, John Carroll's campus is conveniently located near Legacy Village, Beachwood Mall, and the Richmond Place movie theater, all of which offer plenty of comforts. Saturday night my friends and I decided to dine like true Italians by eating dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant at the Beachwood Mall. We split an appetizer of fried calamari and then each ordered a different entree, so that we could all share. My gnocchi were delicious! And, the bites of eggplant Parmesan and spaghetti and meatballs I consumed were wonderful as well! After dinner, the girls and I made a short drive to Legacy Village, located just down the road. We enjoyed coffee and caught up on each other's lives at the Starbucks Cafe. All in all, the weekend turned out to be just what I needed. I am now fully rejuvenated and ready to take on Halloween Carroll style head on!

Until next time,

Meghan May