JCU Blog Central

Last first day of school

Hello all,

I sincerely apologize for my lack of blog posts for a couple of months. It's not that I didn't do anything fun or thought something was worth sharing, it's that I did so much that blogging got put on the back burner. Fall semester ended with a lot of really great Carroll events including Winter Formal, Christmas Carroll Eve, and miscellaneous trips around Cleveland. Then we had a full month off for break. For my last 8 days of break I went on the 8-day silent retreat at the Jesuit Retreat House in Parma, OH.

The 8-day was a terrifying prospect to me, since I am very dedicated not only to talking but to technology. However, for 8-days I was in a community of JCU students and students from Borromeo Seminary and we gave up talking and all forms of technology. I can't begin to explain how amazing this retreat was. It is only one of the many retreat options that JCU hosts, but if you can, I would highly recommend going. The great thing was, the cost to Carroll students for 8 days of an individual room and 3 meals a day was $70. The retreat itself costs hundreds more, but thanks to generous benefactors the retreat is an affordable option for students. The JRH has over 50 acres of forested paths and it was great to just explore. So, this is just one opinion, but I think everyone with the opportunity to attend this retreat should.

A lot of immersion trips also just got back before classes started today, including some my friends went on to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Rwanda. Immersion experiences are also really amazing opportunities students are offered at Carroll.

So today was my last first day of school at John Carroll (since I will technically have more first days of school in medical school). It's a very bittersweet day. I love JCU so much that if I never had to leave it, I don't know that I would. But I know that Carroll has prepared me to do great things in the future, and for that I am excited.

Tomorrow is college night at the Cavs game, so tickets are only $15, so you know where I will be tomorrow! And this weekend a bunch of Carroll students are taking a bus to Washington D.C. for the weekend to participate in the March for Life. Carroll organizations are great at allowing you to get involved both at school, in the Cleveland community, and even nationally.

Well, I am sitting in Organic Chemistry Lab and my Teaching Assistant duties await. So until next time, enjoy the warmer weather and come visit John Carroll if you haven't already!

Meghan

Playing a different tone, for the moment!

This blog is going to read a little bit differently, I like to consider myself a relatively optimistic person.  I generally see the glass half full (half full of what, well you can decide upon that yourselves) but today I am going to be realistically optimistic! 

Last week one of our Enrollment Managers received an email from a prospective student asking for a little insight as to whether or not John Carroll was the right school for him.  The Enrollment Manager in question shared the email with me thinking that I might have a better perspective from which to answer.  This student aside, I wanted to give all of you one of the most valuable pieces of advice that I can think of as you all choose the perfect school!

I love John Carroll, after almost four years here I can honestly say that this university has truly become a home for me and many of the friends that I have made here have evolved into a second family.  My experience at John Carroll is one that I will always reflect upon positively; it is an experience that I am thankful for having had the opportunity to continue my education here. 

With that being said, I did not like every day and I didn’t like every experience that I have had here.  To be honest there have been days where I hate this school and days where I sit down at the end of the day realizing it was a pretty bad day.  All of the infinite wisdom that I have gained leads me to quote “Boy Meets World” by saying “Life’s tough, get a helmet!”  Ideally I haven’t just referenced a show that none of you have seen but for those who have seen the episode in question realize that Eric Matthews punctuated that statement by smacking his younger brother, Cory, in the forehead.

There are thousands of options for schools that you could choose as the “right” school for you.  There are many (many) great schools out there each with its individual strengths and each with its own weaknesses; John Carroll is included.  Regardless of which school that you choose for you realize that you will have moments where you stare at the buildings around you thinking “Wow, I made the perfect decision” and there will be moments where you will walk around and say to yourself “why did I choose this school” but you will have those same moments anywhere you choose.

John Carroll is amazing, obviously from a satisfied customer and as a tour guide, I would encourage everyone to look at and consider the choice that I made.  As that same satisfied customer and tour guide I will be honest and tell you that John Carroll University is not the school for everyone.  You have to take a look at all of your options and make the best decision for YOU!  Whatever decision that you make I’m sure you’ll make the right one.  When you have second thoughts about your choice remember all of the good memories.  If you think about that choice too often, remember that John Carroll also accepts transfer students, but only for the students who realize that John Carroll is the best, personal choice out there!

Have a wonderful holiday season and wish me luck with my finals! Five final exams separate me from 30 days of vacation!

 

Until next time,

Christopher :D

Long Time No Write.

    I am returning to school today after such a wonderful weekend at home in Chicago with my family. I love the hustle and bustle of the city. There is something mesmerizing about being amongst the beauty of the city lights and sky scrapers. I have a deep appreciation for my hometown, but I have come to think of Cleveland as my home as well. As I begin to close this chapter of my life here at John Carroll, I have learned to appreciate the calm of Cleveland. One of the characteristics that describe my experience at home is road rage. I am so angry when driving, however; I do not have these same feelings in Cleveland. There is something calming about pulling off of the freeway and seeing the bright Christmas lights and trees of Legacy Village. It adds an overwhelming cheer to the day and I am less inclined to be angry by the cute deer walking in the middle of a busy street during rush hour.

      As wonderful as it is to return to Cleveland, it is still the second half of first semester. In other words, I am stressed beyond what seems reasonable. My law school applications are due very soon, I am preparing for finals and for some reason all 6 of my professors have given me some sort of major project to work on in the next two weeks. Alas, the not so exciting parts of college. Although, I must say that even the homework load is bitter sweet because I know that after this semester, it is never going to be the same. I feel that next year I am going to miss the late nights of doing work that I actually understand. For some reason I feel that contract law and civil procedure might be slightly more challenging.

      There are several exciting upcoming events on campus. This upcoming weekend is Winter Formal. It is one of two dances that Carroll offers. It is usually held at a beautiful location in Solan, a local suburb. There is typically a serene atmosphere of a winter wonderland and I have always had a good time. However, I will not be attending this year. My sorority is putting on our semi-formal and it happens to be on the same day. As sad as I am to miss my last Winter Formal, I am excited to spend time with my sisters and engage in one of my last major school dances. I really love having a reason to dress up and feel pretty for a day. We are definitely a casual campus. Typically, I am in sweatpants or jeans and a T-shirt. Any chance that I have to do my hair and add a little makeup, I jump at it. It should be a very fun weekend. The semi-formal is being held downtown at a club called Anatomy. It is yet another opportunity to truly engage Cleveland and all it has to offer.

      For many of you, I know this is a busy time and there are several different decisions that you have to make.  Try not to stress too much; you will do what is right for you! Good luck on finals and enjoy these last moments with your friends in high school. It will all change next year and you will be opened up to a whole new set of experiences and people. I will say that this has been truly the best 3 and half years of my life. But there is still one semester left!

Talk to you soon!

Ariel 

 

A Voice Returns

Well HELLO everyone! I am so sorry that I took a temporary leave of absence from sharing my voice with all of you potential Blue Streaks!  I guess I should have expected senior year to be a bit more demanding than the previous three years have been.  I also made a promise to one of the Admission staff members that I would not post a sappy, emotional blog about what it feels like to be facing graduation, so I won’t.  Instead, I am going to share some of my words of wisdom to all of you during YOUR senior year!

 I would hope that by November, you have not only thought about a potential school for you to continue your education but that you also have created a list of schools that you are interesting to you!  Here goes my first word of wisdom so pay close attention; the common application is your friend!

The Office of Admission at John Carroll hosted events all throughout the summer (I know because I worked each and every one of them) as well as the four Open Houses that we held this fall, all of that was of course in addition to the regular visits that we have throughout the week.  That being said, I am hoping that all of you have been on our campus and have fallen in love with it, as I did when I was visiting.

When I was in high school my dad and I visited thirteen schools so that I could get a chance to see every school that I was even remotely interested in.  At that point, it was time to create a short list.  Obviously, John Carroll was my choice. The minute that I walked onto this campus, I knew that John Carroll was a place that I could make a home.  A place that would not only be a great place to study, but a great place to live and grow as a person.  My final piece of advice that I can give to all of you at this point in time is simple; TRUST YOUT GUT.  Your intuitions and gut reactions will be a great tool to utilize in making this decision. 

Hopefully, you’ll decide to come visit me at JCU!

First Snow!

So if you visited Carroll last Saturday or were here for the open house last Sunday, congratulations! You witnessed the first snowfall in Cleveland! And if you visited campus between this past Wednesday or Saturday you also enjoyed walking around campus with snow piles in the 60 degree weather. Today was our final football game of the season, and it was such a gorgeous day! There was a terrific turnout (and the Streaks won 31-28!!!)

Tonight my suite mate and I are going to see the One Acts in Marinello Little Theatre. We are very excited since my other suite mate is the director of one (and a lot of our friends are acting in them as well)!

Tomorrow my friends and I are going to the Fabulous Food Show at the I-X center. We're going to see a show by Michael Symon (he won Iron Chef and has restaurants in Cleveland). Check out the website for more information, but it is a great event hosted here in Cleveland! The best part? As part of the honors program you get reiumbursed up to $35 a semester for going to cultural or art events in Cleveland. So our tickets are free!

In the academic world, I have begun writing my final draft of my Senior Honors Thesis. Three of my friends received acceptance letters to medical schools, and my suite mate was offered a job after graduation. Senior year is going great!

I have thoroughly enjoyed these last few warm days at Carroll, but winter is right around the corner. Carroll looks absolutely beautiful covered in snow, so come visit (just be sure to wear boots and a warm jacket) and enjoy a beautiful tour followed by a warm cup of hot chocolate!

Happy Start of Winter,

Meghan