As the quarter is coming to a close, finals are in full control of our lives and we live with a perpetual feeling of panic, it is hard to remember why you wanted to go to college in the first place. Much less why you chose a university on the quarter system in which the list of papers, assignments and exams are never ending. No to mention that we are all preparing to pack up our things and head back home for what seems to be an eternity or for the obvious yet oddly difficult bombardment of questions from your family members. You know what they are:
And it’s not that you don’t want to answer these questions, in fact it is really sweet that your family cares enough to ask. It is just that within the past ten weeks you have experienced, learned and grown so much that it is impossible to condense it all into a small paragraph before the conversation moves on to Aunt Suzie’s cousin’s friend’s favorite recipe– especially when it comes to the question about how you are liking DePaul because saying that you love it and that DePaul is literally the best university ever & that everyone’s children, cousins brothers and sisters should attend DePaul doesn’t effectively capture the nature of DePaul and why it is so great. Not to mention, currently, you may be lacking enthusiasm because of the grueling weeks of finals.
So before you (potentially un)enthusiastically ramble on about DePaul and attempt to pull your words together to effectively explain yourself, I have taken it upon myself to compile 10 reasons why DePaul is the best school ever. Add or subtract to it as you please and keep these in the back of your mind for when Aunt Joanne asks how school is going!
1. The Professors are freaking awesome. Seriously.
Before I came here, I heard that the professors at DePaul really care about their students, that they have real knowledge and have or are working in the field they are teaching and have chosen to teach because they want to. And let me tell you they weren’t kidding. My professors have been nothing but kind and are truly a source of knowledge and first hand experience and their passion for their subject is contagious. No longer am I reading about social movement that occurred thirty years ago, instead I am listening to my professor who is an activist and has taken part in many social movement campaigns. Not to mention that they are humble and see them as equal with their students. I have yet to meet a teacher that asks me to refer to them by their last name.
2. The clubs and organizations
There is so much available to take advantage of that it is sometimes overwhelming.
3. The quesadillas at The Bean in The Ray
Seriously the best thing since sliced bread.
4. DePaul’s Vincentian Values
By always begging the question from Vinny himself, “what must be done?” DePaul is not only making me into a smarter person but also well rounded and conscientious of my community and responsibility to it.
5. Free laundry for residents.
Though nothing is free, this is still every college student’s dream.
6. The Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center
For those of you who, like me, have a love – hate relationship with working out, there is no better place to drag you butt out of bed to than the Ray Meyer Fitness center. The amount & wide array of equipment is both overwhelming and mesmerizing not to mention the the cute boys keep me motivated during my workout.
7. It’s in C H I C A G O !
Let’s be real, this was the main reason you wanted to come here and it definitely fulfilled everything you thought it would be and more.
View from the Loop Campus Cafeteria
8. Immersion Week. Enough said.
‘The city is your classroom’– a motto that is written in almost every booklet or advertisement for DePaul. Learning from the city that we live in is an important to education here. And from day one, this is the case, during immersion week every freshman chose a topic that interested them and dug deeper into it, learning more about it by visiting places in Chicago that play a role in that given topic. Immersion week acts as great way to acclimate students to Chicago and creates an automatic connection between the two.
My immersions group – Discover Nonviolent Chicago at the Peace Corner in Southern Chicago
(College Day 2)
9. DePaul cares for the environment
DePaul stand for not only bettering the community but bettering the environment! All around campus you can find solar powered charging stations and elaborate recycling bins– it’s great!
10. Wide Variety of Classes
The Buddhist Experience, History of TV & Radio, Rock Music of the World, Religion & Pop Culture, Television Genres, & Writing Censorship are all classes that fill basic graduation requirements. None of those seem of interest to you? No worries, there are hundreds more.