Caitlin Waldron, Loyola Sophomore
While Loyola University Chicago has tried to make “the freshmen experience” as normal as possible, there are some notable differences this year especially with the dorms and more specifically which one is the best.
For this year’s freshmen “roommates” turned into “suite-mates” and for some the freedom they thought they were getting by living on campus turned into isolation. With moving in the second semester and all dorms being opened at half capacity many students have been given apartment and suite style dorms all to themselves. At first, this sounds like a dream not having your typical awkward freshman roommate experience. However, many students have felt isolated because of this.
To meet new people the freshmen rely heavily on their RA’s. It seems now that this year the type of RA you have can make or break your experience. As well as each dorm limits you to only having one visitor forcing the freshmen to make friends one at a time. The dorms we are discussing today are Fordham, Bellarmine, Simpson, Regis, and Francis. This wide range of dorms given to the freshmen opens up a new point of view of campus life.
A resident of Fordham Hall, Sophia Paudel, said, “The dorm and building itself are very nice! I have an apartment-style dorm all to myself and it’s super spacious and comfortable. It’s been really hard to meet people, there hasn’t been many opportunities to get to know other people in the building.”
Many students seem to love their building but feel isolated. As we hear from more students everyone seems to be in the same boat just in different buildings.
Maddy Schwartz living in Francis Hall said, “Yes, I like it because we are able to live with people in suites, but still have our own space. It is difficult to meet people though because there are a lot of empty rooms so not that many people are living here.”
Some freshmen don’t have it as nice though. Depending on where they are the building’s like Bellarmine are too spacious for one student and often make them feel all the more alone.
A resident of Bellarmine Hall, Mandy Thompson said, “It’s a little bit isolating not having roommates and is hard to get to know people. I wish I was in a dorm that seemed more like a typical dorm style so I could meet people easier.”
This year the freshmen face the new struggle of also being isolating even when they are back at their dorm. While everyone needs a second to recharge some freshmen feel as though they are always alone
Michael Panfil who is living in Francis Hall said, “Don’t go in a single dorm your freshman year. It’s the most depressing, boring waste of your money ever. Instead, be sure to get a suite/roommate.”
After talking to several students Simpson is the place to be. Most Simpson residents get a suite mate to start making connections and the location of the building itself is loved by all.
Megan Beu who is living in Simpson said, “It’s not too bad, overall the dorm building and my room are nice. I think that Simpson is in the perfect spot on campus, like it’s not super far from Damen and it’s right off Sheridan so it’s super easy to get to the stores and restaurants nearby.”
The location is perfect and the dorm itself is renovated! Most freshmen living in Simpson feel as though they hit the jackpot.
Emily Ruddy also living in Simpson said, “I like it a lot because it has a central location and I have made friends who also live in my building. I also like my shower because it is big.”
All in all Simpson is the place to be because it makes the freshmen feel like they are actually a part of campus. The location and the building itself are central and give the freshmen yearning for a sense of normalcy just that.
Jackie Morales also living in Simpson Hall said, “The view from my window is great as it looks over a little of campus and Sheridan. Overall it is very homey.”
