In my second year at Roosevelt, I have spent a lot of time reflecting. I remember how daunting the college search seemed to me in my junior and senior years of high school. After researching countless schools and touring a handful, I left each tour wondering when I would know I found the right school for me. And I remember the day I left my tour at Roosevelt. It was when I left that tour that I knew I had found the one. Two years in, and I could not be more thankful that I chose Roosevelt. Without a doubt, Roosevelt is where I am meant to be, and today, I am going to tell you the top ten reasons why
- Going to Roosevelt lets me live in the heart of downtown Chicago! One of my favorite parts of Roosevelt is its prime location in the South Loop, one of the most bustling places in the entire city. The Wabash Building boasts amazing views of Lake Michigan and overlooks the city. Not only are the views great, but there is always so much to do in the city! Whether it is festivals, parades, or markets among countless other things, there is something for everyone to love in Chicago.
2. The class sizes are perfect. Even though Roosevelt is located in one of the largest cities in the United States, its class sizes are ideal. With a student to faculty ratio of 10:1 and an average class size of 18 students, the opportunity for wholesome learning and the ability to form real connections with professors and peers is unmatched. I’ve found that these smaller class sizes help me to learn better, especially because they encourage active dialogue between my professors and I, and I feel like my professors are able to really get to know me and that they want to help me succeed however they can.
3. The social justice mission at Roosevelt is unique to Roosevelt and one which has helped me become a better person in my time here so far. The university’s “commitment to inclusivity” is embodied by all faculty and students at Roosevelt, and the central tenets of social justice, tenets like integrity, equal opportunity, and compassion, are incorporated into every course. The annual Roosevelt American Dream Reconsidered Conference is a great testament to its social justice mission; the conference lasts for a week and includes panels, performances, and service events free for members of the Roosevelt community. Last year, I got to hear the Notorious RBG (Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg) speak, and this year the famous rapper Common made an appearance! Ultimately, the faculty and students at Roosevelt truly care about people and work together to build a better world everyday.
4. Roosevelt’s prime location makes it a great place to secure valuable internships and network with professionals in your field of study. There are thousands of internships offered over the course of the year in the greater Chicago area that help build invaluable experience. This year, I was an intern for a candidate in Illinois’ gubernatorial race, and it was such a worthwhile experience. Not only that, but the plentiful connections that our faculty at Roosevelt have established provide students with an unparalleled avenue to network with other highly-regarded professionals.
5. I met lifelong best friends at Roosevelt. I can’t imagine my life without these people and am so grateful Roosevelt brought us together.
6. Roosevelt gave me the opportunity to keep playing the sport I love at the collegiate level. Roosevelt University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and is apart of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). There are currently sixteen athletic teams at Roosevelt, and many student-athletes are fortunate enough to have a partial athletic scholarship. My teammates are like sisters to me, and I love being able to continue playing the sport I love. Two of my favorite memories are beating a nationally-ranked opponent on our home court this year and watching our boy’s basketball team qualify for the national tournament for the first time in school history last year!
7. Roosevelt also makes it possible to be a full-time student and to still be involved in other things. There are a ton of student organizations on campus, as well as job opportunities and other extra-curriculars. As a full-time student-athlete, I have also had time to become involved in the Graduate Plan for Success Program (GPS), the Professional Mentoring Program, the Honors Program, and am the President of the College of Arts and Sciences Student Advisory Council (CASSAC) and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). I also work as a front-desk receptionist at the Roosevelt University Goodman Center, where our athletic department is housed. The flexible class schedule at Roosevelt and the multitude of opportunities to grow involved on campus make this possible, and take it from me, I promise it is doable and so worth it!
8. The classes offered at Roosevelt really prepare you for your field of study and offer distinctive hands-on learning opportunities. As a part of Roosevelt’s social justice mission, many courses include an experiential learning component, requiring you to get involved in the Roosevelt community or greater Chicago community in some way. This is extraordinary experience to put on your resume and to take with you as you graduate and move into the professional world. So far, I have taken a course where we worked as peer tutors in the Writing Center for the semester and at the end, presented projects to the Writing Center Director detailing our experiences and how we think the student experience could be improved in this learning space. I am also currently enrolled in a class that is centered around investigating the history of whiteness in society and its effects today. At the end of the semester, we will be traveling to Australia and New Zealand for two weeks, two countries with a deep history of whiteness, and reporting on our findings.
9. With five colleges, sixty-four undergraduate majors, thirty-eight minors, fifty-four graduate programs, and three doctoral programs, I did not have to know what I wanted to study right away at Roosevelt. It is okay not to know what you want to study coming into college. Coming to Roosevelt “undecided” and taking a few semesters to figure out what you are most interested in will not put you behind, and it will give you the chance to really find the right major fit for you. As someone who has changed majors and minors a few times, I am grateful for the simple process to do so at Roosevelt and for having the ability to take a myriad of classes that exposed me to topics I grew very intrigued in but may otherwise have not known about if I did not attend Roosevelt.
10. I have the chance to obtain a degree from an accredited institution that is recognized nationally for its embodiment of social justice ideals and that is highly-respected for its undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Imagine the opportunities that lie ahead with this degree in hand from Roosevelt!
These are just some of the many reasons Roosevelt was the right university for me. If you have any questions or want to know more, I encourage you to visit: https://www.roosevelt.edu for more information. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a current student either! Best of luck on your college search! #WeRU
By: Jordan Fierst
