senior in high school! already accepted. Chicago tips!! (Columbia, Livingston: dorm, find a job)

[callmylifeline]

hey everyone
I'm Monica and I'm finally a senior in high school.
I'm in my last semester of high school and I've been accepted into Columbia College Chicago
I'm currently a 4.0 student
my *** GPA is a 3.7

However, I'm from Montana.
I've never even been to Chicago, but I am committed to enroll there this fall and attend.
I'm scared, but excited at the same time.

Just know that I am coming to Chicago no matter what.

I don't have much money but I was the first person in my senior class to apply for FAFSA and I've completed and submitted the scholarship application to the Columbia College Presidential Scholarship.

I have ambition and drive like no other, but saying that probably means nothing to you.

I'm not asking for you Chicago folk to tell me I'm retarded and try to discourage me from coming to your beautiful city, I'm just looking for advice.

Just any advice at all would be seriously appreciated. I'm really excited, but I come from a town with 7,000 people.

But please.
Just give me advice and talk to me!

[New2SouthernIL]

Hello and Congratulations! What specific advice are you looking for?

[soulful]

You are so enthusiastic it is almost contagious First off, congratulations on your acceptance and your 4.0. You should be very proud.

Columbia has a ton of out of town students and you will have plenty of company in your freshman class. What's your major?

As you probably know, the school is in the heart of the Loop in the middle of an area that also has several other urban college campuses (not much green grass; the campuses are pretty much tall buildings).
However, you are only a block or two from the park and the subway/el are right by your campus so you can get to all the cool neighborhoods of the city within 25 minutes or less in most cases.

Feel free to ask the forum any specific questions you may have and again congrats!!

[Venom]

Yeah, feel free to ask us questions.

If you want, I could show you around town.

[txhawk36]

Monica, my daughter is there this year as a Freshman!!! She came from Dallas, Texas. I don't know how to private message on here ... but I will see if I can get her on here and maybe she can help you some. At least you are used to the cold, that is her biggest setback. She also works for the school and loves it.

[linicx]

Congrats! Please understand you are moving from a town of 7,000 pop in a sparsly populated state to s mega-metro city of 7,000,000 that is located in the fifth most populated state in America. Be prepared for a huge culture shock from the traffic to the cost of living. My best advice is do not believe everything you hear, do not walk anywhere alone at night It would be good to live in a dorm if possible - at least for the first year. The folks on this forum will help you.

[callmylifeline]

the only real advice that I want is just what to expect, fun things to do, just...anything i should know about the city before i get there.

places to work around Columbia.
I hear there's a Starbucks right down the street.

I also applied for a Work Study on my FAFSA so..
yeah..
I'm really excited.

[callmylifeline]

Originally Posted by dsimicata

You are so enthusiastic it is almost contagious First off, congratulations on your acceptance and your 4.0. You should be very proud.

Columbia has a ton of out of town students and you will have plenty of company in your freshman class. What's your major?

As you probably know, the school is in the heart of the Loop in the middle of an area that also has several other urban college campuses (not much green grass; the campuses are pretty much tall buildings).
However, you are only a block or two from the park and the subway/el are right by your campus so you can get to all the cool neighborhoods of the city within 25 minutes or less in most cases.

Feel free to ask the forum any specific questions you may have and again congrats!!

My major is Film with a concentration in Directing!

I'm very proud of all that I've done in school. And right now I'm working as part of my school-day so I work for 5 hours a day 5 days a week to get my butt rolling in the dough for college.

I'm not too sad that I"m not going to be seeing very much green grass. I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too used to that being from Montana. Grass, Cows, and Rednecks. So not cool.

But yeah.

For future reference, if we ever get into it, I want to know about some of the neighborhoods. I've heard Pilson is super artsy, and that I should NEVER end up in Boys Town. (I have a friend in Chicago)
so yeah.

just keep it coming with the advice and things to say about Chicago. you people do know what you're talking about
fill me in!

[callmylifeline]

Originally Posted by txhawk36

Monica, my daughter is there this year as a Freshman!!! She came from Dallas, Texas. I don't know how to private message on here ... but I will see if I can get her on here and maybe she can help you some. At least you are used to the cold, that is her biggest setback. She also works for the school and loves it.

Yes, I'm used to the cold, but your daughter also had a 1 up on me. She was from Dallas. I'm from Livingston, MT.

Dallas is a huge city.
Livingston..
is more like a freakin' village. hahaha. but yeah.

Tell your daughter to speak with me about Chicago and Columbia. I would be really excited to hear of her opinion now that she's been there for a year.

[long101]

Originally Posted by callmylifeline

the only real advice that I want is just what to expect, fun things to do, just...anything i should know about the city before i get there.

places to work around Columbia.
I hear there's a Starbucks right down the street.

I also applied for a Work Study on my FAFSA so..
yeah..
I'm really excited.

Your going to be moving to a big city with people of all sorts. Just be very open minded and be aware of your surroundings at all time. Im sure everyone will tell you to be safe all the time and dont go out alone at night and all that, well its true.

Fun things to do? Im sure there will always be something going on since youll be in college. Wether it be parties, clubs, concerts, poetry slams, whatever you can almost always find something.

There are 100s of places that you may be able to find a job at around that area. The key word being may. Part time jobs are becoming hard to find these days.

You should be excited it will be like moving to a different world