Ever wanted to start your own business? Interested in startups and entrepreneurship? The Polsky Center, located on 53rd Street in Downtown Hyde Park, is a vibrant hub for innovation and invention. The Center incubates a whopping 10-20 startups at any given time, and more than 2,500 members take use of the wide-open co-working space and conference rooms. The Polsky Center draws in professors, community members, graduate school students, and college students to collaborate and create new products.
Being an adult, or at least trying to be, is scary (to say the least). College is a whole collection of adult responsibilities thrown at you at once, from remembering to eat three (healthy!) meals a day to doing laundry for yourself. The thought of finding a summer internship on my own seemed like just one more thing I wasn’t prepared for, until I encountered the wonderful lifesaver that is UChicago’s Career Advancement.
UChicago’s Campus North Residential Commons has brought a whole new vibe and living area to campus. With a new dormitory and dining hall, North’s 800 residents are split between eight houses that span three towers, all connected by the ground-level lobby. Multiple study rooms, classrooms, and music rooms can be found in each building, allowing a mix of socializing, learning, and living. The second floor windows showcase beautiful outdoor courtyards where students can gather.
Given that Hamilton mania is sweeping the nation, tickets have been through the roof in both Chicago and New York. What to do when you’re living on a college student’s budget but have a burning desire to see Hamilton live? (I may or may not have listened to the Original Broadway Cast Recording on repeat since July.)
Enter ArtsPass.
While I never would have expected to spend the first night of college asking random strangers for their signature outside of the John Hancock Center (get it?), I’m so glad I did. Our House Activities Night, a quirky scavenger hunt around downtown Chicago, allowed me to experience my new home away from home, Hoover House, for the first time. My housemates and I got to hop from one famous Chicago landmark to the next, oftentimes having to do an activity at each (like singing Katy Perry’s “Roar” next to the lions outside of the Art Institute).
The air warms up, the humidity rises, and everyone in Chicago can feel it: yep, music festival season. We all know that Chicago’s greatest music festival is the one that happens on the UChicago campus in Hutch Courtyard, Summer Breeze, where this year Jeremih, Joey Bada$$, and Sophie killed it. Jeremih of course rocked “Oui,” but it was bringing up beloved South Side rapper Lil Durk that really pushed it over the top. Never fear though, there’s still plenty of live music to check out over the rest of the summer too.
Where Fun Comes to Dance
Last Saturday, with tears pooling under my eyelashes, I danced the Argentinian Tango for Rhythmic Bodies in Motion’s (RBIM) annual spring performance, my final dance show as an undergraduate at UChicago. The moment was entirely bittersweet: my excitement and joy at performing onstage was tinged with the realization that this was the last time I would be on stage at Mandel Hall.
Photo courtesy of Kiran Misra and Rhythmic Bodies in Motion
The word “trek” gets a bad rep. When you hear someone say they’re making the trek to somewhere, it usually implies reluctance about the journey. This isn’t the case at UChicago.
“Hmm,” said a small voice in his ear. “Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There’s talent, oh my goodness, yes -- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that’s interesting … So where shall I put you?” Well if you’re sure -- better be BOOTH!
“Everyone here is going to pick a neighborhood. A Chicago neighborhood. You’re going to do research, conduct interviews, and go out into that neighborhood and find something that’s never been found before.”
On my quest to find a suitable major, I found these instructions before me as I entered into an Urban Sociology class my second year. At the time, those were some of the most terrifying words I had heard in my college career.