A Week in the Life of a Newberry Seminar Student in Chicago

What is the typical week of a Newberry Seminar student like?

Monday

Classes ran on a MWF schedule at the beginning of the semester. As the semester continued, the seminar tapered off. Encouraged to begin their individual research, students explored the Newberry Library. The Newberry staff worked right alongside each of the 16 students. Individual attention and interest from the staff encouraged each researcher to delve into unique areas of study.

Georgia Armitage (pictured in the back and center), developed one of the more unique projects this semester. Interested in architecture, She devised an in-depth case study on First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Illinois. She evaluated the church’s explicit use of nature within the frame of Neo-Gothic architecture.

With plenty of one-on-one guidance from our seminar professors, Bill and Eric, projects like Georgia’s thrived. When we weren’t in class on Monday’s, our Tuesday’s were spent exploring the city of Chicago.

Tuesday

Available daily, Chicago runs free events all around the city. From winning free prizes in marketing campaigns in Millennium Park to strolling through the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Zoo Light Festival, we remained constantly entertained.

When Tuesday’s adventures would come to a close, Wednesday led us back to the library. Wednesday nights my roommates and I would bake. A lot.

Wednesday

After a long day at the library, carbs were a must. My roommates and I often bonded over food. A recurring delight of ours? Pretzels. With limited diets, homemade pretzels were among the few things we could all eat. That being said, our pretzels did not disappoint!

On Thursday’s we would present our research process to Newberry and the Chicago public.

 

Thursday

Our professors–exceedingly present in our research–would schedule time for the class to present their research findings. Presenting throughout the semester kept us in line. Although the checkpoints were few, we were expected to present substantial work. Personally, my public speaking skills drastically improved.

 

Alas! The weekend has arrived. One of my most favorite times, and below, you can see why!

The Weekend

I know many will say that Friday is not a part of the weekend. But with this off-campus semester, you made your own schedule. Boy, was I thankful for that! On the weekends, we could explore Chicago with complete freedom. From eating at hole-in-the-wall breakfast places to eating at high-end sushi restaurants, I was well fed!

 

 

 

 

My friends doubled as my adventure team! Walking around Chicago was one thing, but with our free public transit passes, the possibilities were endless. But, there were times where we just wanted to stay in the apartment. Relaxing in Canterbury Court Apartments was easy to do. The already fully-furnished apartments were comfortable and became a second home to me!

 

 

 

This semester was extremely difficult. I cannot express that enough. The intensive seminar and independent research study left you wary at times. But the end results were worth the long, tireless hours. I would not have traded this semester at the Newberry Seminar for anything. I will always cherish the people I met and valuable skills I learned.

Thank you, Chicago.