You may have caught from another one of my posts that this is my last semester on campus at Hope. Next semester I will be participating in the Chicago Semester program, and then I graduate! I am so, so excited about the program that I am doing in the fall, but a lot of people do not know that much about it, so I thought I would offer a quick overview of why I am looking so forward to this fall.
The Chicago Semester program is geared (to a certain degree) toward education and social work majors, but students of any major may apply to participate. I’m a Religion major, so I am just doing the general program, rather than any of the more specialized tracks, which have a few different requirements. My two friends who are going are both studying management. This fall, my program will involve an 8-credit internship four days a week, and two 4-credit classes which meet once a week, one of which is my senior seminar, my last required class credit.
![Kayaking](https://blogs.hope.edu/students/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2016-02-18-at-8.36.31-AM-225x300.png)
I am excited about this program for a variety of reasons! One aspect is that it is a really good use of my leftover credits. I need 15 credit hours next semester to graduate, but my only required class is my four-credit senior seminar. With 11 other credits floating around so open-ended, I thought it would be really productive to use them on an internship rather than a bunch of random (potentially freshman-level) classes.
Chicago is also closer to my hometown since I’m from North Central Illinois, so I will be much closer to my friends and family. I’m really excited to be able to go home a little more often and to see a lot of my friends who live in the city!
There are so many great opportunities in Chicago. I’m hoping to have my internship at a church, but they set people up with a really broad range of organizations (I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of someone doing their internship at the Shedd Aquarium. So cool!). I also get to live with one of my best friends in a really nice neighborhood in a really sweet part of the city. Think: Walking distance to Water Tower Place (and the Cheesecake Factory), Lincoln Park Zoo, the beach, and Giordano’s. It’s going to be so great for so many reasons!
![Lincoln Park Zoo](https://blogs.hope.edu/students/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/04/Screen-Shot-2015-10-07-at-8.17.24-AM.png)
Over the past two years, I have gone from a small-town-forever-I-hate-Chicago-and-you-can-lock-me-in-my-room-forever-and-I-wouldn’t-even-mind person to an adventurous explorer who is unafraid of new people, places, and things, and most relevantly, who loves Chicago. I cannot wait to explore a city that I have grown to appreciate in so many ways, and to live there for at least a short time – Something I never thought I would get to do!
I’d invite you all to come visit, but I am living in a studio apartment and have no place for you to stay. Sorry!
Questions? Tweet me (@hopekathryn17) or send me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu!
“O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.”
—Psalm 51:15