Why I Chose DePaul University
Deciding where to go to college is no easy choice to make. When I was a senior in high school, I remember making lots of lists, desperately trying to decide where I wanted to spend the next four years. In my heart I knew that I wanted to leave Wisconsin and explore other opportunities, but the thought really scared me at first. While going to college out of state was definitely something I wanted to do, being close to my family was also really important to me. After weighing out my options, DePaul seemed like the perfect fit for me. Reflecting on my decision now, I couldn’t be happier with the life I’ve built in Chicago. There are lots of reasons as to why this university has been the best option for me and since lists are what I’m best at, here’s why I chose DePaul:
The Location
Coming from a small town in Wisconsin, the city of Chicago was definitely a big point of attraction for me. I wanted to see if I was cut out for city living and with DePaul’s two campuses in very different locations, it seemed like a good idea. The Lincoln Park campus is right in the heart of the neighborhood and has all the elements of what you would expect from college campus. There are lots of trees, beautiful buildings and a quad with lots of lovely dogs that like to stroll through the sidewalks of campus. The Loop campus is centrally located downtown, just a few minutes from some of Chicago’s main attractions like Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Size
One thing that I knew about myself was that I learned better in smaller classes. I took a course at my local university in high school where the lecture was full of 150 students and I was very overwhelmed. One thing that surprised me about DePaul was that even though it was located in a big city, the classes averaged around 25 students. A huge perk of having smaller class sizes is that you can develop stronger relationships with your professors. All of my professors have learned my name within a week and always say hi when I see them around campus.
Academics
As a first year student, I knew I wanted to study Psychology and get involved with a variety of research opportunities. DePaul offered me both those opportunities and the option of getting involved with the community in Chicago. I’ve joined a few different research teams on campus, all who have benefitted from being located in a diverse city. I feel really grateful to take part in some of these important projects.
Thinking about the past years I’ve spent at this university, I could not be happier with how my life turned out. I’ve created my own home away from Wisconsin and have grown tremendously as a student and as a person. Good luck to all of you who are applying to college, I hope to see some of you on campus next year! 🙂
~Haedy Gorostieta