University of Scranton Campus

Officially meet my friend, Mary! She was featured in a few other videos as well, but hear about her experiences as an occupational therapy major and Spanish minor. Mary is from Naperville, Illinois so find out how she ended up in Scranton, PA. Mary also went on a Domestic Service Trip last year through our school. Domestic service trips are spiritual trips dedicated to the service of those in need, following in Jesuit values. They send students to places in the U.S. that need help. Last year, our school sent students to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and still helping with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Meet my friends Frankie, Rachael and Emma, all occupational therapy majors. They talk all things Scranton; classes, student body, professors, the weather, what it means to go to a Jesuit University, and International Service Trips. To highlight what they say, Scranton holds its students to a high standard, following the Jesuit values. The student body and professors are very caring and look for the best in each other. Academically, the school is a little challenging both inside and outside of our major. Our school having a Jesuit affiliation means that we are required to take theology and philosophy classes. I can honestly say, though, that professors keep it very open and do NOT try to force religion onto, but educate you on it. Frankie, Rachael and Emma all went on International Service trips. They talk about their experiences in country, and the application process to qualify for the trip. They went to Belize and Ecuador, but there are also trips offered to Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and other countries in South America. These trips take part starting the day after finals of spring semester and vary in length between 5-7 days. Though they happen at the end of the year, it really is an active process starting second semester. There are multiple meetings with the groups along with other workshops to prepare the students for the trips. If you come to Scranton, definitely consider it!

Welcome to the Loyola Science Center, LSC! Most of the science classes are held in this building and it connects to Saint Thomas Hall, where theology, history and other classes are. In this walkway, you meet Bill the Turtle. There are also snakes and fish in this building, along with reptiles and animals I have not come in contact with. This building has many labs, none we can get into. There are also study rooms that are a hot commodity on this campus, especially during finals week. They have glass walls and chalk board so students can write all over them, not to mention the views are gorgeous. This is one of the prettiest buildings on campus.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings all of my friends and I head down to the same few classes together, occupational therapy labs. Sam and Mary help me talk a little more about our campus. It has long winters and humid, rainy falls and springs. Scranton is technically a city, but it is more like a town compared to the cities we live in or near, Philadelphia and Chicago. We typically spend the entire 10ish minute walk across campus to talking and catching up, or studying if there are quizzes in our labs.

A look into a typical sophomore style dorm. Here is a look at my friends' quad. There are four of them two per room, who share a bathroom. They each have their own beds, desk, drawers, wardrobes, and shelves. There are three separate sophomore dorm buildings because all residential students need to live on campus their sophomore year. To find a roommate/quadmates, many students went through their friend groups or combined with mutual friends. Freshman year, many people find roommates through a Facebook group monitored by admissions. People make connections from there and meet their roommates. Others go random and end up finding their best friends.

Scranton is basically one big hill with a main quad in a valley. Our dorm buildings basically make up the upper part of campus, seated at the top of the hill. All of the sophomore dorms are in the uppermost part and the freshman dorms take up the rest. Also located on this area of campus is the student wellness center. At wellness, there are walk-in or scheduled appointments from 8:30-4:30 almost every day. There is a team of nurse practitioners who can diagnose and treat basic ailments and refer out when needed. Our campus is not that big, but these are all of the buildings that make up the top of the hill.

Here is the tour of the main part of the campus! Our campus is pretty small so there isn't much to see. The library is in the back of the roll, we pass Loyola Science Center, which is the absolutely gorgeous science building built around Saint Thomas Hall, the theology, history and philosophy building. We also walk onto the Dionne Greene which is the common area. During this time of day its pretty calm but from 4pm on there are people in hammocks, sitting in the amphitheater, friendly soccer and frisbee games, and just people enjoying the outdoors- only while the weather is nice of course. At the far end of the Dionne Greene is the DeNaples Center. This is the main building on campus. We visited it when we toured the dinning hall, it was on the 3rd floor, and the rest of the building has many purposes including a ballroom, theater, and the student forum. This part of campus is the plateau of the hill, so I apologize for being a little out of breath from walking up to it.

School, work, work and school? Federal work study helps me work on campus and have the opportunity to, sometimes, get paid to do my homework! Here's a little glimpse into what a shift at the box office may look like for me.

I found a hidden gem on my campus last year. I did not find this place until my second semester, but I absolutely love it. It is a place of solitude and prayer, as we go to a Catholic University. It is a place where many people take time to pray or center themselves before tests or quizzes. It is a beauty that is a must see when visiting or attending Scranton.

Here is a classroom in the science building. It holds about 50 people, but I have never had a class that had over 32 people. Classes are small and intimate and it is a aspect of the school that I love. Professors get to know you and really do find the time to take care of their students. The size and values of the school really attest to that. In the other science buildings, there are classrooms similar to this, but the older buildings have tables and chairs. This classroom is one of the comfy ones and every classroom, no matter the building, has a doc cam, projector, chalk board or white board.

At Scranton, and many colleges, a wide range of fitness classes are offered on top of the gym and recreation centers. At my school, they offer spin classes, yoga, meditation, pilates, HIIT, and more free to students, and most are led by students. Students have to already be certified or can take training classes to instruct the classes. This yoga class was instructed by my friend, Maddie, who was certified before she got to the U and started teaching classes in her first semester of college. This particular class was Disney themed and was really fun! It's just one of the many classes that the University offers for its students to stay healthy. Scranton as a whole has many different aspects demonstrating that they believe the health of their students is important. They also offer many different opportunities and incentives to get students excited to participate in activities to make them healthy.

Scranton is basically one big hill with a main quad in a valley. Our dorm buildings basically make up the upper part of campus, seated at the top of the hill. All of the sophomore dorms are in the uppermost part and the freshman dorms take up the rest. Also located on this area of campus is the student wellness center. At wellness, there are walk-in or scheduled appointments from 8:30-4:30 almost every day. There is a team of nurse practitioners who can diagnose and treat basic ailments and refer out when needed. Our campus is not that big, but these are all of the buildings that make up the top of the hill.

Here is where I spend the majority of my time on campus. My friends and I have had many late nights in the library utilizing the study rooms and electronics that the first floor has to offer. The Reilly Learning Commons has HDMI cords that are perfect for group projects, and reservable study rooms that have white board walls. The first floor is the loudest floor, where you can talk full volume, but as you travel up to the top floor, the fifth floor, you eventually have to be silent- I personally don't like that floor but it has an awesome view. The first two floors are open 24/7 with the swipe of a Royal ID card, the school ID, while the rest of the floors close at 10 pm.

Meet my friend Sarah! She is a nursing major from Syracuse, NY. She is also in ROTC so hear what she has to say about her experiences in Scranton!

Welcome to the Loyola Science Center, LSC! Most of the science classes are held in this building and it connects to Saint Thomas Hall, where theology, history and other classes are. In this walkway, you meet Bill the Turtle. There are also snakes and fish in this building, along with reptiles and animals I have not come in contact with. This building has many labs, none we can get into. There are also study rooms that are a hot commodity on this campus, especially during finals week. They have glass walls and chalk board so students can write all over them, not to mention the views are gorgeous. This is one of the prettiest buildings on campus.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings all of my friends and I head down to the same few classes together, occupational therapy labs. Sam and Mary help me talk a little more about our campus. It has long winters and humid, rainy falls and springs. Scranton is technically a city, but it is more like a town compared to the cities we live in or near, Philadelphia and Chicago. We typically spend the entire 10ish minute walk across campus to talking and catching up, or studying if there are quizzes in our labs.

Here is a classroom in the science building. It holds about 50 people, but I have never had a class that had over 32 people. Classes are small and intimate and it is a aspect of the school that I love. Professors get to know you and really do find the time to take care of their students. The size and values of the school really attest to that. In the other science buildings, there are classrooms similar to this, but the older buildings have tables and chairs. This classroom is one of the comfy ones and every classroom, no matter the building, has a doc cam, projector, chalk board or white board.