my cousin told me that all the kids that did learning communities where she went to school were weird… Is this the case at nova?
I’m a parent and my son is an incoming Freshman. We know a current freshman and inquired about the learning communities. He thought as many as 50% of the current freshman chose tp participate in a LC. He’s very happy with his, but I would love to hear from others about their experience. The 50% participation rate (his estimate) seemed awfully high to me.
Not at all. I did the Caritas service learning community my freshman year and it was probably one of the best decisions I made. It helps you get to know the people who live right in your hallway/floor/building because you have a 4th hour with them once a week and a class with them 2 or 3 times a week, If you’re nervous about meeting people and there is a learning community that peaks your interest, I say absolutely go for it!
Last year, due to a lack of information about learning communities, I did not join one and was placed in Stanford Hall. Looking back, I would definitely join one now. They are a great way to get to know the people on your floor. I can’t speak much for Good Counsel, but dorms like St. Monica’s, Katharine, Caughlin, and McGuire have a tremendously friendly and social atmosphere to them compared to Stanford, and that is because they all know each other from LCs/classes.
Along with that, I encourage you to find a roommate who matches your personality and study habits. The first semester, I had a seemingly nice roommate, but we had nothing in common and she began to make snide comments about me, which I wasn’t expecting from someone at Nova. To make matters worse, I lived on a very quiet and secluded floor in Stanford, so friends were very hard to come by. Second semester I moved to Caughlin and my roommate was very inconsiderate, often turning the heat up to 90 degrees and talking on the phone until 2am on weekdays.
So I guess to summarize: learning communities are a big benefit socially, but try to find a roommate who fits what you want, as they will likely be your first friend (and impression) at Nova! Hope this helped!
When I was a freshman, the leadership community kids were often the most outgoing/funnest kids and all lived in st. Mo’s. It really depends on which one you signed up for, but I did not participate and still really enjoyed my freshman dorm experience.
Learning communities are very good. It’s definitely a lot better than living in Stanford.