Off Campus
Loyola and its students benefit from Chicago's exceptional cultural, economic and human resources. In turn, the university affirms its long-standing commitment to urban life, and works to solve its problems in Chicago, the nation and the world.
The University/City Relationship
Chicago is a world-class city that provides an unparalleled setting for education and recreation. Chicago offers Loyola students:
- Thousands of internship opportunities in a wide range of industries, including media, commerce, medicine, banking, the arts, social services and more.
- A culturally and ethnically diverse population that enriches the Loyola community.
- 25 miles of public beach access for biking, blading, swimming and boating on Lake Michigan. The lake also serves as a rich resource for studies in biology and ecology.
- Dozens of blues and jazz clubs and professional sports, theatre, dance and classical music events for year-round entertainment.
- Research and fieldwork opportunities at many major local institutions, including the Lincoln Park Zoo, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium and the Chicago Public Schools.
- Hundreds of restaurants from Chinatown to Greektown to Uptown that appeal to every palate and budget.
A Top National University for Chicago
Chicago's economic strength depends on the quality and diversity of its workforce, and Loyola plays a major role by educating thousands of well-prepared and ethical professionals each year, ninety percent of whom stay in the city after graduating. Loyolans also serve Chicago by living the Jesuit mission of promoting social justice and being "persons for other."
- Loyola students prepare to lead extraordinary lives at three Chicago area campuses: Lake Shore, Water Tower and Medical Center.
- Loyola's Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL) works closely with community activists and organizations to perform research that addresses community needs.
- Many Loyola courses incorporate service learning, which introduces students to the complexity of social issues by combining classroom studies with hands-on community work.
- The program in Urban Studies provides undergraduates with an unique opportunity to gain an understanding of how a city works and how people negotiate life in an urban environment by studying social, political, economic and cultural institutions in Chicago, and by getting involved in research projects with community organizations seeking solutions to pressing urban issues.
Chicago Fun Facts
By the numbers:
- 54 Museums
- 200 theatres
- more than 20,000 restaurants
- 77 neighborhoods
- 31 miles of lakefront
- 550 parks
- 15 miles of beaches
- 200 annual parades
- 3 of the world's tallest buildings: Sears Tower, Amoco Building, John Hancock Building
The world's largest:
- Commercial office buildings: Merchandise Mart, Aquarium: Shedd Aquarium
- Illuminated fountain: Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park
- Free public zoo: Lincoln Park Zoo
- Food Festival: Taste of Chicago, Grant Park
- Airport: O'Hare International Airport,
- Futures exchange: Board of Trade
Chicago Firsts:
Ferris wheel, steel frame skyscraper, softball, elevated railway, zipper, daytime TV soap operas, McDonald's restaurant, electric iron and cooking range, grain reaper, bifocal contact lens, winding watch and the Twinkie.
Famous building:
Tribune Tower, home of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, has exterior walls that are embedded with authentic pieces of famous buildings including Westminster Abbey, the Alamo, the Great Pyramid, the Taj Mahal, Fort Sumter and the Arc de Triomphe.
Larger than life:
In 1997, The Field Museum purchased Sue, the largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered.
The Art Institute of Chicago holds the largest collections of Impressionist paintings in the world outside the Louvre in Paris.
Movies filmed in Chicago:
Since 1980, more than 500 feature film and television productions have been shot in Chicago, including:
- A League of Their Own
- Bad Boys
- Barbershop
- Chicago: The Musical
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off
- Home Alone I,II,III
- Miracle on 34th Street
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- Ocean's 11 and Ocean's 12
- Sixteen Candles
- Stir of Echoes
- The Fugitive
- What Women Want
- When Harry Met Sally
Navy Pier:
A Chicago landmark since it first opened in 1916, Navy Pier now showcases restaurants, shops and entertainment including: an IMAX theatre, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, 150-foot-high Ferris wheel, musical carousel, 18-hole miniature golf course and the Skyline Stage outdoor performance pavilion.
Millennium Park:
Opened in July 2004, is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design.
For more Chicago facts, please visit the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.