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LAKE FOREST COLLEGE
Lake Forest student Gil Reynders ’11 has created a molecular compound that’s never been seen before, ever, anywhere.
what’s he looking at? find out4
On the Cover Lake Forest student Gil Reynders ’11 has made a major discovery and was invited to California to talk about it. Read more about Gil and his compound on page seven. Spring/Summer 2011
take a closer look
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LAKE FOREST COLLEGE
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What’s new at Lake Forest Why should you consider Lake Forest College? It’s personal. More face time with professors. Small classes (average size is 18) taught by professors who will know you by name - no teaching assistants or big lecture halls. Faculty members are your academic advisors and mentors who help you choose courses, majors and minors, and possibly a career. It’s practical and hands-on. Gain real-world experience that’ll give you an edge after college. Internships abound and anyone who wants one can get one. It’s active. Join one of dozens of student organizations or start your own. At Lake Forest, there’s always an opportunity to get involved or chart your own path. It’s globally focused. There’s surprising diversity, with students from nearly every state and 71 countries around the world. You’ll gain so much by living and learning with students from all over. It’s small, but big. It’s a tightknit community, but with alumni all over the country and the world you have connections to Foresters that could get you in the door for a coveted job interview or internship just about anywhere.
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Student research
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What’s happening on campus
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Life after Lake Forest
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Foresters helping Foresters
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Come for a visit!
Lake Forest College at a Glance
To read more about the stories featured in this issue and about Lake Forest College, visit us on the Web:
lakeforest.edu/closer Ready? Go
What’s new at Lake Fore
New athletic facilities A new $17 million, 65,000-square-foot sports and recreation center expansion opened its doors in the fall of 2010 and provides ample space for competition, training, fitness, and socializing. In addition to 12,000 square feet of space for cardio and strength and conditioning, the facility features three multipurpose courts, indoor track, dance and aerobics studio, a golf and batting cage, swimming pool, and gymnasium.
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On the Web: lakeforest.edu/closer/sports
New study abroad and off-campus study programs
New accelerated and dual-degree programs
Lake Forest has recently added new programs to our already extensive list of off-campus study options to give students even more choices. Students may now participate in a Border Studies Program on the U.S.–Mexico border, explore New Zealand while attending the University of Auckland, trek off to Spain to study in Granada, or head to downtown Chicago for a semester in the Loop.
Lake Forest students can earn a bachelor’s degree and a law degree in a total of six years (rather than the usual seven) through affiliations with a number of law schools. Other dual-degree and accelerated programs are available in international studies, engineering, pharmacy, and nursing.
On the Web: lakeforest.edu/closer/studyabroad
On the Web: lakeforest.edu/closer/dualdegree
Students also have the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in communication or philosophy in just three years.
est College?
Lake Forest College in the Loop Beginning in the fall of 2011, Lake Forest students will be able to live, study, and intern for a semester in the heart of Chicago, thanks to a program run by the College’s Center for Chicago Programs. Students in the program – through courses, internships, and co-curricular activities – will learn about various distinctive aspects of Chicago, including the city’s history, economy, politics, architecture, art, and relationship to the natural environment. Just like students in study abroad programs, Chicagobound students are immersed in city life and leave with a broader perspective on the world. And they will gain valuable professional skills through their internships in the city.
On the Web: lakeforest.edu/closer/intheloop
WHEN OUR STUDENTS DO RESEARCH, RESEARCHERS PAY ATTENTION. The Big Game Richter Scholars Matt Leonard ’11 and Kelly Tlhokwane ’11, along with Associate Professor of Economics and Business Robert Lemke, conducted an exhaustive study—the first of its kind—of ticket sales to all Major League Baseball games during the 2007 season, to see what factors affected sales in different-sized markets. Their findings were published in 2010 in the highly regarded Journal of Sports Economics.
Brain Waves, Memory, and Decision Making Though Cristina Velasquez ’10 graduated with a degree in psychology, she also had an interest in neuroscience and conducted research during her first year in Professor Robert Glassman’s neuroscience lab; this research got her interested in brain waves, working memory, and decision making, providing her with valuable research skills. Studying abroad in England during her sophomore year at Lake Forest, Cristina worked with a team of psychology researchers at University College in London. The study, “Current Decisions Shape Your Future Preferences,” tested the principle that “after you make a choice, you adjust your opinion to think better of the thing you chose.”
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Their study was recently published in Psychological Science—the highest ranked empirical journal in psychology.
Eukaryon Eukaryon is an award-winning undergraduate research journal that publishes the very best of life science scholarship conducted at Lake Forest College within its research-rich classrooms and faculty labs. This is the only undergraduate research journal of its kind, governed, peer-reviewed, and published solely by undergraduates. The journal recently won first place in the special teaching poster presentation section at the Society for Developmental Biology Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California.
“Gil Reynders ’11, my senior thesis student, presented his research results at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in March. He made a new compound that has never been seen before, ever, anywhere.”
– Jason Cody, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Breaking New Ground: Gil’s Compound Nickel, phosphorus, and sulfur are three elements that combine well, but it’s hard to predict exactly how they’ll self-assemble when combined under new conditions. Lake Forest student Gil Reynders ’11 has broken important new ground, combining the three elements to create a new molecule never seen before. “The significance of this find is tremendous,” says Jason Cody, associate professor of chemistry and Gil’s advisor on the project. “Gil has made a new compound that has never been seen before, ever, anywhere.” After experimenting with different reaction mediums, Gil got results using an ionic liquid; this is significant because ionic liquids are much less toxic than many other solvents, and as a result receive much interest in the growing “green research” movement. Gil presented his findings at the American Chemical Society meeting in Anaheim, California. On the Web: lakeforest.edu/closer/research
THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING HAPPENING ON CAMPUS. You’ll never run out of things to do at Lake Forest. There’s something happening every day; here’s just a sample of some of the activities and events on tap this winter and spring. For up-to-the-minute information about what’s happening right now on campus, check out lakeforest.edu/calendar.
February 5: Gates Day of Service January 14: Involvement Fair
February 24: Speed Networking
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April 15: Relay for Life
March 24: LIT Fest: Filmmaker John Waters
April 16: Spring Concert
LIFE AT LAKE FOREST LOOKS LIKE THIS.
Whether it’s playing Jenga with friends, celebrating Diwali at your professor’s home, striking a pose at a yoga class, or working into the wee hours on the next issue of the Stentor newspaper, life is busy here. At Lake Forest College, students get involved and develop themselves beyond just academics.
On the Web: lakeforest.edu/dailyclick
Graduate, conquer the world,
INTERNSHIPS At Lake Forest, if you want an internship – you’ll get one. Internships play an important role in your education and your future. Our proximity to Chicago gives students access to some of the best career preparation opportunities around. In recent years, students have held internships with such organizations as The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, NBC Chicago, Paine Webber, Second City, and the John G. Shedd Aquarium.
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and then come back and help. Career preparation is a big part of your education at Lake Forest. The Career Advancement Center (CAC) can help you discover your academic passions, choose your career path, and build your résumé through internships, job shadowing, and more. Starting your first year, you can take advantage of the many career planning programs, including: • Workshops in goal assessment, interview skills, résumé and cover letter writing • Graduate school test preparation and practice tests
Jill Terzakis ’88, who started an internship program when she worked at a financial advisory in Chicago, speaks with Lake Forest students.
• Speed Networking (think speed dating, but for a job): Meet many potential employers in two hours. • Mentor Program: Be paired with an alum who can help you identify and reach your postcollege goals, whether it’s finding a career or getting into a top graduate school. • Etiquette Dinner: Practice networking and interviewing techniques with Lake Forest alums, faculty, and staff. It’s also a great lesson in faux pas-free dining.
Courtney Wright ’88 runs a visual merchandising company, CDW Merchants, and has hosted many interns from the College, including Matt Patek ’07, who now works at CDW full time.
Foresters Helping Foresters Connections with alumni offer benefits to students looking to snag a job in these tough economic times, and the Foresters Helping Foresters Program helps to make those connections. “Networking is more important than it’s ever been,” says Laura Matthews, mentor program coordinator for the College’s Career Advancement Center. “It’s important for students to learn networking skills, and alumni can teach them. And they also can point them in the direction of someone who’s hiring or looking for an intern.” Over 14,000 alumni – many of them in the Chicago area – give back to the College in tangible ways that make a difference for our students. On the Web: lakeforest.edu/closer/alumni
Planning a summer road trip? Come by and visit us.
Summer is a great time to take in the sights of Chicago, just 30 miles south of campus, catch a Cubs or White Sox game, hit the museums, or simply explore.
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Visit www.explorechicago.org to see what’s going on.
Schedule a personal visit anytime you’re in the neighborhood or join us for a Summer Open House Program – we’d love to show you around! Summer Open House Programs
Monday, June 20 Monday, July 11 Monday, August 1 Tour campus and hear from students, faculty, and alumni. Learn about our scholarships and financial aid programs as well as our application process. Register online at lakeforest.edu/visit or call 800-828-4751 to schedule a visit anytime.
If you think you might be Lake Forest material, we’d like to take a closer look at you. Visit lakeforest.edu/closer and tell us a little about yourself. And have a great year!
NO MATTER WHAT YOU WANT TO STUDY... Areas of Study
Students have the opportunity to declare up to two majors and one minor or one major and two minors. African American Studies American Studies Area Studies Art • Studio Art • Art History Asian Studies Biology Business Chemistry Cinema Studies Classical Studies Communication Computer Science Digital Media Design Economics Education • Elementary • Secondary • K-12 Engineering (Dual Degree) English • Literature • Writing Environmental Studies Finance History Honors Seminar Independent Scholar International Relations Islamic World Studies
Latin American Studies Law (Dual Degree) Legal Studies Mathematics Modern Languages and Literatures • Arabic • Chinese • French • German • Italian • Japanese • Portuguese • Spanish Music Neuroscience Nursing (Dual Degree) Pharmacy (Dual Degree) Philosophy Physics Politics Psychology Religion Social Justice Sociology and Anthropology Theater Urban Studies Women’s and Gender Studies
Graduate Programs Master of Arts in Teaching Master of Liberal Studies Pre-Professional Programs Dentistry Health Law Veterinary Medicine Accelerated Programs Three-year BA programs in communication and philosophy Dual-Degree Programs in law, international studies, engineering, nursing, and pharmacy Independent Scholars Lake Forest students can design their own majors to meet specific academic needs and interests.
On the Web: lakeforest.edu/closer/majors
YOU CAN FIND IT AT LAKE FOREST.
lake forest college at a glance Founded in 1857, Lake Forest College is a destination for students from nearly every state and 71 countries around the world. The campus sits on 107 acres, one-half mile from Lake Michigan, 30 miles north of Chicago, and 25 miles from O’Hare International Airport.
applying to lake forest Lake Forest College has a free online application. We also accept the Common Application; a supplement is required.
Application Deadlines Early Decision (binding): Priority deadline: December 1 Decision notification: December 20
THE STUDENT BODY
Early Action (non-binding):
Enrollment: 1426 Women: 860 Men: 566 Ethnic minority students: 307 International students: 227
Priority deadline: December 1 Decision notification: January 20
Residence: 47 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 71 countries around the globe.
Priority deadline: February 15 Decision notification: March 20
FACULTY
Transfer Applicants:
Teaching faculty: 116 Full-time faculty holding PhD or equivalent: 98% Student-faculty ratio: 12:1 Average class size: 18
Fall priority deadline: July 1 Spring priority deadline: December 1 Notifications are rolling
ATHLETICS
CONTACT INFORMATION
Lake Forest has 17 varsity intercollegiate teams, known as the Foresters. More than half of Lake Forest students participate in Division III varsity athletics or are involved in club or intramural sports. Women’s varsity: basketball, cross country, handball, ice hockey, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, and volleyball. Men’s varsity: basketball, cross country, football, handball, ice hockey, soccer, swimming and diving, and tennis. Our colors are red and black; our mascot is Boomer the black bear.
Regular Decision:
Lake Forest College 555 North Sheridan Road Lake Forest, Illinois 60045-2338 800-828-4751 847-735-5000 admissions@lakeforest.edu
Lake Forest College is on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, and more. Find links at lakeforest.edu/socialmedia
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Open House Programs June 20, July 11 & August 1 Register Today!
lakeforest.edu/openhouse
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