Looking back, it is so hard to believe I am halfway done with my college experience. I am so thankful for the wonderful memories my friends and I have had and I look forward to many more. I came to IU as a Kelley major and although I chose not to pursue the major, Kelley has provided so much for me. My freshman year, I lived in the Kelley Living Learning Center (KLLC) and without a doubt, it was one of the best decisions of my college career thus far.
First of all, the KLLC allowed me to form amazing friendships. I know this sounds cliché, but I really do mean it! The friends I made my freshman year are some of my best friends to this day. We have had so many good memories pulling all nighters, eating cafeteria food, living off caffeine, pranking each other, and so much more. It was so nice living down the hall from so many amazing people. There were also several other students residing in the KLLC so it was hard to walk around Kelley without seeing a familiar face.
The KLLC also provides its residents with the privilege of attending out-of-state networking trips. My friends and I decided to attend the Atlanta, Georgia trip. We took a bus down one Thursday night in February and arrived in the city early morning. I love experiencing new cultures, and I find the South particularly fun due to the kindness of locals. We explored the city and got some amazing networking opportunities including CNN, Coke Cola, and various accounting firms. We even went to a comedy club!
Another aspect of the KLLC was the weekly events we were required to attend. We got to choose which sessions to sit through. Topics included networking, behaving professionally, extra curricular activities, what various career paths entailed, and so much more. These sessions gave us the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom.
I loved the KLLC so much that I became a mentor for incoming freshman when I became a sophomore. It was awesome seeing new students' excitement towards starting their college careers. Another perk of becoming a mentor was getting to meet Cody Zeller and Tom Crean! I am a HUGE IU basketball fan and it was awesome meeting them. Tom Crean also gave us an inspirational speech and you could really tell he cared about the entire student body. The community within IU is part of what makes it so amazing.
If you are on the fence about living in a Living Learning Center, I highly recommend it! You will be surrounded with people of similar interests and it is an easy way to make friends. Typically, most people in LLCs are studious so you will always have a study buddy! They will usually be in the same classes as you so this will make studying easier. I also guarantee you will have lots of fun! My friends and I have made great memories watching basketball games, having dance parties, movie nights, and so much more! As I enter my third year of college, I can definitely say that living in the KLLC was one of my best memories so far!