MORE ABOUT SAMANTHA
Graduation Date: June 2008
Hometown: Evanston, Illinois
High School: Evanston Township High School
Awards & Achievements:
- Dean’s List
- Golden Key International Honor Society
- Dean’s Award for Scholastic Excellence
Campus Involvement:
- The DePaulia
- Academic Integrity Board
- DePaul Documentary Project
Current Employment:
- DePaul University, research assistant
Samantha Babbitt
Area of Study:Communication with a minor in Public Policy
I chose my major because... I really enjoyed the classes offered in the College of Communication. I was able to take many different courses that pertained to my interests, including classes in journalism, television, mass communication and human communication. The balance of classes I was required to take for my track (radio, television and film) and the other communication courses I got to take gave me a very well-rounded educational experience. I also think communication is an emerging and useful discipline and that the degree I earn is versatile enough that I will be able to keep my options open for future job opportunities.
I decided to transfer to DePaul because... I wanted to attend a school that offered a wide variety of courses. I spent my first two years of college on the semester system, and coming into the quarter system was refreshing for me because I was able to take more courses and take a lot of different classes.
The learning environment here at DePaul is... very supportive. Most professors encourage a lot of discussion and challenge students to really think about and analyze what they are studying. A good deal of my classes have created many spirited debates, and that always makes a class go faster!
The class I most enjoyed here was... documentary production. It’s a close toss-up for me between that and a couple really interesting journalism classes I have had, but documentary production was a wonderful course because it was really fulfilling to come up with an idea and follow it through the creative process, from interviews to editing. And at the end of the course, I had a piece of work I was extremely proud of. I really enjoyed taking a class that provided me with a creative outlet.
When I have free time, I like to... read, hang out with my friends, play games on my Wii. I’m really into Chicago sports (Cubs, not Sox) so I watch a lot of games. I’m also a sudoku and crossword puzzle addict, and I can never seem the get enough of “The Office.”
My favorite thing to do off campus is... When I can afford it, I really like going to Cubs, Bears or Bulls games. I really enjoy exploring Chicago, taking walks when I have time. My favorite thing to do when it’s nice outside is pick a grassy patch in a park somewhere, grab a Slurpee and get some reading for school done. I’m also a huge movie person. My favorite movie theater in Chicago is Landmark Century Cinema in Lincoln Park because they play a lot of independent films. Chicago also has a great lakefront, which is nice for a stroll or some rollerblading.
The greatest thing about going to school in Chicago is... so much. Not only does Chicago offer lots of public festivals and activities year round, but its culture is unlike anywhere else. You can spend a lot of time exploring one neighborhood, or you can go out and discover a part of the city you never knew existed. There is so much to be discovered. As a public policy minor, it is also really interesting to me to see how the city is changing and be able to apply what I’m learning to the world around me.
The Study Abroad Program is an attractive option for students considering attending DePaul because... So much about the Study Abroad Program at DePaul is unique. The programs they have go all over the world, and they have both short-term and long-term study sessions to fit all students’ needs. I was unable to leave Chicago for a four-month period, so when I was considering traveling abroad, the short-term program was a revelation for me! I was still able to fulfill my Junior Year Experiential Learning Requirement and I also had an amazing and educational experience to look back on.
I'll most remember the Study Abroad experience because... That’s a difficult question to answer, but I’d have to say the overall perspective I came back with. On my trip we took guided tours around the cities with our professors, one of whom had been leading the trip for 10 years. Seeing how a whole other society functions opened my eyes to other ways of doing things, and learning it from someone who knows so much about another part of the world made me want to travel to other places. For me, it sort of colored in a map of the world in my head, and made me start to understand how the world all fits together.
My greatest success as a student here has been... finally finding an area of study that I enjoy. School has always been difficult for me to get interested in, but coming to DePaul, I began enjoying my classes because I felt engaged in the material. Also, because of the broad offering of courses, I was able to take different types of courses until I found something that kept me interested.
After graduation, I plan to... hopefully go to graduate school. I would like to work for a year or so first to gain experience, and to have time to perfect my applications and study for the GRE. My dream job would be to make documentaries, either audio or film or both. I hope to be someone who is always using my creativity in my career, and as long as I keep that in mind, hopefully the rest will fall into place.
The one thing I’d like to say to students considering DePaul... is that your experience at DePaul is determined by you. Some courses are easier than others to blow off, some people won’t click with you as well as others, but if you come to school knowing you want to learn new and interesting things, you’ll really enjoy your experience here. That’s true of most colleges, but it’s important to remember that your experience at DePaul is up to you, and you are in control of what you get out of it.
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