Nothing is as good as the original, but the gang had a few good college years

There are many ways in which the first two weeks of your MAPH year (otherwise known as Colloquium) can feel something like your undergraduate freshman orientation. You may have the impulse to hunker down with your newly assigned work and read Freud’s entire corpus of work (please don’t do that; we promise it’s not necessary) so that you nail that first writing assignment and to skip some of the things that seem merely “optional.” But MAPHCentral has carefully planned an agenda of events that will impart you with invaluable knowledge for a productive/supportive and as-un-insane MAPH year as possible. Here’s a breakdown of the most important events for the next two weeks – and reasons to drag yourself out of bed early enough to attend them.

MENTOR BRUNCH:
Tuesday, September 18th, 10:30 
Classics 110

Okay, seriously. If you miss this one, we will be super sad. And so will you. Because we have awesome advice to give about how to navigate this dizzying year. It will be over before you know it, so let us help you make the best of it. Come listen to your mentors – real, in-the-flesh people who were in your shoes a mere 370 days ago – discuss how they walked away with Master’s Degrees from the UofC and lived to tell the tale. You’ll also get the chance to hear from other important people who will be crucial resources throughout the year. Finally, we’ll have a Q&A session at the end, where you can ask your most pressing questions and we will do our damnedest to answer them. Also, bagels. Continued…

The CTA L System

So, you’ve settled into Hyde Park. It’s quiet and luscious and quaint. You’ve already decided whether you’re Team Jimmy’s or Team Cove and have picked your favorite Z&H sandwich. Now, how the heck do you get out of here? There are a few options for traveling to and from Hyde Park, and we thought it’d be good to give you a brief rundown of how best to navigate your way to the Loop and beyond.

Buses:

The CTA Buses are probably your most consistent and convenient modes of transportation to and from this lovely little Hyde Park bubble, but there are some things to know about each. If riding the bus instills a sense of terror in you (for fear that something like this might happen on your first jaunt into the Loop) see the CTA’s helpful “How-to” guide for conquering the steel beast:

6: Jackson Park Express – The 6 runs along the east side of Hyde Park, making stops along Stony Island Ave, South Hyde Park Blvd and Lake Park. It is the only bus with Hyde Park Service that runs all day and on the weekends (service generally stops around 12:30am).  The 6 runs express between 47^th Street and Museum Campus, which makes it one of the fastest ways to get downtown. It makes several stops along Michigan Avenue, which gives you easy access to most L lines. Continued…