2011-2012 Loma Linda Application Thread

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Congrats!!!!!!
When were you complete?

Thanks :) I'm very happy about this. I was complete on 8/25.

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Thinking about calling but afraid all I get is a "waiting for review" response. Any ideas folks? thanks

Serenade, I called in November and they said exactly this. I was informed that I would find out when I found out. They told me IIs would be sent out through March (if I recall correctly they conduct interviews into April; maybe thedoctor can confirm?).

Also, I did send a letter of interest in November but I couldn't tell you if that helped in getting an II. I emailed it and got conformation of receipt of the letter about a week later. Hope this helps.
 
This a bit of an odd question, but how are atheists received at LLU? Have any current students met any? I am still interested in the school, and I come from a Christian household/ go to church on a regular basis, so it wouldn't be weird for me, but are students generally accepting of atheists? I am not very vocal about my beliefs, so intense arguments wouldn't be an issue.
 
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Serenade, I called in November and they said exactly this. I was informed that I would find out when I found out. They told me IIs would be sent out through March (if I recall correctly they conduct interviews into April; maybe thedoctor can confirm?).

Yep interviews go through April! :luck:

This a bit of an odd question, but how are atheists received at LLU? Have any current students met any? I am still interested in the school, and I come from a Christian household/ go to church on a regular basis, so it wouldn't be weird for me, but are students generally accepting of atheists? I am not very vocal about my beliefs, so intense arguments wouldn't be an issue.

Personally, I have not met any atheists on campus as of yet, though I have heard of an atheist here and there securing an acceptance over the years. This is very uncommon though, mostly because 99.9% of athiests would feel uncomfortable in a Christian school. HOWEVER, I view atheism as a belief system in itself, and while this is a Christian school, I have met people who are NOT Christian, and they are very much accepted. A lot of the more conservative institutions will see beliefs trying to be pushed on others, and while you will have plenty of people happy to talk about their beliefs/faith, I am proud to say that no one looks down on anyone for differences of opinion here. I'm not saying it's all butterflies and rainbows, there are defintiely some of the obvious "holier-than-thou" students in attendance, but that can be said about an world view in any institution. As a whole, I have found LLU to be very accepting of different belief systems; it's how we learn from others and teach too! I always appreciated that about LLU, I have learned a lot and gotten to share my personal beliefs in return. There lot's of open minds around. Obviously atheism is a much different way of thinking then considering the differences between denominations, but it's still a belief system and I don't see anyone getting slammed or spoken too about such things unless it is welcomed. I personally would love to talk about my faith with anyone who wants to know, but I would never push it on someone or judge them based on our differences. There's no quicker way to turn someone away from either side then by looking down on them for what they believe. Again, I think the biggest reason there are no atheists here (right now, none that I know of personally anyways) is just because they don't apply.

Hope that gives at least some insight!
 
Hi,

Can you anyone give information about the interview day? My interview packet only includes information about interview times, and nothing about possible tours, information sessions, or an agenda.

Thank you!
 
Yep interviews go through April! :luck:



Personally, I have not met any atheists on campus as of yet, though I have heard of an atheist here and there securing an acceptance over the years. This is very uncommon though, mostly because 99.9% of athiests would feel uncomfortable in a Christian school. HOWEVER, I view atheism as a belief system in itself, and while this is a Christian school, I have met people who are NOT Christian, and they are very much accepted. A lot of the more conservative institutions will see beliefs trying to be pushed on others, and while you will have plenty of people happy to talk about their beliefs/faith, I am proud to say that no one looks down on anyone for differences of opinion here. I'm not saying it's all butterflies and rainbows, there are defintiely some of the obvious "holier-than-thou" students in attendance, but that can be said about an world view in any institution. As a whole, I have found LLU to be very accepting of different belief systems; it's how we learn from others and teach too! I always appreciated that about LLU, I have learned a lot and gotten to share my personal beliefs in return. There lot's of open minds around. Obviously atheism is a much different way of thinking then considering the differences between denominations, but it's still a belief system and I don't see anyone getting slammed or spoken too about such things unless it is welcomed. I personally would love to talk about my faith with anyone who wants to know, but I would never push it on someone or judge them based on our differences. There's no quicker way to turn someone away from either side then by looking down on them for what they believe. Again, I think the biggest reason there are no atheists here (right now, none that I know of personally anyways) is just because they don't apply.

Hope that gives at least some insight!

Thank you for the response! It does not sound like there is anyone abrasive, which was my main concern. I would definitely love an interview, but it may be getting a little late in the season at this point. Looks like a great school though. :)
 
Hi,

Can you anyone give information about the interview day? My interview packet only includes information about interview times, and nothing about possible tours, information sessions, or an agenda.

Thank you!
When I went last month for my interview, there weren't any tours or info sessions. Apparently, they had regular "interview days" in November, now you're just kind of on your own. Luckily, I knew a student there who showed me around. You can also stay with a student on campus, which may be your best bet for getting a tour and info about the school.
 
Hi Everybody,

First of all I want to say thank you to thedoctor8706 and berriesandcream for posting such helpful responses, I realize that this takes a good amount of your time.

I am going on the 22nd to interview and I was curious about how the interviews are conducted. It says that I have two different interviews on the same day in my appointment sheet. Are these interviews done by single doctors/admissions committee members or do they have multiple people interviewing you?

I am also a California resident and live only about 2 hours away in San Diego. I was thinking about staying with a medical student for the night and then going to my interview in the morning. Has anyone had a positive experience with that?

Lastly, I was wondering if the interview will ask the typical questions about your PS and your primary application activities. I am a Presbyterian and have been my entire life, but I am unsure of the possible religious questions they might ask. Could thedoctor8706 or berriesandcream chime in on how their interview went and what questions were asked? I know that it could completely vary based on your interviewers.

I don't mean to be annoying, I would just love to go to this school and my girlfriend of 4 years is going to nursing school nearby.

Thank you.
 
When I went last month for my interview, there weren't any tours or info sessions. Apparently, they had regular "interview days" in November, now you're just kind of on your own. Luckily, I knew a student there who showed me around. You can also stay with a student on campus, which may be your best bet for getting a tour and info about the school.
Thanks for the response. That is really disappointing after traveling from far away. Do you have suggestions of areas or buildings to see? I will probably do a self-guided tour. I was really looking forward to learning about the school.
 
When I went last month for my interview, there weren't any tours or info sessions. Apparently, they had regular "interview days" in November, now you're just kind of on your own. Luckily, I knew a student there who showed me around. You can also stay with a student on campus, which may be your best bet for getting a tour and info about the school.

Have you received a decision yet?
 
I am going on the 22nd to interview and I was curious about how the interviews are conducted. It says that I have two different interviews on the same day in my appointment sheet. Are these interviews done by single doctors/admissions committee members or do they have multiple people interviewing you?

I have a question... the same question that we always ask. lol.

When were you complete? :thumbup:
 
Hi everyone, I appreciate all the helpful posts everyone has left on this thread. I want to add some things as well, hopefully this helps someone.

1. I am a non-SDA, California resident and I sent in my secondary early November. After the holidays I recieved an email (probably around January 10th) saying that they have received all my LOR and transcripts and that further notifications about their decision will be sent by snail mail. About less than a week later I received a letter saying that I was invited for an interview. When I called in, there were limited days available, one at the end of February and one at the end of January. I ended up choosing the January date, which was a week away.

2. For my interview, I ended up on the tour day. My two interviews were in the morning, then I had the lunch and tour. (I met some people who had their tours first and then their interviews after lunch, so your schedules may vary). For the interviews, you may have both interviews conducted by faculty members or one med student interview and one faculty interview. I had two faculty members.

Tips for the interview: Don't be nervous! It was my first time at LLU and my first impression is that people at Loma Linda are really nice and LLU is a very welcoming environment. For me, interviews are NOT my strong points and I get ridiculously nervous, but my interviewers were very laid back, and I felt they were genuine and kind. I don't think the intent of the interview was to stump you in anyway. They seemed to just want to get to know you better and figure out what kind of applicant you are, so just be calm, be yourself and you will be fine! :) Also, I did not feel that being non-SDA was a problem.

3. So now that I have interviewed in late January, I am just waiting for a response. Hopefully it comes soon because the wait is torture! If anyone knows when the committee will meet or when the next acceptances will be sent out I would greatly appreciate it.

Phew, hopefully this isn't too long but I hope this helps someone. If anyone has questions feel free to ask me! And good luck to everyone!
 
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Hi everyone, I appreciate all the helpful posts everyone has left on this thread. I want to add some things as well, hopefully this helps someone.

1. I am a non-SDA, California resident and I sent in my secondary early November. After the holidays I recieved an email (probably around January 10th) saying that they have received all my LOR and transcripts and that further notifications about their decision will be sent by snail mail. About less than a week later I received a letter saying that I was invited for an interview. When I called in, there were limited days available, one at the end of February and one at the end of January. I ended up choosing the January date, which was a week away.

2. For my interview, I ended up on the tour day. My two interviews were in the morning, then I had the lunch and tour. (I met some people who had their tours first and then their interviews after lunch, so your schedules may vary). For the interviews, you may have both interviews conducted by faculty members or one med student interview and one faculty interview. I had two faculty members.

Tips for the interview: Don't be nervous! It was my first time at LLU and my first impression is that people at Loma Linda are really nice and LLU is a very welcoming environment. For me, interviews are NOT my strong points and I get ridiculously nervous, but my interviewers were very laid back, and I felt they were genuine and kind. I don't think the intent of the interview was to stump you in anyway. They seemed to just want to get to know you better and figure out what kind of applicant you are, so just be calm, be yourself and you will be fine! :) Also, I did not feel that being non-SDA was a problem.

3. So now that I have interviewed in late January, I am just waiting for a response. Hopefully it comes soon because the wait is torture! If anyone knows when the committee will meet or when the next acceptances will be sent out I would greatly appreciate it.

Phew, hopefully this isn't too long but I hope this helps someone. If anyone has questions feel free to ask me! And good luck to everyone!

Very helpful, thank you!!!
And congrats, good luck !!!

I'm non SDA and I submitted my secondary end of nov too
But I have yet to hear from them :(
 
Hi Everybody,

First of all I want to say thank you to thedoctor8706 and berriesandcream for posting such helpful responses, I realize that this takes a good amount of your time.

I am going on the 22nd to interview and I was curious about how the interviews are conducted. It says that I have two different interviews on the same day in my appointment sheet. Are these interviews done by single doctors/admissions committee members or do they have multiple people interviewing you?

I am also a California resident and live only about 2 hours away in San Diego. I was thinking about staying with a medical student for the night and then going to my interview in the morning. Has anyone had a positive experience with that?

Lastly, I was wondering if the interview will ask the typical questions about your PS and your primary application activities. I am a Presbyterian and have been my entire life, but I am unsure of the possible religious questions they might ask. Could thedoctor8706 or berriesandcream chime in on how their interview went and what questions were asked? I know that it could completely vary based on your interviewers.

I don't mean to be annoying, I would just love to go to this school and my girlfriend of 4 years is going to nursing school nearby.

Thank you.
Hi there,

Your questions aren't annoying :p I feel the same way. I always have a bunch of questions, but people on this forum seem really cool and helpful. Anywho back to your questions, I just interviewed at the end of January, you will have 2 one on one interviews. Both can be with a faculty member OR one can be with a faculty member and one with a medical student. You will find out when they give you your itinerary which is passed out in the beginning.

I met a girl that day who stayed with a medical student host because she was an out of state student. From what I know she said that her host was cool and even gave her some tips for the interview. Although do remember that they are current medical students so you might get a host that may be really busy, so I am guessing the experience will vary. As for me I drove to the interview from OC, it took me an hour and a half. So if you do drive make sure you give yourself enough time just in case there is traffic, especially if you have to take the 91 fwy.

I was not asked any religious questions during my interviews. They mostly ask questions to get to know you better. They also have your application open during the interview so they will most likely ask you questions about what you wrote on your application, your experiences, personal statement etc. My second interviewer scribbled all over my application, but it was nice because it felt like he really took the time to read it, and he asked me questions based on my application. My interviewers were really nice and it ended up being more of a conversation than an interview.

Hopefully this helps :) Good luck on your interview!
 
For those who were not on the tour days, I described below what it was like and what places we visited so that maybe you guys can check them out too.

-On the tour day, I had my 2 interviews in the morning from 10-12

-Then we had a half hour tour led by current medical students. We pretty much went from the Coleman Pavillion to the Centennial Complex, this is where their new anatomy lab is (if I can remember correctly). You will not be able to access the labs because you need a card to get in, (there might be a small window where you can take a quick look) but basically it is the lab where the first years will have their anatomy lab.

-We also walked into a random lecture hall to check out the lecture rooms.
-at 12:30 we had lunch
-1:00 we had a power point presentation about financial aid options that are available. Dr. Nyirady was there along with several other faculty members. It was a very brief presentation and the only important thing they told us was to file our fafsa even if we are uncertain of where we are going, just so that we can have the option of loans if we need them.

-2:00 we went to Risely Hall to check out the simulation center. Again you will need a card to get in to the room, but basically the simulation center is where students will be able to practice real life situations on dummies. The dummies have a heart beat and breathing that you can hear and feel. Stats such as blood pressure are also presented on a screen and basically students are able to perform procedures on the dummies and the stats will respond accordingly. The simulation center is set up how a hospital would look like, (they even have a helicopter simulation because LLUMC has a helipad). After the simulation center tour we were dismissed to go home.

Hopefully this helps fill in people who were not on the tour day. I don't think you guys missed too much because we actually did not visit that many buildings, just make sure you check out the Centennial Complex and Risely Hall (simulation center).
 
ay, I have yet to interview so all the tips and information about the interviews are really helpful! I"m glad the interviews are conversational; I know I can talk a ton and show my personality when talking about my application. Put me on blast with a left field question? :scared:

Still waiting....The LOR email came in on January 30. It's crazy....I've heard friends wait two to six weeks for interviews :(

Also, a friend has been telling me I should call. It's already February :eek: yeeesh :(
 
Thanks for the response. That is really disappointing after traveling from far away. Do you have suggestions of areas or buildings to see? I will probably do a self-guided tour. I was really looking forward to learning about the school.
Yeah, I was disappointed as well, having flown out there from Tennessee. The Centennial Complex and the Alumni Hall for Basic Sciences are where you have classes, so I'd suggest walking around there. We also walked around the medical center, cafeteria, children's hospital, and the VA. They'll give you a brochure for a self-guided walking tour, but overall the campus is pretty small and shouldn't take too long to look around.

Also, to echo what other people have said, everyone was very friendly, so stop and talk to people. My interviewers also gave me a lot of information on the school, research opportunities, community service, etc and were very laid back.
 
ay, I have yet to interview so all the tips and information about the interviews are really helpful! I"m glad the interviews are conversational; I know I can talk a ton and show my personality when talking about my application. Put me on blast with a left field question? :scared:

Still waiting....The LOR email came in on January 30. It's crazy....I've heard friends wait two to six weeks for interviews :(

Also, a friend has been telling me I should call. It's already February :eek: yeeesh :(

You got the LOR received January 30th? I received that email September 19... and have heard nothing but receipts of my updates. When were you complete?
 
You got the LOR received January 30th? I received that email September 19... and have heard nothing but receipts of my updates. When were you complete?

I was complete December 14, but I have no idea why my LORs were so late. my friends were getting interviews two weeks after their secondary :( No one's seen the email i got -_- hang in there! :)
 
Interview was mid January, still waiting to hear from them

My friend, a current medical student at LLU, told me he thought decisions came the third week of every month. If I remember correctly, I was accepted the third week (Friday) of January as well.

Best of Luck!
 
Hi Everybody,

First of all I want to say thank you to thedoctor8706 and berriesandcream for posting such helpful responses, I realize that this takes a good amount of your time.

I am going on the 22nd to interview and I was curious about how the interviews are conducted. It says that I have two different interviews on the same day in my appointment sheet. Are these interviews done by single doctors/admissions committee members or do they have multiple people interviewing you?

I am also a California resident and live only about 2 hours away in San Diego. I was thinking about staying with a medical student for the night and then going to my interview in the morning. Has anyone had a positive experience with that?

Lastly, I was wondering if the interview will ask the typical questions about your PS and your primary application activities. I am a Presbyterian and have been my entire life, but I am unsure of the possible religious questions they might ask. Could thedoctor8706 or berriesandcream chime in on how their interview went and what questions were asked? I know that it could completely vary based on your interviewers.

I don't mean to be annoying, I would just love to go to this school and my girlfriend of 4 years is going to nursing school nearby.

Thank you.

DrOwnage I interviewed on January 10th and I wanted to kind of chime in sand give you my opinion. I live in Corona so i did not stay with a medical student. My interviews were individual, one with a faculty member who teaches in the School of medicine as well as the School of pharmacy and the other was with an MD who is one of the residency directors. There were both really nice and put me at ease right away. The first interview was very religion based and we discussed theology for probably 40 minutes but I believe this happened because I talked a lot about church in my application. The second interview was more about getting to know me as a person. As far as discussing EC activities that only happened as I brought them up in my conversation with the interviewer. I hope this helps, Good luck with your interview.
 
My interview is scheduled for march 12th.

That seems late to me, but I hope there are still a few seats left and that I'm not just interviewing to be on the wait list.
 
My interview is scheduled for march 12th.

That seems late to me, but I hope there are still a few seats left and that I'm not just interviewing to be on the wait list.

I doubt they would spend time and money interviewing you if they didn't need you as a potential candidate to fill a spot. Go gettem'! Congrats on the interview!
 
I doubt they would spend time and money interviewing you if they didn't need you as a potential candidate to fill a spot. Go gettem'! Congrats on the interview!

This this THIS! :)

Plus, they take people from each interview, based on the fact that people have been accepted from the April and may interviews in the past :)
 
This this THIS! :)

Plus, they take people from each interview, based on the fact that people have been accepted from the April and may interviews in the past :)

That is good to know. Thanks for the heads up.

You and Toro are right. I had the wrong attitude (and I might have brought that into the interview). I'll update you guys next month on how it goes.
 
Per dr. Dean's advise, I called LLU. My letters were downloaded on December 21, and were completely processed on January 30. The lady (Amy) said that I should hear back latest end of march. Dr. Dean's going to follow up and see how I wasn't complete when things were done on my end. We'll see.
She said the piles are made at random, and interviews are given out at random. There's no rhyme or reason to the way they work things. People who submit in June 1 have interviewed after people who submitted November 1.
Also they accept up to about 400, then make wait lists. Then as the acceptances start getting declined they pull from wait lists, and add more to wait lists. They accept to satisfy about a 50% retention.

Hope this helps someone out :)
 
Has anyone who interviewed in January or February heard back from LLU yet?

Thanks alot!
 
This a bit of an odd question, but how are atheists received at LLU? Have any current students met any? I am still interested in the school, and I come from a Christian household/ go to church on a regular basis, so it wouldn't be weird for me, but are students generally accepting of atheists? I am not very vocal about my beliefs, so intense arguments wouldn't be an issue.

I'm an atheist at LLU, and I concur with what TheDoctor said. That said, nobody knows that I'm an atheist. I think that most of my classmates would be reasonably chill about it if I came out, but it's hard to read most people on this. Traditional Christian theology doesn't have a lot of room to accommodate the godless. I'm a little bitter about this, since not being able to freely discuss my beliefs with my friends and classmates causes me a fair amount of stress. It gets better as an MS3 when you get into the hospital, since your attendings and residents really do come in all religious flavors.

I would be curious to find a student who was public about their lack of belief.
 
Hi Everybody,

First of all I want to say thank you to thedoctor8706 and berriesandcream for posting such helpful responses, I realize that this takes a good amount of your time.

I am going on the 22nd to interview and I was curious about how the interviews are conducted. It says that I have two different interviews on the same day in my appointment sheet. Are these interviews done by single doctors/admissions committee members or do they have multiple people interviewing you?

I am also a California resident and live only about 2 hours away in San Diego. I was thinking about staying with a medical student for the night and then going to my interview in the morning. Has anyone had a positive experience with that?

Lastly, I was wondering if the interview will ask the typical questions about your PS and your primary application activities. I am a Presbyterian and have been my entire life, but I am unsure of the possible religious questions they might ask. Could thedoctor8706 or berriesandcream chime in on how their interview went and what questions were asked? I know that it could completely vary based on your interviewers.

I don't mean to be annoying, I would just love to go to this school and my girlfriend of 4 years is going to nursing school nearby.

Thank you.

Hey sorry I didn't respond sooner, I kind of went off the grid for a bit as we just finished Winter midterms over the last week! It looks like some posters already responded to your original post, so I won't say much extra other then agree with what they said. Interviews at Loma Linda are usually pretty chill, as the interviewer is more trying to get to know you as a person and what your personality is like more than anything, so the questions usually aren't super deep. I wasn't asked any religious questions, and the one ethics based question wasn't TOO bad. Dr. Nyirady was my interviewer and asked, "Pretend you had treated a patient and saved his or her life, but the treatment left the patient with permanent neurological side effects. Shortly after the treatment, you realized you overlooked a superior course, one that could have prevented the neurological side effects. What would you tell your patient after discovering the mistake?" So as you can see, it was kind of deep, but really not too bad. I would expect many hard questions, just people able to talk about x, y, or z that you mentioned on your application, and be able to explain any flaws, such as a poor grade if you have a couple or something. Good luck!
 
Hello everyone :)

I'm pretty set on attending LLU this fall and was wondering if I could get some info about housing/apartments. Could anyone recommend some good apartments close (preferably walking distance) to the school? Also, are there ways to find roommates that will be attending LLU? I apologize if this isn't the correct thread to post my questions, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you guys could redirect me. Thanks!
 
Hello everyone :)

I'm pretty set on attending LLU this fall and was wondering if I could get some info about housing/apartments. Could anyone recommend some good apartments close (preferably walking distance) to the school? Also, are there ways to find roommates that will be attending LLU? I apologize if this isn't the correct thread to post my questions, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you guys could redirect me. Thanks!

Check out the Loma Linda trading post:

http://www.llu.edu/news/trading-post/index.page

It usually has pretty good info on apartments, used furniture, roommate situations, etc. I found my appartment from one of its listings, and I couldn't have been happier!
 
Is this school still giving out interview invites? I have not heard anything from them since my application has been complete. I keep thinking maybe I missed some postal mail from them but when I check the portal online they don't show anything new.. it seems like they totally forgot about me. :(
 
Is this school still giving out interview invites? I have not heard anything from them since my application has been complete. I keep thinking maybe I missed some postal mail from them but when I check the portal online they don't show anything new.. it seems like they totally forgot about me. :(

Just give them a call and tell them you're worried about not having gotten the mail. They won't give you details, but they will tell you if something has been sent or not.
 
I'm curious too. I interviewed on February 1st and didn't hear anything today (I was crossing my fingers!). Did anyone get a call?
 
Do they tell you anything if you call?
 
Do they tell you anything if you call?

Idk, I know the secretary can see your file, so she might have some info? Doesn't hurt to call, as long as you're not rude or annoying. Good luck!
 
Don't worry you're not alone. I interviewed January 26th and didn't receive a call either. I wish you the best of luck, and hopefully there's still a chance! :) and congrats to everyone who got the call!!!
 
I'm curious too. I interviewed on February 1st and didn't hear anything today (I was crossing my fingers!). Did anyone get a call?
Don't worry you're not alone. I interviewed January 26th and didn't receive a call either. I wish you the best of luck, and hopefully there's still a chance! :) and congrats to everyone who got the call!!!
 
I'm an atheist at LLU, and I concur with what TheDoctor said. That said, nobody knows that I'm an atheist. I think that most of my classmates would be reasonably chill about it if I came out, but it's hard to read most people on this. Traditional Christian theology doesn't have a lot of room to accommodate the godless. I'm a little bitter about this, since not being able to freely discuss my beliefs with my friends and classmates causes me a fair amount of stress. It gets better as an MS3 when you get into the hospital, since your attendings and residents really do come in all religious flavors.

I would be curious to find a student who was public about their lack of belief.

Yeah I feel you. Like I said I come from a family that would be very upset if they knew I was an atheist, so i am unfortunately closeted as well. Not much to do about it. As long as people aren't pushy about it I am cool. I haven't gotten an interview invite, and I admitted to being an atheist on the application. I am not sure how realistic an interview is at this point. Still, I would love to see the school. :luck:
 
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