"Chicago Schools"

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sistahnik

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Hello everyone. I am trying to get some info about the schools in Chicago. Does anyone have previous experience with any of them? I was just adding my selected schools and decided to stop and think about it a little more. I know how to look on the web pages but I thought maybe asking others would be helpful also.
Thanks, sistahnik
 
Hello everyone. I am trying to get some info about the schools in Chicago. Does anyone have previous experience with any of them? I was just adding my selected schools and decided to stop and think about it a little more. I know how to look on the web pages but I thought maybe asking others would be helpful also.
Thanks, sistahnik

Do a search in this forum. There are a bunch of good links discussing the various Chicago schools. Good luck.
 
Thanks a bunch! Good luck to you also. I am so behind compared to some of you guys, but I have most of the app completed so it's not that bad.
 
Hey don't be shy!! Other comments appreciated. 😀
Thanks.
 
Here's how I decided on which chicago school(s) to apply to:

Loyola: Not applying to cause I'm not catholic

University of Chicago and Northwestern are going to be more difficult for me to get into since I am OOS and just about an average applicant to both. I felt I had to choose between the two and I picked Northwestern because I feel I have a better chance of acceptance based on my stats.

Chicago College of Osteopathic Med: Not applying to because I am not that interested in osteopathic medicine and am only appplying to the one in my state.
 
University of Chicago (Pritzker, I swear everything in Chicago is named after this guy) and Northwestern are very competitive schools to gain admittance to. Pritzker is not really in a great part of town, but it's a big city and sometimes that happens. Northwestern has a more desirable location (but omg, parking at their parking decks starts at $18 for the first hour....ouch....).

There's also Loyola-Stritch, Rosalind Franklin, Rush, and Illinois at Chicago (all MD schools, I know nothing about DO). Loyola does have the Catholic thing going on, but they'll take non-Catholics. I'm not entirely positive how Illinois at Chicago runs their MD program, but I'm pretty sure that they use their Urbana-Champaign campus for part of it (I'm sure a current student would be more helpful than me on this).
 
Loyola: Wtf people? Loyola is Catholic, but you do not have to be Catholic to attend, nor do they require you to follow or believe in Catholic doctrine (other than abortion=bad); I know a lot of non-Catholics who have attended Loyola and enjoyed the school tremendously. Loyola is in Maywood which isn’t exactly the nicest suburb, but you’re close to the city proper, as well as nicer suburbs, so it isn’t too bad.

Rush: Although it is a private school, Rush does receive extra money from the state government for each Illinois resident it enrolls. Thus, it is difficult for oos applicants to gain admission unless they have ties to the state.

Rosalind Franklin: North of the city near a large naval base and Abbott labs, although many students live on the north side of the city, especially in the last two years when rotations are done in the city.

Midwestern (osteopathic): Located in the Western suburbs, its not in the most exciting place, but the city is only about an hour away. Besides the structure of its curriculum, Midwestern stands above other osteopathic schools because it is affiliated with several hospitals in Chicago so you won’t have to move around to do your rotations

Northwestern: Located downtown instead of in Evanston with the rest of the campus, Northwestern is definitely in the best location out of all the schools, although it can be expensive to live near the hospital

😍The University of Chicago😍: Don’t let other people fool you: yes Pritzker is located on the South Side, which isn’t the best part of the city, but it is located in the neighborhood of Hype Park which is comparatively safe and rather affluent. The school is very research heavy, and students have the ability to see a gamut of patients from the poorest, uninsured patients from the South Side to the wealthiest people in the city who are referred to specialists

University of Illinois: The university has two tracts: Chicago and Champaign-Urbana/Peoria/Rockford. You will apply to Chicago, and if you are accepted you rank the four campuses, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford, in the order you would prefer to attend. If you are given a spot at Chicago, you will spend all four years there. If you get Peoria or Rockford, you do your first year in Champaign-Urbana, and your last three years in your respective city. If you select Champaign-Urbana, you will spend all four years there. Although you can transfer from Rockford to Peoria or Champaign-Urbana, or any combination of those three schools, you CANNOT transfer to Chicago from any other campus. Generally Chicago fills-up fast, so a lot of individuals who are accepted late in the process end-up elsewhere. Also, unless you are an urm, you will have to pay in state tuition for all four years, which is about $47,000 a year. Also realize that the University of Illinois requires two semesters of psychology because they are ******ed like that--sorry for my parlance

Southern Illinois: Only takes Illinois residents unless you are applying J.D./M.D.
 
Rush: Although it is a private school, Rush does receive extra money from the state government for each Illinois resident it enrolls. Thus, it is difficult for oos applicants to gain admission unless they have ties to the state.


THAT'S what the deal is with Rush! I know they favor in state but I couldn't figure out why because they are private. Do they get extra money for taking people with strong ties to the state (went to hs in Chicago, have done some summer internships in Chicago, shadowing at a Rush affiliated institution)? Can I write a letter or something articulating my ties to the city?
 
THAT'S what the deal is with Rush! I know they favor in state but I couldn't figure out why because they are private. Do they get extra money for taking people with strong ties to the state (went to hs in Chicago, have done some summer internships in Chicago, shadowing at a Rush affiliated institution)? Can I write a letter or something articulating my ties to the city?

I believe the money issue applies only to Illinois residents. I'd definitely contact them and let them know your connections to Illinois if they aren't listed in your primary
 
Northwestern: Located downtown instead of in Evanston with the rest of the campus, Northwestern is definitely in the best location out of all the schools, although it can be expensive to live near the hospital

Since you appear to be far more informed than the rest of us, quick question: I know that Northwestern's main campus is in Evanston, but I know that they have some school of medicine buildings downtown (or at least, they have big signs on them that say Northwestern School of Medicine). So where do they teach their med classes?
 
The medical school, and the biomedical graduate school, teach their classes at the downtown campus
 
for pritzker and northwestern it really doesnt matter whether you're instate or not, since both are private schools. burningsky i really wouldn't automatically consider that you have a better chance of getting into northwestern over pritzker. from my experience the whole thing is a giant crapshoot and comes down to what exactly each respective school is looking for (which no one really knows exactly what for sure anyways). Don't necessarily base your chances at each school on your stats, but on what kind of person you are and what you're looking to gain from med school. At pritzker (which rocks btw), i felt they were just as interested in me as a person as my stats. Go for it if you really want it!
 
for pritzker and northwestern it really doesnt matter whether you're instate or not, since both are private schools. burningsky i really wouldn't automatically consider that you have a better chance of getting into northwestern over pritzker. from my experience the whole thing is a giant crapshoot and comes down to what exactly each respective school is looking for (which no one really knows exactly what for sure anyways). Don't necessarily base your chances at each school on your stats, but on what kind of person you are and what you're looking to gain from med school. At pritzker (which rocks btw), i felt they were just as interested in me as a person as my stats. Go for it if you really want it!

I'm only just applying now, but from what I've heard, University of Chicago likes lots of research, preferably lab research. Northwestern likes research too, but I believe clinical research is fine (at least per the Northwestern adcom I spoke to about two years ago on this issue). But yeah, both are a crapshoot. So if I were you, I'd apply to both if I was going to bother applying to one. Good luck.
 
According to my pre-med advisor, UChicago is more flexible with numbers if you have great intangibles and seems more interested in the total package. She said Northwestern is much less flexible - she has never seen anyone get in with less than a 3.6...of course, this is one adviser from one school, but just to put it out there....
 
Hello there everyone. Thanks for the replies! I guess I can make close to a pretty informed decision from this information and of course I'll go to the websites. Thanks again. Any other opinions greatly appreciated. 😀
 
All the Chicago schools are great, first off.

Loyola: I know two people who attended Stritch, and they both liked it. Apparently the curriculum is less lecture-based, which one of my friends said allowed for lots of interaction with her classmates. I know they have a religious affiliation, but it doesn't seem to really affect too much. I applied here, and I must say that they are a very slow. They appear to really look at your application and only interview those they are seriously interested in. The only downside is that it is in a suburb, which may not be ideal for everyone.

Rush: One of my best friends attends Rush. He really likes the school and the area is not too shabby (Taylor Street has lots of restaurants). It is also located on the Pink Line.

UofI: I haven't heard a lot of good things about this program. I know it is very large, which may be the root of the problems. I've heard from people that the class is not very cohesive. Plus, I know I wouldn't want to spend my early twenties in Rockford or Peoria. They would be great if you are interested in family practice, though.

For these three schools, they focus appears to be on primary care. That is not to say that you can't do research, but only that they prepare you really well to become great clinicians. This is also true of Northwestern and Pritzker, but these schools stress research and academics combined with patient care.

Pritzker: Pritzker, I think, is the best school in Chicago, if not the Midwest. I am a UChicago undergrad, and I can tell you that I would have attended this school, if I didn't want to move to the East Coast. Pritzker has amazing opportunities for those looking to do dual degrees and outstanding research opportunities in both basic science and clinical research. Also, I know they turn out great physicians due to their patient population and the quality of the people in the their class. Finally, they really do look at the WHOLE person. I would recommend spending lots of time on their secondaries and preparing for their interview. They look way behind numbers. Finally, Hyde Park isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

Northwestern: I don't have too much personal experience with NU. I withdrew after getting accepted to Pritzker. I think this school has an academic focus, but I know several people in the class that are interested in solely patient care. The location is amazing but expensive. Also, something to keep in mind is their curriculum--it is different from Pritzker's, at least.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions about Pritzker, you can definitely ask me, since I went to UChicago undergrad and was seriously considering attending Pritzker.
 
I thought I'd give my 2 cents. I went to the Urbana-Champaign campus of U of Illinois for med school. I just graduated from their MD/PhD program and I have to say that most of the students you see there who attend med school all 4 years are MD/PhD students. We have one of the largest programs in the country and each year they graduate about 10-15 MD/PhD students along with some traditional MD students which number about 5-10 per class. I know only about the Urbana-Champaign campus which is very nice and the classes are small (except the first year as a previous poster stated) with each class numbering only about 20-30 students. This is a very research heavy campus as you can understand with so many PhD students. I enjoyed med school very much and had an awsome class. The teaching for clinical is a bit weak because we depend on a community hospital but we get to do a lot more hands-on since we're practically treated as residents. We also have a good record in board scores and matching (check out the match record on www.med.uiuc.edu and click on medical scholars).

My wife went to Rush. All I can say is that she loved it! I was very impressed with the students. All very smart and down to earth. Excellent clinical training.

I'm going to U of Chicago Pritzker for pediatrics residency which was my first choice because I wanted to work with lower socioeconomic groups and they have an excellent research track record as well as the only molecular pediatrics institute in the country. My wife is going to Northwestern University for her residency in rehab medicine. Excellent location with one of the best rehab training in the country.

The downside with all of Chicago is that it is pricey to buy or rent a home. However, it is a lot of fun especially in the summer.

If you have any questions about any of these programs, feel free to IM me. Best of luck!
 
👍Thanks to everyone who replied. It sounds like Chicago has some amazing schools. Thanks for all the info.
 
According to my pre-med advisor, UChicago is more flexible with numbers if you have great intangibles and seems more interested in the total package. She said Northwestern is much less flexible - she has never seen anyone get in with less than a 3.6...of course, this is one adviser from one school, but just to put it out there....

However, University of Chicago's secondary essays may have been the stupidest thing I've ever had to write. I give UChicago's students credit. they have some bull****ting talent.
 
Has anyone on this forum had an amazing rotation in either IM/EM/Psych or surgery in the chicago area? i'm trying to set up an elective and have no idea where to start. Rush and Loyola do not take visiting students.

any info would be appreciated. thanks....
 
A friend of mine is doing a surgery rotation this month actually at Pritzker. She seems to be liking it. (It's an away rotation). hope that helps.
 
For OOS, i see it as being very difficult to get into Illinois schools for the following reasons:

1. Southern Illinois University - only accepts Illinois residents and on top of that RURAL Illinois residents so even if your from st louis area or metropolitan area of Chicago your chances are low for acceptance

2. University of Illinois - well the name says it all, public state university like SIU. therefore, they tend to accept more instate applicants (i think they are bound too but some statute) so if your OOS, your chances unless your an outstanding applicant for acceptance is like 1/30

3. Loyola + University of Chicago + Northwestern:
Probably the most realistic schools for OOS, but they accept only top tier students since they are quite competetive and have excellent rotations in top hospitals in chicago which result as being some of the top hospitals in the world. again, difficult schools to gain acceptance but a more realistic shot

4. Rosalind Franklin + Rush:
both are private schools but both lean toward instate over oos. i dont know why, maybe rush's reason is money (could be the same for rosalind) but i talked to a adcom from rosalind and i was told that they prefer almost always instate over oos.


i dont know, thats how i see illinois schools...my opinion isnt necessarily right but ya know, something to take into consideration
 
Anyone receive secondaries from these schools yet? I can only apply to the Chicago area schools! So I need to be ready to submit my secondaries as soon as possible. I am having problems with one of my transcripts...sent 3 times now and AMCAS still indicates it has not yet been received.

If you have received secondaries and are willing to share, please do so! 🙂
 
i talked to a adcom from rosalind and i was told that they prefer almost always instate over oos.

if by instate you mean California....and Rush is pretty ridiculous. they grant very very few interviews to OOS and from what ive seen, they reject most outright w/o putting them on a waitlist
 
Anyone receive secondaries from these schools yet? I can only apply to the Chicago area schools! So I need to be ready to submit my secondaries as soon as possible. I am having problems with one of my transcripts...sent 3 times now and AMCAS still indicates it has not yet been received.

If you have received secondaries and are willing to share, please do so! 🙂

I applied to all of the Chicago schools, and haven't received any secondaries from them yet. Although, my MCAT score isn't in, so I may not be the best one to answer this question.
 
I was accepted at NU, and if it weren't for UC's, I would have gone. I absolutely loved the school and the people I met there. The area is beautiful (I had never been to Chicago prior), and I will definitely look into returning there sometime during medical school or for residency. I've heard U of Chicago has a great reputation and is research heavy. Good luck.
 
Well I am biased for Pritzker but I applied to a selection of the Chicago schools (Pritzker, UIC, Rush, Loyola). I did not apply to Northwestern mainly because I was OOS and it was a little bit of a reach. I chose to apply to UChicago over Northwestern simply because I like the traditional curriculum. Also, I was an OOS who received an interview invite from Rush but declined because of my other acceptance to UMN-TC. I had interviews at Cornell and WashU among other but withdrew from them post-interview because I loved Pritzker. I just felt that U chicago fit me best. Make sure to look at the mission statements at each school because they are looking for students who fit that mold and you should address it in the secondaries. I got interviews at all the Chicago schools I applied to but only went to Pritzker. Summary: Pritzker is amazing!
 
University of Illinois: Also realize that the University of Illinois requires two semesters of psychology because they are ******ed like that--sorry for my parlance


oh no!😱 i already applied there from oos...do you know of there's any way they would overlook this requirement? i have one semester of psych...and working in a psychology dept now if that helps...:idea:
 
Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about UIC's psych requirement either. I took psych 101, but not 102, about 12 years ago. I have a bunch of other behavioral/social science classes, but no other psych classes. I also have a J.D. I'm hoping I don't have to take Psych 102, but if I do, I'm hoping they don't mind if I take it winter semester this year, or over the summer before I would matriculate. Anyone know when UIC requires that you have the prereqs finished by? I don't mean the core sciences - just this psych requirement. I know some schools just say "any time before matriculation," while others say all prereqs must be completed by January 2008.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about UIC's psych requirement either. I took psych 101, but not 102, about 12 years ago. I have a bunch of other behavioral/social science classes, but no other psych classes. I also have a J.D. I'm hoping I don't have to take Psych 102, but if I do, I'm hoping they don't mind if I take it winter semester this year, or over the summer before I would matriculate. Anyone know when UIC requires that you have the prereqs finished by? I don't mean the core sciences - just this psych requirement. I know some schools just say "any time before matriculation," while others say all prereqs must be completed by January 2008.

I met with someone from admissions last week and they said as long as you get the classes complete before matriculation you are okay. This is for all prereqs, not just the psych. He said psychology, sociology, antropology...any 3 and they do not necessarily have to be 2 in the same area. That's what he said, but I know the schools website might not be consistent with that.
 
I met with someone from admissions last week and they said as long as you get the classes complete before matriculation you are okay. This is for all prereqs, not just the psych. He said psychology, sociology, antropology...any 3 and they do not necessarily have to be 2 in the same area. That's what he said, but I know the schools website might not be consistent with that.

Thanks for the info. Did he say if you need two classes in one of the three areas (i.e., two classes in psych or two classes in sociology), or you could use a class in psychology and a class in sociology to satisfy it?
 
I met with someone from admissions last week and they said as long as you get the classes complete before matriculation you are okay. This is for all prereqs, not just the psych. He said psychology, sociology, antropology...any 3 and they do not necessarily have to be 2 in the same area. That's what he said, but I know the schools website might not be consistent with that.

I had a conversation on the phone w/ one of them. They told me exactly the same thing.
 
Thanks for the info. Did he say if you need two classes in one of the three areas (i.e., two classes in psych or two classes in sociology), or you could use a class in psychology and a class in sociology to satisfy it?

I believe the website says you need 2 in psyc and 1 in sociology. He said you can take any 3 classes, but you need three, and you do not really have to take two in 1 area. Not sure if I'm making sense.

BTW...I think I've figured out who you are...I'm a volunteer at the same clinic. You were in one of the trainings I was in. I was in the lab last night. 🙂

Unfortunately I am reapplying...waitlisted at Rush but likely won't be getting in. I only applied to 4 schools the first time and this time I'm only applying to 3 MD and 1 DO because I have to stay in the Chicago area. I just didn't have the numbers for UofC and NW. They must have a MCAT and GPA cut-off because I got my rejections pretty quickly after I submitted my secondaries...I may give it another try since I'm so limited in the number of schools!

Good luck!
 
Anyone receive secondaries from these schools yet? I can only apply to the Chicago area schools! So I need to be ready to submit my secondaries as soon as possible. I am having problems with one of my transcripts...sent 3 times now and AMCAS still indicates it has not yet been received.

If you have received secondaries and are willing to share, please do so! 🙂

I am still waiting on the arrival of my last transcript to be received by AMCAS. The first 2 copies were sent in May and early June, but somehow got lost. A third copy (of the same transcript) was sent again...and I am waiting on AMCAS to notify me of its receipt!

I was wondering if anyone that has received secondaries from Chicago area schools is willing to share the essay questions. I would like to get started because I DO NOT want to be reapplying a 3rd time! If you are willing to share, please post or PM me! Thanks!
 
I am still waiting on the arrival of my last transcript to be received by AMCAS. The first 2 copies were sent in May and early June, but somehow got lost. A third copy (of the same transcript) was sent again...and I am waiting on AMCAS to notify me of its receipt!

I was wondering if anyone that has received secondaries from Chicago area schools is willing to share the essay questions. I would like to get started because I DO NOT want to be reapplying a 3rd time! If you are willing to share, please post or PM me! Thanks!

Both U of Chicago and UIC's questions are posted in the official 2008 secondary question link. Go to page 10 or 11 to find them (or possibly 9):

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=413126
 
I'm OOS and if UIC is heavy on research then should I even bother filling out the secondary, seeing how I have two things going against me.

Also, I took a bunch of econ classes and since econ is technically social science, do you think it would be ok to list that instead of sociology or anthro?
 
I'm OOS and if UIC is heavy on research then should I even bother filling out the secondary, seeing how I have two things going against me.

Also, I took a bunch of econ classes and since econ is technically social science, do you think it would be ok to list that instead of sociology or anthro?

I don't think lacking research is a good reason not to apply to UIC. Univ of Chicago, perhaps, but from what I've heard and read, not UIC. I think they just want to stress that you *can* do great research at UIC, not that you have to have good research experience to gain admission. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me. And while some people do get in from out of state, I don't have the numbers off-hand. That's your decision.

As for social science classes, I have them too, and I'm betting they won't count. If you've filled out your primary app already, look at the designations for the classes. I fear UIC will probably only count classes identified as "BESS" on your primary.
 
I took econ classes as well and was told that they will not count for social sciences prereqs. I was told psych, sociology, and anthro.
 
how about the advanced level bio class requirement for UIC...

does anybody know if i can use a biochem class to fulfill this req?
 
I took econ classes as well and was told that they will not count for social sciences prereqs. I was told psych, sociology, and anthro.
ok, I cant even apply because I don't have any anthro or sociology
 
how about the advanced level bio class requirement for UIC...

does anybody know if i can use a biochem class to fulfill this req?
Yes, biochem counts for upper bio class. I called and lady confirmed. But, i also have two semesters of orgo
 
I took econ classes as well and was told that they will not count for social sciences prereqs. I was told psych, sociology, and anthro.
Do you know if the 3rd "other social science" course can be a third psych class? What about folklore??
 
Yes, biochem counts for upper bio class. I called and lady confirmed. But, i also have two semesters of orgo

thanks! now i can get started on my secondary!
 
I'm not sure how valuble this will be to you guys at this point in time, but something to remember down the road is when I interviewed with one of the Deans at Northwestern, she was pretty explicit about the fact that the Feinberg and Pritzker adcoms communicate with each other. I don't know exactly how that affects admissions decisions but be careful about how you play the whole Chicago thing during interview/secondary writing. (ie don't apply to Feinberg and Pritzker and say you really want to be in Chicago but will not attend any other school).
Furthermore, I am not sure if only these two schools are the only ones whose adcoms communicate. I sort of feel like a lot of similarly tiered schools have some significant cross-talk when it comes down to making decisions but who knows.
 
Yes, biochem counts for upper bio class. I called and lady confirmed. But, i also have two semesters of orgo

I have 2 semesters of orgo as well, and when I asked if I could take biochem for upper bio they said no. It's not an issue for me any more because I took microbio for my upper bio, but you may want to ask again.
 
I have 2 semesters of orgo as well, and when I asked if I could take biochem for upper bio they said no. It's not an issue for me any more because I took microbio for my upper bio, but you may want to ask again.
Did you call recently? This is soo annoying. Biochem is more bio than chem I think!!
 
Did you call recently? This is soo annoying. Biochem is more bio than chem I think!!

No. This was last year. I called them before I picked my upper level bio. I considered taking biochem because some schools (not IL schools) require or recommend it. But someone at UIC told me it could only take the place of a semester of orgo. The person I talked to could have been wrong. Maybe they are a little more flexible now?...don't know. I would just recommend checking one more time to be sure.
 
Rush: Although it is a private school, Rush does receive extra money from the state government for each Illinois resident it enrolls. Thus, it is difficult for oos applicants to gain admission unless they have ties to the state.


THAT'S what the deal is with Rush! I know they favor in state but I couldn't figure out why because they are private. Do they get extra money for taking people with strong ties to the state (went to hs in Chicago, have done some summer internships in Chicago, shadowing at a Rush affiliated institution)? Can I write a letter or something articulating my ties to the city?

Actually, you are not required to have ties to the state to get accepted. I was an OOS ( from CA) and had no ties or whatsoever to IL and still got in. I also know at leat 5 people accepted to Rush and they also had no ties to the state. Rush accepts about 20% from OOS. I loved Rush about the fact that they look at you as a whole applicant instead of just some numbers. It is a good school IMHO.
 
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