2010-2011 Loyola (Stritch) Application Thread

[taylormade2006]

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Interview invite this morning! So excited... It's my first 🙂

Congrats! Was it by phone or email?

 

[Zil11]

I hate to ask this again.. but I feel like if I don't post it again, it won't be answered:

Has anyone who was verified by AMCAS after 7/22 received the secondary yet?

Also, when is it appropriate to contact the admissions office to ask them when I will receive my secondary? I don't want to be annoying.

Thank you!!

 

[jcwhitts]

I hate to ask this again.. but I feel like if I don't post it again, it won't be answered:

Has anyone who was verified by AMCAS after 7/22 received the secondary yet?

Also, when is it appropriate to contact the admissions office to ask them when I will receive my secondary? I don't want to be annoying.

Thank you!!

I was verified 7/14 and didn't receive the secondary until 8/6. I wouldn't be worried yet.

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

I hate to ask this again.. but I feel like if I don't post it again, it won't be answered:

Has anyone who was verified by AMCAS after 7/22 received the secondary yet?

Also, when is it appropriate to contact the admissions office to ask them when I will receive my secondary? I don't want to be annoying.

Thank you!!

Since the school screens, I wouldn't call them asking for a secondary. I'd probably call them after 4-6 weeks inquiring about the status of your application.

The process at Loyola and several other schools to which I am applying seem to be taking "a very long time". Don't sweat it too much, it's unfortunately part of the process...but I get it, it's very frustrating waiting "day after day and not seeing a thing arrive in your inbox" lol.

Good luck, and I hope you get a secondary!

 

[shoebusiness85]

Can a current student or someone who knows a lot about Loyola med school comment on how strong the Jesuit influence is there? I'm just trying to gauge how Catholic they are.

Is the level of Catholic influence there more or less than at Georgetown? What about at SLU?

 

[sedaniel]

I'm not exactly sure when it was marked complete because I never got an email but I overnighted my application on 8/3, OOS. 32 MCAT, 3.43 GPA from Notre Dame.

Ahhhh congrats!! I am trying to wait patiently but I really want an interview here haha

 

[drugsarefun]

Just got a phone call inviting me for an interview. I got the sense they call everyone they invite, so be ready to pick up a 708 area code.

 

[taylormade2006]

Congrats drugsarefun!

 

[emsdan]

Can a current student or someone who knows a lot about Loyola med school comment on how strong the Jesuit influence is there? I'm just trying to gauge how Catholic they are.

Is the level of Catholic influence there more or less than at Georgetown? What about at SLU?

Loyola is very Catholic...we had mass this morning, and there is a mass before the white coat ceremony. However, it is there only if you want it. There are no required masses for students or anyone else to attend, the masses welcome those of any or no faith, and there is no attempt to convert anyone if you are worried about that. I consider myself fairly non-religious, and I went to mass this morning (only partially for the free lunch afterwards.)

I can't comment on the others as I have never been there. All are Jesuit, I believe, so I would guess they are roughly equal.

 

[BBender716]

I opted out of mass this morning. Not even the free lunch could entice me, lol

It's Catholic, but there's literally one "required" catholic thing you have to go to for an hour and a half (one class on Catholic bioethics, pretty standard stuff).

 

[jiminycrickets]

for those using letter packets (compilation of letters sent to AMCAS by your undergrad), what did you select as your option? did you fill out each letter writer individually?

thanks in advance

 

[nurseawesome]

Good to know, thanks!

They screen 50% for the secondary? really? If so, that is nice of them.

 

[DocBell]

yeah but it can't be as bad as Loma Linda. That has gotta be the school with the weirdest rules.

SDN would be a much nicer place if people would stop with the Loma Linda hating. Now is a good time to practice your tolerance with diversity and stop calling other people's beliefs weird. It's rude. Especially on a thread like this one which is usually so nice (even if the school doesn't like me enough to give me an interview 🙁)

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

I just wanted to add: as someone who would desire to the world to be more tolerant, I have come to understand diversity is a two way street. If we expect people to be tolerant of certain lifestyles, we also need to be understanding and tolerant of their own unique beliefs...

In short, tolerance is a two way street.

 

[DocBell]

(I feel properly chastised) as I agree with Asyouweretrio one hundred percent. I am just so tired of other people trashing Loma Linda and gujuDoc hit a nerve. She is perfectly entitled to her opinion and to express it. She isn't the first and she won't be the last. I sincerely apologize.

However I would like to add that Loma Linda's policies are based on the religious beliefs of the twelfth largest religious body in the world. Just because she doesn't understand or necessarily agree doesn't make them bad or weird...just different.

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

All I have to say about this whole Loma Linda bashing is that it is a private institution that is free to do what it wishes with its students. If you do not share the same beliefs as the institution, you are more than welcome to not apply there.

That's exactly why I didn't apply. I'm not going to attend a school that imposes heavy restrictions upon its students in the way that LL does.

 

[DocBell]

Ok but its not their beliefs I have a problem with. Its that they impose them on every single person who attends their med school and I believe that a degree of separation of church and state should exist in educational settings. Like there were some things some californians told me about rules they impose on your personal affairs like what kind of people you can live with. That was way worse. and if anything I think a school that imposes such harsh rules is far more intolerant by imposing their strict rules upon their students even in terms of things like who they live with.

If you don't mind my asking if you believe in a degree of separation between education and religion why are you applying to a Catholic school? I'm not judging I am genuinely curious.

You have a point. SDA's can be incredibly intolerant. It is one of the areas where the church has great room for improvement and hopefully youth like myself will pave that road. However, before you can submit the secondary you are given a copy of the lifestyle agreement. That includes not living with the opposite sex, drinking drugs ect. If you aren't comfortable with abiding by those policies than don't hit submit or matriculate. Their whole secondary has a religious tint. The school is very upfront about it. They only force those policies on people who agreed to abide by them. Patient's at their hospitals may or may not even know their physicians religious practices.

But also like I said I apologize. For one you never called the school itself weird. You said it had the weirdest policies. I misread and took offense. Besides some of their policies...(like the whole no meat on campus thing) are weird and if I wasn't in a bad mood I would have admitted that when you first posted. In short, I took offense when I shouldn't have and I'm sincerely sorry.

 

[BBender716]

I can't wait to give some of you guys tours. Feels like yesterday I was showing up in my suit to interview day here. /end nostalgic rant.

for you guys!

 

[DaisyBuchanan]

I want this secondary to come so I can finally muster up the gumption to get it done. It's pretty much the last one before I'm done 🙁

As far as the whole religious thing goes, I'm "culturally Catholic" but not actually religious at all. It doesn't bother me to play along... but I don't think I would much enjoy a school where I couldn't have a burger (meat) and a Diet Coke (caffeine) on my lunch break, like the aforementioned LL 😛

 

[marshmallow]

I can't wait to give some of you guys tours. Feels like yesterday I was showing up in my suit to interview day here. /end nostalgic rant.

for you guys!

Thank you!! I was just marked complete- so I am anxiously hoping for a phone call from them.. I would loveee a chance to interview here and even possibly meet you! 🙂

 

[addo]

I want this secondary to come so I can finally muster up the gumption to get it done. It's pretty much the last one before I'm done 🙁

As far as the whole religious thing goes, I'm "culturally Catholic" but not actually religious at all. It doesn't bother me to play along... but I don't think I would much enjoy a school where I couldn't have a burger (meat) and a Diet Coke (caffeine) on my lunch break, like the aforementioned LL 😛

I could also play along, and forgo meat, but giving up caffeine?! I thought the medical profession rested on a caffeine base.

 

[DocBell]

I could also play along, and forgo meat, but giving up caffeine?! I thought the medical profession rested on a caffeine base.

+1.🙂 Amen. That is one of those outdated rules that most of us mock. I love coffee. My undergrad SDA department actually has a communal coffee fund and a department coffee maker that is almost always on. Plus just fyi for people applying....regardless of whether you agree or not SDA's are a hypocritical bunch (as evidenced by myself last night...I was a jerk). Probably less than 40% follow that lifestyle agreement. Most SDA kids sign it and then break it without a second thought. Sad but true.

 

[betheltim]

+1.🙂 Amen. That is one of those outdated rules that most of us mock. I love coffee. My undergrad SDA department actually has a communal coffee fund and a department coffee maker that is almost always on. Plus just fyi for people applying....regardless of whether you agree or not SDA's are a hypocritical bunch (as evidenced by myself last night...I was a jerk). Probably less than 40% follow that lifestyle agreement. Most SDA kids sign it and then break it without a second thought. Sad but true.

I feel like that's the norm at (specifically) Christian schools. I went to one as an undergraduate, and the agreement we all signed seemed to be pretty disrespected, save for some who actually believed in it... 🙁

 

[Insulinshock]

How long are ppl complete before they usually hear something?

 

[NHBPFA5]

Is it too much to hope for free condoms, lube, and pregnancy tests like my undergrad?

</sarcasm>

Kinda back to topic. lol

I've been getting all these telemarketer calls from strange area codes that get me all excited thinking they want an interview, and then I just get sad when it turns out they just want my social security number...

 

[DocBell]

Is it too much to hope for free condoms, lube, and pregnancy tests like my undergrad?

</sarcasm>

Kinda back to topic. lol

I've been getting all these telemarketer calls from strange area codes that get me all excited thinking they want an interview, and then I just get sad when it turns out they just want my social security number...

Haha I hear that.... Between getting hopeful every time I pick up the phone and checking my email like 6000 times a day I feel like this application cycle is turning me into a crazy person. That on top of the Dodgers spectacular loss last night just makes me want to curl up under a blanket and hide until someone calls with good news.

 

[BBender716]

lol yes I could play along to a degree just not to the degree of that one school we were mentioning. That's why I think a lot of people don't like LLU. Granted I do have a friend there and he's just fine and happy there. But I think Loyola University and other Jesuit schools are not as bad I think and I'm quite impressed with Loyola from the things I've heard from a friend who interviewed there.

It's REALLY not religious if that's your concern. I'm a christian but definitely not Catholic (and even a bit against some of the Catholic practices), but Loyola is awesome. Like I said, the only Catholic things here is that they offer mass if you want to go (NO pressure to do so), and they make you shadow a chaplain for one afternoon (in four years). Even then, it's more about compassion rather than the religion.

Oh, and during orientation the M2s tried to get us drunk every night. The class is definitely the most normal class I saw while on the interview trail. Definitely not the uptight religious stereotype some may be thinking.

One thing that may indicate Loyola is not a good fit for you is if you are not service oriented. They really push service to the community and abroad. Nothing is mandatory, but there's an obvious push to do so. If that's your bag, however, there are a TON of opportunities to do so (and well funded, too!). Generally, they look for this in applications as well so that there's not too much of a conflict if someone gets in who absolutely does not like service-oriented activities.

Quick takeaway: not religious, but there are opportunities to be religious. VERY service oriented and strongly encouraged, which may make some uncomfortable if you're not into that.

 

[hopki099]

For the question 4: How did you reach your decision to enter medicine? Describe your participation in any health care or other activities which reinforced your decision. (Please include any experience involving the care of others.)

Can I basically copy and paste pieces of my personal statement? With 7 essays, it seems like they focus on the secondary and not the primary much.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

According to the USPS tracking, my secondary reached Loyola early this past week. I hope I hear something from them soon. Would love to interview there since it's so close to where I live!

 

[BBender716]

Yeah when I said that school I was on the issue of Loma Linda not Loyola. I know Loyola is not crazy like that nor any of the Jesuit schools. Like I said, my friend spoke amazing wonders of it and though she's catholic by birth she's not religious so I don't think she'd be saying such if it was that crazy. So trust me I know its an amazing school and wouldn't have applied if it was as strict as LLU in California.

The friend of mine who interviewed there few years back, she said the med school was GORGEOUS and soooo much nicer looking then one of our Fl. schools which she ended up at.

So yeah back to topic of Loyola medical school, good luck everyone. I'm finishing my secondary for this this week later on and getting it mailed out. 🙂

No worries! I know you were talking about Loma Linda. I just wanted to find another excuse to say how awesome I'm discovering Loyola to really be 🙂 And again, you guys on this thread seem really chill and I hope you all at least have the chance to visit and interview! 🙂

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

And Kaushik good luck to you. 🙂

Danke. And you as well.

 

[obgyny]

Verified 7/21... still waiting to hear whether or not I made the screen... 🙁

I have no idea why, but 7/21 felt like AGES ago!! I'm getting so impatient with everything.. then I realize it's only been like ~3.5 weeks lol. I can't believe I've submitted 22 secondaries in that amount of time...

 

[DaisyBuchanan]

Verified 7/21... still waiting to hear whether or not I made the screen... 🙁

I have no idea why, but 7/21 felt like AGES ago!! I'm getting so impatient with everything.. then I realize it's only been like ~3.5 weeks lol. I can't believe I've submitted 22 secondaries in that amount of time...

I'm still waiting too... I wish I knew what they screened for because I'm not going to tackle that many essays without knowing if I'll get a secondary or not 🙁

 

[courtnes]

Just received the secondary today, finally! Was verified 7/19. I've been wondering about this one for days, and I hadn't read up on here - didn't know it was such a beast.

Also, you all seem so nice, LL bashing aside. 😉

 

[jpdc]

so this secondary is clearly brutal...i was wondering though...all my research is listed and explained on my primary...do you think i should be repeating that stuff for the secondary question about independent scholastic pursuits?

 

[obgyny]

Verified 7/21... still waiting to hear whether or not I made the screen... 🙁

I have no idea why, but 7/21 felt like AGES ago!! I'm getting so impatient with everything.. then I realize it's only been like ~3.5 weeks lol. I can't believe I've submitted 22 secondaries in that amount of time...

Again, they must have heard me, just got the invite today for the secondary!!!

It's seems like a beast of a secondary though.... I'm excited to get it, but not so excited to fill it out lol.

 

[DocBell]

Just received the secondary today, finally! Was verified 7/19. I've been wondering about this one for days, and I hadn't read up on here - didn't know it was such a beast.

Also, you all seem so nice, LL bashing aside. 😉

lol I swear I am never watching baseball and posting on SDN at the same time ever ever again. I blame my utter jerkiness on the dodgers. They get your hopes up and then stomp on your heart over and over and over. I really am a nice person most of the time. 🙂 Good to everyone who just got their secondary. Hopefully it will go pretty fast once you start.

 

[betheltim]

so this secondary is clearly brutal...i was wondering though...all my research is listed and explained on my primary...do you think i should be repeating that stuff for the secondary question about independent scholastic pursuits?

I would say so, but I would expand on it significantly. I base this off the statement at the beginning of the secondary application that says not to refer to your AMCAS application, which suggests to me that they expect overlap, but also to have you dig deeper and really get at the heart of your pursuits.

In fact, nearly every single one of my experiences I talked about in the secondary was also on my primary.

 

[DocBell]

Ugh I was hoping to be done with this one tonight to send out tomorrow morning. But I guess i will have to wait til my friend looks over two of my essays cuz as I was reading them I didn't like them and felt like they needed work. Oh well. Hopefully my friend will help me edit them or tell me if they are ok sounding soon and I'll get done with it by end of this week.

Ugh waiting for friends to edit is the worst feeling. Cause they are doing you a favor so you can't bug them plus I just hate letting people read what I write. But good luck!

 

[betheltim]

Haha, that's why I generally don't let anyone read my writing (unless I have to)... I guess I feel pretty confident in my writing in general--well, at least enough to just submit things right after writing them.

I just stopped by the post office on the way home tonight to submit my secondary, but I realized after I sent it that I forgot the photo... Whoops. Looks like the admissions committee will be getting an email tomorrow. In any case, here's to hoping I get (at least) an interview!

 

[obgyny]

This secondary is loooooooonnnngggg!!

Anyways, is it okay if there's a bit of overlap with the essays? A lot of my activities/experiences apply to more than one essay (such as explaining how I came to the decision to pursue medicine, taking care of others, personal development, etc etc)? I'm really not trying to repeat anything, but every time I bring up an activity/experience again, I feel like I should at least briefly explain it, anyone else having the same issue?

 

[marshmallow]

This secondary is loooooooonnnngggg!!

Anyways, is it okay if there's a bit of overlap with the essays? A lot of my activities/experiences apply to more than one essay (such as explaining how I came to the decision to pursue medicine, taking care of others, personal development, etc etc)? I'm really not trying to repeat anything, but every time I bring up an activity/experience again, I feel like I should at least briefly explain it, anyone else having the same issue?

I found a lot of overlap in my answers also. I just tried not to repeat myself and come up with new "examples" lol.

Congrats to both of you for finishing the essays! I've been complete for a few days, so I'm hoping for some good news!

 

[obgyny]

Thanks for the replies! Yeah, I found I was able to recycle some of my essays, or at least take portions of them. I also really tried to make them sound different if I used the same activities. I ended up staying up late to finish it all. I got the invite yesterday, finished it last night, and mailed it this morning. Feels good to turn that one in 🙂.

23 secondaries down.... 9 more to go....

 

[marshmallow]

Thanks for the replies! Yeah, I found I was able to recycle some of my essays, or at least take portions of them. I also really tried to make them sound different if I used the same activities. I ended up staying up late to finish it all. I got the invite yesterday, finished it last night, and mailed it this morning. Feels good to turn that one in 🙂.

23 secondaries down.... 9 more to go....

WOW! I thought it was bad with applying to 22 schools. Good luck!

 

[obgyny]

WOW! I thought it was bad with applying to 22 schools. Good luck!

Hahaha, thanks! Yeah, I have a strange combination of high GPA/low MCAT and CA resident, so I'm definitely applying broadly .

Good luck to you too!

 

[AnnaMolly]

so i just discovered/joined SDN, anyone else have an interview sep. 18th?

 

[obgyny]

Nah some years ago I knew people who applied to like 50-60 schools. that's probably the craziest amount I've heard of. One of them had such good numbers they didn't even need to but only wanted to do it once and thought they were maximizing their chances. I think that's overkill.

WHOA... 50-60?? that makes me feel better about my number lol

 

[betheltim]

Nah some years ago I knew people who applied to like 50-60 schools. that's probably the craziest amount I've heard of. One of them had such good numbers they didn't even need to but only wanted to do it once and thought they were maximizing their chances. I think that's overkill.

That's ridiculous... Who would really do that? Haha...

I don't think I could do that, much less afford it, much less convince someone it was necessary, haha.

I guess that makes my eight look pretty dang focused...

 

[Dmannn]

As a reapp I did 30 in hindsight it was way overkill because I actually got 4 interviews fast. But considering last time I got none I was just going for it. Not fun, not cheap, but you do what you have to do.

 

[AnnaMolly]

LOL yeah so true me too.

Annamolly,

Good luck

Thank you!