2012-2013 Loyola University (Stritch) Application Thread

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After all that work.... I'm withdrawing.... Best of luck to everyone else. Couldn't schedule my interview dates close enough... Can't spend 5 days in Illinois due to work.
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Tadaaa said:
After all that work.... I'm withdrawing.... Best of luck to everyone else. Couldn't schedule my interview dates close enough... Can't spend 5 days in Illinois due to work.
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That really sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. Good luck with the rest of the cycle!
 
Just got a phone call of acceptance!! Interviewed on 1/22 :) OOS, 34Q, 3.89 GPA
 
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So, I walk out of my Rush interview and get a call from Loyola offering me an interview. I'm in the same boat as you Tada, I have taken off so much work and my job has no clue that I am even applying so I couldn't take an weekday appointment, so I won't interview until March 9th... so I'm kind of worried that I am already late and now I will literally be at the end of the cycle :-/... any thoughts?

Also, has anyone interviewed at both Loyola and Rush and have any thoughts on how they compare? I fell in love with Rush, but my mentor went to Loyola so I am really excited to visit and see what the school is like! :D
 
Akeelah Bee said:
So, I walk out of my Rush interview and get a call from Loyola offering me an interview. I'm in the same boat as you Tada, I have taken off so much work and my job has no clue that I am even applying so I couldn't take an weekday appointment, so I won't interview until March 9th... so I'm kind of worried that I am already late and now I will literally be at the end of the cycle :-/... any thoughts?

Also, has anyone interviewed at both Loyola and Rush and have any thoughts on how they compare? I fell in love with Rush, but my mentor went to Loyola so I am really excited to visit and see what the school is like! :D
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Only go to the interview if: 1) You haven't been accepted or 2) If given an acceptance to Loyola, you would turn down any school you have been accepted to so far (based on your personal rank of schools).

In my case, my employer is in the medical field and frankly I don't want to leave on a bad note. He is not too happy that I have taken so many days off, so I am trying to minimize the time I take for interviews, but if it was a school that fulfilled any of the two items I just listed above I would go, even if he doesn't like it. The reason is that this is my life and deciding which medical school to attend is a 4-year commitment.

P.S. I have my interview at Rush this coming week. PM please and let me know how it went/details.
 
Tadaaa said:
Only go to the interview if: 1) You haven't been accepted or 2) If given an acceptance to Loyola, you would turn down any school you have been accepted to so far (based on your personal rank of schools).

In my case, my employer is in the medical field and frankly I don't want to leave on a bad note. He is not too happy that I have taken so many days off, so I am trying to minimize the time I take for interviews, but if it was a school that fulfilled any of the two items I just listed above I would go, even if he doesn't like it. The reason is that this is my life and deciding which medical school to attend is a 4-year commitment.

P.S. I have my interview at Rush this coming week. PM please and let me know how it went/details.
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Well, my mentor went to Loyola and I have heard/read great things about it so I am extremely interested in the interview. Now, whether it is my first choice or not will have to be decided afterwards. I took the Saturday interview so it won't affect my work schedule. I just worry that I am taking such a late interview (in March) that it will screw with my chances (even more since it's already late :thumb down). But hey, what's done is done. It's not like I can change my date since that will come off badly I think.

I will PM you some details on my Rush interview.
 
Tadaaa said:
I figured he was, but I assume your designation is pretty much up to you. I joined after being accepted so just put it as is. Not really pre-med once you've been accepted. More like a transitional period at this point... Anyway I'm on a plane with wifi connectivity.... Nothing else to do but write this long pointless post lol
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You are a premed until you matriculate, but whatever.

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Akeelah Bee said:
So, I walk out of my Rush interview and get a call from Loyola offering me an interview. I'm in the same boat as you Tada, I have taken off so much work and my job has no clue that I am even applying so I couldn't take an weekday appointment, so I won't interview until March 9th... so I'm kind of worried that I am already late and now I will literally be at the end of the cycle :-/... any thoughts?

Also, has anyone interviewed at both Loyola and Rush and have any thoughts on how they compare? I fell in love with Rush, but my mentor went to Loyola so I am really excited to visit and see what the school is like! :D
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I'm a current M1 who interviewed a week later than that in the cycle and received a direct admission (just 2 weeks later). I honestly wouldn't sweat it - Loyola seems to do a good job of reserving spots for later interviewees, i.e. the notion of interviewing for a waitlist spot and ONLY a waitlist spot is foreign to the Stritch administration.

As far as how Loyola and Rush compare, I'd say both are wonderful schools, with slightly different flavors. Both are roughly equivalent in terms of national recognition, with Rush having the slight edge in terms of overall hospital ranking (though in a given specialty, e.g. cardiology, the tables are turned) and Loyola having the slight edge in terms of academics (as measured by the stats of incoming students). Also, though the two school are <10 min apart on the same highway, Rush is in urban Chicago whereas Loyola is located in what's known as the Western Suburbs. Cost of living is generally cheaper out in the burbs, but it also takes that much longer to commute to and from downtown attractions if that's your sort of thing (though both areas have direct access to public transportation systems). Class sizes are marginally bigger at Loyola than at Rush, and Loyola is religiously affiliated. I discussed in a previous post how the school's Jesuit identity impacts (or rather, does NOT impact) medical education here, but you can take that as you will. Having not enrolled at Rush, I can't say for sure what it feels like to be there day in and day out, but here at Loyola, the administration seems intent on maintaining an inclusive, familial environment. There are lots of extracurricular activities, some service-based, some purely social in nature (we also benefit from having our own fitness club - possibly our biggest advantage over Rush :p). Commensurate with its humanitarian mission, Loyola also probably places a little more emphasis on holistic aspects of medicine - i.e. discussing aspects of health beyond the biochemical or physiological sciences. This is sometimes enlightening and powerful, but at other times it seems like drivel that detracts from study time for the harder, "more legitimate" courses.

Just last weekend, we had a mixer with UChicago and Rush at a bar in the city. Best as I could tell, the Rush kids were as cool as my classmates, and just as contented with their school as we are with ours. They did express awe and envy that we had a fully-furnished rec center, but they also probably pitied that we knuckle-dragging troglodytes don't get to experience the city of Chicago in its full glory.

I hope at least some of that info is useful.

Tadaaa said:
Only go to the interview if: 1) You haven't been accepted or 2) If given an acceptance to Loyola, you would turn down any school you have been accepted to so far (based on your personal rank of schools).

In my case, my employer is in the medical field and frankly I don't want to leave on a bad note. He is not too happy that I have taken so many days off, so I am trying to minimize the time I take for interviews, but if it was a school that fulfilled any of the two items I just listed above I would go, even if he doesn't like it. The reason is that this is my life and deciding which medical school to attend is a 4-year commitment.

P.S. I have my interview at Rush this coming week. PM please and let me know how it went/details.
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I'm not sure this is good advice. An interview is as much an opportunity for you to learn about a school as it is for a school to learn about you, and I think you're doing yourself a disservice by creating a rigid hierarchy of schools based on preconceptions alone. I can understand having your school preferences delimited by geography, mission, tuition rates, etc, but you might be surprised by which individual schools give off that particular vibe, that difficult-to-articulate sense of rightness or fit.

I can also understand wanting to minimize the time and money spent on attending interviews, but a little inconvenience now may the difference between ending up at the perfect school or settling on a decent first offer. My first acceptance was to what had been my "top" school, and I was jacked as hell to get in. But, at the behest of my boss, I continued to attend interviews because "it's always good to have a broad base for comparison." I knew next to nothing going into my Loyola interview, but I left that day with a big smile on my face. It was my last interview, and I am so glad I went.
 
I hope no one underestimates Loyola's rec center. It's the envy of every Chicago med school. It's fantastic, and worthy of a major hotel. Every person that's ever been there has glowed about it to me, and they're not lying.
 
RealSmoove said:
I'm a current M1 who interviewed a week later than that in the cycle and received a direct admission (just 2 weeks later). I honestly wouldn't sweat it - Loyola seems to do a good job of reserving spots for later interviewees, i.e. the notion of interviewing for a waitlist spot and ONLY a waitlist spot is foreign to the Stritch administration...
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Thanks so much for that thoughtful information RealSmoove. I seriously appreciate it. I am definitely open-minded about Loyola and so grateful for the opportunity to go there and visit. I think my biggest worry is liking both schools so much and getting into both and having no clue how to choose between them (obviously this would be great and I don't want to sound like the douche that makes multiple acceptances an issue :laugh:).

My only other question, if you are able to answer it is how do their neurosurgery departments compare? I am pretty interested in neurosurgery, and though I am not naïve that this could change, I would probably explore that specialty as early as possible. Do you know either how they compare, where I can look for that information, or anyone that is at Loyola pursing that specialty and the support/guidance they are being given to be as competitive as possible for residency? I'm sure you are super busy so thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question! :)
 
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SoulinNeed said:
I hope no one underestimates Loyola's rec center. It's the envy of every Chicago med school. It's fantastic, and worthy of a major hotel. Every person that's ever been there has glowed about it to me, and they're not lying.
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I also hope no one underestimates the ping pong tables in the student lounge area. Ping pong is awesome :D


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Akeelah Bee said:
Thanks so much for that thoughtful information RealSmoove. I seriously appreciate it. I am definitely open-minded about Loyola and so grateful for the opportunity to go there and visit. I think my biggest worry is liking both schools so much and getting into both and having no clue how to choose between them (obviously this would be great and I don't want to sound like the douche that makes multiple acceptances an issue :laugh:).

My only other question, if you are able to answer it is how do their neurosurgery departments compare? I am pretty interested in neurosurgery, and though I am not naïve that this could change, I would probably explore that specialty as early as possible. Do you know either how they compare, where I can look for that information, or anyone that is at Loyola pursing that specialty and the support/guidance they are being given to be as competitive as possible for residency? I'm sure you are super busy so thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question! :)
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I am not interested in neurosurg but I know some that are. Recently the residency was in the top 50 (last year??) and now I think it is considered "high performing". This means our faculty are realitively well known. Pretty important come LOR time for residency. I know my buddies go to neurosurg grand rounds and have developed relationships with the department that stretch back to our first year. So, at the very least they are accessible. Coming to Stritch would put you on the right track for neurosurg if you are so inclined.
 
Goober11 said:
I am not interested in neurosurg but I know some that are. Recently the residency was in the top 50 (last year??) and now I think it is considered "high performing". This means our faculty are realitively well known. Pretty important come LOR time for residency. I know my buddies go to neurosurg grand rounds and have developed relationships with the department that stretch back to our first year. So, at the very least they are accessible. Coming to Stritch would put you on the right track for neurosurg if you are so inclined.
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Thanks so much for the info. I'm really excited to come interview!
 
Anyone have any news on the new research facility? I know Trinity is paying for half of the $150 million cost, but I'm wondering when it'll open up.
 
I interviewed here recently. They said that the next committee meeting is on March 18, so unfortunately we have a while to wait, but it was an incredible school. Some of the nicest facilities I've seen and very friendly student body.

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Marshm68 said:
I interviewed here recently. They said that the next committee meeting is on March 18, so unfortunately we have a while to wait, but it was an incredible school. Some of the nicest facilities I've seen and very friendly student body.

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Did they mention how they review applicants? Because I have an interview on March 9th and I'm wondering if everyone that interviewed before the 18th will be reviewed that day. I'm sure I may get an answer on the 9th but my curiosity is eager :D.
 
Akeelah Bee said:
Did they mention how they review applicants? Because I have an interview on March 9th and I'm wondering if everyone that interviewed before the 18th will be reviewed that day. I'm sure I may get an answer on the 9th but my curiosity is eager :D.
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They will tell you on your interview day what day you will be reviewed! I interviewed in late October and heard back in about 3 weeks! Hopefully you get a quick response too
 
wizedw said:
They will tell you on your interview day what day you will be reviewed! I interviewed in late October and heard back in about 3 weeks! Hopefully you get a quick response too
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That is an awesome turn around! Congrats and yes, hopefully I have a similar fate!
 
My status finally changed to "Your file has been reviewed...." I am currently on a similar "pre-interview hold" status at basically every school I applied to. I see that their interview season is until mid-April, does anyone know when they send out the last of the interview invites?
 
IrishCogs said:
My status finally changed to "Your file has been reviewed...." I am currently on a similar "pre-interview hold" status at basically every school I applied to. I see that their interview season is until mid-April, does anyone know when they send out the last of the interview invites?
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I called last Thursday and they said that if you hear, it'll be before march 1st
 
cinamin said:
blah. so no II by Friday = rejection?
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Sounds like that's the case, unless people they offer interviews to back out. I suspect there may be a handful of students who schedule to interview in March/April, hear back from another school, and cancel their interview date to open up the slot. Don't lose all hope quite yet!
 
pachewisc said:
Sounds like that's the case, unless people they offer interviews to back out. I suspect there may be a handful of students who schedule to interview in March/April, hear back from another school, and cancel their interview date to open up the slot. Don't lose all hope quite yet!
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Your avatar could not be more fitting.
 
pachewisc said:
Sounds like that's the case, unless people they offer interviews to back out. I suspect there may be a handful of students who schedule to interview in March/April, hear back from another school, and cancel their interview date to open up the slot. Don't lose all hope quite yet!
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I'm happy to hold on to glimmers of hope like this!
 
My file has been complete since mid-October. Every time I check the status, it says it's under review by the committee. I still haven't gotten an interview invite and it's been almost 4 1/2 months. Is anyone else in the same situation?
 
hemalata7 said:
My file has been complete since mid-October. Every time I check the status, it says it's under review by the committee. I still haven't gotten an interview invite and it's been almost 4 1/2 months. Is anyone else in the same situation?
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Yep- check out the posts on this page, a number of them are on the subject. It sounds like March, possibly as soon as Friday, is when to expect to hear something.

If all else fails, call the office of admissions and let us know what they tell you :naughty:
 
I was done around 3 if I remember correctly
 
markyb03 said:
Are you interviewing on weekday or Saturday? I interviewed on Saturday and was done around 1 I want to say. Pretty efficient interview day
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Weekday for me, do you think it could still be done that early?
 
Irish Football said:
Weekday for me, do you think it could still be done that early?
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It really depends on the schedule of your interviewers. I was on a weekday and had one morning and one afternoon interview. There's also a checkout process that takes 45 or so minutes. I was out by 3/3:30.
 
I'm really torn about whether to attend this interview. I've been accepted to my state school, Cincinnati, and would be thrilled to attend there. However, having attended a Jesuit undergrad, I'm really curious about Stritch (and the MD/MA in bioethics, the focus of my undergrad major)...especially because everybody seems to fall in love after they interview here. My deterrent is the extra debt I would incur. Any thoughts/advice?
 
kickster said:
I'm really torn about whether to attend this interview. I've been accepted to my state school, Cincinnati, and would be thrilled to attend there. However, having attended a Jesuit undergrad, I'm really curious about Stritch (and the MD/MA in bioethics, the focus of my undergrad major)...especially because everybody seems to fall in love after they interview here. My deterrent is the extra debt I would incur. Any thoughts/advice?
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I would say go to it. You don't want to go through life wondering "what if?" How expensive are we talking?
 
kickster said:
I'm really torn about whether to attend this interview. I've been accepted to my state school, Cincinnati, and would be thrilled to attend there. However, having attended a Jesuit undergrad, I'm really curious about Stritch (and the MD/MA in bioethics, the focus of my undergrad major)...especially because everybody seems to fall in love after they interview here. My deterrent is the extra debt I would incur. Any thoughts/advice?
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Go to the interview! If you get in, worry about all that stuff then.
 
kickster said:
I'm really torn about whether to attend this interview. I've been accepted to my state school, Cincinnati, and would be thrilled to attend there. However, having attended a Jesuit undergrad, I'm really curious about Stritch (and the MD/MA in bioethics, the focus of my undergrad major)...especially because everybody seems to fall in love after they interview here. My deterrent is the extra debt I would incur. Any thoughts/advice?
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I've interviewed at both schools, so I'll throw in my 2 cents. DISCLAIMER: these are only my opinions, not facts. Take them with a grain of salt.

As far as the Jesuit concept goes, I would describe it as a strong undertone that's present across and within the campus, hospital, staff, and physicians. Loyola seemed to be very driven to ensure their students learn to treat their patients not simply as a slab of meat with Disease A or Infection B, but as individuals in need of care. While many schools stress this in mainly Primary Care specialities, Loyola seems to have a genuine interest in ALL specialties applying this style of practicing medicine. I believe it is the Jesuit foundation that fuels this passion, and because of it Loyola (at least to me) is known for producing excellent, well-liked clinician physicians.

In terms of cost, (if it's significantly important to you) I suggest thinking about it not simply as 30k vs 45k or whatever it is, but as the "value per dollar". If one school costs, in total, 30% more than another school, to choose that school you'd expect >30% more value.

Now how you decide to quantify value is up to you. Think about what you want from a medical school by ranking importance (or lack there of) of: PBL, lots of research, lots of volunteering, a block curriculum, degrees offered, early clinical experiences, location, learning environment, hospital system, facilities, future location for residency, AOA, and so on and so forth.

Only you can decide what "value" means for your medical education.

Loyola is opening new research building, is near Chicago and multiple other medical schools, focuses on building strong clinicians, and offers the MD/MA. Cincinnati is cheaper, has a excellent Children's hospital, has a greater control of their "regional area", and is probably closer to your family. They seem to match up pretty equally in early clinical experiences, board scores, residency placements, amount of PBL, learning environment, and quality of facilities. Overall, only an interview at Loyola will let you know if my opinions listed in this paragraph are similar to your own.
 
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pachewisc said:
Loyola seemed to be very driven to ensure their students learn to treat their patients not simply as a slab of meat with Disease A or Infection B, but as individuals in need of care. While many schools stress this in mainly Primary Care specialities, Loyola seems to have a genuine interest in ALL specialties applying this style of practicing medicine.
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Big up to this. Primary care is great, but there is definitely more than one way to be a patient centered physician.
 
kickster said:
I'm really torn about whether to attend this interview. I've been accepted to my state school, Cincinnati, and would be thrilled to attend there. However, having attended a Jesuit undergrad, I'm really curious about Stritch (and the MD/MA in bioethics, the focus of my undergrad major)...especially because everybody seems to fall in love after they interview here. My deterrent is the extra debt I would incur. Any thoughts/advice?
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Definitely go! You never know when you might fall in love with a school. Any time or money you spend getting to the interview is insignificant compared to what you will pay to go to med school. It's important to choose the place that's right for you, so find out all you can!
 
vbgal41 said:
Definitely go! You never know when you might fall in love with a school. Any time or money you spend getting to the interview is insignificant compared to what you will pay to go to med school. It's important to choose the place that's right for you, so find out all you can!
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+1. If travel wouldn't be a huge burden why not? Honestly, Loyola jumped way up in my personal "rankings" after the interview. Very impressive school, facilities, and administration. I think Loyola is one of those schools that really wins over students on the interview day. My vote would be go for it.


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Thanks to everybody who responded, very helpful advice, especially pachewisc!! I was leaning towards going, and now I think I definitely will!
 
I was just called for an interview here this morning for next saturday!
 
Does anyone have any information about Loyola's merit-based scholarships?
 
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