2014-2015 Loyola University Chicago (Stritch) Application Thread

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Your friendly-neighborhood M1 here!

I can throw my 2-cents at your questions...

1. Most ppl stay close to campus during their pre-clinical years. My belief is that most ppl don't live in Maywood bc it's a small burb dominated by businesses and single-family homesView attachment 188267. It's no more dangerous than the other neighborhoods. A few native Chicagolanders choose to commute from home or live in the city proper.

2. I haven't heard any complaints about the facilities. We have a nice open school with lots of resources. Being located in the burbs is nice bc you can have the quiet and more space but you can go into the city anytime.

3. Covered parking is available for $230/ year (parking garage c on a campus map), free parking lots are a little farther if you so choose

4. Traffic isn't that bad! Ok, rush hours are bad-- especially with snow :/

5. Most classes are Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail (typically 90,80,70 scale); a few are just P/F (like patient-centered medicine). No curving = no competition!

Thanks so much for the info!
 
Was anyone interviewing in January able to get a student host? I've called and emailed the admissions office a few times but haven't heard back and I'm interviewing next week! I tried both before Christmas and this week
 
Your friendly-neighborhood M1 here!

I can throw my 2-cents at your questions...

1. Most ppl stay close to campus during their pre-clinical years. My belief is that most ppl don't live in Maywood bc it's a small burb dominated by businesses and single-family homesView attachment 188267. It's no more dangerous than the other neighborhoods. A few native Chicagolanders choose to commute from home or live in the city proper.

2. I haven't heard any complaints about the facilities. We have a nice open school with lots of resources. Being located in the burbs is nice bc you can have the quiet and more space but you can go into the city anytime.

3. Covered parking is available for $230/ year (parking garage c on a campus map), free parking lots are a little farther if you so choose

4. Traffic isn't that bad! Ok, rush hours are bad-- especially with snow :/

5. Most classes are Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail (typically 90,80,70 scale); a few are just P/F (like patient-centered medicine). No curving = no competition!
Thank you for the info! I'm interviewing next week and was wondering how students in nearby suburbs get to campus, is there a campus bus or is a car kind of necessary?
 
Thank you for the info! I'm interviewing next week and was wondering how students in nearby suburbs get to campus, is there a campus bus or is a car kind of necessary?
There is Pace (public transport) and a campus shuttle. Most ppl give in and get a car-- it is way more convenient (especially during the winter).

If you're still having trouble getting a student host, post on the 2019 fb page -- you can get to students directly (we can spread the word in 2018 fb page also).
 
1. Most ppl stay close to campus during their pre-clinical years. My belief is that most ppl don't live in Maywood bc it's a small burb dominated by businesses and single-family homesView attachment 188267. It's no more dangerous than the other neighborhoods. A few native Chicagolanders choose to commute from home or live in the city proper.

That might be why most Stritch students don't live in Maywood but it is still more dangerous than the more popular areas. Aggregate crime rate (which includes murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, and arson) for Maywood was 584 per 100,000 people in 2012. That's compared to 170 for River Forest, 227 for Oak Park, and 352 for Forest Park. It's a bit more dangerous.

Data from: http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Maywood-Illinois.html
 
That might be why most Stritch students don't live in Maywood but it is still more dangerous than the more popular areas. Aggregate crime rate (which includes murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, and arson) for Maywood was 584 per 100,000 people in 2012. That's compared to 170 for River Forest, 227 for Oak Park, and 352 for Forest Park. It's a bit more dangerous.

Data from: http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Maywood-Illinois.html
The downsides to stats are inherent biases and dynamic changes that occur...
So for example, these show that the crime index for Forest Park is 5, whereas Maywood is on par with Chicago at 11 (100 is the safest).

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/il/maywood/crime/
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/il/forest-park/crime/
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/il/chicago/crime/
 
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Regarding update letters post interview for alternate list candidates: How long should these updates be? How frequently should they be sent? I remember the dean saying that they really encouraged frequent updates, perhaps even monthly. I can't imagine that a monthly update Letter should be more than 250-500 words. Correct? .. I am particularly interested in hearing from current students.


Sent from my iPhone
 
I send an email three days ago regarding hopefully changing my interview date but no one has gotten back to me. Should I give the original scheduling number a call? >.<
 
There is Pace (public transport) and a campus shuttle. Most ppl give in and get a car-- it is way more convenient (especially during the winter).

If you're still having trouble getting a student host, post on the 2019 fb page -- you can get to students directly (we can spread the word in 2018 fb page also).
Thank you for your help, I heard back from admissions about a student host though. All you Stritch students are very sweet, I'm happy to get to interview here =)
 
There is Pace (public transport) and a campus shuttle. Most ppl give in and get a car-- it is way more convenient (especially during the winter).

If you're still having trouble getting a student host, post on the 2019 fb page -- you can get to students directly (we can spread the word in 2018 fb page also).

I asked about the host program earlier this week when I called but haven't heard back yet. My interview is coming up soon, so would you recommend posting on the 2019 page at this point?
 
I submitted an update pre-interview, but mine had confirmation of receipt right on the secondary portal. There's that list of dates (e.g. primary received, letters received, supplementary app received) and after submitting my update, an entry was added that said "Update submitted: [title of update]"

Thanks. I guess it didn't go through last time.
 
I asked about the host program earlier this week when I called but haven't heard back yet. My interview is coming up soon, so would you recommend posting on the 2019 page at this point?
Wouldn't hurt, right?
 
I asked about the host program earlier this week when I called but haven't heard back yet. My interview is coming up soon, so would you recommend posting on the 2019 page at this point?
Call them again, I hadn't heard back for a while and I asked them yesterday if they were sure there was no host available before I went to book a hotel room. I heard back pretty quickly after
 
We threw up a post about the hosting issue on the 2019 page just in case anyone needs to reach out.
 
FYI, spoke with the adcom this week. They've had staff turnover and are behind in the process. If you are still "under review" don't take it as a bad thing. She also said if you call on Thursdays and there has been a decision made, they would tell you.
 
FYI, spoke with the adcom this week. They've had staff turnover and are behind in the process. If you are still "under review" don't take it as a bad thing. She also said if you call on Thursdays and there has been a decision made, they would tell you.

"under review" pre-interview?

Edit: just looked back a few posts and saw you are pre-interview as well. Thank you for the info and best of luck to you!
 
"under review" pre-interview?
Correct. Without revealing too much, I've been "Under Review" since later summer. They looked at my file and told me I hadn't been reviewed yet. The woman on the phone was going make a note on my file to be reviewed soon since it had been so long.
 
Correct. Without revealing too much, I've been "Under Review" since later summer. They looked at my file and told me I hadn't been reviewed yet. The woman on the phone was going make a note on my file to be reviewed soon since it had been so long.

Maybe I should pay them a call as well... I've been under review since the end of August.
 
Correct. Without revealing too much, I've been "Under Review" since later summer. They looked at my file and told me I hadn't been reviewed yet. The woman on the phone was going make a note on my file to be reviewed soon since it had been so long.
This is so weird to me. I've been complete and under review since late August. It's weird that they wouldn't have reviewed those earlier applications but reviewed later ones...
 
This is so weird to me. I've been complete and under review since late August. It's weird that they wouldn't have reviewed those earlier applications but reviewed later ones...
I only claim to know what they told me. Does that mean they never reviewed my file to date or does that mean they have initially reviewed it but haven't made a decision yet? All I know is that the woman said they would make a note to make sure that I would be reviewed.

I am a sample set of one, more data needed. Someone should reach out next Thursday and ask about their status.
 
I only claim to know what they told me. Does that mean they never reviewed my file to date or does that mean they have initially reviewed it but haven't made a decision yet? All I know is that the woman said they would make a note to make sure that I would be reviewed.

I am a sample set of one, more data needed. Someone should reach out next Thursday and ask about their status.
+1
I've also been completed here since August 24th, but my file is still "under review". I might call them on Monday.
 
I'll call on Thursday as well and report back, complete and "under review" since end of August.
 
Anyone who has been accepted know what Loyola's next communication will be? I sent in the paper to hold my spot. Since then all I've gotten was financial aid things.
 
Anyone who has been accepted know what Loyola's next communication will be? I sent in the paper to hold my spot. Since then all I've gotten was financial aid things.

Same here and I was accepted early. Perhaps current students can chime in on what their experience was with this?
 
Same here and I was accepted early. Perhaps current students can chime in on what their experience was with this?
I was accepted in October last year and got silence until late Jan/early Feb about financial aid stuff. Then it's second look in April... Then final decision in May.
Once you make your final decision, things go REALLY fast: you needa get all your immunizations done, accept/sign fin aid docs etc.

I used the time between communications to talk to current students in terms of prep... tried out different technologies and looked into different methods of studying.

Don't worry! You are important to the school so you will not be left hanging. It just makes more sense to send out communications all at once vs in waves of acceptances.
 
I called last Friday and got the same response! Did they give you a time frame?
Praying for good news iA.
I praying for good news too! And they didn't give me a time frame. From what I read earlier in this thread they send out decisions 48-72 hours after the committee meeting and it varies when they reach you in the mail (from what I've seen some received it about a week or so later after they were told it was sent). The wait is killing me but hopefully in the next couple of days it'll be here. I'll def let you know when I hear something back.
 
I was accepted in October last year and got silence until late Jan/early Feb about financial aid stuff. Then it's second look in April... Then final decision in May.
Once you make your final decision, things go REALLY fast: you needa get all your immunizations done, accept/sign fin aid docs etc.

I used the time between communications to talk to current students in terms of prep... tried out different technologies and looked into different methods of studying.

Don't worry! You are important to the school so you will not be left hanging. It just makes more sense to send out communications all at once vs in waves of acceptances.

Thanks for your response! That is kind of what I was expecting. Will we get more information on second look as it gets closer?
 
I was accepted here on 1/5 and was wondering whether anyone who is currently attending can give me an idea of what the second look day schedule is like. Sorry if this was already asked
 
I was accepted here on 1/5 and was wondering whether anyone who is currently attending can give me an idea of what the second look day schedule is like. Sorry if this was already asked

Hey, I'm an M4 who is generally pretty involved with second look. The usual breakdown is you get an overview of who we are (you already got some of this) and what it would be like to be a student at Stritch. The later is supplemented with panels and presentations from our current students. If you brought your folks you eventually split off for "students only" and "family only" sessions. I've been on the parent panel and it's really a riot. I had one parent ask about # of single students at Loyola for his daughter. Classic. Anyways, we feed you in our sick nasty gym and, you'll have students, staff, faculty and maybe even your interviewers come by and say hello. Then, back to the atrium for ice cream.

All that said, now that I am nearing the end of my medical school training I would do Stritch all over again. I love it here. I'll miss it when I leave and if you have the time please come to the second look on April 10th. 👍

PS: All this nonsense about Maywood being unsafe isn't something you should factor into attending Loyola. 99.5% of students don't live there and you don't drive through it to get to school. I only ever HAVE to go deep into Maywood do deal with effing Comcast.
 
Hey, I'm an M4 who is generally pretty involved with second look. The usual breakdown is you get an overview of who we are (you already got some of this) and what it would be like to be a student at Stritch. The later is supplemented with panels and presentations from our current students. If you brought your folks you eventually split off for "students only" and "family only" sessions. I've been on the parent panel and it's really a riot. I had one parent ask about # of single students at Loyola for his daughter. Classic. Anyways, we feed you in our sick nasty gym and, you'll have students, staff, faculty and maybe even your interviewers come by and say hello. Then, back to the atrium for ice cream.

All that said, now that I am nearing the end of my medical school training I would do Stritch all over again. I love it here. I'll miss it when I leave and if you have the time please come to the second look on April 10th. 👍

PS: All this nonsense about Maywood being unsafe isn't something you should factor into attending Loyola. 99.5% of students don't live there and you don't drive through it to get to school. I only ever HAVE to go deep into Maywood do deal with effing Comcast.
Do you have insight about how the alternate list works for students here?
 
+1
I've also been completed here since August 24th, but my file is still "under review". I might call them on Monday.

I'll call on Thursday as well and report back, complete and "under review" since end of August.

Thanks! I'm in the same boat!

Just called, they were very nice but basically just told me my application was complete and that it has not been reviewed yet. She said that they are added to the review "pile" as they are completed and that there is no telling when any given application will be reviewed. I was hoping for a mention of "adding a note to review soon" like the previous caller on this thread, but no such luck. Just have to sit and wait some more.

I've been complete and "under review" since end of August.
 
Just called, they were very nice but basically just told me my application was complete and that it has not been reviewed yet. She said that they are added to the review "pile" as they are completed and that there is no telling when any given application will be reviewed. I was hoping for a mention of "adding a note to review soon" like the previous caller on this thread, but no such luck. Just have to sit and wait some more.

I've been complete and "under review" since end of August.
So how have people complete after us been reviewed then? Confusing :-/
 
So how have people complete after us been reviewed then? Confusing :-/

According to AMCAS, schools can filter applications by any selection criteria, including specific types of ECs, grades, MCAT score etc. Since loyola-stritch seems to carefully select their applicants for interviews, I'm guessing they don't go by date of submission and instead focus on the aspects of applicants that fit their mission. That would explain why so many people have been reviewed out of order.

Don't lose hope! I am positive that receiving an II from loyola-stritch will feel that much sweeter for you when you least suspect it!
 
My application was reviewed back in the fall and I submitted an update in late December. Does anyone know if I should expect a status change or anything? The update was confirmed as received online.
 
@M12B @reapplicanthelpme2014
Try sending in more updates as well to get them to notice your application/leave a good impression when they do review it. Once you receive an II, the portal doesn't let you upload any updates, regardless of how many you previously sent (do you regain this option post-interview?!) Thus it's better to use up your 3 chances now as opposed to never. I'm rooting for you guys!

@frenvedd
Your status on the portal doesn't change when you upload an update. Only the date it was received is posted.
 
Received an II here today, and I am very excited to visit Loyola! Submitted September. They said I could come tomorrow for an interview, but given that I live hundreds of miles away and have to work today...that sadly seemed like an unrealistic goal for me so I chose a slightly later date. 🙂
Saturday interview?
 
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