2015-2016 Loma Linda University Application Thread
Started by On Eagle's Wings
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good to finally see some action here! congrats
Can you tell me when your interview is?
I have to call tomorrow to find out the dates that are available. I'll let you know then.
Congratulations!
Hopefully we'll begin seeing some action for everyone else soon. The non-SDA's will usually be notified shortly after the SDA's. Today is a Monday, and for the record I am non SDA and got my II on Tuesday. Maybe tomorrow is the day...
The II are going out slightly later than last year's-this is about 2 weeks later than last year.
Hopefully we'll begin seeing some action for everyone else soon. The non-SDA's will usually be notified shortly after the SDA's. Today is a Monday, and for the record I am non SDA and got my II on Tuesday. Maybe tomorrow is the day...
The II are going out slightly later than last year's-this is about 2 weeks later than last year.
This is the case with almost all med schools. To maximize efficiency, they divide everyone into 2 groups. This is probably so that they can use the same interviewers over again.
Oh ok, this was the first school that gave me the option of choosing which interviewing time I preferred. Pretty cool!
Interesting, because every single one of my interviews gave me a choice of early or later.
I will be posting some info about interview day at LLU, but that will have to wait until Golden weekend. Test week is next week, and we are drowning in material.
Did you get your II through email? Or postal mail?
Its through email
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SDA? non-SDA?
Hey, everyone! I am waiting (more like compusively checking my email) for an II, but just realized I never got a completion email (although on 9/6 they sent an email that shows that everything has been submitted). I turned in my secondary 9/4. Should I be concerned?
I'd also like to know my chances of acceptance. My stats aren't fantastic, so I'm worried I don't have much of a chance. MCAT was 31, undergrad science GPA was a little under 3.3, undergrad total GPA was 3.5. I also am finishing a master's degree with sci GPA 2.7 (it's a degree in Food Science, and many of the classes, although they were science classes, did not count toward my sci GPA... With the exception of two really difficult electives, of course) and 3.5 total. Non-SDA Christian from a religious school for both undergrad and grad.
I'd really love to attend LLU. The more I learn and hear about the school, the more I believe it would be a great fit. But with that desire grows terrible anxiety that I'm not up to par with their expectations as an applicant. Does anyone have advice/input/comforting words/chocolate for me? 😉 Thanks, all!
I'd also like to know my chances of acceptance. My stats aren't fantastic, so I'm worried I don't have much of a chance. MCAT was 31, undergrad science GPA was a little under 3.3, undergrad total GPA was 3.5. I also am finishing a master's degree with sci GPA 2.7 (it's a degree in Food Science, and many of the classes, although they were science classes, did not count toward my sci GPA... With the exception of two really difficult electives, of course) and 3.5 total. Non-SDA Christian from a religious school for both undergrad and grad.
I'd really love to attend LLU. The more I learn and hear about the school, the more I believe it would be a great fit. But with that desire grows terrible anxiety that I'm not up to par with their expectations as an applicant. Does anyone have advice/input/comforting words/chocolate for me? 😉 Thanks, all!
I still haven't heard anything.
Gasp!
An email from LLU!
Subject Line: "Sun, surf, sand, and snow"
...what a tease...
The wait continues! 🙂
An email from LLU!
Subject Line: "Sun, surf, sand, and snow"
...what a tease...
The wait continues! 🙂
I got that as well. The Good Samaritan
Quick question, do you think it would be advantageous to submit a letter from a Catholic Priest who has known me for 3 years to LLU? If I hurry, I could probably make him write a letter and send it over in about 2 weeks. Would it help or no big difference because I'm not SDA?
A letter from clergy would help your application. LLU recommends having a letter from a clergy member, whether or not you are SDA. Especially if he has known you for three years and if he can write you a strong letter, this could help.
Timing wise, it is a bit late though. LLU does not accept letters sent to the school directly. I am not exactly sure how you would add a letter of rec this late in the process.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I could get in AMCAS letter and send it to LLU, but it would take at least 2 weeks. Just want to maximize my chances here.
Mine were both by faculty. Generally, it is conducted by faculty (as reported by most people), but there have been a few people who reported student interviewers. I think interviews conducted by med students are rarer here, though.
I've been complete for quite a while and I decided to add one more letter through AMCAS. It didn't take very long to process once my recommender submitted the letter. It don't think it can hurt, only help.
Congratulations!
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Congrats! When were you complete?
I got an email from Loma Linda last night, but it wasn't an II, just something about interprofessional learning. Shoot!
Thanks! Submitted everything on 8/12 and got an email saying my recommendations were complete last Thursday.
Congrats!! GPA + MCAT?
They have a lot of these......
Same! Non-SDA Christian. Tried calling during my lunch break but it's their lunch break too xD Excited! Submitted 9/4, notified complete 10/22, and LM 77
Never mind. The letter was just sent a while ago so I didn't see it. Was complete 2 months ago. Still nothing 🙁 (non-SDA)
Same here, complete since 9/4. I'm fairly certain non-SDAs without LoRs from a clergy member drop right to the bottom of the stack =/
"This is to advise that all of your recommendations have been received and your file is now complete.
When your file has been reviewed, you will be notified of our decision by postal mail."
Does this mean I'm supposed to expect an interview invite to come through the mail if I do receive one? I understand most are notified by email, but curious as to why they would write this
When your file has been reviewed, you will be notified of our decision by postal mail."
Does this mean I'm supposed to expect an interview invite to come through the mail if I do receive one? I understand most are notified by email, but curious as to why they would write this
Zero idea... The only thing they send by postal mail is final decisions. A large Manila envelope vs. a small white envelope.
Have you received the emailed titled "Recommendations?" If not, it's possible that the admissions office is in the process of processing (for lack of a better word) your letters.
I think it just means final decisions will be notified through postal mail.
That's odd. I got an email saying all my emails were in but it's subject header wasn't that. So confused. I am sending them a new clergy letter though. I'll give them a call in a week to make sure everything is there.
OMG II! Non-SDA, but Christian and definitely alluded to that. Fell out of it and stopped going to church once I moved away from home but...have been trying to get involved again and definitely feel myself fitting in here. Excited 🙂
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To everyone who has received an II so far: first, CONGRATS! Second, did you guys have a letter from clergy/church faculty?
I don't have a letter (I go to a megachurch) but I have a ton of church/Christian-related ECs so I'm wondering if I still have a decent chance :I
I don't have a letter (I go to a megachurch) but I have a ton of church/Christian-related ECs so I'm wondering if I still have a decent chance :I
I got an interview invite as well, and NO, I do not have a letter from any Christian group leader, all my letters are from professors and one work supervisor.
A big congratulations to everyone who has received interview invites from Loma Linda. Last year, they told us that they interview around 400 people for the 168 seats. An interview invite means you are now being seriously considered for the class of 2020, and you now want to use this II to make a good, solid impression that you are a good fit for our school.
Interviews here are done one-on-one with a faculty member. Each interview last 30-45 minutes. The faculty are a mix of clinical faculty or faculty that teach basic science courses. You may be interviewed by a practicing physician, or a phD that teaches physiology. The interviews are completely open-file, meaning they can see everything in your file, including GPA, MCAT, activities, and personal statement.
That being said, here are some tips based on my own interview experience for doing well on interview day.
-Have a good answer for the "Tell me about yourself" and "Why Loma Linda?" questions. Even if the interview is open-file, they still like to know about you.
-Be able to really articulate why you want to go to Loma Limda.
-Know you application inside out! They love to ask questions about things in your application that strike their fancy. One of my interviewers simply pulled out my application with random notes and marks next to what looked like every other paragraph and proceeded to ask me questions about them.
-Have a few well-thought out questions about LLU to ask at the end of the interview. They will almost always ask you if you have any questions. You may want to ask curriculum-related questions to academic faculty and clinical-related questions to the clinical faculty. (I tried asking a question about medical missions to an academic faculty member, and that didn't really work).
-Be prepared for the weather here. During my interview day in December last year, it was over 80 degrees and everyone was sweating inside their suits. On the other hand, it is 60s during the days right now, and it is only early November. Yes, we are closer to the beach than a lot of other schools, but we are still fairly inland at the base of mountains, and the weathercan get a little crazy even if it is SoCal. Something to take into account when packing to go to LLU if you are out of state...
-The interviews are conducted in different buildings depending on who you are interviewing with. They will give you a map with the buildings and room numbers for the offices of your faculty interviewers marked on it, and they will give you some directions, but it may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with a map of the campus buildings.
-Lunch is delicious vegetarian food.
-Take advantage of the student host program if you want to save money on interview costs. Information on that should have been included in your interview confirmation.
That is all I can think of for now. Feel free to message me or post a reply if you have any questions.
Interviews here are done one-on-one with a faculty member. Each interview last 30-45 minutes. The faculty are a mix of clinical faculty or faculty that teach basic science courses. You may be interviewed by a practicing physician, or a phD that teaches physiology. The interviews are completely open-file, meaning they can see everything in your file, including GPA, MCAT, activities, and personal statement.
That being said, here are some tips based on my own interview experience for doing well on interview day.
-Have a good answer for the "Tell me about yourself" and "Why Loma Linda?" questions. Even if the interview is open-file, they still like to know about you.
-Be able to really articulate why you want to go to Loma Limda.
-Know you application inside out! They love to ask questions about things in your application that strike their fancy. One of my interviewers simply pulled out my application with random notes and marks next to what looked like every other paragraph and proceeded to ask me questions about them.
-Have a few well-thought out questions about LLU to ask at the end of the interview. They will almost always ask you if you have any questions. You may want to ask curriculum-related questions to academic faculty and clinical-related questions to the clinical faculty. (I tried asking a question about medical missions to an academic faculty member, and that didn't really work).
-Be prepared for the weather here. During my interview day in December last year, it was over 80 degrees and everyone was sweating inside their suits. On the other hand, it is 60s during the days right now, and it is only early November. Yes, we are closer to the beach than a lot of other schools, but we are still fairly inland at the base of mountains, and the weathercan get a little crazy even if it is SoCal. Something to take into account when packing to go to LLU if you are out of state...
-The interviews are conducted in different buildings depending on who you are interviewing with. They will give you a map with the buildings and room numbers for the offices of your faculty interviewers marked on it, and they will give you some directions, but it may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with a map of the campus buildings.
-Lunch is delicious vegetarian food.
-Take advantage of the student host program if you want to save money on interview costs. Information on that should have been included in your interview confirmation.
That is all I can think of for now. Feel free to message me or post a reply if you have any questions.
