The ranking has to do with NIH research funding, not necessarily how good the school is. That's not to say that Loyola doesn't have research opportunities available (quite the opposite actually), but Loyola definitely doesn't get nearly as much NIH funding as other ranked schools do. That being said, there are many doctors that have NIH funding at Loyola, and many projects are also funded privately, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Now if you are planning to go into academic medicine, that's where attending big name schools/ranked schools might be worth looking into (that wasn't the case for me). When I was applying, I was told that majority of the US MD schools will have very similar if not the same curriculum, so it's important to find a place where you fit in. No matter where you graduate from, you will be a doctor, so focus on things that you think you need from a school in order to succeed. For me, that was a community like environment, faculty and staff that are supportive and approachable, opportunities for community involvement, and lots of shadowing and research opportunities---all things that Loyola has to offer. At the end of the day, you have to decide what's important to you, and if investing a few hundred dollars for the plane ride there is worth it to see what Loyola has to offer. In my opinion, unless you're sitting on a few acceptances to schools that you would pick over Loyola in a heartbeat, I would go to the interview and see what Loyola is all about. What's a few hundred dollars in the grand scheme of things? 😉