2018-2019 Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

[irishRN2doc]

I would estimate your living expenses as well. The 86k would be if you took your full PLUS loan out which definitely is not smart. I’m hoping to be around 65-70k after everything (living expenses, personal, etc).

Tuition and fees are going to be just over 60k. Not trying to be confrontational at all, I am just referencing the previous class breakdown of costs on the Stritch FAQ page (Tuition & Fees ~59k, Health Insurance ~3k). If you have some pro tips on how to budget that, maybe we can all benefit. Med school is expensive and it's stressful to think about how to make it all work financially.

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[gracesalt]

I don't think there were 299 people who accepted a spot, but rather 299 people that were offered acceptance from the school (usually ~x2 the number of offers than matriculants is pretty typical). There will probably be movement when the "commit to enroll" function becomes available soon

Ouch. Not looking good for us waitlisters

 

[Freddywap]

I would estimate your living expenses as well. The 86k would be if you took your full PLUS loan out which definitely is not smart. I’m hoping to be around 65-70k after everything (living expenses, personal, etc).

Can you elaborate on the second sentence please? not too familiar with how loans work

 

[cke11]

Tuition and fees are going to be just over 60k. Not trying to be confrontational at all, I am just referencing the previous class breakdown of costs on the Stritch FAQ page (Tuition & Fees ~59k, Health Insurance ~3k). If you have some pro tips on how to budget that, maybe we can all benefit. Med school is expensive and it's stressful to think about how to make it all work financially.

No worries at all about being confrontational it’s a fair question. I am under 25 so I will not be using the 3k of health insurance as I’m going to stay on my parents. For housing I’m hoping to spend 6k total for the year not ~13k as the recommend. I’m not planning on buying any books or worrying about those fees so that knocks about 2k more off, just going to use PDFs handed down from upper class men or older versions of textbooks. From what I can remember that’s the majority of the costs on the financial aid page. So 60k + living expenses + wiggle room for missing things will hopefully put me at around 70 or a little over.

 

[cke11]

Can you elaborate on the second sentence please? not too familiar with how loans work

For my financial aid package I was given scholarship + unsubsidized and subsidized loans (which is going to cover tuition) + a Grad PLUS loan. So the grad plus loan covers any other expenses (living, personal, fees, whatever). They give you a maximum amount you can take out. If I took out the 40k maximum that would put my total loans (including the subsidized and unsubsidized) at 83k. You definitely do not need to take out the entire Grad PLUS loan and the fin aid also recommended only take out what you need. The PLUS loan is basically a maximum allotment allowed for the academic year and med students and residents I’ve talked with said you can take X amount out and if you need more you can take more out throughout the year. So when the fin aid office gives an estimate of 86k that is on the very high end and if you can budget you can take costs down.

 

[B4y 4RE4 N4Tiv3]

For my financial aid package I was given scholarship + unsubsidized and subsidized loans (which is going to cover tuition) + a Grad PLUS loan. So the grad plus loan covers any other expenses (living, personal, fees, whatever). They give you a maximum amount you can take out. If I took out the 40k maximum that would put my total loans (including the subsidized and unsubsidized) at 83k. You definitely do not need to take out the entire Grad PLUS loan and the fin aid also recommended only take out what you need. The PLUS loan is basically a maximum allotment allowed for the academic year and med students and residents I’ve talked with said you can take X amount out and if you need more you can take more out throughout the year. So when the fin aid office gives an estimate of 86k that is on the very high end and if you can budget you can take costs down.

You're able to get subsidized loans as a grad student?!?!?!

 

[cke11]

You're able to get subsidized loans as a grad student?!?!?!

I’m sorry no that’s false lmao. Both of mine are unsubsidized but two different types.

 

[ick19]

I wonder when CC folks will be contacted...?

 

[svk7]

I wonder when CC folks will be contacted...?

Based on prior years' threads, it seems like CC folks get placed on a formal waitlist around May 10th. Admissions pulls people from the waitlist (hopefully this year, a lot...) until the week before classes (although last year they mentioned they brought someone in the week of orientation or class because of a weird circumstance).

 

[1234593803-00]

So has anyone been waitlisted yet, or is everyone still waiting on CC?

 

[gains.anatomy]

So has anyone been waitlisted yet, or is everyone still waiting on CC?

think we'll get moved to waitlist in May right?

 

[dancingdoc5]

I've been accepted at Loyola and I'm deciding between Loyola and another school and I'm having a hard time choosing. I think my gut is saying Loyola, but I'm nervous about a few things.

Firstly, I'm not religious so I'm wondering if I'll feel out of place. I asked my tour guide about this on my interview day and he said he isn't religious either and it doesn't affect him much. I'm very supportive of women's reproductive rights so I'm nervous about butting heads with my classmates or even patients. Can anyone who is non-religious speak to their experience at Loyola? Are you comfortable? Do you feel like you're missing anything from your education because of it? Are your classmates/mentors/faculty supportive of your belief in women's reproductive rights?

Does anyone know the average Step 1 score?

Does anyone have a copy of the 2019 Match List they can share?

It sounds like a few deans left recently to pursue positions at other institutions. Is this something to worry about?

Overall, I was really impressed with Loyola when I visited for interview day and second look. It feels like a great community and I love how there are so many non-traditional students like me! I want to trust my gut and commit, but I'm hoping maybe someone can comment on some of my questions to help me feel better about this decision. Thanks!

 

[Stellaartwa]

I've been accepted at Loyola and I'm deciding between Loyola and another school and I'm having a hard time choosing. I think my gut is saying Loyola, but I'm nervous about a few things.

How funny you wrote this today. I have been pondering all of this (even how the religious aspect will affect my education) all day long trying to reach a final decision. I have found a couple of super old posts saying that the Jesuits are much more liberal than other orders so we should get a very comprehensive education but then I found an old post or two saying that in clinic the students couldn't counsel patients on certain types of birth control etc due to Loyola being a catholic institution. That freaked me out to say the least. I would LOVE a current student to weigh in on this!

 

[Cardiolover11]

I was also deciding between Loyola and other schools. I trusted my gut and picked Loyola. At other second look days I just kept thinking about how happy I was on campus at Loyola and how kind everyone was. I see more of the benefit in the religious component. I am not catholic, but I believe the religious component shapes the mission and the type of physician they want us to become. I only see the religous component benefitting your education and experience. Step 1 score is not a helpful tool to pick a medical school because that usually correlates with MCAT scores admitted anyway. I would worry about opportunities for Step like the dedicated study time and resources available at the school. If you reach out they will email you the match list. I know that one of the deans moved to California, but I don't think this reflects on Loyola Stritch at all. I felt how you did. I trusted my gut, committed to Loyola this week, and am beyond excited!

 

[deleted773031]

I'm not a current student, but I had similar concerns. The following info I'm providing is what I learned by talking to current students during second look day:

I am of a completely different religion, and I felt very welcome and comfortable at Loyola. There are various student orgs for students of different religions. If you are not religious at all, the religion is not incorporated into the curriculum at all from what I gathered from the current students. The only "required" religious component is a class called Catholic bioethics, which touches on Jesuit values, many of which transcend religion.

I do not know the average Step score, but the 2019 match list was posted on the office of admissions' door during second look day. I believe you could also email the ssom email, and they will send it to you. To me, it looked very impressive. From what I can remember, there were 5-7 ortho matches, 3 derm matches, 3+ optho matches, 3+ ENT matches, etc. Sorry I can't tell you the exact numbers but I remember being very impressed! They also had a good mix of academic and community programs with prestigious names in there. 50-60% matches in the midwest, 20% in the west coast, etc.

I can't speak on the women's health component, but I can say that matches into OB/GYN were prevalent. I want to say that the highest percentage of match was into primary care (including internal medicine), then emergency medicine, then OB/GYN, etc.

What I know about the dean leaving was that she was originally from California and has wanted to move back for some time. I believe that UC Riverside offered her an employment package that was hard to turn down. Her reasons for leaving were personal (wanting to be back in Cali) as opposed to anything having to do with Loyola.

Hope this helps - again, I am NOT a current student. Just an applicant like you who asked a ton of questions during second look lol. You can PM me if you need more info, I was also deciding between 3 schools and am going with Loyola.

I've been accepted at Loyola and I'm deciding between Loyola and another school and I'm having a hard time choosing. I think my gut is saying Loyola, but I'm nervous about a few things.

Firstly, I'm not religious so I'm wondering if I'll feel out of place. I asked my tour guide about this on my interview day and he said he isn't religious either and it doesn't affect him much. I'm very supportive of women's reproductive rights so I'm nervous about butting heads with my classmates or even patients. Can anyone who is non-religious speak to their experience at Loyola? Are you comfortable? Do you feel like you're missing anything from your education because of it? Are your classmates/mentors/faculty supportive of your belief in women's reproductive rights?

Does anyone know the average Step 1 score?

Does anyone have a copy of the 2019 Match List they can share?

It sounds like a few deans left recently to pursue positions at other institutions. Is this something to worry about?

Overall, I was really impressed with Loyola when I visited for interview day and second look. It feels like a great community and I love how there are so many non-traditional students like me! I want to trust my gut and commit, but I'm hoping maybe someone can comment on some of my questions to help me feel better about this decision. Thanks!

 

[dancingdoc5]

Hope this helps - again, I am NOT a current student. Just an applicant like you who asked a ton of questions during second look lol. You can PM me if you need more info, I was also deciding between 3 schools and am going with Loyola.

Thank you this was very helpful! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with these concerns. I think it speaks volumes that there have been multiple of us with similar concerns and yet our guts still say Loyola!

 

[MKO]

From 2018 Match-

5 derm
1 neurosurgery
2 optho
4 ortho
4 ENT
3 plastics
1 urology

that's about 11% of the class matching into very competitive specialties. and was choosing between 3 schools and chose Loyola.

 

[svk7]

Generally 40-50% match into Primary Care:

https://ssom.luc.edu/media/stritchschoolofmedicine/admission/documents/SSOM18-04%20Stritch%20Spring%20appeal%20match%20day%20fact%20sheet-r2.pdf

 

[mrectenw]

Hi all, I am looking for a comprehensive list of where SSOM students do their clerkships. Has anyone found this?

 

[PapaMuntz]

For the record the previous dean's departure was not as mutual as a previous poster made it seem, obviously a Dean of Admissions leaving mid-cycle is unusual. She may have wanted to return to California, but I have multiple family and friends who are SSOM alumni/faculty/students and it seems like she was pressured to leave because many alumni disapproved of certain practices by admissions under her watch. Specifically, they felt certain racial groups were being held to higher admissions standards than others who were getting in due to their ethnicity. Many took particular issue with the large cohort of DACA students admitted to SSOM (1/3 of all DACA med students go to Loyola). Whatever the objection, many alumni vocalized their discontent and said they would no longer be supporting the school.

The former dean weighed in on this herself in an open letter to SSOM alumni, linked below. Interesting that it was published last October, just 1-2 months before she left Loyola in December. You can give it a read and draw your own conclusions about the situation, just want people to be properly informed.

A Response to Alumni Disappointed in Stritch’s Support for DACA

By Sunny Nakae In May the Stritch alumni magazine published a cover feature article about our first cohort of DACA recipients admitted to the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine an…

reflectivemeded.org

 

[svk7]

anyone here choose loyola over their state school? if so, what was your rationale behind your choice? Thanks for the help!

And conversely, for those who chose their state/other school over Loyola, why?

 

[cke11]

2019 Match List
3 Derm
2 Neurosurgery
4 Optho
6 Ortho
4 ENT
1 Urology

As well as a match in gen surg at Mass Gen.

I was worried about being limited in specialties coming to Loyola but that absolutely does not seem like the case and they are matching into the best of the best in those respective fields. I have the rest of the 2019 list if anyone wants any ideas about anything.

 

[Stellaartwa]

And conversely, for those who chose their state/other school over Loyola, why?

For what it's worth, I am 85% sure I'm going to chose my state school over Loyola no matter how much it hurts my heart. Reason? There are 80,000 of them at 7.8% interest.

ETA: I sound glib but I am really heartbroken over this decision!

 

[svk7]

For what it's worth, I am 85% sure I'm going to chose my state school over Loyola no matter how much it hurts my heart. Reason? There are 80,000 of them at 7.8% interest.

ETA: I sound glib but I am really heartbroken over this decision!

/

 

[svk7]

On a similar note, I would advise everyone jumping the gun on planning out on the financial side of things to take a look at this post:

 

[Cardiolover11]

On a similar note, I would advise everyone jumping the gun on planning out on the financial side of things to take a look at this post:
View attachment 258307

This is very informative! I would not have been very happy at my state school and received a scholarship that made Loyola better financially. If you would be happy and be able to save a lot of money then I could see picking the state school. I know that my cost of attendance will be much less than 80,000 with a good scholarship and keeping my cost of living under 1000 a month.

 

[pieceofmeat96]

This is very informative! I would not have been very happy at my state school and received a scholarship that made Loyola better financially. If you would be happy and be able to save a lot of money then I could see picking the state school. I know that my cost of attendance will be much less than 80,000 with a good scholarship and keeping my cost of living under 1000 a month.

If you don't mind me asking, how much was your scholarship and your resulting CoA? I'm also debating between Loyola and my state school.

 

[Neoneji123]

Going to be honest guys, don't let cost be a deterrent. I had some time to think about this and spoke with each of my school's financial aid office. It's not as bad once you speak to their financial aid office and they break it down for you. You can easily pay this off within 5 years once you're done with training. If you intend on going into primary care, most places now offer sign on bonuses to pay off most of your loans. In general, you can find many programs that will offer to pay a large lump sum of your loans when you sign on. Also there's various gov't assistance programs you can do, such as working in underserved for a couple years and have your loans forgiven.


The difference between attending here and one of my state schools was about a 100k. That's a large amount, but when I consider where I am happier, it's loyola. Their clinical facilities are also superior. Greater name recognition. Also don't just look at two schools and see that they match evenly, it's where they match that matters. Loyola student tend to match into strong hospital systems. Their faculty are also better connected than my state school in getting you into top notch internships and programs. I met a student who is doing a research this summer at yale because a faculty picked up the phone and made a call. These types of connections are priceless. The truth is that in comparison to my state school, the faculty at loyola are better connected/recognized.

In terms of their clinical rotations, stronger. Students are easily able to email any physician and shadow them. I felt that with my state school which isn't well known, it was harder to do that.

Their school also does offer up a lot of scholarships and I've heard many students get awarded money throughout their years. If you live within your means, you can graduate with <300k debt here.

I'm not saying to not go for the "cheapest" school, but having these types of connections does come with a price. This is your career, and you want to make sure you set yourself up with a school that will give you the best opportunities possible.

 

[Cardiolover11]

Going to be honest guys, don't let cost be a deterrent. I had some time to think about this and spoke with each of my school's financial aid office. It's not as bad once you speak to their financial aid office and they break it down for you. You can easily pay this off within 5 years once you're done with training. If you intend on going into primary care, most places now offer sign on bonuses to pay off most of your loans. In general, you can find many programs that will offer to pay a large lump sum of your loans when you sign on. Also there's various gov't assistance programs you can do, such as working in underserved for a couple years and have your loans forgiven.


The difference between attending here and one of my state schools was about a 100k. That's a large amount, but when I consider where I am happier, it's loyola. Their clinical facilities are also superior. Greater name recognition. Also don't just look at two schools and see that they match evenly, it's where they match that matters. Loyola student tend to match into strong hospital systems. Their faculty are also better connected than my state school in getting you into top notch internships and programs. I met a student who is doing a research this summer at yale because a faculty picked up the phone and made a call. These types of connections are priceless. The truth is that in comparison to my state school, the faculty at loyola are better connected/recognized.

In terms of their clinical rotations, stronger. Students are easily able to email any physician and shadow them. I felt that with my state school which isn't well known, it was harder to do that.

Their school also does offer up a lot of scholarships and I've heard many students get awarded money throughout their years. If you live within your means, you can graduate with <300k debt here.

I'm not saying to not go for the "cheapest" school, but having these types of connections does come with a price. This is your career, and you want to make sure you set yourself up with a school that will give you the best opportunities possible.

So many great points!! I recommend the White Coat Investor too it is a great book about medical school debt and overall financial advice. I felt overwhelmed initially with the debt burden, but I am confident that I can live frugally, make payments during residency, and pay off my loans quickly with the financial sacrifice those first 5 years to avoid insane interest.

 

[fhcdiver23]

Any cc movement?

 

[Neoneji123]

So many great points!! I recommend the White Coat Investor too it is a great book about medical school debt and overall financial advice. I felt overwhelmed initially with the debt burden, but I am confident that I can live frugally, make payments during residency, and pay off my loans quickly with the financial sacrifice those first 5 years to avoid insane interest.

Trust me I felt the same way in the beginning. I was worried. Never seen that much debt in my life. But it is also scary because we won't see that kind of money till 10 years out from now. So it's hard to imagine paying it off when you are a student watching it accrue interest. Granted live within your means. You don't need to take out the max loans each year that is provided. That is an overestimate of what you need. I will definitely take up reading that book though, but after talking it out with people who have done this and paid it off, even with financial services at Loyola, it is very much possible. Those estimates included in that excel sheet at the top are also an overestimate and give the worse case scenario of you not paying off interest during residency.


If you get into specialty, you can easily pay this off. If you go into primary care there are numerous programs and scholarships available, not to mention sign on bonuses paying their debt.

 

[Freddywap]

From 2018 Match-

5 derm
1 neurosurgery
2 optho
4 ortho
4 ENT
3 plastics
1 urology

that's about 11% of the class matching into very competitive specialties. and was choosing between 3 schools and chose Loyola.

You mean chose Loyola as their medical school or chose Loyola as their number one for matching?

 

[MKO]

You mean chose Loyola as their medical school or chose Loyola as their number one for matching?

I personally was choosing bw 3 schools and chose Loyola. sorry was typing on phone and realized how confusing that was lol

 

[Freddywap]

I personally was choosing bw 3 schools and chose Loyola. sorry was typing on phone and realized how confusing that was lol

lol no worries! thank you

 

[greatlakes101]

Has anyone from the continued consideration list heard anything yet?

 

[fhcdiver23]

Has anyone from the continued consideration list heard anything yet?

no:/

 

[IDontWantToWork234]

Wanted to let everyone know that I called admissions yesterday and confirmed the class is over subscribed at the moment. The official waitlist will be created in early May and we should receive an email indicating that. THAT IS ALL THE OFFICIAL INFORMATION FROM ADMISSIONS. I am currently on the CC list, so take it with a grain of salt. The following info is just from my own experience as a re-applicant. I would suggest reapplicants call and set up a meeting to address weaknesses in their application, Loyola is great source of information for that and I had an almost hour long conversation with an admissions staffer last year on where my application was weak and how to address that. Call a bunch of schools and see if they offer the same opportunity. And finally if you are on the CC, don't give up hope! April 30th is a huge deadline and theres still a chance at acceptance. Hope this was helpful.

 

[mrectenw]

I personally was choosing bw 3 schools and chose Loyola. sorry was typing on phone and realized how confusing that was lol

congrats!
can you PM me a short bit about why you chose loyola?

 

[mrectenw]

current Stritch students/prospective students:
can anyone speak to the reputation of SSOM or does anyone have any examples of how the strong faculty/network helped you to secure a great opportunity?

 

[MKO]

congrats!
can you PM me a short bit about why you chose loyola?

No PM necessary, I'll just post here. Shared values was the biggest thing. Loyola cares about marginalized populations, gives DACA students (I am not DACA myself, but I think equality/advocating for them is important) a chance to succeed, and fights for social justice. I'm sure I would be trained great no matter which med school I chose, but I felt like I clicked with my interviewers/students, so they left a lasting first impression. Definitely doesn't hurt that the school is well-known for advocating for mental wellness, so that's a plus. Idk I'm sure I could go on and on, but the school sold the hell out of itself and I was convinced that I wouldn't regret choosing Loyola.

 

[wssww]

No PM necessary, I'll just post here. Shared values was the biggest thing. Loyola cares about marginalized populations, gives DACA students (I am not DACA myself, but I think equality/advocating for them is important) a chance to succeed, and fights for social justice. I'm sure I would be trained great no matter which med school I chose, but I felt like I clicked with my interviewers/students, so they left a lasting first impression. Definitely doesn't hurt that the school is well-known for advocating for mental wellness, so that's a plus. Idk I'm sure I could go on and on, but the school sold the hell out of itself and I was convinced that I wouldn't regret choosing Loyola.

I agree with you. Selection of school varies from student to student, however it should be where you feel more connected. Other components could be COA and your financial awards. BTW, congratulations!

 

[Freddywap]

can someone elaborate on the April 30th deadline? My understanding is that it is not strict and you dont have to narrow it down to one acceptance if you are still undecided. The only thing is that you lose any deposit you might have paid, you see the commit to enroll option on your AMCAS, and school can see if you decided to plan to enroll to them or to other school.

can someone elaborate or comment on this?

 

[Bountyhuner]

can someone elaborate on the April 30th deadline? My understanding is that it is not strict and you dont have to narrow it down to one acceptance if you are still undecided. The only thing is that you lose any deposit you might have paid, you see the commit to enroll option on your AMCAS, and school can see if you decided to plan to enroll to them or to other school.

can someone elaborate or comment on this?

They are recommendations that don't supersede institutional policies.

Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants

Recommendations to help ensure that all MD and MD-PhD applicants receive timely notification about the outcome of their AMCAS® application. These guidelines are not intended to supersede the policies, timelines, or discretion of individual schools or programs. Each applicant is expected to...

students-residents.aamc.org

 

[B4y 4RE4 N4Tiv3]

Honestly, I gave up my other spots because I wanted to be considerate of other applicants as well. Don’t be “that” person and hold multiple acceptances past the deadline

People largely do it for scholarship opportunities.

 

[B4y 4RE4 N4Tiv3]

I don't see how that is relevant past the April 30th deadline. Also, that isn't fair to people who are waiting on the cc or waitlists at these schools.

I see your altruism, but you can hold multiple acceptances past the Apr 30th deadline you just lose out on $100. Also in a way it's not fair to people who earned multiple acceptances and want to see which school will offer the best financial package.

 

[dancingdoc5]

can someone elaborate on the April 30th deadline? My understanding is that it is not strict and you dont have to narrow it down to one acceptance if you are still undecided. The only thing is that you lose any deposit you might have paid, you see the commit to enroll option on your AMCAS, and school can see if you decided to plan to enroll to them or to other school.

can someone elaborate or comment on this?

From my understanding, essentially by the end of the day you can only hold one acceptance. Starting from 9:30am EST med schools can also see your decision, but you do still have to reach out and decline any other acceptances you've been holding.

You have two selections available to you. You can commit to enroll which is binding and you can no longer be on waitlists. Or you can plan to enroll, which essentially means you can still hold an acceptance and remain on waitlists until your plan to commit school has their deadline for commitment. If a school accepts you from their waitlist, then you have to only hold an acceptance at one of the programs from this point forward.

I was a little confused about the timing of the deadline today because AMCAS only ever mentioned a day not a time. I'm just assuming you have to only hold one acceptance by midnight tonight.

 

[rwyse7348334]

Today, I got in off continued consideration! There is hope!

 

[TaiLopez]

Just got accepted but going to withdraw bc was accepted at my top school shortly after. GL waitlisters. Hang in there!!!

Was on CC. OOS. Dec interview and sent a couple updates in Jan and Feb

 

[Redfox45]

Just got accepted but going to withdraw bc was accepted at my top school shortly after. GL waitlisters. Hang in there!!!

Was on CC. OOS. Dec interview and sent a couple updates in Jan and Feb

Sounds like you had a pretty good day lol

 

[TaiLopez]

Sounds like you had a pretty good day lol

It was a pretty crazy hour, yes. Emotions were everywhere. I thought I was dreaming and was slapping myself to make sure this was real life