2025-2026 Loma Linda

Started by chilly_md
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chilly_md

chilly_md

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2025-2026 Loma Linda Secondary Prompts

All prompts 275 words or less

1. What makes LLU particularly attractive to you?
2. Our medical curriculum integrates spiritual, ethical, and relational issues from the Christian perspective into the practice of medicine. Religion courses and weekly chapel services are part of this program. Please respond to the preceding statements as they relate to your personal educational and career goals.
3. What personal attributes make you a desirable candidate for admission to LLUSM?
4. Identify experiences in your life that illustrate your service to others.
5. Discuss how your spiritual origins, development, and experiences have influenced and been integrated into your daily life.
6. Please describe your current involvement (or reason for not being involved) with a church or religious group.


Good luck to all applying!

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DoneDone3451 said:
Incoming M-1 at this school who was accepted off the WL. If any future students have questions, I will do my best to answer.
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based on the secondaries this school's not shy about its religious component. Do you think they'll like agnostic folks like me? :shy:
 
LateApplicantKing said:
based on the secondaries this school's not shy about its religious component. Do you think they'll like agnostic folks like me? :shy:
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Yeah, Loma Linda accepts students who are agnostic. Some of the current students identify that way, so it’s not a dealbreaker. That said, I do think it helps if you can connect in some way to the school’s mission or values, especially in your secondaries or interview.

Even if you don’t share the exact religious beliefs, you might still value things like service, compassion, or whole-person care. For example, have you done any studies abroad or service trips? Loma Linda sends more medical students on international mission and service trips than any other med school in the country. If global health or serving abroad appeals to you, that’s a great angle to highlight.

Also, their commitment to healthy living isn’t just a slogan; it’s real. The community is the only Blue Zone in the United States, which is pretty unique. On a local level, they serve a large underserved population in San Bernardino County and have student-run clinics. Lots of schools offer those, but Loma Linda integrates that into the training.

So I’d say yes, you don’t have to be religious, but it helps to find a genuine point of connection with their mission. If you can tie in something from your background: service, health, global outreach, or similar, it’ll show that you're aligned with their values even if you don’t share their faith.
 
what proportion of the med student class would you estimate to be non SDA christian?
DoneDone3451 said:
Yeah, Loma Linda accepts students who are agnostic. Some of the current students identify that way, so it’s not a dealbreaker. That said, I do think it helps if you can connect in some way to the school’s mission or values, especially in your secondaries or interview.

Even if you don’t share the exact religious beliefs, you might still value things like service, compassion, or whole-person care. For example, have you done any studies abroad or service trips? Loma Linda sends more medical students on international mission and service trips than any other med school in the country. If global health or serving abroad appeals to you, that’s a great angle to highlight.

Also, their commitment to healthy living isn’t just a slogan; it’s real. The community is the only Blue Zone in the United States, which is pretty unique. On a local level, they serve a large underserved population in San Bernardino County and have student-run clinics. Lots of schools offer those, but Loma Linda integrates that into the training.

So I’d say yes, you don’t have to be religious, but it helps to find a genuine point of connection with their mission. If you can tie in something from your background: service, health, global outreach, or similar, it’ll show that you're aligned with their values even if you don’t share their faith.
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PLE217 said:
what proportion of the med student class would you estimate to be non SDA christian?
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For most I’ve talked to so far, it doesn’t even come up in conversations. I’d guess about 30%? This is a complete guess since I don’t go around asking people their religion.
 
PLE217 said:
fair lol thanks!
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Of course! Also, don't feel bad about your question, LLU has had a lot of misinformation on Reddit and SDN when it comes to the vibe or what the school makes you do (note I am speaking only about the medical school, not about the residencies, that's a different horse)
 
DoneDone3451 said:
Of course! Also, don't feel bad about your question, LLU has had a lot of misinformation on Reddit and SDN when it comes to the vibe or what the school makes you do (note I am speaking only about the medical school, not about the residencies, that's a different horse)
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yeah there seems to be a lot of polarizing feelings towards the school, but it's definitely an environment I'm comfortable in since religion plays a big part in my own life. I was just worried that as a non SDA Christian (catholic) it would really hurt my chances if they took a very low proportion of non SDA people. Would absolutely love to go here though, thanks for answering my questions!
 
PLE217 said:
yeah there seems to be a lot of polarizing feelings towards the school, but it's definitely an environment I'm comfortable in since religion plays a big part in my own life. I was just worried that as a non SDA Christian (catholic) it would really hurt my chances if they took a very low proportion of non SDA people. Would absolutely love to go here though, thanks for answering my questions!
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Def apply! Also, the environment has been very welcoming so far, that could change obviously, but I have nothing but great things to say about the faculty and people I have spoken with so far. I scheduled a campus tour, and the guide spent time sharing lots of unique facts about the school and even tips for students on campus on where the best food was located.

Moreover, my interview was laid back, they asked some hard questions, but I could tell that they wanted me to do well during the interview.
 
#1: What makes LLU particularly attractive to you?
#2: Our medical curriculum integrates spiritual, ethical, and relational issues from the Christian perspective into the practice of medicine. Religion courses and weekly chapel services are part of this program. Please respond to the preceding statements as they relate to your personal educational and career goals.
#3: What personal attributes make you a desirable candidate for admission to LLUSM?
#4: Identify experiences in your life that illustrate your service to others.
#5: Discuss how your spiritual origins, development, and experiences have influenced and been integrated into your daily life.
#6: Please describe your current involvement (or reason for not being involved) with a church or religious group.
All prompts 275 words or less.
@chilly_md
 
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DoneDone3451 said:
Incoming M-1 at this school who was accepted off the WL. If any future students have questions, I will do my best to answer.
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Hello I’ve been shadowing with various internists at LLUMC and I’ve spoken with many residents who’ve told me I should try something that isn’t offered in core clerkship rotations to give me a better idea of certain fields. Do you know if LLUSM students are able to do elective away rotations or sub internships? I’ve been interested in various random specialties like radiology, rad-onc, pathology, rheum, PM&R, or even anesthesia or ortho lol. Was just wondering if you know how much exposure you guys will get to these fields outside of the required rotations? Thanks in advance.
 
Did anyone not receive a confirmation email after submitting their secondary by any chance? (Letters and MCAT are sent!)

EDIT: Got it after 24 hrs!
 
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orcafood said:
Hello I’ve been shadowing with various internists at LLUMC and I’ve spoken with many residents who’ve told me I should try something that isn’t offered in core clerkship rotations to give me a better idea of certain fields. Do you know if LLUSM students are able to do elective away rotations or sub internships? I’ve been interested in various random specialties like radiology, rad-onc, pathology, rheum, PM&R, or even anesthesia or ortho lol. Was just wondering if you know how much exposure you guys will get to these fields outside of the required rotations? Thanks in advance.
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Yes you can do elective aways and sub Is. You get almost all of fourth year todo rotations in almost anything of your choice (with some caveats and requirements) and they have every specialty in house.

On your surgery rotation which is required, you can pick ortho as one of your surgical sub specialties as part of the rotation and you spend 1-2 weeks with them.

You’ll get a taste of rheum in IM, maybe not the out patient clinic but you can do that later if you want.
 
DoneDone3451 said:
Incoming M-1 at this school who was accepted off the WL. If any future students have questions, I will do my best to answer.
Click to expand...
Hey! How should we answer this question: 6. Please describe your current involvement (or reason for not being involved) with a church or religious group. If we're religious (not Christian) and not involved with any Christian religious group? I am involved with a group within my religion, Sikhism, but I'm wondering if it's potentially a red flag to talk about a different religion in the secondary? I'm confused if I should just state that I have no involvement in any, just to be safe
 
med400 said:
Hey! How should we answer this question: 6. Please describe your current involvement (or reason for not being involved) with a church or religious group. If we're religious (not Christian) and not involved with any Christian religious group? I am involved with a group within my religion, Sikhism, but I'm wondering if it's potentially a red flag to talk about a different religion in the secondary? I'm confused if I should just state that I have no involvement in any, just to be safe
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I’d still answer and then talk about your religion. We have people with different “conflicting” religions.most religions have some basis of caring or helping others, not too familiar with your religion, but try and find a lens like that to talk about your religion through, if that makes sense
 
I have AP credit for gen chem but I saw Loma Linda doesn't accept it and you can replace the requirement with upper level coursework. In this case, ochem would be the upper level, but it's already a requirement. I didn't get a clear answer from admissions, anyone have advice on what I should do in the course check on the secondary? Is it worth it to submit my secondary?
 
weatherball101 said:
Admit has some people getting IIs rn, so I assume they have started sending em out…
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I believe those are likely Early Decision applicants. Also from what I heard from my friend at Loma Linda, they tend to sort through SDA applicants first from SDA-associated universities. I assume that the main bulk of regular applicants start from mid-late September (going off of last couple of cycle forum pages)
 
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i mean i got a status update today saying i was placed on interview hold so im not exactly sure what that means for this school. i’ve heard depending on the school it could be a good or bad thing lol
 
medschoolpleasee said:
i mean i got a status update today saying i was placed on interview hold so im not exactly sure what that means for this school. i’ve heard depending on the school it could be a good or bad thing lol
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When was the timeline of your app if you dont mind me asking . Also was it through email or just the status board
 
Rchepkwony said:
When was the timeline of your app if you dont mind me asking . Also was it through email or just the status board
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I received my secondary on 8/10, submitted on 8/22, was confirmed on 8/24 and then was placed on the pre-ii hold on 9/19. I was notified by email about the hold.
 
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Who’s had their interview already and how did it go? I had interview 10/9 and it went really well but I have a 503 MCAT which scares me, I have 3.92 gpa and everything else on app is good but MCAT holding me back. This is my top choice as I’m SDA as well. Do yall think I still have high chance even with my mcat?
 
acceptmealready67 said:
Who’s had their interview already and how did it go? I had interview 10/9 and it went really well but I have a 503 MCAT which scares me, I have 3.92 gpa and everything else on app is good but MCAT holding me back. This is my top choice as I’m SDA as well. Do yall think I still have high chance even with my mcat?
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I have moved your post to our Loma Linda specific thread.
 
acceptmealready67 said:
Who’s had their interview already and how did it go? I had interview 10/9 and it went really well but I have a 503 MCAT which scares me, I have 3.92 gpa and everything else on app is good but MCAT holding me back. This is my top choice as I’m SDA as well. Do yall think I still have high chance even with my mcat?
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the fact that they interviewed you means that you are GOOD ENOUGH. keep faith and keep positive and i’ll pray it turns into an A for you.
 
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