Do religious schools like Georgetown and Loyola have a preference for Catholics?

[DoctorWannaBe]

Do religious schools like Loyola and Georgetown ask your religion or prefer Catholics in the admissions process? Also, how big a part of the medical school experience is the religion- i.e. incorporation in teaching, requirements to go to their church service? I thnk Georgetown doesn't teach abortions, but anything else I should know? I have nothing against religious schools, but as I am not Catholic I'm wondering how I would fit in at one of these schools. One more question, which may be a stupid one, but what is the difference between Jesuit and Catholic?

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[loyen]

From what I've heard, they don't prefer Catholics necessarily, but they do have a special place in their hearts for people from Catholic schools - I know that both of those med schools are MAJOR draws from my undergrad (ND).

 

[loyen]

And PS, Jesuits are an order of Catholic (like a subset).

 

[dr. deez]

they probably like ppl of catholic backgrounds as much as lomalinda likes ppl of sda backgrounds... the question is: would you really like to spend 4 yrs of your life in a place where you would not be truly happy? if it makes no difference to you then its probably fine! good luck with everything!

 

[Wrigleyville]

Saint Louis University

 

[birdie]

Creighton University is a jesuit school.

 

[siempre595]

I do not think there is favortism. I'm Catholic, Illinois resident, good numbers, Loyola ignored me and didn't even bother to send me an official rejection until the last minute. I do not think it matters.

 

[Biodude]

There's a religion owned/operated private school in my state, but it ain't Catholic. I thought that I'd mention it since the thread asked about "religious" schools.

Loma Linda

This school prefers Seventh Day Adventists but they will also accept people from other religions...however, in addition to the normal medical school courses, they also require their medical students to take classes in religion. Go figure, huh?

 

[lilywhites]

New York Medical College is also affiliated with the Catholic church. They do have a code to honor "life", but the only way this really affects your clinical training is that while you have the option of observing abortion services during your ob/gyn rotations--you'll never be asked nor required to participate actively in one.

 

[irlandesa]

Originally posted by lilywhites
New York Medical College is also affiliated with the Catholic church. They do have a code to honor "life", but the only way this really affects your clinical training is that while you have the option of observing abortion services during your ob/gyn rotations--you'll never be asked nor required to participate actively in one.

I think this is true of most schools; at Tufts, which has no religious affiliation, only 2 of the OB/GYN sites provide the option for students to observe first and second trimester pregnancy termination, and at those sites, no student will be forced to participate in any kind of work involving abortion. I have never heard of a school telling their students they could have no exposure to observing abortions throughout the course of their studies, nor have I heard of anyone being forced to observe or help perform an abortion against their religious beliefs. BTW, many non-religious schools are affiliated with Catholic and/or Jewish affiliated hospitals. e.g. Wash U-Barnes Jewish and Tufts-St. Elizabeth's Medical Center.

 

[Special Kay]

When I interviewed at Loyola, I learned that the hospital does not perform abortions AND the school will not distribute birth control. This is just what I heard from my tour guide, so I'm not positive about it. The birth control issue was of particular concern to one other interviewee who was getting married in a few months!!

 

[amk10]

My boss called to talk to Ladonna Norstrom at Loyola to try to get me an interview in early Feb. She told her that I am Catholic, and asked if that would help - she said, "Absolutely". I got an interview 3 weeks later, after they reviewed my application. I was taken off the alternate list last week. I think it does help, if you put it out there, or get someone else to mention it in a recommendation.

 

[jofrbr76]

amk 10, really? Wow, well whatever works.

I'm going to loyola next year and never at my interview or my second and third visits did i feel any religous pressure. I'm not worried about it, i consider myself an open minded christian (not bothered by catholicism), but that is a little disapointing that they would show preference just b/c of a person's religion.

It doesn't seem like they push catholicism that hard, other than acknowledging saint days, incorporating a few holy masses into orientation and having some chapel ministry counseling/mentoring program. 🙄 It doesn't seem to affect overall education.

Special K, why wouldn't a catholic inst. dispense birth control? I thought the pope finally ok'd it?

😕

 

[PluckyDuk8]

Hey all,
I'm going to Loyola next year and I'm Jewish...I really don't think it is a big thing on their minds when accepting you. I just happened to have an interesting interview- first thing he asks me (mind you this is my first interview for med schools) is "why is a nice Jewish girl like you thinking about a fine Christian university like this? No, really, why do you want to go to Loyola?" It ends up that this interviewer was Jewish so he was probably half joking about it, and I gave a good "why Loyola" answer...but it was probably my most stand-out interview experience ever. My application showed I was Jewish no matter what I could do...
Anyway, I actually feel very comfortable going to a Catholic institution. Religious schools will be more tolerant of my needs, and I like that spirituality (whichever form it takes) takes a role in treatment. For instance, I think it will be interesting that we are going to make rounds with a chaplain. It will only broaden my understanding of others.

 

[beatla19]

Question: At non-religious schools, do med students have to observe/participate in abortions procedures?

 

[tBw]

One thing to remember is that while a certain school may have certain affiliations, that does not mean that most of the people reviewing your application will have those same affiliations. ie I have worked with various doctors at SLU, a strongly Jesuit school, but not one of them has been Catholic, let alone Jesuit! It is just the place they work, and they are just doctors. They will almost certainly judge your application as individuals rather than as catholics or non-catholics therefore.

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by beatla19
Question: At non-religious schools, do med students have to observe/participate in abortions procedures?

I know of none. Can you imagine the scandal and bad publicity that would occur if someone took a moral stand and the medical school tried to force them to participate/observe an abortion? I therefore doubt you would have to anywhere.

 

[dancer7]

Originally posted by tBw
I have worked with various doctors at SLU, a strongly Jesuit school, but not one of them has been Catholic, let alone Jesuit!

of course they aren't jesuit. a jesuit is a catholic priest who is part of the jesuit order also known as the society of jesus. As the catholic church evolved way back when some priests decided to sort of focus or concentrate on different ways of spreading the faith, living, praying, etc. another example of a catholic order are the franciscans. a jesuit priest is very well educated and a number of them take up teaching positions in colleges or high schools. they also tend to be very liberal as catholic priests can go and study for a really long time before becomming jesuits - i think it's like 7 years or so. the jesuits are a pretty active group of people working for social justice and qustioning our society. so they are catholic priests and not just catholics.

 

[Kammel Jacque']

I worship the Devil.

does this make me an URM at Loyola?

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by dancer7
of course they aren't jesuit. a jesuit is a catholic priest who is part of the jesuit order also known as the society of jesus......

I don't see why you say of course they aren't jesuits - SLU has had MANY jesuit faculty with PhDs etc in many science fields. One of the current deans is infact both a jesuit and one time chair of the geology department (he has a PhD in geophysics I believe). There is no reason why the people I work with could not also be jesuits. They just don't happen to be.

 

[dancer7]

Originally posted by tBw
I have worked with various doctors at SLU, a strongly Jesuit school, but not one of them has been Catholic, let alone Jesuit!

when you said doctor i was interpreting that to mean medical doctor. sorry for the missunderstanding.

 

[tBw]

I did mean medical doctor. Here is an example of someone who is both a Jesuit and a medical doctor at Creighton:

Hansen does not see any conflict between his role as a doctor and his role as a Jesuit..... Goodman said patients do not know they are being treated by a priest since Hansen doesn?t wear a collar and is referred to as Dr. Hansen not Fr. Hansen while on duty.

Source link on Creighton web server

 

[Toots]

Originally posted by tBw
I did mean medical doctor. Here is an example of someone who is both a Jesuit and a medical doctor at Creighton:

Hansen does not see any conflict between his role as a doctor and his role as a Jesuit..... Goodman said patients do not know they are being treated by a priest since Hansen doesn?t wear a collar and is referred to as Dr. Hansen not Fr. Hansen while on duty.

Pretty cool! I've been through 10+ yrs. of Jesuit education and I've never heard of a Jesuit preist/MD.

To the OP: Although they might not admit it, I think georgetown might show a preference to the Catholic-school educated. I know several people from my high school and college (both Jesuit) that finished from G'town medical, and judging from what I knew of them grade-wise, I have NO IDEA how they pulled off getting into G'town.

 

[rjhtamu]

Since the question hasn't been answered yet, I might as well. I'm not very knowledgeable, so I not going to get real into it to start a debate, plus this isn't the thread for it as I hope most will realize and stay on topic.

The pope hasn't ok'd birth control and probably won't and the church is still against it. Here are at least the two main reasons that I know of.

1) Birth Control is a method of removing your faith in God according to the belief that God will never give you more than you can handle. He alone knows when you are ready and not ready to have kids. Of course there are several counters to this, such as why all the teenage and unwanted pregnancies. Some say it's also the lack in faith of God that allows these to happen, or for His own reasons. Again my knowlege on this isn't as great other others.

2)Birth Control can be abortifacient, meaning one aspect of birth control is to stop implantation and void an fertilized egg essentially destroying a new life. For the most part, birth control tries to prevent fertilization completely, but it fails at that pretty regularly, especially when not taken as it should be. When it fails, and an egg is fertilized and lost, then it is considered the same as an abortion and just as serious.

Again, I'm not posting any opinions of my own on here in general, as this is an area I will really have to consider in my own practice. I'm just answering a question from above and posting what I currently believe to be the Church's position. If you want to start a debate, I suggest going to the general board, and not continuing it here.

 

[jofrbr76]

Thanks Rjhtamu,

Didn't know that was still the church's stance, and this thread is starting to get off topic, not that my questions were on topic.

Joe

 

[steve007]

Originally posted by PluckyDuk8
For instance, I think it will be interesting that we are going to make rounds with a chaplain.

i dunno, when i see a priest instead of a dr., i'm gonna think it's time to kiss my ass goodbye.

 

[TexasGuy41]

The suggestion that schools like Georgetown might possibly favor applicants from one specific religions is absolutely absurd. Anyone who has spent any time at Gtown knows this isn't true. Yeah, its a Catholic school, which means certain things in regards to medical education (i.e. abortion, etc.) but in no way do they favor Catholic applicants. If it seems that they favor applicants that went to Catholic schools - it is just because Gtown attracts many of those 'types" of people (i.e. - people that went to ND undergrad probably also considered Gtown undergrad - and now they are going to med school so they'll check out gtown again). End of discussion.

The only school that may favor students based on religion is Loma Linda - but even they take a substantial (60%) number of non-LDS students.