Loyola, Rush, UIC

[kilroth]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi everyone. Let's have a friendly discussion on the pros and cons of these schools.

Loyola- my personal favorite; expensive; probably no grants or scholarships; perfect location for me; favorite curriculum (one class at a time, lecture/pbl); not pass/fail unfortunately first two years.

UIC (Peoria)- already in Champaign so no major move; cheaper (how much?), I hear they charge for two summers making two years equivalent to a private school; all lectures first two years (negative); not pass/fail; Peoria campus has second highest board scores in state after NU.

Rush- probably as expensive as Loyola (200+g's since I am doing all loans); in the city but don't really care that much; all lectures.

I am having a tough time deciding. Any thoughts?

 

[OldLady]

I wasn't too excited about Rush for some reason. The Admissions Office seemed awfully inept so it makes me wonder if there would be any issues with administrative needs down the road as a student. Of course the hospital is great at patient care so the 3rd and 4th year would be good, just don't know if it's worth the scratch.







Accepted: UA, Rush
Waitlisted: Northwestern

 

[Demosthenes_7]

kilroth,

Sounds like you already made your decision, Loyola. If you have any doubts go to the sdn interviews and compare the schools, Loyola wins hands down. The students are happy there, you like the one class at a time, Chicago compared to Peoria...

 

[kilroth]

You are right. So unless I get a huge $$ savings I am planning on going to Loyola. I also like the chaplain mentorship program. Understanding spirituality of patients is extremely important to me.

 

[toomuch]

I'm not big on Rush so I can't provide any positives as some others might give you.

I think Loyola would be a good place, but I like to analyze expenses, too. I have also taken many graduate courses in PBL which seems to be a selling point for many schools. However, I thought PBL was great in the beginning, but after two years, I felt like it got old, and I almost prefer to go to a school without PBL because I know I'll be motivated enough to learn the material in lectures or even on my own. I think two years was the limit of my tolerance with PBL and I wouldn't be surprised if there are other people who think the same, but fortunately for medical schools, they only need it for two years.

Expensewise, I haven't finished comparing the cost, but at UIC-Peoria, housing is cheaper and you can get free housing as well. Board scores are important unless you plan on doing primary care.