Loyola (Stritch) vs. MCW-Milwaukee

[treefrug]

Hi all,

I'm currently trying to decide between Loyola and MCW and I'm truly split 50/50 for both schools. I was really hoping to get some of my questions answered during second look, but as we know, that's not happening anymore in light of COVID-19. For context, the following things are important to me: early clinical exposure/proximity of hospitals, solid research opportunities (in case I do choose a more competitive specialty, I don't want to struggle to find a way to gain research experience), student happiness/wellbeing, and mobility (I won't have a car during my first year). I'm more of a city person (grew up in the suburbs but moved to Los Angeles for college and loved it), but I wouldn't mind living in a more suburban area as long as the city is accessible. Also, cost of living isn't that important to me as I'll be OOS in both places. I don't have any family in either place, but I do have some secondary connections (friends of friends) in both cities, though more in Chicago than Milwaukee.
(Also, I have read previous Stritch vs. MCW threads but I'm still curious to hear your thoughts, especially since Step 1 became p/f).

Thank you! Any input is appreciated. 🙂

Pros/Cons:

Loyola
+ seems like students are happy - I've read in some other threads this is partly due to the "interview day show" schools put on for prospective students
+ hospitals are super close to the med school
+ super nice facilities (also.. that gym... wow)
+ decent clinical exposure
+ seems like Chicago will be more fun to live near than Milwaukee (no offense to any Wisconsin natives here!)
+ can be reached from home via 1 direct flight

- had to really snoop around to find their match list... kinda strange that it's not readily available
- research seems lacking compared to MCW (in terms of both funding and also the relative importance it's given in the curriculum)
- not a huge fan of the religion thing but I've heard it's not that big of a deal
- Maywood really seems like it's in the boonies

MCW
+ also seems like students are happy
+ hospitals are also very close to the medical school
+ some of the surgeons I work pretty closely with right now have all lauded MCW for the hands-on clinical exposure/preparation for surgical residency (I'm not sure if I want to do surgery, but it's definitely up there as a possibility for me)
+ research seems more legit here
+ I think MCW is ranked higher? Although I'm unclear/unsure as to whether this even matters... wondering if it will more now because of Step 1 becoming p/f (previously had a slightly higher Step 1 average than Loyola)

- facilities aren't as nice as Loyola
- didn't get a good glimpse of Wauwatosa (was planning on coming back for second look to do this), but it seemed like it was a little quiet for me
- seemed like most people here had cars :/ .. can anyone speak to the transportation options in Wauwatosa?
- need multiple flights to go to/from home
- this is very random, but a lot of students seemed married/engaged and it threw me off - I'm worried it'll make finding friends a little more challenging (this is an assumption though, and I could very much be wrong)

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[TheDataKing]

From what you're saying, it sounds like you'd be happier at Loyola. @Talldoctor96 or @SeaHusky might be able to speak to the research opportunities available there. Loyola matches really well into competitive specialties and seems to have their act together. That said, I know people who are happy at MCW. I think if you want more of an urban environment, Loyola will be closer to that than MCW, though Loyola isn't in downtown chi-town. I don't think you absolutely need a car MS1 at Loyola which is a + for you. I don't think religion is integrated much, if at all, at Loyola apart from community service and the like (it's no Loma Linda). You'd do well at either school but overall from what you've said, Loyola seems like the winner.

 

[treefrug]

From what you're saying, it sounds like you'd be happier at Loyola. @Talldoctor96 or @SeaHusky might be able to speak to the research opportunities available there. Loyola matches really well into competitive specialties and seems to have their act together. That said, I know people who are happy at MCW. I think if you want more of an urban environment, Loyola will be closer to that than MCW, though Loyola isn't in downtown chi-town. I don't think you absolutely need a car MS1 at Loyola which is a + for you. I don't think religion is integrated much, if at all, at Loyola apart from community service and the like (it's no Loma Linda). You'd do well at either school but overall from what you've said, Loyola seems like the winner.

Thanks for the thorough response! Do you mind if I pm you?

 

[TheDataKing]

Thanks for the thorough response! Do you mind if I pm you?

sure!

 

[Zen Arcade]

I’ve been in the same dilemma as you, but I knew MCW was the better choice for me pretty quickly after going over the pros and cons. MCW is much more of an academic medical center with a ton of research funding. Loyola is very community/service based so they care a little less about the prestige of having big name researchers on campus. If you plan on being very involved in community service and volunteering, Loyola is the place to be. For me, research is pretty important so MCW stood out more. It ranks a bit higher too on PD rankings (may not really make much of a difference). I actually thought the facilities at MCW were nicer than Loyola’s... yeah it doesn’t have a sexy gym but it’s still really modern, has a lot of great study spaces, awesome anatomy lab, and the newer additions to frodert and the children’s hospital are super fancy. Another big downside at Loyola is that there’s prosection... I think it’s really important to have experience with dissection, especially if you have any interest in surgery. Overall, both are good options, but if you think you are at all interested in competitive specialties MCW is the better bet as they simply have better research opportunities.

 

[treefrug]

I’ve been in the same dilemma as you, but I knew MCW was the better choice for me pretty quickly after going over the pros and cons. MCW is much more of an academic medical center with a ton of research funding. Loyola is very community/service based so they care a little less about the prestige of having big name researchers on campus. If you plan on being very involved in community service and volunteering, Loyola is the place to be. For me, research is pretty important so MCW stood out more. It ranks a bit higher too on PD rankings (may not really make much of a difference). I actually thought the facilities at MCW were nicer than Loyola’s... yeah it doesn’t have a sexy gym but it’s still really modern, has a lot of great study spaces, awesome anatomy lab, and the newer additions to frodert and the children’s hospital are super fancy. Another big downside at Loyola is that there’s prosection... I think it’s really important to have experience with dissection, especially if you have any interest in surgery. Overall, both are good options, but if you think you are at all interested in competitive specialties MCW is the better bet as they simply have better research opportunities.

Hmm, maybe I didn't get as good of a look at the facilities as I should have, that's on me. Thank you for all the info, especially the last bit about anatomy - wasn't aware of that. Are you a current student there?

 

[Zen Arcade]

Hmm, maybe I didn't get as good of a look at the facilities as I should have, that's on me. Thank you for all the info, especially the last bit about anatomy - wasn't aware of that. Are you a current student there?

Nope, I’ve just been accepted to both Loyola and MCW this cycle and had to make a decision!

 

[Talldoctor96]

I’ve been in the same dilemma as you, but I knew MCW was the better choice for me pretty quickly after going over the pros and cons. MCW is much more of an academic medical center with a ton of research funding. Loyola is very community/service based so they care a little less about the prestige of having big name researchers on campus. If you plan on being very involved in community service and volunteering, Loyola is the place to be. For me, research is pretty important so MCW stood out more. It ranks a bit higher too on PD rankings (may not really make much of a difference). I actually thought the facilities at MCW were nicer than Loyola’s... yeah it doesn’t have a sexy gym but it’s still really modern, has a lot of great study spaces, awesome anatomy lab, and the newer additions to frodert and the children’s hospital are super fancy. Another big downside at Loyola is that there’s prosection... I think it’s really important to have experience with dissection, especially if you have any interest in surgery. Overall, both are good options, but if you think you are at all interested in competitive specialties MCW is the better bet as they simply have better research opportunities.

Man if you think prosection is a big negative you wrong homieeeeee

 

[Zen Arcade]

Man if you think prosection is a big negative you wrong homieeeeee

I’ve heard surgeons say that actually going through the process of dissection was crucial to their learning. Not saying everyone learns that way, but I do think there’s something to be said about doing it yourself as the perspective you are learning from is much closer to what it will be like in practice. I get it... dissection is a lot more work and is messy. But prosection skips over the discovery process entirely. Think of it through the lens of a mechanic. Surely they have a better idea of where things are located and how things work by tinkering inside the hood themselves as opposed to an instructor pointing to cross sectionals while the learner stands by and watches. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s an absolute deal breaker, but from my perspective it is a negative.

 

[treefrug]

Man if you think prosection is a big negative you wrong homieeeeee

Hi, could you speak a little bit about research at Loyola? 🙂

 

[Talldoctor96]

Hi, could you speak a little bit about research at Loyola? 🙂

Research Services: Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Campus

Research and Discovery: Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine's comprehensive research infrastructure supports all levels of the research process. Learn how we're accelerating the translation of scientific discovery to improve human health.

ssom.luc.edu

Why don't you take a deep dive for yourselves. They just opened a new research insitute building right next to the medical school. If you are choosing your med school based purely on research opportunities, just know that there is plenty of research in many different fields. I mean you are literally on campus with a Level 1 trauma center/ huge tertiary care hospital and each department is doing research. Research is not loyolas calling card, but it by no mean LACKS in it. Also the guy above said the facilities were better at MCW. I cant see how thats possible considering the facilities at LOYOLA are incredible and brand spanking new. I mean you were there ! You saw them.

 

[Zen Arcade]

Research Services: Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Campus

Research and Discovery: Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine's comprehensive research infrastructure supports all levels of the research process. Learn how we're accelerating the translation of scientific discovery to improve human health.

ssom.luc.edu

Why don't you take a deep dive for yourselves. They just opened a new research insitute building right next to the medical school. If you are choosing your med school based purely on research opportunities, just know that there is plenty of research in many different fields. I mean you are literally on campus with a Level 1 trauma center/ huge tertiary care hospital and each department is doing research. Research is not loyolas calling card, but it by no mean LACKS in it. Also the guy above said the facilities were better at MCW. I cant see how thats possible considering the facilities at LOYOLA are incredible and brand spanking new. I mean you were there ! You saw them.

My opinion was simply based on subjective criteria. They’re both comparable really, my opinion was based on aesthetic preference. Also, both will give you research opportunities but objectively MCW just has a lot more funding. Based on data last year reported on MSAR MCW had 86 million in federal funding and Loyola had 17 million. Really, fit just depends on the person. If you want to spend more time in the lab, MCW is the better choice. If you are going to spend more time with service opportunities, Loyola is the better choice. Know yourself, both are good schools and each have there own pros and cons.

 

[GA_arYonkees_82]

I agree, both are very good schools and I believe you will be able to accomplish whatever you want at either one of these schools. While both schools offer plenty of clinical and research opportunities, I do believe MCW gets the edge over Loyola in research while Loyola gets the edge over MCW in terms of clinical exposure.

 

[Talldoctor96]

My opinion was simply based on subjective criteria. They’re both comparable really, my opinion was based on aesthetic preference. Also, both will give you research opportunities but objectively MCW just has a lot more funding. Based on data last year reported on MSAR MCW had 86 million in federal funding and Loyola had 17 million. Really, fit just depends on the person. If you want to spend more time in the lab, MCW is the better choice. If you are going to spend more time with service opportunities, Loyola is the better choice. Know yourself, both are good schools and each have there own pros and cons.

Sorry — that wasn’t meant to be snarky— I literally meant why don’t you take a look because I don’t know what you like research wise and I don’t want to read through a bunch of pages. I totally agree with your assessment and both options are great schools! Sorry if it came off any negative way I was just being lazy hahaha 🙂 maybe it should say something I don’t care a TON about research and I’m going to Loyola 😛

 

[SeaHusky]

Someone correct me if I'm completely wrong, but something to keep in mind that might mitigate Loyola's lower emphasis on research for some people is the ability to conduct research at other nearby institutions (e.g. Northwestern, UChicago, etc.). If you have a research topic you're passionate about that isn't being studied at Loyola, I'm almost positive you can network with physicians and researchers at other schools who are conducting research in your area of interest. I don't think schools limit their medical student research volunteers to their own institution's students (but again, I could be wrong, as this is likely very dependent on the school). Just food for thought!