Loyola (Stritch) vs. Saint Louis University (SLU)

[ordinaryorange]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey everybody, having a difficult time choosing between these two schools as they are very similar in nature. A little bit about me – I’m from California and while it’s not imperative that I come back, I would like to have that possibility. I’m not sure on what I want to practice but I’m leaning towards specializing right now. That being said, I definitely want to keep my options open as much as possible for matching into competitive specialties, if I do decide to pursue that route. Thanks in advance!

Loyola (Stritch)

Pros:

• Student body/faculty were extremely friendly during interview day (although I’ve read from several posts here that it might be just an interview day show they put on)
• Extremely collaborative environment
• Facilities were pretty nice and all very close to another
• Being near Chicago seems much more fun and interesting
• More colloquially known than SLU(?)
• Would know more people who go here

Cons:

• Not exactly in Chicago
• Slightly more expensive cost of living than STL
• Weather is slightly worse than in St. Louis
• Low USNWR ranking than SLU

Saint Louis University (SLU)

Pros:

• Same as Loyola, students and faculty were very nice during interview day (didn’t get to interact with as much people though so the vibe wasn’t as strong)
• Brand new hospital for clinical rotations
• Everything is much more local and not spread out
• St. Louis seems to have a more diverse patient population vs Loyola (could be wrong about this)
• Higher USNWR ranking than Loyola

Cons:

• Older facilities
• The area doesn’t seem as lively

Both:

• Tuition will be pretty much the same for both schools so that will not be a factor
• 2+2 curriculum, both are p/f years 1 and 2 and honors/high pass/p/f for years 3 and 4
• Both are much more focused clinically rather than research
• Friendly and supportive student/faculty interactions

I’m ultimately not too concerned about the location since I feel like I’d be able to adapt to wherever I go. If anybody on here has an idea which school is more well-known or has a better reputation for residency matching, I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts. Thank you and stay safe!

 

[Talldoctor96]

To your con Low USNWR ranking than SLU : It has a higher 2020 PD ranking (61 vs 73)

 

[Zen Arcade]

SLU had a probation problem not too long ago. Apparently the issues have been fixed but if I was in your shoes I would see it as a yellow flag. (Probation Lifted for SLU’s Medical School)

 

[DirtyNewYorker]

I think they're both solid options. Can't go wrong with picking either. With hard work, determination, and perseverance, you'll be able to match into competitive programs on the West Coast at either school.

 

[future_peds_doc99]

I feel like SLU gets a bad rep around SDN because of the probation they had a few years ago, but I think it's made the program a lot better + SLU has become a much stronger school with its reforms and brand new hospital. Also, many schools (including Baylor which used to be a high tier school) have been on probation and gotten off and with no problems.

The reasons why I believe SLU would hugely be beneficial for you
1) The probation has been lifted and since most of it was related to administration, this has already been fixed
2) since the probation, they've made changes to improve the curriculum, thus your med school education
3) The probation was a few years ago, now that its been a couple of yers, you will be reaping the benefits of all these changes

 

[Zen Arcade]

I feel like SLU gets a bad rep around SDN because of the probation they had a few years ago, but I think it's made the program a lot better + SLU has become a much stronger school with its reforms and brand new hospital. Also, many schools (including Baylor which used to be a high tier school) have been on probation and gotten off and with no problems.

The reasons why I believe SLU would hugely be beneficial for you
1) The probation has been lifted and since most of it was related to administration, this has already been fixed
2) since the probation, they've made changes to improve the curriculum, thus your med school education
3) The probation was a few years ago, now that its been a couple of yers, you will be reaping the benefits of all these changes

I can see your perspective, but I would argue that at the same time any new curriculum will have growing pains. They fixed the problems which is good, but I still think it takes a while for any system to fully find its footing. I think SLU is a good school, but I also think is fair to point out it’s shortcomings- especially when this particular applicant has the choice of going to a similar school that hasn’t had any recent probation problems.

 

[blueskittlez12]

I’ve worked for Loyola EMS and can say that Loyola’s patient population is very diverse. It may not be in the most underserved area (relative to the rest of Chicago) if that’s what you mean, but patients have different ethnicities, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I’ve also not been to SLU.

 

[SinglePayerNow]

Both very similar, I would say choose based on location. In terms of matching, they're more or less in the same midwest region, so neither should hurt you if you plan on matching west.

 

[MDMVP15]

Both are great schools, you will be fine at whichever one you pick. I think SLU gets the edge here over Loyola imo.

 

[ordinaryorange]

Both are great schools, you will be fine at whichever one you pick. I think SLU gets the edge here over Loyola imo.

May I ask why you think SLU is slightly better?

 

[MDMVP15]

SLU I believe has a 1.5 year pre-clinical system, so you would take your Step 1 earlier, which will allow you more time for elective clerkship before you apply to residency. Saint Louis has a very large underserved population, so if that interests you, you will have plenty of this (You will also have plenty of opportunities in Loyola for service, but imo SL is just as good as Chicago).

They also have a brand new research building, new hospital, and new simulation lab/standardized patient center.

TLDR: Excellent Step 1 scores, clinical opportunities/training, high student satisfaction/mental health and great match list on top of all of that.