Loyola vs. Rush

[anxiousmed]

My friend (I"ve requested him to join SDN but doesn't have time since he's going out of country for the summer) has been accepted to Rush and Loyola. He is leaning towards Loyola, he would appreciate any suggestions (I wish I had such choices as a lot of my fellow SDNer's enjoy)

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[sandflea]

well, they're pretty different schools. what exactly does your friend prioritize? neither is unequivocally better than the other so it comes down to personal preference.

 

[Lt. Ub]

Loyola - nice, new, and the students are extremely happy there.

 

[keptium]

I also heard the curriculum at Rush sucks. You take one class and only one class for like a month. Then take the test and never see that class again until boards time. Though, it does make it easier at that time. I rather take 6-7 classes and spread it out over a bit. I'm not sure what its like in Loyola

 

[sandflea]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by keptium:
•I also heard the curriculum at Rush sucks. You take one class and only one class for like a month. Then take the test and never see that class again until boards time. Though, it does make it easier at that time. I rather take 6-7 classes and spread it out over a bit. I'm not sure what its like in Loyola•••••actually that's how the curriculum is at loyola, not rush. i actually thought that aspect of loyola was pretty cool. rush's curriculum is pretty traditional (lecture-based, several courses per trimester) but they're working to incorporate more PBL into it.

 

[keptium]

Really? My friend is attending Rush this fall and I was positive that's what she told me. Oh well. I must be getting old.

 

[rxfudd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by keptium:
•Really? My friend is attending Rush this fall and I was positive that's what she told me. Oh well. I must be getting old. •••••See below for the Rush curriculum:

FIRST YEAR COURSES
Courses Taken in the First Year - Sample from 2000-2001

Fall Quarter
ANA 471 Human Anatomy I
ANA 451 Histology
BHV 481 Behavioral Science: Ethics in Medicine I
PCM 501 Physical Diagnosis I
PCM 511 Preventive Medicine: Interviewing and Communication I
PCM 521 Preceptorship Experience I
PCM 531 Preventive Medicine: Health of the Public I
PHY 451 Physiology I

Winter Quarter
ANA 472 Human Anatomy II
BCH 471 Biochemistry I
BHV 482 Behaviorial Science: Ethics in Medicine II
PCM 532 Preventive Medicine: Health of the Public II
PCM 522 Preceptorship Experience II
PHY 452 Physiology II

Spring Quarter
BCH 472 Biochemistry II
BHV 451 Behavioral Science: Fundamentals of Behavior
BHV 453 Behavioral Science: Behavior in the Life Cycle
BHV 483 Behavioral Science: Ethics in Medicine III
NEU 451 Neurobiology
PCM 523 Preceptorship Experience III
PTH 500 General Pathology

SECOND-YEAR COURSES
Courses Taken in Second Year - Sample from 2000-2001

Fall Quarter
IMM 501 Immunology
MED 501 Clinical Pathophysiology I
MIC 451 Microbiology Concepts I
PCM 504 Physical Diagnosis I
PCM 514 Interviewing and Communication
PCM 524 Preceptorship Experience IV
PHR 501 Medical Pharmacology I
PTH 511 Pathology I

Winter Quarter
MED 502 Clinical Pathophysiology II
MIC 452 Microbiology Concepts II
PCM 505 Physical Diagnosis II
PCM 525 Preceptorship Experience V
PHR 502 Medical Pharmacology II
Pth 512 Pathology II

Spring Quarter
MED 503 Clinical Pathophysiology III
PCM 506 Physical Diagnosis III
PCM 526 Preceptorship Experience VI
PSY 501 Introduction to Psychopathology
PTH 513 Pathology III
PVM 505 Epidemiology/Biostatistics

 

[FoxyDoc]

No comparision, Loyola

 

[rxfudd]

Here's the problem with making comparisons between Rush, Loyola, and UIC for that matter. It's not a clear cut "this one is better without a doubt" unless you throw NU or U of Chicago into the mix. All three are roughly the same overall, but there are distinct differences depending on what you are concerned with.

Environment: Loyola is not actually in Chicago, but in one of the suburbs (feels like the middle of nowhere to me) - Rush and UIC are in downtown Chicago (about three blocks from each other). Do you want to be IN the city or NEAR the city?

Curriculum: People either love or hate the Loyola curriculum (I happen to think it's brilliant), Rush and UIC are standard.

Quality of teaching: Loyola and Rush are pretty much par for the course, but UIC is well known for poor 1st and 2nd year teaching.

Red Tape: Not much at Rush and Loyola - lots at UIC.

Rotations: All three are pretty much equal here, but you will probably see a greater variety of things in downtown Chicago.

Tuition: Rush and Loyola are quite expensive. For in-staters, a medical education doesn't get much cheaper than UIC. If I remember right, UIC was listed somewhere as one of the best "bargains" in the country.

Student happiness: No idea about Loyola, but Rush students are very content. It seems like almost every 1st/2nd year UIC student has SOMETHING to complain about (really turned me off on UIC btw).

Residency match: All three are quite good.

Facilities: Loyola is very nice from what I hear (can't confirm that on my own - never seen them). Rush facilities are either brand new or from the 70s (a mixture of sorts - I noticed that the histology lab was a bit worn down but that the lecture halls were really nice). Most of the UIC facilities looked old and a bit drab to me. This will change in the next couple of years, since UIC is in the process of building a brand new medical school.

Prestige: None are prestigious schools, but UIC is the best known. If you go around the country, people may or may not have heard of Rush or Loyola. Most everyone has heard of UIC because of their research I status.

Funding: Contrary to popular belief, Rush is in fine academic standing, as is Loyola. The state of Illinois, however, is in an economic crisis with regards to higher education funding. Being a public school that gets most of it's funding from the state (as opposed to Rush and Loyola - both are private), UIC was hit HARD this last year (both undergrad, grad, and professional colleges) and is expected to get hit hard again with the next fiscal budget. I could make an entire separate post on this.

I know you didn't ask about UIC, but I wanted to make the point that these three schools are EXTREMELY similar in many ways and only different in a few. I see Rush/Loyola, Rush/UIC, Loyola/UIC questions in here very frequently, and people always respond with "definitely X" or "undoubtedly Y". It's really not true. I know it's been said over and over, but it all depends on what you want. Since they're so similar (none really outshine either of the others), I would prioritize your impressions of each school rather than cold facts - how did you feel during your interview at each? Did you feel more comfortable/excited/at ease at either of them? Could you NOT picture yourself studying at either of the schools for four years? Is there anything listed above that makes you REALLY want to or not want to go to either?