i sent this in response to some questions asked me in pm, and figured that for those of you (who were like me a year ago and couldn't get enough when it came to reading about loyola)...here's what i wrote:
here's my stab at your questions... stress level. its medical school. it can be really stressful. but i think they do all that is possible for it to be as low stress as possible. classes are curved, so you are competing against classmates for grades (for what grades are worth...that's a whole different issue that i could go into if you wanted). but it doesn't feel like students are competing. there is a lot of collaberation between students, sharing helpful websites and answers to questions from the professor, etc. the work is hard, but not unbearable. there is nearly a 100% attendance rate for classes. most lectures are pretty good. (as anywhere, some aren't very good.) based on how we have one class at a time, some classes are a lot busier than others (you won't do a whole lot other than study and disect during anatomy...now during physiology we have a lot more freetime.) professors are all pretty good in general (i don't have any other medical schools to compare lecturers to.) pretty much all the professors are really excited to be there. they WANT to be working and teaching the students. during anatomy, we always had residents (most often surgical residents) and practicing physicians (again, often surgeons or ortho surgeons, but also urologists teaching the urinary anatomy, etc..) in the lab helping with the disections and identification of everything. there is even a fourth year elective you can take to teach anatomy as a TA. those students were in lab everyday helping and holding study sessions. it was awesome. and yes, the professors are great. the loyola students are all pretty social. orientation week was tons of fun for the new m1's. lots to do, time in chicago, etc. there are post-test parties (bars mostly) and other occassional get-togethers going on all the time. i have a couple guys over every week to watch 'lost' on tv and hangout. yeah, we are social. but students are involved in lots of stuff. i also am still assistant-coaching my college swim team (wheaton college, about 20 minutes west of the hospital) once or twice each week. i also get to help at the free-clinic we help staff once and a while. and every thursday i help make and deliver sandwiches to the homeless living in an area of chicago (lower wacker/lower michigan, etc) this also hints at your question about students feeling a 'higher calling.' we all are in medschool 'to help people' or for some reason more than prestige or to get rich. (that matters to an extent to everyone, but not so much as at some other places, i'd say.) if that's what you want, yes, you'd fit in....what else. oh yes, i work out at least 5, sometimes 6 days/week at the health center. its an amazing place. sooo many students are really active. during a couple hour break we had the other day between classes, i saw probably 20 or 25 of my classmates at the gym. and i think your last question is about student backgrounds. maybe half of the class came straight from undergrad. the rest of us have been out for a year or more (our oldest m1 is 33 years old....the youngest is 20). i personally took a year off and worked. it doesn't matter a whole lot once you are in, though. people have different backgrounds and differnet majors and different experiences. we all benefit from our past in different ways (ie- the biochem majors had a much easier time than i did during our molecular cell biology course). i was a kinesiology major. we have a lot of the college majors represented. (schools really like having more than just the bio or chem major...) ok. long enough answer i'd say. keep asking if you have more questions. it sounds like you'd fit in well with us. if you need advice about where to live as that time comes closer, just let me know. see you around.
#! when you are finished with your phone call, after you have given them my regards, would you mind getting me some tix to the Caribbean? not for med school but for vacation! my pasty white booty could use some sunshine right about now! damn groundhog, six more weeks of frigidly cold weather 😡 
