USC or Loyola??

[frangeo27]

Hey Guys,

I trust the insight of the majority of people on this site, so I know that I'm going to get honest opinions here. I have been blessed and lucky by getting in to 2 great schools that I would totaly go to: USC and Loyola. I'm holding my place at both schools until financial packets come out later on in the year...but which school do you prefer....here are the pro's and con's as I see them...

Pros
USC: In LA (Where I live), great weather, higher "rankings", good chance of getting Cali residencies, systems-based curriculum
Loyola: Very friendly atmosphere, noncompetitive, great facilities, chicago is wonderful, slightly cheaper than USC ($54,000 1st year budget)

Cons
USC: expensive as hell ($65,000 budget for 1st year as listed in their booklet), more competitive atmosphere, not as friendly (for what i've seen, though I'm sure that's not the case for all USC students)
Loyola: Cold weather, away from family, no big research opportunities, harder to get into CA residencies

So what do you guys think....what would you do?

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[CaliBoi]

If I were in your position, for me it would be an easy decision. I would choose USC especially because you want to practice in California after med school. Also if you are into research, USC much better opportunities, so that would help. Also, why would you want to go all the way to Chicago for a school that is worse and has no great benefits to go it considering your situation. USC all the way.

 

[swtiepie711]

Hey - here's my $0.02: Take USC First, you're from CA and it sounds like you want to stay in CA in the long run, and as you said yourself - the majority of USC students get CA residencies (and maybe those who don't didn't want to stay in CA).... Also, you have fam in CA - a great support network already in place - med school's going to be tough & it will be nice to have already pp around who can support you. Weather - while this may seem minor, weather in LA is wonderful (minus the smog) - worst we get is rain - snow/etc in Chicago may make everything seem more miserable... as far as expenses - the grand total you're talking about is a difference of 9K a year - that wouldn't be enough for me to factor $$ into the equation (I mean, if we were talking 65K vs. 35K - that would be a different story....

That all said - I haven't seen Loyola or know that much about it. As long as you're not sure, hang onto both & see what FinAid has to say about it - but, from one Californian to another, I'd take USC... but that's just me

Congrats on your acceptances & best of with the decision!

 

[frangeo27]

thanks for all the insight guys..i will certainly take to consideration what you have said...thanks again

 

[chaldobruin]

USC hands down.. The cons you listed for USC can be addressed as follows: you will be in deep debt WHEREVER you go, all medical schools will have students you like and dont like (im sure you saw just a small subset), and no matter what kind of grading system your school uses, medical school (or I should say medicine in general) is competitive and always will be. Even though Loyola may seem less competitive, you don't really know for sure until you start taking tests.

Good luck, and congrats. Remember you can't substitute family nearby, weather, or location for almost anything.

Hey Guys,

I trust the insight of the majority of people on this site, so I know that I'm going to get honest opinions here. I have been blessed and lucky by getting in to 2 great schools that I would totaly go to: USC and Loyola. I'm holding my place at both schools until financial packets come out later on in the year...but which school do you prefer....here are the pro's and con's as I see them...

Pros
USC: In LA (Where I live), great weather, higher "rankings", good chance of getting Cali residencies, systems-based curriculum
Loyola: Very friendly atmosphere, noncompetitive, great facilities, chicago is wonderful, slightly cheaper than USC ($54,000 1st year budget)

Cons
USC: expensive as hell ($65,000 budget for 1st year as listed in their booklet), more competitive atmosphere, not as friendly (for what i've seen, though I'm sure that's not the case for all USC students)
Loyola: Cold weather, away from family, no big research opportunities, harder to get into CA residencies

So what do you guys think....what would you do?

 

[cubbbie]

You're right, Chicago IS wonderful. But Loyola's not really in Chicago. You won't have much opportunity to enjoy the city.

 

[jbrice1639]

You're right, Chicago IS wonderful. But Loyola's not really in Chicago. You won't have much opportunity to enjoy the city.

speaking as a current loyola student, i would disagree with that notion. it's not actually in the city of chicago, like you said, but plenty of us live in the city and socialize in the city frequently. but, i would still say if you're from cali and can go to school there, you should do that. the californians in my class complain about the weather here nearly daily, and it's not even really cold yet. and, your pros for usc seem to far outweigh your pros for loyola.

 

[MedvacMoney]

hey congrats. When did you interview at USC. and how long between interview and getting acceptance?

BTW- USC is very uncompetitive. They grade on a pass/fail system and dont have a ranking system. I talked to a bunch of students and they said its chillax to the point where someone posts up the notes for everyone (oh wait that could be ucsf, no i am pretty sure that it is usc). The one bad thing the students told me was that he hated the curriculum---specifically because it is mostly lecture based instead of pbl....however if that doesent bother then no problem.....

if i was you i say go into major debt (since they give vitually NO aid) and pick the USC!

 

[Disarming]

Go with USC. To make a long story short, my dad went to both. USC for undergrad and Loyola for his Law degree. (not the same thing I know) He loved USC and just was madly depressed at Loyola.

 

[frangeo27]

wow..when I started this, I didn't think it would be so one-sided. No loyola love? kind of shocking to be quite honest...