Loyola University Stritch SOM Class of 2011!

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nevermind, i think i found it - i think its 100 Forest Place? i love being bored at work and apartment hunting:)
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We're looking at condos right now...I am not sure if we'll go that route or rent...but the condo things have to be done a little earlier than the apt things, I think
 
I am going to be headed up to Chicago tomorrow to look at places. Is Stritch open on the weekends? If I want to show my mom the school is there anything worth seeing on a Saturday?

Thanks!
Leah
 
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HOLA fellow 2011ers!

I haven't actually fallen off the face of the Earth (if any of you were afraid of that). I've just been busy and haven't been on SDN since before Christmas even, as hard as that may be to imagine! I'm wondering if any of you were planning on meeting up again anytime, I was very disappointed when I saw that you had all met up and I missed out on the meeting. Hope that everyone is making great progress in their school decisions. I'm still not 100% sure about where I'll be, but at least I have it narrowed down between two schools, Loyola of course being one of the school.

Orientation information ever going to come? I'd LOVE to have an orientation packet about now to get me even more excited about the school stuff. I jokingly claimed the other day that whoever sent that info out first, or whichever school started first would be where I'd end up just because I canNOT wait for the whole process to begin.

Good luck to all.
 
Orientation info is now up to date under Prospective Students - Prematriculation information at school's website. Info on orientation and schedule, family weekend etc are all up to date.
 
during the day the school should be unlocked...not as sure about on sundays (we can swipe our IDs to get into the building, and I don't remember if the building is unlocked for anyone to get in on a Sunday.) but I bet if you came by you'd have a good shot of getting into the school.
 
brats800 said:
during the day the school should be unlocked...not as sure about on sundays (we can swipe our IDs to get into the building, and I don't remember if the building is unlocked for anyone to get in on a Sunday.) but I bet if you came by you'd have a good shot of getting into the school.
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Thanks! We went on Saturday and we did get to drive by. I think that it might be best to show my family more during the week.

Looking for places to live--do any of you live in Forest Park, Brookfield, or Lyons? What are your opinions on the areas and best places to live?
 
i live in Forest Park. i chose to live there because it is close to school and cheaper than Oak Park (i bought a condo and the price / taxes were lower in Forest Park vs. Oak Park). for me, it made more sense to buy a place and pay the morgage than to pay rent. if any of you are looking to purchase a place, i could give you the contact info for the realtor i used. anyway, Forest Park is nice...not amazing, but it works. the M1 FAQ page on the loyola SAS page has a little blurb about some of the surrounding neighborhoods. feel free to post or PM me with any more specific questions.
 
leahmaria said:
Thanks! We went on Saturday and we did get to drive by. I think that it might be best to show my family more during the week.

Looking for places to live--do any of you live in Forest Park, Brookfield, or Lyons? What are your opinions on the areas and best places to live?
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Brookfield and Lyons are just so-so. I'm not a huge fan of either suburb. They're not really an area that I would want to live as a student. Forest Park is definitely a step up from those areas, though, especially if you're looking for more nightlife. Oak Park is probably the nicest and most interesting of the suburbs surrounding Maywood, but definitely the most expensive.
 
Thanks guys!

The place that I looked at in Oak Park was just gorgeous inside, but it was right on the edge of Berwyn, and the balcony wasn't one that I'd be excited to sit on--a factory across the street and its parking lot on the other side of the street....I was looking for an area that either felt like more of the suburbs or was more in the downtown area of a suburb...by restaurants and such. I think that the places in Oak Park that are like this must be much more expensive.

The place I liked in Forest Park was really set apart from a lot of city/village stuff...which was fine, I like quiet! It was right by the blue line stop, which I liked, too. I also looked at a place in Forest Park right on Madison..that was nice! I liked that area.

Brookfield looked nice to me, very quiet and residential. The place I was looking at was right by the Metra--are there just so many trains that every place has to be right next to one?? Haha! Lack of night life wouldn't be a big deal to me at all...though I think it would be nice to live near where med students hang out--the M1 page says Madison street in Forest Park is like this?

How important is it to you guys to be very close to campus? Do you think that it makes much of a difference if I am 3 minutes away as opposed to 12 minutes? Do any of you bike to school ever if you live close? I have a car and plan to drive, but it might be nice to have areas around where I can walk and bike.

This is so exciting! I can't even wait until July when I get to move in and meet all of you and start medical school!!
 
How many of you are looking for roommates next year and filling out the roommate info sheet for Loyola?
 
I'm torn about filling out the roommate thing.

I think I'd like to live by myself but I'm quickly finding that I can get a nicer apartment if I shared. So I'll probably fill it out and then decide if i want a roommate later.
 
keepdreaming said:
I'm torn about filling out the roommate thing.

I think I'd like to live by myself but I'm quickly finding that I can get a nicer apartment if I shared. So I'll probably fill it out and then decide if i want a roommate later.
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I think that I am going to fill it out and then decide later too...I think that I'll end up with a two bedroom place, but I'm not sure if I'll be lonely if I live by myself. I also think having a roommate that I didn't get along with would be more extra stress than I want my first year of medical school. I am living in a single dorm room this year and it hasn't been a problem...I figure you'll all be my built in friends at school even if I don't live with anyone ;)

the buildings that i'm looking at are pet friendly, so i suppose i could always get a goldfish or a kitten :D
 
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leah -
are you buying a place??

my weariness of a roommate is definitely from the whole stress of another person being in your space factor. I have a roommate now that I'm not particularly fond of b/c she's so freaking messy. if you lived alone and you came home to a messy apartment, its your own mess so it makes it okay :laugh:

For now I think i'm going to continue looking for studios. If I can't find a good one at a decent price then I'll cave to the roommate thing.
 
keepdreaming said:
leah -
are you buying a place??

my weariness of a roommate is definitely from the whole stress of another person being in your space factor. I have a roommate now that I'm not particularly fond of b/c she's so freaking messy. if you lived alone and you came home to a messy apartment, its your own mess so it makes it okay :laugh:

For now I think i'm going to continue looking for studios. If I can't find a good one at a decent price then I'll cave to the roommate thing.
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We're considering buying...I think we'll also be checking out renting options to see which one is the best way to go. If we're going to buy, we'd have to look into it earlier than if I'm going to rent, too. Apparently the market is good for buyers right now, so I think that that might play into it (and 2 bedrooms are better for resale?) I guess I figure I'm going to be there at least four years, if not longer (residency possibility in the Chicago area).

As for roommates, I couldn't handle messiness or loudness or smoking or constantly having the boyfriend over or never helping with cleaning, etc...(can you tell I've had roommates before too?) I think that a roommate would be great if we got along and none of those issues got out of hand, but otherwise it could be stressful. So, I think I'll put my name on the list, and then if I find someone and meet them and we decide it'll work, then great. If not, I'll live by myself :) I figure if I live by myself for the first year and then decide that I want a roommate, that would be doable for the second year.
 
keepdreaming said:
I'm torn about filling out the roommate thing.

I think I'd like to live by myself but I'm quickly finding that I can get a nicer apartment if I shared. So I'll probably fill it out and then decide if i want a roommate later.
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is that form out already or something?
btw everyone im 99% sure its going to be Loyola for me :D
 
doctor0125 said:
is that form out already or something?
btw everyone im 99% sure its going to be Loyola for me :D
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The date on it says to have it back by sometime in May 2007, so my guess is that it is up to date, though I haven't been emailed it or anything
 
I'll be filling out that roommate form. Does anyone know how it works after you fill it out and receive the master list?? Do you just start calling people who you think you'd get along with??

I have a bunch of friends from high school who are still around the area who I could live with, but I'd much rather have a roommate who is in med school and understands the time commitments. Plus it's always nice to have someone to bounce questions off of if you don't understand something...
 
So, I just read over the Loyola 2010 thread and got myself all pumped up for starting med school! I can't even wait!!

Anyways, have any of you made moves on the financial aid stuff?

And from last year's thread, it looks like they give you the phone numbers of people and their descriptions, etc...

I have procrastinated all evening on SDN, like I haven't done for so long...I wish that it was July and I was getting ready to meet all of you and enjoy orientation week, instead of finishing up my biochem lab report :)
 
most students do THE loan? why?

if i wanted to, do you think i could go to the financial aid office and have them sit down with me and explain these things?
 
i called the Financial Aid office and they just talked through the stuff with me. for whatever reason (i think it deals with loyola not being supposed to favor one company over another), they can't come out and say 'choose this lender', but when they put all the facts in front of me, it was more clear. i chose the access group (don't remember anymore what the major differences were...i think it was with interest rates...they aren't all the same, and they can fluctuate based on different variables, if i remember correctly). but yeah, call or visit the financial aid office. they are nice, it is their job, and they'd love to help. :)
 
brats800 said:
i called the Financial Aid office and they just talked through the stuff with me. for whatever reason (i think it deals with loyola not being supposed to favor one company over another), they can't come out and say 'choose this lender', but when they put all the facts in front of me, it was more clear. i chose the access group (don't remember anymore what the major differences were...i think it was with interest rates...they aren't all the same, and they can fluctuate based on different variables, if i remember correctly). but yeah, call or visit the financial aid office. they are nice, it is their job, and they'd love to help. :)
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Awesome, thanks! It seems like people do end up choosing different lenders, so there must be some things that differ. I can't really tell what it all means when I look at the spreadsheets they give me. I will make some time to call next week, and if I think that it is easier to sit down and go through numbers, then perhaps I'll make an appointment to come to Chicago and sit down with one of the people in finacial aid.

I am actually coming back to Chicago for more condo hunting on Tuesday, so perhaps I'll get to stop by Stritch!
 
leahmaria said:
The date on it says to have it back by sometime in May 2007, so my guess is that it is up to date, though I haven't been emailed it or anything
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wait, so this roommate form IS out already?
 
WRT to the housing situation - be careful I got a GREAT place right on Madison in Forest Park. It was nice, near restaurants, cheap, big, beautiful etc. However, when I looked at it during the day, what I DIDN'T get to see was that between midnight-3AM 4 days a week, I got to deal with the drunk people screaming and acting foolish coming out of the bars.

Needless to say - there will be one great apartment right on madison coming open for next year if anybody is interested AND is willing to wear ear plugs at night.

WRT financial aid, the FA office will sit with you and help you look at the numbers. They are pretty strict about not leading you one way or another, but they CAN help you develop a strategy for choosing a lender. I went with THE after doing all the math.
 
thanks leah! i filled it out and sent it in...we aren't bound to this by any means, are we? we can just pick and choose?
 
sotired said:
thanks leah! i filled it out and sent it in...we aren't bound to this by any means, are we? we can just pick and choose?
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure that it is non-binding! I am going to fill it out, and I'm guessing that I won't end up with a roommate for next year.
 
Flopotomist said:
WRT to the housing situation - be careful I got a GREAT place right on Madison in Forest Park. It was nice, near restaurants, cheap, big, beautiful etc. However, when I looked at it during the day, what I DIDN'T get to see was that between midnight-3AM 4 days a week, I got to deal with the drunk people screaming and acting foolish coming out of the bars.

Needless to say - there will be one great apartment right on madison coming open for next year if anybody is interested AND is willing to wear ear plugs at night.

WRT financial aid, the FA office will sit with you and help you look at the numbers. They are pretty strict about not leading you one way or another, but they CAN help you develop a strategy for choosing a lender. I went with THE after doing all the math.
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Thanks! I just got an email from Donna Sobie and I am going to go read it and see if I'll still need help!
 
Hey everyone!!! I am so excited for school to start!!!
After looking over all the financial aid that I am going to be receiving this year I decided that I definitely need to find a roommate.

So.... anyone looking for a roommate? I am sure a lot of you are. So holla.

Maggie
 
One of the 4th years is leaving the area and wants to rent his condo out. If any of you are interested in the email he sent, PM me with an email address.
 
Oooooh! All this talk has me so excited about Loyola. I am definitely looking for a roommate next year. I know we all have our fears/doubts about roommate situations, but I think it will be best financially and socially, especially starting off in an unfamiliar city. So if anyone wants to PM me and talk about possible rooming situations/ apartment hunting, please do so!

Can't wait to meet all of you!
 
this is prob a weird q, but any student on campus, do they have some ATMs on campus or in the hospital, and what are the banks they are through.
 
Out of curiosity, is anyone else planning on living in the city?
 
doctor0125 said:
this is prob a weird q, but any student on campus, do they have some ATMs on campus or in the hospital, and what are the banks they are through.
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There are at least 2 ATMs that I know of. One in the gym, and one in the hospital. The one in the gym is a Chase ATM.
 
I was just about to sign the MPN for the THE loan when I decided to check out SDN financial aid forums. This directed me to this:

http://www.aamc.org/programs/medloans/students/benefits.htm

seems unbeatable at this point. I know it's Sallie Mae, but any thoughts? A big thing is the immediate .3% rate reduction at first disbursement.
 
mataku527 said:
I was just about to sign the MPN for the THE loan when I decided to check out SDN financial aid forums. This directed me to this:

http://www.aamc.org/programs/medloans/students/benefits.htm

seems unbeatable at this point. I know it's Sallie Mae, but any thoughts? A big thing is the immediate .3% rate reduction at first disbursement.
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I just stopped at Loyola, and thought that the best of the four was THE as well...but I don't know about this does it only capitalize once at repayment? Ask the Loyola financial aid people about it, I'm sure they'd help you out.
 
leahmaria said:
does it only capitalize once at repayment?
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My exact question. I looked on the Sallie Mae website for about 30 seconds and couldn't find the answer so I got bored and stopped. It does look like a good deal...but I wonder if they capitalize more than once.
 
Today I decided where I'll be living next year--that was really exciting! I got a two bedroom condo in Forest Park--I have to do all of that closing stuff, so I'm sure I'll be back in Chicago before too long, but it is so exciting to be picturing my life there next year! There is a lot within short drives of Stritch--malls, and a lot of stores.

Next I suppose I'll be looking for furniture--I've never lived anywhere but my home and the dorms before, so there is so much that I have to get for an apartment! Any good ideas of where to get furniture around Chicago? I read on the 2010 class thread that some of you were going to Ikea...how did that work out?
 
Ikea is awesome. There are actually 2 in the Chicagoland area now, one in Schamburg, the other in Bollingbrook. Most of the furniture is self-assembled, but some of it is pretty good quality. There are some pretty shoddy pieces of furniture too, though. It has pretty much everything you'd need, and is relatively inexpensive.
 
They only capitalize once I believe. I emailed the FINAID office and they pointed out that the one thing they don't tell you is that only about 5% of students actually get the benefits because of late payments and such. I feel as though I'm really responsible and have never been late for any payments, so it seems like I can do it, but then again I've never had to pay such a large sums for over 10 years. Decisions, decisions.
 
mataku527 said:
They only capitalize once I believe. I emailed the FINAID office and they pointed out that the one thing they don't tell you is that only about 5% of students actually get the benefits because of late payments and such. I feel as though I'm really responsible and have never been late for any payments, so it seems like I can do it, but then again I've never had to pay such a large sums for over 10 years. Decisions, decisions.
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I think the same thing...I should be able to make all of my payments on time. Lynn at the financial aid office said today that a lot of people miss the first one because you're moving and it doesn't catch up with you in time..etc...so right then you'd miss out on all of the benefits with some of the lenders!
 
Another reason financial aid suggested for why people might miss their first payments had to do with setting up the electronic withdrawal for the bank. I guess sometimes it's delayed or gets messed up the first time?
 
One of my good friends is moving to the city next year and her place will be available next year. It is a very comfortable and affordable 2 bedroom, 1 bath place with free washer/dryer, garage parking, large yard, nice deck, 2 blocks from el, close to school, $900/mth. If you are interested call her landlord at 708-466-6528.
 
LaurieB said:
One of my good friends is moving to the city next year and her place will be available next year. It is a very comfortable and affordable 2 bedroom, 1 bath place with free washer/dryer, garage parking, large yard, nice deck, 2 blocks from el, close to school, $900/mth. If you are interested call her landlord at 708-466-6528.
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hey laurie, is that 900 for each person or 900 total, for both bedrooms?
 
Does anyone know if Loyola hosts a Second Look program? I just went to my state school's 2nd look program and it was really cool to see it again. The perspective of the students, faculty and another tour would be a huge help in making this decision in which the deadline is rapidly approaching :eek:

A question I have for current Loyola students is what are the volunteer opportunities for the students? I remember hearing about a free clinic students can work at. Is this something many people do?

Also, what kind of clinical experience do you get your first two years? Is it strictly book work, or do you have some limited patient contact as well?

One last question. Maybe it has already been answered and I didn't see it, but how are you graded at Loyola? Is it a Pass/Fail system, or the traditional A,B,C,D,F? Is it a pretty competitive environment when it comes to grades and studying?

Thanks so much!
 
Loyola doesn't have an official second look weekend. Apparently they do have a "diversity second look weekend" for individuals who are considered URM's, but nothing formal for everyone else. That being said, I'm sure if you were to go to the school on a Friday or Saturday and talk to individuals in the admissions office, they could more than likely find a student to give you another tour and answer any questions you might have. They're supposed to be very receptive to prospective students.
 
Ok, so I'm looking at the lender information that Loyola sent out and maybe it's just me, but Citibank looks like a lousy deal. The repayment benefits stink compared to Key Resources and even THE when you like at the risk factor of losing your interest rate deduction thanks to one late payment.

Has anyone researched any other lenders?
 
NJH1 said:
Does anyone know if Loyola hosts a Second Look program? I just went to my state school's 2nd look program and it was really cool to see it again. The perspective of the students, faculty and another tour would be a huge help in making this decision in which the deadline is rapidly approaching :eek:

A question I have for current Loyola students is what are the volunteer opportunities for the students? I remember hearing about a free clinic students can work at. Is this something many people do?

Also, what kind of clinical experience do you get your first two years? Is it strictly book work, or do you have some limited patient contact as well?

One last question. Maybe it has already been answered and I didn't see it, but how are you graded at Loyola? Is it a Pass/Fail system, or the traditional A,B,C,D,F? Is it a pretty competitive environment when it comes to grades and studying?

Thanks so much!
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I'm a current student. there is no second look weekend, but you can always call the admissions office and set a visit up. they are very accomodating.

the free clinic is something that almost the whole class does (so much that slots fill up real quickly). beyond that, every wednesday night we put together bag lunches for the homeless and then deliver go deliver them. there are several health fairs that people have put together (for high school kids, for latino immigrants, etc.). you can teach health education classes for the disadvantaged, or you can help renovate the home of someone who's elderly and impoverished. needless to say, there are lots of opportunities to volunteer.

there is mucho clinical experience the first two years, more than you will be able to handle. you are required to shadow a 3rd year student doing his/her rotations and also required to shadow a physician mentor. both of these opportunities are meant for you to practice what you learn in your clinical skills course on real patients (history-taking and physical exam). beyond those experiences, there are formal programs to shadow neonatologists, surgeons, ER docs, and anesthesiologists. all the faculty encourage students to contact them for shadowing. the limiting factor is not really the number of opportunities, but really how much time you want to devote away from your books.

as far as grades, we are on the pass, high pass, and honors system. for most courses, pass is >70, high pass is anything above the mean, and honors is greater than 1 std. deviation above the mean. despite this, it is not competitive at all and classmates routinely share resources through email in the days leading up to an exam.
 
i've heard by third year most students live downtown - is this because you do most of your rotations downtown? how does this work?
 
Thanks for all of the great info ambulancedriver! I am looking more and more forward to medical school!
 
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