Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine

How do you think your friends would describe you if I asked them what you were like and what your strengths were?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Why do you think you'd be a good fit for Loyola? What in particular do you like about the school?

You're on a 40 foot boat for 10 days. What three books do you bring with you?

You're standing at the front of a room filled with everyone on the admissions committee. You have three minutes. What do you say? (The interviewer offered to let me email him the response if I didn't feel up to answering at that moment (he acknowledged this is the most hated question he asks interviewees - you get to turn in a review of the interviewer), but I answered right then and there, which I think he appreciated).

SDN, Loyola's web site, materials sent by Loyola via mail

Everything. See above.

No classes that day (exam was the following day), so there weren't many students around. Location - wish it were in Chicago instead of a suburb (traffic!).

Make sure you wear really comfortable shoes - there's A LOT of walking on the tour.

I think it would be hard to interview at Loyola and not fall under its spell. The students I met were uniformly happy and loved their school, and all the talk of it being almost a little creepy (in a good way) is true. The administration and faculty are incredibly supportive, and quickly make changes or adjustments to the curriculum or classes, or add new programs based on student reviews and feedback. They really want you to be happy and successful there. The curriculum is a block system, where you only have one class at a time, and are generally done around noon. They said you usually have a short lecture, followed by a mediated small group problem solving session, followed by a summary lecture. The students I spoke to really liked it. And I like the idea of having one major class at a time (they do all of anatomy in 2 months!). Also, they tend to cancel PBL sessions the week of a major exam, and often give a week off after a big exam. They have an ''honors program'' based in bioethics and healthcare policy if you're interested. Clinical training starts early in the first year, and throughout all four years - they put out some of the best clinically trained doctors, with tons of standardized patient hours (and patient simulation exercises). And the facilities were specifically designed with the curriculum in mind and to foster a real ''community'' feeling among students. They are new, bright, and wonderful, and each class is broken into three groups and given a section of the main floor where they have a ''community area'' with a lounge, study rooms, mail room, fridge/microwave, etc. Everything has windows onto the open atrium (3-4 floors high) filled with tables & armchairs. The gym will blow your mind no matter how jaded you are or how irrelevant you think a gym would be to a medical school. There are lots of community service opportunities, and many students go on one of their international summer immersion programs for 2-4 weeks after their first year. There is some research there, but my impression was that it's mainly clinical research, and that it's available, but definitely not the focus of the school. It's mainly a clinically-oriented school. Most students live in Oak Park & surrounding suburbs, but some students do live in Chicago and commute 30-40 minutes each way (depending on traffic and location). As for the interviews, they were some of the most in-depth and demanding I've had. They are very conversational and friendly, but they really want to know what makes you tick, the decisions you've made and why you made them. They're really digging deep to see if you'll be a good fit for them, and what attracts you to Loyola. I got some difficult and very probing questions (not listed in this review since they were predominantly specific to my particular background), but just be yourself, relax, and if you're a good match, it should come across loud and clear. If you interview there, you will leave Loyola convinced that you would be a very happy medical student if you went there....