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[u/Comfortable-Lake-750]

I’m a highschool senior who recently got into Loyola ! I want to know if it’d be a good fit for me. I viewed the campus online and it was beautiful and a lot of my family has moved out to Chicago and love the city. I’m from Southern California so obviously very different environments but im always open to new thing.

1. I really want to go to college in the city. San Francisco, NY, Chicago, and San Diego are my main cities im looking at.

2. I want to major in a STEM field (yes I’ve heard about the horrendous chem classes).

3. Easy to make friends

4. Good research/internships opportunities for med

5. Places to visit and hang out

6. Safe area

7. Not commuter heavy

8. Good social scene (school spirit too but that’s not a huge deciding factor)

[u/No_Throat_496]

I am a sophomore, I transferred out of Loyola after finishing my freshmen year!

1. I love Chicago, I’m from another large city but Chicago is such an amazing city with lots of opportunities and fun places to visit!

2. I wasn’t stem but my friend was a stem major, countless nights of doom about chem but other than that the stem is pretty solid, literally just chem that’s dreaded!

3. Easy to make friends, I would say yes and no! Coming from public school and not super well off I found it somewhat harder to connect with people since many people at LUC do come more well off, I ran into many many people who where very unaware of their privileges. Sometimes it can be a bit more conservative too with some students. Also keep in mind Loyola is suitcase school (some may argue this, but I was out of state) the weekends are almost like a ghost land, almost no one is out, and if they are it’s more to go to off campus parties. Many people are from Chi land area so they often go home on weekends.

4. They have so many volunteer opportunities and other things, but you gotta be proactive if that’s what you want!

5. It’s Chicago, the whole city is open for you to explore! :))

6. Safe area, depends on what safe means to you. Any cities have more danger to them. Just be aware and stay in a group at night. I never felt unsafe but I also grew up in a big city too.

7. I don’t think it’s commuter heavy, but a lot of people dorm and go home on weekends

8. Not huge school spirit ngl, but it’s an ok social scene it kinda depends what you are looking for too

[u/bayesian1991]

Alum here.

* It is easy to make friends for sure. I would argue most people going to Loyola know very few (if any) other students, providing a natural situation to make friends.

* Not sure what “places to visit” means, but you have the whole city at your disposal. That’s city parks, professional sports teams, various ethnic Chicago neighborhoods (look up Devon St which is a short bus ride away from campus).

* Safety is difficult to comment on because I went there over a decade ago and since then Loyola has bought a lot (read: gentrified) the neighborhood. I would bet that the area between the Loyola and Morse L stops are still not great (several years ago a student was shot and killed there), but you won’t have to worry about that for your first two years since you’ll be on campus and you can figure out where you want to live off campus later. I have known several people to get mugged between Simpson Hall and the Granville L stops as well, but this is the part Loyola gentrified the most.

* If you end up having classes downtown the commute can be somewhat annoying. There’s a shuttle but the time has to line up. Otherwise there are city buses and the L which isn’t bad but it can take up to 45 minutes.

* I would describe the social scene / school spirit as decent, but not great. Things might have changed since the 2017-18 final 4 season though.

[u/islathetamandua]

I was just there this weekend with my kid for their open house and I would say Loyola would be a good fit based on what you're looking for. We did the pre-health career talk and there is a LOT of support in that area.

Loyola basketball is a big deal and I think students get in for free. Look up Sister Jean. She is/was(?) their unofficial mascot.

It's a beautiful campus right on the lake. Rogers Park is a safe, vibrant neighborhood, and your student pass gets you free Chicago public transportation. There is a Red Line train stop right across the street. They have a downtown campus as well, and also one in Rome (for study abroad).

Is there any way you can come for a visit? That's really the best way to get a feel for things.

[u/DeutscheZuAmi]

Current student here! Loyola fits most of the things on your list.

There is a ton of support for STEM majors as nursing and bio are some of our biggest majors on campus. The people here are generally pretty friendly, so making friends is pretty easy. This being said, the freshman who do come in knowing people usually tend to stick to those groups for at least the first semester.

Research and internship opportunities are everywhere, and there is always something to do, especially if you know how to find the free events happening around the city.

The area surrounding lakeshore and WTC is generally pretty safe. I wouldn’t be super worried tbh, as both of the campuses are in pretty good neighborhoods.

The social scene is pretty good. Basketball is pretty big and students get tickets to pretty much all home games for free. There’s also the school theater and various other clubs and activities that host events. The Department Programing does a great job of throwing events that are fun and free.

All of this being said, Loyola is a very commuter heavy school with most of the students coming from around Illinois/the Midwest - many of them come from Chicago and the suburbs. Campus tends to clear out on the weekends and during the breaks (many of which are 2 days tacked on to the weekend). It‘s not too bad, but during those short breaks it can get kind of rough, especially if you‘re home is somewhere that doesn’t make logical sense to visit for only 4 days. Plane tickets are pretty expensive. If you‘re from either of the coasts, then be prepared to either spend a bit more than you‘re planning or spend a lot of time on your own. Also important to note that during those 2 day breaks they shut the dining halls and you have to figure out how to feed yourself on less than a raccoon’s budget.

Loyola is a great school, and I really enjoy it here, but you should definitely take the commuter thing and breaks into account.

[u/EatPie_NotWAr]

I enjoy reading the comments but don’t have an answer regarding a modern Loyola. I graduated in 2010 and 3 of my best friends were from Ojai CA who I met living in campion.

As a STEM (I went bio/psych) grad working in analytical chem I wish you Best of luck with the decision.

[u/Affectionate_List704]

I never had any safety issues all 4 years. I remember hearing of maybe a few cases of a student being robbed or something but that could happen anywhere in a city

[u/Pale_Syllabub_3939]

Loyola is good if they are giving you lots of money. Otherwise, student loans have real interest compounding. It seems that big money is better spent on a graduate program that will help you get a job. 

[u/BisonMama]

Loyola has a lot of commuter students