Loyola University Admission
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The Facts

Loyola University is located in the heart of Chicago, Illinois, one of the most culturally diverse and exciting cities in the country. It was originally funded by the Jesuits, and is part of a larger national Loyola university system. The university is home to approximately 5,000 undergraduate students and 849 graduate students. The university actually is comprised of four campuses scattered throughout the Chicago area. Some of the most popular majors at Loyola include biology, business, psychology, nursing and communication. The school also offers several great preprofessional programs including pre-optometry, pre-podiatry and pre-veterinary medicine.

Admission to the school is not nearly as competitive as are some other private institutions. Last year just over 4,000 students applied and about 3,190 students were admitted; of those, 889 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1040 to 1270 and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 22 to 27. Over 62% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class. Loyola has a manageable student to faculty ratio of 13:1, and students say that their teachers are extremely accessible and ready to help them out of any difficulties they may be having. The core curriculum is quite intense, and has a definite religious emphasis, with required classes in religion's history and theology. The school’s biggest goal is to turn out students who are well-rounded and worldly, and Loyola does have several international partnerships so a large amount of students can take part in study abroad programs.

The Social Scene

Most Loyola students are actually commuters but not by car; the traffic is generally pretty nightmarish, but the Chicago public transportation system is quite efficient in getting students from place to place. Another con of the sheer amount of commuter students is that on-campus housing is guaranteed only for out-of-state students. Students also comment that because not many people live on-campus, there is not really a sense of community.

If you are looking for a party school, Loyola really isn’t the place for you. Because it is so spread out and lacking in a true campus, there are no real places to gather; the dorms are too miniscule to house much anyway. There is actually a Greek system, but it is quite small, and has no real influence over the social lives of students. Instead, students choose to take advantage of the cultural and entertainment options that the city of Chicago has to offer. The city has some of the best shopping and restaurants in the world, and their clubs and bars are vibrant and stay open until the wee hours of the morning.

The dating scene is fairly decent, but more within the city; expect to be hit on at Chicago bars by older businessmen and women-- hey, it could be worse!

What's Good

“The teachers here are really genuine, heartfelt individuals with a lot of advice to give to their students. They really care.”

“There is really a major for every interest area here. You don’t have to worry about your career path being neglected.”

“The school makes sure that you get the most rounded education possible.”

What's Bad

“Sometimes the religious atmosphere can become a bit annoying. It begins to feel like everything has to do with Catholicism.”

“The dorms have pretty lousy standards... really small and not terribly luxurious.”

“There is not a sense of community here because there isn’t really a true campus to congregate around.”

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