What Students Say
Likes
- What I personally like about the location is that downtown is only a 15 mins drive away from the campus, this allows me to explore the city more on weekends and also to look for potential internships. Additionally, the convenience of public transport (CTA) allows you to reach any part of the city you desire. You also get best of the both worlds, some days you want to be away from the city, the university's location has multiple accessible beaches and parks in the neighborhood along with the lakeside view (the pictures of the sunset you get are truly stunning).
- The opportunities are innumerable, theres constantly openings for many on campus job opportunities, student organizations/clubs and research opportunities for undergraduates as well as graduate students. Also many events are hosted throughout the semester; cultural events like Diwali and corporate events where employers visit the campus. Personally, I have made many friends through these events, they help you network and get to know people with similar interests. Loyola also gives out several scholarships which is great considering its a private university in Chicago.
- The classroom size is another great thing about Loyola. Personally, graduating from a private high school in India, I am comfortable with small classroom sizes and used to individual attention from the teacher/professor. The professors at Loyola make the effort of getting to know you and learning your name. Unlike some of the big universities in the US with a classroom size of 200+ students, Loyola has an average size of 35/40 students in a class and this allows students to interact with each other and the professor. It also makes asking doubts and questions easier and makes it easier for the professor to help every student.
Dislikes
- Despite the scholarships Loyola gives out, it is still expensive. People from a good economic bracket would also find this university pricey. Also, living in Chicago in general is going to be expensive, this includes amazon packages, and other similar services.
- Depending on your preference of the type of weather conditions you like to live in Chicago may or may not be favorable to some. Personally for me, I do not enjoy cold & dry weather, walking to classes and dining halls back and forth is a bit of a task for me. Also in the time I have spent on campus, the weather is quite unpredictable due to global warming, there were times where it started raining out of nowhere and I didn't have an umbrella on me.
- Living on campus can come with its own problems. Showering and using communal bathrooms can be hard. People often do not clean up after themselves, despite the staff making it their best effort to clean frequently, people still end up making it dirty immediately after. This issue isn't specific to Loyola however, its relatable to anyone living on campus in any university.
Course Curriculum
8
- The difficulty of my course is like the difficulty in any other college in the US. My course is a mix of both, theory and practical.
- The positive aspect of my course is the application part of it, and the negative aspect is that sometimes some professors may not be able to teach it to you very well.
Admission Experience
- Applied To:
- University of Buffalo- Accepted
- Arizona State University- Accepted
- USC Marshall- Waitlisted
- Northwestern- Waitlisted
- Northeastern Illinois University- Accepted
- UIC- Accepted
- I received confirmed admission from University of Buffalo, Arizona State University and Northeastern Illinois University.
- I think I wasn't accepted to USC Marshall and Northwestern because my essays and grades weren't up to the mark.
- I chose this university mostly because of the location and the opportunities as well as placements. The pictures of the campus online influenced my decision mostly along with the placements.
- The admission process was really easy for Loyola, the application was free on common app and no extra essay was needed. After that they took a month to confirm my admission and I got an email saying I was accepted, they did not require any extra certification or document from me in between that.
- I applied for undergrad, so the exams I gave were the SATs and the IB Diploma. The minimum requirement for SAT score is 1210. And minimum score of IB is 30.
- My overall experience was pretty smooth, there were no difficulties as per my memory.
- I applied to the graduating class of 2028, mostly the scholarship influenced my decision.
- It took me a month. I applied to Loyola in the month of February and received my acceptance in April.
Class Schedule
8
- The maximum classes i have in a day are 3 and the minimum 2. The usual timings are from 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening with huge breaks in between.
- Average number of students in my class are 35-40.There isnt much information on that but an estimate of 5-6%
Faculty
6
- The faculty to student ratio is 13:1, this has a positive influence on the interaction and allows a better quality of education.
- Yes, the teaching methodology is sufficient to prepare me for securing a job in my field.
- Yes faculty members often do assist in finding jobs
- I really admire the math faculty members, their method of teaching and syllabus as well as the way they set their papers are really effective in learning the concept.
Campus Life
10
- My college has six campuses: Lake Shore campus, Water Tower campus, Health Sciences Campus, Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Center, Cuneo Mansion and Gardens and John Felice Rome Center.
- There are multiple facilities available, such as, a wellness center, sports facilities such as basketball, football, gym, cardio room, volleyball, swimming pool, sauna, etc., a huge library and auditoriums and study spaces.
Part Time Jobs
- Almost 50% of the students secure Assistant positions.
- They pay range is about $16 per hour
- Other on-campus jobs are librarians or admissions officers and the hourly wage is $16
- There is no maximum work hour limit, it is up to the person and what their schedule allows.
- I would say its moderate to secure a job meaning its not too hard but not too easy either.
- They usually work in the library and front desk check in jobs. The application process may take some while since it includes interviews and training. There flyers and emails sent out for job openings and students usually fill our forms and are selected for interviews.
Placement
8
- About 80% of the batch secures a job within graduation
- Average salary would be 15k per year
- They usually find jobs by applying on linkedin or campus recruitment. There are job fairs on campus that include multiple recruiters to have stalls.
- The experiences have been good, many of them are happy with their salary and have a good position in Downtown Chicago.
- Students work in Chicago in big companies like Google and Microsoft and Pinterest.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- As a freshman it was compulsory for me to live on campus
- I dont have a monthly rent as its paid according to every semester, the facilities included are laundry services.
- No challenges, just that I was paired up with random roommates.
- My only recommendation would be to find people and get to know them so that you can choose who you want your roommate to be.
- My accommodation is a five min walk from all my classes and Indian students stay among all the other students.
Exams
- There are no entry level exams required, SAT is optional.
- The only necessary documents required are you're transcripts and LOR if applying from common app.
- There was no interview in my application process.
Events
8
- Some of the clubs for Indian students are Indian Student Association, Hindu Student Organization. These clubs host events such as Diwali Dinner, Garba, Holi, Fashion shows, etc.
- Anyone can join any student club of their choice and interest such as law, reading, painting, etc., theres not application process for it and all of the events are free of cost and walk in.
- Often these events and club meetings have free food and stuff that they give out.
Fees
- My tuition is $26115 for a semester, dorm is $4550 for a semester, food/dining hall is
- $3005 for a semester, transportation fee is $160 per semester, technology fee is $125 per semester, student development fee is $455 per semester, and health insurance is $3648 per semester.
- There are multiple options of paying the fees, it is personalized, I have chosen the semester wise option.
- My rent, food, transportation is taken care of in my fees, however, my phone bill every month is approximately $120 and for food on the weekends or buying basic essentials goes up to $200 a month
Scholarship
- Yes, I received a merit based scholarship, it is the Deans Scholarship and its eligibility depends on academic merit.
- The award amount is $22,000 per year
- Yes they did receive scholarships
- Almost everyone that is 99% incoming students receive scholarship each year. The typical reward amount ranges from $14,000 to $30,000.
