Natalie S.
Yelp
I was surprised to find out that people actually Yelp about schools, but after reading some of the comments, I thought I would go ahead and add my experiences, in the hope they might help anyone at all in making a decision.
I think it is most important for me to first clarify that I went to college strictly for the academics, and between working and commuting an hour, I didn't have a lot of time (or interest) in much outside of the classroom, like sororities and clubs.
It is also important to point out how ridiculously expensive this school is. Please take that into consideration before you decide to go here, especially if you are in the minority, as I was, of students who had to pay for most of their tuition. That being said, I definitely made it work. I transferred from community college (a lot of students do this and it really is a no-brainer decision that will save you tens of thousands), and I commuted on the Red Line. I also got a scholarship that covered a good portion of my tuition, which is the reason I decided to go here. I think that the other Yelpers are correct in saying that, if you do not have a scholarship, you really can receive a quality education at a much more affordable school. I had wanted to go to Loyola for a very long time, though, and have never regretted my decision. I am also at their graduate campus, now.
Although everyone has a bias, these were my favorite things about Loyola:
1) The Lakeshore campus is so beautiful throughout all seasons. I worked very hard for good grades and at points, I would become so stressed out that my mind felt like it was going to explode. I took long walks outside in between classes to clear my mind, and the views were therapeutic. I loved watching the waves roll in, the flowers bend in the breeze, and people walking their dogs. It really calmed me down. It may sound silly, but my walks outside are what I miss most about going here.
2) The school has several amazing professors (In political science, philosophy, and English). These people taught me so much and made an effort to challenge my thinking in positive ways. They really transformed me into a completely different student. I came to school less for the students and more for the intuition of their amazing staff. I always took advantage of speaking to them outside of class to make sure I understood exactly where my work needed improvement and what I was succeeding in.
3) They had an extremely helpful tutoring center in the Information Commons building, on the second floor. You can easily make an appointment and have a fresh set of eyes look over your work. It was a great benefit to me that I took advantage of for almost every paper.
4) The Information Commons building. My favorite place to hang out on campus. If you are studying and need complete silence, go to the third floor, where there is no talking allowed and computer access. This was so perfect for me. You can eat right at the computer, so I just brought my food with me, did my homework, and browsed the Internet during my breaks. It is open 24/7 too! This building is what brought me through finals. There is also a cafe, the library, and a large study room, where there is also no speaking allowed. There are three floors of computers, so you pretty much always have access to one. The building gives you a full view of the beautiful lake. There was really nothing better than that.
-I don't want to fill my review with complaints, so I guess I will just mention a few things that I hated the most while going here: the annoying yuppie/hipsters who make up 80 percent of this school. Not going to lie, they drove me insane. This is where my bias comes in, so I won't drag this point any further, lol. I was there to learn, so I just ignored them.
The other thing I hated was the amount of effort that I had to put into figuring out my own credits and graduation requirements because the staff in the advising office don't seem to know what they are doing. I really warn you, double check everything you are taking and do your own math on the credits, because these people will screw you in the end, if you rely on them. I went to several different people and even had physical proof in an email of one of them telling me false information on what I needed to graduate, and her response was, "oh, well I have no idea why I would have said that." I had to hold myself together every time I went into that office.
I can think of so many things that I miss and loved about this school, but this review would go on for a very long time. If you work hard and get a portion of your tuition covered by a scholarship, I think you would enjoy this school, it all just depends what you are looking to get out of your experience. Getting the grades I wanted and affording everything was a challenge, but I made it work, and so can anyone else. Even if you do not go to this school, please take the train here or walk on over during the day to see how beautiful it all is.