Loyola Chicago or Pepperdine?

<p>disclaimer: if this is the wrong forum for this, I apologize. Mods please move this thread if this is the case.</p>

<p>So, I’ve been admitted to both LUC and Pepperdine, and I’m having trouble making up my mind as to which one to enroll with. </p>

<p>Loyola offered me about $25,000 of aid through grants/loans</p>

<p>Pepperdine offered me their Regents’ Scholarship which covers $26,000 of tuition per year for all four years I attend</p>

<p>I plan on calling up Loyola’s Financial aid department after Pepperdine mails me their official financial aid offer. I know this may sound like a jerky move, but I want to explain my situation to Loyola, fax them my financial aid offer from Pepperdine and hope that they will either match it or beat it.</p>

<p>Obviously the deal from Pepperdine is much better, but I’m worried that it won’t be the right fit for me. I am religious, but I am not fanatical about my christianity the way that people say Pepperdine students are. I am not from a family of means, and so I’m also worried that I won’t fit in with the malibu crowd. Otherwise I think the school looks great, and I’m really excited about it.</p>

<p>I am from Chicago, and so staying in here would be really nice. The only thing that worries me about Loyola is that it isn’t the most prestigious school. I want to go to medical school, and I’m worried that if I go to Loyola it will be counted against me, even if I graduate with straight A’s.</p>

<p>I would really love some input on this matter, and once again, I’m sorry if this is the wrong forum for this thread.</p>

<p>shameless bump :(</p>

<p>Surely Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine takes good Loyola grads? That medical complex they have is huge.</p>

<p>Don’t let prestige be a factor when deciding where you want to go next year to go. Since you want to go to medical school, I’m pretty sure the undergraduate institution doesn’t matter. It’s only the numbers they look at. </p>

<p>I hear where you’re coming from when you say you don’t want to be around fanatically religious students. I think college should be a time where you learn a lot about yourself and are open to new ideas, and having one religion thrown at you constantly wouldn’t be an ideal environment, for me at least. </p>

<p>Have you visited Pepperdine? If you visit, you’ll get a true feel for how strong the religious influence is on campus. I don’t know much about Pepperdine but I think it’s diverse enough that you won’t only have the option to hear Christian ideas. Good luck</p>

<p>@Treetop – I’m sure you’re right.</p>

<p>@sjc – I see what you’re saying. I have a friend who went to some no name art college in one of the suburbs of Chicago and now he’s going to UCLA medical school. </p>

<p>I personally couldn’t care less about prestige as long as I’m getting a good education and having some fun in school. I have every intention of having a 4.0 when I graduate. I was never the most motivated high school student, and I’m not going to make the same mistake in college.</p>

<p>I just wasn’t sure how much of a factor – if at all – is the prestige of your UG college for medical school adcoms.</p>