U Portland vs. Loyola Chicago?

College Majors Nursing Majors
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DD has been accepted direct entry into each. UP giving more merit than Loyola, but still in our range. Any opinions between these two? Clinical locations, transportation, etc? Any input would be helpful. Visiting both soon! Ps. Were from CA, so either is serious weather change :slight_smile: Thank you!!

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UP may require a car to get around to outside opportunities and maybe clinicals. Worth asking the school/department. I would imagine public transport significantly easier for Loyola - great you are visiting and can look into the logistics in person.

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I have done official tours of Loyola Chicago twice (but neither time was with a prospective nursing student) and will look at it again for my D26 (who wants a direct entry BSN program). In addition, I live about 4 miles away (in the city) so I am happy to answer any questions you have about location.

Loyola has three campuses. The main undergrad campus (“Lake Shore campus”) is very pretty and sits right on the lake in the Edgewater/Rogers Park neighborhoods. The area is safe (but not fancy) with a train (“el”) stop right off campus and plenty of restaurants, stores, etc. nearby. There is also a campus closer to downtown (“Water Tower Campus”) and a Health Sciences campus in Maywood IL (a western suburb).

It is my understanding that the 4-year BSN program is mostly (or maybe entirely?) housed at the Lake Shore campus. I would definitely confirm that because getting to the Maywood/Health Sciences campus from Rogers Park would not be easy (17 miles and no straight public transportation options) – although I’m sure they have shuttles. There are a ton of hospitals in Chicago and in the near suburbs, so I imagine the clinical opportunities are solid. Public transportation within the city limits is okay for the most part.

I liked Loyola both times I visited. Beautiful grounds. My kids wouldn’t consider it because it’s too close to home. But we all felt the Lake Shore campus had a residential vibe (not a commuter school) compared to some of the other city schools here. Happy to answer any other non-nursing questions you might have about it.