The Lowdown on Loyola

Introduction
UCLA was my first choice, but once I got rejected I decided to to go to LMU. At first I was pretty bummed, but now I can't imagine being anywhere else. Being from Orange County, I would say that LMU fits into the typical "OC" vibe: most girls strut around with their oversized designer purses and bleached hair, which can be annoying. Boys are typically riding around on skateboards with side-tilted trucker hats. In that sense, it is definitely a "cookie-cutter" type school, where everyone is the same trendy West Coaster. But despite this, everyone is extremely friendly. Don't let appearances fool you.

Campus Life and Social Life
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in various activities on campus: from numerous clubs to service organizations if you like that sort of thing.

Having said that, the sports program at our school is not really top notch. Although we do have some very good teams like Water Polo and Womens' Basketball, there is no Football team and our Men's Basketball team is not very good. There is really a lack of enthusiasm about sports and a low school spirit in general.

Also, if you're looking for a party school, I wouldn't suggest LMU. There are no frat/sorority houses. There are bus parties, which consist of a bus shuttling you to an off-campus location for a small fee. This is a really great idea, since it eliminates the risk of drunk driving.

However, these events are not all that frequent (twice a month at most). Most kids go to USC or UCLA if they want to party, have kickbacks in the dorms, or go to the student-owned houses in the surrounding neighborhood of Westchester. Advertisement
Academics
Our school has good academics. The class sizes are typically very small and the professors actually make an effort to get to know people in their classes. Unlike at a large school, you'll get personal attention and professors are willing to go out of their way to make sure everyone succeeds. There really isn't a need for TAs thanks to small class sizes. I've never had a TA for one of my classes, but my friends have said that their TAs do a great job.

The Theology Department is really interesting and offers a wide range of subjects, from classes on Hinduism to Atheism and non-belief. People think that just because LMU is a Jesuit University, Catholicsm is the only religion we teach, but that is just not the case.

Overall, the workload is pretty manageable. The transition from high school to LMU was fairly easy because the classes here contain no more than 30 people and the workload is not that extreme.

Student Body
The "typical" student is probably a moderately wealthy, beachgoing, laidback kid from California. Not everyone is like that, of course: we also have many out-of-state students and international students.

I would say the atmosphere is very friendly and laidback. You won't really see student protests or intense coffee-shop political debates at LMU, not because the students are apathetic but because everyone here is outgoing and more disposed toward the leisurely side of life.

In Closing...
LMU is a great place. I absolutely love it. But it is not perfect. There have been some claims of racism in recent months. The food can get tiresome and bland. There have been rats in some of the dorms and occasional break-ins. All that said, though, in my opinion the good far outweighs the bad. I'd recommend this school to anyone!