Frequently Asked Questions

Yes -- all members of the Class of 2029 are automatically part of the Messina program, and will be enrolled in one Messina seminar course each semester of their first year at Loyola. 

No, the first choice of Messina course pairing is not guaranteed although most students are placed in one of their top choices. The priority deadline to submit Messina course pairings preferences is May 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. All students who submit preferences by this deadline will have an equal chance of receiving a preferred Messina course pairing. You will be notified of your Messina course pairing via e-mail in mid-June. 

Messina is a full-year program in which students take one Messina course in the fall and one Messina course in the spring. These are courses that fulfill requirements toward graduation, but feature smaller class sizes and an opportunity to get to know your professor and classmates a little better. Since most students take five courses per semester, you will typically also have four non-Messina courses on your schedule each semester. In addition to the regular class meeting times, Messina students will participate in a 50 minute "Enrichment Session" with the Messina course faculty member, a Messina Mentor (a campus administrator) and your Evergreen (student orientation leader). This time is built into your course schedule, and although this is extra time spent in class, the time will sometimes be devoted to off-campus class trips, discussions about first-year transition issues and other topics as they surface. Topics discussed in the enrichment sessions will be referenced throughout the course, and therefore, participation is required.

No. Students will travel together as a class only to Messina seminar courses and enrichment sessions (1 course during fall semester and 1 course during spring semester).

Yes, if seats remain in your desired course pairing.  Students may inquire with the Academic Advising and Support Center to discuss changes to their Messina course pairing. Please note that changes made after course registration will impact your ability to live in proximity to people in the same course pairing since housing placements are confirmed during the weeks immediately following summer orientation. 

Students receive an email from Loyola's Office of Technology Services after submitting an enrollment deposit. The email, sent to your personal email on file, contains login information to access the Inside Loyola website. If you do not receive the email within 2 days after deposit, check your spam or junk folder.  If you are unable to find the email or access your account, please contact the Office of Technology Services Help Center by calling 410-617-5555, Monday-Thursday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, or Friday from 7:30 am to noon. The Office of Technology Services will be closed on University Holidays.

If you have an ID number but cannot access the survey, contact the Messina Office at 410-617-2669 or messina@loyola.edu and we will assist you.

(Please note that after May 13 there may be a short delay between receiving your Techology Letter and being able to access the survey, but please reach out to Messina if you are unable to access the survey more than one business day following the receipt of your letter.)

Most Messina courses fulfill Core requirements, so choose classes that interest you! You are welcome to preference a course based on your intended major, core requirements (find out more about Core Curriculum Requirements) or an interest in a particular topic. Either way, Messina courses will help towards fulfilling graduation requirements. Next to the course title, look for the "C" for Core or "D" for Diversity indicating the requirement the course fulfills.  Some courses also include a service learning ("S") option. Service learning courses are not required, but are highly encouraged. 

You will be registered for 3 or more of your fall courses by the Academic Advising Support Center (AASC) during the month of June based on the information provided in the Messina survey.  After you receive your partial course schedule in late June, you will have the opportunity to schedule a one-on-one meeting with your Messina faculty member/advisor or a member of  the AASC team to discuss your schedule and make any necessary changes. 

All students should still complete the first two sections of the survey, as these sections collect information that is valuable for general course registration.

For students who are enrolled in the Loyola Honors Program, your Honors courses in the fall and spring semesters will serve as your Messina course pairing. Messina offers course pairings designed by Honors faculty members to fulfill the first-year Honors Human Drama sequence requirements.  

Sellinger Scholars, Hyman Science Scholars Program, and Ignatius Scholars will also be placed in Messina sections specially designed for those program cohorts.  

Students who have already been accepted into one of these programs are able to select Option 2 in the preference section of the survey, which will complete the survey without submitting preferences.

Yes. If you would like to make a change to your preferences, you may resubmit your information before May 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. using the same survey link. We will use the latest submission of the survey as your preferences.

Later in summer 2024, AASC will contact you if you receive credit for AP exams.   You will have the chance to contact AASC at 410-617-5050 to rearrange your course schedule.  If necessary, AASC will switch your Messina course pairing if you have received credit for one or both classes in the pairing you are registered to take. We will do our best to provide an option for one of other course pairing preferences.

Students enrolled in Messina will live in traditional-style buildings (Thea Bowman, Hammerman, Butler and Hopkins Court) and apartments (Campion Tower). Students do not select the actual building they live in. For more information about housing options and selection, visit the Residence Life and Housing web page.

By designating Messina themes for each first-year residence hall, Messina provides students the opportunity to live in proximity to—but not necessarily in the same room or on the same floor with—other students in your Messina courses. In general, Loyola does not encourage students to select a roommate, unless the students know one another well before coming to Loyola. Students who identify a roommate before submitting Messina course pairing preferences should first consider selecting courses within the same Messina theme. When necessary, mutual roommate requests will allow students to live with students in another Messina theme.  

Yes, students enrolled in the Honors Program, Sellinger Scholars,  and Ignatius Scholars Program may request a roommate and should be prepared to specify the name of a particular student they want to live with on the Housing Survey that they complete during Summer Orientation.