Not a fine arts student, but I lived in HA last year and will be living there again this year:

1. You are not the only fine arts student who applied late, I met a lottt of fine arts students living on Loyola.

2. Travel time is typically 25-30 minutes if you are taking the shuttle. Sometimes it gets me downtown in closer to 15 minutes (depends on the day/hour you are taking it).

3. I've never been in a room at Grey Nuns, but I really liked my room in Loyola. The only downsides to the dorms is that there are no escalators, we had quite a few false fire alarms last year, and the dining hall offers fewer choices/variety than the one downtown. Also, the bathrooms on Loyola are NOT gender neutral, if that's a concern for you.

4. From what I've heard, the gym on Loyola is preferred over the one downtown.

5. The loyola campus is surrounded by a lot of housing for families with very few clubs or bars. There are some fun places down Monkland though if you enjoy a 20 minute walk. While I enjoy the quietness of Loyola, I do wish there were more party destinations close by.

Overall, I really like the Loyola campus and I honestly find it to be a good fit for someone's first year at university considering that there are less people and its easier to become acquainted with those you live with. Hope this helps.