Drexel vs. VCU

[dredre47]

So after a long application process, I've had the luck of being accepted to both VCU and Drexel SOM. At the beginning, I was sure VCU was my top choice, it's in-state and would offer me a chance at fin aid. It's close to home and the environment seemed non-competitive and supportive. However, when I went to visit Drexel..I also felt that it had a welcoming environment, students didn't seem overwhelmed, and the city of Philadelphia is definitely a lure. Though at this point I am leaning toward VCU, I want to make sure that I am considering all aspects of both schools. I am particularly interested in insight about Residency matches and just generally....resources (financial/personal support/networking etc.) do you think that one is above the other?
Also I am not totally thrilled about Richmond but I also recognize that the city where you go to med school shouldn't be a deciding factor.

In terms of cost obviously VCU wins, but I would like to make my decision a little more well-rounded than just based on money, also torn because of the match list at drexel (northeast, yale, columbia) vs vcu (mainly virginia and southern states).....please help!

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[soswim]

hey congrats on a successful cycle!

I was also accepted to both Drexel and VCU, and though I won't be attending either, I can show you what I thought were pros and cons at each school based on my interview day:
Drexel:
+2 different curriculum tracks allow you to tailor your education to best fit your needs
+strong commitment to community service (everyone must complete required community service)
+school is in a safe neighborhood
+cost of housing (relative to the rest of Philly) is fairly low
+lectures are all recorded and posted online
+opportunities for fifth year work and ability to get dual degrees
+new clinical skills center
+faculty seem genuinely interested in the students (faculty student mentoring is a big part of the school)
+grades are P/F for pre-clin
+take exams on iPads, get almost instantaneous feedback
+societies/houses allow for a more cohesive student body even though the class size is huge
-international opportunities cost $$ and it's difficult to get scholarships
-the school itself isn't in downtown Philly and is in the suburbs - how often would you really get a chance to enjoy Philly when you have to commute in?
-no on campus housing options available
-car is absolutely required for 3rd and 4th years (strongly suggested for 1 and 2)
-EXAMS - on my interview day students were incredibly stressed about their exams, they have multiple per day when they are scheduled so you could be in testing for 8+ hours for one day. Students expressed hatred for the exam schedules and complained a lot about it at my interview day
-students (at my interview day) complained about a lack of free time available
-cost of attendance - graduates have one of the highest debts upon graduation
-students complained about lack of study space in the medical school building

VCU:
+brand new facility, full floor of sim labs, physically attached to the hospital
+curriculum is lecture and small group based, emphasizes self learning and teaching one another
+mandatory teaching component, this will serve you well in the future
+very collaborative and cohesive student body
+students seemed genuinely happy with their decision to attend ("no regrets")
+extensive amount of time to study for Step I and curriculum is Step I directed
+lots of opportunities for international and global health work
+VCU Health is a very strong hospital system with a good reputation
+lots of opportunities to serve the underserved
-Match list is strong but not incredible
-need a car (some students get by on public transit but public transit isn't great)
-curriculum is still new
-diversity - 50% from IS, 50% from OOS where a large chunk of OOS is CA.

So I'm from the NJ/Philly area and I found that VCU was a much more welcoming place and the students seemed much, much happier. However, I probably interviewed on a bad day for Drexel where a lot of kids were stressed out because of all the exams. I hope my perspective of the two schools helps you make a decision. If I had to choose, I'd choose VCU for sure.

 

[Slack3r]

First off, don't bother reading the match lists. The regional preference is mostly due to the preference of the student body, i.e. most people at VCU are likely from the South and want to stay there. Same thing for Drexel.

That said, I think VCU is the much better choice. It's cheaper, it has residency programs in more specialties (Drexel does not have an ENT or integrated plastics residency, for example), it has block scheduling so you don't have to take multiple exams all at once, and the reputation is better.

Drexel, by comparison, is more expensive, has a hospital system that is constantly in financial peril, a mediocre reputation and mediocre residencies associated with it, especially when compared to programs at Penn/Jeff/Tenple.

Stick with VCU.

 

[JustinTimberlake]

I'm in the exact same boat! I'm OOS for VCU though. I thought VCU's facilities were much nicer than Drexel's but I can't picture myself living in Richmond. I interviewed at Drexel in early October and at that time I can tell you the students were very happy there. I also got that impression from VCU though. As far as matching, I'm sure you could go anywhere from either school. However, VCU is much more known down south than up north so it may be somewhat easier to get matched in the northeast if you go to Drexel. I'm on the wait list for my state school which i would attend over VCU and Drexel just because its so much cheaper! Personally if I were you, I would choose the one that was cheaper since i think anyone would do well at either school. I'm sitting on a good amount of undergrad loans though so i'm very money focused lol

 

[Mansamusa]

VCU is cheaper, you don't need to drive around for clinical sites (I don't really understand why you need a car for VCU, you can live near the school and Richmond is very easy to walk. Im on the OOS waitlist for VCU and I wouldn't have a car there), they have a 1.5 preclinical curriculum (more time for clinical electives), more research, better affiliated hospital, etc.

The only reason to choose Drexel over VCU would be if you hated VCU, which you didnt