Why all the Drexel hate?

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sharkbyte

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I've seen posts by more than a couple of people here on SDN who seem to have a very negative view of Drexel. On the school-specific thread from this most recent cycle I saw a lot of people commenting that Drexel's interview day was very "disorganized" and "unimpressive", with some people even saying they immediately threw out their Drexel acceptance letter once they received it.

Additionally, I've seen stronger comments in which people have said that Drexel is "bad," I think I even saw the word "terrible" thrown around to describe their medical school and affiliated hospital.

I'm applying this upcoming cycle and had Drexel on my list because my stats are competitive there. So I'm just really curious - what's the reason for the bad rap here? Could someone who interviewed at or attended Drexel please elaborate on this?

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nothing WRONG with Drexel, but the other 3 MD schools in the city have far superior primary clinical sites. (they share a number of peripheral sites with Jeff and Temple)

the three non-DO, Non-Penn schools in Philly all have crap shoot admissions, so no reason not to apply to all three, but if given the choice, you could flip a coin between Temple and Jefferson, but it's an easy call to take both over Drexel.
 
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I think it's because "Drexel" sounds like a sexual position where you catch something unpleasant.

"Yeah man, when she flipped us into the Drexel, I knew I was in trouble. Now it burns and I gotta see a doctor."

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Well played.

I've seen posts by more than a couple of people here on SDN who seem to have a very negative view of Drexel. On the school-specific thread from this most recent cycle I saw a lot of people commenting that Drexel's interview day was very "disorganized" and "unimpressive", with some people even saying they immediately threw out their Drexel acceptance letter once they received it.

Additionally, I've seen stronger comments in which people have said that Drexel is "bad," I think I even saw the word "terrible" thrown around to describe their medical school and affiliated hospital.

I'm applying this upcoming cycle and had Drexel on my list because my stats are competitive there. So I'm just really curious - what's the reason for the bad rap here? Could someone who interviewed at or attended Drexel please elaborate on this?

Because:

1. Drexel has an unstable hospital system
2. Drexel is generally a bad school in Philly (and I think PCOM is a lot better in many aspects)
3. Drexel is completely overcrowded. Jefferson and Temple also have too many students but the feelings of overcrowdedness are usually maintained suitably.
4. Drexel main teaching hospital looks like an abandoned warehouse in Center City
5. Drexel medical school is okay provided it wasn't a 20-30 min. drive from the teaching hospital
6. Drexel residency seems to recruit a lot of Caribbean/offshore IMGs
7. Drexel interviews give a bad vibe to many applicants
8. Drexel has an inadequate, insufficient, and improper secondary screening and evaluation process.

Generally, if you want to go to a medical school in Philadelphia outside of the elite Penn, you should go for Temple or Jefferson. Others can add in if they want, but I think I summarized it pretty well given what I have seen.
 
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I should be happy that the school didn't bother to send me a II.
 
I'll just say I emailed about a dozen medical schools to ask a question about my application. Guess which was the only school out of a dozen that never replied back...

Drexel, pls respond.
 
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Probably because the other philly schools are usually regarded as better. In the end if it is the only school that accepts you then you gotta love them no matter what!
 
Can you clarify what you mean by that?

I don't remember much of that rant from few years ago. I summarized the points from those who applied and interviewed there few to several cycles ago and that's what they had pointed out. Maybe things have changed recently with regards to the application process.
 
I don't remember much of that rant from few years ago. I summarized the points from those who applied and interviewed there few to several cycles ago and that's what they had pointed out. Maybe things have changed recently with regards to the application process.

Gosh I'm sorry! Your message was quoted in the 2018 Drexel thread, I clicked to it to quote it, and didn't even realize it was from elsewhere.
 
Gosh I'm sorry! Your message was quoted in the 2018 Drexel thread, I clicked to it to quote it, and didn't even realize it was from elsewhere.

No problem. I really wouldn't take these critical posts seriously. Every school has its own pros and cons and what I say (or anyone else says for that matter) should be taken with a grain of salt (or ignored completely). Don't let these posts dissuade you from attending the interview and/or taking the acceptance. A more reliable source involves talking to the students at that school and learning more about their experiences, why they chose that school etc. In any case, the final decision on whether to attend the school is a personal one so don't let SDN discourage you (and to the readers/lurkers).
 
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My sister got her BA, MA, and PhD at Drexel and loved it. But when I applied to undergrad there many moons ago, they accepted me with a full scholarship but neglected to tell me until the week before classes started after I had already registered and paid at a different school. Obviously that's the undergrad, but that still makes me question their admin department university wide.
 
Can you clarify what you mean by that?
During my app cycle I got an II from Drexel but didn't get any notification about it. I randomly checked their portal in like January and saw the invite, and god knows how long it was sitting there for. By then I had already been accepted to a school I wanted to go to over them so I declined the invite. But it seems disorganized to not send an email notification of a status change in applications.
 
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When I first applied I remember being marked as complete for almost ever, calling the admissions office out of desperation during January, and discovering they lost my payment or some-such. Got an II the next day for March. I blame myself, and still wish I followed up sooner... who knows what might have been.

Other than checking the portal a lot any other tips for keeping on top of your app with them?
 
This may seem superficial, but there is something to be said about a programs application portal. Many use the same software these days, so if they decide to create their own, it has to work, look good and be intuitive. Drexel seemed to fail in that respect. That for many is our first window into a program and it sets a bad example.
 
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This may seem superficial, but there is something to be said about a programs application portal. Many use the same software these days, so if they decide to create their own, it has to work, look good and be intuitive. Drexel seemed to fail in that respect. That for many is our first window into a program and it sets a bad example.

I have yet to see something worse than Loyola making theirs incompatible with Chrome. Dartmouth's lack of a save function was pretty bad, but they only had one essay so it wasn't awful. Miami's Hub app is terrible (impossible to check your status on iPhone 6) but you only find that out once you get an II (if Miami adcoms read this, I still love you guys, be frenz plz?)
 
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