DREXEL Med Class of 2010!!!!!!

aw bepony, you're cute. Are you for sure going to Drexel?

I still have no clue where I'll end up. Drexel is definitely in the running!!

Finally, a class thread I can post more than my hopes and dreams in!

In any case, I'm in, for now!

Someone post good things about the area: housing, getting around, pimp the school, all kinds of stuff. We should get this thread going!

beponychick said:

yay Cozmosis!!!

Im actually wondering about housing also. Do most people live in center city? I really would like a place that is rather cheap, but i doubt center city would be good for that. Anyone have any insight?

Philly is awesome. spent 4 years there in undegrad and loved it. Way better than NYC, because its not so overcrowded.

What curriculum did you chose?

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I posted back in the old thread about applying for PIL, but I spurned my own advice and chose IFM. I NEED the freedom to not come to class

I'm bored! Hellooooooo Drexelers!

For real! Someone post good information about Drexel's 3/4th year and how controllable it is! I don't want to commute an hour a day all over.

Hey

As far as housing, it seems like most students live right around the Queen Lane campus, at least for the first two years. There are some that live in Center City and other places (we live in another suburb, for example). Also, I ride the Drexel shuttle to get to work, and I'd say very many of the 3rd and 4th years also live near Queen Lane.

My husband wants me to go where I"ll be happy. We have some other factors to consider; I may actually be deferring a year. If I choose Drexel I probably will not defer, though. I'm still waiting to hear from AECOM, too. So we'll see

In any case, y'all know that I think Drexel is a great school. So congrats

beponychick said:

Tigress,

I actually wanted to ask you about the whole shuttle deal. I want to find a place that will be convenient for me to get to 30th street station because i will be going to jersey on the weekends. So where do you suppose I should live? Should I find a place in center city because it is closer to the station? I assume there is no shuttle service directly to it from the school right?


Thanks... I probably will end up asking you a lot more questions later on. When I know 100% i am going.

Well good luck in making your decisions. I hope AECOM accepts you! and if not, i would love to have you as my classmate

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Actually, the most convenient place to 30th Street Station is probably Queen Lane, actually. The train station that's just across the street and down a block from the school goes directly to 30th Street. If you live in Center City you have to figure out how to get to 30th Street, either via the Drexel shuttle to their main campus, which still leaves you with a walk (not a bad walk, but not good with luggage), or via the subway system. I know nothing about the subway system.

Ask away! If I don't know something I'll just ask my husband. I know I'd love to have access to info about other schools, so I'm more than willing to tell you whatever I can!

I live by new brunswick and was just wondering if its true that drexel med students are going to st peters in new brunswick? thanks
-mike

thorg12 said:

I live by new brunswick and was just wondering if its true that drexel med students are going to st peters in new brunswick? thanks
-mike

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Yeah, St. Peter's is a Drexel site now. This year they can do most 3rd year rotations there, actually, except surgery and psych. They haven't announced next year's rotation options yet. Except I thought St. Pete's was in Highland Park?

beponychick said:

Oh, and i just looked at the train schedules and it seems i can take the R8 to North Philadelphia station and then switch to R7 to go to Trenton. So do you think this is a better way than going to 30 SS? I can probably save some time that way...

Thanks!!!

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Well, you can take the R7 to Trenton from either North Philly station or 30th Street. I think you get to 30th Street first from the Drexel station, so it probably wouldn't save you any time. 30th Street is a nicer station; personally I'd much rather travel from there. I don't really know the train schedule from Queen Lane though. I don't know how long it takes to get to 30th Street. We live in a different suburb and it takes about 15 minutes from our station, and I think it's about the same distance. I may be wrong though.

I did used to commute twice a week from Philly to Manhattan. All told it took between 2.5 and 3 hours. It depended on whether trains were late or if I got my connection in Trenton. I took the R7 from 30th Street to Trenton, then I took NJTransit to Penn Station in Manhattan. It really wasn't a bad trip. The trains usually run on time and they aren't unpleasant. I was able to get studying or reading done on them, but they are too shaky to write well.

Cozmosis said:

For real! Someone post good information about Drexel's 3/4th year and how controllable it is! I don't want to commute an hour a day all over.

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Well I have heard students complaining about this. There's a lottery for clinical sites, and most people don't really get shafted, but sometimes it's annoying. If your site is very far away from Philly they will put you up in an apartment for that rotation. Also you can request to be in Pittsburgh or at Monmouth for the entire year. And if you have a special situation (kids, for example), you can request all Philly sites or all sites in a different area. It's fairly flexible but because of the lottery there is a certain amount of chance. And of course they have to fill sites that aren't as popular, so people do end up going places they don't want. Most students seem pretty happy, though. And there is a wide variety in sites, so you definitely have the opportunity to see all sorts of patient populations.

Hi bepony I am just bumping this for you because you were all in a tizzy!

thanks Cozmosis! I wonder why I couldn't find it and you could? It seems to have happened to somebody else with a thread in this forum, too (there's another thread called "what happened to...").

Okay, so who's going to Drexel next year??

You had you set the see posts from earlier than one month away, since the last post was over that threshold.

Have you decided yet, tigress?

ohhhh I get it!

I haven't decided yet, but I'm really leaning towards Drexel. I just feel comfortable with the school, I like it's curriculum, and I like the idea of staying in Philly. How about you Cozmosis? If you get into a different school will you definitely go there, or are you considering Drexel anyway? Good luck either way

tigress said:

ohhhh I get it!

I haven't decided yet, but I'm really leaning towards Drexel. I just feel comfortable with the school, I like it's curriculum, and I like the idea of staying in Philly. How about you Cozmosis? If you get into a different school will you definitely go there, or are you considering Drexel anyway? Good luck either way

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Well since we've been chatting on various threads today...

I'm definitely considering Drexel. However, cost is a huge concern for me, so if I get into one of the Ohio schools or Maryland (which I'm hoping for), it will definitely be tough to turn down. Drexel's curriculum is still my favorite.

beponychick said:

Ohhhhh, how bittersweet... I just got into RWJ!!! Im so happy but so sad about Drexel. I dont know what I should do.

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Congrats Bepony A tough, but nice dilemma! Just do what's best for you and your family, weigh the debt, etc. If I don't get in anywhere else, I'll sure miss you at Drexel if you decide that way

beponychick said:

Yeah, I think the debt will be substantially more... Maybe 20K over 4 years = 80K. I think they are both great schools so I will probably get a great education at both. Argh. I think it will be RWJ for me.

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Well, the good news is you have plenty of time to decide. In the meantime, tigress and I will hold down the fort!

aww, beponychick, we'll miss you! But wow, congrats on the acceptance. That's amazing. I could understand choosing RWJ for the tuition alone, even though I do think Drexel is an amazing school But like Cozmosis said, you've got until May to decide anyway!

congrats again!

I wanna go to drexel. They stuck me on their waitlist.

YO, I just got my big envelope yesterday and I'm so freaking psyched. If any of you guys want any tips on stuff like places to live around school, etc. please e-mail me at [email protected]. I live right near the school and just finished my masters at drexel so I know my way around pretty well.
Congrats everyone, can't wait till august.
-Lance

Hyman said:

YO, I just got my big envelope yesterday and I'm so freaking psyched. If any of you guys want any tips on stuff like places to live around school, etc. please e-mail me at [email protected]. I live right near the school and just finished my masters at drexel so I know my way around pretty well.
Congrats everyone, can't wait till august.
-Lance

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congratulations!

Hyman said:

YO, I just got my big envelope yesterday and I'm so freaking psyched. If any of you guys want any tips on stuff like places to live around school, etc. please e-mail me at [email protected]. I live right near the school and just finished my masters at drexel so I know my way around pretty well.
Congrats everyone, can't wait till august.
-Lance

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Hyman, when was your interview?

Welcome to the thread, Hyman!

Hello all!
I was also recently accepted to Drexel. I absolutely loved the school but I don't know if I can justify (to myself) how much more it will cost than RWJ. Does anyone know what the approx. tuition is now?? And also cost of living?? Thanks!

I know the budget is around 60k. Really steep.

Tuition is about $38k (and rising by the year, as at all schools). So if the budget is $60k, that includes tuition, so that's $22k for cost of living. hmm...you can probably get by on less than that. I think my husband and I together live on less than $30k a year without a problem, and our rent is higher than necessary. But usually school budgets are a bit inflated. That's a good thing, because it allows you to take out more loans if you need them.

Truthfully, though, I'd take the in-state tuition at RWJ. Drexel is awesome, but less debt is awesomer

hey guys. I was accepted to Drexel(and really like it) but I am still holding out til I find out my fate with other schools.

I am still trying to learn more about the school and I was hoping you could help me out(I am exhausted at searching the forums...I found nothin').

Anyone know what the grading system is?(honors/pass/fail, etc.) And are the grades curved? What was the passing rate on step 1 in recent years?

I have interviewed with 6 schools thus far and Drexel stands out as the nicest facilities, friendliest people, coolest city(Chicago close second) and they record their lectures! Downside? Expense. Thanks for your help!

Did you guys receive acceptance letters in a large envelope? Thanks, just want to know what to expect if I see a small envelope.

Ok, so i contacted a student and got some answers to my own q's.

To answer the above q, Drexel acceptances are sent in a large envelope-I could actually read the letter through the window of the envelope!

-The grading system is honors/high pass/pass/fail.
-Classes are curved for the most part-exceptions are those tried and true courses where the final grades are predictable. % receiving Honors varies by course(from ~10-30%)
-Step 1 results lie around the national average at 94%

I am not too psyched by the breakdown in grades-I guess I am lazy and the notion of pass/fail seems ideal

As the student relayed to me, I presume those not passing step 1 are uber slackers and that Drexels curr. is just fine(I actually think it sounds great).

herecomesthesun, I hadn't seen your earlier post. I can elaborate some for you.

As far as the board pass rate, I think it's pretty much the same at most schools (not the board average, the pass rate). The Drexel curriculum is definitely awesome, and I know people there who have totally rocked their boards, so I wouldn't worry about that People who don't pass are generally the ones who have been struggling through school and are poor test takers, and they have plenty of warning in advance that they're in danger of failing. This is true at all schools, as far as I can tell.

As far as the grading system, one interesting thing to note is that "high pass" generally covers grades from about 86/87-90. A very small range. So it's not the same as an equivalent to a letter grade system, because "pass" covers from about 70 through 86! Also, I'm not sure that most classes are curved. It seems to me like most aren't, and it's actually the minority that are. The grading all seems very fair, though. The professors really want the students to do well, and it shows.

If you have any more questions about the school, feel free to PM me or post them here -- I'll check back. My husband is a second year so I almost feel like I've been a student myself for the past few years

Okay, more for the thread in general -- it's starting to really look like I may be a future Drexel student! Still definitely not certain. And it's also not clear if I'll be attending this fall or deferring for a year.

Congrats to the new acceptances

tigress said:

Tuition is about $38k (and rising by the year, as at all schools). So if the budget is $60k, that includes tuition, so that's $22k for cost of living. hmm...you can probably get by on less than that. I think my husband and I together live on less than $30k a year without a problem, and our rent is higher than necessary. But usually school budgets are a bit inflated. That's a good thing, because it allows you to take out more loans if you need them.

Truthfully, though, I'd take the in-state tuition at RWJ. Drexel is awesome, but less debt is awesomer

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Ouch, 60k...I dunno... I really don't want to live in New Brunswick for ANOTHER 4 years.

Is there any real difference between the two academic wise?? I know that I was way more impressed with the technolgy at Drexel and not much impressed me at Robert Wood (probably even less since I work at the hospital)

smallqt said:

Ouch, 60k...I dunno... I really don't want to live in New Brunswick for ANOTHER 4 years.

Is there any real difference between the two academic wise?? I know that I was way more impressed with the technolgy at Drexel and not much impressed me at Robert Wood (probably even less since I work at the hospital)

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lol, I think anytime you work at a hospital (at least most hospitals) you'll probably leave unimpressed.

I don't know much about the academics at RWJ, or the hospital system. Sorry, don't have much input there.

tigress said:

lol, I think anytime you work at a hospital (at least most hospitals) you'll probably leave unimpressed.

I don't know much about the academics at RWJ, or the hospital system. Sorry, don't have much input there.

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Hey ya'll..just want to give a friendly hello to you Drexel peeps. I didn't know this thread existed. Congrats to you all!

Anyways, I matched at San Antonio yesterday. I most likely go there and may decline my Drexel acceptance. In any case, good luck to you all!

Thanks guys,

MechE - I had my interview in mid to late November, so it took quite a while to hear word.

Tigress - does your name happen to be Kim?

Hyman said:

Tigress - does your name happen to be Kim?

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Nope!