2012-2013 Drexel University Application Thread

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Hey guys, just happy to say that I got accepted to Drexel! First acceptance so I'm happy about that!

I had a quick question: when I send them my deposit, does that make me commit to going to their school or is that just to hold a seat so I can wait and hear back from other schools? I've heard from some schools that the deposit is just to hold a seat until you make a final decision in may but I wanted to make sure that applies to Drexel and other schools as well. Thanks!

I hope you all get the same good news as I have!

Just holds a seat. You can hold as many as you want until may 15

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Interviewed on 10/3 and my file has still not been sent to committee. At this rate, I won't expect to hear back until next year at the earliest.
 
It's amazing how long this process takes. I can't believe how some people get decisions in within a month. For this school it seems as though 2-3 months is normal.
 
Did you interview here? Because I think for a lot of people it's feeling this school that makes it an "upper" choice (if not "top")

Hmm, does not compute. Are you saying that the feeling people get from here after interviewing make it an upper/top choice?

Judging from some previous comments about the interview day here, I'm finding it a little hard to believe, which is why I asked. No, I didn't have the pleasure of interviewing here, did you? If so, how was your interview day and what is it that you liked about this school compared to other schools you interviewed at?
 
Apart from not receiving any other interviews or rejections from the rest of your schools, is this school really anyone's top choice?
This school was absolutely a top choice for me, and yes, I did receive other interview offers. The interview day was admittedly not as structured as others I've experienced but that did not make it any less enjoyable. For me, I just couldn't beat the location and opportunities that are available at Drexel, so yes, definitely a top choice and I am beyond excited to attend next fall.

Just FYI, Drexel does receive over 12,000 applications for an entering class size of 250, so I would find it rather hard to believe that none of those people actually wanted to go there.
 
The thing about Drexel is that many medical schools will look better in comparison. I wasn't impressed with the facilities. The school as a whole looks like a giant office building. It reminded me a lot of my community college before they moved to new premises. Anatomy lab was pretty dank. Library, sad looking. Cafeteria food was pretty pathetic (and the place was small). So was the gym. No one there could tell me what's so great about Drexel or what makes it unique. My interview went very strangely and the person asked me a lot of personal questions. Oh, the grading sucks too. HS/H/S/U

In comparison, Temple, the other school I interviewed at, was so much better in all areas. Beautiful facilities, bright anatomy lab with a great ventilation system so that it didn't smell at all. Block schedule. Just everything was soo much better. I really hope I get off the Temple wait-list.

Honestly, if I got in Drexel I would be happy just to have a secure spot in medical school. But it's far from my top choice.
 
The thing about Drexel is that many medical schools will look better in comparison. I wasn't impressed with the facilities. The school as a whole looks like a giant office building. It reminded me a lot of my community college before they moved to new premises. Anatomy lab was pretty dank. Library, sad looking. Cafeteria food was pretty pathetic (and the place was small). So was the gym. No one there could tell me what's so great about Drexel or what makes it unique. My interview went very strangely and the person asked me a lot of personal questions. Oh, the grading sucks too. HS/H/S/U

In comparison, Temple, the other school I interviewed at, was so much better in all areas. Beautiful facilities, bright anatomy lab with a great ventilation system so that it didn't smell at all. Block schedule. Just everything was soo much better. I really hope I get off the Temple wait-list.

Honestly, if I got in Drexel I would be happy just to have a secure spot in medical school. But it's far from my top choice.


Wow sry you did not have a good experience at Drexel. But its not the building or the grading that makes a great medical school. Its the student environment, amazingly dedicated faculty and great clinical exposure which Drexel clearly has. Hopefully, your lack of enthusiasm did not rub off on your student/faculty interviewer. GL
 
The thing about Drexel is that many medical schools will look better in comparison. I wasn't impressed with the facilities. The school as a whole looks like a giant office building. It reminded me a lot of my community college before they moved to new premises. Anatomy lab was pretty dank. Library, sad looking. Cafeteria food was pretty pathetic (and the place was small). So was the gym. No one there could tell me what's so great about Drexel or what makes it unique. My interview went very strangely and the person asked me a lot of personal questions. Oh, the grading sucks too. HS/H/S/U

In comparison, Temple, the other school I interviewed at, was so much better in all areas. Beautiful facilities, bright anatomy lab with a great ventilation system so that it didn't smell at all. Block schedule. Just everything was soo much better. I really hope I get off the Temple wait-list.

Honestly, if I got in Drexel I would be happy just to have a secure spot in medical school. But it's far from my top choice.

Your first post on SDN (under this name, anyways) and it's to show your dislike for this school. 😕

While I didn't have the opportunity to interview at Temple, Drexel really impressed me. Sure, the school is in one building and the gym is kinda small and anatomy lab might make me smell. But that doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is how many god things the students have to say, which speaks wonders about the school. There's a difference between being excited to be in medical school and being excited about the school you're at.
On my interview day, I got the sense that faculty are extremely dedicated to teaching and that students are happy. Plus the clinical exposure and clinically oriented curriculum are all geared towards making the students good doctors.
Those things are what's most important to me, and that's why I like Drexel.
 
The thing about Drexel is that many medical schools will look better in comparison. I wasn't impressed with the facilities. The school as a whole looks like a giant office building. It reminded me a lot of my community college before they moved to new premises. Anatomy lab was pretty dank. Library, sad looking. Cafeteria food was pretty pathetic (and the place was small). So was the gym. No one there could tell me what's so great about Drexel or what makes it unique. My interview went very strangely and the person asked me a lot of personal questions. Oh, the grading sucks too. HS/H/S/U

In comparison, Temple, the other school I interviewed at, was so much better in all areas. Beautiful facilities, bright anatomy lab with a great ventilation system so that it didn't smell at all. Block schedule. Just everything was soo much better. I really hope I get off the Temple wait-list.

Honestly, if I got in Drexel I would be happy just to have a secure spot in medical school. But it's far from my top choice.

This. Also my faculty interviewer was borderline rude...not fun...

Honestly, I regret interviewing at this school. This was just my experience though. I know others have had positive experiences here.
 
Your first post on SDN (under this name, anyways) and it's to show your dislike for this school. 😕

While I didn't have the opportunity to interview at Temple, Drexel really impressed me. Sure, the school is in one building and the gym is kinda small and anatomy lab might make me smell. But that doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is how many god things the students have to say, which speaks wonders about the school. There's a difference between being excited to be in medical school and being excited about the school you're at.
On my interview day, I got the sense that faculty are extremely dedicated to teaching and that students are happy. Plus the clinical exposure and clinically oriented curriculum are all geared towards making the students good doctors.
Those things are what's most important to me, and that's why I like Drexel.
I was pretty underwhelmed when I went to Drexel for my interview. I just did not get a good vibe from the school.They really tried to push the fact that they have the option of Lecture vs. PBL, but I know that I would not do PBL so it did not matter to me. The facilities were okay and the location was kinda secluded. I guessed I showed my disinterest in the school because they rejected me post-interview. That being said, each school will not be the best fit for every student (except for maybe Mayo).
 
On my interview day, I got the sense that faculty are extremely dedicated to teaching and that students are happy. Plus the clinical exposure and clinically oriented curriculum are all geared towards making the students good doctors.
Those things are what's most important to me, and that's why I like Drexel.

Isn't this what every school says/tries to highlight during the interview day and tour? Good teachers, happy students, can make you a great physician? Seems like the bare necessities to have in a medical school to me.
 
Your first post on SDN (under this name, anyways) and it's to show your dislike for this school. 😕

On my interview day, I got the sense that faculty are extremely dedicated to teaching and that students are happy. Plus the clinical exposure and clinically oriented curriculum are all geared towards making the students good doctors.
Those things are what's most important to me, and that's why I like Drexel.

All of these posts is what I gathered previously that led me to think of this school as definitely a backup for lots of applicants. I was just curious if this school actually was a first choice for anyone and why. Your reasoning, no offense, doesn't seem too sound, as most MD schools have faculty that are dedicated to teaching students and students are happy. Now the clinical exposure, I heard the opposite. It's been said that their clinical sites are terrible due to the lack of nearby rotation sites. What about their clinical exposure/curriculum demonstrates that they are geared towards making students good doctors?
 
All of these posts is what I gathered previously that led me to think of this school as definitely a backup for lots of applicants. I was just curious if this school actually was a first choice for anyone and why. Your reasoning, no offense, doesn't seem too sound, as most MD schools have faculty that are dedicated to teaching students and students are happy. Now the clinical exposure, I heard the opposite. It's been said that their clinical sites are terrible due to the lack of nearby rotation sites. What about their clinical exposure/curriculum demonstrates that they are geared towards making students good doctors?

Yeh well your information regarding clinical sites is false because Drexel has 22 clinical sites with a majority in either Pennsylvania or New Jersey. And just so you know Drexel is in Phildelphia and having rotations in Philadelphia plus others areas of Pennsylvania would count as having "nearby clinical sites." They are also planning on getting Kaiser Permante in Califronia. Honeslty im not gonna defend Drexel anymore. Its a great place and pretty much every medical school in the US teaches you the same thing and gets you to where you want to be. Reading these posts makes me glad I went to Drexel due to a lack of douchey, stuck and entitled up medical school asses that SDN seems to attract. I hope you get into a school, but not Drexel, because you would be a horrendous physician to work with with. Oh and if your gonna come back saying "where do I get off" well your doing the same thing about your comments with Drexel.
 
Apart from not receiving any other interviews or rejections from the rest of your schools, is this school really anyone's top choice?

Couldn't agree with you more. Only applied here because their stats are low, and I applied to the other Philly schools too (live close by, so it made for cheap travel to the 3 interviews I attended in Philly).

The (admittedly, few) students I met on interview day at drexel seemed miserable. My student interviewer in particular couldn't come up with much he liked about the school, other than that he had gotten into any medical school. Yeah, the facilities aren't great, but I found it a turn off because of the students. Also couldn't stand their curriculum - the fact that even the lecture curriculum is still all case-based just doesn't appeal to me in particular. I know they're trying to make everyone happy with 2 curriculums, but I think they'd be better off to pick one and commit to it.

Being from the area, I expected to like Drexel - went in with an open mind or if anything a predisposition to like it - and I flat out didn't. I'm sure there are ppl who end up at Drexel that like it, but I can't imagine it really being anyone's FIRST choice.
 
Yeh well your information regarding clinical sites is false because Drexel has 22 clinical sites with a majority in either Pennsylvania or New Jersey. And just so you know Drexel is in Phildelphia and having rotations in Philadelphia plus others areas of Pennsylvania would count as having "nearby clinical sites." They are also planning on getting Kaiser Permante in Califronia. Honeslty im not gonna defend Drexel anymore. Its a great place and pretty much every medical school in the US teaches you the same thing and gets you to where you want to be. Reading these posts makes me glad I went to Drexel due to a lack of douchey, stuck and entitled up medical school asses that SDN seems to attract. I hope you get into a school, but not Drexel, because you would be a horrendous physician to work with with. Oh and if your gonna come back saying "where do I get off" well your doing the same thing about your comments with Drexel.

520px-Sad-i-know-that-feel-clean-l.png




@lilred - It's always good to hear the downsides of a school which seem to be lacking in a lot of these school-specific threads.
 
Yeh well your information regarding clinical sites is false because Drexel has 22 clinical sites with a majority in either Pennsylvania or New Jersey. And just so you know Drexel is in Phildelphia and having rotations in Philadelphia plus others areas of Pennsylvania would count as having "nearby clinical sites." They are also planning on getting Kaiser Permante in Califronia. Honeslty im not gonna defend Drexel anymore. Its a great place and pretty much every medical school in the US teaches you the same thing and gets you to where you want to be. Reading these posts makes me glad I went to Drexel due to a lack of ******, stuck and entitled up medical school ****** that SDN seems to attract. I hope you get into a school, but not Drexel, because you would be a horrendous physician to work with with. Oh and if your gonna come back saying "where do I get off" well your doing the same thing about your comments with Drexel.

Temperament is also a vital characteristic in medicine. I found your post unduly offensive and in violation of SDN's inappropriate language clause in their terms of service. Please think your thoughts through and consider the consequences of your words before posting. I understand you're offended by these opinions; but it's no reason to personally attack someone for the way s/he feels. 🙁
 
I'm local, not even 30 miles away.
Just got my "decision made" status and says it is being mailed... I am in Georgia (so east coast....)

how long did it take to get your decision??? I am dying to get mine!! wondering when I will get mine??!?
 
Just got my "decision made" status and says it is being mailed... I am in Georgia (so east coast....)

how long did it take to get your decision??? I am dying to get mine!! wondering when I will get mine??!?

when did you interview?? i'm waiting and waiting for that 'decision made' status.
 
Apart from not receiving any other interviews or rejections from the rest of your schools, is this school really anyone's top choice?

Well, I've only interviewed at one other school (that you've also interviewed at or will be interviewing at). That said, there are basically two reasons I would attend Drexel over another school: 1) future specialization prospects (good step I preparation and match lists), and 2) location. I would absolutely rather live in Philly than the middle of nowhere, and don't want to attend a school with a primary mission of training PCPs.

The two reasons I would choose another school over Drexel: 1) price and 2) location (I'd rather stay in CA for family reasons).

Basically, I would be completely happy attending this school, because I love the location/camaraderie of the class, and because I'm confident Drexel would give me everything I need to specialize in whatever I want to, regardless of how "competitive" it may be.

Temperament is also a vital characteristic in medicine. I found your post unduly offensive and in violation of SDN's inappropriate language clause in their terms of service. Please think your thoughts through and consider the consequences of your words before posting. I understand you're offended by these opinions; but it's no reason to personally attack someone for the way s/he feels. 🙁

Also, I'm with Guero. Let's keep this civil y'all.
 
Positive attitude = positive experience. Some people could benefit from this mantra.
 
Wow, there's no need to start an argument about whether Drexel is good or not.

I had a positive interview experience at Drexel and so I would be happy to attend. Others had a bad interview experience, so the school might not be in the running for them anymore. To each their own. At the end of the day, we all want to go to a school that will get us our degree and be (relatively) happy while studying for it. Some things matter more to others, so what's the point in calling people douchey or stuck-up?


Well, I've only interviewed at one other school (that you've also interviewed at or will be interviewing at). That said, there are basically two reasons I would attend Drexel over another school: 1) future specialization prospects (good step I preparation and match lists), and 2) location. I would absolutely rather live in Philly than the middle of nowhere, and don't want to attend a school with a primary mission of training PCPs.

The two reasons I would choose another school over Drexel: 1) price and 2) location (I'd rather stay in CA for family reasons).

Basically, I would be completely happy attending this school, because I love the location/camaraderie of the class, and because I'm confident Drexel would give me everything I need to specialize in whatever I want to, regardless of how "competitive" it may be.

Also, I'm with Guero. Let's keep this civil y'all.

👍 this post

All of these posts is what I gathered previously that led me to think of this school as definitely a backup for lots of applicants. I was just curious if this school actually was a first choice for anyone and why. Your reasoning, no offense, doesn't seem too sound, as most MD schools have faculty that are dedicated to teaching students and students are happy. Now the clinical exposure, I heard the opposite. It's been said that their clinical sites are terrible due to the lack of nearby rotation sites. What about their clinical exposure/curriculum demonstrates that they are geared towards making students good doctors?

No offense taken, it's a legitimate question. I haven't interviewed at another MD school but some of my friends at their schools have said that they get the impression their faculty are more research-oriented than teaching. My student interviewer said he's never had an issue or felt uncomfortable approaching a faculty member outside of class. I interviewed at a DO school and the students didn't seem particularly happy, whereas at Drexel a few students were friendly and helped me find the hospital location. Overall the environment just seemed happier (hard to describe it otherwise).
They showed us their list of rotation sites during the admissions presentation and it seemed pretty solid to me, I'm not sure why people are saying there's a lack of them. You might need a car for some of them but I think that's almost to be expected for a lot of schools (especially those that aren't near a city).
Students start interacting with patients early on, even in first year, and take histories/physical exams/etc. They have the PBL curriculum track (which is called PIL) or they have IFM, which is symptom-based studying. I think that's pretty cool, instead of being hammered with straight biochemistry.

Overall, I got a really good impression from the school. Yes, it might not be my top TOP choice (due to cost and location, and I still have other schools to see), but it's definitely up there. I know some people consider it a "back-up" school because of the lower stats and it's large number of applicants, but for me personally, the more I learned about it the more I liked it.
 
Positive attitude = positive experience. Some people could benefit from this mantra.

Hard to keep a positive attitude when the shuttle driver is yelling in your face saying that he refuses to take you back to the medical campus.

The rest of the day was okay, but that alone just soured my entire day.
 
Woot! final decision made update...now the dreadful wait via mail 🙁
 
Woot! final decision made update...now the dreadful wait via mail 🙁

When did you interview if you dont mind me asking? I'm about 8 weeks post interview and am still stuck with the "under review by the committee" status, which I've had for about 4 weeks.👎
 
Hard to keep a positive attitude when the shuttle driver is yelling in your face saying that he refuses to take you back to the medical campus.

The rest of the day was okay, but that alone just soured my entire day.

Thats harsh bud, my shuttle driver didn't even bother to check the free shuttle ride ticket. He just saw that I was wearing a suit and assumed I was heading back to campus lol...

Anyhow I'm hoping the letter will come in the mail by the end of this week 😀
 
When did you interview if you dont mind me asking? I'm about 8 weeks post interview and am still stuck with the "under review by the committee" status, which I've had for about 4 weeks.👎

October 16th...so just under 8 weeks.
 
Thats harsh bud, my shuttle driver didn't even bother to check the free shuttle ride ticket. He just saw that I was wearing a suit and assumed I was heading back to campus lol...

Anyhow I'm hoping the letter will come in the mail by the end of this week 😀

Dude even gave me attitude after he got the okay from higher up to let me in. The nerve of some people. 😡

Good luck, though! If you're at a Philly school, we can still get drinks. Bwahahahahaha
 
Final decision made. interviewed 10/16. I was told committee would be meeting on Thursday! Guess they met earlier. Although I called to verify the updates I had sent last week were added to my file, I REALLY hope they were read before a decision was made....

Also has anyone had success calling in to receive the decision over the phone?
 
Also has anyone had success calling in to receive the decision over the phone?

During my interview day someone asked about calling for decision.

They said under no circumstances will they give an answer on decision over the phone. You have to wait for snail mail.
 
Final decision made. interviewed 10/16. I was told committee would be meeting on Thursday! Guess they met earlier. Although I called to verify the updates I had sent last week were added to my file, I REALLY hope they were read before a decision was made....

Also has anyone had success calling in to receive the decision over the phone?

I interviewed 10/16 too! Good luck to the both of us 🙂 I think IRASNA was there too? Or maybe that was another school haha
 
Rejected last Friday by snail mail. This one hurts. 3.5 UG and Master's, 33 MCAT from CT. They say they don't play regional advantage but I think all med schools do to a degree.
 
Rejected last Friday by snail mail. This one hurts. 3.5 UG and Master's, 33 MCAT from CT. They say they don't play regional advantage but I think all med schools do to a degree.

:scared: it seems like a lot of people get their decisions in the mail on Friday! I wonder how they plan that out given the finicky nature of usps.
 
The drexel med dean, Dr. Schidlow, just started a Dean's Blog to better connect with students, etc... thought this was pretty cool and personal. Check it out:

http://drexelmeddean.wordpress.com/

I love that the dean has a good sense of humor (e.g., Rambo movies). Cool link, thanks for sharing!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app. Please excuse brevity and/or typos.
 
Whoops, guess the post I responded to was from awhile ago.

Guys, I agree with whoever said to keep it civil. There are obviously differences of experience and opinion here, and, well, there will be for the rest of your lives and careers, professionalism, yadda yadda.

Anyway, as a second year, I will say I've been overall very happy at Drexel. Yes, sometimes we're drowning in work and that makes us miserable, but you'll have that in every school. There are good things and bad things about Drexel, and those are different for each of us. I've loved the faculty (including attendings in the clinical settings) and the quality of our classes, and how responsive the administration is to student feedback on everything from facilities to the curriculum. Sure, it's an old building that leaves a bit to be desired on the finishing, but they are slowly remodeling and adding technology and study spaces on request from students. My classmates are generally awesome, down to earth people who work hard and look out for each other (perhaps more of a function of being in PIL, since we're in group together and get to know everyone at least a little.) I like that for such a big class, it feels smaller and more like a family. I feel like what marks Drexel out is how we are encouraged to have lives and learn the balance between work and play. Maybe that's not unique enough for what some of you are asking, but I guess I'm just trying to get across the feeling of what it's like to be a student at Drexel day in, day out - not just what you see on your interview day.

It just depends on what's important to you, and what you make of any school you have the opportunity to attend. I've attended schools with shiny new buildings and big names and massive libraries, but I feel happier in our former bible factory than I have during many of those previous years. For whatever that's worth.
 
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Well. I got a pre-interview hold.

"Thank you for your application. Your file has been reviewed by a member of our admissions committee. While we have decided not to invite you for an interview at this time, we would like to re-evaluate your application again in the spring should interview spots remain. We have many completed applications to review and wish to hold on a final decision on your application until later in the cycle. Again, thank you for your interest in Drexel College of Medicine."

Should I expect a rejection? Lol
 
Well. I got a pre-interview hold.

"Thank you for your application. Your file has been reviewed by a member of our admissions committee. While we have decided not to invite you for an interview at this time, we would like to re-evaluate your application again in the spring should interview spots remain. We have many completed applications to review and wish to hold on a final decision on your application until later in the cycle. Again, thank you for your interest in Drexel College of Medicine."

Should I expect a rejection? Lol

when did you receive this notification? recently? also do you mind sharing your stats ?
 
when did you receive this notification? recently? also do you mind sharing your stats ?
I've had the same status for a while. I signed in online to check my status and found it a month or so ago. They never emailed me.
 
when did you receive this notification? recently? also do you mind sharing your stats ?

I got it this morning via status check. I never received an email either.

My stats are pretty low (3.5 -3.7 GPA, 25-27. MCAT)

Does everyone get this status if not invited for interview or is there a straight rejection status?
 
Whoops, guess the post I responded to was from awhile ago.

Guys, I agree with whoever said to keep it civil. There are obviously differences of experience and opinion here, and, well, there will be for the rest of your lives and careers, professionalism, yadda yadda.

Anyway, as a second year, I will say I've been overall very happy at Drexel. Yes, sometimes we're drowning in work and that makes us miserable, but you'll have that in every school. There are good things and bad things about Drexel, and those are different for each of us. I've loved the faculty (including attendings in the clinical settings) and the quality of our classes, and how responsive the administration is to student feedback on everything from facilities to the curriculum. Sure, it's an old building that leaves a bit to be desired on the finishing, but they are slowly remodeling and adding technology and study spaces on request from students. My classmates are generally awesome, down to earth people who work hard and look out for each other (perhaps more of a function of being in PIL, since we're in group together and get to know everyone at least a little.) I like that for such a big class, it feels smaller and more like a family. I feel like what marks Drexel out is how we are encouraged to have lives and learn the balance between work and play. Maybe that's not unique enough for what some of you are asking, but I guess I'm just trying to get across the feeling of what it's like to be a student at Drexel day in, day out - not just what you see on your interview day.

It just depends on what's important to you, and what you make of any school you have the opportunity to attend. I've attended schools with shiny new buildings and big names and massive libraries, but I feel happier in our former bible factory than I have during many of those previous years. For whatever that's worth.

Thanks for your input! Would you happen to know how receptive the school is to post-interview updates?
 
So it's taking people about eight weeks to hear back after their interview?

About 9-10 weeks and still at committee for me. I gotta stop lurking this thread; it's making me anxious. I hope they haven't forgot about me. 🙁
 
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