2014-2015 Drexel University Application Thread

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top choice. applying here... have my fingers crossed🙂
 
applying here! i'm really interested in the differences between the two tracks, and when you have to choose between them. both sound awesome, and i'm not sure which would suit my learning needs better.
 
Good luck to everyone applying here! I really like it here at Drexel - I was actually a part of the IMS/MMS program 3 years ago too. I'm starting my second year this fall.

I really our professors and some of them are easily accessible and you can just chat away with them anytime. I felt like most of the notes were very clear and having an Drexel med ipad app for all our notes made things very organized. There were a few bugs here and there, but everything was fixed pretty easily. I really had no problems with it.

Drexel med does have a big class, but that just means there are a lot of different interest groups you can join, and plenty of different clinics to volunteer at throughout the year. I probably won't check everything on this thread through the year, but I'll respond to anything if I have time.

sunflower18 said:
applying here! i'm really interested in the differences between the two tracks, and when you have to choose between them. both sound awesome, and i'm not sure which would suit my learning needs better.
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You don't have to decide between the IFM (more lecture based, but you do have small groups) and PIL (more team based, but you still have lectures) tracks until after orientation - you'll have some time to test it out that week to see if you like it. Both tracks have some disadvantages and advantages, but both PIL and IFM are well prepared for step 1, so just pick depending on what type of learning style you prefer. I am IFM because I prefer listening to lectures at my own pace to study.
 
Crossing my fingers, i'm applying here OOS. Good luck everyone!!!
 
Applying, In State. Applying to just about everything in PA. Maybe not UPenn, or Jefferson. I feel like more than 6 schools is too much. I only need into one, and at least one will say yes.

I'd rather stay in Western PA, if I can, but if I gotta go anywhere else, I love Philadelphia.
 
I'm applying here this cycle. I'm really excited about this school! Are there any current medical students willing to dish out some secondary/interview advice?
 
correctlywrong said:
Applying, In State. Applying to just about everything in PA. Maybe not UPenn, or Jefferson. I feel like more than 6 schools is too much. I only need into one, and at least one will say yes.

I'd rather stay in Western PA, if I can, but if I gotta go anywhere else, I love Philadelphia.
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May I ask why not Jefferson?
 
MedOldAge said:
May I ask why not Jefferson?
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Same question - it seems that between Drexel/Temple/Jefferson, Jefferson is often the most popular followed by Temple
(Not that I want to encourage you to add Jefferson heh)
 
I know that I personally didn't apply to Jefferson because of their really specific letter requirement... I don't have letters from chem, bio, and physics faculty. I'm not sure how stringent they are on that requirement. It's a major bummer though, since Jeff looked like a great school and I wish I fit the requirements!

Drexel is obviously a great school too 🙂 I feel weird writing a post about Jeff without mentioning how awesome Drexel is on the Drexel thread haha
 
sunflower18 said:
I know that I personally didn't apply to Jefferson because of their really specific letter requirement... I don't have letters from chem, bio, and physics faculty. I'm not sure how stringent they are on that requirement. It's a major bummer though, since Jeff looked like a great school and I wish I fit the requirements!

Drexel is obviously a great school too 🙂 I feel weird writing a post about Jeff without mentioning how awesome Drexel is on the Drexel thread haha
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+1

Very curious why the school admin prefer the BCPM recommendation requirement. That just throw off many good potential entries.
 
MedOldAge said:
May I ask why not Jefferson?
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Honestly, because when I put in my first round of applications, I didn't have enough money in my account to add even one more school.

Jefferson may or may not end up on my final list, when I add a few more schools. Fear of not getting in this cycle is causing me to broaden my applications a little.
 
MedOldAge said:
+1

Very curious why the school admin prefer the BCPM recommendation requirement. That just throw off many good potential entries.
Click to expand...

Well, it could be because they are so popular. I have noticed that many schools include a few requirements that seem intended to scare some applicants away. As much as they want as many of the best applicants that they can get, it does benefit them if some of the less qualified applicants self screen. That is why I think it is worth it to apply to a few schools that seem like a reach for you, if you would really want to go there. Fortune favors the bold, and if you don't let something trivial keep you from applying, you might win out over all the people who were discouraged from trying.
 
MedOldAge said:
+1

Very curious why the school admin prefer the BCPM recommendation requirement. That just throw off many good potential entries.
Click to expand...

They do say "if possible":
We prefer to receive a recommendation from a preprofessional committee. If there is no such committee,
letters should be provided by individual faculty members (one letter each from Biology, Chemistry, Physics
and Humanities, if possible).

Which seems to imply that it's not a hard requirement. It's kind of a weird request.


But anyways, back to Drexel. One of the grads (currently entering first year of fellowship in rad-onc) told me about doing a very exciting 3rd-year rotation in a small hospital in Alaska--apparently Drexel is super flexible about setting up personalized rotations at hospitals if students find hospitals willing to take them.
 
correctlywrong said:
Well, it could be because they are so popular. I have noticed that many schools include a few requirements that seem intended to scare some applicants away. As much as they want as many of the best applicants that they can get, it does benefit them if some of the less qualified applicants self screen. That is why I think it is worth it to apply to a few schools that seem like a reach for you, if you would really want to go there. Fortune favors the bold, and if you don't let something trivial keep you from applying, you might win out over all the people who were discouraged from trying.
Click to expand...

Very legit and good comment!
 
Applying OOS! Excited about being with a big, diverse class. I also heard they give love to people who have unique life experiences. The md who I work with at the hospital, who then became my mentor, went here for his med school. All the more reason to be excited about applying! :xf:
 
For the secondary question about time since graduation, should I literally list each year and then say what I did, or should I do paragraphs that flow together?
 
May not be the right answer but I'd say paragraphs that flow together.
 
Where are you guys seeing a secondary prompt? Or are you just going off of last year's?
 
Last years....I believe it was just:

"Please give details about any interruption or time away from your education, which includes the time since graduation. Detail your activities for each year away from school."
 
sunflower18 said:
I know that I personally didn't apply to Jefferson because of their really specific letter requirement... I don't have letters from chem, bio, and physics faculty. I'm not sure how stringent they are on that requirement. It's a major bummer though, since Jeff looked like a great school and I wish I fit the requirements!

Drexel is obviously a great school too 🙂 I feel weird writing a post about Jeff without mentioning how awesome Drexel is on the Drexel thread haha
Click to expand...
Plus they average multiple mcats :barf:
 
Applying OOS. Figured it was worth a shot. Also I have heard Jefferson is not strict about those letter requirements. I could be wrong though.
 
MedSchoolBarbie said:
@tomz1385 what is the environment like? Likes/ dislikes?
Click to expand...

It is a great place! Everyone is nice, helpful and pretty friendly. I don't think there is anyone on the faculty that I dislike - everyone that I've spoken with is helpful. As for the students, we do have a very big class - so sometimes you might not meet everyone. We have plenty of events where you'll see everyone, but for the most part, you'll spend most of your days studying with the same people (like at most schools I'd assume). Because we have a lot of students, there are a lot of different groups and activities to join. I think we have 4 free clinics that the 2nd years run and clubs for everything.
 
Last edited:
tomz1385 said:
It is a great place! Everyone is nice, helpful and pretty friendly. I don't think there is anyone on the faculty that I dislike - everyone that I've spoken with is helpful. As for the students, we do have a very big class - so sometimes you might not meet everyone. We have plenty of events where you'll see everyone, but for the most part, you'll spend most of your days studying with the same people (like at most schools I'd assume). Because we have a lot of students, there are a lot of different groups and activities to join. I think we have 4 free clinics that the 2nd years run and clubs for everything.

All the lectures are recorded, so the lecture halls can be sparse at times - but it lets you study at your own pace. And if you feel lazy, you can stay at home and study if there are no mandatory labs / lectures that day.
Click to expand...

I'll second this and add to it. You can actually set the tone of your class at the beginning of the year. My class, from the beginning, would create study guides for everyone to use. It really set the tone that we want to help each other rather than compete against each other (I can't imagine how terrible medical school would be if you had to constantly be competitive against your fellow classmates). Plus, the professors are amazing and very approachable. A lot of them don't have set office hours and simply say that if you come to their office, they will help you.
 
tomz1385 said:
It is a great place! Everyone is nice, helpful and pretty friendly. I don't think there is anyone on the faculty that I dislike - everyone that I've spoken with is helpful. As for the students, we do have a very big class - so sometimes you might not meet everyone. We have plenty of events where you'll see everyone, but for the most part, you'll spend most of your days studying with the same people (like at most schools I'd assume). Because we have a lot of students, there are a lot of different groups and activities to join. I think we have 4 free clinics that the 2nd years run and clubs for everything.

All the lectures are recorded, so the lecture halls can be sparse at times - but it lets you study at your own pace. And if you feel lazy, you can stay at home and study if there are no mandatory labs / lectures that day.
Click to expand...

Great answers, I have some questions for you or anyone else who goes to Drexel:

could you tell me about some opportunities that you really enjoyed being a part of at Drexel medical school and would recommend to anyone who is going there? What opportunities at Drexel really influenced your perception of medicine and the medical speciality you're considering?
How close are the faculty to students? is it relatively easy to talk to faculty members and get involved with their research? I know there's a good faculty to student ratio so ideally each student will be able to work with and get to know faculty members. What are some research opportunities you have explored?
Could you tell me about the way the curriculum is structured at Drexel and how that affected your education?
 
Jojokarade said:
I'll second this and add to it. You can actually set the tone of your class at the beginning of the year. My class, from the beginning, would create study guides for everyone to use. It really set the tone that we want to help each other rather than compete against each other (I can't imagine how terrible medical school would be if you had to constantly be competitive against your fellow classmates). Plus, the professors are amazing and very approachable. A lot of them don't have set office hours and simply say that if you come to their office, they will help you.
Click to expand...

So the grading scheme doesn't foster competition?
 
Osteoth said:
So the grading scheme doesn't foster competition?
Click to expand...

Not at all. Sure you have a couple "gunners" but my class, at least, makes it very clear that we don't want the gunner mentality. Grades are based on a percentage and not a curve. For most classes, you have to get a certain percentage to get honors, and that percentage is set so that at least a certain number of students get that grade (if more people do well, more people get honors).
 
lmw312 said:
I think it'll be ok. I interviewed here last year: Secondary came mid-August, interview invite about a week later. Interviews started up in September. Acceptances/waitlists began in mid-October.
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Thanks!
Do you mind sharing your stats? Do you know what Drexel looks for in candidates?
 
how many have you all completed so far
 
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