2021-2022 Drexel

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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KnightDoc said:
Accepted applicant. I'm just trying to share what I've observed and learned over several years of obsessing on the process.

IMHO, Drexel's sin is not investing in staff so that they can process applications, conduct interviews, and render decisions in a normal time frame, like pretty much every other MD program in the country does. Having a ton of applicants is no excuse. That just means they have a ton of application fees to throw at the problem.

They don't do the right thing because the "sellers' market" means they don't have to in order to fill their class. The result is that they were still handing out initial As, and then first hitting their WL in mid-late June. As you noted above, they are now bumping up against their CTE date, and then orientation.

This means they don't have time to mess around. As a result, they seem to be prioritizing people who do not have other As, as indicated by the lack of a PTE selection in the CYMS tool. As a result, their yield will approach 100% of people they now accept, which will mean there will not be meaningful subsequent waves of WL movement.

It's unfortunate, because it doesn't have to be this way. They could also work in a normal timeline, which would allow for more traditional WL movement, which would, as you speculated above, give more people the opportunity to attend a more preferred school. As the end of the day, though, you will still be a MD, and most people come to love whichever school they end up attending.
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I'd love to one day be a part of an adcom and see things from the inside. I interviewed for Drexel in Sept, got deferred on Oct, waitlisted in March -- so I had lots of opportunity to send in updates and ask for their status updates. I was always met with a "we try to give students who apply later in the cycle equal chance of interviews + acceptance so that's why deferrals happen" answer. Like....wait what? So it is or isn't rolling admissions?.. Anyway.. I'm just rambling lol.
 
coinaco said:
Still on that waitlist, but not sure I'll be taking an A in the event I get off. Drexel would be my only MD, but PCOM gave me a half ride. What's the value of an MD over an DO really? Would you take an MD or 115k dollars?
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Most people would take the MD at twice the $115K, and that's even though many of them will end up being primary care physicians, where they will likely end up never being able to recapture the money. If your goal right now is to be a PCP, and you know that's not going to change, then grab the money at PCOM, a very well regarded DO school, and don't look back.

The thing is, most people entering med school have grander ambitions, and only come down to earth, and reset their expectations accordingly, after they see where they are relative to everyone else after a few years of med school. And, if you do have grander ambitions, having a MD will make it significantly more likely than DO that you will be able to realize them.

As a result, most people would not think twice about gambling the $115K plus interest for the shot. Worst case, they will be a physician either way, and will be able to easily repay the extra money over time, including interest. Best case, that $115K will be the best investment they ever made, since it will enable them to make several million extra dollars over the course of their career. Plus, they will have the opportunity to do what they want, rather than being relegated to only having choices passed up by others.

The risk/reward here is not even close, which is why VERY people choose DO over MD, without regard to tuition, half ride, full ride, location, support system, etc.
 
coinaco said:
I dunno, we're talking about Drexel here. Not MD in general. PCOM and Drexel have a pretty similar match list.
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MD=MD, and DO=/=MD. I am not familiar with PCOM's match list, but I know Drexel's is typical for a school in its tier.

As I said before, if you know you want primary care and know you are not going to change your mind, there is no reason to pay more for one set of letters after your name as opposed to another. Otherwise, like it or not, MD opens doors that DO does not, even if the DO is PCOM, and even if the MD is Drexel.
 
coinaco said:
I'm not sure that's the case here. Just for example, Drexel had 0 derms for 2022 and PCOM had 3 so that's just one example of doors Drexel didn't open as an MD.
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Then you have your answer. Congratulations and good luck.

It does not matter what I or anyone else thinks about this. You should definitely grab the money, and withdraw from the Drexel WL, because PCOM had 3 derm matches last year and Drexel had none.
 
coinaco said:
Weirdly hostile and sarcastic. I'm sorry for disagreeing and believing there's more nuance to the discussion then: "MD>DO in absolutely every situation" but I don't mean that as an attack on you.
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I get it, and I was not offended at all. My point was merely that you were asking whether Drexel would be worth a $115K premium over PCOM, and then saying why it wasn't because PCOM had 3 derm matches last year.

So, at least to me, it looks like you aren't seeking opinions or a nuanced discussion at all. You are just looking for someone to confirm what you already believe. Which is perfectly fine. So, MD isn't better than DO in this case, and DO is less expensive. What else are you looking for in this MD specific thread? 🙂
 
anyone know why it seems they are only taking people who interviewed late in the cycle at this point (they also did this last year)? Im sure there are many on the waitlist with interviews december or before
 
sadaboutthis87213 said:
anyone know why it seems they are only taking people who interviewed late in the cycle at this point (they also did this last year)? Im sure there are many on the waitlist with interviews december or before
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Maybe because they can see that people who interviewed earlier already committed to other places or have other As?
 
sadaboutthis87213 said:
anyone know why it seems they are only taking people who interviewed late in the cycle at this point (they also did this last year)? Im sure there are many on the waitlist with interviews december or before
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I don't understand either. Recency bias?
 
DarthDaddy said:
I don't understand either. Recency bias?
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I'm just not sure why this would be the case. All schools score all applicants, both before and after interviews.

Schools generally choose people with the highest scores for admission, with slight adjustments to achieve whatever demographic diversity they seek. There is simply no reason for a recency bias when dealing with over 1,000 files post-II. They have accurate, comprehensive files on every applicant. It's not like adcoms are making decisions from memory!

I think @diana7699 is onto something, insofar as people with earlier IIs are generally, although not always, stronger candidates than those who receive later IIs. That would mean that they are more likely to have other As, in which case their not being called now would be consistent with Drexel only seeking people with no other As at this point in the cycle. Moreover, earlier interviewees with no other As might have lower scores than later interviewees, which would further explain why they are being passed over now.

This is all blind speculation, but it is certainly possible. It would be very interesting to hear if a single person has received an A from Drexel in the past few weeks who was PTE elsewhere at the time. If so, that would blow up my theory. If not, .....

It would be very unfair if people who are PTE elsewhere do not currently have a shot at being called off the Drexel WL, but it looks like that might be the case.
 
It seems as if most people getting accepted off the waitlist are for the Reading campus. Is that true? Also, was the most recent group of people all accepted Tuesday? I wonder if there will be another group accepted this Friday.
 
Just adding support to @KnightDoc’s theory here… I have another acceptance and I PTE’d with that school (got accepted there before getting the Drexel interview). Ive been on the Drexel waitlist since may and interviewed 3/29.

It would be interesting if they really are only choosing people who have not PTE’d somewhere. Strange too, bc it’s not like CTE somewhere, which is essentially telling schools that you’ve already made your final choice. I’ve even heard admissions staff say that this late in the cycle, if someone has PTE but not CTE at their school, they view it as a sign that that applicant is waiting for/open to other offers.
 
Do you guys think that we'll get the updates before Friday or on Friday considering it was silent last week.
 
dr.donkey said:
Just adding support to @KnightDoc’s theory here… I have another acceptance and I PTE’d with that school (got accepted there before getting the Drexel interview). Ive been on the Drexel waitlist since may and interviewed 3/29.

It would be interesting if they really are only choosing people who have not PTE’d somewhere. Strange too, bc it’s not like CTE somewhere, which is essentially telling schools that you’ve already made your final choice. I’ve even heard admissions staff say that this late in the cycle, if someone has PTE but not CTE at their school, they view it as a sign that that applicant is waiting for/open to other offers.
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I agree with you its very confusing. I really hope the only reason they are not taking people PTEd to other places is that those applicants have not expressed a preference to go to Drexel (aka drexel is assuming they are a lower choice for them than the school they are PTE at). But even that doesnt sound like something that is fair.

I hope they are still reviewing the applications of people who are PTE elsewhere as Im sure there are many who have expressed they would rather go to Drexel than their current PTE for reasons such as family etc
 
sadaboutthis87213 said:
I agree with you its very confusing. I really hope the only reason they are not taking people PTEd to other places is that those applicants have not expressed a preference to go to Drexel (aka drexel is assuming they are a lower choice for them than the school they are PTE at). But even that doesnt sound like something that is fair.

I hope they are still reviewing the applications of people who are PTE elsewhere as Im sure there are many who have expressed they would rather go to Drexel than their current PTE for reasons such as family etc
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I'm not sure I want to open this door but, from the perspective of someone on the WL with no As, do you think they think it is "fair" that someone gets to trade one A for another while they have none?

I assure you, there is nothing inherently "fair" about this process at all. Once June and July roll around, schools are far more concerned with efficiently filling their remaining seats than accommodating the game of musical chairs we play earlier in the WL season. This is very likely why Drexel is avoiding people they know, through PTE/CTE selections on the CYMS tool, have another A.

For the record, Drexel has never seemed to put a lot of weight into LOIs, expressions of interest, etc. All through the cycle, people who have sent multiple updates, LOIs, etc. have reported no response while people who had no contact with them after submissions reported receiving IIs and, later, As. It's a pretty fair assumption that anyone with no As in July would grab anything they can get, so it's highly unlikely that Drexel is using anything other than file score, demographic information, and the lack of an acceptance elsewhere (in that order) to decide who gets an A at this point in time.
 
KnightDoc said:
I'm not sure I want to open this door but, from the perspective of someone on the WL with no As, do you think they think it is "fair" that someone gets to trade one A for another while they have none?

I assure you, there is nothing inherently "fair" about this process at all. Once June and July roll around, schools are far more concerned with efficiently filling their remaining seats than accommodating the game of musical chairs we play earlier in the WL season. This is very likely why Drexel is avoiding people they know, through PTE/CTE selections on the CYMS tool, have another A.

For the record, Drexel has never seemed to put a lot of weight into LOIs, expressions of interest, etc. All through the cycle, people who have sent multiple updates, LOIs, etc. have reported no response while people who had no contact with them after submissions reported receiving IIs and, later, As. It's a pretty fair assumption that anyone with no As in July would grab anything they can get, so it's highly unlikely that Drexel is using anything other than file score, demographic information, and the lack of an acceptance elsewhere (in that order) to decide who gets an A at this point in time.
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Door opened... but not trying to debate, just share perspective ha ha. Not that fairness seems to have any bearing in this process, but the real issue imo is that schools should not have access to PTE info for students they have 'merely' waitlisted. None of their business - if they need to manage their wl better in order to feel that people who stay on it do so intentionally, then they should do that (bi-weekly emails reminding people to drop off the wl if no longer interested, and so on). Financially speaking there are big cost swings between a lot of these schools, plus factor in support system/family proximity/differences in curriculum - and so yes someone with an acceptance should have the same chance to swap that A as anyone else on the wl.
 
isthisthingon said:
Door opened... but not trying to debate, just share perspective ha ha. Not that fairness seems to have any bearing in this process, but the real issue imo is that schools should not have access to PTE info for students they have 'merely' waitlisted. None of their business - if they need to manage their wl better in order to feel that people who stay on it do so intentionally, then they should do that (bi-weekly emails reminding people to drop off the wl if no longer interested, and so on). Financially speaking there are big cost swings between a lot of these schools, plus factor in support system/family proximity/differences in curriculum - and so yes someone with an acceptance should have the same chance to swap that A as anyone else on the wl.
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You make excellent points. The real solution here is that Drexel really should have its act together, and should not first be making initial decisions in May and June, and WL decisions in June and July.

As far as WL schools having access to the CYMS tool, no, they really do need it, because otherwise, enforcement of CTE commitments would be left totally to the honor system, and most of us know how well that would work. Cutting to the chase and only accepting people you know will attend, because they have no other choices, is legit in June and July.

The fact remains that Drexel should not still be screwing around this late. Unfortunately, this is the result, and people on WLs in July simply do not have the same opportunity to swap As that they had in May. Anywhere.
 
KnightDoc said:
You make excellent points. The real solution here is that Drexel really should have its act together, and should not first be making initial decisions in May and June, and WL decisions in June and July.

As far as WL schools having access to the CYMS tool, no, they really do need it, because otherwise, enforcement of CTE commitments would be left totally to the honor system, and most of us know how well that would work. Cutting to the chase and only accepting people you know will attend, because they have no other choices, is legit in June and July.

The fact remains that Drexel should not still be screwing around this late. Unfortunately, this is the result, and people on WLs in July simply do not have the same opportunity to swap As that they had in May. Anywhere.
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Ik you said previously you have been looking closely at schools’ timelines + WL movement. Have you noticed anything different between schools who release decisions on a specific day AFTER all interviews conducted (like Pitt) and schools who are truly rolling at every point in the cycle? I remember when interviewing, Brian expressed how they are rolling but hold off on decisions to give late applicants a chance, but that always rubbed me the wrong way. Wonder if schools who release decisions on one day may have higher matriculation yield numbers.
 
LargeSchwann said:
Ik you said previously you have been looking closely at schools’ timelines + WL movement. Have you noticed anything different between schools who release decisions on a specific day AFTER all interviews conducted (like Pitt) and schools who are truly rolling at every point in the cycle? I remember when interviewing, Brian expressed how they are rolling but hold off on decisions to give late applicants a chance, but that always rubbed me the wrong way. Wonder if schools who release decisions on one day may have higher matriculation yield numbers.
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TBH, I never thought about it. I am pretty sure that all Brian meant was that they hold some spots for late interviewees, which is what every rolling school does, at least to some extent.

Drexel is just a terrible example because they are so understaffed and disorganized. It really is a terrible look for a solid mid tier like Drexel to still be messing around with the WL in July. But, no, top schools like Pitt, Harvard, Penn, etc. that release decisions on a single date don't necessarily have higher yields than other top schools like NYU, Vandy, Michigan, etc. that dribble them out over time.

Yield is a function of just who the school is chasing, what the applicants' other options are, and how willing schools are to throw money at them. Not so much when and how decisions are released. Mid tiers like Drexel are never going to have yields comparable to T20s, because they are always going to lose applicants to "better" schools, and over half the schools in the country are "better" than Drexel. On top of that, Drexel is an expensive private school not known for generous fin aid, so they are also going to lose people to public schools.

Drexel probably significantly increases its yield by waiting so long that good applicants with attractive opportunities drop out, or drop off the WL, before Drexel even gets around to making a final decision on them. Whether they do this intentionally, or whether it's just a result of their terrible process is an open question, but it undoubtedly happens.
 
Congratulations to everyone receiving an acceptance!

I have a bit of a silly question. MSAR says that the latest acceptance could be given out on the first day of classes. In practice, does this ever happen? Could an acceptance come after classes start?

I was waitlisted in March. I'm thinking about signing a lease for a new place. Don't want to get the call/email right after I do that, which is how my life usually works... Thanks in advance.
 
altas said:
Congratulations to everyone receiving an acceptance!

I have a bit of a silly question. MSAR says that the latest acceptance could be given out on the first day of classes. In practice, does this ever happen? Could an acceptance come after classes start?

I was waitlisted in March. I'm thinking about signing a lease for a new place. Don't want to get the call/email right after I do that, which is how my life usually works... Thanks in advance.
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According to their updates they state that WL movement happens into August and I’ve definitely heard stories from older med students (not Drexel students tho) of people getting in after classes at their schools had started. However, I’ve been looking at the FB page recently and it looks like a few people left the group earlier this week, but their spots have been mostly filled possibly by people who got off the WL. Idk how accurate it is to base WL movement predictions off of FB group members but I definitely remember the member number going down by 4-5 people and then going up again within the last day or two. I also know that there have been discussions in this thread about movement after the CTE deadline being pretty unremarkable considering that most people would have made a final decision by now. But I’m with you about the deadlines and stuff dude. I would really really love to get off the WL but I’ve had to make some commitments already that will be super difficult to back out of if I get off the WL. It’s definitely a difficult spot to be in and I wish you good luck!
 
Is anyone having trouble getting into Drexel's portal? I'll call them tomorrow but wondering if it's just me
 
ouxcpe said:
Is wait-list movement pretty much over?
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Just a heads up: I talked to admissions over the phone today and they said they still do expect some movement to happen. They didn't tell me how much or when though. Keeping my fingers, toes and any other extremities crossed for all of us!!! Hopefully, we'll hear back soon!!!!
 
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