Any helpful info: Temple vs. Drexel vs. SLU?

[calgirl05]

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I've gotten into Temple, Drexel and SLU, but I am from California and know only what I've picked up from interview days/tours. I also do not know any current students. I tend to be more attracted to Philly because it's in the Northeast and it's a big city and I do not mind the "bad neighborhood" around Temple. Do any of you have any useful advice or ups/downs related to these schools and their scores, curric, student population, level of free time, tech and living, etc? Many thanks!

 

[size_tens]

I've interviewed at all three schools and am currently a SLU student. Given a choice I would not choose Drexel because they seem to be having some issues with their hospitals. The fact that every lecture is available for viewing online there is quite nice though. As far as Temple vs SLU, Temple just implemented a new curriculum for this year's incoming 1st year class and it might have some wrinkles. To me SLU seems to be the safest bet in terms of curricular consistency. However I'm sure all 3 provide a solid education.

 

[albinomidget]

I'm a student at Drexel, and I'm saddened to see that people continue to spread false ideas about the school. Two years ago, Tenet, a for-profit company that owns many hospitals across the US, closed MCP Hospital. It was originally built about 100 years ago, and it required a lot of $$$ to maintain it. It is quite sad that the site closed, though mostly from a historic/aesthetic point of view. Apparently, the majority of the students who rotated their didn't enjoy the experience. Since the time of MCP Hospital's closing, Drexel has increased the number of sites we can rotate, including Abington Memorial Hospital, 508 beds, St. Peter's University Hospital, 422 bedsl, and Atlantic Health System (Morristown Memorial Hospital, 628 beds). Clearly, a lack of sites is not a problem. For a complete listing of all the sites we can rotate at, check out http://webcampus.drexelmed.edu/clinicaleducation/SITESNTIMES.htm

Personally, I love being a student at Drexel. In addition to our technology, the campus is great and the faculty and administration really care about the students.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[susan96]

I've never been to SLU, so maybe I am biased, but I love going to Temple. The new schedule means we are only in class from 8-12, and for the last month or so, it was 8-10. True, there may be some wrinkles and whatnot, since it is the first time they've had the new curriculum, but the faculty are really open to suggestion and want to make things work for us. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

 

[tigress]

As far as curriculum, I don't know a better one than Drexel's. But I don't know anything about SLU, and I'm biased against Temple because they were nothing but rude to me and it's not in a safe area (which may or may not matter to you at all). So I don't have anything particularly constructive to add except that Drexel is a great school.

 

[nutmegs]

love temple, love temple even more as a third year, and don't feel unsafe in the area.

 

[MDCali]

hmm I got into SLU and I am currently waitlisted at Drexel. ALso I have an interview with temple in April so it would be cool if more people from either of these schools posted 🙂

 

[mellow yellow]

I'm a 4th year a Drexel, also from California. I've really enjoyed my time here. The main draws of the school I'd say are the student population, flexible curriculum, and diversity of clinical training. The school does attract a good number of "nontraditional" students... We all get along extremely well as a class, party together, shared our class notes during first and second year. You won't find a whole lot of "gunner types" or people who are just plain rude. We support each other and help each other out. The preclinical curriculum is nothing short of outstanding. With 2 different curriculums, you can choose the style that suits you best. I went through the IFM curriculum and loved it because I don't learn best in lectures and I had all of the time to study independently utilizing the excellent resources that are provided for us (recorded lectures, class module notes, webpages/bulletin boards, scribes, etc), and it also allowed me to return back home to California on a regular basis... If you're a PIL student, you pretty much have to attend every day. The clinical training is also fantastic. We have probably the most diverse clinical training opportunities that you could ask for. We have academic and community hospitals training sites, as well as rotations outside of Philly to see different patient populations. I can't compare it to the other schools but I will say that you won't find a whole lot of people that are going to Drexel who dislike it. Hope this helps.

 

[gyngirl06]

I'm a 4th year in Philadelphia (at Jeff) and I just wanted to add a comment because I almost went to SLU. First of all, Philadelphia is a great city. I, too, am from California and was terrified about having to leave the west coast. But Philly has everything that you could possibly want in a city. I'm headed back to the west for residency, but I'm actually really sad I'll be leaving this area - especially because I have a huge beautiful apartment that is ridiculously cheap. I'm a big foodie, and Philly was in Saveur magazine last year for being the most underrated food city. There are seriously amazing restaurants here.

I didn't go to SLU to interview - they offered interviews in California - but I've visited St. Louis a couple of times. The downtown area is completely dead and there doesn't seem to be much to do. The school's curriculum really impressed me and my interviewer and the students I spoke with were wonderful, but keep in mind that it's a Catholic school. I'm going into Ob/Gyn, so in the end I couldn't see myself at a school that wasn't supportive of Med Students for Choice.