Drexel Question.........

[wizeguy]

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I and a bunch of my friends have all applied to Drexel - it seems to me as if they're only accepting people with over a 31 to to the school this year, which seems very confounding, considering in many years past their avg. remained at a 29.....have you guys found this as well? If people who have already gotten in, wouldn't mind posting what they got....? Anyone in with under a 31?
I'm wondering as to assess my chances (waiting for response, post-interview), since I got a 29S.

Tahnks.

 

[wizeguy]

anybody? 🙂

 

[tinkerbelle]

I and a bunch of my friends have all applied to Drexel - it seems to me as if they're only accepting people with over a 31 to to the school this year, which seems very confounding, considering in many years past their avg. remained at a 29.....have you guys found this as well? If people who have already gotten in, wouldn't mind posting what they got....? Anyone in with under a 31?
I'm wondering as to assess my chances (waiting for response, post-interview), since I got a 29S.

Tahnks.

Hmm. Well, my friend and I got in, but we have a 31 or above. Although we both had below average undergrad gpas.

 

[welovelamarodom]

i'm on the waitlist currently, after they took 2.5 months to put me on it post-interview. i'm sub-31, so maybe your theory is right. the school is such junk though, the kids with 32 or higher will definitely reject them to go to a jefferson or a penn.

 

[wizeguy]

Yeah, I mean i find it rather ironic that they're doing that....since of all the schools, I'd imagine drexel is one of the ones that has the highest rate of withdrawal post may 15th.....again, thanks for your responses guys....anyone else? give more credence to my idea...?

 

[CharlieVN]

Yeah, I mean i find it rather ironic that they're doing that....since of all the schools, I'd imagine drexel is one of the ones that has the highest rate of withdrawal post may 15th.....again, thanks for your responses guys....anyone else? give more credence to my idea...?

*raise hand* 29Q

 

[tigress]

i'm on the waitlist currently, after they took 2.5 months to put me on it post-interview. i'm sub-31, so maybe your theory is right. the school is such junk though, the kids with 32 or higher will definitely reject them to go to a jefferson or a penn.

My husband got a 36 and he's at Drexel. He loves it. Many of his classmates did quite well on the MCAT and/or GPA. I wouldn't call a school "junk" unless you actually know what you're talking about. Personally, I would rather go to Drexel than Penn.

In response to the OP: Drexel has been getting more applications and is trying to raise its average scores. I wouldn't be surprised it the average MCAT for the accepted class entering 2005 is higher than in previous years. That said, Drexel also probably has quite a few withdrawels after May 15, as somebody else said, as it is a backup for many people. I would think you still have an excellent chance.

 

[VPDcurt]

There are plenty of URMs getting in with much lower than a 31.

 

[wizeguy]

Charlie VN - CONGRATS!!!

Hope my 29 holds up too!!

Thanks for everybody's responses - i really appreciate it - seriously!! Kind, helpful words...what a nice forum!! 🙂

 

[wizeguy]

And what's a URM? Just wondering; thanks!

 

[VPDcurt]

And what's a URM? Just wondering; thanks!

Under-represented Minority.

 

[Wiggy73]

Courtesy of mdapps:

02114 Georgia College & State University, 30 MCAT, 3.91 GPA, applied 2005
02985 James Madison University, 30 MCAT, 3.69 GPA, applied 2005
02805 Mount Holyoke College, 30 MCAT, 3.71 GPA, applied 2005
01950 SUNY Stony Brook, 30 MCAT, 3.64 GPA, applied 2005
02385 UCLA, 29 MCAT, 3.65 GPA, applied 2005
02299 UCLA, 29 MCAT, 3.71 GPA, applied 2005
03172 University of Maryland, 21 MCAT, 3.60 GPA, applied 2005
02688 University of Rochester, 30 MCAT, 3.58 GPA, applied 2005
02586 University of Utah, 30 MCAT, 3.80 GPA, applied 2005

Didn't check whether any are URMs.

 

[wizeguy]

ok, well then i suppose the question is, are there any non-urms with like a 28 or 29 that are getting accepted to drexel?

 

[ornis4]

I got a 30 and not even an interview yet 👎
still hope though I guess...

 

[wizeguy]

yeah, it stinks that this year might be the year they're deciding "hey, let's improve our stats/ranking..." without letting us know! 🙁 - man, i hope i get in....

anyone besides charles who got under a 30 and got in? thanks guys!

 

[wizeguy]

I'm guessing by the lack of responses that either drexel acceptees aren't reading this, or that my theory is indeed valid....

 

[bigbassinbob]

30/3.85, waitlisted

 

[cmgoalie]

I'm guessing by the lack of responses that either drexel acceptees aren't reading this, or that my theory is indeed valid....

Juat interviewed on 3/19...I have a 33

 

[DoctorMalki]

Juat interviewed on 3/19...I have a 33

did they tell you how full their class was at your interview ?

 

[femme]

I talked with the Dean of Admissions at Drexel and he told me the average MCAT of students admitted this year was 32+.
Hope that helps.

 

[phishman10]

I am also waiting on for movement on the Drexel waitlist. I had my interview really early, but got waitlisted. By the numbers game, it does not look that great for me (28Q) but i have lots of other things that will hopefully get me in. They need to start taking people with some lower numbers so that they can get an actual med class.

 

[wizeguy]

I find it almost comical that they're doing this....if you had to list schools that the most withdrawals of acceptances, I would definitely list Drexel in the top 10 of that list (not a state school, not a greatly known private school, previous financial troubles, etc....)......

I'd be surprised, if not shocked, if the average mcat of their matriculating class was actually a 32 and not closer to 30.

 

[NCSUco04]

I have a 30R and just got put on their waitlist...

 

[NeverGettingIn]

I just interviewed on 3/18 and I have a 32. They didn't say anything about how full their class was, but they did say that the average MCAT of all those that they interviewed was a 32.
best of luck everyone~

 

[AHappyCalBear]

I was going to ask you guys when you received your 2ndary and how much longer after you received it did you send the 2ndary out? I plan on sending my primary in June and getting their secondary out within 2 weeks after they send it to me - probably about the End of July/Early Agusut. Do you think sending 2ndaries out as soon as possible helps, some people tell me they time stamp when they send and receive them to see how serious you are about their school.

And anyway, Drexel isn't a bad school at all. They have been decreasing their medical school class size recently. 2 years ago they took 250, last year 225 and this year 200. They ideally want it between 180 - 200 and to keep it around there. A 20% decrease in size makes a big difference. A huge reason why they had low numbers was because they accepted so many people compared to other schools that take 80 - 120 students. Also, they have been recently bought out, their financial troubles are not there anymore and they are actually building a new medical school building with bigger rooms and library space. Drexel isn't the back up it use to be.

Good Luck anyway guys, I still think that their waitlist moves a lot, probably not as much as previous years but my friend told me that 5 people he knew got accepted a week before orientation. So there's a lot of time!

This whole discussion makes me wonder whether my 30S is good enough anymore. Avise taking the MCAT over if I have a 30? Does a difference between 30 and 32/33 matter a lot?

 

[JohnBasedow]

For the people in the thread who see that the average mcat of the interviewees being 32, don't worry about it so much because many of those interviewed will not end up matriculating at drexel. However, it does highlight the fact that if one wants to be fairly confident about getting interviews to med schools, a decent mcat would be considered around a 32.

 

[JohnBasedow]

This whole discussion makes me wonder whether my 30S is good enough anymore. Avise taking the MCAT over if I have a 30? Does a difference between 30 and 32/33 matter a lot?

Retaking with a 30 to get a 32-33 probably wouldn't be worth the risk unless you bombed your test to get that 30 and your practice tests were hovering in the 32-34 range. Also, if your science GPA is over 3.5, a 30 mcat is more than sufficient for many schools to give your app further consideration.

 

[Freakingzooming]

edited

 

[Timmythemic22]

I haven't received any word on an interview yet. Are they still interviewing? If so, is it just for the waitlist?

 

[tigress]

The class size decreased to 225 because they lost their affiliation with MCP hospital so they didn't have as many spots for their students. But they've found more clerkships at different sites- (one in Pittsburgh- Allegheny Hospital). They're hoping to get this year's class size back to 250.

As far as I am aware, Drexel is attempting to decrease class size for prestige reasons. I could definitely be wrong. In any case, they have a huge list of clerkships, most of which have been offered for more than a few years, I think.

Also, they didn't lose their affiliation with MCP hospital, inasmuch that MCP hospital was shut down by Tenet and is no longer a functioning hospital (although it does apparently have an ER, and that's it). I think with Drexel's assocation with Drexel U, the reputation will keep getting better.

It's actually probably my first choice, no matter how I do on the MCAT (and I have good stats and ECs). I could go on and on about why, but I think I've waxed poetic about the school often enough on this site 😛

 

[PTPoeny]

Tenet shut down MCP, but then a doctors group reopened it last fall and it has been going strong since. And Drexel is affiliated with it again.

Courtesy of MDapplicants.com here are the averages of people they have listed as accepted to Drexel, but I do agree with the previous poster that Drexel does look at the whole applicant more than just the numbers. That was definitely my impression at my interview.

2005:
40 results in set, 32.0 average MCAT, 3.63 average GPA.

2004:
59 results in set, 32.1 average MCAT, 3.61 average GPA.

2003:
38 results in set, 32.1 average MCAT, 3.54 average GPA.

So take whatever you want from those numbers.

 

[notsittinpretty]

I got into Drexel with a 32, but my gpa is below what is normally the avg gpa for matriculants. I'm psyched and ready to go! Anyone know when we are getting info. on orientation or financial aid. I got in in early november and haven't heard anything from them in a while. Starting to think my acceptance was just a dream...anyone?

 

[Elphie]

Tenet shut down MCP, but then a doctors group reopened it last fall and it has been going strong since. And Drexel is affiliated with it again.

Actually, MCP hasn't been going strong since. It actually shut down completely a few weeks ago. The group of doctors who took it over (and renamed it Woman's Medical Hospital) were unable to keep it open and it is now closed completely. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.macon.com/mld/inquirer/living/health/11094810.htm


That being said, Drexel has plenty of other affiliated hospitals so, while it is a shame that MCP is not one of them, the students have plenty of other clerkship locations.

 

[tigress]

The doctors who bought MCP tried to get it running, but it didn't work, as Elphie said. The only thing that stayed open was the ER.

But as everybody is saying, there are tons of affiliated hospitals, not only in Philadelphia but also in New Jersey and in other parts of Pennsylvania.

 

[Freakingzooming]

As far as I am aware, Drexel is attempting to decrease class size for prestige reasons. I could definitely be wrong. In any case, they have a huge list of clerkships, most of which have been offered for more than a few years, I think.

Also, they didn't lose their affiliation with MCP hospital, inasmuch that MCP hospital was shut down by Tenet and is no longer a functioning hospital (although it does apparently have an ER, and that's it). I think with Drexel's assocation with Drexel U, the reputation will keep getting better.

It's actually probably my first choice, no matter how I do on the MCAT (and I have good stats and ECs). I could go on and on about why, but I think I've waxed poetic about the school often enough on this site 😛

No- They told us during interview day that they didn't decrease class size intentionally for any reason like prestige or etc. They decreased class size because they couldn't accomodate all the students during their clerkships cuz they dropped MCP affliation. They want to bring it back to 250 and keep it there this year. This came from their assistant dean. where did you hear the prestige spiel?

MCP was so deemphasized that during the power point presentation, it wasn't even mentioned on the list of hospitals we could do rotations at. They've been working hard to pick up hospital affliations.

 

[Jane2005]

I got in with a MCAT score of only 28 O. There's still hope, people!

 

[tigress]

No- They told us during interview day that they didn't decrease class size intentionally for any reason like prestige or etc. They decreased class size because they couldn't accomodate all the students during their clerkships cuz they dropped MCP affliation. They want to bring it back to 250 and keep it there this year. This came from their assistant dean. where did you hear the prestige spiel?

Like I said, I knew I might be wrong. I got that feeling from being around Drexel a lot, is all. If the dean said otherwise, of course he's right.

 

[bullhorn]

As a student at Drexel, I thought I would clear some things up.


First off, DREXEL it self has not had financial "problems" ever. Hahnemann, MCP Hahnemann, Allegheny Health Scienes whatever the names that you may or may not have heard...ran into financial issues however this was over 3 years ago. The last class to have MCP Hahnemann on their white coats is class of 2005. That said, Drexel it self is a pretty financially stable school. Remember before they took over the medical school they have had an undergraduate school for a minunte. THey also have quite a philadelphia monopoly on technology and often have sold and still sell their ideas to other schools. Alot of their money comes from this. Drexel was one of the first campuses to be completely wireless. Sure enough UPENN administration copped the idea and actually paid Drexel project managers to set their whole thing up. Not saying that makes it a worse or better school..just saying Drexel is pretty solid in the finance arena.

Now that they have taken over MCP Hahnemann...all that financial stability has come along with Drexel. Granted tuition is still sky high as are most med schools' tuition rates..however, technology has never worked better at an instituition. Further you can see improvements often as Drexel implements various changes to the institution. THe change in seat number to my knowledge was both for prestige and realistic number of seats available for rotations. ONe of the first things drexel set out to do when it took over the med school was to lower the number of incoming students and it is manifesting itself year by year. Another thing....just so you know Allegheny in Pittsburgh has been a rotation hospital for quite some time. So no, they didn't pick up Allegheny to cover the loss of MCP (they actually picked up St. Peter's in New Brunswick..a hospital that used to serve the rotation needs of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Anywho..I say all this to say that between Hahnemann, Allegheny and Monmouth a person can do all two years quite easily in either Philly, Pitt, or Monmouth NJ...or in a combo of both. Of course there is still are about 6 other rotating hospitals.

As a student the rumors of what is going on with MY school is pretty annoying. NOt your fault...the reality is the school doesn't do that good of a job explaining. I think they confuse you more. For example at my interview they went over all the names. By the end iw as like HUNH. At white coat cermony they did that shizit again. They are really self conscious and it shows. But really they should have gone over the acquisition in the interview...the past names are irrelevant except for history. THe new students are repping Drexel...and more and more each day doctors in Phila are respecting it. I think the biggest concern is that most people don't know Drexel HAS an affiliated medical school. But I know it is changing each day.

Now don't freak out..drexel definitely looks past the numbers. It has too..although we didn'tinherit bad finances from teh past ..we did inherit a history and culture. MCP at one point was churning out the only women in the field.>.as a result it is no surprise that the majority of matriculants are women. Furthermore, because they are women..there is trend of nontraditional students. Not saying that men can't be nontraditional. BUt accepting more women generally lends to accepting more people with families. IN general i think the administration likes to boast about finding people from all walks of life. I would agree..I have been pleasantly surprised with the diversity in that sense..albeit they could work on the diversity in the URM sense. IT's gettin gbetter however.

The curriculum I believe is one of the best in teh country and specifically PIL (which is the problem based one) is taught by the best and the pioneers of the field. Roughly 40 people (not 15-25) matriculate as PIL students and roughly 4-6 IFM (more traditional) students will switch over in the first few weeks. PIL will maybe lose one person after the first year who wants to switch to IFM...usually because they have small kids or something and they want the option to miss lecture.

I love my school... would I have gone to Harvard if i had applied and gotten in..YES. I'm no fool. lol However, Drexel is not too shabby....and I wouldn't be surprised if they upped the anty and starting really representing in the next 5 years or so. It would definitely be a story of the underdog!

 

[redsox2004]

31-R. Waitlist.
Must be the 3.4 gpa. 😎
good luck all.

 

[ddbldoc2b]

I and a bunch of my friends have all applied to Drexel - it seems to me as if they're only accepting people with over a 31 to to the school this year, which seems very confounding, considering in many years past their avg. remained at a 29.....have you guys found this as well? If people who have already gotten in, wouldn't mind posting what they got....? Anyone in with under a 31?
I'm wondering as to assess my chances (waiting for response, post-interview), since I got a 29S.

Tahnks.

I'm MS1 at Drexel and I love it. I had a 31 on the MCAT. I can honestly say of the few people I know the scores of in my class, everyone seems to be 30 or higher--one guy even had a 42! That said, once you get in, no one bothers to discuss MCAT scores anymore so I really don't have any idea what the real average is/was. I think nationally the scores are going up each year (overall) so it makes sense that the average at every school increases. Let's be honest, if Harvard could raise their average to 40, don't you think they'd try? Anyway, the really important thing to remember about Drexel is that they DO look beyond the scores. What else you did counts just as much if not more. And yes, the scores are an AVERAGE--that means for every 31, there was at least one person higher and one lower! Good luck.

 

[bh88]

its been 6 wks since my interview, and i think others have heard back whom have interviewed the same day. so i called a few days ago and was told that "my file is in the final stages of the decision process, and that the decision process has multiple stages and i'm at the very last stage and from there it will take a few weeks, then once a decision has been made...it will take another 2 weeks"....it seemed like a long drawn out response. i'm thinking this is a round-about way of telling me that they need more time to fold my rejection/waitlist letter into thirds to fit it into the small, thin envelope. i love drexel. 🙁 can anyone confirm my fears or alleviate my angst??

 

[futrorthodr]

its been 6 wks since my interview, and i think others have heard back whom have interviewed the same day. so i called a few days ago and was told that "my file is in the final stages of the decision process, and that the decision process has multiple stages and i'm at the very last stage and from there it will take a few weeks, then once a decision has been made...it will take another 2 weeks"....it seemed like a long drawn out response. i'm thinking this is a round-about way of telling me that they need more time to fold my rejection/waitlist letter into thirds to fit it into the small, thin envelope. i love drexel. 🙁 can anyone confirm my fears or alleviate my angst??

BH88,

Hey it has been 6 weeks since I interviewed as well so I called today to check on my application and they said that a decision has been made and the letter should have been mailed out Monday or Tuesday. I am sure that a decision will probably be made on your app either this thursday or has already been made.
For some reason the way she said your letter is in the mail it didnt sound so good.

 

[naimist]

I got a 30 and I'm on the waitlist as well...damn.

Any one know anything about waitlist movement at Drexel? How many are on it, how many get taken off, etc.?

 

[snorebel]

I and a bunch of my friends have all applied to Drexel - it seems to me as if they're only accepting people with over a 31 to to the school this year, which seems very confounding, considering in many years past their avg. remained at a 29.....have you guys found this as well? If people who have already gotten in, wouldn't mind posting what they got....? Anyone in with under a 31?
I'm wondering as to assess my chances (waiting for response, post-interview), since I got a 29S.

Tahnks.

Most people I know, regardless of race, that have gotten into Drexel this year from my undergrad have 29 or below. Drexel is a school with a stated interest in primary care. If you did not express this in your application, then even if you have a competitive score, they will be reluctant to admit you.

 

[albinomidget]

Most people I know, regardless of race, that have gotten into Drexel this year from my undergrad have 29 or below. Drexel is a school with a stated interest in primary care. If you did not express this in your application, then even if you have a competitive score, they will be reluctant to admit you.

Where is the stated interest in primary care? I just did a quick glance at the catalog and couldn't find anything. I didn't see anything in the exit objectives either. I think a quick look at the match list provides ample evidence that the school produces more than just primary care docs. Don't forget that people who go into peds and internal medicine can go onto fellowships to specialize.

 

[ddbldoc2b]

Where is the stated interest in primary care? I just did a quick glance at the catalog and couldn't find anything. I didn't see anything in the exit objectives either. I think a quick look at the match list provides ample evidence that the school produces more than just primary care docs. Don't forget that people who go into peds and internal medicine can go onto fellowships to specialize.

Hey, this is a 2 part response to two different questions. 1) stated interest in primary care? Never heard of it and I attend Drexel. If anything, I'd say 50% are either internal or specialty, not PC. 2) One of the reasons it sometimes takes some students longer to hear back from Drexel than others is not necessarily a reflection on how good you are. It could be how long it takes your interviewers to get their recaps turned into Wanda. Before you go before the committee, both the professor/physician you interviewed with and the student interviewer have to submit their reviews before your file is complete. If one person is late for any reason--illness whatever--you might get pushed back a week to the next committee meeting. Overall though, I've noticed at least the students are relatively prompt with getting evals turned in--we understand the pressure on the applicants.

 

[bh88]

hey futrorthodr-- good luck with drexel! i think we interviewed around the same time...it sounds to me that your response is positive, and mine is negative. haha. i hope you hear good news! 👍

 

[DoctorV09]

I have a 30Q and 3.6...interviewed on 3/14 and waiting...we'll see!!

 

[lakersfan]

I interviewed 2/1 and I called yesterday. My file has not even been looked at yet!!! Arrrgghhh!!! My friend who interviewed on the same day as me called too and his decision is in the mail so it seems like they are reviewing files at random and/or are reviewing very very slowly.

 

[bh88]

bump