Drexel vs. Cooper Med

[Nunuxx]

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Hey everyone!
I am currently deciding on which school to pick. I got accepted into my top choice (Drexel) and also Cooper. Cooper is in-state for me and Drexel is an OOS school. I know that Cooper will be cheaper for me to attend, but which school (in your opinion) should I choose? It would be great if any current students or people who know current students/graduates can give me some advice that could help me make a decision. Thank you in advance!

 

[PugsAndHugs]

Not trying to be funny but why is Drexel your top choice...?

 

[Kingsmen2018]

Drexel's campus is kinda a joke and feels like ur trapped in there. Also the hospital is like 15 mins away and their new curriculum without classes kinda stinks. Cooper is in-state, better reputation, and just an overall better institution. Don't get me wrong, both are US med schools, but IMO all things being equal Cooper is better

 

[1203xx]

Uh, why is Drexel your top choice? just wondering

 

[halamadrid17]

I Agree with the posters above. I didn’t apply to Cooper, but I would venture to say it’s a better medical school experience based on my interview day at Drexel. Everyone I spoke to (~20 Drexel Med students) said they had no desire to attend Drexel specifically, it was their only acceptance (which is great for them, but they noticeably were not very happy with the situation.)

 

[Nunuxx]

Uh, why is Drexel your top choice? just wondering

Mainly because I personally know many people who have said great things about it. Also Cooper was established just a few years ago whereas Drexel has been around for a while!

 

[Nunuxx]

Drexel's campus is kinda a joke and feels like ur trapped in there. Also the hospital is like 15 mins away and their new curriculum without classes kinda stinks. Cooper is in-state, better reputation, and just an overall better institution. Don't get me wrong, both are US med schools, but IMO all things being equal Cooper is better

Thanks for the reply! Can you please explain the new curriculum? There isn't a lot of info online about it. Also based on other individuals I have talked to it seems as if Drexel has the better rep, especially because it's been around for way longer than Copper. I'm so confused:/

 

[Nunuxx]

I Agree with the posters above. I didn’t apply to Cooper, but I would venture to say it’s a better medical school experience based on my interview day at Drexel. Everyone I spoke to (~20 Drexel Med students) said they had no desire to attend Drexel specifically, it was their only acceptance (which is great for them, but they noticeably were not very happy with the situation.)

Thanks for the reply! That's odd because I really liked the campus and the people I briefly spoke to really enjoyed their experience!

 

[ciestar]

Drexel's campus is kinda a joke and feels like ur trapped in there. Also the hospital is like 15 mins away and their new curriculum without classes kinda stinks. Cooper is in-state, better reputation, and just an overall better institution. Don't get me wrong, both are US med schools, but IMO all things being equal Cooper is better

The new curriculum has classes... just no lecture. No mandatory lecture results in very little attendance in lecture, it played a huge role in the decision. (The new curriculum’s lectures are also much shorter..).

I also in no way feel trapped.

ANYWAY, OP, finances do factor in. I’d probably go with the cheaper option, based on the amount of debt I am facing. If you’re on the fence, I very much recommend the second look days schools offer in the spring. If you really want to go to DUCOM, do it. Don’t let SDN deter you from that... i don’t feel like I am getting a second-rate education. The Step 1 average for class of 2019 was around a 235? So they’re doing something right.

 

[ciestar]

Thanks for the reply! That's odd because I really liked the campus and the people I briefly spoke to really enjoyed their experience!

Drexel was one of my top picks after my interview. (It ended up being my only choice, however, I didn’t all feel “stuck”), and I attened 7 interviews.

 

[Sharknad0]

Go for Cooper.

 

[btuck]

Cooper - take the money and run

 

[3toedsloth]

So, I haven't interviewed at Cooper yet.

But I did interview at Drexel. I struggle to understand how it's your top choice. I wonder what your take was on the concerns that I had about Drexel:

• Location: the location is super isolated not only from the rest of the campus, but also from the rest of Philadelphia and from the places where you'd be doing your clinical rotations.
• Instruction: Drexel now has video-only instruction (in addition to mandatory group work). I asked what I thought was a super easy question, "What do you do if you have a question?" The person who was available to talk to us had no idea. $60k or whatever a year and not able to ask a question? Sorry, no.
• Hospital affiliations: Drexel has a hospital affiliation with a for-profit hospital. When I asked my faculty interviewer what Drexel's biggest weakness/challenge is, he said that this for-profit hospital works med students like crazy and doesn't treat them well. My student interviewer reiterated this idea. Clinical years sound like hell.
• Interview day: Nobody wanted to talk to us other than our interviewers. We had a video to watch the dean talk about the school, the lady who pressed play but didn't really seem eager to answer questions, we didn't have access to students other than our interviewer. They scheduled a class for us to view, but then the class was canceled, so they just left us sitting there for like 1.5 hours without explanation.
• Unenthusiastic students

 

[ciestar]

So, I haven't interviewed at Cooper yet.

But I did interview at Drexel. I struggle to understand how it's your top choice. I wonder what your take was on the concerns that I had about Drexel:

• Location: the location is super isolated not only from the rest of the campus, but also from the rest of Philadelphia and from the places where you'd be doing your clinical rotations.
• Instruction: Drexel now has video-only instruction (in addition to mandatory group work). I asked what I thought was a super easy question, "What do you do if you have a question?" The person who was available to talk to us had no idea. $60k or whatever a year and not able to ask a question? Sorry, no.
• Hospital affiliations: Drexel has a hospital affiliation with a for-profit hospital. When I asked my faculty interviewer what Drexel's biggest weakness/challenge is, he said that this for-profit hospital works med students like crazy and doesn't treat them well. My student interviewer reiterated this idea. Clinical years sound like hell.
• Interview day: Nobody wanted to talk to us other than our interviewers. We had a video to watch the dean talk about the school, the lady who pressed play but didn't really seem eager to answer questions, we didn't have access to students other than our interviewer. They scheduled a class for us to view, but then the class was canceled, so they just left us sitting there for like 1.5 hours without explanation.
• Unenthusiastic students

Simple google search shows that ~40% of all hospitals are for-profit. Drexel isn’t the only one affiliated with a for-profit.

And I reiterate this point...if by chance you interview on an exam week, you’re not gonna find super enthusiastic students. I actually avoid campus for this reason. It’s stressful.

As far as questions, email is a wonderful tool. I am an MS2 but I’ve never had issues meeting with any course directors or instructors if I needed to.... Nobody goes to class really... so yeah, the new curriculum got rid of live lectures and put more team-based stuff in the curriculum. Now, I was told LCME is pushing schools to pursue a more self-directed learning approach with more peer-based stuff put into it. The current IFM curriculum does not have this approach much at all.

Also simple enough... don’t want to do your clinical years at Hahnemann? Then don’t. You can easily go somewhere else for your clinical years, the rest of the class would be happy to stay in Philadelphia.

PS: Rush is doing the same thing next year with their curriculum.