Drexel Vs. Penn State

[bbtbay]

I was wondering if we could get a discussion going about these two schools. I am a California resident and have been accepted to these two schools. I was wondering what people thought about these schools in comparison to one another (in terms of clinical experience, faculty, rotations, residency match, quality of life, etc...) Thanks!

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[Uegis]

I was wondering if we could get a discussion going about these two schools. I am a California resident and have been accepted to these two schools. I was wondering what people thought about these schools in comparison to one another (in terms of clinical experience, faculty, rotations, residency match, quality of life, etc...) Thanks!

I really don't know much about Penn State, except that its in Hershey, PA. Drexel has great clinicals at their hospitals, including some free clinics they run. Philadelphia is a much more happening place than Hershey. Might be a bit more expensive to live in Philly too. Tuition at Penn State is also close to 40K for out of state, while drexel is in the low to mid 30K.

If it was my decision I would go with Drexel. I have visited their campus and my friend's brother graduated from there, now doing a great residency in rad onc. Just my opinion.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I was wondering if we could get a discussion going about these two schools. I am a California resident and have been accepted to these two schools. I was wondering what people thought about these schools in comparison to one another (in terms of clinical experience, faculty, rotations, residency match, quality of life, etc...) Thanks!

shouldn't this be obvious; go to penn st

 

[tinkerbelle]

I've been accepted to Penn State and Drexel as well, and I'd choose Penn State. I'm sure Drexel is a great school, but I just liked the whole atmosphere at Penn State. I thought Penn State had a beautiful hospital and great facilities. The students were soooo friendly. Plus, I like how PS has cheap dorms for us to live in. The only things I didn't like about Penn State were: 1) the schools seems to have attracted a diverse student body, however the normal population seemed to be all white people 2) there's not much to do around the school. You'd have to drive to a nearby city to party.

 

[vcatz]

I have been accepted at both as well - I would choose PSU over Drexel. I - for reasons too numerous to list - was not impressed with Drexel at all. I totally agree with tinkerbelle regarding PSU.

 

[bbtbay]

Does anyone know anything about Penn State's grading structure? Do you have to do your rotations in your third year at Penn State?

 

[PADoc2be]

Does anyone know anything about Penn State's grading structure? Do you have to do your rotations in your third year at Penn State?

Penn State's grading system the basic honors, high pass, pass, fail...top 10% in a course get honors, next 15% get high pass, the rest pass unless you're under a 65% in the course. Rotations vary for each clerkship but there are many options for other hospitals 3rd year, and 4th year everything is basically open, including abroad. PM me if you have more questions about Penn State, I'm a second year here in Hershey and love every minute of it! (well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration...but I am extremely happy with my decision to come here and couldn't imagine being anywhere else!)

 

[Cherebourg]

Penn State's grading system the basic honors, high pass, pass, fail...top 10% in a course get honors, next 15% get high pass, the rest pass unless you're under a 65% in the course. Rotations vary for each clerkship but there are many options for other hospitals 3rd year, and 4th year everything is basically open, including abroad. PM me if you have more questions about Penn State, I'm a second year here in Hershey and love every minute of it! (well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration...but I am extremely happy with my decision to come here and couldn't imagine being anywhere else!)

I liked Drexel a lot. Also, they have a shuttle taking you from Philly to campus for free all day. So, you can live in Philly. I would consider this as well. Philly is much more happening than Hershey.

 

[Ascensionmd]

I would choose Drexel. Here's a few reasons why...
It has a better reputation around the country.
Great curriculum with the option of choosing between two programs.
More diverse.
Beautiful campus in suburbs and downtown philly.
Long history with innovative teaching staff.
Technologically advanced school.
Look at the residency match list. Clearly better.
Average board scores are higher than Penn State and even nationally.
I have 4 friends there that seem to love it.
Did I mention better location??? NY, DC, Philly... all close by.. (need I say more???)

 

[PADoc2be]

It depends what you're looking for in an environment, i.e. SAFETY, fresh air, easy to find a quiet place to study, apartments on campus, etc. Yes, from Hershey you have to drive to get to a city, but DC, Baltimore, Philly are all within 2 hours, and Harrisburg is a 10 minute drive (obviously not in the same league as Philly but it has most of what you can find in any city). The problem with Drexel having the two tracks (case-based vs. lecture) is that you are stuck with what you pick, as far as I know. Penn State integrates both teaching styles so the students have the best of both worlds. Like I said, it totally depends on what you are looking for in a school and a living environment for the next 4 years. I'm definitely not a city girl, so I picked the nice small town, close-knit environment of Hershey. Best of luck in your decisions!

 

[Ascensionmd]

You are not stuck with the program you choose at Drexel.
Also, Ny is within 1.5 hrs away and philly is 10 min. away.
Just to clarify.

 

[i61164]

Am I the only one that thinks that proximity to big cities is a non-issue? Sure, at Drexel you can party in Philly, but I'm sure you can find at least one cool bar to hang out at in Harrisburg. My undergrad was in Lewisburg PA (i.e. the middle of nowhere) and we had plenty of kick ass parties. Anyway, will anyone here really be basing their choice of med school on party atmosphere?

 

[ribbi_j]

... about being in a big city. I think that most people who feel that they need to be in a metropolitan area have never lived outside of one and thereby figure that the other 99.9% of our country must be constantly bored and wishing they were cooler. Some of these small and mid-sized cities that many med schools are in offer, in my humble opinion, ever more BECAUSE they're not in a large metro area. Oh yea - something tells me that med school won't be the first time in my life that I will have a problem finding something sweet to do with my free time - regardless of where I wind up.

I applied to a variety of schools in these smaller areas - and the ones - like penn state, that are in relatively close proximity to other "cities" get bonus points in my mind. But... don't let my rant persuade any of you overqualified "city" folks change your mind and take my spot at any schools I'm still waiting on (grin).

 

[afr0dite01]

PSUCOM is also one of my choices but my other is Jefferson, same city as Drexel but different school. I lived in Hershey for the summer and I loved it. We didn't have tons of work to do, excpet for our research and we found tons of stuff to do, whether it was hanging out in Harrisburg, or a few other areas around there, or going to Chocolate World (which is free) or the park (although thats a little more expensive, season passes are an extremely good deal if you like amusement parks). I also know two people that are 2nd years there and they love it. They also mentioned that they def have kick ass parties right in the middle of the student apartments. I dont know much about Drexel but PSU is a good choice. They have a great humanities requirement and good faculty. But I dont have much to compare it to.

 

[i61164]

Chocolate World (which is free)

Can you expand on this? I am interviewing at PSU soon and it sounds like maybe Chocolate World would be a cool place for my wife and daughter to hang out at while I am interviewing.

 

[PADoc2be]

At Hersheypark (which is obviously closed for the winter) is a "ride" through a fake set-up of the chocolate factory, called Chocolate World. It is free, and everyone gets a free piece of chocolate at the end. It is within a building with stores of all sorts of Hershey paraphenilia and food. Parking is even free for the building (up to 2 hours I believe, possibly longer during the winter). Depending on the age of your daughter it will be a fun way to kill some time. Also right down the road from Hersheypark is a small complex of outlets that they might enjoy. PM me if you have anymore questions about what to do in Hershey.

 

[tigress]

Well I know nothing about Penn State but I just want to add my voice on Drexel, where my husband is a student. Drexel is a great school, very diverse, and the faculty are very helpful. It doesn't have the best rep, but I see that getting better in the future. The curriculum is awesome (and while you do have to choose between the two tracks, the "regular" track has quite a bit of integrated PBL as well). I like the integrated systems approach they use. Overall what attracts me most is the non-competitive and helpful attitude of both students and faculty. The facilities are also nice. We live in the suburbs of Philly but not near Drexel; with a car there are tons of options. There are negative aspects, of course; e.g. the associated teaching hospitals aren't on the same caliber as some other schools here in Philly. But overall I'd say it's a great education, and the school is upwardly mobile since its aquisition by Drexel U.

I am definitely applying to Drexel as one of my higher choices (even though theoretically my stats are better than the school average, I think it's worth it). Of course I'm biased because I already live here

 

[naimist]

Does anyone know about waitlist movements at either of these schools? I've been waitlisted at both.

 

[albinomidget]

I'm not sure if you (OP) have already made your decision, but in case you haven't I'd like to chime in. It seems like there has been a lot said, with not a whole lot of actual advice on how to make your decision.

Certainly, location is important. Especially if you're coming from the west coast, I've heard east coast cities can be traumatic. But then again, some people like them. I've never been to Penn State, but from what I guess its a pretty nice area with a lot of space. On the other hand, Drexel is located in the East Falls section of Philly, which is a suburban section of the city. Most students live in East Falls, or other suburban areas (Roxborough, City Line, etc..) There are a few students who choose to live in Center City, which is the 'city' area of Philly.

Other aspects to look at when deciding on a med school are:
1. how often are tests/quizzes? (i've heard some schools have a quiz or a test every Monday, which clearly kills your weekends)
2. how responsive is the administration to change? (if you have bad lecturers in the beginning of the year, will the admin find other people to lecture, is the exam schedule too overwhelming, does the admin even want to hear your concerns)
3. what materials does the school provide you? (notes for all your classes, online video/audio recordings of your lectures)
4. how happy are the students? how competetive are they?
5. how are the facilities? (new/old, technology utilized/not)
6. what are the required 3rd and 4th year rotations, where are they (city/suburb/rural) and how long are they? (some schools, surgery is 6 weeks, others its 12 weeks....)

I'll be glad to answer any specifics about Drexel if you PM me. It seems like there are friendly Penn State people here too.

Also, just to clarify one thing about the two curriculums at Drexel. If you start with the problem based learning, PIL, you can switch into the lecture based IFM in 2nd year. You cannot switch from IFM into PIL.

Good luck with your decision.