Drexel vs Temple

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razzle07

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Hey guys,

I got accepted to Drexel yesterday (Yay!), but I also got an interview invite to Temple yesterday. And so I was wondering if I should go to the Temple interview. I am from California, so it would be an expensive trip. I was wondering if there is a big difference between Drexel and Temple

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I got both interviews, but only went to Drexel bc I couldn't fit Temple in last minute (OOS too!). I heard a lot of good things about Temple's clinical experience and if I could afford it I would have liked to interview there. So if youre serious about going to Philly, I would def go interview at Temple.
 
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i personally know very little about the two, but my friend who applied last year told me that while he was interviewing at penn state the interviewer was telling him to pick temple over drexel, and how drexel has a high turnover rate with its profs, because they are not happy there, or something...

but i cannot back this claim in any way, just what my friend told me...
 
Drexel is suburban
Temple is urban and ghetto

Temple also has been around since the late 1800s and has a very extensive alumni network. The name is also much better known because of its full range of programs: undergrad, grad, dental, med, law, business, etc.

I interviewed at Temple and loved how many of the docs there have been there for 15+ years and seemed quite content.

I didn't turn in my secondary after getting accepted to Temple because I personally would like to be in the city for the diversity of patient population.

Can't go wrong with either...where are you from in CA?
 
Thanks for all the advice! I think I will go to Temple if I can find some cheap flights.
(for the previous poster, I am from the bay area)
 
If I went to my Temple interview, I would probably go in late march during Spring Break. Do you guys think that is too late?
 
hey i'm from california too and i will most likely be attending drexel this fall. as far as the reputation is concerned, i think temple has a bette rep, but drexel is in a better place (comparatively, i still wouldn't call it the best place there is).
there are so many SDners going to drexel. I would love to meet all of you during our orientations :)
 
hey i'm from california too and i will most likely be attending drexel this fall. as far as the reputation is concerned, i think temple has a bette rep, but drexel is in a better place (comparatively, i still wouldn't call it the best place there is).
there are so many SDners going to drexel. I would love to meet all of you during our orientations :)

I am not so sure about the rep thing. I have talked with some physicians in Philly that rank the schools as UPenn>Jeff>Drexel>Temple. Bad points for Drexel (for some people) include the potential to have to travel all over for clinical rotations, some issues with recording all patient cases on a PDA during clerkships (don't know about the other schools), the high tuition (but most Philly schools are very expensive), and the newness of the school (in reality it isn't totally new, since it resulted from a series of mergers and name changes). However in its plus side are the innovative curricula (both PIL and IFM), the benefits of impressive technological integration due to the strengths of the main Drexel campus, and the warm interaction with instructors (from what I have heard). That being said, I think it would be worthwhile to give Temple a look unless one is absolutely convinced that Drexel is the place for them.
 
thats easier said than done
 
state schools in california and really hard to get into...so far they haven't showed me any love...so yea, easier said than done :)
 
Hey guys,

I got accepted to Drexel yesterday (Yay!), but I also got an interview invite to Temple yesterday. And so I was wondering if I should go to the Temple interview. I am from California, so it would be an expensive trip. I was wondering if there is a big difference between Drexel and Temple

hi, i was just wondering how long did it take you to hear back from Drexel after your interview? Thank!
 
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Hey guys,

I got accepted to Drexel yesterday (Yay!), but I also got an interview invite to Temple yesterday. And so I was wondering if I should go to the Temple interview. I am from California, so it would be an expensive trip. I was wondering if there is a big difference between Drexel and Temple

I haven't heard from Drexel or Temple post-sec. I haven't had any acceptances yet and need all the interviews possible. to make matters easy I came up with a solution that benefits both of us...why don't you give me your Temple interview?
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
i'll choose temple over drexel any day of the week. it's truly a great institution to learn medicine. those who want to stay in philly after med school, penn med tends to take students from temple than drexel for their residency programs. just my 2 cents. secondly, you will have better clinical opportunities at temple than drexel. their sim lab is impressive.
 
I am not so sure about the rep thing. I have talked with some physicians in Philly that rank the schools as UPenn>Jeff>Drexel>Temple. Bad points for Drexel (for some people) include the potential to have to travel all over for clinical rotations, some issues with recording all patient cases on a PDA during clerkships (don't know about the other schools), the high tuition (but most Philly schools are very expensive), and the newness of the school (in reality it isn't totally new, since it resulted from a series of mergers and name changes). However in its plus side are the innovative curricula (both PIL and IFM), the benefits of impressive technological integration due to the strengths of the main Drexel campus, and the warm interaction with instructors (from what I have heard). That being said, I think it would be worthwhile to give Temple a look unless one is absolutely convinced that Drexel is the place for them.

Drexel blows Temple away in the first 2, much less important years of med school. Their curricula are superior to Temple's and they do a good job preparing students for USMLE Step 1. I heard from a friend that this year (2007), Drexel has a 99% pass rate among the roughly 200 students who have already taken the exam. Temple recently changed their curriculum, so maybe those changes have leveled the playing field somewhat.

However in the much more important clinical years Temple really does shine. Temple hospital is a great place to train, where students can and do get a ton of responsibility and exposure to different things. From what I've heard from Drexel students, there is nothing in the Drexel system that compares. As other posters have mentioned, Temple has more sites in the Philly area than Drexel does, so less travel will be necessary in 3rd/4th years on average.

Both schools are good places to be and I'm positive you will get a good educational experience at either place. And one other thing - Temple is building a new med school building which should be completed in the next year (or so they say).

And to address the reputation issue - from what I've heard from attendings, the order is:

Penn >> Jefferson >>> Temple > Drexel >>>> PCOM

But in the end, don't worry about reputation too much. If you crush the boards, get great 3rd year evals, do research and otherwise dominate life, you will get into any residency you want.
 
And to address the reputation issue - from what I've heard from attendings, the order is:

Penn >> Jefferson >>> Temple > Drexel >>>> PCOM

But in the end, don't worry about reputation too much. If you crush the boards, get great 3rd year evals, do research and otherwise dominate life, you will get into any residency you want.

If by reputation you mean sexiness of the school then maybe....but PCOM defintley churns out some very very very good doctors. Drexel medical school is pretty old....as stated it went through a bunch of name changes....it was founded in the mid 1800s. Hahnemann is pretty famous though. I mean...personally I don't think it matters THAT much between the two. You have an acceptance, but if you aren't sure then do the interview. If you feel like you'd be happy at drexel just stick with it. Temple is pretty ghetto...but 2 trainstops and you are in a pretty nice area to live. Just don't be stupid and wander around drunk at 3 a.m. and that doesn't matter much.
 
living in Philadelphia right now... went to a party on Temple campus. never going back. GHETTO. people burning trash in the streets. one of my friends got mugged on the way (apparently this is very common). if you study til late in the library, they say you should just sleep there because it is too dangerous to walk back. i've heard from a lot of people about a lot of muggings, both males and females, in both daylight and darkness. *eek*

I haven't been to Drexel or UPenn but Jefferson is in Center City so in a great area :)
 
If by reputation you mean sexiness of the school then maybe....but PCOM defintley churns out some very very very good doctors. Drexel medical school is pretty old....as stated it went through a bunch of name changes....it was founded in the mid 1800s. Hahnemann is pretty famous though. I mean...personally I don't think it matters THAT much between the two. You have an acceptance, but if you aren't sure then do the interview. If you feel like you'd be happy at drexel just stick with it. Temple is pretty ghetto...but 2 trainstops and you are in a pretty nice area to live. Just don't be stupid and wander around drunk at 3 a.m. and that doesn't matter much.

What about U Pitt?
 
If by reputation you mean sexiness of the school then maybe....but PCOM defintley churns out some very very very good doctors. Drexel medical school is pretty old....as stated it went through a bunch of name changes....it was founded in the mid 1800s. Hahnemann is pretty famous though. I mean...personally I don't think it matters THAT much between the two. You have an acceptance, but if you aren't sure then do the interview. If you feel like you'd be happy at drexel just stick with it. Temple is pretty ghetto...but 2 trainstops and you are in a pretty nice area to live. Just don't be stupid and wander around drunk at 3 a.m. and that doesn't matter much.

Sorry, I definitely did not mean to make it sound like i was dumping on PCOM. I have many friends who have attended and graduated there and are/going to be great doctors. I was just pointing out the perceptions of others in the city's medical community that I have been in contact with.

And also, there is no denying that Temple is super-ghetto. Anybody who says otherwise is delusional. However you are there to learn medicine and working with the unique patient population at Temple is associated with the area it is in.

A disadvantage of Temple that people should know about - it's primarily a commuter school since most students aren't crazy enough to live in the area. Drexel's area is significantly safer and better, and the campus is much nicer, newer and more inviting. People tend to hang out on campus to socialize, which doesn't happen that much at Temple. Perhaps that will change with the new medical school building currently under construction.
 
Sorry, I definitely did not mean to make it sound like i was dumping on PCOM. I have many friends who have attended and graduated there and are/going to be great doctors. I was just pointing out the perceptions of others in the city's medical community that I have been in contact with.

And also, there is no denying that Temple is super-ghetto. Anybody who says otherwise is delusional. However you are there to learn medicine and working with the unique patient population at Temple is associated with the area it is in.

A disadvantage of Temple that people should know about - it's primarily a commuter school since most students aren't crazy enough to live in the area. Drexel's area is significantly safer and better, and the campus is much nicer, newer and more inviting. People tend to hang out on campus to socialize, which doesn't happen that much at Temple. Perhaps that will change with the new medical school building currently under construction.

Yea. We had a tendency to make fun of Temple a bit. My old roommates little sister went there and we used to rip on her all the time.

and to the other person. What about Upitt? Never been there, so I can't testify. It is a strong school with solid residencies afterwards. I feel that it is a bit underrated, but that seems to be fading away lately. I feel bad for PA residents, they really don't get much edge with their state schools.

I am really hoping to get into a school in philly if I don't get into my state school. Nearly all of my friends from school are there, and it'd be nice to have connections that are non-medical. Plus I miss the good sandwiches.

Obviously Upenn wins the name game with sexiness, and jefferson is a solid school, but I really feel the others (drexel, temple, pcom) are pretty much on the same page as far as reputation goes. If you talk to my 69 yearold dad, hahnemann has quite a strong name by him...but that is from the old days as well.

Is the drexel medschool near the normal drexel campus or is it off somewhere else? I have only been on the regular drexel campus...and it was during the Erin Express so I don't remember too much...;)
 
Is the drexel medschool near the normal drexel campus or is it off somewhere else? I have only been on the regular drexel campus...and it was during the Erin Express so I don't remember too much...;)

Drexel's undergrad campus is in West Philadelphia - about 5 blocks away from Penn's campus. They're literally right next door to each other.

Drexel's medical campus is in the NW part of Philadelphia. It's quite a distance from the undergrad campus - it's out towards the suburbs.

The "clinical" campus is located in center city, but I don't think that the MS1/MS2 lectures are held there.
 
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