Drexel vs. VCU

[pecanpie18]

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I am going to start off by saying that I know Drexel tends to get a negative rep on SDN, but I would appreciate your honest, unbiased opinion. COA will be similar at both schools.

Drexel:

Pros

• Philadelphia: It's really important for me to be in an urban environment, and I prefer Philadelphia >> over Richmond. My ultimate goal is to match back into the East Coast, so I think it will be easier to make connections at Drexel, considering its match list and location.
• Research opportunities: while Drexel does not have lots of research, its proximity to Penn, Jeff, etc. will yield lots of research opportunities.
• Collaborative environment: students emphasized how collaborative Drexel is, and seems like they do a good job pairing you up with M2s and other mentorship opportunities

Cons

• Lack of university hospital and home residency programs: this seems to be one of the main turnoffs for Drexel for other SDN users. I personally wouldn't mind moving to and rotating at one of their regional sites (Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, etc.), but I want to know how much of an obstacle this would be for matching. My specialties of interest at the moment are either Anesthesiology or IM.

VCU:

Pros:

• University Hospital + Home Residency Programs
• Ranked higher: this doesn't really matter that much but just wanted to add this info

Cons:

• Richmond: while Richmond seems artsy and hip, it's not Philadelphia
• Research opportunities: no other schools nearby, feel like there will be more competition vs. other students

Summary: My heart is saying Drexel but idk how much this university hospital + home residency program should matter. I know Philly will be a much better environment for me personally because I already have my community in NYC + some in Philly, but I'm really torn because VCU is truly an amazing school. Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[CrabcakesandFootball]

If your heart is set on Drexel go there. There is no shame in going to school there. If you go to VCU you will have no problem matching and staying on the east coast (Richmond after all is on the east coast). I don’t think research opportunities will be a problem at vcu due to competition. These universities have so many labs and med students are kind of free labor for them.

In my opinion if you want to be in Philadelphia go to Drexel. Most of the pros you listed for Drexel and cons for vcu which aren’t location based aren’t exactly true. (Research opportunities will likely be similar across schools if not easier at vcu.) To me it seems you want people to tell you to go to Drexel. So go to Drexel.

 

[Banco]

You'll be able to match anesthesia and IM in the northeast from either of these schools as long as your scores/app are decent.

So go where you'd like. No one cares what the SDN rep of a school is.

 

[orangestar9]

Your "heart is set on Drexel" - go there! Don't let random people online make that decision for you. Both are accredited USMD schools that are well-known. If you have a preference for Drexel do it

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

VCU but not due to prestige or ranking.

Not having an affiliated hospital is a major disadvantage both in terms of medical education and logistics (ie at drexel you would probably be traveling all around to random sites)

 

[ob_dc22]

Wrapping up first year at Drexel. I chose it over other schools because of the curriculum and the amount of free time they give you as a student which I'm very glad I did. Your con list is accurate though, not having an easily accessible home hospital does suck, but you don't have much time anyways and there are affiliates in Philly that you can get connected with. Feel free to PM if you have any questions!