Loyola vs Drexel

[doctorforhumans]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi everyone! I have been fortunate enough to have been accepted to Drexel and Loyola. I think they're both same tier, so I was trying to decide which one to attend!

Honestly, I had great interview experiences at both schools. I got a more in depth experience at Loyola, as it was full-day and in-person. The people seemed really nice and supportive there, which I liked. I don't know as much about Drexel, just the basic info I've read on their website. But the faculty and students I spoke to also seemed nice. However, I have noticed that people on SDN generally seem to be pretty negative about Drexel. I was looking for some clarification on the negativity! (also planning on visiting the school in April).

Also, another thing to note is that Loyola is very far from home, while Drexel is only 2.5 hours away by car.

Any advice/extra info is much appreciated!

 

[Mikiras]

I believe the negative take on Drexel stems from trouble it has with rotations for your clinical years. From my understanding (which is admittedly limited) the rotations are all over the place and very unorganized. They lost a major teaching hospital, though they seem to be making better moves with the Reading campus partnership and moving the main campus to a better location.

In terms of tier, Loyola is ranked higher than Drexel though it is unranked on US news. I grew up near Loyola and it is well regarded in Chicago. The benefit of Loyola is that everything is very centralized. The campus, while not in the safest neighborhood, is nonetheless very nice. They have their own major hospital, clinics, and the VA all on their campus. Furthermore, you have the option to rotate at hospitals across Chicagoland and we have really nice hospitals here.

From what I gathered, Loyola has started moving their clinical rotations up a bit so that you gain clinical experience faster. While the curriculum is not systems-based (ie. A block of GI, then Neuro, etc) I have not heard any complaints about it from students. Finally, Loyola matches very well and has plenty of research opportunities and home residency programs.

I would pick Loyola over Drexel based on those factors though I understand wanting to stay closer to family. Hope that sheds some light, however.

 

[sousa7]

Id go Loyola here. Drexel is a bit disorganized during clinical years. Loyola has a great hospital system and seems like it has a good faculty/admin

 

[doctorforhumans]

I believe the negative take on Drexel stems from trouble it has with rotations for your clinical years. From my understanding (which is admittedly limited) the rotations are all over the place and very unorganized. They lost a major teaching hospital, though they seem to be making better moves with the Reading campus partnership and moving the main campus to a better location.

In terms of tier, Loyola is ranked higher than Drexel though it is unranked on US news. I grew up near Loyola and it is well regarded in Chicago. The benefit of Loyola is that everything is very centralized. The campus, while not in the safest neighborhood, is nonetheless very nice. They have their own major hospital, clinics, and the VA all on their campus. Furthermore, you have the option to rotate at hospitals across Chicagoland and we have really nice hospitals here.

From what I gathered, Loyola has started moving their clinical rotations up a bit so that you gain clinical experience faster. While the curriculum is not systems-based (ie. A block of GI, then Neuro, etc) I have not heard any complaints about it from students. Finally, Loyola matches very well and has plenty of research opportunities and home residency programs.

I would pick Loyola over Drexel based on those factors though I understand wanting to stay closer to family. Hope that sheds some light, however.

Thanks so much! Just one question--where did you find that Loyola is higher ranked than Drexel? I actually haven't been able to find a rank for Loyola anywhere (except the SDN rankings, which I'm not sure how much to take into account). Thanks again for your detailed response, it was really helpful!

 

[sousa7]

Thanks so much! Just one question--where did you find that Loyola is higher ranked than Drexel? I actually haven't been able to find a rank for Loyola anywhere (except the SDN rankings, which I'm not sure how much to take into account). Thanks again for your detailed response, it was really helpful!

Residency Program Director Rankings!