questions about Drexel

[honneur]

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Hey everyone,

So it's finally that time to decide on a school and I'm having a little bit of trouble. I have been lucky enough to receive two offers of admission from clinical programs - one from Drexel University and another from a fairly large state school. Although the state school is "ranked" significantly higher than Drexel and has a faculty member that I really love, I just kind of have the feeling that Drexel is a better fit for me overall. The problem is that I don't know much about it as I am not from the Northeast. Actually, prior to applications, I had never heard of it. Can you guys give me some insight into its reputation within the scientific community or anything else you've heard about it? I'm not sure if it will sway my decision one way or another, I just want to know what's up. Thanks!

 

[busybusybusy]

I think it depends on what you're going there to research. I know in the forensic community there are a few researchers there who are highly respected.

 

[rlw23]

what is the state school?

 

[PavlovWolf]

I am originally from the northeast and I can say a lot of good things about Drexel. First, I have had relationships with faculty who were trained by some of the faculty at Drexel, and so through the grapevine, I have heard positive feedback. One of my members on my dissertation committee also was trained at Drexel, and she is a fantastic psychologist/professor overall. Lastly, I'm a little biased because I love Philadelphia and all the regional schools, but it is an awesome area with lots of good networking and practicum opportunities (such as UPenn and CHOP, right near Drexel's campus..) so depending on what you are interested in and pursue, this might prove helpful. You have to make the right decision for you, though, so if your gut tells you to stick with the other school, go for it.

 

[Doctor Eliza]

So, I don't know a thing about Drexel, but I felt compelled to put in my 2 cents. 🙂

If I could hop in my time machine and travel back to March 2000 (OMG where does the time go?) I would have been more careful making my decision. The thing I needed to be more diligent on was really digging to find out about what it would like to work with my advisor.

At the time of my interview, my potential advisor, let's call her Dr. Satan, had only one grad student. I talked to that student and she told me about the interesting research they were doing together, how she could be intense, but things were generally okay. I turned down several other good offers to go to that school and work with Dr. Satan.

So, August of 2000, i move into my new apartment and I am all excited to start grad school. Before classes even start, Dr. Satan's other grad student pulls me aside and tells me the whole story. Apparently, Dr. Satan cannot get along with any of the other faculty and she likes to put her student in the middle of fights with them. Also, why did Dr. Satan only have the one student? Oh, because for the previous 7 years she was forbidden by the program to have students because she had been so abusive to them in the past! I later learned that both Dr. Satan and the DCT intimidated the grad student into lying to me. BTW, Dr. Satan was a raging borderline and I was forced to switch after my master's.

So, looking back, I would have done some things differently. I would have talked to many more students. It is particularly important to talk to students who have been in the program longer. Maybe even graduates, if possible. They tend to be more open about what is really going on in the program because they often have less to lose. Talk to people in your potential lab and outside of it. Be very thorough.

To reassure anyone reading this, Dr. Satan no longer is a prof at my alma mater. She has decided to do full-time clinical practice as a child psychologist. God save the children! Reassurance #2, if I see someone post that they are interested in going to my alma mater, I will send them a warning email.

Lots of luck!
Dr. E

 

[cara susanna]

Drexel is highly regarded research-wise.

 

[psychanator]

That's great advice (and a crazy story), Dr. E.