Tulane v.s. Drexel

[PolishFrizzle]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey..so i have been fortunate enough to be given two acceptances so far and I was hoping some people might have an opinion between the two. My goal right now is to do my residency training in Peds or Gen Surg in CA.

I am originally from CA so I am not a huge fan of cold weather which is a point for Tulane. Both financial aid packages were underwhelming so the COA for each school is equivalent. But I am concerned about Tulane's hospitals and clinics where 3rd and 4th take place in the aftermath of Katrina. I am going to do the traditional track at Drexel: the PIL program seems a little too crazy for me

What would you recommend based on your knowledge of Tulane & Drexel and their residency placements?

I appreciate any feedback or opinion..Thanks

 

[PinkIvy08]

Hey. So, my final decision actually came down to these two schools (I hate my state school, lol), and I chose Tulane. As you said, they cost basically the same. For me, it was easy. I had a great interview day at Tulane, their second look answered any of my doubts, and overall I had a good impression...guess you can say I "clicked" with them. Furthermore, I think the student body and administration at Tulane seem a solid fit for me.

Drexel...eh. Their curriculum seems new and interesting, but I had my doubts about how easy it would be to make sure you covered everything (was going to do PIL though). I never clicked with the school - I thought the interview day was weird/disorganized and I wasn't really feeling the student body.

I've looked at both match lists, and both can get you back to Cali if you do your part. I know at Tulane's second look they were saying how strong they were in anatomy and a few other courses, where their students' shelf exam scores were very strong and for these reasons, residency directors for surgical areas look very favorably on their graduates (I think they had like 15 ortho matches in 2009, and yes, gen surg matches in Cali last yr and this yr (many in 2010)).

For me, it mainly boiled down to how little of a desire I had to be back in Philadelphia, and how much I loved New Orleans. As far as the hospitals and clinics post-Katrina...the only hospital that is closed is Charity and that has been replaced with multiple clinics throughout the city, so you still have that interaction with that population of patients. Furthermore, with a slight shortage of docs, you really do get tons of hands-on experience as early as you want. Plus, if you have any interest in public health (I do), Tulane easily wins. Also, the simulation center at Tulane is much better than Drexel's.

Idk, the decision was very easy for me. Did you click with one school more than another? If so, I'd say go with your gut feeling and forget residency placements. You can place into gen surgery in Cali at either school if you put the work in.

Good luck deciding!

 

[Zarika]

I don't know anything about Tulane, but I interviewed at Drexel.

I liked the school on my interview day (except for how small the facilities seemed for a school with such big classes), but try to talk to as many current students as possible to find out how they feel about it. My undergrad has a large 7 year linkage program w/ Drexel so I know a handful of people who are first years there now. Except for one kid who is a genius, all the people that I know are often insanely stressed. The way the curriculum is structured, they have exams very often. This can be a great way to keep you on track and on schedule if you need a lot of structure to your studying, but it means the pressure is always on. For me personally, I think I wouldn't like it, but it would be very beneficial. How would you feel about it.

I also really liked how it was possible to do all of the 3rd and 4th year rotations in Pittsburgh at Allegheny General.

The general vibe I got on interview day (and from my friends who go there now) is that the class is very close and socialize together outside of school frequently.

 

[PolishFrizzle]

Hey. So, my final decision actually came down to these two schools (I hate my state school, lol), and I chose Tulane. As you said, they cost basically the same. For me, it was easy. I had a great interview day at Tulane, their second look answered any of my doubts, and overall I had a good impression...guess you can say I "clicked" with them. Furthermore, I think the student body and administration at Tulane seem a solid fit for me.

Drexel...eh. Their curriculum seems new and interesting, but I had my doubts about how easy it would be to make sure you covered everything (was going to do PIL though). I never clicked with the school - I thought the interview day was weird/disorganized and I wasn't really feeling the student body.

I've looked at both match lists, and both can get you back to Cali if you do your part. I know at Tulane's second look they were saying how strong they were in anatomy and a few other courses, where their students' shelf exam scores were very strong and for these reasons, residency directors for surgical areas look very favorably on their graduates (I think they had like 15 ortho matches in 2009, and yes, gen surg matches in Cali last yr and this yr (many in 2010)).

For me, it mainly boiled down to how little of a desire I had to be back in Philadelphia, and how much I loved New Orleans. As far as the hospitals and clinics post-Katrina...the only hospital that is closed is Charity and that has been replaced with multiple clinics throughout the city, so you still have that interaction with that population of patients. Furthermore, with a slight shortage of docs, you really do get tons of hands-on experience as early as you want. Plus, if you have any interest in public health (I do), Tulane easily wins. Also, the simulation center at Tulane is much better than Drexel's.

Idk, the decision was very easy for me. Did you click with one school more than another? If so, I'd say go with your gut feeling and forget residency placements. You can place into gen surgery in Cali at either school if you put the work in.

Good luck deciding!

Thank you for the PinkIvy for the helpful response. I really liked the students I met at Tulane and the Sim Center is awesome. I didn't know that Tulane had a really well regarded anatomy program which is cool. I guess my biggest hang up is their clinical facilities. I wish I had a list of the hospitals they rotated thru or a third/fourth year to talk to I applied and got into the MPH program but I am not sure if I can afford it. I am already carrying some student loans and Tulane's financial package was far from helpful haha.

I didn't get that great of a vibe from Drexel when I visited there but I am going to go for my own "second look" in early May. I don't know much about Philly and the Med Campus feels a little secluded.

I don't know anything about Tulane, but I interviewed at Drexel.

I liked the school on my interview day (except for how small the facilities seemed for a school with such big classes), but try to talk to as many current students as possible to find out how they feel about it. My undergrad has a large 7 year linkage program w/ Drexel so I know a handful of people who are first years there now. Except for one kid who is a genius, all the people that I know are often insanely stressed. The way the curriculum is structured, they have exams very often. This can be a great way to keep you on track and on schedule if you need a lot of structure to your studying, but it means the pressure is always on. For me personally, I think I wouldn't like it, but it would be very beneficial. How would you feel about it.

I also really liked how it was possible to do all of the 3rd and 4th year rotations in Pittsburgh at Allegheny General.

The general vibe I got on interview day (and from my friends who go there now) is that the class is very close and socialize together outside of school frequently.

Thanks Zarika for the info about Drexel. I wasn't sure about just limiting myself to one hospital for MS3/4. It would be nice to not have to move during those yrs but I don't know enough about Allegheny General to commit. Do you know if alot of people stay at one hospital for rotations? I didn't get a chance to meet students at Drexel during my interview day so I don't know how well I would "click". As far as the testing goes, I am sure I will be stressed wherever I go haha..

 

[Zarika]

Thank you for the PinkIvy for the helpful response. I really liked the students I met at Tulane and the Sim Center is awesome. I didn't know that Tulane had a really well regarded anatomy program which is cool. I guess my biggest hang up is their clinical facilities. I wish I had a list of the hospitals they rotated thru or a third/fourth year to talk to I applied and got into the MPH program but I am not sure if I can afford it. I am already carrying some student loans and Tulane's financial package was far from helpful haha.

I didn't get that great of a vibe from Drexel when I visited there but I am going to go for my own "second look" in early May. I don't know much about Philly and the Med Campus feels a little secluded.




Thanks Zarika for the info about Drexel. I wasn't sure about just limiting myself to one hospital for MS3/4. It would be nice to not have to move during those yrs but I don't know enough about Allegheny General to commit. Do you know if alot of people stay at one hospital for rotations? I didn't get a chance to meet students at Drexel during my interview day so I don't know how well I would "click". As far as the testing goes, I am sure I will be stressed wherever I go haha..

Well, I didn't get the impression that a lot of ppl decided to stay in Pittsburgh for MS3/4 (It's possible to also stay somewhere in Jersey for both years), but my interviewer and I discussed the pros & cons of the varied 3/4 yr rotation sites. He said (and I agree) that rotating at a lot of sites is very clinically useful. But, he also said that he knows a lot of 3rd & 4th students that don't even have apartments, b/c they move around so much. (THe school provides free housing at sites that are out of a certain mile radius of Drexel.) I don't know how many "a lot" is, or if this is common at all, as this statement is based entirely on his word, but it is something that would stress me out a lot, so I would go somewhere that I could stay for both years. I like to nest lol.