<p>pros of vcu vs drexel!! please guyz help me out . i am so confused with this decision. i mean.. philly is like an awesome place to be and theres so many other colleges there and a lot of college kids and stuff. and 7 years is always a plus if they're not condenseing 4 years into 3. does anyone no if drexel makes u take more credits than normal in those 3?? and pluses of vcu.. is that u dont have to take the mcats at all. but im jus soo confused. cuz i dont wanan go to a boring place.. if vcu is a boring place? help!</p>
<p>for drexel, last year of undergrd is simply replaced with first year of med school (basically, no cramming at all). The credits from 1st year of med school apply towards both BA and MD degrees. So you officially get the BA after the 1st year of med school (and med school is pretty hard to flunk because they try to make you pass).</p>
<p>as mikespan32 said, u take no extra classes in the drexel bs/md program... just 3 years of classes in three years... nothing out of the ordinary</p>
<p>Well, I'm sorry that you are in such a dilemna. Philadelphia is a great city for sure and I'm sure that you will really enjoy yourself there! Drexel is also giving you a substantial scholarship I'm sure. Philly is closer to home for you too, and yet still far enough away for you to be independent. Its 7 years long, so you do save a year. I also believe the GPA requirement is 3.45 (as opposed to VCU's 3.5). On the other side, you have to spend your undergrad studying and preparing for the MCAT, and you need to get a 30, which is not easily done, as it is higher than the national average for med school matriculants. In addition, Drexel is not in the top 100 med schools in the U.S., so that might affect your residency placement later on down the road. VCU is top 70, with no MCAT requirement. Their medical campus is 4th largest in North America and contains one of the top research hospitals in the Country. As for the city life, I can't say I know too much about Richmond, Virginia. Your friend may be perfectly justified in her opinion about Richmond overall; but try and get some more opinions from people in the program. You don't want to choose one program over another based on a single person's opinion. For some people, the city life is an important aspect of the University experience, and its very likely that Philly, being bigger and more diverse, would offer more in that respect. So if you do decide to go there, no one can say that you are making the wrong decision. I personally am going to VCU, and I think it will be a great fit for me. Another friend of mine is in the program and he absolutely loves it! So I guess it really depends on the individual. Regardless, both are great programs, both have pro's and con's. Either way, you are going to a great program and your prospects for the future are bright.</p>
<p>hey.. yea.. i should get more opinions. im def gonna talk to people from both drexel med program and vcu's med program and try to get an idea of the feel of both. i def dont want to apply out of vcu and take the mcats. like.. ijus dont wanna deal with applying and gettin recs and all that crap cuz thats wat i worked hard in hs for. u no .. so that i dont have to do all this. and my parents are assuming that ifi go to vcu im gonna apply out . which i dont want to . but regardless.. im gettin mixed feeligns from everyone and i ve decided to visit both colleges within the next week and make my final decision based on how i feel i fit into the college. and hte life there. its really a hard decision for me. but thanx for ur support and helpin me out. i def appreciate it mucho mucho!! gracias!!</p>
<p>My son is in same position like you. VCU/ Drexel/RPI/Cornell. He is choosing Drexel.
1. He is getting about 50 credits at Drexel for all his AP courses taken in high school. so whatever time he is saving , he can do study abroad
2. Drexel and VCU both gave him good scholarship. AJ scholar at Drexel and presidential scholarship at VCU but saving a year is what he is looking for.
3. RPI doesn't have MCAT requirement but you have to take extra courses for all AP credits they are giving you. RPI Medal Scholarship is $ 15,000 a year but not enough what Drexel is offering. MCAT requirement at Drexel is 27 if you score atleast 9 in all sections but if you score less than 9 (Min. is 7) then your total MCAT score should be 30.
4. Chicabonita: you are thinking of applying to other Medical school after attending VCU undergrad, then you still have to take MCAT and go thru the admission process.
5. He was also thinking of going to Cornell for pre-med(Ivy League fever)</p>
<p>Yup, valid points indeed...The plus with VCU is that you don't have to write the MCAT at all unless you want to apply out, which you would do at any other institution anyway...But Drexel is 7 years compared to VCU's 8, so its a give-and-take situation...</p>
<p>mail4nrs.. how much money isur son getting? and do u no about the ap policy? whwat they accept and things.? but do u think that getting a 27 is something that is reachable.? im just scared i wont get that score</p>
<p>27 is easily attainable... if you study... as long as you dont walk in cold.... 27 is definetly doable... especially for a person that has the credentials to get into a bs/md program in the first place.... studying/work will be involved... but not nearly as much as if you were a regular pre-med.. personally...
i would rather take the MCAT's and save a year... then spend an extra year and not have to take them...</p>
<p>plus... if you are going to apply out of the program... you are going to have to take MCAT's anyway... and trust me... coming from VCU... u r most probably going to need alot higher than the 27 at drexel... probably closer to 31/32+ to get into med school the traditional route... sooo</p>
<p>and you CAN apply out of the drexel program... u just have to spend an extra year at drexel and finish your BS degree...so..</p>
<p>just to put this in perspective...27 is the MCAT requirement you need to get into Drexel Med...No MCAT required for VCU Med...If you want to apply out...okay you have to take the MCAT...but Drexel is behind or equal at most to VCU when it comes to medical undergraduate studies I believe...so I'm sure the 31+ would be in effect applying out from Drexel as well...Plus if you want to apply out of Drexel, you have to stay back an extra year...which is 8 years, exactly equal to VCU's program! So VCU has no MCAT requirement, Drexel does...but that doesn't somehow give Drexel applicants an advantage if they apply out...cause they then lose the year headstart they had initially and they still have to have a pretty nice MCAT score to get in other med schools from Drexel...the same situation you have applying out from VCU...However, if you do choose to stay at Drexel...it is a great bargain since you have one less year to study...and express2nyc is right; if you can get into BS/MD programs, you shouldn't have any problem getting a 27 on the MCAT. But if you apply out, the situation is the same regardless of whether you go to VCU or Drexel...</p>
<p>express2nyc.. where ar eu planning to go? and if i go to drexel i've decidied that im not gonna apply out. and if i go to vcu im not gonna apply out.. but i prollu would cuz id get bored staying in one place for 8yeras. but.. like.. i wanna make my life as easy as possible. a balance of fun and work. and.. well this weekend im going to the sunday accepted day at drexel and the honors second day look at vcu. lol bak to bak! so i'll def be able to compare u no.. the environment and campus. cuz thats wat it comes down to now. ifeel like. they both are like equal in pros and cons. the plus with drexel.. for my parents at least.. and me maybe .. is being closer to home. even tho i really dont wanan be.. i think its good to have that backup in case i do get somewhat homesick.. or i need money indian food and laundry. lol. but yea.. i do have a question. is the curriculum at vcu harder? because it seems like.. u have to take extra classes at vcu to fulfill the requireemnts? and i think i can get 30-40 credits at both drexel and vcu. sothats also the same.</p>
<p>chicabonita2654,
i got into rpi/amc, union/amc, lehigh/drexel nd drexel/drexel
im going to drexel/drexel</p>
<p>if you are planning on NOT applying out of the programs.. then go to DREXEL!... its a year shorter... in my opinion... its worth having to take the MCAT's if it means having to spend one less year of studying as an undergrad...</p>
<p>plus... if you want to have a "balance of work and fun".. drexel is the place... undergrad isnt that bad... like yea, you will have to work... but it won't be that bad... plus philly is awesome... </p>
<p>the reason why i chose drexel over union or rpi [which are both more prestigious programs].. is because drexel is much better socially... and.. because its close to home... my parents want me to stay close to home for obvious reasons... at first, i wanted to get away as much as possible... BUt.. if im going to committ the next 7 years of my life to a program... then it will be better to be 1 hr away from home rather than 4... and 45min/1hr isnt too close or too far... so...</p>
<p>also at drexel, you dont take any extra classes... im not familiar with vcu's program... but i do know that at drexel you take the regular amount of credits every term for 3 years... its not like 4 years crammed into 3... so thats good</p>
<p>im also going on sunday for the accepted students day...</p>
<p>Yeah...as I stated...if you are not applying out, then Drexel is a great bargain! As for VCU, you don't take extra credits or anything like that...its just that there are certain courses required for you to take in order to matruculate...those aren't added to your course of study; they are incorporated into it. Its just a bunch of courses that you need to take in order to be prepared academically for med school...You would end up taking those courses anyway regardless of your major...</p>
<p>I think for you though, a lot of the things you are looking for are available at Drexel...You have the city life of Philadelphia...You mentioned one of your friends was going there...and you save a year if you don't want to apply out...you are closer to home as well...I think a lot of the important stuff you were looking for is available there...Its ultimately your decision, and I'm sure you'll make the right one. Regardless, you are headed for a great program whichever you choose!</p>
<p>Hi, I am having the same problem as chicabonita, i dont know where to go and I'm deciding between Drexel Medical Program and Virginia Commonwealth. It seems that you really want to go to Drexel. I kind of feel the same way.</p>
<p>How hard are the MCATS? Does anyone know if people in the Drexel Program could not meet this requirement?</p>
<p>If you are good enough to get into a BS/MD program, a 27 on the MCAT should not be very difficult...I doubt there were many who could not meet the requirement...</p>
<p>The people in BS/MD who dont get the 27 (and there are quite a few of em) on their MCATs most definitely have the potential to get a 27 but slack off and don't make it. If you're gonna party hard, go ahead, but make sure you keep up with your studies too.</p>
<p>Do there are a lot of students who do not make the mcat requirement? I called the school and they claimed that on rare occasion one or two students have failed to meet the requirement. However, the program has only been around for 3 years. Drexel only recently joined this program so it is hard to tell. Does anybody know about the drop out rate in lehigh/drexel or villanova/drexel?</p>
<p>wokeyclub.. welli have decided to go to drexel.that is my final decision. ivisited both and.. drexel is such an awesome city!!! and the i met some gmed studnets. andthey love it . i wen t to vcu already.. andit jus seems pretty lifeless. the students have no choicebu tto sit and work cuz theres nothing outsdie of richmond. well.. good luck wokeyclub.. but come to drexel!! its def a great place..balance ofwork dan play,</p>
<p>i spoke with many kids in the drexel med program... </p>
<p>specifically, one who is/was in the villanova 7 year med [hes currently at drexel college of medicine],.... and he told me that in his 7 year villanova bs/md class.. out of 13 students... 11 ended up at drexel college of medicine... 1 got kicked out of the program... probably for alcohol, weed or sumthin... and 1 kid opted out in order to pursue other medical schools the traditional route...</p>
<p>so from what I have been told by students in the program and by Drexel College of Medicine, most kids DO get the 27... almost all</p>
<p>im not saying its impossible to not get the 27... but if you study like MOST ppl do... there is a 95% chance you will be fine... stop worrying about the MCAT... they are a part of life and you guys will get through them...</p>