Hi @everyone who took the time to click on my post! I’m just wondering what insights people might have
Some quick facts:
I was accepted to both Honors Programs.
Drexel Annual Cost (after $5500 in loans): $16,813
Villanova Annual Cost (after $5500 in loans): $15,959
I plan to major in psychology while fulfilling pre-med requirements, and I’m interested in research (although my focus could very well shift)
Villanova Concerns:
As an Asian American from a middle-class family and a public high school, I’m a bit worried about how I’d fit in, since I’ve heard the student body is often more affluent and less diverse. I’ve also heard it’s more on the politically conservative side (not sure how accurate this is), and I consider myself more politically liberal.
I’m also wondering how much more difficult it would be to find internships, since Villanova is in the suburbs.
Drexel Concerns:
I’m mainly worried about whether the quarter system will be too overwhelming, since I’ve heard a lot of people talking about it. However, I’ve taken 8 APs in high school (3 last year, 5 this year) with a 4.2-4.3 weighted cumulative gpa - would that be a good indicator that I’d deal with the quarter system just fine?
I’m also wondering how Drexel academics stand in comparison to Villanova academics!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my long post, and please feel free to ask any follow-up questions!
But, Great schools like Villanova can never achieve ethnic diversity if no one will attend because it’s not diverse.
It’s a circular issue. And they are telling you how much they’d value you with their offer. And it’s a hard school to get into currently.
I find the young people of today are incredibly open and accepting. And liberal as the norm.
If it err me, I wouldn’t overlook the marvelous financial award you received at Villanova. The campus, spirit and resources are incredible. Plus the Augustine credo is service to others. They are very caring and nurturing collegiate environments.
This is some of the approach of the Augustinian’s—
“The pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning requires diligent study, freedom of thought, dedication to dialogue, and collegial respect for each person’s experience.
The contemplation and reflection encouraged by the intellectual life inspire an ethical sensibility as well as a prophetic critique of social structures in light of justice and peace.”
This is very true, and is something any student in a racial minority group should consider. However…they also don’t have to feel obligated to be the first ones to integrate a place, either. There’s a psychological and sociological burden of being an outgroup member in the extreme minority.
@privatebanker, @bluebayou, @julliet: thank you so much for your input! May I ask how you think Villanova and Drexel measure up to each other academically?
@nougat6. Villanova has a core requirement. You will have to take 2 Augustinian classes, one philosophy and two theology classes. The Augustinian classes are run like English literature classes where you read books and write essays. Each of the classes I mentioned is essay based and you will need to write 3/4 essay per semester (I think) for each class. All students independently of major have to do this and although you can use AP credits for other classes you can not use them for the classes I mentioned. So academically going to Villanova at lest for your first year there is no escaping writing all those essays. I am sure you can find essay heavy classes at Drexel and take them but there it would be something you will have to seek out yourself. When it comes to science classes I would assume that Drexel is fine. My personal opinion is that focused students will be fine anywhere they go. If you decide on Drexel use your first semester to figure things out and then seek out rigorous classes and classes you think are important to you. To an extend you can always “customize” your experience. I think the biggest difference is that Drexel has perhaps more pre-professional students and lots of coops. So they will be a lot of coming and going, lots of students that might work part time etc. But again, if you feel more comfortable there, you can make it work. If you have the opportunity go and spend some time on the campuses and go with your gut feeling.
What kind of psychology do you want to study? Drexel is strongest in clinical psychology. Drexel is also quite weak in some other areas in the social sciences, true to its history as a technical college.
@psycholing Thanks so much for your reply!! I’m currently leaning towards clinical psychology and research psychology, but to be honest, I’m still a bit unsure about exactly which area of psychology I want to concentrate on. I don’t think I’ll be exploring other social sciences too much (maybe some fine arts classes here and there, but that’s about it)
Well, my advice is consider carefully that you really want this path. In clinical psych, you cannot do anything at all (neither research nor clinical practice) without a doctorate (Ph.D. or Psy. D.) . For a Psy. D., you are going to be paying out of pocket for the higher degree, with little financial aid available. Then you will need to do an internship and 2 year low-paid clinical postdoc before practicing. Then, once you practice, you will be poorly compensated compared to your similarly-educated peers. For the Ph.D. route, consider that very very very few applicants to clinical Ph.D. programs are accepted. It is much much harder to get into one of these programs then it is to get into med school. That means, no matter how great a student you have always been, you probably won’t get in. Most of my top students who wanted clinical did not get into Ph.D. programs. Sometimes Drexel faculty pump up students to apply fo clinical psych Ph.D.'s when they don’t have much of a chance of getting in.
Once you do get into a program, you may still have to worry about paying if the program does not fully fund students. You also have to worry about doing your internship and postdoc prior to practicing. If you are looking to be a researcher/practitioner, keep in mind, there are very few tenure track programs that are looking for clinical psychologists. There are other opportunities for such people, such as clinical directors at various research hospitals and residential units. Most of these positions involve minimal research.
But if you were certain that clinical psych is the path you want, I would say it might make sense to go to Drexel. The quarter system is a bit harder on students than a traditional semester. If you are someone who readily falls behind, and you can’t reset your studying style into starting out full throttle, this might not be the place for you. But if you are capable of being a real go-getter when it comes to Co-op, that opportunity might render you better prepared than a traditional college. The quarter system is an asset for people who like diversity in their coursework. Also the urban environment of Drexel can be more vibrant than Villanova’s suburbia.
BTW: Where Drexel really shines is in the technical fields. So if you wanted to integrate more technical knowledge (engineering, computer science, animation and gaming) with psychology, Drexel might be a better choice.
@psycholing Thank you for your extremely helpful advice!! I plan to secure myself as many opportunities as possible in a wide variety of areas of psychology to determine exactly what I want to pursue. I signed myself for the one co-op option (because I’m not sure I would want to spend a fifth year in undergrad to do three co-ops) and I’m going to see exactly how much credit my AP scores will lend me - perhaps, if there’s somehow enough time (and if I go to Drexel) I could then ask if I could squeeze in another co-op. If not, I’d get myself involved in research/internships with my extra time.
Funny you mention animation; I actually had plans to become an animator a few years ago.
May I ask how you might weigh Villanova’s Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience major up against Drexel’s Psych major with a Neuroscience minor?
…and may I also ask how your path in psychology played out?
@am9799 I was aware of those core classes, but I was not aware of the number of essays required - thank you for informing me! I consider myself a good essay-writer, but I would rather spend time writing for classes more tangibly related to my areas of interest. The essays definitely aren’t a deal-breaker for me - just something else to keep in mind
@bluebayou I’ve been trying to do research on management history - may I ask how you get your info? I’m feeling very overwhelmed by all the articles I’m reading
@am9799 I am indeed still thinking of pre-med - unfortunately, I did not manage to stop by pre-med advising when I visited each school. We concentrated more on attending academic sessions, asking questions at the Honors receptions, and picking up documents/ talking to students and some general advisors at the resource fairs. (and when I was at Drexel I also had an audition for Symphony Orchestra)
