<p>Engineering program at Drexel or Widener...Drexel has a more extensive co-op program and is more well known, but Widener is offering WAY more money. Which is the smarter choice?</p>
<p>Its also location…as in lifestyle. Drexel is VERY urban…downtown Philly. Widener is in Delaware (Chester…15 miles south of Philly) and closer to the beaches and open space and perhaps a prettier campus.</p>
<p>Personally, I would go with the money. But that is me.</p>
<p>Drexel has always specialized in engineering and has lots of alumni in positions to provide internships or jobs to Drexel grads. I didn’t even know Widener had an engineering school until you posted. Drexel was pumping out engineers back when Widener was a military junior college.</p>
<p>Think it through carefully and don’t just follow the money, unless it is a necessity. To start with, compare the percentage of students who graduate on time. I bet that will be illuminating. For a college as a whole, that data is available on Federal websites, although it might be skewed by 5 year programs at Drexel.</p>
<p>I’m guessing you would have much greater access to advanced technologies and other resources at Drexel. </p>
<p>Also, look closely at both campuses at night. Chester is usually calculated to be the most dangerous city in PA., although Widener is not near the worse areas of the city. Drexel is in a dense area, but it is very stable, active and heavily patrolled. There are some questionable neighborhoods in one direction, but they are easy to avoid.</p>
<p>^^^^ serves me right for trying to be helpful in an area I don’t know very well. LOL.</p>
<p>Safety reasons - I’d take Drexel.</p>
<p>Way back in the 90s my brother spent a year on Widener’s campus, his dorm had over 30 robberies reported on move in day. It never got any better.</p>
<p>Also, I highly respect Drexel’s co-op.</p>
<p>If you can afford Drexel I would go there. It wins for program and location.</p>
<p>Chester is a truly awful place. Do you have options besides those two schools? I think Drexel is over-priced and the campus, while improving, is not great. The coop program is good, though.</p>
<p>drexel is the right choice for engineering.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for you input…greatly appreciated. One other question…not sure if it’s in the cards, but if Lehigh is an option too, would Drexel still be better because they have co-ops? (Don’t think Lehigh does.)</p>
<p>Academically and reputation wise, Lehigh is better than Drexel.</p>
<p>Widener’s engineering program celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. Drexel U wasn’t even founded until 1891. Widener’s campus is extremely safe as well. Check their website for crime statistics. They publish them on their site. I am a former student. I had a great experience. My advice is to visit both campuses, meet the faculty, and make a good decision based on money, social fit, and academic fit.</p>
<p>I don’t trust the crime stats. Many low level thefts are discouraged from being reported and skews the data.</p>
<p>Of this group, I’d definitely say Lehigh#1, Drexel #2, Widener #3. Lehigh’s reputation, alumni, recruitment etc. will create better opportunities than Drexel’s coop program</p>
<p>If you’re throwing in Lehigh then throw in Villanova, Lafayette and Bucknell, too. With Lehigh, they represent stronger overall academics, very strong engineering programs and are well established, respected and safe. Sadly, they are all very expensive.
Is Penn State an option?</p>
<p>First of all, the OP never mentioned Lehigh. Secondly, you can’t really say a program is better than anothers beause it’s 30 years older. Thirdly, Drexel is a much much better engineering school and school as a whole than Widener. The average SAT at Drexel is ~1200 and 65% were in the top quarter of their class. The average SAT at Widener is ~1000 and only 37% were in the top quarter of their class. Also, Chester is a scary place and not somewhere I’d want to go to college in.</p>
<p>^^^^OP mentioned Lehigh in a later post which is why I commented on that school in particular…see post #9</p>
<p>My bad…didn’t see that. In that case, Lehigh would be the best.</p>