Hi future freshmen! =) You're so adorable!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Drexel University
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<p>Oooohhhhhh god, people tell me that all the time that I have an… interesting way of writing things. >< Lots of smileys too I notice. Seems convey the amount of communication I wouldn’t quite be able to convey otherwise. And it’s a lot more explanation than what actually goes on in my head because of course I already know what I’m talking about. Also I swear more. But trust me, my class papers are not like this at all hahaha. ^^ Thank you very much. As creepy as it is to think of moms and dads creeping on what I’m writing and saying, “Hey kiddo, take a look at this!” I’m erm… glad that I could be of help?</p>

<p>Well yes I was rather a busy high school senior as well, was at school from about 7 to 5 most days, just for the sheer number of things I was involved in. Plus I think I took 5 AP classes that year. =P And college and scholarship searching seemed to be an activity/class in itself it was so much work. But I was the exact opposite, my senior year I was all I NEED to get out of here!, and gave it my all to find a college that I would love. It would be the sort of thing I would do in my spare time, because I enjoyed looking through college websites, considering this and that opportunity, and how I envisioned my life in the future. Kind of a shock when I finally picked it, and even then I wasn’t sure. Then anxiety… lots of anxiety. Drexel’s fall quarter starts quite late, so late August when everyone else is heading off to college, you’ve yet to get your schedule and room assignment, so you’re freaking the eff out. About a week before I arrived at Drexel, I woke up at 4 am and scoured the internet, convinced that I needed to change my major. Just randomly, at 4 am. No big deal. =P I had some serious angst about going into Software Engineering as I really didn’t have that much experience in it, thought everyone else would be geeky nerdy snobby people who had been hacking since they were 9, not to mention being the only girl in all of this, and all of that sitting and staring at the computer screen and programming…</p>

<p>Turns out I really enjoy programming, or at least the programming I’m doing right now, lmao. And I had a good deal of experience in computers compared to the rest of my class. And everyone’s really quite nice, occasionally a little full of themselves, but generally good-natured humorous people. So I love my major and I love being at Drexel. I’m really really really very glad that it all worked out. There are some days that are absolutely terrible but there are many days when everything is working out fantastically. Which I’m sure will be your case too. </p>

<p>But yes, I’d say you need to exhaust and explore all your options, or else you’ll regret it. Drexel is absolutely not for everyone. If you’re for sure going to grad school later, for the love of god pick a cheaper school, no one looks at your undergrad degree anyway. If you’re in the humanities, I don’t know why you’re here. XD If you have absolutely no idea what you want to do in life, I strongly strongly strongly suggest you at least pick the general area you’re attracted to before you go here. But you said engineering right? So yeah, psh, as long as you want to stay in engineering, the freshman classes are all the same, so really you won’t lose much ground if you switch between majors. Bu yeah, remember that there’s not just one soulmate college for you, you’d probably be fantastically happy at a number of colleges, you just have to weigh the options and pick one. ^^</p>

<p>Oh, and I wanted to mention before, if you’re looking to making being an entrepreneur there is an Business and Engineering major here. Well, yes. Not double majoring in Business and Engineering, it’s a (Business and Engineering) major. It’s probably some more work, of course, and I don’t know anyone who is in the program. But it might be of interest to you. But in general here is a pretty awesome resource for looking at Drexel majors and courses:</p>

<p>[List</a> of Undergraduate Majors](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/catalog/ug/all-majors.htm]List”>Undergraduate Majors < 2023-2024 Catalog | Drexel University)</p>

<p><3 And thanks Rme123 ^^ You make me feel so special.</p>

<p>I’m… patiently waiting for y’all’s further questions. ^^</p>

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<p>Thank you for offering to answer questions. Can you provide any insight into the accelerated BS/MBA programs? Is the undergraduate course load any different or is it just that you are on track for the MBA as long as you meet the cutoff score on the GMAT when you take it and maintain a 3.2? Can you just decide at the end of four years to not go for the MBA or are you committed to it?</p>

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<p>ollie- I’m interested in your comment “If you’re in the humanities, I don’t know why you’re here. XD”</p>

<p>Do you include psychology in that statement? I had thought that Drexel’s psychology Dept was fairly well thought of?</p>

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<p>Hi Ollie! I’m not a freshman in the fall, but I’m a transfer student, so I’m basically as lost as the freshman. I was just wondering if you had any advice… plus a few questions about housing: Do most upper classmen live on campus? Where? Best way to find roommates?</p>

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<p>Scienceandfaith: Most upperclassmen live in University Crossings (the upper floors that Drexel doesn’t own) or off-campus in surrounding apartments/townhouses. Drexel housing is much more expensive than moving off-campus, and you often have to share a bedroom if you’re in the dorms.</p>

<p>You can find roommates by asking around or by looking at the forums here:
[Drexel</a> University Off Campus Housing Service - Account Login](<a href=“http://offcampushousing.drexel.edu/login]Drexel”>Account Login | Drexel University | Off-Campus Housing Search)</p>

<p>People also post ads on Craigslist for roommates.</p>

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<p>Omg thank you for writing this thread!
I actually have a question about the business majors… I’ve heard a lot of people saying that the classes are really easy? But their program is actually well-recognized, so I don’t really understand why the business classes would be undemanding?</p>

<p>Also do you still have to pay for housing while you’re in a co-op if you’re going to be living somewhere in another state?</p>

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<p>Wow. I typed a really long reply to this but CC ate it. BLehhhh.</p>

<p>@middleoftheroad
I really don’t know much about the accelerated degree programs. My friend is in the BS/MD program and is pretty much in labs/doing homework all the time and I’m pretty sure she mentioned having an extremely regimented schedule with very little electives and set dates when she has to take each class by. Then again I’m pretty sure she also mentioned not having to take some random classes that most Bio majors have to take (something like Zoology, for example?). I don’t know if this is for all the programs or not. Again, I really don’t know much about it at all, but it seems a good deal for people who already know they want to eventually get a certain degree and want to save time doing it.</p>

<p>For anyone else interested, here’s the main accelerated degrees info page:
[Accelerated</a> Degree Programs | Undergraduate Admissions | Drexel University](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/academics/accelerated-degrees/]Accelerated”>Accelerated, Combined, and Bridge Degree Programs)
And, again, here’s the course catalog, which has straight info on course requirements for majors and their accelerated degree programs (you just have to know what you’re looking for :wink: ):

[List</a> of Undergraduate Majors](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/catalog/ug/all-majors.htm]List”>Undergraduate Majors < 2023-2024 Catalog | Drexel University)
I’m sorry that I really didn’t answer your question. If you can’t find it online, then those questions would be good in an email… to the admissions office or that specific department, probably.</p>

<p>@pamom
Long story short, no I do not consider psychology a humanities major. xD I feel like here it is very much treated as a medical/biological concept, and as we have popular Nursing and Bio programs, I would assume we would have quite a good psych program as well. But gosh psychology is such a vague term for a major. xD If you’re treating it like a humanities major, then well…</p>

<p>The cost of Drexel assumes that you will do co-op and will get paid for those co-ops. So you typically don’t get as many scholarships or financial aid. Yet I hear that humanities majors (English, Anthropology, Political Science, etc.) often have to deal with un-paid co-ops. So basically you’re paying more money for the same experience you would get with a summer internship at any other school. Why go to an expensive, engineering-oriented university like Drexel for the same price, you could go to an extremely respected liberal arts college that would be much more focused on you, giving you a much more enriching college experience? And if you wanted that co-op experience, just get some internships, no big deal. Moreover, I would like to say that if you’re going into a field that traditionally requires you to have a graduate degree to do anything, why not save thousands and thousands of dollars by going to a public state university for your undergrad, rather than pay all that money for Drexel? If you have a graduate degree, it really doesn’t matter where you did your undergrad. It really really doesn’t matter.</p>

<p>Likewise, it was the guest speaker at my tour at Lafayette who seriously told us it didn’t matter where you go to college at all. If you’re the type of student who is going to be successful, then you’re going to be successful no matter what school you go to. Of course I know you all care about respect, prestige, and a college experience, but it’s the student who makes their education. So you need to seriously think and consider if all this money to go to “the better college” is really worth all that extra money.</p>

<p>Just my general view on things. Yeah. Idk.</p>

<p>@scienceandfaith3
What sarahjudith said, since I’m a freshman and still need to look for somewhere to live next year for myself. =P Er, good luck!</p>

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<p>Oh wow. I didn’t really expect that, so thank you soo much!! I’ll probably be a sophomore, so not really upperclass, but basically you guys would recommend looking off campus first?</p>

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<p>@natyyyyym
Ohello!
Well I’m taking Econ 201 at the moment and it’s pretty much one of the easiest classes I’ve ever taken in a very long time. xD Also the professor was very nice, so adorable, gave us girl scout cookies during our open-note, open-laptop midterm… yeah…</p>

<p>I honestly have no idea how business majors do so well, lmao. However there are different kind of business majors: concentrations in finance, marketing, international business, etc. I hear those classes are really not so easy. =P And I would assume that in general, co-ops give them a leg up with work experience and networking and all as compared to business majors from other universities.</p>

<p>But yes as is common in other schools, we do often joke about business majors just seem to never do any work. We joke about it quite a bit. =P</p>

<p>I think the general rule is if you have a contract for on-campus housing and get a co-op outside a 10-mile radius of Philadelphia, you can get out of that contract without having to pay a fee:
[Returning</a> Student Housing Information | Drexel Business Services](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/dbs/universityHousing/applications/upperclassStepbyStep/faqs/]Returning”>http://www.drexel.edu/dbs/universityHousing/applications/upperclassStepbyStep/faqs/)
From what I hear, some co-ops do provide housing that they pay for, some co-ops suggest housing in a specific area/building, some co-ops don’t say anything and you’re on your own… However, most co-ops are in the greater Philadelphia area, so you’ll most likely be in the state, or in Jersey.</p>

<p>EDIT:</p>

<p>@scienceandfaith3
Off-campus is so much cheaper. So much cheaper. Right now I’m paying $1k+ a month to live in a single room that I share with another person. Surrounding apartments are $500-900 a month per person for an entire apartment, granted you’re sharing it with some people, but this room is like a glorified box! xD</p>

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<p>Thanks! Also correct me if I’m wrong but I think you still have to pay for the full time tuition even if you’re only there for 6 months right?</p>

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<p>Yes, you pay for tuition for the year every September, but 5-year program tuition is “adjusted” to make up for it (and if I could put HUGE quotes over “adjusted” I would):
[Tuition</a> and Fees | Undergraduate Admissions | Drexel University](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/financing/break-down/]Tuition”>http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/financing/break-down/)</p>

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<p>olliie, thank you for unselfishly spending so much time answering everyone’s questions.</p>

<p>One question regarding your comment about the "adjusted " tuition (directly above):</p>

<p>4-year students are charged $41,500 a year (total over 4 years = $166,500).</p>

<p>5-year students are charged $33,800 a year (total over 45 years = $169,000).</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/financing/break-down/[/url]”>http://www.drexel.edu/undergrad/financing/break-down/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Is this $2,500 difference what you are alluding to? (Also, the 5-year student will have to pay a fifth year of Drexel’s fees - another $2,300; so, I guess the difference is really $4,800 between the two programs.)</p>

<p>Once again, thank you for answering everyone’s questions. You have been super helpful.</p>

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<p>@ollie- thanks for your comments. I don’t regard psychology as a humanities subject, yet for some reason Drexel has clumped psychology with the “humanities” majors at the accepted student event we are planning to attend. My D has no interest in humanities.</p>

<p>As to coops- I’ve actually spoken to the person who is the coop advisor for psychology majors and there seem to be quite a good range of coop programs, and whether they are paid or not varies by the coop. As it was explained to me, coops are different than internships in that they are full time for a 6 month period rather than a part time/summer position, so they would give more experience than a short internship would, as well as help a student to experience the different career paths that a psychology major can take (research, clinical, social services, education, pre-med, etc). I was also told that while coops are usually 40 hours a week, if a student takes an unpaid coop they can reduce the hours to 20 so they can obtain a paid part time job. </p>

<p>Another advantage I see of studying psych at Drexel vs. at a large public university is the smaller class sizes. LACs are not an option for my D (again she has no interest in a humanities/liberal arts program). </p>

<p>Your point about the cost of Drexel as well as potential costs of grad school is certainly well taken, though with the merit scholarship award, the cost of Drexel is about the same as the OOS public university that my D is also considering.</p>

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<p>@dadinator</p>

<p>Oh well, you see this is how I procrastinate. So it’s quite selfish really. =) But I love to help, makes me feel better. Although these last few questions I feel like I’ve been getting less and less helpful… I do try to answer specific questions about specific programs but in the end these are really questions to email the department about. -.-</p>

<p>Yup your math is correct, though of course the student would have to pay for textbooks/somewhere to eat/somewhere to live for the fifth year. I should have added that $41,500 is a huge amount of money for one-year tuition to a four-year program. I don’t know any other more traditional college that is anywhere near that!</p>

<p>It’s a lot, I’m saying. xD It’s a lot.</p>

<p>@pamom59
Really, they clumped her in there? That’s awful! The only reason I could think of it was that it would probably be in the College of the Arts and Sciences, but that also includes Bio, Physics, Math, etc., which are not quite humanities majors in my book.</p>

<p>Wow, I didn’t know that about unpaid co-ops! See you’re teaching me things ^^.</p>

<p>Then you’ve seemed to luck out and get a pretty good deal! Then it doesn’t matter too much, it’s up to her to choose one. ^^</p>

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<p>Just an FYI, the five year program turns out to be much cheaper than the four year program for most students because the scholarship is not pro-rated. For example, when I first came to Drexel I was paying ~7k tuition in the 5-year program, but when I switched to the 4-year plan my tuition jumped to >14k. I ended up losing >$20k by not staying in the 5-year program because they didn’t increase my scholarship when my tuition went up.</p>

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<p>How well-equipped is the recreation center? I know it has cardio equipment and a rock wall, but does it have equipment for weight training as well? (barbells, plates, benches, power racks, etc.)</p>

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<p>Hey Ollie =], can you elaborate on some of the benefits honors students get? I hear they get free tickets to concerts and stuff. Also how is the quarter system for an engineering major over there? Does it get a bit rough?</p>

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<p>@cinereous
It’s pretty well-equipped (as it is rather new). I don’t know first-hand, but here’s a quote from the website:
“…over 300 total pieces of strength equipment including benches, racks, rowers, barbells, and dumbbells.”
[Drexel</a> University Recreation Center](<a href=“http://www.drexel.edu/reccenter/about_facilities_parking.html]Drexel”>http://www.drexel.edu/reccenter/about_facilities_parking.html)</p>

<p>@Mje1119</p>

<p>Honors benefits… ah. =) Biggest benefit I think is priority registration. You go after the performing arts people and the seniors, but basically before everyone else. Combine that with looking up professor reviews and such and you can get most of your classes when you want them and who you want them with, instead of having to deal with the leftovers. =D
Second, there’s an Honors lounge in the 5th floor of Macalister Hall. It’s okay, has a bunch of computers and a table, but also has a printer, from which each honors student gets 500 free pages per term. So that’s nice. =)</p>

<p>Third, honors seminars. I think you have to take a total of something like 16 honors credits to graduate with honors, but this can be a combination of honors seminars or honors options for your other classes (like, taking the same class as everyone else but with more work). Honors seminars are usually pretty cool, they have around offer like 6 different ones a quarter, I think next term they’re offering Apocalypse/Post-Apocalypse, a class on that TV show The Wire, and they always have a Ballroom Dancing class. Pretty cool.</p>

<p>Fourth, Honors Ticket Day! =D So every quarter around Week 2 they have an Honors Ticket Day, where the honors office opens at 9am and you can reserve tickets for whatever events they’re offering for the term: musicals, plays, sports games, etc. You have to make a $20 deposit and can only reserve tickets for honors students, but it’s usually a good deal. I hear you have to camp outside for like an hour though (I haven’t gone–fall quarter I had class at that time and this quarter I really didn’t feel like waking up xD). Anyway, all freshman (even non-honors) get this Drexel Cultural Passport which gets you one free admission to a lot of the museums/attractions around Philly, and one free ticket per venue, which often happen to be for the same events as offered by the honors ticket thing.</p>

<p>About Honors Ticket Day:
[News</a> and Events | Honors Program | Drexel University](<a href=“http://drexel.edu/honors/currentStudents/News%20and%20Events/]News”>http://drexel.edu/honors/currentStudents/News%20and%20Events/)</p>

<p>About Drexel Cultural Passport:
[url=&lt;a href=“http://drexelculturalpassport.com/]Drexel”&gt;http://drexelculturalpassport.com/]Drexel</a> University | Cultural Passport<a href=“actually%20this%20website%20is%20not%20that%20great%20but%20most%20of%20the%20locations%20listed%20are%20free%20with%20the%20passport%20even%20if%20the%20website%20says%20they’re%20not”>/url</a></p>

<p>Also Millennium Hall is mostly all Honors freshman. I don’t know if that’s a benefit though. xD</p>

<p>Quarter system for engineering majors… hmmm… Well I can tell you that this week (Week 8/10) I’m really starting to get sick of my classes. xD Maybe I have a short attention span or something, but I don’t think I could deal with a having the same class for a whole semester. Of course what each quarter-length class here covers is less than what is covered at a semester-length class at some other college, but it is pretty fast-paced. Day 1 you usually go over the syllabus, but by the end of Week 1 you’re pretty well-situated into the class material.
Weeks 1-3 are pretty easy in that respect (and you can drop a class with no consequences the end of Week 2 I think). Everything’s pretty chill really, lmao.
Weeks 4-8 is the middle of the term, where a lot of the midterms occur. I’m pretty sure most of the engineering classes have between 1-3 midterms. Physics 101 (which I’m taking now), had 2 midterms: Week 4 and Week 6. And from what I can tell, it’s the same general idea with Chem and Calc.
Weeks 9-10 you’re probably rushing to finish up your end-term papers and projects.
Week 11 is Finals Week, which has no classes, only finals.</p>

<p>So it does go by moderately quickly, but like I said, I really wouldn’t rather it any other way. Of course we’re college students, so of course it gets rough trying to be proactive and juggle to keep everything up so you don’t fall behind too much. =P But it’s all definitely totally doable. I’d rather be super busy than bored, of course. And I’d rather get a class over with in 10 weeks than have to suffer through it for any longer. xD</p>

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<p>Hi Ollie,</p>

<p>I see you are a software engineering major. What is the difference between software engineering in the I school and software engineering is the school of engineering?</p>

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<p>@EdieNJ</p>

<p>=D Finally, a question I can definitely answer! There is no difference, except for registration and advising purposes. So on my registration information, my major is listed as BSSE-IST instead of BSSE-COE (I’m guessing, I really don’t know the code). Also, my adviser is from the iSchool, instead of the College of Engineering. So also, I take UNIV 101 with other iSchool students instead of CoE students.</p>

<p>Other than that, there is no difference–the curriculum is the same, I have my SE classes with the other SE majors. It’s just a little hiccup of a headache if you ask me. But I do get access to the iSchool iCommons for free printing, and since the iSchool is so small it’s a nice friendly environment with lots of free things. =) So I like it.</p>

<p>Are you considering becoming an SE major? Reeeealllly?</p>