<p>My family took a tour and participated in an open house at Drexel University. I thought I would share my thoughts about what I saw.</p>
<li><p>Academics: We were checking out their graphics design and new media program. The person who headed up the department gave a lecture on what was going on. I was quite impressed. I also met parents who participated in computer science and engineering, and they too liked what they heard.Drexel also does a lot of interdisciplary projects, which give students great experience. Also, they have a top rated co-op program.However, most co-op jobs are in Pennsylvania. Drexel, is also very computer saavy and has lots of computer labs. However, I didn’t feel that they had as many computers per student or as wired as say Carnegie Mellon, which I also toured and will discuss in a separate thread. Although Drexel is primarily known for engineering, it had a large number of interest students in its design and new media program. Average SATs for Drexel is around 1200 and they have a 13/1 student teacher ratio, according to the lecturer. I think for engineering and Science, the average SAT is higher. From what I have seen, I would give the school a B to B+ in academics.</p></li>
<li><p>Parking: Parking is somewhat tough there. It is a city school with very little parking. There is one parking garage , and that is it. Drexel, however, is accessible through the Phily subway system and Amtrak. Overall, C- in parking.</p></li>
<li><p>Food: They probably had the worst college food that I have ever tasted. I couldn’t believe that they would serve such slop to visitors. Honestly, the food was mostly fried and greasy. The only good part of it was that they had decent ( but not great) pizza. There wasn’t a lot of choices for lunch either. For example, there was no chicken or hamburgers,but lots of pasta. They had a salad bar, but the lettice looked wilted. They also didn’t have a host of topings. Overall F in food. No kidding.</p></li>
<li><p>Dorms: The building were nice on the outside,but inside were rather small and dreary. I didn’t get to see all the dorms ,but what I saw was underwhelming. Many were old and refurbished years ago. I would give them a C for dorms. Also, The actual “campus” of Drexel appeared safe. However, if you walk couple of blocks from the freshmen dorms, I didn’t get the same feeling of safety.</p></li>
<li><p>Quality of Life: The student center was fairly nice with a large pool. However, the pool table needed some work and they really didn’t have a large number of tread mills for all the students (maybe 12). Gym facilties were about average. Overall, I would give it a C-C+</p></li>
<li><p>Student’s feelings about the school: We approaced several students. Most felt that the academics were good, but as we observed, they didn’t have much to say about anything else. We got the feeling that most students weren’t very happy with the Drexel envirnment.</p></li>
<li><p>Tuition and fees were about $21,300, which is very moderatly priced. Room and board would be around $9,000 more.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Bottom line: I think Drexel is a good school, especially for its engineering, science and art and design programs. If you combine the good academic offerings plus moderate pricing plus very good co- op program, they offer a good academic/vocational experiece,but little else.</p>
<p>Yes, I did. However, the problem with Student Review is that they may not be statitically valid. However, they do pose a good starting point for many schools and lead to further investigation</p>
<p>We almost didn't visit Drexel because of what I read in the student review website. We are planning on looking at RIT this summer and that has even more worse reviews then Drexel however, we have a friend who's daughter is a soph at RIT and she thought my son would enjoy it. Both Drexel and RIT have very in-depth computer majors and co-op programs. The difference at RIT is that you do not pay tuition when you are on co-op. RIT is also more in the suburbs so is not a city school.</p>
<p>Actually Kathiep, we visited RIT. I should do a review of it. I actually was very impressed with the school. It's academics certainly were comparable to Drexel and maybe a bit better. Parking wasn't a problem and the food was much better. They also had a new gym type of building with a great indoor running track, and they have a very good co-op program. The only problem with RIT is its location. Rochester in the winter is very bleak and kids do get depressed. That is why you get some negative responses. However, I interviewed a lot of kids there. You do get mixed responses. If the kid is very into good adademics, they generally liked the school. If they were into partying and socialized, they didn't like it as much.</p>
<p>For the record, both I and my wife liked RIT a lot.</p>
<p>taxguy,
I understand completely about the weather. We actually lived in upstate NY for four long winters. My son is a complete computer dude and his idea of a fun weekend is going to a lan party. Sometimes I don't think he notices the seasons anyway. We're a few hours north of you so it's a little more driveable if a rescue is needed. Son was invited (and I think any other kids that are now Juniors) to do an overnight visit during the summer. Smart move since Spring won't come until June anyway. Would like to see your RIT review in the format you have above.</p>
<p>Son's application is in . Husband wants son to go there but I don't. It's not the programs, they are terrific. Having gone to college in that area- as a commuter,I just don't like the fast traffic. And I know there is a good social life there too. This is one of those situations where I just don't want son to go the same road as me.<br>
We gave up RIT. (because of the weather.)</p>
<p>Does anyone else have anything to share about Drexel. My D applied to their summer for high school students program in design. We haven't heard if she's in (it's been three weeks+). This is one of the few progs that offer a residential design prog in fashion design/merch so it's appealing. But not cheap even for just two weeks. I'd hate to spend all that $ and have her not like it...</p>
<p>Donna, I might be wrong, but I do believe that Marist has this major. You might look at their program. I really liked the campus, and the personal attention. Also, they gave my son a very good financial package.</p>
<p>Thanks. We visited Marist last fall and you're right, they do offer that major. My D isnt sure she wants to major in this in college, which is one reason this summer prog is appealing: it will either sink or sail that ship. But we liked Marist on the whole and it's probably on her list to submit and application. Did you mind that there's just a Home Depot across the street, no downtown nearby?</p>
<p>Donna, My son was admitted, but decided to attend elsewhere. No, I did not mind. Our tour guide was excellent. She genuinely loves going to Marist. She told me that the students ride in cabs, for a very nominal fare (heavily discounted), to get to where they want to go. I have seen some very isolated campuses, but this is not one of them.</p>
<p>I agree with digmedia. In looking at engineering programs, Drexel really struck me overall as a school kids just aren't very happy at. I also recall seeing a very poor retention rate someplace.</p>
<p>i visited drexel when i was a junior in high school. the thing that really turned me off was having to cross 59 roads to get from building to building. i knew it was in the city but didn't realize it was THAT MUCH in the city.. if that makes sense. I stayed for the admissions presentation and then left.. didn't even stay for the tour. My parents were a little annoyed :)</p>
<p>Found the following from the common data set:</p>
<p>For the cohort of all full-time bachelor's (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduate students who entered your institution as freshmen in fall 2004 (or the preceding summer term), what percentage was enrolled at your institution as of the date your institution calculates it official enrollment in fall 2005? 80% </p>
<p>I also have heard of many unhappy students at Drexel. I also read about one student's opinion that transferring credits from this institution was difficult, but I don't know if this is accurate.</p>
<p>I don't think my D would even consider Drexel as a possible college choice, it's just this summer thing that looks good to her. (I did hear that they were overwhelmed by applicants for this specific program -- they only admit 12, and they're behind in reviewing applications so my D won't know for a couple weeks or so. It's frustrating because it was supposed to be the first 12 who applied that met their criteria...)</p>
<p>My D wants more of a college campus-y feeling, though she has no trouble being very near a city.</p>