<p>I know this has been asked numerous times but how has your overall Drexel experience been? Everyone says co-op is the best part, but aside from that (and Philly too), what else does Drexel have to offer? Does the school hold a lot of events to get the students involved? </p>
<p>Also, since Philly is another large city and with large cities come higher crime rates, but is it really that much worse than say NYC? Or will general common sense in the city be pretty suffice at staying safe?</p>
<p>I’ll answer as an alum and as a parent of a current applicant.</p>
<p>Co-op was the single most important item on my resume when applying for a job during my senior year. While other applicants were trying to fill a 30-minute interview with descriptions of their student club affiliations or part-time jobs, I was able to recount my co-op projects and history of increasing responsibilities with my employer. My current employer has identified Drexel as a strategic source for new engineering hires.</p>
<p>I was never at a loss for on-campus activities during my time at Drexel. Concerts, the occasional basketball or hockey game, and general weekend social activities around campus.</p>
<p>When my son identified Drexel as an option for his intended major, I made sure to remain neutral so he could make his own decision. We did the official campus tour and then I gave him the extended tour or the surrounding areas. He chose to apply and now we’re waiting for a positive reply.</p>
<p>University City is well patrolled by Drexel & Penn security as well as the Philly police. In my opinion, campus is much safer today than during my years there. Of course, ‘street smarts’ are always a good idea in a city environment.</p>
<p>Is it the best school for everyone? Not at all. Is it worth considering? In my opinion, yes.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your insight! I know there are always going to be negative reviews, but it’s nice to read the occasional good review of the school! </p>
<p>I’m not sure if you can answer these, but I have some more questions:
For those in accelerated/joint programs (for example, BS/MD members, just an example), how’s the atmosphere with the other students? Do they tend to form small, close knit communities? Are members of a particular program usually on coop at the same time and can they be with the same company? </p>
<p>What type of coop could one get working in a hospital/clinical setting since the students are licensed or anything? How hands on?</p>
<p>When considering other coop schools (Northeastern is often compared), why Drexel over others?</p>
<p>My son applied for the 3+3 DPT program so we did some research before and during our tour. As far as the atmosphere with other students, everyone starts at the University City campus. I’d imagine that some students would self-segregate with members of their intended major but I was told that most of the medical students choose to live around the main campus and take the bus into Center City for classes at that campus.</p>
<p>The co-op questions are good ones. My son would participate in one six-month co-op but we didn’t get specifics on that issue. I will add that my wife was learning to start IV’s while she was in nursing school - there has to be some hands-on training before licensing.</p>
<p>Getting back to Drexel as a whole…</p>
<p>If my son is accepted to the 3+3 DPT program, we will certainly factor in the paid co-op and the cost savings when compared to a traditional 4-year undergrad / 3-year grad school program. But if he is only offered a token merit scholarship, I can’t imagine justifying the cost of tuition, room & board at Drexel when compared to his other options. We’ll see.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16658998-post29.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16658998-post29.html</a>
^I thought I may as well link my response here. This is just my overall “What I learned…” from my experience at Drexel.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I know this has been asked numerous times but how has your overall Drexel experience been?
-Me personally, it hasn’t been great. I liked the friends I have made, the unique clubs and organizations I was a part of of (Dragon Jedi, New Student Orientation Staff, Animal Veterinary Club, etc.), and the social opportunities Drexel gave for commuters ( I’m a commuter). However, I was placed into a major I did not applied to and I have been trying to change my major to no avail for over a year and a half now (I’m a sophomore) ever since the summer of my admittance. I faced a lot of difficulties with advisers, administrative faculties, and kept getting directed to numerous bunch of people who directed to more people. </p></li>
<li><p>Everyone says co-op is the best part, but aside from that (and Philly too), what else does Drexel have to offer? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>-Honestly, nothing else I could truly think of… There are some great professors that teaches well and would do you a favor by teaching you, but there are a fair number of professors who won’t care for you or your education and just give you an easy A or a D. There’s also a good number of work-study jobs so you can find a job easily if you were awarded work-study funds. </p>
<ol>
<li>Does the school hold a lot of events to get the students involved? </li>
<li><p>Yup! There’s also the occasional cheap $10 concerts for big-ticketed artists at the DAC. There’s a lot of events that go around campus. There’s no excuse to not be involved. There’s also a lot of events that have raffles, contests, and free food. </p></li>
<li><p>Also, since Philly is another large city and with large cities come higher crime rates, but is it really that much worse than say NYC? Or will general common sense in the city be pretty suffice at staying safe?</p></li>
<li><p>It’s really safe in University City/Center City/Penns landing/South Street, to be honest. Yeah, there are occasional muggings and what not but that can happen anywhere. It’s very rare. You will see UPenn and Drexel campus police patrolling University Park and Drexel does offer escorting services at night when you feel unsafe or live off campus. I do not recommend going on the PATCO train to go to Camden, NJ for whatever reason. Camden is the worst city and the only time people ever cross over is to go for concert venues or the aquarium. </p></li>
<li><p>When considering other coop schools (Northeastern is often compared), why Drexel over others?</p></li>
<li><p>The advantage Drexel has is, you are living in the Philly area or what to be in the Philly area, Drexel will probably have more co-op options around Philly than other co-op schools. I’m not entirely sure that the fact that we work on a quarter system is an advantage. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>The disadvantage when comparing Drexel to Northeastern is: You still pay Drexel when you are on co-op unlike Northeastern.</p>