Drexel University

I should give a heads up, that I went here, so perhaps the rating is biased. However, that said, it is always good to go back to where we come from and see how it has changed. Setting foot onto campus, I remember having to decide which food truck for lunch? Instead, it’s now a question of choice — Chick-​fil-​A near 34^th St, Shake Shack near campus, and fortunately, the food trucks remain in the running for the walk between. Outside of the culinary options, it is incredible to see the number of buildings that have come up. Having dorms above Creese Student Union was an impressive feat. Of course, from what I have read, Drexel’s academics continue to keep up with the times alongside the physical improvements of the past decade.

Drexel’s campus is up and coming. The bookstore has been upgraded with a more streamlined look. New restaurants and retail are making the campus a more attractive place. The recent layoffs of some really good people including the dean of students is creating a negative atmosphere inspire of the physical upgrades.

Don’t bother wasting your money here. You’ll spend $ 50,000 in tuition to go to a class so the professor can tell you to spend $ 500 on a textbook to teach yourself. Then spend another $ 250 to do online homework and quizzes, which have to be bought or you fail the class. Having trouble with homework? No problem, call the company that moderates it, they’ll help you. Thanks for nothing, I learned more about programming in 10 minutes on YouTube than I did in 10 weeks of 2 hour classes.

Unrelated: Drexel University indirectly led me to become a Unilocaler. I had moved to Philadelphia for school, and I wanted to find a good cheesesteak. Google pointed me towards Unilocal.Unilocal pointed me towards cheesesteaks. And… Here we are…
I have mixed feelings about Drexel University.
On a good day, I have positive feelings about:
+ The time and money that I invested in a master’s degree from a relatively well ranked university (although this is debatable, and entirely dependent on which academic ranking list you consider).
+ The co-​op program; I was required to complete a slightly modified version to receive my degree. The co-​op emphasis resulted in me doing a summer internship of sorts, which then resulted in me getting the job I have now. So (when I’m feeling generous), I’m willing to concede that I got a job that I didn’t actually qualify for because my boss happened to be impressed with my co-​op experience. But, we’re talking Butterfly Effect-​ish events that has led me to where I am, so Drexel University doesn’t get all the credit.
On a bad day, I remember:
— Some of the borderline unqualified professors that I had to deal with.
— How the program seemed to play fast and loose with the curriculum.
— How the program I was in basically cut me loose with few, correction, no networking opportunities afforded me (despite my best, and often desperate efforts). They are good about asking me to donate to the school though, but it’ll be a cold day in Mali before I become a donating alumnus.
— How I’m actually in an entirely un-​related field right now, so the degree that I pursued proved to be an expensive waste of time.
— How I was unemployed for 1.5 years following the expensive education that I pursued. Well this last one involved so many variables that it would be unfair to blame it on Drexel University.
All of this came to mind recently, because I am mere months away from paying off my graduate student loans. It was a hefty amount. I tried to the best of my ability to limit how much money I borrowed and it was still pretty expensive. But, I have a job (that I love), which has helped me pay off the loans within… :counting: four years of me receiving the degree… Many of my friends from the program have also gone on to become quite successful in their respective careers.
So… Now I’m straddling the line and feeling ambivalence about the whole thing. I wouldn’t do it again if I had a choice. But if I had a choice, I would also ask to be born a Saudi Arabian prince. We can get into weird alternate timelines with me very easily…
I’ve mentioned it before; if your decision to pursue post-​secondary education is significantly influenced by Unilocal reviews, university as a whole may not be for you. Do your due diligence, and determine if Drexel is your best option. Or don’t. We all have to learn these things by ourselves, right? After all, we aren’t talking about cheesesteaks here…
Lastly, while the main campus is decent, the Center City Campus is ugly as sin. A majority of my classes were at the ugly campus. Sad.

Was there for a mock exam for my wine class, the facilities are a little outdated and leave quite a bit to be desired from such an esteemed private university as Drexel. But the wine was great!

I tried to love this school. I’m from Nashville Tennessee. I thought racism was bad at home until I got to drexel. It’s so bad that everyone acts like it does not exist. In general (but not always) Blacks hate blacks whites ignore anyone other than whites it’s insane. Of course their are exceptions but the real issue isn’t with students it’s with faculty and administrative. The office if diversity has a staff of 3 people and up until this year all were white. The police randomly search black males and financial aide (although equally horrible to all srudents) Label the few black males as aggressive when they voice concerns. Outside of all this Philadelphia is full of mean spirited people. At least back home people don’t hide who they are and ironically regardless of prejudice still exercise humanity. I would only go here if I were white but as a black student should you want to deal with the worst finincial aide office on the planet and mostly white faculty do so at your own risk but at least have a support system very nearby.

I’m just reviewing the Campus since I was there last summer. There’s a lot of old architecture, which is pretty to look at in the main building (which I think is the admissions office?). There’s a lot of developments going on, specifically the one at 32^nd & Chestnut where they are building a new student housing facility, so when I was there it looked like a construction site (and it was). Anyway, they have a pretty campus. Can’t say much about the academics because I’m not a student here, and if you’re looking for that you should try studentsreview or something like that. Not friggen Unilocal

As an update.
So there I was, sitting across the table from a graduate at the same college I went to at Drexel; she basically has the same degree… I’m in, I thought.
Then she says, well, the iSchool, they only teach theory, nothing useful… and I did not get the job.
So, I was not even hired by an alumni with the same degree from the iSchool because even she assessed it as being worthless… this shows what a sorry state Drexel is in… what a pathetic, awful university.

I’m in my second term at Drexel, and my experience has been interesting to say the least. Half of my professors are foreign and have extremely thick accents that are hard to understand. This has forced me to spend many more hours on my own than I would have if I could understand the professor. Other professors barely know the subject they are supposed to be instructing, and you can see this when they need to refer to notes to answer a simple question.
I understand my limited sample of professors doesn’t accurately represent the whole university (thank you to my stat professor), but the fact that these professors made it through Drexel’s hiring process is embarrassing. Even though Drexel is a private university, it has a party hard, state school feel. Go to a Drexel basketball game or to Cavanaugh’s on a Thursday night and you’ll see what I’m talking about. If only the professors took education as seriously as the students do with drinking, it would be a superb school.

I graduated in June of 2012 and am glad to be done. Drexel is one of the most expensive universities in the country when it comes to what students actually pay. The co-​op program is fantastic and one of the best things about the university, but the classroom experience doesn’t really back it up for most majors. As a marketing major I spent two co-​ops working for the Steinbright Career Development Center which runs the co-​op program among other career related assistance and my third working for a small digital advertising agency. The school claims to be on the leading edge of technology and tries it’s hardest to incorporate it, but most things end up just being more of a pain and a headache.
Don’t count on much student aid. Even if you receive a bunch your freshman year, that doesn’t equate to all 4 or 5 years at the school. If you have an issue with your financial aid, then you are basically screwed as most of my friends were. I have more friends than I can count who never completed Drexel as they lost their aid or it was greatly reduced even when FAFSA claimed they should have had more and could no longer afford the school.
If you do go to Drexel, I recommend looking into the Campus Activities Board as they plan all the fun events for undergrads each year. If you play an instrument, get involved in the band or orchestra. You can get a small scholarship and get priority registration for classes, same as athletes. There is also a teacher review website that students post on that is pretty accurate in recommending who to take and who not to.
The school has great corporate connections, but a lot of red tape. Very corporate atmosphere. Not your average university. Freshman year is your only year that is somewhat similar to a typical college, after that you are a young professional.
Now that I’ve graduated I am planning to move home soon and take additional classes at a local college that are more relevant to what I want to do for additional experience.

I am really shocked by how clueless some of the admissions counselors here are. I was interested in their coding program, and I contacted them via email. They never emailed me back, so I had to call them. These people were not helpful at all. They could not provide me the missing information on the webpage. Instead, all they could do was simply repeating whatever information that’s already on the website. For example, I was asking them if there’s a list of faculty members. I want to check out the instrctors’ qualifications first before I pay for these classes. Guess what? None of the enrollment counselors was able to provide me that information. It’s ridiculous. Whatever. I’m sure that there are community colleges that offer such programs at a much lower cost.

Unilocal is not the place to look for a university. Drexel is a multifaceted institution with its fair share of ups and downs, if you are really interested in it sign up for a tour or stop some students on the street and ask about it.
I study biomedical engineering here, and while I can’t say that I love everything about Drexel, I do feel it is a great school.

The co-​op program is great but it is also what you make of it. If you are looking for free money and little to no effort, this is probably not the place for you. Students here are motivated, driven and striving for success. They know how to have fun at the same time get the most from their degree.
As an alumna, I definitely recommend people to check out the school. Yes, it’s pricey as most private institutions, but the cost is worth it if you take your time there seriously.

I graduated Drexel in the mid 1980s, and am now in the process of helping my son find a school.
I received a good education at Drexel, but moreover I was able to leverage my participation in the co-​op program there to build a fantastic career. If I could go back and do it again, I would do it the same way. Just a couple of key points that have stayed with me through the years:
1) I thought I wanted to be in Major «A» because I mistakenly believed I understood what members of that profession did for a living. After one co-​op experience in that discipline, I quickly found out that I did not enjoy it, nor did I have the personal and professional characteristics that would allow me to excel in this profession. I was able to change disciplines to major «B» before it was too late.
2) By my third co-​op assignment I had settled into the discipline that suited me best, found an excellent job with a first rate employer, was offered a job before I even graduated, and worked into more and more responsibility, and into a fine career.
I admit I found Drexel to be a place that lacked school spirit, though I tried my hardest to get involved with many activities (yearbook, newspaper, the band and orchestra, etc) keeping in mind though that this was 25 years ago (sob– I am old now), the campus is much more inviting than it was in 1985, but it is still not a campus with gardens and ivy and where people enjoy mugs of tea whilst sitting studying on window seats of old buildings. It reminds me more of the campus of Boston University, urban and more industrial in its design.
I was not much of a party goer; that was not the reason I went to school in the first place, and so I didn’t miss that at all. My friends however, seemed to find no shortage of fun and mischief to get into while we were there.
I’d do it all again, and I would recommend my son attend there if he chooses.

Drexel University is great! I attended for the 5 year BS/​MBA program with 2 co-​ops and it’s true, as with anything else in the world, «you get exactly what you put in.» I worked hard, was involved on campus and took the co-​op program seriously, and I got a lot out of it. The University is continually being enhanced physically and in terms of its social, professional and academic opportunities – and alongside this, its reputation in the region is gaining momentum as well. I recommend Drexel University to students who are independent and ambitious – otherwise you are wasting your time expecting to be coddled through your education.

I never attended Drexel so I can only review based on my (rather extensive) experience with classwork/​co-​op through my girlfriend, her (our) friends, and the 30-​odd co-​ops at my company.
The co-​op program is really great. It puts students in touch with some of the biggest and best companies in the area. Obviously, the value of working for a top accounting, finance, or engineering firm in a full-​time capacity prior to finishing your undergrad is a huge bonus. The quality of co-​ops varies, with some being paper pushing and others being actual learning opportunities.
The major drawbacks to Drexel, from what I’ve seen, are:
1) Lack of PhDs teaching.
2) Lack of challenging coursework.
3) Hideous campus.
4) Suitcase campus.
5) Name recognition only in Philly area with employers.
Lack of PhDs isn’t a bad thing for everyone. A PhD doesn’t guarantee a good teacher and a lack of a PhD doesn’t preclude one from being a great teacher. That being said, most non-​PhDs (both in my experience and from those friends at Drexel) don’t tend to have the breadth of knowledge serious students expect from a professor. A master’s and/​or years of job-​related experience does not necessarily mean you’ll be able to explain how derivatives work or be able to answer more complex economic questions.
The classwork, at least compared to what I saw as an undergrad, is not difficult. Exams in even the most difficult of business classes are not comprehensive and require mostly regurgitation of basic principles. No applied learning is required. Same thing with the sciences and maths. I never took an engineering class so I can’t comment.
The campus appearance and the fact it empties out on the weekends are major complaints from students.
The name recognition issue is also one I’ve heard from people that are from areas outside of Philly. If they didn’t get big name co-​ops (the Goldmans and the Deloittes) they have trouble finding a job since the employers don’t actively recruit Drexel and most Drexel grads stay in the Philly area from what I’m told.
Still, Drexel affords students opportunities at major companies that might not otherwise get that chance coming out of a Temple or a St. Joe’s. Graduating with a year and a half of full time experience can only be a good thing.

I attended the Drexel iSchool for my masters and was a bit disappointed. I was hardly challenged and took many required classes that would never be of use in my future career.
That said, most of the professors I had were friendly and responsive. The staff was always friendly — even if they weren’t always helpful or knowledgeable.
I took classes online so I didn’t have to go onto campus, but I did go to campus a couple of times and the area is pretty nice as long as you don’t venture off campus … (this coming from someone who is not a city person).
As a librarian and a library student I can say that the library and library staff were awesome, helpful and forward thinkers!

Bill M. you nailed it… if you are driven, somewhat experienced and know which direction you will most likely head in — then the Drexel Co-​op experience proves to be invaluable. The relationships you form and the experience you gain allow you to leapfrog all of the entry level guys in your field with regard to pay and title right out of school.
I returned to my first co-​op employer after graduation and made tons of loot, rapidly rose up the food chain and ended up running the sales department for a national company with clients like CK and Trump in under 4 years. At that point I could write my own ticket, but chose instead to leave and roll the dice on the bigger picture.
Luke S… sorry to hear that the lack of parties, sod and topiaries didn’t mesh with your style. The world needs ditch diggers too.
Would recommend Drexel to anyone with an already strong focus and ambition for excelling in their potential field. Don’t go there for elementary ed degree.

I’ve heard mixed things about this school. but good things overall. I’ve also found that the people who had an absolute idea of what they wanted to do after had a better time here then those who went in without having at least a general idea. It pushes internships hard and it has some great programs available for them. My friend who went in for computer engineering got hooked up with Unisys. My friend who is there now for psychology/​social work got set up with the Ronald McDonald House. so they take it as seriously as you want to take it and really pushes you toward the business experience. take it for what you will and you probably won’t like it if your looking for a big time party (there are/​were some at least).

I went here for two years before transferring to Northwestern back in Chicago. This place is the dumps. The way in which everything was run was just wrong. The administrators treat it like a business rather than an institution of higher learning. If you’re debating about coming here, don’t. The campus is a mess and the party scene is non-​existent. I do have to say I did meet a lot of great people in my two years here. Unless you’ve been rejected by every decent school in the country steer clear of this place.