Drexel University Top Questions

The Chemistry department is under-funded, making it difficult to go to research conferences (and other similar activities) without spending some of your own money. The department is currently in search of a permanent department head, and some of the candidates have great ideas and plans for how to get more funding, but I will likely graduate before those plans go into effect.

I wish I had known how cold it is up here. I'm from Florida and I do not fair too well in the winters.

I wish I had know about the amount of scholarships available on the internet. I also wish I had known about the many opportunities to work both on and off campus. There is so much opportunity in college outside of the classroom. From independent research, to jobs, to social activities. I didn't take advantage in much outside of the classroom which I regret.

Good feed back from alumni, and friends

The difficulties of being a commuter.

Before attending high school I wish that I had known what it meant to be myself. When I first started high school I had a big group of freinds, but I never really had fun. My friends were nothing like the kind of person that I was. They were mean to everyone inside and outside of our small group. As I grew up though high school I learned that I was only pretending to be like them so that I would have freinds and be invited places. By the end I left those friends to make ones more like me.

I wish I would have understood the financial process a little better. The financial aid or requirements for the matter seem extremely unorganized and confusing.

I wish I had known more about the limitations of the co-op system which is the most advertised aspect of the university. The school gives you numbers/percentages for the overall student body, in terms of getting a co-op and whether it's unpaid or not. When they average numbers, they don't tell you that the majority of the paid jobs are in engineering, and they don't provide much information about how many co-ops there really are in each major. Sometimes people have to look in other majors for a co-op.

I wish that I would have known Drexel does not provide nursing loans or scholarships for their accelerated nursing program.

I wish I would of known how intense the accelerated nursing program was, but I'm always up for a challenge.

I wish I had known how fast 10 weeks really goes by. It is very tough to find a balance between a social life and study time. Had I known how important my grades were going to be then I would have tried harder my freshman year . It's much harder to bring your GPA up to a 4.0 after it has already fallen.

I learned everything as I went along. I have not found myself unhappy with anything I have learned about this school on my educational journey.

That there are more tracts to graduate school. DU only had PT and Physician assistant as grad school options, therefore in undergrad we were more so directed in that way. I wish I knew earlier how many avenues existed. I may have chosen another school. I felt I wasn't exposed to what I could do with my health science degree.

Before I started attending Drexel, I wish I had fully realized the difficulty of ten week terms. I knew of the quarter system and I had been warned that it's not for everyone. Ten week terms means you have midterms four or five weeks into your freshman year of college. It means missing a single class could have detrimental effects on your grade. Although it is a lot of hard work, I've learned to adjust to the system. I find it to be a challenging and rewarding way to learn.

Although I knew Drexel operated by the quarter system, I was not initially prepared for the fast-paced environment. You cannot afford to fall behiond because once you do, it is extremely difficult to catch up. Also, I assumed I would frequently explore Philadelphia while attending Drexel, but I have not taken advantage of living in the city as much as I originally thought.

I wish I had known how much money is needed to spend on bills, food, and school supplies. It all adds up and is very expensive when it comes to those students who are design majors.

Before coming to Drexel, I wish that I had known about all of the close amenities located around and off campus. By going to school in Philadelphia, I am surrounded by so many adventures and opportunities. Center City is just blocks away and the University of Pennsylvania is right across the street!

One of the greatest blunders is the mistake of being reluctant to change and embracing the person I want to be. I should have lived on campus or done so sooner to develop a strong social network of peers. I wish I would have known the value of social networking and campus involvement and weighed it against financial woes. I arrived at Drexel with a goal of becoming an electrical engineer but unfortunately hadn't planned anything else. I should have participated in more study groups, and taken advantage of other resources that would likely have increased my test scores.

I wish I would've known the majors at this school in more detail. I originally chose a BS in Computer Science as my major. I ended up changing it twice, and now I am in information systems with a minor in accounting. I would've wished I known some of the 'secrets' when it comes to financial aid, or stories of students who ran into trouble in this school and how they solved it rather than hearing nothing but success stories. These stories would most definitly reassure me of my problems I might've had while attending this school.

Everyone is rich.

Nature of the quarter system and elaborate information on their financial aid provisions

I wish I knew how much work it was going to take. Seriously, college is definitely a step up from high school. The important thing to realize, though, is that the harder you work, the more you'll learn, so it definitely pays off, especially during those late nights before finals. I have put in a lot of hard work since I started my college experience, but it has definitely proven worth my time and effort. The saying is definitely true that you reap what you sow!

I wish I knew how much work it was going to take. Seriously, college is definitely a step up from highschool. The important thing to realize, though, is that the harder you work, the more you'll learn, so it definitely pays off, especially during those late nights before finals. I have put in a lot of hard work since I started my college experience, but it has definitely proven worth my time and effort. The saying is definitely true that you reap what you sow!

What to bring and what not to bring. My room is very small and there are 3 of us in the room. We are very tight for space.

I wish I had known that the co-op system is really only beneficial for the engineering students and anyone who can afford to not be paid for a semester. If you have to work while enrolled at Drexel, skip the co-op if you can.

I wish I had known how living in the middle of a big city would be.

How intense my program would be

Better knowledge of the surroundings and the area.

I wish I had joined some of the great extracurricular activities at my university during the first week of school because, now that my classes are underway, clubs are already formed and I'm busy with my studies, it's more difficult to investigate the activities and get involved, so I'll be sure to consider clubs and activities and become more involved next year.

I wish that I had known how much the real world relies on "who you know," rather than "what you know." In college, especially the business school at Drexel, one of the main things that the Business 101 professors focus on is networking. I wish I had been expecting to expand my network not only socially, but professionally. Luckily, I was able to learn very quickly and have since been practicing by making connections wherever I go, whether into the city or back home. I have also learned how important business cards can be.

Housing availability

I wish I'd known more about better ways to finance college tuition. Being the first in the family attending college, I was pretty much left on my own to get ready for college & unfamiliar with the FAFSA & applying for scholarships, bringing my family & I a great deal of stress as the year progressed. I think it would be EXTREMELY helpful & beneficial to students if high school help seminars demonstrating how/where to apply for scholarships & the best way to fill out the FAFSA correctly so students aren't left to figure it out on their own like i was.

After freshman year you do not have a summer vacation. We have 10 week quarters and after freshman year you are either in classes or at an internship. It's hard to get the "real" college experience when Drexel is on such a weird schedule.

Nothing, I was very prepared for this school.

The importance of maintaining contacts from high school.

The school operates on a tri-mester system, which makes it extremly difficult to adjust to. The pace at which academic information is presented is super accelerated. I wish i realized this my first year, i would not have made certain mistakes. Time amanagement skills is definitely one of the requirements at this school!

That there would be many administrative hoops to jump through.

I attended Drexel University for their 11 month accelerated nursing program. I had a previous bachelors degree from the University of PIttsburgh. I wish I had known that Drexel requires its nursing students to take the NCLEX practice exam, the HESI in order to graduate. They require an 87{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on the HESI exam to be eligable for graduation. Although I passed, approximately 30 of my classmates did not and have yet to receive their diplomas. Some have even been told to consider other careers. Meaning, their passing classes has nothing to do with completing the program. Despicable.

I wish I would have known the importance of attending accepted new student days and orientations. Once I got accepted, I sent them my deposit and that was that. I really should have taken more chances to get to know all the services available and get myself better oriented with the campus. I would have also liked to have known about summer programs available for students in my particular college and realized I could have gotten more involved with the College of Engineering sooner and made major contributions to the college.

I wish I'd known how hard it is to stay involved on campus because of the co-op program. I also wish I'd realized that it is really hard to get Drexel students engaged in activities such as volunteering, or environmental and political activities.

I wish i knew more about the nursing program as far as grading, testing, and clinical placement.

That I would have gotten just as good of an education, and even better preparation for medical school, for less cost at a different college. Drexel is fun, but not worth the money/stress of financial aid.

The insane total cost

I wish I had known how intense the ten week quarter system was. There are usually three rounds of midterms (during week 3, week 6, and week 9) followed by finals during week 11. With 4-5 classes a semester as a full time student this kind of schedule can be extremely grueling for the unprepared student. There is no time to slack off and very little room for error. Focus, dedication, commitment and time management skills are MUST HAVES at Drexel. However, it's not impossible. The system just typically weeds out those who aren't serious about education.

Nothing

It is not very artistic and financial aid is hard to come by.

How much help the staff provided.

I wish I had known how much money I would be spending living on campus considering it's the city. I wish I had a better idea and known to save more than I expected.

My impression of this school was very accurate. I had no suprises

I wish I had common knowledge of the social atmosphere. Drexel University isn't the most social campus in the United States. Furthermore, there weren't many diverse activities participate in. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed my years in Drexel University. I became familiar with a culture that was way out of my norm in a racial and economic sense.