Second time's the charm at Drexel University (GSEW/O)
Written: May 23 '04 (Updated Feb 04 '05)
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Pros: Excellent engineering programs, ever-expanding options, upgrading facilities, and a fantastic Co-op program...
Cons: ... but it's expensive, and the administration sometimes makes half-assed blunders.
The Bottom Line: An engineering degree from Drexel will take you a long way, and that's the truth. Plus you'll graduate with job experience under your belt.
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| slarter's Full Review: Drexel University |
I have experienced two versions of college. The first was the directly-out-of-high-school version, involving one year of diligent study then a steady downward spiral of the grades associated concomitant with an upward spiral of the social life. The second, after the overly-social life screwed up my first go-round, was the worked-outdoors-year-round-for-three-years-and-I’m-tired-of-it version, involving a well thought-out decision to study my way into a job that didn’t require me to freeze and thaw with the seasons. Having a perfectly fine living situation (rent free with the ‘rents) and a perfectly fine fall-back option (good job a few miles from home), I went at my second “college try” with considerably more enthusiasm and commitment than the first. Because I was unwilling to travel any great distance for school, I was limited to choosing a school in the Philadelphia area. This is no great difficulty, as I can name at least ten schools in the area off the top of my head (Penn, Drexel, Temple, Lincoln, St. Joe’s, Rutgers, Villanova, Haverford, Swarthmore, Eastern… there, ten!). I wanted the best school that I could possibly get into without a preposterous amount of effort, so after crossing the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania off my list, I focused on Drexel University as the next-best choice.
Drexel’s Selling Points
Drexel University has a sterling reputation in the Philadelphia area as a top-notch engineering school. Given that my choice of degree at the time was Mechanical Engineering, it seemed as though Drexel would fit the bill perfectly. Reinforcing this notion was the fact that everyone I mentioned Drexel to would nod and say, “Oh, Drexel. I hear they’ve got a great engineering program.” It seemed like just what I was looking for. After all, no one wants to attend a school about which people say, “Oh, Buttcluster Community College. I hear they were U.S. News & World Report’s Podunk School of the Year.”
The second major selling point for Drexel University is the well-established and heavily-hyped Co-operative education program (billed as “The Ultimate Internship”®). Quoting from the Drexel Undergraduate Catalog, “Co-operative education at Drexel enables full-time undergraduate students to alternate periods of classroom theory with paid professional experience prior to graduation.” Two things about that blurb should stand out to any prospective college student: “paid,” and “professional.” Drexel’s Co-op program (which is mandatory for most undergrad degrees) allows students to graduate from University with not one, not two, but three six-month working experiences in their field of study under their belts. Some students do all three co-ops with the same company, and indeed get hired by that company even before graduation, but most students will switch around a bit to get a feel for the field into which they are moving. This is an excellent program, supported by full-time Drexel staff at all points of the process, and, upon graduation, allows students to display real, applicable experience on their resumes. Incidentally, the College of Engineering (which I was a member of) averages around $12,000 in pay for a six-month internship, which ain’t too bad for a po’ college student, let me tell you.
The third major selling point for Drexel was the location, smack-dab in the middle of University City in Philadelphia. It is within easy reach of public transportation, with the Market-Frankford line running underneath the north end of campus and several buses moving around and through the campus. Being a city school, the campus is split by several major streets, but still manages to boast a few gathering spots away from the hum of traffic. Granted, the campus is about as green as… um… something not very green (damn mental block), but you can’t expect too much from a school located in the middle of the city. The only complaint I might have about the campus is the relative paucity of bicycle racks available for those of us who prefer two wheeled forms of transportation. Unless you get there early or late, you might have trouble finding a place to lock up.
Drexel’s Engineering Program
What is it about Drexel’s College of Engineering that attracts such notice? Well, for one thing, the co-op program graduates students who are quite a bit ahead of their peers at other universities in terms of job experience. For another, the school knows fine well what its strengths are, and funnels a great deal of money into its engineering school. As I type, a new engineering laboratory building is being constructed next to one of the older facilities, and you’d better believe they’ll be hyping that puppy as state-of-the-art in their brochures (it probably will be, too).
As far as classes are concerned, everyone who chooses to enter the College of Engineering must begin with two years of core curriculum courses. Freshman year inundates would-be engineers with calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, and laboratory courses, laying an 18-credit smack-down on incoming students the first term they arrive. Fortunately, the course load slacks off a little bit for the next two terms, but I’m convinced that the College does this to weed out those who might not be committed to the process. Sophomore year sees a bit more in the way of specific courses tailored to each engineering discipline, but still keeps large class sizes for the required courses in thermodynamics, material science, and differential equations (nasty stuff, folks… don’t fall behind in these classes). Laboratory science continues to be emphasized, and interesting courses on engineering history and ethics breaks up the monotony of hard science in this year.
By the way, for those who may be wondering about the term count, I should note that Drexel goes on the quarter system, as opposed to the semester system. Thus there are three quarters and a summer break in freshman year, two quarters of study and two of co-op for sophomore, pre-junior, and junior years, and three quarters and graduation for senior year. Yes, boys and girls, Drexel is a five-year school. But think of it as a three-and-a-half year school with one-and-a-half years of on-the-job training, and you won’t find it so bad.
So after the first two years of large classes and basic sciences, the engineers break up into their separate disciplines. These disciplines, when I last checked, were Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Architectural, Computer, and Chemical Engineering. If I’m not mistaken, the Materials Engineering department was downsized, and the Environmental Engineering department was spread out into various other departments (Biology, Chemistry, Sociology, etc.), so the C. of E. has a couple less programs than when I started. Either way, there is a great deal to choose from for the technically-minded at Drexel.
Drexel’s Professors
There are some who view college as a chore. They show up at class, sit in the back row, talk to their friends, drink too much beer on the weekend… wait a minute! That was me on my first run-through at college… curses! Then there are those who are there for the education, who are mindful of how bloody much money they’re spending (or going into debt) to be there, and who want to get the most out of their academic experience. Professors generally expect the first kind of student, and a good deal of their job is trying very hard to make these folk care about what they’re learning in order that they might be effective engineers/lawyers/sociologists/chemists/writers/whatever in the future. By the same token, professors love the second kind of student, and will truly go out of their way to help, encourage, and assist them. My second time around I strove to be the second kind of student (sometimes unsuccessfully, but hey, I strove… what more can you ask?).
The staff and professors at Drexel University are some of the most accommodating, caring individuals I have had the pleasure of working with and studying under. I can truly say that I had not one really bad experience with the teachers whose classes I attended. When I had problems, they were more than willing to help me work them out. When I was late with assignments, more often than not they didn’t mind at all. When I showed an interest in their subject, they were delighted, and would often spend quite a bit of time chatting with me about their field of study. The time I spent speaking with teachers was absolutely invaluable, in that they were more than willing to write me recommendations, grant me extra credit projects, and even, occasionally, drink the odd beer with me. An interested student is an absolute gift to professors, and an interested professor is an excellent asset for a student.
Drexel’s Administration
Every college has a downside, of course, and if I experienced any problems at Drexel (that were not of my own making) it was due to the administration. Now, every student whines and complains about clerical errors, glitches, hidden charges, the cost of books, and the like, venting their frustration by attributing all the evils of humanity to the all-powerful, all-incompetent administration. My complaint is somewhat more focused.
Having attempted to attain both a B.S. and an M.S. at the same time (an excellent program that, essentially, allows the student to obtain two degrees for almost the price and time expenditure of one), I got to experience life in both the Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering Departments. The School of Environmental Science, Engineering, and Policy (SESEP) was an excellent school, consisting of an interdisciplinary group of teachers and researchers that pulled a disproportionate share of graduate students into the university (without a proportional share of funding, admittedly). Unfortunately, the administration was unwilling to commit the resources necessary to sustain SESEP, and three years into my M.S. studies, disbanded the school entirely. This was a boon to the various departments that acquired the top-notch faculty from SESEP, but an absolute disaster for the study of environmental issues at Drexel. I don’t truly know why the administration chose to act in this manner, but I assume it has to do with money and politics (an assumption borne out by discussions with SESEP’s faculty). The administration allowed an asset to the university to fall through the cracks, preferring to focus on other, higher-profile programs. This is why is say that Drexel’s administration can be a detriment to the University. Confrontational politics is good for no one.
The Bottom Line
For those interested in a good education (especially in the sciences), Drexel University is an excellent choice of schools. It is large enough to provide a rich diversity of students and activities, and is definitely expanding and offering more services to its students than ever before. The teaching staff are excellent (in my experience), the facilities are good and getting better (as new construction always seems to be going on), and the location is convenient to many of Philadelphia’s major attractions. Despite the occasional institutionalized political fiasco, the school is well-run, and focused on providing a top-notch education to its students. And—perhaps the most impressive selling point—the Co-op program gives Drexel graduates much-needed experience in their field before the inevitable job hunt at the end of five years. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth investing in your future? Most definitely. Contact Drexel University if you’re interested. They’d be more than happy to give you more in-depth information about the various options they offer. While you’re at it, why not mention you read my review when you speak to the admissions officer? After all, maybe they’ll give me a discount on my tuition.
© SL, 2004
Author’s Note: This has been my entry into Krissieliz's Graduation Season Education Write-Off. It’s open until Tuesday, May 25th, so if you’re quick you might be able to get in on it. Check out Kristen’s profile page for details.
Recommended:
Yes
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slarter
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