MPH Drexel MPH Admitted Students Day 2017

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Hey SDN friends! I just wrapped up admitted students day at Drexel and took a ton of notes. I would post this in the 2017 thread, but (1) it’s SO LONG and (2) there is so little written anywhere about this school that I wanted to make this easily searchable for future applicants.

Overall impression: A++, I loved it. I think this school is chronically underrated on these forums. I’m not saying it’s perfect for everyone, but it has everything I wanted. I think it may have bumped Brown from my top choice, but I will still wait Brown out to see if they will even let me in.

Details:
  • The area is very clean & student-oriented—gyms, fast/casual food, easy to access via SEPTA, all very modern
  • The public health facilities are clearly new (or newly renovated)—glass offices, modern furniture, murals, etc. It was all very bright and warm and welcoming despite the TERRIBLE weather (slush falling from the sky). This contrasts a lot to what I’ve seen at other schools where public health is kind of put in a basement or attached to a med school.
  • I met first with Director of Enrollment (CB). She very clearly had read my application thoroughly and asked me questions about my background. I asked her some general questions about the school and Dornsife Fellowship. Highlights:
    • The school is not focused on becoming a big name in public health or competing with institutions like Harvard, Hopkins, or Columbia. They ARE focused on teaching and supporting students while maintaining a tight relationship with Philly communities. The recent Dornsife gift has pushed their direction towards urban health (both domestically and abroad)
    • Hours for the Dornsife Fellowship research component are not strictly monitored to 15/week, but the stipend will stay at $1k/month no matter how many hours we actually work.
    • The matching process for Fellows and faculty mentors will start in May. Students opinions are taken into account, but they do not need to state a preference.
  • Then I met with the Dean of the school (ADR) who was very warm and personable. She also knew details about me from my application and chatted with me about the Fellowship, my dilemma choosing between community health and epi, and life in Philly. Happy to elaborate on any of this.
  • I mingled with many students in many departments. There was also a panel of students who answered questions mostly about their specific practical experiences and general life stuff like housing. I felt like I could be friends with and have an easy, interesting conversation with all but one. Some notes:
    • Students seem younger than at most schools. One was married and in her late 20s (basically where I am now), but even though there were some others in that age bracket, they seemed younger in terms of life experience/personality/etc. Some of the other admitted students also brought their parents?? I thought this was very weird but otherwise felt totally comfortable with the younger age range of the matriculated students. Just mentioning it because in contrasts with what I’ve seen at other schools.
    • Students have a lot of flexibility and freedom in terms of how they manage their time and gain experience. The happiest and most successful ones seemed to have very full schedules—ie., one was working 25 hours/week at a pharm company, volunteering 10 hours/week at a hospital, taking 3 courses, and finishing an independent masters project.
    • Good racial diversity. On the student panel, I think only 1 of the 6 people was white (obvs making assumptions here), but I have no idea if that was representative of the general student population.
    • All students really stressed getting to know Philly and becoming an active citizen in it, which I loved. The school seems to have great town/gown relations, and the students I met lived all over the city.
    • Students talked highly about the upward trajectory of the school in terms of reputation and funding, the career services available, and how they were “forced” (very happily, it seemed) to get tons of varied practical experience. All students in all departments emphasized the quantitative skills they gained or were using (SAS, GIS).
    • Second year students seem to have lined up a job or PhD program for next year at this point. No one gave specific statistics on placement, which is thus far the only major red flag for me on Drexel.
  • Dean ADR gave a presentation to us all. She stressed the themes of the school: commitment to health equity/disparities, civically engaging as an urban university, and emphasizing public health practice and research translation.
  • There have been some major changes to the MPH program that the director then went over. They are not yet on the website, so I will outline them below:
    • The credits required to complete the program have been reduced, making the program 5 quarters instead of 6. (Fall/Winter/Spring/Fall/Winter)
    • There are 4 “majors” (CHP, EOH, Epi (which include biostat), and HMP) and now there will be many minors housed within this majors to choose from. Students can complete a minor outside or inside of their department. The ones I had time to copy from the slide were: EOH, Global Health, Infection Prevention, LGBT Health, Maternal and Child Health, Latino and Immigrant Health, Public Health Ethics and History, and Substance Use
    • Instead of first year students taking intro courses in all the “majors”, starting next year they will take an “integrated core” as a cohort. This will be a team-taught 2-quarter class that covers the same material as the previous 4 intro courses, just in a, well, integrated way. It will meet as a 100ish person lecture one day a week (the whole first year class together) and break into discussion sections of 20-25 a second day per week. The other courses people take during this time will be directly applicable to their major. This means that Drexel is moving towards less flexibility in switching programs. I was repeatedly told "it won't be impossible to switch, but you should do your research and choose wisely with what you start out with."
    • The practical experiences will no longer happen the same way due to the shortened program length. Instead, all students will complete 3 practical experiences:
      • Breadth Experience: every student once a month is required to expand their knowledge beyond their interests/field by attending a lecture or volunteering in some capacity. This is logged in a portfolio.
      • Depth Experience: in the spring quarter of the first year (or summer after), students must complete 120 hours of work at one site. This is replacing the “practicum” current students are doing. This can be an internship or research experience and can happen in a site outside of your “major.” It can’t be paid. There are some options for completing this abroad through Intensive Courses Abroad in Cuba, Israel, or Senegal/Gambia if Global Health is your thing. Happy to elaborate.
      • Intensive Learning Experience: This happens in the fall & winter quarters of second year. It is basically a highly customizable thesis or culminating project that you are expected to work on 10-20 hours per week for either 2 or 3 credits per quarter. It can’t be paid. There seemed to be some students who were doing this pretty independently (ie., analyzing data with support from a faculty advisor) to students who integrated themselves into a company or organization to students who started their own community projects.
      • All of this is managed/arranged by a “director of student placement” (this is separate from career services) who matches student interests with outside partners to create lasting relationships between Drexel and the community. Students can but are not expected to arrange them themselves.
  • Professors from all 4 of the “majors” gave an overview of their department and their research. All of them were pretty compelling speakers with interesting research. Some were new to the school and seemed excited to be there. They all emphasized social justice and community transformation in their work. They also talked about the fluidity between the disciplines at Drexel and the opportunities for collaboration between departments through all the centers (like the Urban Health Collective). It did indeed seem like most had very interdisciplinary training (including the Dean ADR, who is a physician with a HPM PhD and works in epi). There was an overt liberal bias, but that’s to be expected (and, IMO, welcomed) in public health.
    • Many, many students take all their electives in a department separate from their major. The school does not allow double majoring, but it’s possible to fulfill all the requirements for two by doing this. I think one of the reasons they are adding the minors is so that students do get some on-paper recognition for their competence in areas outside their major.
  • There was also a presentation from the global studies office, which recently established more opportunities abroad for MPH students. I am not really interested in Global Health and tbh zoned out for this since it was the end of the day, but I can give you contact info for the presenter if you would like. I would say Drexel is more domestically than globally focused, but I think they are trying to strike a better balance going forward.
  • Somewhere in this day, I had a very honest conversation with a respected professor in my area of interest. She instantly seemed to care about me and what I wanted to do, and gave me some great advice which I will pass on—(1) no matter what department you are in, learn all the quant skills you can to keep your job prospects open (2) don’t be stupid; go wherever gives you the most funding [her words, not mine!] (3) focus more on learning skills and networking than on what appears on your transcript (either in terms of major, courses taken, or grades earned)

In conclusion: I think if you are interested in urban health equity, translational research, practical experience, and/or a smaller, supportive environment, Drexel is a place to seriously consider. It is a growing name in the field, and may provide better preparation than big name programs because of all its emphasis on practical experience (obviously depending on your background experience and future goals). It has tons of money coming in from outside donors and grants. The school environment is focused on support and skill building, not competition and GPAs. And Philadelphia also seems like a pretty cool city, but I’m going to have to come back on a day when slush is not falling from the sky to explore it fully. Drexel will obviously not appeal to everyone, but I wanted to be its cheerleader regardless of whether or not I choose to go there because I feel like it's often overlooked.

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Thank you so much for this! I think that I am now 98% sure that Drexel is it for me, unless another school gives better funding (improbable).
 
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Thanks so much for sharing this info. I'm trying to decide between Minnesota and Drexel and I'm pretty confident that Minnesota will be very helpful in terms of networking, getting practical experiences, and being able to find a reasonably well-paying and relevant job while I'm in school. It sounds like Drexel will be similar in that regard. Also great to know about the minors. As far as your red flag about placement statistics - their website says "According to the 2015 Drexel University Graduate Exit Survey, 85% of Dornsife graduates reported that they were employed or planning to continue their education at graduation." I'm not really sure what to make of that...
 
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their website says "According to the 2015 Drexel University Graduate Exit Survey, 85% of Dornsife graduates reported that they were employed or planning to continue their education at graduation." I'm not really sure what to make of that...

Yeah, I've seen that. When someone asked the question in person, I thiiiiink the updated answer was 90%. I just want a breakdown like I've seen at other schools of salary ranges, job titles, etc.

I considered Minnesota seriously as well-- in the end, I prefer the Northeast to the Midwest, and Drexel is a significantly better financial deal for me. But I think you're right, they are pretty comparable in the areas you mentioned. Good luck in your decision making!
 
Hey SDN friends! I just wrapped up admitted students day at Drexel and took a ton of notes. I would post this in the 2017 thread, but (1) it’s SO LONG and (2) there is so little written anywhere about this school that I wanted to make this easily searchable for future applicants.

Overall impression: A++, I loved it. I think this school is chronically underrated on these forums. I’m not saying it’s perfect for everyone, but it has everything I wanted. I think it may have bumped Brown from my top choice, but I will still wait Brown out to see if they will even let me in.

Details:
  • The area is very clean & student-oriented—gyms, fast/casual food, easy to access via SEPTA, all very modern
  • The public health facilities are clearly new (or newly renovated)—glass offices, modern furniture, murals, etc. It was all very bright and warm and welcoming despite the TERRIBLE weather (slush falling from the sky). This contrasts a lot to what I’ve seen at other schools where public health is kind of put in a basement or attached to a med school.
  • I met first with Director of Enrollment (CB). She very clearly had read my application thoroughly and asked me questions about my background. I asked her some general questions about the school and Dornsife Fellowship. Highlights:
    • The school is not focused on becoming a big name in public health or competing with institutions like Harvard, Hopkins, or Columbia. They ARE focused on teaching and supporting students while maintaining a tight relationship with Philly communities. The recent Dornsife gift has pushed their direction towards urban health (both domestically and abroad)
    • Hours for the Dornsife Fellowship research component are not strictly monitored to 15/week, but the stipend will stay at $1k/month no matter how many hours we actually work.
    • The matching process for Fellows and faculty mentors will start in May. Students opinions are taken into account, but they do not need to state a preference.
  • Then I met with the Dean of the school (ADR) who was very warm and personable. She also knew details about me from my application and chatted with me about the Fellowship, my dilemma choosing between community health and epi, and life in Philly. Happy to elaborate on any of this.
  • I mingled with many students in many departments. There was also a panel of students who answered questions mostly about their specific practical experiences and general life stuff like housing. I felt like I could be friends with and have an easy, interesting conversation with all but one. Some notes:
    • Students seem younger than at most schools. One was married and in her late 20s (basically where I am now), but even though there were some others in that age bracket, they seemed younger in terms of life experience/personality/etc. Some of the other admitted students also brought their parents?? I thought this was very weird but otherwise felt totally comfortable with the younger age range of the matriculated students. Just mentioning it because in contrasts with what I’ve seen at other schools.
    • Students have a lot of flexibility and freedom in terms of how they manage their time and gain experience. The happiest and most successful ones seemed to have very full schedules—ie., one was working 25 hours/week at a pharm company, volunteering 10 hours/week at a hospital, taking 3 courses, and finishing an independent masters project.
    • Good racial diversity. On the student panel, I think only 1 of the 6 people was white (obvs making assumptions here), but I have no idea if that was representative of the general student population.
    • All students really stressed getting to know Philly and becoming an active citizen in it, which I loved. The school seems to have great town/gown relations, and the students I met lived all over the city.
    • Students talked highly about the upward trajectory of the school in terms of reputation and funding, the career services available, and how they were “forced” (very happily, it seemed) to get tons of varied practical experience. All students in all departments emphasized the quantitative skills they gained or were using (SAS, GIS).
    • Second year students seem to have lined up a job or PhD program for next year at this point. No one gave specific statistics on placement, which is thus far the only major red flag for me on Drexel.
  • Dean ADR gave a presentation to us all. She stressed the themes of the school: commitment to health equity/disparities, civically engaging as an urban university, and emphasizing public health practice and research translation.
  • There have been some major changes to the MPH program that the director then went over. They are not yet on the website, so I will outline them below:
    • The credits required to complete the program have been reduced, making the program 5 quarters instead of 6. (Fall/Winter/Spring/Fall/Winter)
    • There are 4 “majors” (CHP, EOH, Epi (which include biostat), and HMP) and now there will be many minors housed within this majors to choose from. Students can complete a minor outside or inside of their department. The ones I had time to copy from the slide were: EOH, Global Health, Infection Prevention, LGBT Health, Maternal and Child Health, Latino and Immigrant Health, Public Health Ethics and History, and Substance Use
    • Instead of first year students taking intro courses in all the “majors”, starting next year they will take an “integrated core” as a cohort. This will be a team-taught 2-quarter class that covers the same material as the previous 4 intro courses, just in a, well, integrated way. It will meet as a 100ish person lecture one day a week (the whole first year class together) and break into discussion sections of 20-25 a second day per week. The other courses people take during this time will be directly applicable to their major. This means that Drexel is moving towards less flexibility in switching programs. I was repeatedly told "it won't be impossible to switch, but you should do your research and choose wisely with what you start out with."
    • The practical experiences will no longer happen the same way due to the shortened program length. Instead, all students will complete 3 practical experiences:
      • Breadth Experience: every student once a month is required to expand their knowledge beyond their interests/field by attending a lecture or volunteering in some capacity. This is logged in a portfolio.
      • Depth Experience: in the spring quarter of the first year (or summer after), students must complete 120 hours of work at one site. This is replacing the “practicum” current students are doing. This can be an internship or research experience and can happen in a site outside of your “major.” It can’t be paid. There are some options for completing this abroad through Intensive Courses Abroad in Cuba, Israel, or Senegal/Gambia if Global Health is your thing. Happy to elaborate.
      • Intensive Learning Experience: This happens in the fall & winter quarters of second year. It is basically a highly customizable thesis or culminating project that you are expected to work on 10-20 hours per week for either 2 or 3 credits per quarter. It can’t be paid. There seemed to be some students who were doing this pretty independently (ie., analyzing data with support from a faculty advisor) to students who integrated themselves into a company or organization to students who started their own community projects.
      • All of this is managed/arranged by a “director of student placement” (this is separate from career services) who matches student interests with outside partners to create lasting relationships between Drexel and the community. Students can but are not expected to arrange them themselves.
  • Professors from all 4 of the “majors” gave an overview of their department and their research. All of them were pretty compelling speakers with interesting research. Some were new to the school and seemed excited to be there. They all emphasized social justice and community transformation in their work. They also talked about the fluidity between the disciplines at Drexel and the opportunities for collaboration between departments through all the centers (like the Urban Health Collective). It did indeed seem like most had very interdisciplinary training (including the Dean ADR, who is a physician with a HPM PhD and works in epi). There was an overt liberal bias, but that’s to be expected (and, IMO, welcomed) in public health.
    • Many, many students take all their electives in a department separate from their major. The school does not allow double majoring, but it’s possible to fulfill all the requirements for two by doing this. I think one of the reasons they are adding the minors is so that students do get some on-paper recognition for their competence in areas outside their major.
  • There was also a presentation from the global studies office, which recently established more opportunities abroad for MPH students. I am not really interested in Global Health and tbh zoned out for this since it was the end of the day, but I can give you contact info for the presenter if you would like. I would say Drexel is more domestically than globally focused, but I think they are trying to strike a better balance going forward.
  • Somewhere in this day, I had a very honest conversation with a respected professor in my area of interest. She instantly seemed to care about me and what I wanted to do, and gave me some great advice which I will pass on—(1) no matter what department you are in, learn all the quant skills you can to keep your job prospects open (2) don’t be stupid; go wherever gives you the most funding [her words, not mine!] (3) focus more on learning skills and networking than on what appears on your transcript (either in terms of major, courses taken, or grades earned)
In conclusion: I think if you are interested in urban health equity, translational research, practical experience, and/or a smaller, supportive environment, Drexel is a place to seriously consider. It is a growing name in the field, and may provide better preparation than big name programs because of all its emphasis on practical experience (obviously depending on your background experience and future goals). It has tons of money coming in from outside donors and grants. The school environment is focused on support and skill building, not competition and GPAs. And Philadelphia also seems like a pretty cool city, but I’m going to have to come back on a day when slush is not falling from the sky to explore it fully. Drexel will obviously not appeal to everyone, but I wanted to be its cheerleader regardless of whether or not I choose to go there because I feel like it's often overlooked.


Thank you so much for this! I am thinking of attending the April 28th one and it was great to know what I would be hearing and doing. Does everyone meet with the Dean and Director of Enrollment? Or is that something you can do on the side?
 
Thank you so much for this! I am thinking of attending the April 28th one and it was great to know what I would be hearing and doing. Does everyone meet with the Dean and Director of Enrollment? Or is that something you can do on the side?

I was invited to meet with them because they offered me the Dornsife Fellowship. I imagine that you could arrange a meeting with the Director of Enrollment pretty easily, especially if you have specific questions, but the Dean might be harder to pin down. I got the invitation just 3 days before the event.
 
Thank you so much for this! I think that I am now 98% sure that Drexel is it for me, unless another school gives better funding (improbable).
Hey! I have decided to go to Drexel as well and I got Dean MPH scholarship 12k/yr so I was wondering how you made an appeal to get a higher scholarship amount. Also, can you appeal to get a research assistant position?
 
Can anybody tell me tuition cost for epidemiology drexel for international students??
 
Can anybody tell me tuition cost for epidemiology drexel for international students??
I am not sure about epi but for health management and policy it is $1141 per credit and 56 credits required over 5 quarters. $280 per quarter fee. Tuition cost is same irrespective of whether you are an international student or not.
 
Hey can you tell me if it is worth applying to Drexel with my profile?

IMG (MBBS) - degree equivalent to US MD as per WES report
WES Gpa 3.24
Gre 144VR 149QR 3.5AW
Toefl 99 (21R 23L 28S 27W)
3LOR from professors/doctors
Medical electives in 2 countries
 
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Hey can you tell me if it is worth applying to Drexel with my profile?

IMG (MBBS) - degree equivalent to US MD as per WES report
WES Gpa 3.24
Gre 144VR 149QR 3.5AW
Toefl 99 (21R 23L 28S 27W)
3LOR from professors/doctors
Medical electives in 2 countries
Maybe? Their site says your TOEFL should be >100 but that it isn't a hard cut off. Your GRE should similarly be >50th percentile in all sections, and I'm not sure where those scores fall. I can't say it's a definite no or yes.
 
Maybe? Their site says your TOEFL should be >100 but that it isn't a hard cut off. Your GRE should similarly be >50th percentile in all sections, and I'm not sure where those scores fall. I can't say it's a definite no or yes.

Hey yes. Took a chance and just now applied. I am so done with applying to schools lol
 
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