Drexel University

The worst part was by far the red-tape. When I was in the study abroad program through Drexel I didn't walk into the co-op office and sign a paper. They took this as me dropping out of college - despite being in a program through the university overseas. I didn't know this until I came back and the student loan providers were calling for an exit interview. I pretty much lost all financial aid and scholarships for my last 2 1/2 years despite a fairly strong GPA and no change to expected family contribution.

Most professors I had were caring though. Some were very good, very demanding and very respectful. Some were outright worthless, which is unfortunate but common everywhere.

Co-op was outstanding. Great way to gain experience and make connections.
Drexel is very strong in the Philadelphia area and places where NE transplants go to live. If you don't plan to work in one of those areas, your network will be a little more limited.

Drexel isn't a school where you study for the sake of knowledge, education for educations sake isn't a goal.

It's a practical university, with practical students and a business like atmosphere.
When you are there you go to work. You learn to deal with hassles, headaches, red-tape. You learn how to work independently, work in a diverse group. You learn to take responsibility for your own future.

Those who are self motivated and driven do really well there. Those who are looking for a fun 4 years (or 5) with a traditional college atmosphere probably will not be happy there.

A lot of improvements have been made to the campus and campus life. However, I would argue that at Drexel your campus isn't in Philadelphia - it is Philadelphia. Don't confine yourself to just the pavement with the dragon flags.

I can appreciate what I learned there now, more than I could when I was going through it. It helped me learn how to think, learn how to problem solve, learn how to manage and learn how to take charge of my own life.

To me that is more impactful than learning some theories, that while interesting are generally useful only for feeling smart.Drexel is a challenging university where I made life long friends and shaped my adult life. There are definitely experiences I wish I had in college, atmospheres that were lacking - however, I'm still glad I didn't transfer when I thought about it.