"Drexel stood out to me because there are so many opportunities you just can’t find at other schools. Though I never really had a dream school in mind, once I started looking at universities I knew that Drexel was right for me. One aspect of Drexel that is incredibly rare and special is their Co-op program. The Co-op program is essentially a six month long internship where you have the ability to work and gain experience for your field in the real world. It is much better than the experiences many people have in internships, where they find themselves being sent out to do basic tasks and get coffee. You get real work experience and learn from your mentors. As a plus, Co-ops are often paid, and quite well too depending on your major. Engineering Co-ops are almost always paid, but in the arts and sciences, you may have a bit more trouble finding a paid one. But regardless, it is a great experience."

"At Drexel, there are four quarters in our academic year. For your first year, you only have classes in the fall, winter, and spring with your summer off. For your second, third and fourth years, you will have six months of Co-op followed by six months of classes. And lastly in your fifth year, you finish out with three more quarters of classes. Normally in this time, you take enough credits to earn your bachelors degree and get a year and a half of work experience. But there is another option, called the BS/MS Program. In the BS/MS program, you take the max amount of credits and come out with a bachelors and a masters degree, all in five years! It should be noted that not every major has this opportunity. The two that I know of currently are the engineering college and Environmental Science (my major). But other sciences offering this can easily be found on the Drexel website. It is of great benefit to come into the program with college credits received in highschool from things like AP classes or community college credit. This allows you to get some lower level classes and electives our of the way so you have more space for your upper level classes."

"Lastly, freshman interested in doing research can participate in the STAR program (Students Tackling Advanced Research). This program matches up freshman students with professors to conduct research the summer after their freshman year. This is a great opportunity! Very few students in undergrad get to participate in research, even less as freshman. But this program allows for mentorship and experience you can’t find anywhere else. It is highly selective, so if you are interested, make sure to keep your grades up and have an outstanding application. You can apply at the same time you are applying for acceptance to Drexel, or you can apply the following year during the winter term if you aren’t sure yet if its something you would like to do."