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Drexel University Profile

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Basics

Founded in 1891, Drexel is a relatively large private institution located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The school itself is actually situated geographically within the University City section of Philadelphia, which starts at the 30th Street train station on the eastern edge, and proceeds west to 43rd Street. The University City section of the city can also be observed geographically from Powelton Avenue to the north, and Woodland Avenue to the south. The campus map of the site is split into 2 large facilities, one being the main campus, and the other being the Vidas Athletic Complex on the northwestern edge of the campus on 35th street. Drexel is unique because it has a large urban campus setting within a major northeastern city. The university map highlights 49 acres of park like property within the historic City of Philadelphia.

Drexel University is currently going through an educational renaissance with several large construction projects underway to offer students, and the local community state of the art educational, and social facilities. These projects include the new Papadakis Science Center, Daskalakin Recreation Center, and the conversion of the Armory building to a state of the Art Basketball arena on 33rd Street. The university also has several residence hall construction projects underway to develop a campus green within the area around Kelly Hall. The projects involve providing green spaces and café style eating facilities within the residence hall complex. Currently the campus has approximately 48 buildings shared by students, and local residents including lecture, residential, research, and dining facilities.

The overall physical layout of the campus is typical of a city college setting with wide sidewalks, small grass meeting places, and park like benches. The pedestrian flow of traffic within the facility was centered on Lancaster Walk during my daytime visit. Students use this main sidewalk to travel through the campus from east to west. Lancaster Walk actually cuts the campus into 2 parts, with the residence halls located on the western edge, and academic facilities on the eastern edge of campus. Students use the sidewalk on a regular basis because both sides of the campus have student life meeting areas. I also observed heavy foot traffic in, and around 33rd Street, and Lancaster Walk, which is called Lunch Truck Road. Students, local residents, and construction workers were observed enjoying lunch on 33rd Street during my campus tour.

Drexel University’s buildings and open spaces were relatively clean and well maintained during my observations. These open spaces allow students the ability to interact with each other in a non-educational manner due to the high number of observed meeting places on campus. Drexel students, faculty, and employees not only enjoy a community, within a community lifestyle on it’s campus, they enjoy University City in regard to on, and off campus activities and resources. The only negative is the shortage of student housing on campus due to the school’s growth, and national appeal.

The published demographic information for the university describes a culturally diverse student population with students from all across the world. Drexel University has developed a large campus facility to offer students a cooperative educational format in Liberal Arts and Science, Business Administration, and Engineering to enhance it’s commitment to different types of career endeavors.

Drexel University: The University is home to approximately 5,700 male, and 3,650 female full time students, and 945 male, and 735 female part time students. The university also has a large graduate school population with 2,045 male, and 2,265 female students enrolled at the school. The average age of a freshman is 18 years old. 60% of students are from Pennsylvania. Others are from 40 states, and 121 foreign countries. Students on campus provide a diverse multi-cultural religious makeup including 62.7% of students are white, 11.3% Asian Americans, 9.3% are Black, 2.9% are Hispanic, and 7.3% are the race is unknown.

Published Academic Standards for Admission Programs

Drexel University has a large educational system that offer a cooperative programs in Liberal Arts & Science, Business Administration, and Engineering. Below is a specific list of under graduate admission requirements.

Freshman Class: 27,506 applied, 18,750 accepted, 2,511 enrolled. SAT Verbal 601, SAT Math 601. ACT 25 Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions.

Student Housing

The purpose of student housing is to provide safe and reasonable accommodations for students living away from home. The issue of housing and dormitory life is a critical element of overall campus life because students spend a large amount of time in their rooms. Student housing units historically come in 3 different styles including traditional corridor, suite, and apartment style units.

Drexel University guarantees on campus housing for freshman, and sophomores only, students who has filed their intent to reside on campus by the stated deadline and who have continuously registered as full time students receive housing. Upperclassmen who want on campus housing must submit to a lottery system for available rooms. The school has started developing housing resources for upper classman through it’s capital improvement initiatives. The University apartments are new, and beautiful, but only upper classmen can rent them. Information about housing can be found on the quick links page of this document.

Off Campus Housing

Drexel University has been described as a relatively large private university within a student friendly mixed commercial/ residential community. The reason I have mentioned the overall community is to re-assert the point that Drexel’s network of facilities has encapsulated it’s real estate holdings within the area. The campus footprint allows almost every student to have housing within walking distance to the campus. The issue of off campus housing has a different feel to it compared to other university off campus housing demands because some students leave the city for cooperative work programs throughout the year. This system allows some flexibility for students who may only require off campus housing for half the year. The issue of housing off campus is favorable because the area is full of students from several schools who may need a roommate during the year. Information about available resources can be found on the quick links page.

Campus Life

Drexel University is a multi-cultural campus environment that provides students with an outstanding social, and educational atmosphere. The admissions demographics paint a picture of a very diverse community with students from all over the world. The local community of University City only adds to the universities international status because the community has multi-cultural roots as well. Drexel also addresses the issue of ecology in a positive way. The physical environment was relatively clean and well maintained and the economic conditions are favorable to students and local residents due to the available services in walking distance to the school.

The emotional climate of the entire community is positive because students are involved with local community groups. An observation of this very positive emotional climate can be found by looking at the endless student flyers posted throughout the campus on walls, doors, windows, and light poles. These flyers describe upcoming activities and they invite all students to enjoy the clubs, performing arts, and public discussions on world events. Drexel students went as far as hanging banners inside residence hall windows to invite students to attend social events on campus. Drexel also has a unique climate on campus because students are very focused on work related issues developed through the school’s cooperative education program. This program gives students real work experience throughout their campus years which, allows students to look, and feel like working professionals.

This issue of school culture and emotional attachment is also a very important part of campus life because everyone wants to have a connection and emotional fit to their new school and community. Drexel has done a great job developing positive social systems with it’s students by providing a series of coordinated programs including workshops and seminars for freshman students. This type of process provides a foundation for learning and personal growth providing over 103 academic clubs, student organizations, and over 27 intramural sports activities. Drexel also has 14 national fraternities for men, and 4 national sororities for women.

Campus life at Drexel is more than cooperative excellence; it’s about school sports, fraternities, performing arts, history, cultural events, restaurants, and local museums. The university also has several global education centers in the area for students to learn, and gather information about studying abroad. Students enjoy campus activities within the Creese Student Center with the help of the Campus Activity Board (CAB). This vital student activity resource helps students to connect with the City of Philadelphia with daily information about performing arts, sports, city events, and several other student activities. Finally, Drexel currently participates in 10 NCAA Division I Varsity Sports for Women and Men, and the university is building a new basketball arena for students to watch, and enjoy university sports while on campus.

Public Transportation

Campus transportation resources for Drexel students are available through the City of Philadelphia’s transit system called SEPTA. This service is crucial to students who don’t have cars because it provides transportation to the entire University City community through the LUCY system that loops the community by bus. This vital bus service provides reliable transportation to students who don’t, or can’t have vehicles on campus. The university also has a very large number of out of state students who don’t know the streets and highways very well. Knowing the area is key because students who come from local states may know the area better and may be able to walk or drive to local destinations. Foreign, and out of state students might opt to take a bus or train to their destination because they don’t want to risk getting lost on local roads. The City of Philadelphia is easy to navigate through the SEPTA system because it offers reliable public transportation throughout the city, and the outer suburbs.

Community Profile

University City has been described as an intellectual enclave within the City of Philadelphia Pennsylvania due to it’s academic landscape. Philadelphia has been described as one big campus because the city has several schools located within the University City area including Drexel, U Penn, and the University of Arts & Sciences. These schools, along with several other universities are located within commuter distance to the city itself. The University City area has also been described as a young professional residential community within the city of Philadelphia due to its relationship with local universities, and affordable housing.

The area is favorable to students and local residents because it offers several pedestrian walkways, which links local residents to a large number of restaurants and local shops along Market, Chestnut, and Walnut Streets within University City. The area also has excellent public transportation resources including SEPTA rail, bus, and trolley service, not to mention the massive 30th Street Station for Amtrak Northeast Corridor service.

The community has a small city feel to it when you are walking to neighborhood eateries on 33rd Street because they are in the heart of the Drexel campus. Residents and students also enjoy several social destinations when walking on Chestnut toward the U Penn campus because the area feels like one big campus. The only way you know you’re within a different campus is the signs. Drexel and U Penn have no metal fencing so you can walk wherever you want to get something to eat or to enjoy a student activity. Chestnut, Walnut, and Spruce Streets from 33rd Street to 40th Street, are main streets for students from both campuses. These areas offer bookstores, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants within walking distance to Drexel’s campus. The walk from the center of campus to these above-mentioned meeting places is approximately 15 minutes.

The city itself is located within the northeastern area of the state, which makes it convenient to several suburban communities and highway networks. SEPTA provides local rail, bus, and trolley service in the Market Street area including LUCY, which provides loop bus service within the University City area. These transportation resources all link to the 30th Street Station that is a main transit hub to several different commuter trains within the northeast corridor. The 30th Street Station also links to Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and the Philadelphia International Airport via the R-1 line. University City also has several main roadways that connect the community to major state highways including Route 76, and 676 that links to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and Interstate 95.

The following demographics for Philadelphia Pennsylvania describe a multi-cultural community within a total population of 1,448,394 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Drexel University has a strong relationship with this diverse community. An example of this commitment can be observed through the university’s community services handbook that describes educational programs, health care programs and services, legal programs and services to local residents who may require community help.

A Census Bureau community survey highlights several characteristics to describe the population including: 47% of residents are male, 53% are female. 45% of residents are white, 43.2% are African American, 8.5% is Hispanic or Latino, and 4.5% are Asian. The median age of population is 34 years old. 25% of residents are 18 years old or over, 70% 21 and over, and 14% of city residents is over the age of 65. The issue of housing in Philadelphia is also interesting. 90% of all housing units within the city are occupied. 30% of housing units are renter-occupied, while 59% of units are owner-occupied. 10% of total available housing was vacant.

Local weather

Weather is also an issue to consider for students preparing for a college experience. Philadelphia enjoys all four seasons of weather including rain and snow. Northeast weather patterns sometimes allow for temperatures to drop below 32 degrees for a considerable amount of time during the winter. Pennsylvania also gets it’s share of rain during the spring and summer months as well. A strong indicator of pedestrian traffic around the university can be identified by the northeast weather patterns. Student parking within close proximity to university buildings and student services help reduce the exposure literally and figuratively.

Drexel University Quick Links Page

Restaurants in University City Section of Philadelphia

Below is a sample list of local restaurants, and hotels in the University City section of Philadelphia. These restaurants and hotels are in close proximity to several city universities including, U Penn and Drexel University. National restaurant chains & shopping resources can be found on Route 78, 476, 95 and 1. Complete information about hotels, restaurants, shopping, museums, and general tourism activities can be found in the document “ Everything Philadelphia” on the Your College Profile web site.

University City Hotel Listings

University City Area Restaurants

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