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Read the guide →Drexel University College of Medicine, located in Philadelphia, is one of the largest private medical schools in the United States and one of the oldest institutions to have trained women physicians, tracing lineage through Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1850) and Hahnemann Medical College. The college offers two curriculum tracks — traditional and problem-based learning — under its Foundations and Frontiers model, giving students genuine choice about learning format. Drexel graduates match broadly across specialties and across the country, with strong placement in the Philadelphia region.
Drexel University College of Medicine is consistently among the largest medical schools in the United States by total enrollment, accepting a class of approximately 300 students per year. The college traces its lineage through Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1850) — one of the first medical schools to graduate women in the US — and Hahnemann Medical College. Drexel offers the Foundations and Frontiers curriculum pathway allowing students to choose between two distinct learning formats: a traditional lecture-based track and a problem-based learning small-group track. The school has strong graduate medical education partnerships across Philadelphia and a large combined-degree portfolio.
Integrated curriculum. 4-year MD. Foundations and Frontiers curriculum offers two tracks: Tradition (lecture-based) and Fusion (problem-based, small-group learning). Years 1–2 at the Queen Lane campus. Years 3–4: core clerkships across the Tower Health system, Friends Hospital, Geisinger Lewistown, and Philadelphia teaching hospital affiliates. Dual-degree tracks include MD/PhD, MD/MPH, and MD/MBA.
Drexel University College of Medicine (MD) has notable research strength in Cardiovascular disease, Cancer biology, Health equity in underserved Philadelphia communities, Psychiatry and addiction medicine, Infectious disease.
Drexel University College of Medicine (MD) interviews via Traditional one-on-one or panel interviews with faculty and students. Drexel College of Medicine interview day is held on the Queen Lane campus in Philadelphia's East Falls neighborhood. Candidates typically participate in two one-on-one sessions of 30–40 minutes each with a faculty physician and a current medical student. Interviewers have reviewed the full application beforehand and tend to focus on academic and clinical narrative, resilience (given the large class size and large applicant pool), and personal motivation. The day includes a tour of the Queen Lane campus, the basic science building, and Hahnemann University Hospital's former facilities, informal lunch with current students, and an admissions information session. Drexel uses a structured holistic review rubric aligned with AAMC Core Competencies.
Approximately 305 students per year.
Founded in 1850, based in Philadelphia, PA. Programmes offered: Primary Care, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine.
Drexel's large class size is both its strength and its challenge in interviews: the applicant pool is enormous (15,000–18,000) and the academic range is broader than smaller elite programs. Interviewers focus heavily on resilience, self-awareness, and genuine motivation because the class includes many applicants who re-applied or have non-traditional academic trajectories. Know the Foundations and Frontiers dual-track curriculum — ability to articulate which track suits your learning style (and why) is a genuine differentiator. The school's historic lineage through Woman's Medical College is worth knowing, particularly if you connect to the mission of expanding access to medical education. Drexel has among the higher Step 1 passing rates in Philadelphia so the academic rigor is real despite the larger class.
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for Drexel University College of Medicine (MD)’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
You are interviewing at an osteopathic (DO) medical school. Some applicants apply to both MD and DO programs without much thought about the difference. What is your understanding of osteopathic medicine, and why are you pursuing the DO pathway specifically?
Likely follow-up · How would you explain osteopathic manipulative treatment, and its evidence base, to a skeptical patient?
You are a 32-year-old applicant who spent six years as a paramedic before returning to complete a post-baccalaureate pre-medical programme. Some medical school admissions committees may question your gap years or your academic readiness. How do you present your non-traditional path as an asset, and what do you believe your background gives you that a traditional applicant may not yet have?
Likely follow-up · What is one clinical situation from your paramedic career that changed how you think about what physicians do?
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