Drexel University has been branded as being America's "Ugliest Campus" by Radar magazine.
The magazine's September issue, in its "America's 50 Worst Colleges" piece, says that Drexel's "cracked sidewalks, decrepit classrooms, structural blight megatons of gray concrete and a giant, looming smokestack will leave you wondering what brutalist fiend slapped together this sorry excuse for a campus."
"The information you are prepared to validate through publication is years, if not a decade, out of date. If you visit our campus, you can quickly see for yourself the report is false," begins a statement from Philip Terranova, a vice president of the university.
Terranova refutes Radar's report with details of $500 million in improvements or construction projects since 1995 and also "a significant investment in campus security to ensure the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors."
He cites other errors: The school has 21,000 students, not 13,000 as Radar states. "Spreading demonstrably false reports, under the guise of calling it gossip is something we hope the Daily News will not assist. More than that, Radar is not a magazine deserving of the Daily News' attention." Oh, well.
Posted by Dan Gross @ 9:13 AM
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83 comments
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utleyrules, in this case I actually agree with you. Schools spend way to much money on appearances and ridiculous amenities and jack up tuition to obscene rates. Frankly, give me a solid degree that will take me far rather than some pretty buildings anyway. And much like the neighborhood its in, the aesthetic of the campus is improving rapidly.
Sorry, it's pretty ugly. And any school that's beautiful is spending too much on architects and not enough on instructors and financial aid. It's like eating at a stephen Starr restaurant... your $25 entree is an $8 meal and $17 worth of cheesy decor.
Lots of 'on campus' muggings at drexel and Penn. Although, the on-campus crime statistics will not revel the true problem because both schools are private and do not consider the sidewalks as campus property. Get mugged in front of the engineering building @ Drexel, you'll be lucky if a Drexel security patrol even looks at you.
Why even reprint this? My 9 year old nephew for the first time showed interest in going to college one day mostly because we took him thru a walk thru Drexel campus to see the big kids, etc. and the dragons.
I am a graduate from Drexel and the campus was never great looking but it has a huge amount of improvements already done and more being done since I was there in 96. I think that back in 96 was one thing and today it is a completely different campus.
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That comparison is right on dartvader. What the heck is Radar magazine anyway?
I graduated from Drexel a couple years ago. The chicks there sure loved the cafeteria.
Get a degree from Penn State it's a third of the cost, ranked much higher by US News and Princeton review and you will become a member of the largest alumni network in the world. Not to mention a beautiful state of the art campus which becomes the third largest city on the state on football weekends.
Get a degree from Penn State it's a third of the cost, ranked much higher by US News and Princeton review and you will become a member of the largest alumni network in the world. Not to mention a beautiful state of the art campus which becomes the third largest city on the state on football weekends.
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I've attended both Drexel (undergrad) and PSU (grad). Drexel doesn't have a pretty campus, but everyone knows that going in. Academically, Drexel is a good school. Sure you can find knuckleheads, but if you're interested, Drexel is a great place. PSU is huge state school with a totally different atmosphere. I felt kind of isolated while there and missed the city. Academically it's challenging; it all depends on your interest and work ethic. One thing that I couldn't stand about PSU was how the town would be overrun with drunken idiots everytime there was a home football game. But you're comparing apples to oranges.
BTW, btv22: it's spelled 'their'...it doesn't take a genius.
Some artful landscaping...that's all that's needed to give the school boundaries...and well...make a bunch of ugly buildings...a campus.
I took classes in the main building and the "steam hammer" from the radiators during the winter would make it tough to hear the teacher. I never had a classroom where all the lights worked. Even in the LeBow building I had a basement classroom near the elevator shaft and the banging noise from the elevator was a distraction and this is one of the newer building.
Don't forget about the "Drexel Shaft". The alumni know what this is.
Penn State & Drexel Suck. I agree, what is up with Penn State grads attitude? PSU isn't that great, other than its ag program.
What, no mention of the infamous "Drexel shaft" or orange brick? Gotta love that Earth & moon mural on the Newman Center though.
As a CURRENT Drexel student, emphasis on the word CURRENT, not 20 years ago, not 10 years ago, not 5 years ago, I would like to voice my opinion. First, how can the first quote you use Mr. Gross be about "cracked sidewalks." What kind of buffoonery is this? Pardon the the following sarcasm, but "oh my god, an urban campus has cracked sidewalks, call in the cement mixers ASAP, we can't have cracked sidewalks!" Go to any urban college campus thats been around for 50,75,100+ years and try and find perfectly mixed non-cracked sidewalks. I can't even believe I'm talking about sidewalks. As far as the future, Drexel is in the midst of a huge renovation process to be completed within the next five years. A process that, btv22, will include COMMERCIAL space on Chestnut St Between 32nd and 33rd streets. The older classroom buildings will be completely knocked down or renovated to accommodate new facilities. In the end, though, give me the most beautiful campus in the world and its nothing without adequate teaching professionals. I know the Drexel community is self-conscious about their poor reports on campus aesthetics, but a boost to the faculty wouldn't hurt either.
I would rather attend Penn State than Harvard.
William Lake B.S. M.A. M.Ed. Ed.D.
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GIVE ME A BREAK, IT'S AN INNER CITY SCHOOL IN A MAJOR METROPOLIS. MOST COLLEGES IN SIMILIAR LOCATIONS LOOK THE SAME WAY. IF YOU ARE NOT A CITY PERSON, YOU WILL NOT LIKE THE CAMPUS. TRY SWARTHMORE
Sidewalks!?!? Sidewalks?!?! We talking bout Sidewalks!! Not the streets, not the buildings, but sidewalks!?!?
if you goto penn state, you have to worry about getting violated or beat up by football players. and its mostly full of dumb kids who put in their 2 years at abington or wherever and got to transfer to "the main campus" like it's some prized city of gold.
That big dragon statue is cool. I love to watch tourist hang off it like it's the 8th Wonder of the World. Needs a patch of green around it...not concrete encasement. All this aside...if I was to hire an engineer...HE OR SHE BETTER BE FROM DREXEL.
GO...OWLS!
I always assumed that Drexel was Penn's parking lot. Silly me.
Talking Point: That came up before in another PSU story. You're exactly right. PSU is a cool place, but it's a state school.
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Drexel's campus appears much more pleasant when you're wearing ladyglasses. Right Dan?
Drexel has a campus?
Ugly? Ok it's not West Point or even Princeton. As a Temple Grad who helped build the new Engineering building, I would call the place "Functional." A bit spread out oddly. It's hard to know where Drexel starts & stops with Penn next door. Actually I think USP has the worst campus in town.
city school, concrete neighborhood, not so many trees, heating grates, proximity to some of the worst blight on the East Coast...what's not to like? Kids pick Dreck Tech based on its programs, co-ops, internships, not its stunning visual appeal.
Drexel does look like little more than an industrial park, but the programs are excellent. I guess it comes down to what you look for when deciding what school to attend. Unless you cant get accepted anywhere but PSU and are forced to go to a football factory with a semi decent Ag program. That can be helpful if you aspire to be a farmer.
Great comment lakebill. Reminds me of the saying "Those that cant do, teach".
Concur with DC Computer.
Sch. of Engineering Class of 1977
I would be more worried that a student from Drexel would steal my identity than getting violated and beat up by a Penn State football player.
Drexel and Yale and Harvard were smart to build their medical schools in a different part of town than their main academic campus. When you walk around the main campus at Penn, you feel like you're on the grounds of a hospital rather than an academic campus. While Drexel does have some bland orange brick buildings, the interior of the Main Building is as magnificent as anything at Penn or Harvard.
Drexel would be a much better place if there wasn't so many Bonner homos . Close it up
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X210: Some of don't want to go to school in the middle of Bumblef***, Pa. Drexel's advantage is it's co-op, which most ranking magazine don't recognize as part of the curriculum. Ask almost any unbiased person and they would hire a Drexel grad with work experience over a drunk Penn Stater any day.
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The campus is the entire city of Philadelphia. I graduated from there years ago, when there were even fewer "official" University buildings, and personally I liked it. I lived in a very nice apartment. Suburban location? Happy Valley Stepfordville? No thanks.
As much as Drexel costs, I'm shocked to hear this...
Worst blight on the East coast??? Now we are getting silly. Guess you have never been to Widner Univ. Or Rutgers?
http://www.drexel.edu/depts/pdc/
Download the attached document. It's from last year, but it's pretty close to what the plans still call for. Besides, if you look at the schools in Philly, only UPenn and Drexel are ranked as top tier academically. Entrepreneurship (one of my majors) is 3rd in the country for undergrad and 7th in the country for grad.
yeah, well i go to Drexel now for grad school. I feel like I'm in viet freaking nam! You're average white guy who wears a ballcap sure as hell doesn't fit in too well there. They should start bringing in translators so I can understand what in God's name my classmates are saying. That or have a screen drop down that has closed captioning on it. Jesus God, just use some of the money that they steal from the students at the book store.
Who reads Radar anyway???
my entire time at Drexel was spent listening to construction and they're still the ugliest campus?
puck fenn state!!!
My friends and I, who attended both Penn and Drexel, used to call it 'Orange Brick U'...I have the feeling that Drexel students aren't there for the scenery
As a PENN grad who lived at 34th & Race during graduate school, I must agree that Drexel's campus is a dump. However, I have noticed some improvements over the past 20 years to the campus.
puck fenn state
DrexelDragonFan, I have no problem with people choosing to go to Drexel. I based my statement upon facts and people came on the board and bashed Penn State with generalized and incorrect statements. Drexel obviously has several programs that are better than Penn State's but on the whole Penn State is consistently ranked a better school. I don't see the value in paying 3 times more in tuition, because I wouldn't pay 3 times more money for a Ford than a Chevy.
It's college... some kids would give their right arm to go to it, regardless of amenities and atmosphere. This article is a true indicator of priorities these days.
Metropolitan, having the medical school connected to the main campus is actually a plus for Penn vs. Harvard, Yale, Drexel, etc. By having all its schools in such close proximity, they all benefit from increased collaboration, which is one reason that Penn has such strong interdisciplinary programs. It is an asset for undergrads to be able to participate in the research that goes on at the medical school and CHOP.
I wonder where Temple is on the list...Drexel does have too much concrete.
YES WELCOME JOE!! Dan you are so lame for writing about this. Any Duquesne alum out there. Now that's a pretty neat urban campus.
Talking Point, you sound like a Nova grad. PSU is not Harvard, nor did X210 imply it was. What it is is a great state, land grant school, with good academics, a can't beat campus, located in a beautiful part of the world.
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I would rather attend Penn State than Harvard. William Lake B.S. M.A. M.Ed. Ed.D.
**
OK, see which diploma gets you the better job. And while staters are out in the middle of nowhere, chasing squirrels, Drexel and other inner-city students learn how to survive in the real world.
Yeah, I gotta admit avoiding rabid squirrels and dealing with rednecks from Altoona is a lot less interesting that recovering from gunshots, grand theft auto or big boob Bonnie and her credit card scams. Not.
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A friend just sent me this story about Drexel because I just visited Drexel with my son who is a senior in high school, and I had commented to my friend that the campus was so filthy that we left before the tour was over. Trash cans were overflowing, cigarette butts littered campus walkways and grassy areas, residence hall floors and walls were dirty. We started off in a very nice Main Building, but the tour should have stopped there. Interestingly, at one point, our student tour guide crossed the street from the weed-infested Drexel campus to a nice green park - that I later noticed had a sign with a Penn logo on it - to give us his talk about his coop program. He didn't mention we were on the Penn campus; perhaps we were supposed to think Drexel actually had an appealing spot for students to gather. When he asked if we had any questions, I was tempted to ask, "Do you have a maintenance staff, and if so, what do they do all day?" To me, this is a college administration that does not care about its students’ environment. By the way, we also visited Temple University which was beautifully maintained and very impressive, so I don't think that being located in a lower-income urban neighborhood should be used as an excuse by a college administration or its alumni.
In my opinion, the main library at Drexel is more modern, less cramped, and more pleasant to use than the main libraries at Penn or Harvard.
drexel is kinda ...old/crappy. ive been there a bunch the past number of years visiting friends. i go to temple, which on the other hand, is booming with new buildings, a huge tech center (largest in the country i think), and more.
tiger, widener isn't that bad. they are actually doing a lot of new renovations. It's the city its in thats, well, ummm... Not very nice.
even though i don't recommendto ever go more then a mile off campus.
Penn State people please shut the hell up...
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I recently graduated from Drexel's Lebow College of Business with an MBA. My experience was great and seems to be sustantiated by businessweek.com, the one rating that has the most influence in rating b-schools. Businesweek has Drexel's part-time MBA ranked 10th in the nation.
The school's $500 million investment is paying dividends but I admit the perspective of an undergrad and a part-time MBA student is completely different.
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/
• 1UCLA (Anderson)
• 2Emory University
• 3USC (Marshall)
• 4Loyola Marymount University
• 5Lehigh University
• 6University of Denver
• 7University of Chicago
• 8Loyola University - Chicago
• 9Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• 10Drexel University (LeBow)
• 11Villanova University
At least its not Scranton
As a postscript, after football season, what is there to do a Penn State? Besides getting loaded at the Rat every night. Drexel? Walk down the street to the Palestra for great b-ball. Go to Eagles, Phillies, F;yers, Sixers games. Take the bus or subway into center city for museums, shows, historical places. The Philly area has more institutions of higher learning than any city in the US, except maybe Boston. Happy Valley has what, an hour's ride to Harrisburg or Hershey Park? What's historical in Happy Valley, the first cow shed? I spent a week in PSU one summer, felt like a month. Yeah, Drexel may be a bit worn. It didn't rise out of the farmland of West Philly. So enough with the superior than thou attitude, staters. When Paterno leaves, no one will care about PSU.
Thank you Mr. Mahorn!
Thank you Mr. Mahorn! I wish you the best with that indecent exposure thing!
I am a LeBow College grad with my MBA... The problem I found with Drexel is their unwillingness to help you find a job even when you graduate in the top 5% of the class. Wouldnt it be smart to help people like myself find a good job? Drexel would benefit in terms of alumni donations, employee contacts and future co-op opportunities. Prior to entering Drexel, I was told about the wonderful statue outside of Mattheson Hall. Oh How true that is after now being a Drexel Alum and experienced the school. I laugh at Drexel wanting to expand out west. Here is a message for you Constantine, worry about treating your upcoming alums and alums better and Drexel will become more powerful in the Future. Take a page out of Penn State's success, look at how powerful their alumni base is.
According to the Princeton Review, Drexel's 'ugliness' dropped from 1 to #3, and the category was changed to 'Least Beautiful Campus.' Just because we are ugly doesn't mean you have to be.
You want ugly? Try Temple Main Campus.
you couldn't pay me to go back to drexel
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