Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law

Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law

3320 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
(215) 895-1529
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DREXEL LAW STUDENTS SAY…

Academics & Programs: “The greatest strength of Drexel Law,” proclaims a 2L, “is the collaborative experience that students, professors, and faculty bring to the learning process.” Indeed, students here find that in everything from “class selection to pro bono opportunities to internship and job selection,” they’re “given the tools and advice to determine their real strengths and interests, and how to make the most of them.” And despite being a “new school,” many here are “overwhelmed by the school’s reputation and strength across the board.” In the words of one 1L, “Drexel Law is a very strong school, and it’s only getting stronger.”
Part of this strength is due to the school’s “top-notch” professors who are “truly interested in student success,” often “playing a personal and dynamic role in that pursuit.” Many here find that this personal touch goes a long way in setting Drexel apart from other law schools. “Drexel Law is different than most law schools,” explains a 2L, “because [professors] actually care about each student as an individual. They try to get to know students and help them succeed rather than weed them out.” The administration, however, gets a decidedly mixed response. Some students find that the administration “makes things happen” and displays “a willingness to make the school the best it can be.” Others admit that “Drexel has had many administration issues and failures because it is a new school,” however, they’re quick to add that “students have an incredible amount of input and all issues and failures have been learning experiences that are quickly corrected.”
“Classes are challenging, but not intimidating; they are inviting in regard to speaking your mind about the material,” says a 3L. Students also appreciate the “small class sizes” for 1Ls, which “help us to all get to know each other better.” Many note that the “overall academic experience is what you make of it.” For most, this statement takes on a very literal sense because “experiential learning is a huge component of the Drexel experience.” “Though it isn’t required, students have a lot of options to chose from to get their feet wet and see what real-life lawyering is about,” says a 2L. A 3L adds, “Part of the reason I chose this school is because it offered more opportunities to have real-world experience in the practice of law. I have had several experiences, through co-ops, internships, and volunteer opportunities to see what we were learning in the classroom practically applied. They teach law students how to be lawyers, not just think like lawyers.”
Though law school doesn’t come without expense, students find that Drexel Law is “cheap, if you get a scholarship, which is common.” That said, the nation’s recent economic woes have put a damper on job prospects. “I, like most other graduates of law schools across the country this year, am worried about obtaining employment,” explains a 3L, “[but] I don’t blame the law school for not trying to give us opportunities to find employment.” Impressions of career services are hit-or-miss. Some find that the “career services people here have been wonderful,” while others say they “offer rather general, bland advice without many specifics” and “could do a better job of informing and motivating students to do what they need to get ahead at an earlier stage.”
Campus Life/Facilities: Despite being “new,” the law school building is “already too small for the expanding student body.” “Having to attend classes in a Drexel undergraduate building is unfortunate, but it’s encouraging to see the school attracting a growing number of interested students,” says a 1L. Others have a less optimistic take. “The classrooms are rather dismal,” says a 2L. “You are lucky to get a class in a room with a window.” Most readily admit that Drexel Law “could use a few larger classrooms in the law building.”
Drexel Law students are “a very diverse bunch.” “Everyone comes from a different background and most students have had other life/work experience before coming to law school,” explains a 1L. “These experiences make the classroom experience so much more interesting.” Many find that students are “not as cutthroat as anticipated” and are “much more likely to help each other than sabotage each other.” “The students, and to some extent even the staff and faculty, are all very close,” says a 2L. “There is a real ‘family’ feel to the building and everyone is very supportive of each other.” That said, some find this family-like atmosphere constraining. “Law school has been the worst studentto-student interaction in my life,” says a 2L. “It’s too small of a group and everyone is up in everyone else’s business.”
Despite the closeness in class, “People don’t hang out that much…outside of class.” Most agree that this is due to Drexel Law being a “city campus” and that “many people have other lives outside of law school.” “Many of the students don’t live around the campus because it is in an expensive area,” says a 3L. That said, thanks to “dozens of clubs” and “events,” there is a “social life” at Drexel. “There are people at all ends of the social spectrum, from bookworms to party animals,” explains a 2L. “Most students try to maintain a healthy balance though.”
* The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University.