Virginia Tech vs. Drexel: Which Is Better for Getting Internships in Philadelphia?

For a student specifically aiming to build a career network in Philadelphia, Drexel provides a meaningful and practical advantage. Its Philadelphia location puts students near local employers throughout the year, and its cooperative education program is designed to place students in substantial, full-time work experiences before graduation.

Drexel fits students who want internships to be a central, structured part of college. Living and studying in the city also makes it easier to attend networking events, interview in person, work part-time during academic terms, and maintain connections after a co-op ends.

Virginia Tech can still lead to Philadelphia internships, particularly for students who are proactive with career fairs, alumni outreach, applications, and summer plans. It has strong recruiting in many technical and professional fields, but most students will need to deliberately target Philadelphia employers from Blacksburg and may spend summers away from campus for internships. The experience is more traditional: academic-year coursework followed by summer internships, rather than co-op being built into the degree structure.

Choose Virginia Tech only if its academic program, campus environment, cost, or broader career opportunities appeal more strongly and you are comfortable creating your own Philadelphia internship strategy. For someone whose top priority is repeated, locally based work experience and a Philadelphia professional network before graduation, Drexel offers the more direct path.