Moving to pharmacy school specific discussions. You may get some input from those currently attending some of the specific schools with some insight on the campuses and teaching methods done by professors.
To get an idea of the NAPLEX pass rate comparisons between schools, here is a link:
NAPLEX-Pass-Rates-2019.pdf (nabp.pharmacy)
I understand the idea of reputation and networking to get into a PGY-1 placement, however the reputation of a school has very little merit on specializing in a PGY-2. The ability of networking at that point with references of current residency placement is what will bring you closer to specializing.
Unless you plan on paying cash up front, tuition is very much an important factor. If I can land a residency and specialize without having to spend an extra 50-75k then I'll do it. My current program is by no means a top 20 program, however students still end up getting placed for residency. You're the one that needs to sell yourself for PGY-1 placement with GPA, research, academic awards / community service / Leadership Roles/ so on and so forth. You also need to be willing to work in this field if you end up not placing in any residency as most of the jobs are in the community-retail setting.
I look at the top 3 for picking your education:
1) Regional Accreditation Status (Not National or pending candidate status')
2) NAPLEX Pass Rate
3) Cost
With that, follow this link to read testimonials and what to expect from each program:
Navigating SDN - School Locator with Specific Interview Advice | Student Doctor Network
