Hi all,
I've actually been on SDN for a long time and have done a lot of reading since I was in H.S. I'm planning on applying to pharmacy schools in Texas and not applying to any out-of-state schools since tuition would cost an extra arm and a leg and I don't know anyone out there who would have extras.
I'm really interested in doing a residency of some sort and am pretty curious if going to one school versus going to another would affect my chances of getting in after the matching process. Is there a tier system here in Texas? i.e. student A in tier 1 school has higher chance of earning a residency versus student B in tier 2 school. Reading through the forums, I believe that there definitely is one although not directly stated because students at each of these respective schools would definitely defend their schools. But if I'm wrong in any part of my assessments of each school, I'll definitely take it into account as I decide which schools I should apply for next year. I know that with all the new pharmacy schools represent a huge challenge for new graduates so I just want to do the best I can to improve my overall portfolio.
Before anyone starts bashing on why I think which school should be one tier versus another, I've actually visited each and every one of these schools, spoke with some faculty at each school, and also have done some research before making my judgements.
Tier 1:
University of Texas at Austin
- highest ranked in Texas and ranked #4 nationally
- well-established with excellent clinical rotation sites
- extremely talented faculty that have been on the forefront of pharmacy research and clinical training
- well-balanced education in terms of research and clinical aspects. thought UT was more on research side but now it seems they are well-versed on the clinical side as well.
Tier 2 (tied):
University of Houston
- excellent hands-on clinical training in the community setting
- access to the Texas Medical Center which is a HUGE plus
- should be ranked much higher than what they are
Texas Tech University
- talented faculty
- seems they are very good with clinical training as well as research training
- ranking is pretty much on the mark
- get to do last two years back in home city is always a huge plus in terms of living expenses
Tier 3 (in order):
Texas A&M University
- definitely has potential but I do believe the school does sell itself short of what it is capable of. (Had many friends with high GPA, PCAT, and extracurriculars denied admission here but accepted to practically every other pharmacy school in Texas. However, I knew other friends who had GPA's ranging from 2.9-3.2 with average PCAT and little to no pharmacy/volunteer experience get accepted.)
- placed very highly in academic competitions
- high NAPLEX passing rate despite being a relatively new school (built in 2006)
- being relatively new I'm sure the school till has some bugs that need to be addressed but again has huge potential and the need for pharmacist is definitely present in the school's area
University of the Incarnate Word
- extremely high cost being a private school
- is still new (built in 2006)
- probably has many kinks to be worked out
- feels as if the whole goal of the school being built was/is to generate more revenue to bank on a "pharmacist shortage"
- haven't heard much other than that
Texas Southern University
- can't think of any positives for this school.
- seems UH students are more competitive for residencies versus TSU
- cannot understand why a second pharmacy school was built in Houston with UH established in 1947 and TSU in 2001. Probably a school using pharmacy school as a huge cash cow and banking on "pharmacist shortage." Literally one step short of being called a diploma mill except that their degree is actually worth something
- currently has a lawsuit against the school for poor performance and risk of accreditation loss is a huge negative in my book
I've actually been on SDN for a long time and have done a lot of reading since I was in H.S. I'm planning on applying to pharmacy schools in Texas and not applying to any out-of-state schools since tuition would cost an extra arm and a leg and I don't know anyone out there who would have extras.
I'm really interested in doing a residency of some sort and am pretty curious if going to one school versus going to another would affect my chances of getting in after the matching process. Is there a tier system here in Texas? i.e. student A in tier 1 school has higher chance of earning a residency versus student B in tier 2 school. Reading through the forums, I believe that there definitely is one although not directly stated because students at each of these respective schools would definitely defend their schools. But if I'm wrong in any part of my assessments of each school, I'll definitely take it into account as I decide which schools I should apply for next year. I know that with all the new pharmacy schools represent a huge challenge for new graduates so I just want to do the best I can to improve my overall portfolio.
Before anyone starts bashing on why I think which school should be one tier versus another, I've actually visited each and every one of these schools, spoke with some faculty at each school, and also have done some research before making my judgements.
Tier 1:
University of Texas at Austin
- highest ranked in Texas and ranked #4 nationally
- well-established with excellent clinical rotation sites
- extremely talented faculty that have been on the forefront of pharmacy research and clinical training
- well-balanced education in terms of research and clinical aspects. thought UT was more on research side but now it seems they are well-versed on the clinical side as well.
Tier 2 (tied):
University of Houston
- excellent hands-on clinical training in the community setting
- access to the Texas Medical Center which is a HUGE plus
- should be ranked much higher than what they are
Texas Tech University
- talented faculty
- seems they are very good with clinical training as well as research training
- ranking is pretty much on the mark
- get to do last two years back in home city is always a huge plus in terms of living expenses
Tier 3 (in order):
Texas A&M University
- definitely has potential but I do believe the school does sell itself short of what it is capable of. (Had many friends with high GPA, PCAT, and extracurriculars denied admission here but accepted to practically every other pharmacy school in Texas. However, I knew other friends who had GPA's ranging from 2.9-3.2 with average PCAT and little to no pharmacy/volunteer experience get accepted.)
- placed very highly in academic competitions
- high NAPLEX passing rate despite being a relatively new school (built in 2006)
- being relatively new I'm sure the school till has some bugs that need to be addressed but again has huge potential and the need for pharmacist is definitely present in the school's area
University of the Incarnate Word
- extremely high cost being a private school
- is still new (built in 2006)
- probably has many kinks to be worked out
- feels as if the whole goal of the school being built was/is to generate more revenue to bank on a "pharmacist shortage"
- haven't heard much other than that
Texas Southern University
- can't think of any positives for this school.
- seems UH students are more competitive for residencies versus TSU
- cannot understand why a second pharmacy school was built in Houston with UH established in 1947 and TSU in 2001. Probably a school using pharmacy school as a huge cash cow and banking on "pharmacist shortage." Literally one step short of being called a diploma mill except that their degree is actually worth something
- currently has a lawsuit against the school for poor performance and risk of accreditation loss is a huge negative in my book
