UMB or UB?

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b0unce0b0unce

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Hello!
I recently got accepted into both University of Maryland and University of Buffalo for the PharmD program. I currently reside 30 minutes from UMB campus. The rankings for 2012 ranks them both at 17. I would really appreciate it if you could please advice me on which might be a better choice of school to attend.
Thank you!!!

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Do you like cold weather?

Which school is 'better' really depends on what is important to YOU. Make a list of things that are important to you, then compare both schools accordingly (research opportunities, debt you will be in, having to move, NAPLEX pass rates, class size, residency placement rates, how connected did you feel at the interview, building, technology, rotation sites, etc).

If I were you I'd go to UMB, simply because I am not a fan of cold weather; I don't need another reason. But obviously, that's not a good way to pick a school, unless both schools are equal in every other aspect.
 
I don't think rankings should be the sole factor for deciding between pharmacy schools. I would choose Maryland if it was my state school. But to be frank, UB's new building and plan for pharmacy in combination to the Behling simulation center will take pharmacy education to a whole new level. I feel like you will be more prepared as a pharmacist if you go to UB. Why? because most schools teach to the book, while schools like Minnesota and UB are more focused on hands-on experience and pharmacy in the real world. Actually, the new UB curriculum is similar to Minnesota's, with patient assessment right from first year. One unique thing about UB is the alumni connection. It's strongest among all the schools I visited.Their alumni love the school so much that someone told me that they get free pizzas and wings periodically, all sponsored by the alumni (I don't know how true that is). You also get a big brother/sister, that is a currrent P1/P2 student who will serve as a mentor, share his/her notes with you, share their experience with you and provide some sort of guidance to help make your stay over there successful.You can tell I know more about UB's program, but I'm trying to tell you the facts as I see it and not trying to convince you to go there. I never visited Maryland. My only concern may be that Maryland dropped so much from 9-17, that brings out some questions to be answered, but if it was my state school I might still go there. It still all comes down to you and your personal experience and research about both schools and what you want in a pharmacy school. This is Just my 2 cents.
 
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you can probably tell by my signature what i'm going to say :laugh: UB looks like a great school when i interviewed. i agree with amicable7, the alumni connection does seem very strong. the fact that at interviews you are interviewed by a faculty (which, is usually a UB alum or at least, mine was) and a UB alum speaks load about the program.

if maryland is your state school, i would go there; the money you save in the long run would be my main priority. but if you are not from maryland and the cost of going to maryland and UB is relatively similar, i would choose UB hands down
 
Thanks for the responses! :D

Yup, UMB is my state school but I definitely cannot deny that I felt far more comfortable interviewing for UB. The faculty who interviewed me for UMB seemed very uninterested and posed every question as if the interview had been a stress test. For UB, I had 1 alum and 2 faculty interview me and they were genuinely very warm. I feel like their attitude during the interview could reflect how helpful they might be in the future in case I seek any support from them. Truthfully, other students also don't seem very supportive in UMB. Omg amicable7, sharing notes with other students sounds pretty awesome!
I also absolutely love the fact that UB's new pharm building is going to be pretty awesome and that their hands-on program might benefit me more.
Yup, like amicable7 said, we did get free wings and pizzas after the interview :). Indeed, their alum seem very involved with the school.
Since I work at a pharmacy in MD, the pharmacists constantly keep urging me to attend UMB; however, I get the feeling that they might not be completely aware of the UB program. My classmates also consider UMB a more difficult school to get admissions in and they were far more excited about me getting accepted into UMB. But of course, I am very concerned with the fact that ranking for UMB dropped to 17 from 9, and excited that UB jumped up to 17 from 21.
Today, I sat down and crunched few numbers and realized that I would be saving loadssss if I attend UMB. Also, I have been involved with the hospitals that are in this area previously, which might slightly increase my chances of getting employment in the future (or not =/). And I absolutely do not like cold weather :(
So far, I've decided to go for UMB (simply due to the costs) but I feel like I'll miss out on a lot if I say no to UB :(.

Hey usechopstix! Congrats!! :D

.. and thanks much again!
 
sounds like you made a very well reasoned decision.

hey, at least you're fortunate enough to be in the position where you're picking schools because of too many acceptances :D
 
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