Yes I was from the 3/3 interview. Good luck to you all. I will be accepting the offer since Western is my top choice.
2016 Western University of Health Science
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Yes I was from the 3/3 interview. Good luck to you all. I will be accepting the offer since Western is my top choice.
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Did u guys all hear back around 4ish?? Dang it. I guess im on hold 🙁
My email says I got it at 3:52 but I was in lab. They usually don't let everyone know the same day so don't get sad yet 🙂
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Accepted!!!!! Ahhh!!!!!
Congrats!
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From what i know, they do send out acceptances at the same time. :/ congrats btw!!
CONGRATS!!!Accepted!!!!! Ahhh!!!!!
Were you ever on hold? For some reason I thought you were...
Hey you, I think it might be over for me too? 🙁
But then again, most of these people were from the 3/3 interview? Maybe they'll look at the holds afterwards?...
i can only hope that this is true to feel a bit better ;p
Accepted!!!!! Ahhh!!!!!
Congrate! Wow...u must have spent couple grands in many interviews...👍
Hm, I looked on the forum from the January intvw and people said there were 2 batches sent out! I hope you get in, and thank you!!
It has been very expensive flying to interviews for sure, but I have met really great people and it was worth it in the end!!
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I guess everyone else is hopping on the hooooooooooooold train (see what I did there?) 😉
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yeah i just looked at the past posts and no one said they got in after the 2/14 e-mail :/ i guess i'm on the "hold" train too 🙁 i thought the interview went alright too........
Oh yeah, but someone said they called and admissions said they were not done sending acceptances! Not everyone is on sdn unfortunately 🙁
any one from hold list of Jan got acceptance email?
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The acceptance email included an attached Word Document containing a personalized acceptance letter... so I'm sure it's going to take a while to send all the acceptances out and take into consideration that I got mine at the end of the work day yesterday as did other people who informed SDN. Keep your heads up... you might get good news to start off your weekend. happy friday!
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With my acceptance to Western, I'm in the dilemma of choosing Western vs Touro CA... here is my list of pros/cons for each program. Could you guys help me out with things to add to each list and correct me if any of the things I listed are untrue?... I really like both programs so the decision is super difficult... 🙁
Western:
Pros: Complete block system, closer to home, well known, and plenty of rotation experiences. Also, they get you started on interprofessional skills right away during p1. That's great.
Cons: It's in the ghetto part of Pomona. Everyone I met in my interview told me to move out of Pomona and commute from Claremont or Montclair, which are nicer areas... I guess Western can use more security? But anyway, another point that really hit me was the fact that there are pharmacy schools that may be opening soon in the neighborhood of Western. Since it is up to the student at Western to find 900 internship hours on their own, I'm worried that this may saturate the market with an impossible number of students who will be competing for internships. (I could be wrong and I actually hope I am).
Touro:
Pros: Dual-degree, recruit professors from UCSF, the island (I personally think it has a lot of potential!), Jewish holidays, Triple Jump Exam, 19 week semesters to somewhat decompress the already compressed workload, and I'm assuming the 2+2 program means you have a better opportunity of getting your internship hours completed before graduation.
Cons: High deposit, rainy weather, not as pretty of a campus as Western, smaller library, not as established, rotation sites are quite the drive, and food is supposedly hard to come by on the campus.
To me, education and work opportunities are the BIG factors. One being more established than the other doesn't really phase me - it's kind of unfair to even factor that since Western is older... but if you guys could give details about their education (professors, program structure, etc) and work opportunities (ample? far drive? etc) please please please share! This is really why I joined SDN... I'd like your input on this big decision!
Thanks a bunch! 😀
Western:
Pros: Complete block system, closer to home, well known, and plenty of rotation experiences. Also, they get you started on interprofessional skills right away during p1. That's great.
Cons: It's in the ghetto part of Pomona. Everyone I met in my interview told me to move out of Pomona and commute from Claremont or Montclair, which are nicer areas... I guess Western can use more security? But anyway, another point that really hit me was the fact that there are pharmacy schools that may be opening soon in the neighborhood of Western. Since it is up to the student at Western to find 900 internship hours on their own, I'm worried that this may saturate the market with an impossible number of students who will be competing for internships. (I could be wrong and I actually hope I am).
Touro:
Pros: Dual-degree, recruit professors from UCSF, the island (I personally think it has a lot of potential!), Jewish holidays, Triple Jump Exam, 19 week semesters to somewhat decompress the already compressed workload, and I'm assuming the 2+2 program means you have a better opportunity of getting your internship hours completed before graduation.
Cons: High deposit, rainy weather, not as pretty of a campus as Western, smaller library, not as established, rotation sites are quite the drive, and food is supposedly hard to come by on the campus.
To me, education and work opportunities are the BIG factors. One being more established than the other doesn't really phase me - it's kind of unfair to even factor that since Western is older... but if you guys could give details about their education (professors, program structure, etc) and work opportunities (ample? far drive? etc) please please please share! This is really why I joined SDN... I'd like your input on this big decision!
Thanks a bunch! 😀
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Personally, I don't like Touro, CA a single bit. I didn't even care about their acceptance when it came in the mail. The fact that they pretty much push duel degree down your throat made it a little bit uncomfortable to be at the interview. Although they stress about how quickly they are expanding and growing, the fact that they are competing in a more saturated region than southern california is a disadvantage.
Down here in Southern California, most of the pharmacies and hospitals recognize two institutes, USC and WesternU. Of course USC is much more famous and larger network, but there are some WesternU preferred sites as well. Not to mention Kaisers dominate the area in hiring intern pharmacists. Kaiser network is an important addition to the independent pharmacies and other hospitals in the area.
Up north, Touro, CA will be competing with UCSF and UOP. Tell you the truth, no matter how well Touro sells their program, it will never be able to beat out those two programs and their established reputation in Northern california. Since pharmacy is a regional occupation, I wouldn't feel comfortable competing with two well-known schools instead of one USC down in SoCal.
Although many people have chosen Touro, CA over WesternU over the years through various reasons, I have several friends that expressed to me that they attended Touro because WesternU rejected them. Or at least, accepted after they had paid the hefty $2000 deposit.
The above is personally opinion that I've gathered throughout my experience interviewing at different schools and considering which program to attend. Hopefully it is somewhat useful to you.
Congratulations on your acceptances by the way. 👍
Down here in Southern California, most of the pharmacies and hospitals recognize two institutes, USC and WesternU. Of course USC is much more famous and larger network, but there are some WesternU preferred sites as well. Not to mention Kaisers dominate the area in hiring intern pharmacists. Kaiser network is an important addition to the independent pharmacies and other hospitals in the area.
Up north, Touro, CA will be competing with UCSF and UOP. Tell you the truth, no matter how well Touro sells their program, it will never be able to beat out those two programs and their established reputation in Northern california. Since pharmacy is a regional occupation, I wouldn't feel comfortable competing with two well-known schools instead of one USC down in SoCal.
Although many people have chosen Touro, CA over WesternU over the years through various reasons, I have several friends that expressed to me that they attended Touro because WesternU rejected them. Or at least, accepted after they had paid the hefty $2000 deposit.
The above is personally opinion that I've gathered throughout my experience interviewing at different schools and considering which program to attend. Hopefully it is somewhat useful to you.
Congratulations on your acceptances by the way. 👍
Hi! I actually know some people at Touro and they pretty much hate it. It is attempting to be a top ranked school, but the caliber of their professors aren't very good. Again, this os jut hearsay, but, it really isn't as respected as some of the older schools because it just received final accredidation status.
The school opening by Western is AUHS in Signal Hill. I would not worry too much about losing rotation sites to them. It will take a few more years for that school to get some sort of reputation. Western has had log standing contracts with many sites. At the interview, the students told me they will place you close to where you live, and work with you to make sure you like the site.
Honestly, job opportunities in California are rough at the moment in general. I have friends graduating from pharmacy school who don't have a job. I think if you want a job in SoCal, you would have better opportunities to network going to Western.
Hope to see you in August!!! But, I know you have a hard decision. The deposit always looms over everyone. I am losing my deposit from UA, to accept Western, ouchies.
The school opening by Western is AUHS in Signal Hill. I would not worry too much about losing rotation sites to them. It will take a few more years for that school to get some sort of reputation. Western has had log standing contracts with many sites. At the interview, the students told me they will place you close to where you live, and work with you to make sure you like the site.
Honestly, job opportunities in California are rough at the moment in general. I have friends graduating from pharmacy school who don't have a job. I think if you want a job in SoCal, you would have better opportunities to network going to Western.
Hope to see you in August!!! But, I know you have a hard decision. The deposit always looms over everyone. I am losing my deposit from UA, to accept Western, ouchies.
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This, unfortunately, is one of the many things that's making my decision-making really hard between Western and an out-of-state school. Everyone tells me that if I leave California, I'll leave all my connections/possible connections behind. If I go to an out-of-state school, it's going to be harder to come back (if I choose to come back.) It also doesn't help that people have this impression that my other choice is rather "random." Any advice? xD
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I had the opportunity to leave california to attend more reputable schools in that region, but california is really hard to leave behind lol.
Pharmacy is a very regional career, so not being able to establish the network in california during school/rotation will put you at a disadvantage. Not saying it has not been done every year because many people do come back, but it all depends the type of person you are and who you know. There is always the route to go out of state and find a connection to come back to CA to do a residency and the rest is no concern.
I think choosing a school in CA just because you want to work here in the future may cause unhappiness in the future. If there is a will, there is a way right? I'm sure if you find other out of state schools more fitting for your personality, you will find a way back to CA to work if you choose to.
Hope this helps with your considerations.
Are the 900 hours to be arranged by students in all California pharm schools? Touro doesn't give you this 900 hours either, right? You are on your own to find an intern job to accumulate hours.
Hi! So I had to choose between a bunch of out-of-state schools but ultimately your connections are best when you stay in California. I talked to my pharmacy manager (also kind of like my mentor), when I was debating between UW and UA and connections were better with UA because it's in closer proximity to California. The professor at UW who offered to mentor me also told me this, but sometimes the name of the school itself provides you a connection network. It really depends on the employer, some employers care for name, and ranking, and some don't. Which school are you considering out-of-state? What kind of program do they have, is it better suited for what you want to do? You really have to think beyond the spectrum of just in-state, out-of-state, what's better for you. What school will help you get where you need to be? What kind of network do they have, what kind of contracts do they have, things like that are important.
However, going to another state isn't necessarily going to hinder your chances of landing a job in Cali because you could technically do your APPE rotations in California.
Reality is, yeah, our job market sucks right now for ANY profession (well maybe not accounting... all my friends are accountants and all have jobs LOL). Will the market be better in 4 years? No one can tell. However, ultimately, if your goal is to work IN California, you have to gamble with the crappy economy. If you plan on working out of state for a few years, then that might be better for you to go to an out-of-state school. Me, I never want to leave California... lol... I was not impressed with my travels these past few months.
I don't know if this is helpful at all, but this is just what I've gathered from talking to people. I really thought I was moving (depressed), but now, I get to stay! 🙂 (If I pass biochem that is... haha)
LOL I feel the same as you about California! And I also have to pass biochem 😛 But you're in Western now! Hopefully I'll get to join you 🙂
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Hi amhong,
What exactly do your friends at Touro hate about it? It was difficult to tell how the students felt at Touro - I interviewed during a week when all the students had exams so they were all tucked away studying.
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Hey wanttobepharm,
Thanks for your input, I never thought of it that way. However, is Touro really competing in a saturated area? You've got UOP, UCSF, and Touro up there... I don't count Northstate since they're not accredited yet. Down in SoCal you have Western, USC, Loma Linda, and UCSD. So both are relatively saturated, right?
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I'm not really sure how many hours Touro has built into their program anymore. I'm confused. One of the students at Western told me that they have 600 hours built in and 900 you gotta find on your own. I'm not sure if it's cut dry like that with Touro. All I know is they have 2 years of rotations that will count toward the 1500 you need... I'm not sure how many hours exactly are built in those 2 years...
...but I'm starting to lean towards Western. I'm just sad about the deposit I'm gonna be losing from Touro. ahhh.
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Obviously this is from information and opinions I gathered from speaking with students/pharmacists/businesses...
You can't really count UCSD since they put out 60 students a class and San Diego is a city on their own pretty much. It's sort of like comparing LA with Santa Barbara, the distance is too far to be considered as one. Although UCSD do put out students to compete with USC, Western, and Loma Linda, but it all depends on what you are going into.
Although SoCal has just as many if not more schools than NorCal, but the amount of hospitals and locations are far greater in SoCal.
If you are considering saturation as a major factor in school, I would definitely not put NorCal in an advantageous position compared to SoCal. If you are considering other factors, then it may be a different story.
Yayayay! I will
for you to get in! 🙂 Hopefully they will take people off hold once their final interview date is done. Ya know? My biochem class is death.. where are you taking it?
They told me the curriculum isn't structured well. They also HATE the location of the school. They keep referring it as if you're on a set of an old scary movie (hello, count me out! LOL) They also think a lot of the teachers aren't really capable... but I mean, no school has 100% great teachers, you know?
I've never been there, so, this is just what I've heard.
I saw you got accepted to OSU (congrats!) I have a friend there. She loves it (minus the frigid winters). That's such a great school 🙂 It is pretty far away though, but, you get that whole east coast campus pride vibe there. Cost is less too right? So I don't see why your friends would see that as a random place.
Sucks that schools only give you 1-2 weeks to decide.
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Haha, the other school I'm considering is Ohio State, which is all the way in the midwest, practicallly across the country. After my experience there with the beautiful snow, I was pretty impressed, and knew I was sooo set on going there! Med center on campus, hospitals nearby, research labs, endless opportunities. But then, I went to another school located in the midwest for an interview, and I was NOT impressed with the weather.....there were like, tornado warnings in that state on the day of my interview. Headed back to the airport was so scary. Hail, heavy rain, thunderstorm, and possible tornadoes. I was a bit freaked out by that. Because the school shares similar climate with Ohio State.
Meanwhile, Western is 10 min drive from my home. I was actually very impressed during their interview day. The girl speaker was....very good, to say the least. And I like the idea of block system. 😀 I like the hexagonal classroom structure. And hands-on patient counseling early on. And I love my family. And the warm weather. And socal. And yummy food. Etc. But I will have to agree with you that california economy is a big gamble.
Anyways, thank you amhong and wanttobepharm for the detailed responses. Much appreciated. 😀 I'm going to talk to a lot of people for their perspective on everything.
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Can I just say one thing...
People complain about CA having way too many pharmacy schools producing pharmacists to saturate the market. They neglect to mention CA does have way more pharmacies to go around than any other states. Would you want to be in a state with over 20,000 pharmacies (vaguely approximated) or a state with 1,000 pharmacies?
nomsayin?
People complain about CA having way too many pharmacy schools producing pharmacists to saturate the market. They neglect to mention CA does have way more pharmacies to go around than any other states. Would you want to be in a state with over 20,000 pharmacies (vaguely approximated) or a state with 1,000 pharmacies?
nomsayin?
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Yayayay! I will
My biochem class is death.. where are you taking it?
Yeah I sure hope so! I haven't heard anyone who has been called off hold yet :/ But seems like spots are sure filling quick!
Yah I think biochem is killer anywhere, but thank goodness I have a wonderful professor! I am taking it at CSUF where I will graduate in May. What about you?
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Oh, haha! I didn't realize.
Haha thanks! Cost is definitely less in terms of tuition. $36,000 (compared to Western's $43,000+) first year, and potentially ~$20,000 after p1 year, given that you fulfill some in-state requirements. And my friends think it's a random place because it's an out-of-state school that's far away. Plus, they all wonder why the heck I would go there because the cold is like, my worst enemy. 🙁
Can I just say one thing...
People complain about CA having way too many pharmacy schools producing pharmacists to saturate the market. They neglect to mention CA does have way more pharmacies to go around than any other states. Would you want to be in a state with over 20,000 pharmacies (vaguely approximated) or a state with 1,000 pharmacies?
nomsayin?
....That's kind of true haha.
Good News for California pharm students!
The new pharmacy school AUHS was denied by ACPE, so AUHS cannot take any PharmD student for 2012. This school was planning to open up its first class in Signal Hill (near Long Beach) The dean was from Touro COP New York.
Good to know this since we have too many pharm schools in CA already...
The new pharmacy school AUHS was denied by ACPE, so AUHS cannot take any PharmD student for 2012. This school was planning to open up its first class in Signal Hill (near Long Beach) The dean was from Touro COP New York.
Good to know this since we have too many pharm schools in CA already...
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No offense to the dean and/or its future students, but LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE!!!!!!
I'm at SMC 3 days a week. The commute is so killer I just want to drop dead half the time. I spend 2.5 + hours in driving time there per day...
Yeah, the weather and the conditions you live in really affect how you are as a student. At least for me. I get really homesick so I was super dreading having to move. That's why all was banking on Western for me! Cost is certainly an issue, but I just feel like I'll be a happier person at western 😀. UA and UW are the same in terms of cost as OSU then after you become a resident, but from what people tell me, states are becoming more stringent on giving out resident status. Lame.. so I was like wellps... if it takes you guys 2 years and you still haven't gotten resident status it REALLY doesn't save that much more money. Not sure how it is in Ohio, though.
Think of it this way, your deposit of 1000 is one thing, but you're going to have to spend the money moving there too! Also factor in costs of flying to and from yearly, etc. Those all factor in, then the 1000 dollars doesn't seem like that much anyway? Because you lose 1000 now, and you save it later in travel and expenses!
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haha Touche, amhong. You're very right. My good friend pointed out the same exact point... too bad the deposit was actually $2000, though. But yes, I'll get over it. I thought long and hard about my decision this weekend and I am getting more and more excited to accept my spot at Western. Guess I'll see you in August? 🙂 Btw, are you planning to live in Pomona? And did you start your vaccinations yet? My tour guides recommended I start them asap.
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If anyone are starting their titer soon, i recommend doing your TB skin test later.
When I turned in my titer and everything, the health department told me I need another TB skin test between June and start of school....I have no clue if it's just me or every student.
Giving you guys a heads up if it's for all students.
Welcome Panda!
When I turned in my titer and everything, the health department told me I need another TB skin test between June and start of school....I have no clue if it's just me or every student.
Giving you guys a heads up if it's for all students.
Welcome Panda!
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