Advice anyone??

[fishPharmD]

I am a Florida resident and was accepted to UF and UNC Chapel Hill.

Obviously UF is cheaper, do not have to go very far, decent program, family and boyfriend are here.

UNC is not as close, will have to pay out-of-state for 1 year, maybe 2 (they said you apply for residency but it is not guaranteed), awesome program, beautiful area.

Any input please?

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[CantW8]

I am a Florida resident and was accepted to UF and UNC Chapel Hill.

Obviously UF is cheaper, do not have to go very far, decent program, family and boyfriend are here.

UNC is not as close, will have to pay out-of-state for 1 year, maybe 2 (they said you apply for residency but it is not guaranteed), awesome program, beautiful area.

Any input please?

go 2 chapel hill so i can get a spot at UF! lol jk i think ur best bet is 2 go 2 uf. did u apply early decision?

 

[Happy Hounds]

I suppose it all boils down to what matters most to you personally. Do you want to be in a "better" program (though I don't know anything about the programs, I'm just going off your words) or be close to home, family, your boyfriend, and save money (I guess how much also matters.)

The one thing I've learned (if anything) is that once you decide what your priorities are, stick to them. For me, I tried the ambition thing full blast before, and it worked for a while. I was successful, independent, had an expensive prestigious school's degree (note: the actual paper the degree is printed on is probably only worth 20 cents, plus another 10 cents worth of ink) and had all my ducks in a row, laa dee daa. Then I crashed, because none of that turned out to be important to me in the least as far as happiness.

But, on the other hand, many people thrive on that type of adventure. It's totally dependent on the person. So, if you can take some time to sit back and reflect on the decisions you've made in your life and whether they've set you up for real happiness vs. perceived happiness (what others define as happiness for themselves one way or another) before you make this major decision, you'll be on much more solid footing.

Don't be afraid to talk to people you're close to either--you'd be surprised how much they may know about you that you hadn't noticed yourself.

Hope this helps somewhat. Good luck with your decision!

 

[StringTheorist]

I say go to UF, a degree is a degree, pharmacists are in need everywhere, and it won't really matter where you got your degree from. I love UNC, I applied there for undergrad, but UF is much more affordable. They have a great program here as well and your family and boyfriend are nearby. To me, the connections you have here in Florida are worth more than a degree at UNC.

 

[gensin]

I'm with Happy Hounds. You might consider a lot of reflection on what you want out of your life before making this choice. Depending on the choices you make in your life, however, these types of choices may not always be available to you.

I would caution against making the decision based heavily on finances. You'll do well financially when you become a pharmacist, and at that time you can simply focus on paying off your debts as soon as possible.

 

[fishPharmD]

Thank you everyone for your input. In response to Hounds, I think I want to be one of those adventurous people and just go to UNC.... but it is not really who I am. I moved away for undergraduate with no friends and I survived, but then again I was only 4 hours away. The only thing that scares me about UF is the program. Since I will be attending a satellite campus I will watch my lectures online. This is a double-edged sword. Awesome for time saving, somewhat dangerous for motivation.

 

[fishPharmD]

No I did not do early decision.

 

[Alby]

Go to UNC- especially since you are worried about your motivation level at UF. UNC is top-ranked and that can help you if youare plannin gon doing a residency.
Besides- it is beautiful.

 

[clementine4s]

Wow, you just described my situation exactly. I'm trying to decide the same thing. Do you go to UF now?

 

[toscogo]

Thank you everyone for your input. In response to Hounds, I think I want to be one of those adventurous people and just go to UNC.... but it is not really who I am. I moved away for undergraduate with no friends and I survived, but then again I was only 4 hours away. The only thing that scares me about UF is the program. Since I will be attending a satellite campus I will watch my lectures online. This is a double-edged sword. Awesome for time saving, somewhat dangerous for motivation.

Congrats, I have friends in virtually all of Uf campuses including gainsvillle and they do not complain of being less motivated! Lots of Gainsville campus students don't even go class cos they can also watch their classes online and those in class are discouraged from distracting the Professors during lecture. You still get to do your practicals and rotational at hospitals and standard labs .I will chose Uf cos its a very good school and you will be in less debt after graduation. People always say you can pay your loan back so go to out of state or private colleges but after you graduate you have other priorities like, getting married, kids, house, cars etc so anyway you can reduce your total loan form say $130,000 to around $60,000- $70,000 should be welcomed.Good Luck!
What campus are you assigned to?

 

[stylerprodigy]

Congratulations on UF. I was just wondering how you got into the satellite campus already. I thought they don't interview until March. I agree with Toscogo, you will save a lot of money which allows you to allocate priorities. Plus, UF is a top program as well.

 

[fishPharmD]

Congratulations on UF. I was just wondering how you got into the satellite campus already. I thought they don't interview until March. I agree with Toscogo, you will save a lot of money which allows you to allocate priorities. Plus, UF is a top program as well.

When I received my interview invite it already said I was interviewing for that campus. I interviewed in November for the St. Pete campus.

 

[fishPharmD]

Would it make a difference if I said I love North Carolina (the state) and would even live there and that I applied to UNC Chapel Hill as an undergrad and got rejected? Going to UNC has been my top choice all along but when I got accepted to UF I didnt know if it would be better.

Assuming I got NC residency after the first year and paid out-of-state for only 1 year it is only a 30,000$ difference.

 

[shikamaru]

Maybe you should make a huge list of criteria and rank them 1-5 for each school. Then you could add up all the points and see which school trumps the other .

For example, school location 1-5, faculty quality 1-5, curriculum 1-5, rotation sites 1-5, school prestige 1-5, and so on.

 

[fishPharmD]

Maybe you should make a huge list of criteria and rank them 1-5 for each school. Then you could add up all the points and see which school trumps the other .

For example, school location 1-5, faculty quality 1-5, curriculum 1-5, rotation sites 1-5, school prestige 1-5, and so on.

Well, I kinda did that (less mathematically though). I did a pros/cons list but it did not work out because what was a pro for one was a con for the other so everything canceled out! lol

 

[shikamaru]

Well, I kinda did that (less mathematically though). I did a pros/cons list but it did not work out because what was a pro for one was a con for the other so everything canceled out! lol

Aww lol! I feel you because I'm going to have to make a tough decision later too. Well I don't know anything about UNC or UF so I guess that's all the help I can give, but whatever you do I hope you are happy in the end! Good luck

 

[k1451372]

Hey fishpharmD...You already know what I think, but seeing your post I had to say it again after seeing your responses....looks like your leaning towards UNC .

 

[Antimony]

Go to UNC!

 

[fishPharmD]

Go to UNC!

do i know you antimony? lol

 

[stylerprodigy]

I see Antimony is from UCF eh? Same here!

 

[k1451372]

Antimony I think I know you too... are we all in PPS, do we all know each other? hee hee go KNights!

 

[PharmApp2008]

I was trying to decide between a satellite campus of UF and Ohio State (and South). Ohio seemed to be the best of both worlds, top school and an actual campus. I liked South a lot also though because it was small and has a really nice campus and faculty. I chose to go to UF because it is way cheaper on tuition and will save me a lot of moving expenses also.