Advice on Pharmacy school, Mercer COPHS vs. Temple

[Auriel619]

Hello,

I can feel the SDN addiction setting in as this forum rocks for tips/advice about pharmacy school. I'm hoping you can help me out a bit more.

I was recently accepted to Mercer COPHS in Atlanta, GA and to Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and I'm having some trouble deciding on where to go. If anyone has any impressions/advice about choosing a school, I'd really appreciate it!

Mercer COPHS
Pros:

Higher Ranked <- I heard rankings don't matter much/they're skewed, but it is ranked 31 w/e that means

Cheaper Tuition- ~33k/year vs 37k/year at Temple

Pharm.D/MBA Program- Not accepted into the program yet, but I plan on taking the GMAT's next year and it's something I'm interested in pursuing

Safe Area

Better Organizations? <- This also may not be necessarily true, but a lot of the organizations around Mercer were clearly displayed and the tour guide really stressed that the organizations such as Frats & philanthropy groups won a lot of awards. Temple seemed to be really lacking in such groups or it wasn't displayed as openly. From my impressions, it seems that the major groups are the frats at Temple.

Less Saturated area than Pennsylvania for Pharmacists

International Rotations!


Cons:
Will need a Car & Insurance to get around

In the South-> The people definitely seemed more relaxed in the South than in NJ, but it was strange because the Asian population at Mercer was almost non-existent. Maybe it's the area but I know UGA & Georgia Tech have a substantial Asian population, so why not Mercer? This is just a minor minor detail but something that bothered me anyways.

Very quiet, almost dead campus-> The only students walking around were P2 Pharm students and maybe one or two theology students.


Temple

Pro:
Vibrant Campus/Social Life- It's in the middle of Philly! Plenty to do/enjoy the city. 10 min shuttle ride away from BIG main campus

More options/ability to explore Pharm.D <- Temple offers a LOT of Pharm.D elective courses from Nuclear Pharmacy to QA. QA is definitely something I'm looking into, and may give me a better idea of what I'd want to do with a Pharm.D

Research- Temple is a large state school with more funding from PA. I saw a TON of research going on there that was absent from Mercer. Mercer certainly does it's fair share of research but it seems as if it has a difficult time competing with a large state institution.

GREAT Facilities -> Large gym, beautiful library.

Cons:

Pretty Dangerous Area <- 2 blocks in either direction at the Health Sciences campus will land you in deep trouble. The Assistant Director called the local area the "Badlands" haha

More Expensive than Mercer & more costly standard of living

Pharm Students VERY spread out- Temple is a big commuter school, a lot of students don't live together/ live in small groups of 4 scattered around Philadelphia. Expensive housing if on-campus

TL😀R
Mercer seems to have a more close-knit community with great organizations, cheaper tuition, a higher ranking and a fantastic Pharm.D/MBA program. However, will need a car and very dead campus.

Temple has GREAT facilities & research options and it's in the middle of Philly! Plenty to do. However, it's in a very dangerous area more expensive than Mercer & a seemingly lack of community.



I know people often say that Pharmacy school is what you make of it, and I agree. I'm going to be social and diligent regardless of which school I go to, but I feel like one school may offer better opportunities than another.


Wow I can't believe you guys would read through that, but if you did, you = awesome and I'm hoping that you would give me some tips/advice on any experiences you have had with either school.

If there are any Mercer or Temple students here, please let me know how your experience was or has been so far! Please don't be offended if one of my impressions is different from yours, I only went to visit while you've been there longer than I have. I'd love to hear your input.

Thanks for all your help you awesome SDN community!

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[p-rog]

UGA student here. I interviewed at Mercer and was really impressed with the way they treated me and how they did things. If it wasn't so much more expensive than UGA, I would have went there in a heartbeat. Anyways, so this is 1 vote for Mercer.

About the dead campus- who cares you'll be studying all the time like a nerd anyways (welcome to pharmacy school- aka nerdville, USA, population= you).

About the lack of Asians, ATL is browntown USA. Who cares if they're not in pharmacy school with you, they are everywhere in ATL and they are so damn annoying anyways (i'm Asian).

About the research- this is dicey. First of all, it sounds like you have no idea what you really want to do. PharmD/MBA or PharmD+ research are all good and well but PharmD/MBA + research is just too much and it doesn't make much sense. Also, as you said, it's not that research isn't an option at Mercer. I mean, they do have the PharmD/PhD combo program at Mercer if you're thinking about that. I do agree that if you knew exactly what research you wanted to do, chances are Temple will have a better program for it (not necessarily true though).


Also, I don't know if temple does a block schedule system or not but I liked that about Mercer.


And last but not last, I couldn't agree more about people in the south being way nicer and more laid back than those d-bags in Jersey/NE US.

 

[Auriel619]

UGA student here. I interviewed at Mercer and was really impressed with the way they treated me and how they did things. If it wasn't so much more expensive than UGA, I would have went there in a heartbeat. Anyways, so this is 1 vote for Mercer.

About the dead campus- who cares you'll be studying all the time like a nerd anyways (welcome to pharmacy school- aka nerdville, USA, population= you).

About the lack of Asians, ATL is browntown USA. Who cares if they're not in pharmacy school with you, they are everywhere in ATL and they are so damn annoying anyways (i'm Asian).

About the research- this is dicey. First of all, it sounds like you have no idea what you really want to do. PharmD/MBA or PharmD+ research are all good and well but PharmD/MBA + research is just too much and it doesn't make much sense. Also, as you said, it's not that research isn't an option at Mercer. I mean, they do have the PharmD/PhD combo program at Mercer if you're thinking about that. I do agree that if you knew exactly what research you wanted to do, chances are Temple will have a better program for it (not necessarily true though).


Also, I don't know if temple does a block schedule system or not but I liked that about Mercer.


And last but not last, I couldn't agree more about people in the south being way nicer and more laid back than those d-bags in Jersey/NE US.

If I'm gonna be in nerdsville, USA I'm gonna be the mayor, governor, and dictator-for-life!
Hm, thanks for giving your impressions about Mercer. On paper, it looks like Mercer beats out Temple in most aspects except maybe research, but I'm ok with that. And it is really close to Atlanta which offers a whole bunch of social & career opportunities.

And Asians are high-maintenance, but there's something damn comforting about being around other asians at least some of the time. I guess there are Southern Belles to consider too... hmm

haha and we are angry ALL THE TIME up here in NJ

 

[Auriel619]

bump

 

[bkiskadd]

I'm about to be a P2 student at Mercer (if I pass my year end exam tomorrow..😱) and I love it!

I really like the small feel of campus, it's much easier to study when it's calm and serene than if there was a bunch of stuff going on. That's way too distracting for me.

You're right about the organizations. They are a really big presence here on campus. It's definitely good to get involved and it's a great way to find out what area of pharmacy appeals more to you.

Also, the Asian assumption is very wrong. There are a ton of Asians, not only in my class, but on campus because we have an international program. In fact, in your first class Communications you'll be paired with one of those students to talk about their culture and health care.
If that's not enough, the location of Mercer is probably in the most Asian-dense area of Atlanta. Literally, 2 minute from campus is Buford Highway where all the signs are in a different language and you can find some extremely delicious, authentic food.

The research aspect...I can definitely see how we can't compare to a major university, but there is definitely research going on. I think there are a lot of opportunities for it too. Plus, most people don't really want to do research so it's not that competitive. Basically, you just have to get to know the professors and find one that is doing something that interests you. Also check out the faculty pages on the mercer website for that info, as well.

I better get back to studying, but if you have any more questions feel free to let me know or PM me. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Sparda29]

I'm about to be a P2 student at Mercer (if I pass my year end exam tomorrow..😱) and I love it!

I really like the small feel of campus, it's much easier to study when it's calm and serene than if there was a bunch of stuff going on. That's way too distracting for me.

You're right about the organizations. They are a really big presence here on campus. It's definitely good to get involved and it's a great way to find out what area of pharmacy appeals more to you.

Also, the Asian assumption is very wrong. There are a ton of Asians, not only in my class, but on campus because we have an international program. In fact, in your first class Communications you'll be paired with one of those students to talk about their culture and health care.
If that's not enough, the location of Mercer is probably in the most Asian-dense area of Atlanta. Literally, 2 minute from campus is Buford Highway where all the signs are in a different language and you can find some extremely delicious, authentic food.

The research aspect...I can definitely see how we can't compare to a major university, but there is definitely research going on. I think there are a lot of opportunities for it too. Plus, most people don't really want to do research so it's not that competitive. Basically, you just have to get to know the professors and find one that is doing something that interests you. Also check out the faculty pages on the mercer website for that info, as well.

I better get back to studying, but if you have any more questions feel free to let me know or PM me. Good luck with your decision!

How's Dr. Bauer doing? Did he do his demonstration on himself on how urticaria works? (The pencil on skin.) Tell him the Touro NY Class of 2012 says hi and misses him.

 

[21PharmD]

Mercer all the way! I actually interviewed there and loved it! Had I not gotten accepted to my first choice school I would have gone there definitely!

 

[bkiskadd]

How's Dr. Bauer doing? Did he do his demonstration on himself on how urticaria works? (The pencil on skin.) Tell him the Touro NY Class of 2012 says hi and misses him.

I've only heard of him, we haven't had him yet. I'm assuming we'll see him P2 year? What does he teach?

 

[AdamSanders]

I don't have any experience with Temple, but I really liked Mercer when I applied there. I also chose not to go there because I was accepted to a much cheaper school. Maybe doing some calculations on the total cost of attendance for each school will help sway your decision. Either way, good luck with school!

 

[Auriel619]

Thanks for all your input on Mercer! It seems like SDN favors that school a LOT and it's making me look it over again.

I had a question for anyone really familiar with the school. As an incoming P1, where would you recommend that I stay for the first year? Where do the majority of them stay?

IMO, the first year is the BEST year to build the friendships and connections that you'll carry with you for the rest of the Pharmacy. I know that I would not have met many of my college friends and study partners if I didn't dorm in a freshman dorm.
Any idea where most pharmacy students or most first years live?

Oh and since Mercer is in the suburbs, is a Car necessary?

Thanks for the help!

 

[rxlynn]

Thanks for all your input on Mercer! It seems like SDN favors that school a LOT and it's making me look it over again.

I had a question for anyone really familiar with the school. As an incoming P1, where would you recommend that I stay for the first year? Where do the majority of them stay?

IMO, the first year is the BEST year to build the friendships and connections that you'll carry with you for the rest of the Pharmacy. I know that I would not have met many of my college friends and study partners if I didn't dorm in a freshman dorm.
Any idea where most pharmacy students or most first years live?

Oh and since Mercer is in the suburbs, is a Car necessary?

Thanks for the help!

Hi - as a recent alumni (very recent, as in last Saturday!!) I'm pretty familiar with the school. If you want to stay on campus, there are nice on-campus apartments. The pharmacy school student affairs office will help match up incoming P1 students so that (assuming you want this) you will be living with people in your same class. There are also some apartments directly across Flowers Road from campus called Park Pointe North where a lot of people live. Most of the other people I knew (if they didn't already live in Atlanta and own a house, etc.) lived in apartments or rental houses close to campus (i.e. closer to I-85 either off Clairmont or North Druid Hills, or in the Tucker area which is sort of on the other side of campus from the above). The year I started, student affairs also set up a listserve for people to match up with roommates besides oncampus housing.

I would say that a majority of people I knew had off campus housing, or if they started out on campus they usually moved off after a year or two. My other advice is to choose your roommates carefully. I was pretty surprised by how quickly the class seemed to break into "groups of friends" after we started. Since there is only roughly 150 in the class, you get to know at least something about almost everyone pretty fast, I guess.

Feel free to PM me if I can answer any other questions.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

And last but not last, I couldn't agree more about people in the south being way nicer and more laid back than those d-bags in Jersey/NE US.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Please. We're not talking about life on the century old plantation here. We're talking about Atlanta. Be around an ******* from Buckhead for 5 minutes and tell me how they compare to a blue collar ******* from Philly. You'll be tonsils deep in a cheesesteak getting ready to wash it down with a Tastycake.

In all seriousness, Philly is so much cooler than Atlanta, it makes my head hurt.

 

[type b pharmD]

mercer. it's cheaper. although the lack of saturation isnt a huge deal.. should be saturated by then, and, it's not that hard to get jobs out of state .

 

[p-rog]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Please. We're not talking about life on the century old plantation here. We're talking about Atlanta. Be around an ******* from Buckhead for 5 minutes and tell me how they compare to a blue collar ******* from Philly. You'll be tonsils deep in a cheesesteak getting ready to wash it down with a Tastycake.

In all seriousness, Philly is so much cooler than Atlanta, it makes my head hurt.

I just moved to Buckhead. People here are dicks (especially on the road) but nothing like jersey man. Seriously, people in jersey are beyond ridiculous. I've never been to city of brotherly love-- maybe people get nicer once you cross the state line 🙄

 

[boltdude]

Gotta go with Temple! There's no way Atlanta can compare with Philly.

Temple may be more expensive but you don't need a car which is pretty expensive (insurance, gas, maintenance). I think research is a big thing in a pharmacy student's career (especially if you want to do a residency) and Temple has more extensive research than Mercer.

North Philly is a little sketchy but you don't have to live in North Philly. You can live in Center City which is only a few miles away.

Temple is a comprehensive university system (good med school, research, law, etc). I'm not sure about Mercer but I think the only other school on campus is Theology and business???

I think Temple has the better name recognition nationally although that may be trivial. You'll definately get a more diverse experience at Temple.

BTW, where do you live? If you live in the Northeast it would probably be better to go to Temple since the Northeast is saturated like crazy. Employers may be more comfortable hiring someone from a school they know. Something tells me Mercer isn't well known outside of the Southeast or Georgia for that matter.

 

[uncbiograd]

I don't think you are giving Mercer enough credit as a school with "name recognition"

Soon I need to make a similar decision between Mercer and Shenandoah.. + UNC's waitlist.

 

[boltdude]

I don't think you are giving Mercer enough credit as a school with "name recognition"

Soon I need to make a similar decision between Mercer and Shenandoah.. + UNC's waitlist.

Well, I was just surmising. I'm from California and I don't think many people have heard of Mercer here and I assume the same with the Northeast as well. It looks like you went to UNC (in the south) so you may have a different outlook on it. And the fact you got accepted to Mercer probably skews your opinion a bit (just sayin'). Although Temple isn't a household name around the country, I do think more people know Temple.

Name recognition can be important in many ways. I live in Southern California and if I go to a school like Western University, I think I would have an edge getting a job over someone who went to Mercer due to name recognition (especially since it is so saturated in this area). No employer is going to pull up the US News rankings and say, "Oh Mercer is ranked #31 so I'll hire him/her over the Western graduate." Likewise, if the OP is from the Northeast, I think Temple would serve him better in terms of maybe having an edge on the hiring process. If the OP wants to practice in Georgia or the Southeast, Mercer would probably be the better choice.

BTW, if I were you, I would go to UNC if you get in. That'll be a no brainer.

 

[boltdude]

And last but not last, I couldn't agree more about people in the south being way nicer and more laid back than those d-bags in Jersey/NE US.

Perhaps Southern people are nicer than Northeasterners but we're talking about Atlanta here. Just take a ride on the MARTA and tell me the people are nice. Atlanta is a far cry from small Southern towns whose residents invite you onto their porch and offer you sweet tea.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Please. We're not talking about life on the century old plantation here. We're talking about Atlanta. Be around an ******* from Buckhead for 5 minutes and tell me how they compare to a blue collar ******* from Philly. You'll be tonsils deep in a cheesesteak getting ready to wash it down with a Tastycake.

In all seriousness, Philly is so much cooler than Atlanta, it makes my head hurt.

I have to wholeheartedly disagree. My dad lived in Georgia for ten years, and I'd take the most rude person in Atlanta over the general population of south Florida or the big cities of the NE any day (my undergrad had a higher % of people from the NE than we did from south Florida since it was private).

There are also some apartments directly across Flowers Road from campus called Park Pointe North where a lot of people live. Most of the other people I knew (if they didn't already live in Atlanta and own a house, etc.) lived in apartments or rental houses close to campus (i.e. closer to I-85 either off Clairmont or North Druid Hills, or in the Tucker area which is sort of on the other side of campus from the above). The year I started, student affairs also set up a listserve for people to match up with roommates besides oncampus housing.

I would say that a majority of people I knew had off campus housing, or if they started out on campus they usually moved off after a year or two. My other advice is to choose your roommates carefully. I was pretty surprised by how quickly the class seemed to break into "groups of friends" after we started. Since there is only roughly 150 in the class, you get to know at least something about almost everyone pretty fast, I guess.

Feel free to PM me if I can answer any other questions.

I reserved an apartment at Park Pointe North 😀

I just moved to Buckhead. People here are dicks (especially on the road) but nothing like jersey man. Seriously, people in jersey are beyond ridiculous. I've never been to city of brotherly love-- maybe people get nicer once you cross the state line 🙄

I agree... never been to Jersey, but it sounds like Miami... and Miami is ten hundred thousand million times worse than Atlanta in every aspect of d-baggery. lol

Perhaps Southern people are nicer than Northeasterners but we're talking about Atlanta here. Just take a ride on the MARTA and tell me the people are nice. Atlanta is a far cry from small Southern towns whose residents invite you onto their porch and offer you sweet tea.

I still think they're nicer than the alternatives.

small town > Savannah > Atlanta > Miami~NE

 

[uncbiograd]

Well, I was just surmising. I'm from California and I don't think many people have heard of Mercer here and I assume the same with the Northeast as well. It looks like you went to UNC (in the south) so you may have a different outlook on it. And the fact you got accepted to Mercer probably skews your opinion a bit (just sayin'). Although Temple isn't a household name around the country, I do think more people know Temple.

Name recognition can be important in many ways. I live in Southern California and if I go to a school like Western University, I think I would have an edge getting a job over someone who went to Mercer due to name recognition (especially since it is so saturated in this area). No employer is going to pull up the US News rankings and say, "Oh Mercer is ranked #31 so I'll hire him/her over the Western graduate." Likewise, if the OP is from the Northeast, I think Temple would serve him better in terms of maybe having an edge on the hiring process.

BTW, if I were you, I would go to UNC if you get in. That'll be a no brainer.

Well I was advised by many outside the southeast to apply to Mercer and nobody mentioned temple. Not representative of the country, but just my experience. And I live closer to temple than Mercer. Who knows... I think all these mid tier schools are relatively equal and it is most likely not to affect things in the end. Just work hard wherever you go.

Edit: and you are making a lot of assumptions about places you have never lived in that I have... (just sayin'). 🙂

 

[MB41]

I reserved an apartment at Park Pointe North 😀

hey, did all you do is send in your application form and $100 and he basically just said he'd put you on the list? or did he tell you anything else after that? I did that but I think I might email him and just make sure I've done everything I need to.. I feel like I'm not done or something ha

 

[boltdude]

Well I was advised by many outside the southeast to apply to Mercer and nobody mentioned temple. Not representative of the country, but just my experience. And I live closer to temple than Mercer. Who knows... I think all these mid tier schools are relatively equal and it is most likely not to affect things in the end. Just work hard wherever you go.

Edit: and you are making a lot of assumptions about places you have never lived in that I have... (just sayin'). 🙂

Wait a minute...the worst assumption is that you are assuming that I never lived in those places. tsk tsk

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Well I was advised by many outside the southeast to apply to Mercer and nobody mentioned temple. Not representative of the country, but just my experience. And I live closer to temple than Mercer. Who knows... I think all these mid tier schools are relatively equal and it is most likely not to affect things in the end. Just work hard wherever you go.

Edit: and you are making a lot of assumptions about places you have never lived in that I have... (just sayin'). 🙂

A lot of people advised me to apply to Mercer as well, and I'm so glad they did! lol I don't ever plan on leaving the SE though, so I guess I don't count. 🙂

hey, did all you do is send in your application form and $100 and he basically just said he'd put you on the list? or did he tell you anything else after that? I did that but I think I might email him and just make sure I've done everything I need to.. I feel like I'm not done or something ha

I just sent $115 because of the application fee, but yeah that's all I did. Just make sure you mail the application rather than fax, because they won't accept the signature for some reason. You must be talking about Sebastian because he was the only guy working when I went there! lol I call there sometimes to check up and see how everything is going, but I haven't called in a while because I'm waiting for our financial aide letter to be given to show a higher income (I don't really want to make my parents co-sign). What kind of apartment are you getting? I reserved an F, but I won't know if the one on the 2nd floor has the newer kitchen until this week because they had to move out. If it doesn't I have to decide between that, or living on the 1st floor which is scary to me. lol

 

[uncbiograd]

Wait a minute...the worst assumption is that you are assuming that I never lived in those places. tsk tsk

Well... if you did live in those places but still need to make assumptions about people's views in said places, I'd say I still have a slightly better knowledge base than you.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Well... if you did live in those places but still need to make assumptions about people's views in said places, I'd say I still have a slightly better knowledge base than you.

I guess it didn't really seem like he considers himself 'from' any of those places because he introduced himself as being from California. That's one reason I just figured he might have visited those places, or maybe lived there for a short period. Like I consider myself 'from' south Florida, but Georgia was my second home for about a decade since I had to live there every summer and Christmas break (few months of the year). I was actually going to leave Florida for high school because my hometown only has one public school, and I really wanted to apply to Georgia Tech at one point and qualify for the HOPE scholarship (my dad was a resident and would've claimed me).

 

[MB41]

I just sent $115 because of the application fee, but yeah that's all I did. Just make sure you mail the application rather than fax, because they won't accept the signature for some reason. You must be talking about Sebastian because he was the only guy working when I went there! lol I call there sometimes to check up and see how everything is going, but I haven't called in a while because I'm waiting for our financial aide letter to be given to show a higher income (I don't really want to make my parents co-sign). What kind of apartment are you getting? I reserved an F, but I won't know if the one on the 2nd floor has the newer kitchen until this week because they had to move out. If it doesn't I have to decide between that, or living on the 1st floor which is scary to me. lol

Ok I'm probably good then, I will just call and make sure. I think I got the D, but I have no idea if it has a new kitchen. I told him I was too scared to live on the first floor also so I requested the second! haha