Albany College Of Pharmacy

[Nahmed]

Hello everyone,

So here's the deal. For the past four years I've decided that I want to be a dentist. However, ACPHS made a great offer to me and there's so many personal advantages to going there. I'm now thinking of pharmacy as a great option. I'm a little bit scared of changing my path so close to graduation and such. Could anyone give me some of their experiences of the college? Or if you've heard anything about it that'd be great too. Thanks!

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[bacillus1]

Just be aware of the lack of job security for pharmacists nowadays.

 

[owlegrad]

The jobs are so different, I think it is just a matter of finding the one that is the best fit for you. Shadowing/volunteering should help with that.

Also keep in mind it is normal to have "cold feet" as you progress toward your goal. Nothing to worry excessively about, most everyone experiences it.

Good luck!

 

[xXRAYNEXx]

I went here for school interview. Looked like a good school. How much scholarship they're giving u?

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[Nahmed]

I'm getting $10k per year for six years of they're Pharm D program. I've shadowed a few dentists but I have absolutely no experience with pharmacy which is why I'm scared. I just want to make the right choice.

 

[xtsukiyox]

Oh, yeah, you really need to find out more about pharmacy before you make the leap. Pharmacy and dentistry are very different. Make sure you think pharmacy is something you think you'd like - i'd hate to see you 10 years down the road wishing you'd have been a dentist. Go shadow some pharmacists.

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[xXRAYNEXx]

I'm getting $10k per year for six years of they're Pharm D program. I've shadowed a few dentists but I have absolutely no experience with pharmacy which is why I'm scared. I just want to make the right choice.

That's a nice offer but be careful. Do everything u can to get pharmacy experience before u make ur decision. Dentistry and pharmacy are different in many ways. Six year programs like acphs have high dropout rates because many students that are accepted have no pharmacy experience and don't really have a good understanding about the nature of the job and the downside of pharmacy. Are u gonna be one the next dropout? Many people lose interest in pharmacy after working in one. Some pharmds hate their job because they had unrealistic expectations about the job. Also, pharmacy is no longer the best career to get into in this economy due to many reasons. I would only recommend pharmacy if you truly understand it and can't see urself doing anything else. Do ur own research first. Good luck.

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[Pharmo]

Can you enroll in one of their BS programs instead and keep your scholarship? If you like the school, that might be a good alternative until you figure out whether pharmacy is in your future.

 

[Nahmed]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I'm leaning more and more towards ACPHS because I don't have many other options. I've done my research and figured that if i still want to do dentistry after a few years I can transfer out. I'd be able to transfer credits, too, considering the basic sciences are common in both fields.

 

[ImmunoPharmD]

Hello everyone,

So here's the deal. For the past four years I've decided that I want to be a dentist. However, ACPHS made a great offer to me and there's so many personal advantages to going there. I'm now thinking of pharmacy as a great option. I'm a little bit scared of changing my path so close to graduation and such. Could anyone give me some of their experiences of the college? Or if you've heard anything about it that'd be great too. Thanks!

Please don't ask life-making decision advice on a anonymous forum. You should talk it over with your close ones, advisers, and anyone important to you. Take my advice.

 

[redheadedninja]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I'm leaning more and more towards ACPHS because I don't have many other options. I've done my research and figured that if i still want to do dentistry after a few years I can transfer out. I'd be able to transfer credits, too, considering the basic sciences are common in both fields.

The main problem with a pharmacy major is that most of the general population associates you with just retail. There are so many different options for you when you have a pharmacy degree. For example, you can do retail, hospital or clinical (in which you can pick GI, infectious diseases, neuro, psychology, etc). You can go into teaching, you can own your own pharmacy, you can work and go back to school for a different degree if you want.

As for the comment about pharmacists not having job security, you just have to play it smart. You can't graduate anymore and expect there to be several companies trying to convince you to work for them. You are less able to "name your own price" so to speak. However, this doesn't mean that there aren't any jobs, pharmacists are still needed and new pharmacies are opening all the time.

I wish you luck in figuring out what you would like to do!