Attending a pharmacy school that just got FULLY accredited?

[Mendria]

It seems a majority of people think that West Coast University School of Pharmacy in LA is a terrible choice. I was accepted, and I really liked the campus, the teachers, and research opportunities. They are still Candidate status, but they may be fully accredited this June if all goes well. Would people still be against going to this school once they get fully accredited because they are new and for profit? Whenever I read about what people say about this school, it scares me away but part of me thinks they will be very successful. By the time I graduate, (all theoretical to if they get accredited this June) they will have been fully accredited for 4 years. I really was hoping to get some advice/opinions on this.
Thabks.

 

[capri1722]

The main advice I’ve gotten re: avoiding schools with candidate or precandidate status has boiled down to two things: risk and reputation.

Risk: By choosing to go to a school that is not yet fully accredited, you risk them not being accredited by the time you graduate. The school will tell you it’s an unlikely possibility, and that may be true, but it is possible nonetheless.

Reputation: I don’t mean this to sound snooty like, “If it’s not ranked top 5, it’s not worth it,” or whatever, but more like you don’t know if they are adequately preparing their graduates for their profession because they have no graduates. If I understand correctly, a school with precandidate status means they currently have no pharmacy students and are looking to accept their first class. A school with candidate status currently has pharmacy students, but no graduates yet. A school without full accreditation cannot tell you their NAPLEX/MPJE pass rates, residency match rates, etc. because they have no data. What if you find out after enrolling that their class of 2018 only had a 75% NAPLEX pass rate? This is another risk, and not one worth taking IMO.

 

[Mendria]

The main advice I’ve gotten re: avoiding schools with candidate or precandidate status has boiled down to two things: risk and reputation.

Risk: By choosing to go to a school that is not yet fully accredited, you risk them not being accredited by the time you graduate. The school will tell you it’s an unlikely possibility, and that may be true, but it is possible nonetheless.

Reputation: I don’t mean this to sound snooty like, “If it’s not ranked top 5, it’s not worth it,” or whatever, but more like you don’t know if they are adequately preparing their graduates for their profession because they have no graduates. If I understand correctly, a school with precandidate status means they currently have no pharmacy students and are looking to accept their first class. A school with candidate status currently has pharmacy students, but no graduates yet. A school without full accreditation cannot tell you their NAPLEX/MPJE pass rates, residency match rates, etc. because they have no data. What if you find out after enrolling that their class of 2018 only had a 75% NAPLEX pass rate? This is another risk, and not one worth taking IMO.

Thanks for the reply. I will accept the offer but not actually attend in the fall unless they get fully accredited this spring. So I guess that's still a risk? Even though when I attend they will be fully accredited, I might still have problems 4 years later because I went to this school?

 

[lalaland33]

Thanks for the reply. I will accept the offer but not actually attend in the fall unless they get fully accredited this spring. So I guess that's still a risk? Even though when I attend they will be fully accredited, I might still have problems 4 years later because I went to this school?

This is a better decision. If they're not accredited by the time you enroll it's not worth it. The rank itself is not important but like capri said, knowing things such as what graduates from the school are doing, NAPLEX pass rates, residency match rates, etc. is important.

 

[PharmtoCS]

The real risk isn't just with accreditation of WCU, it is with the job market saturation. California is already extremely saturated, yet we still have 5 or so schools that have not even graduated their first class; imagine how the job market will be then. Are you willing to fight in the Hunger Games to land a job to hopefully pay off $200k+ in student loans within your lifetime?

 

[RXGirl2017]

ATTENTION STUDENTS SEEKING ADVISE ON THIS PHARMACY PROGRAM!

Since they got their accreditation, the entire program has been negatively impacted. The professors specially in P2 (year 2) are terrible. Not only do they not teach, but they do not care when half the class fails. I have friends in P1-P3 and all of them are complaining about the program. I am not sure why they lost their compassion after accreditation but guess what? Accreditation can be easily lost. Also when students drop out or transfer to other schools how would that reflect on them? Its bad enough LA has expensive housing for students, this school will not help you in any way. My friend in p2 had her advisor tell her that she emailed him more than once on the same topic therefore to refer to the form and not address the issue at hand. There are plenty of great pharmacy programs in the area. Please do not waste your time and money and go this this pharmacy program. You are risking being kicked out with a huge loan. I personally know 5 students that are trying to start the transfer process now. They will lose a lot of students, money, and their reputation if they don't clean up their act. I am currently in another graduate program and i am so thankful i didnt choose the west coast route. That is why when i hear the stories from students, i compare to how wonderful my program is and it is unfair for students not to be aware before choosing that school. To maintain a level of professionalism, I have not included any names. The school's mission should be pay 200k to teach yourself!

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Just choose a different career. Pharmacy isn't worth it anymore.

 

[DOOM N GLOOM]

The real risk isn't just with accreditation of WCU, it is with the job market saturation. California is already extremely saturated, yet we still have 5 or so schools that have not even graduated their first class; imagine how the job market will be then. Are you willing to fight in the Hunger Games to land a job to hopefully pay off $200k+ in student loans within your lifetime?

With the saturated market in California, employers are likely to hire only UCSF, USC or UCSD graduates if there were positions open, unless they were hiring based off of their alma mater. Many residency programs are already taking this approach and not even bothering with screening/interviewing candidates from 3rd tier schools.

The concept of going to a new school because it is ‘accredited’ means nothing for job prospects—matter of fact, it is a negative double whammy for you because you neither have the brand name institution nor the alumni network to backdoor you into a job when you graduate. So good luck cold applying for jobs if you go to a school like WCU when all you end up with is having gone to a top 1000 institution and $300k+ in loans after you graduate.

 

[Secret_Informant]

I went to a school that had candidate status (in FL), that was recently accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) three years ago (May 2015), the end of my first professional (P1) year. Their NAPLEX scores and MPJE pass rates were above the national average during the period of accreditation (2011-2015), which was comparable to the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida (UF), two of the top 15 schools in the United States at that time. They were one of the first in FL to develop a clinically-directed curriculum. You can consult the NABP data and the school website for your reference. PM me if you want to know the name. From my previous posts, I think you will have the idea. My school did not allow me to defer admission upon matriculation, which was a huge complaint by students during the accreditation process.

However, the NAPLEX and MPJE scores for those students were on a slight decline two years after accreditation occurred. Some say it was because of the exam difficulty. I believe it was the professors they hired and the attitudes, GPAs, and overall profiles of the students our admissions committee accepted in addition to school policies that were restrictive rather than constructive. UF and UNC maintained their scores at high levels and did not decrease at any point. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) did not post the 2018 NAPLEX and MPJE pass rates on their website until March 2019. Even from this data, we will not know whether or not our graduates passed the MPJE or where they gained pharmacy jobs (or any jobs at all). Word-of-mouth says every single one of them has a job, but with no complete data it is not easy to trust the words of an admissions officer or the one who assesses student affairs.

Most schools of pharmacy are nice enough to have their data on the NABP site and on their own website; other schools do not show their data at all while others provide vague, piecemeal, or incomplete data. Be very weary of this even for established schools of pharmacy (1 year post-accreditation or longer).

Once you have that job placement data for graduates, you can make an informed decision on whether to stay in pharmacy school or choose another path. I suggest leaving it behind now, unless you have a back-up career option, or use your grades to transfer to a more established pharmacy school.

I should have transferred to a more established school when I had the chance. Too late now.

 

[BC_89]

It seems a majority of people think that West Coast University School of Pharmacy in LA is a terrible choice. I was accepted, and I really liked the campus, the teachers, and research opportunities. They are still Candidate status, but they may be fully accredited this June if all goes well. Would people still be against going to this school once they get fully accredited because they are new and for profit? Whenever I read about what people say about this school, it scares me away but part of me thinks they will be very successful. By the time I graduate, (all theoretical to if they get accredited this June) they will have been fully accredited for 4 years. I really was hoping to get some advice/opinions on this.
Thabks.

Some of these posts are informative OP. Here’s yet another thought to confirm / add upon:

1) Cost (new programs are usually for-profit and higher in costs despite it being in your area).

2) Established teaching (you’ll have the risk to know if the program has an established program to set you up with the NAPLEX).

3) Risk (you willing to gamble $200K of debt for a potential-useless non-accredited degree?)

4) Opportunities (you have plenty of institutions fully accredited with successful NAPLEX pass rates, why go after the one pending the same status? Leave your comfort zone for a better, cheaper, established quality of education in an already saturated market).

Your competing in a downslope market. Don’t gamble your career even more when other established programs already exist.

 

[PharmStudent2021]

I’m a current student at WCU pm me I can answer questions

 

[PharmStudent2021]

Lol I’m a current student there (P2). Honestly if your failing in classes it’s on you, school is not that difficult.

ATTENTION STUDENTS SEEKING ADVISE ON THIS PHARMACY PROGRAM!

Since they got their accreditation, the entire program has been negatively impacted. The professors specially in P2 (year 2) are terrible. Not only do they not teach, but they do not care when half the class fails. I have friends in P1-P3 and all of them are complaining about the program. I am not sure why they lost their compassion after accreditation but guess what? Accreditation can be easily lost. Also when students drop out or transfer to other schools how would that reflect on them? Its bad enough LA has expensive housing for students, this school will not help you in any way. My friend in p2 had her advisor tell her that she emailed him more than once on the same topic therefore to refer to the form and not address the issue at hand. There are plenty of great pharmacy programs in the area. Please do not waste your time and money and go this this pharmacy program. You are risking being kicked out with a huge loan. I personally know 5 students that are trying to start the transfer process now. They will lose a lot of students, money, and their reputation if they don't clean up their act. I am currently in another graduate program and i am so thankful i didnt choose the west coast route. That is why when i hear the stories from students, i compare to how wonderful my program is and it is unfair for students not to be aware before choosing that school. To maintain a level of professionalism, I have not included any names. The school's mission should be pay 200k to teach yourself!

I

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Lol I’m a current student there (P2). Honestly if your failing in classes it’s on you, school is not that difficult.


I

Do you think your program is garbage?

 

[PharmtoCS]

Lol I’m a current student there (P2). Honestly if your failing in classes it’s on you, school is not that difficult.


I

Where do you guys do your rotations?

 

[Amicable Angora]

The other point to consider is, when there are so many schools out there now, why take the risk?

 

[Ladiesman714]

I was in your same boat. I applied to two unaccredited schools. One just got accredited chapman, and their naplex pass rate was 90 percent average, I have no doubt my school will get accredited next year.

What I'm seeing on here is the equivalent of saying you can die everytime you get in a car. I think the issue though is finding jobs though since so many schools are opening, so the days of going to school and graduating with 150k no effort is probably not happening anymore lol

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

I was in your same boat. I applied to two unaccredited schools. One just got accredited chapman, and their naplex pass rate was 90 percent average, I have no doubt my school will get accredited next year.

What I'm seeing on here is the equivalent of saying you can die everytime you get in a car. I think the issue though is finding jobs though since so many schools are opening, so the days of going to school and graduating with 150k no effort is probably not happening anymore lol

Actually what I’m saying is that you can die everytime you get in a car acquired from a 4th rate car dealer.

Does it look like a car? Yes. Will it start up? Probably. But you’re not going to get good mileage on it, you don’t know when it’s going to randomly die on you and it sure as heck has no resale value.

 

[PharmStudent2021]

Do you think your program is garbage?

there are some annoying ass **** happening once in awhile but overall no.

 

[UGAZ]

no jobs when you are out..Don't waste your time. School is scamming all of the naïve students. Most of students who are medical school rejects or under-achievers applying to pharmacy schools today.

 

[RXGirl2017]

Lol I’m a current student there (P2). Honestly if your failing in classes it’s on you, school is not that difficult.


I

Not failing at all i actually have A's but i am teaching my self. Its not about hard, its the administrative and teachers that are making rules not appropriate. The dean and assistant dean resigned. That speaks volumes. There is no guidance for teachers so they are doing whatever they want and the student suffers and has to pay for it. No open door policy. Notes have so many errors and grammatical errorsI feel like we are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars and getting nothing. New teachers dont even have slides and tell you to read the book. FYI this is not my opinion, it is facts. Also it will be published soon but West Coast University Pharmacy program has one of the LOWEST NAPLEX pass rates! SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO ELSEWHERE! 15 students from P2 have already sent a letter to the accreditation so maybe they will lose accreditation status by the time you graduate.