are there any out of state unc pharm students who can give they're perspective?
why unc instead of an in state school?
pro/con of going out of state?
I am going to UNC COP this fall as an out-of-state student. I made the decision to go there instead of my in-state school for several reasons, mostly related to the school's reputation (i.e., #2.) First, UNC COP has the second highest research funding in the country. Being interested in the possibility of a research-oriented career, I would definitely like to work in labs while in pharmacy school. I am particularly interested in pharmacogenomics and gene therapy. While interviewing, it seemed as though the school encouraged students to work in research labs. UNC also offers an honors program, which is highly enticing. The program even requires students to do original research. I will be very interested to learn more about this program during orientation.
On the other hand, while interviewing at my in-state school, which is also very competitive, I asked my tour guide, who was an admissions officer, whether there were opportunities for PharmD students to work in research labs. She hesitantly replied, "Not really. They are generally reserved for PhD students." I later asked several students whether they or anyone they knew worked in research labs. None of them did, and one even said that he once e-mailed a professor asking whether he could work in her lab to which the professor replied in a one-word e-mail "No." This student even had a chemistry B.S. This school simply lacked the academic environment that I enjoy and seemed to be more interested in pumping out PharmD students than in advancing the field through research and academia.
This notion was also reinforced in my actual interview at my in-state school. It was conducted by an administrator rather than professors whom I really enjoyed interviewing with overall, especially at UNC. With all of my professor-conducted interviews, I had a lot to discuss concerning scientific topics that I am interested in (e.g., the future of pharmacy in pharmacogenomics and gene therapy.) I had very little to discuss with the administrator, and it was definitely my worst interview. This aspect of the interview also made me feel that the school was less focused on academia and more on getting students through the program. This may be a crazy perception of mine, but I definitely left the in-state school not feeling like it was a good fit.
Overall, UNC simply provides the academic environment I am accustomed to and enjoy, especially having gone to one of the top research universities in the country for undergrad. I feel like it is a rare opportunity to be able to participate in the ground-breaking work conducted in legitimate research institutions. I am incredibly excited to go to UNC, and never really even considered my in-state school, regardless of pricing.
