Choosing between schools...Help Please!

[LABruin4Life]

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I got into Mercer University and Midwestern-CPG. Disregarding the factor of cost, which school should I choose to attend if I am leaning toward pursuing a career in clinical pharmacy? I'm from SoCal, so going to Midwestern in AZ would be close to home, but Atlanta might be a nice change. Also, MWU-CPG is a 3-yr program so I would get in and get out faster, but would going to an unranked school like MWU-CPG hinder my chances of landing a residency versus if I spend an extra year at Mercer, which is ranked 32nd. If this was your decision to make, then which university would you choose? Please help me out. Thanks!

 

[MRSA Sucks]

I got into Mercer University and Midwestern-CPG. Disregarding the factor of cost, which school should I choose to attend if I am leaning toward pursuing a career in clinical pharmacy? I'm from SoCal, so going to Midwestern in AZ would be close to home, but Atlanta might be a nice change. Also, MWU-CPG is a 3-yr program so I would get in and get out faster, but would going to an unranked school like MWU-CPG hinder my chances of landing a residency versus if I spend an extra year at Mercer, which is ranked 32nd. If this was your decision to make, then which university would you choose? Please help me out. Thanks!

First, the rankings are BS so you shouldn't even use that to sway your decision. US News should be sued for how much influence they have on gullible students.

I would go with MWU because it is a three year program and I believe the tuition is nearly the same as Mercer. I doubt Mercer will give you an edge on residency; it's no UCSF or Michigan.

Also, I would imagine living costs to be more in Atlanta than Arizona.

 

[rxlea]

Arizona is still pretty costly if you want to live in a decent neighborhood. It is hotter than hell in the summer and you HAVE to have a car. Traffic sucks and Glendale is far from any "cool" stuff to do. Lots of Spanish speaking here and no real urban center. Not much culture, either. 🙂 just my .02.

 

[nicolemsm]

First, the rankings are BS so you shouldn't even use that to sway your decision. US News should be sued for how much influence they have on gullible students.

I would go with MWU because it is a three year program and I believe the tuition is nearly the same as Mercer. I doubt Mercer will give you an edge on residency; it's no UCSF or Michigan.

Also, I would imagine living costs to be more in Atlanta than Arizona.

No way josé! AZ is pretty expensive.... one bedrooms run at least 600+ (that's in the ghetto slums too)......


btw tuition @ Mercer is more expensive it runs about 30k a year so 120k & MWGCP is about 29835/ yr so you save a few hundred in tuition @ MW
EDIT didn't see lea chime in 😉

 

[MRSA Sucks]

No way josé! AZ is pretty expensive.... one bedrooms run at least 600+ (that's in the ghetto slums too)......


btw tuition @ Mercer is more expensive it runs about 30k a year so 120k & MWGCP is about 29835/ yr so you save a few hundred in tuition @ MW
EDIT didn't see lea chime in 😉

Really? According to this website MWGCP is 40k/yr.

http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/Documents/PSAR1011_Table11.pdf

But I admit, this isn't from their actual website.

 

[MRSA Sucks]

Arizona is still pretty costly if you want to live in a decent neighborhood. It is hotter than hell in the summer and you HAVE to have a car. Traffic sucks and Glendale is far from any "cool" stuff to do. Lots of Spanish speaking here and no real urban center. Not much culture, either. 🙂 just my .02.

What does "lots of Spanish speaking" have to do with anything? The OP is from LA which has their share of Spanish speakers as well.

 

[nicolemsm]

Really? According to this website MWGCP is 40k/yr.

http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/Documents/PSAR1011_Table11.pdf

But I admit, this isn't from their actual website.

Hey I stand corrected, CPG is actually $38,884 / yr http://www.midwestern.edu/Programs_and_Admission/Financial_Aid/Tuition.html
Idk where I got that figure from....... 😕 yes i do, that's CCP's cost... my badddddd
Mercer is $14,261.50/semester soooo $28,523/ yr

$114092 total Mercer $116652 total MW.

 

[kmoogs]

[delete post] not sure how.

 

[rxlea]

What does "lots of Spanish speaking" have to do with anything? The OP is from LA which has their share of Spanish speakers as well.

It means get used to the fact that latinos are the majority and that they speak spanish- so, it would help to learn some spanish if you are doing rotations in Phoenix. If you are trying to imply that I am being some sort of racist, think again. I am just informing the OP of what he/she is getting into. Cultural competence goes a long way.

 

[Monalyce]

If you are serious about clinical pharmacy, and want to pursue a residency, consider the fact that a four year program gives you summers to gain the kinds of experiences outside of class that may be important in securing a residency.

 

[MRSA Sucks]

It means get used to the fact that latinos are the majority and that they speak spanish- so, it would help to learn some spanish if you are doing rotations in Phoenix. If you are trying to imply that I am being some sort of racist, think again. I am just informing the OP of what he/she is getting into. Cultural competence goes a long way.

No, I wasn't trying to imply that at all. 🙁

The OP is from Los Angeles, so the Latino majority most likely will not be a culture shock to him/her. It's sort of like if the OP was moving from New Orleans to Detroit and you saying that he/she needs to be prepared for black people.

 

[rxlea]

No, I wasn't trying to imply that at all. 🙁

The OP is from Los Angeles, so the Latino majority most likely will not be a culture shock to him/her. It's sort of like if the OP was moving from New Orleans to Detroit and you saying that he/she needs to be prepared for black people.

Yeah, I got that.

 

[bacillus1]

Also don't forget that rotations at some schools might not fit into the maximum number of credits allowed to be taken, so it might me more rotation year. I kinda fell into that trap. They might bill on a per-credit basis above a certain amount of credits per year. No idea how this is for Mercer/MW.

 

[Monsterdaddy]

No, I wasn't trying to imply that at all. 🙁

The OP is from Los Angeles, so the Latino majority most likely will not be a culture shock to him/her. It's sort of like if the OP was moving from New Orleans to Detroit and you saying that he/she needs to be prepared for black people.

I'm going to offer some friendly advice to you and rxlea, both of you are dancing into a Harry Reid. The comments are racist even if you did not intend them to be.

For example, how many times have you told someone else to be prepared for white people or watch out for English speakers?

Singling out a minority is discriminatory and implies a negative slant. Are they not Americans? Are they so different from other Americans? Then why single them out? Be prepared for a s***storm if you ever make such comments in front of a customer.

P.S. Phoenix is not even close to majority Latino, it's 34% per http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04/0455000.html (and 25% for all of Arizona) and while I do not have the stats, I am pretty sure that the majority of Latinos here speak English and have been American citizens for several generations.

EDIT: Glendale is even less at 25% Latino origin...

 

[confettiflyer]

I didn't really read this thread, but here goes:

1) I LOVE Mexican food.

2) The OP should go to Midwestern. Being a fellow Californian, I cannot impress upon you how lucky you are that you the option of staying close to home.

 

[MRSA Sucks]

I'm going to offer some friendly advice to you and rxlea, both of you are dancing into a Harry Reid. The comments are racist even if you did not intend them to be.

For example, how many times have you told someone else to be prepared for white people or watch out for English speakers?

Singling out a minority is discriminatory and implies a negative slant. Are they not Americans? Are they so different from other Americans? Then why single them out? Be prepared for a s***storm if you ever make such comments in front of a customer.

P.S. Phoenix is not even close to majority Latino, it's 34% per http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04/0455000.html (and 25% for all of Arizona) and while I do not have the stats, I am pretty sure that the majority of Latinos here speak English and have been American citizens for several generations.

EDIT: Glendale is even less at 25% Latino origin...

I don't think either of our comments were racist. You brought up racism too quickly, so maybe your comments are the racist ones?

 

[Monsterdaddy]

I don't think either of our comments were racist. You brought up racism too quickly, so maybe your comments are the racist ones?

Pathetic and not worth educating..

 

[Pharmd1]

I would like to provide some information about choosing a school.

1. Pick a school that you think will fulfill your needs (i.e. proximity to home, finance, etc.)
2. How does one know before actually seeing the work of clinical pharmacist, that they would like to go into clinical pharmacy?
3. Residencies are going to be more and more competitive, but I believe you can go to any Accredited college and work hard and show that you are a good candidate for PGY 1, Although it helps if your school has a residency program.
4. And, finally - get to love what you do, If your heart is in it then you will succeed.

Pharmacy is a noble profession & we must work hard to keep up our image.

Good Luck

Pharmd1

 

[MRSA Sucks]

Pathetic and not worth educating..

No seriously. How were my comments racist? You try to educate me yet you should educate yourself for falsely accusing others of racist comments. That's just as bad as racism; hence what I said in my previous post.

 

[Pharmd1]

You guys are going to professionals, act like one!!!
Have some respect for your fellow professionals.

Hope this helps

Pharmd1

 

[MRSA Sucks]

You guys are going to professionals, act like one!!!
Have some respect for your fellow professionals.

Hope this helps

Pharmd1

No one started this accept for MonsterDaddy. He started this when he falsely accused me of posting racist comments. I have every right to defend my comments.

 

[rxlea]

I'm going to offer some friendly advice to you and rxlea, both of you are dancing into a Harry Reid. The comments are racist even if you did not intend them to be.

For example, how many times have you told someone else to be prepared for white people or watch out for English speakers?

Singling out a minority is discriminatory and implies a negative slant. Are they not Americans? Are they so different from other Americans? Then why single them out? Be prepared for a s***storm if you ever make such comments in front of a customer.

P.S. Phoenix is not even close to majority Latino, it's 34% per http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04/0455000.html (and 25% for all of Arizona) and while I do not have the stats, I am pretty sure that the majority of Latinos here speak English and have been American citizens for several generations.

EDIT: Glendale is even less at 25% Latino origin...

First of all, I am latina who is bilingual. Secondly, phoenix is AT LEAST 40% latino. The illegal immigrants are not necessarily counted in the census. Also when were these numbers obtained? 10 years ago? I have lived here all my life. I assure you, latinos dominate in most areas save for Scottsdale and Tempe. Neither of our comments were racist. So leave it be.

EDIT: these numbers were obtained 10 years ago. LOL. The demographics have changed tremendously.

 

[thephoenician88]

few pointers.

1)Mercer has a really good name in pharmacy around the country, also make sure you like their block schedule style.
2)make sure to factor in costs to visit home as well as be away from it. You'll be getting expensive plane rides
3) atlanta is pretty expensive, but it has a good job prospects
4) PERSONALLY, i don't think the 3 year program is great. Sure you'll "get in and out" faster, but you're going to school year round and you might not even have all your intern hours done by the time it's all over
5) If you want to work in arizona when you finish, you'll have to take arizona law test (and study for arizona law test on your own time) if you want to be licensed for that state

 

[nicolemsm]

First of all, I am latina who is bilingual. Secondly, phoenix is AT LEAST 40% latino. The illegal immigrants are not necessarily counted in the census. Also when were these numbers obtained? 10 years ago? I have lived here all my life. I assure you, latinos dominate in most areas save for Scottsdale and Tempe. Neither of our comments were racist. So leave it be.

EDIT: these numbers were obtained 10 years ago. LOL. The demographics have changed tremendously.

CLEARLY MonsterDaddy must live in a bubble because the high school I went to in Phoenix (recently less than one year ago) was and I quote "76.2% Hispanic" here.. directly from their website 2009 demographics

Mind you this is in the middle of Phoenix.... that's where you see the best of diversity.....

Also I would like to make note that I'm so sick of hearing the Hispanic race card being pulled that people are being racist b/c "there's a predominant amount of Mexicans/Spanish/etc." It's frickin common knowledge... really? Of course, it's not racist for whites to be the minority in a predominately hispanic setting eh?? And be ridiculed because of their "white language & non Spanish speak..." ohhh ya... Not really. See there's two sides to the racial card....

 

[Monsterdaddy]

You guys are going to professionals, act like one!!!
Have some respect for your fellow professionals.

Hope this helps

Pharmd1

Agreed, I love this forum too much to start a flamewar. My only suggestion is to go and research racism. There's a reason why Harry Reid has been pummeled for his comments.

 

[VenusSao]

.

 

[Canes]

I got into Mercer University and Midwestern-CPG. Disregarding the factor of cost, which school should I choose to attend if I am leaning toward pursuing a career in clinical pharmacy? I'm from SoCal, so going to Midwestern in AZ would be close to home, but Atlanta might be a nice change. Also, MWU-CPG is a 3-yr program so I would get in and get out faster, but would going to an unranked school like MWU-CPG hinder my chances of landing a residency versus if I spend an extra year at Mercer, which is ranked 32nd. If this was your decision to make, then which university would you choose? Please help me out. Thanks!

Disregarding cost, go with Mercer 🙂 the 4 years there will give you plenty of material to absorb and considering you've mentioned ranking, it obviously matters to you and to others---say maybe the person reviewing your file. I dont know how much of help this site will be to you but give it a look. Keep in mind that your grades, letters of rec and whatever else you bring to the table will mostly likely decide your clinical acceptance/otherwise.


Forgot to post the site. Here it is: http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Residencies_Advanced_Training

Guys, just agree to disagree on the whole racism stuff and move along. You guys totally went off topic.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

I have to agree with the majority here... This is just personal opinion but I would have to go with Mercer. I just applied there and UF last week so I am biased of course, on top of the fact that I am from the southeast.

My reasoning is this... I am assuming you are coming from UCLA right? Or at least somewhere in southern California... and I think Atlanta would be a good relocation because it's also a larger sized city, similar weather (colder winters yes, but usually not this cold), and it's also very diverse. I did my undergrad in Miami which I think is similar as well. Not to mention Mercer is a good school and everyone knows it. Not saying that Midwestern isn't, for all I know it might be just as good, but let's face it... Mercer is known for being a top pharmacy school.

I wish I was in your situation right now and had to chose! LOL Also... I'll be the first to tell you that I know nothing about Arizona but my long term boyfriend's mom lives there outside of the city near Needles California and Laughlin Nevada... I guess it's somewhere on the border in the Mojave. Anyway... his family is all from south Florida and they are always talking about how they miss the trees and the different landscape and stuff. I'm not sure if that would be a big change for you... but I know Georgia has very pretty trees and foliage during the warmer months.

And rxlea... I am Spanish too and your comment didn't strike me as out of place... I actually think people who've lived submersed in diverse cultures are more comfortable with it. If someone was moving to Miami I would always tell them to make sure they know Spanish if they want a job because it's simple known fact that you NEED it. It's not even really an option... like you need to know it for the majority of positions. Oh well.😕

 

[letsEAToranges]

Congrats to you on getting accepted =)

I would choose Mercer. Not too fond of 3-yr programs... too stressful.

 

[DocAcclamation]

Between MW and Mercer. Personally i would choose Mercer because atlanta has a more urban environment than Arizona. Also with a 4 year program you can work at a pace more suitable for success than rushing to get out in 3yrs.

 

[MRSA Sucks]

This is just me, but Mercer always seemed to be overrated while MWCPG has always been underrated. BTW, Pheonix is huge (bigger than Atlanta).

It may come down to weather. Do you want dry, Santa Ana like conditions, or hot, humid, sticky summers?

 

[LABruin4Life]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses so far! This site rocks, and is always full of people with helpful and [sometimes heated] opinions...which makes it all the more difficult to choose between schools.
I just had one more question for people who say that going to a 3-yr school may pose some difficulty with completing internship hours...Can you please elaborate on how that happened to you and how you are dealing with it? Thanks!

Also...I've worked in a clinical setting for about 6 months, and I just started working in retail. I honestly would like to do clinical for the majority of my pharmacy career, but I'm afraid that with the competition rising for residencies, I will end up in retail at the end of professional school and possibly look back and regret my decision to spend one more year in school to be in a position I could have been in one year ago. I hope that makes sense, and am I being too pessimistic? Is it really that difficult/competitive to get a residency? Blerg.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses so far! This site rocks, and is always full of people with helpful and [sometimes heated] opinions...which makes it all the more difficult to choose between schools.
I just had one more question for people who say that going to a 3-yr school may pose some difficulty with completing internship hours...Can you please elaborate on how that happened to you and how you are dealing with it? Thanks!

Also...I've worked in a clinical setting for about 6 months, and I just started working in retail. I honestly would like to do clinical for the majority of my pharmacy career, but I'm afraid that with the competition rising for residencies, I will end up in retail at the end of professional school and possibly look back and regret my decision to spend one more year in school to be in a position I could have been in one year ago. I hope that makes sense, and am I being too pessimistic? Is it really that difficult/competitive to get a residency? Blerg.

I think you would have at least the same chance, if not better, at residencies from Mercer as you would at Midwestern. If you're worried about job saturation or the economy, don't. It sounds like you have good stats and are highly capable, so the residencies will still be there for competitive applicants. Don't get me wrong, I practically know NOTHING about Arizona except your cost of living will probably be a lot cheaper than it is on the east coast and it's closer to your home, but I think you will have lots of opportunities in Atlanta.

I actually applied to Mercer along with some Florida schools and I'm thinking about residencies too if I am accepted. I want to go into LTC pharmacy so I would need geriatric training. I just finished applying though so I'm not sure what's going to happen this year.