Does going to a top PharmD school improve your chances of getting a job?
Started by artvandelay786
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Yes. No work experience, no connection, unwilling/unable to relocate, bad first impression, etc... IMO no school is a sure bet in pharmacy.
If you have the drive, brains, and motivation to get into the top school, you will succeed. It's all about motivation. It's all about separating the sheep from the goat. High school gym teachers vs Olympians.
My advice? Go to the best school you can for the best price. You'll surround yourself with smart gunner people who want to excell which will in-turn motivate you. Think of it like the anti-SDN. 😀
Those who went to the best school are usually the smartest, more prideful, sometimes richer, and more successful people. It's reasonable to assume that UNC's school of pharmacy has more active alum willing to help out a fellow alum than...PCOM.
This is true for everything, not just pharmacy btw. Be competitive. So what if you're a pharmacists? Look at what the business major at a top 10 school does in his free time. Go on internships, volunteer, go abroad, etc.
Or you could figure out what is the easiest pharmacy school in California.
It's crazy what non-health/science experiences can teach you about yourself and life.
My advice? Go to the best school you can for the best price. You'll surround yourself with smart gunner people who want to excell which will in-turn motivate you. Think of it like the anti-SDN. 😀
Those who went to the best school are usually the smartest, more prideful, sometimes richer, and more successful people. It's reasonable to assume that UNC's school of pharmacy has more active alum willing to help out a fellow alum than...PCOM.
This is true for everything, not just pharmacy btw. Be competitive. So what if you're a pharmacists? Look at what the business major at a top 10 school does in his free time. Go on internships, volunteer, go abroad, etc.
Or you could figure out what is the easiest pharmacy school in California.
It's crazy what non-health/science experiences can teach you about yourself and life.
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Well, I'm not sure whether you are answering the question in the title of the thread, or the question in the post itself. They are kind of different. 😛
Yes, I was referring to US News.
If you go to a top 5 school (as defined by US News, the sole authority on the subject) then you can work anywhere or do anything, the sky is the limit. You can even practice medicine if you want. If you go to a school less than the top 10 you will be unemployed. From 5 to 10 is somewhere in-between.
Awesome sarcasm, bro. How about answering the question on whether a more prestigious school will provide any benefit in the hiring process -- or whether it is insignificant compared to other factors like willingness to move, connections, etc.
Meh, I don't think it matters much, if at all. Local reputation will probably matter a little (and maybe morose as pharmacy because more competitive) but I suspect the individual matters a thousand times more than what school you attend. There might be an outlier case where the school is a major factor in the highering decision, but I don't think that is the norm.
EDIT: Also, the search function is your friend.
EDIT: Also, the search function is your friend.
It's funny how this always comes up and will always be a never ending debate.
Schools that are not in the top 5/10 think US News rankings is a joke and concern themselves on doing everything they can to un-emphasize rankings.
Schools that are in the top 5/10 could care less about the rankings and believe they can do better to improve their program.
In the end, it's all about what you want and what your priorities are.
I hear the new pharmacy interviews involve getting dropped in a forest with scarce supplies and a fight till the death until only one rph remains...
I hear the new pharmacy interviews involve getting dropped in a forest with scarce supplies and a fight till the death until only one rph remains...
Hey, whatever works.
I hear the new pharmacy interviews involve getting dropped in a forest with scarce supplies and a fight till the death until only one rph remains...
prefer this to answering one more question about how i handled a situation when someone in my group wasn't carrying their own weight. i'm not kidding.
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I think I'm right..
Also, beware US news world report. At the end of the day, reputation is still reputation. Fox News is the highest rated cable program, but that doesn't make it the best..
Look at NAPLEX passrates relative to class size WITH us news. That will further help you figure out what a "top" school is.
If you want to follow my advice, then pick the school with the highest passrates and highest avg stats.
Beware the gunner
Also, beware US news world report. At the end of the day, reputation is still reputation. Fox News is the highest rated cable program, but that doesn't make it the best..
Look at NAPLEX passrates relative to class size WITH us news. That will further help you figure out what a "top" school is.
If you want to follow my advice, then pick the school with the highest passrates and highest avg stats.
Beware the gunner
The question IN the thread....
There will always be those that have "trouble" finding a job. IMO if you go to a top 5 school it definately helps your chances in getting a job, in the area which that school is known for. For instance if you go to a top 5 school that is known to be clinically focused then all things being equal you have a better chance to get a clinical job than someone going to a #80 school.
80% of jobs are obtained through networking. This is what my school had discovered in a study.
UF = 300Grads each year for many years
LECOM = way less grads, new program with 1st graduating class recently
1 student from each school applies for the same job. Pharmacist hiring most likely graduated from where? And will choose which student?
Even if you never met the person, it's still considered a network.
UF = 300Grads each year for many years
LECOM = way less grads, new program with 1st graduating class recently
1 student from each school applies for the same job. Pharmacist hiring most likely graduated from where? And will choose which student?
Even if you never met the person, it's still considered a network.
Yeah, this is what I was referring to.
And isn't Rush Limbaugh still the #1 most listened to radio personality? I'm sure that's because his opinions are really important. 🙄
Now we are down to top-five schools only?
Nobody gives a **** what school you go to these days, the old "get a good education to set you up for life" ethos has gone down the swanny.
People just want cheap these days and nobody will care if you go to a top five or a bottom five as long as you are willing to accept their low salaries.
All joking aside the only major worth doing these days is Chinese or Business with Chinese, now that is where the big money is going to be.
People just want cheap these days and nobody will care if you go to a top five or a bottom five as long as you are willing to accept their low salaries.
All joking aside the only major worth doing these days is Chinese or Business with Chinese, now that is where the big money is going to be.
From what I have seen, reputation (not just ranking by newsweek) does matter to an extent. We have 2 pharmacy schools within driving distance, one a top ranked school and another a diploma mill. The good and established school has alumni in a lot of important spots, while there are stories aplenty about what the mill students did on rotations. A new kid on the block has a lot more to prove then someone already in the circle. And in some ways, perception makes reality.
The influence of a school's reputation does diminish over distance. You leave the city, it may go down by half, you leave the county, it drops to a quarter, outside of the state or region, probably nobody knows which one is good or not.
The influence of a school's reputation does diminish over distance. You leave the city, it may go down by half, you leave the county, it drops to a quarter, outside of the state or region, probably nobody knows which one is good or not.
The answer you will get from SDN about ranking is comparable to the answer the you get when you ask the general public about beauty. The not so good looking people will tell you that beauty is only skin deep and not important.
My two cents: If you get the chance to go to a top rated school without breaking the bank you should do it because it wont hurt anything it can only help
My two cents: If you get the chance to go to a top rated school without breaking the bank you should do it because it wont hurt anything it can only help
I agree with most when they say that the US News ranking doesn't really mean much. I do think certain schools have great reputations and some schools not so much and I think that probably DOES matter and those with good reputations may not be near the top of the US News list and visa versa.
The US News methodology for Rx schools is flawed compared to its methodology for undergraduate programs. It's entirely subjective, whereas the undergraduate rankings have some sort of order/objectivity to them (whether you agree or disagree with them as a valid measure of a good school is entirely a different story).
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This is a professional degree and it doesn't really matter hugely which school you went to especially when compared to other professions like lawyers and people in business.
I don't agree with the Yes answers. I think it depends on what state you live in. Some states have very few pharmacy schools. I live in Virginia and there are three (that offer doctorate degrees in pharmacy), Hampton, VCU, and Shenandoah. If there are only three, how can they be so picky? It is NOT hard if you network and get internships early. If you intern with a company early while going to school, they will most likely hire you as a future pharmacist. Pharmacy is a great career and it is mostly secure. I know many people that have graduated from my college that had no problem getting jobs just by completing the 6 year pharmD program, even without pharmacy residency. Residency is helpful and internships are the way to go. I wouldn't say its easy, but it is not hard if you try.
