Does money talk when it comes to admission?

[TheDrugMan]

I have a question regarding the admission process.
I want to enter Pharmacy school with the minimum prerequisite course(60 semester hours). I have all of the money saved up for the 4 years tuition. If I mention this in my application or an interview will it increase my odds??

Of course this is considering that admissions feels I am competent to complete the program (GPA>3.4 and good PCAT score). I really do not want to continue onto a bachelors degree unless I have to. I am a non-traditional student (31 years old) and do not want to pay for something I dont need

I have heard from a college professor that the money issue is a major factor that they kind of like to keep behind the curtain. I was also thinking of doing some part-time Pharm tech work in addition to my EC activities. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

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[omnione]

It shouldn't make a difference....

Most people get loans. Since the bank pays schools in full, the schools no longer cares if students can't pay the bills as the schools already have the money. The bankers are the people who are concerned with the student's ability to pay off debt.

That being said, the schools get their money from most students one way or another so there isn't a huge advantage in telling the school that you have enough money to pay upfront.

 

[gsrthomas]

I would say yes if its a private school. If you give a big phat donation to Loma Linda i'm sure they will accept you.

 

[acetyl]

I have a question regarding the admission process.
I want to enter Pharmacy school with the minimum prerequisite course(60 semester hours). I have all of the money saved up for the 4 years tuition. If I mention this in my application or an interview will it increase my odds??

NO . Mention nothing about money. It won't be talked about at anytime during your interviews, at least it wasn't for me I went to 4 interviews. Focusing more on where you've been, and where you plan to go in the profession is a much better approach than worrying about monetary things.

I really do not want to continue onto a bachelors degree unless I really have to. I am a non-traditional student (31 years old) and do not want to pay for something I dont need

So don't. Only take the classes you need, and do well in them. When I interviewed at my future school, I told an admissions person that I wouldn't take my last pre-req unless I was granted admission. There was no problem with it as far as they were concerned.

I have heard from a college professor that the money issue is a major factor that they kind of like to keep behind the curtain.

I agree with the prof.

 

[TheDrugMan]

So don't. Only take the classes you need, and do well in them. When I interviewed at my future school, I told an admissions person that I wouldn't take my last pre-req unless I was granted admission. There was no problem with it as far as they were concerned.

I have a different situation. I can only apply to two local schools (UIC/Midwestern) in the Chicago area and from what some of the UIC Pre-Pharm students have told me I dont have a chance with the minimum prerequisites (regardless of GPA or PCAT). Perhaps I have been mislead. Can some of you Chicago students shed some light on this?

 

[fmbzp5]

I wonder if someone that had a rich enough parent to start a scholarship worth quite a bit and name it after the child they wanted to get into school if the school would even consider rejecting that person.

The president of Midwestern university has her daughter starting there. I wonder what that admissions process was like.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

I have a question regarding the admission process.
I want to enter Pharmacy school with the minimum prerequisite course(60 semester hours). I have all of the money saved up for the 4 years tuition. If I mention this in my application or an interview will it increase my odds??

Of course this is considering that admissions feels I am competent to complete the program (GPA>3.4 and good PCAT score). I really do not want to continue onto a bachelors degree unless I have to. I am a non-traditional student (31 years old) and do not want to pay for something I dont need

I have heard from a college professor that the money issue is a major factor that they kind of like to keep behind the curtain. I was also thinking of doing some part-time Pharm tech work in addition to my EC activities. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

IMO, mentioning that you have the tuition saved up will hurt your application. I don't think the school would like that you think you having the money should help your application........I wouldn't go there.

Also whether you pay the school with loan money or your own does not make a difference to the school, they get the money either way.

 

[acetyl]

I have a different situation. I can only apply to two local schools (UIC/Midwestern) in the Chicago area and from what some of the UIC Pre-Pharm students have told me I dont have a chance with the minimum prerequisites (regardless of GPA or PCAT). Perhaps I have been mislead. Can some of you Chicago students shed some light on this?

If your gpa is lower than the average gpa, then you might want to take some more classes to show that you're trying to be a better student than you were in the past by making A's in them. Hard science classes is what you'd want to take IMO in addition to the pre-req's.

But, herein lies the question you have to decide: how bad do you want it? If you're only 0.2 points below the average gpa, then hope they admit someone 0.2 above the mean. If you're much below the average, and non-trad, then I'd wonder what courses you took before doing the pre-pharm courses. If you did take classes a number of years ago, I wouldn't think those classes/gpa would be as relevant to what you are currently doing, and wouldn't be as important as your grades in current science/math courses.

Don't get me wrong, if you banged it up pretty badly during undergrad your first time, that's not going to look good. But, having real-world experience and excelling in "harder" courses definetly pulls your application up. So would a solid 90+ PCAT.

 

[kidlove]

It could be seen as good if they see you a good planner *saving enough money for pharmacy school is huge*. It can show that you are not just fresh out of college and you did put a lot of thought into it.

But I think money is a hard-to-talk issue that should be kept off the topic.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

It could be seen as good if they see you a good planner *saving enough money for pharmacy school is huge*. It can show that you are not just fresh out of college and you did put a lot of thought into it.

But I think money is a hard-to-talk issue that should be kept off the topic.

Or it could show you received a large family inheritance....

 

[fmbzp5]

Let us all be realistic and realize people that have large sums of money and connections get their children into places that they normally wouldn't for example a political leader of say the US.

To look like a bribe would not be something that is worth attempting or ethically the right thing to do.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

Let us all be realistic and realize people that have large sums of money and connections get their children into places that they normally wouldn't for example a political leader of say the US.

To look like a bribe would not be something that is worth attempting or ethically the right thing to do.

I think you are missing the conversation, the OP is not talking about bribing the admission board or donating a large sum of money fora new building at the school, he is only saying he can pay tuition the same as the other student's paying with their own money or loaned money.

I don't think anyone disputed the fact, knowing the right people ill help you get your foot in the door. Of course knowing the right people will help you.

 

[bsps_2007]

during my interview, they asked how i planned to pay for pharmacy school. i said loans, of course, but i would rather have said, "with the money i saved up"...

 

[genesis09]

I have a different situation. I can only apply to two local schools (UIC/Midwestern) in the Chicago area and from what some of the UIC Pre-Pharm students have told me I dont have a chance with the minimum prerequisites (regardless of GPA or PCAT). Perhaps I have been mislead. Can some of you Chicago students shed some light on this?

It is not impossible at UIC. In my class, 2009, 40% of the class did not have bachelors. To do it, you will have to be above average and go to a 4 year school. The UIC pharm admissions process is points based. The students with bachelors get extra points for it, and so, you'll have to make it up.