Dont Even Consider Mcphs-worcester

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I am p1. MCP-W is not the best pharmacy school, but I believe I am getting fairly good education. I know I haven't taken any therapeutic classes or other killer classes yet. So, I guess my words don't count much on MCP-W. However, one of my best friends is p3, graduating this year. Upon my acceptance last year, he told me that MCP-W is not UCSF or other top pharmacy schools, but school does educate and train you well enough to be competent pharmacist in any healthcare settings.

I believe this school is very hard to fail, but at the same time very easy to fail since there is no make-up exam. With one F, you are done; you have to come back following year. Thus, be careful on every class. Don't get a F but some Ds are fine as long as your GPA is above 2.2.

Incoming students, do not worry too much. Every year about 130 students graduate. You can be one of them and it is not THAT hard if you are focused.

Regarding the higher failing rate, I would like to add my 2 cents. Since MCP-W is a 3 year program, our students are a lot older than students in other RX schools. So, there are more personal issues such as family and money, and more people drop out not just because of academic difficulties but because of personal reason.
 
Wow, some of those reviews were really shocking. I wonder how accurate they are.
 
I'm afraid to contribute to this thread since people seem pretty passionate about there opinions, which seems reasonable since if some one is attacking something you have commited to, the most reasonable response is to try and defend it. Well, anyways here's my 2 cents. I was accepted to MCPHS Worcester but chose to instead attend Maryland. When I went for my interview at MCPHS I thought that the faculty were really personable and willing to help. My impression was that MCPHS was more of a "retail prep" program. So if your intentions were not to work in retail, then this would not be the place for you. In fact, during my interview, the faculty member told me that I would be better suited to head to some of the top schools which place more emphasis on other areas of pharmacy. Anyways, just my two cents.
 
lostplato said:
In fact, during my interview, the faculty member told me that I would be better suited to head to some of the top schools which place more emphasis on other areas of pharmacy.
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Wow...a faculty member actually said that to a prospective student? I wonder who it was...I wish my interviewer had been so honest.
 
PossiblyCrazy said:
I'm actually getting a kick out of this.
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Me too! It's hilarious to find out that the school you will be attending in less than 4 months has a professor recommending prospective students to go elsewhere if they want a well balanced education.
 
PhatPharmD said:
Me too! It's hilarious to find out that the school you will be attending in less than 4 months has a professor recommending prospective students to go elsewhere if they want a well balanced education.
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Why do care what I get a kick out of? I think it's hilarious that you waste your time on someone else's decision actually. You should focus on yourself...you will be a better person for it. Trust me.
 
PossiblyCrazy said:
Why do care what I get a kick out of? I think it's hilarious that you waste your time on someone else's decision actually. You should focus on yourself...you will be a better person for it. Trust me.
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Actually, I could care less and thanks for your advice. Now let me offer you some, which you dont have to take.
I am more than half way done with my PharmD in this program and I'm sharing my experiences with anyone who wants to know what this school is really like by exposing the obvious shortcomings it has. The reason "I am wasting my time" is to help future applicants and offer them some facts rather than just starting a thread "Worcester-MCPHS Rulez" and bloviating about how great this school is without stepping a foot into a classroom here. Lastly, if everyone focused on themselves then this forum would not be what it is and you wouldn't be here getting info and help from other students. And that wouldn't be good...😀
 
PhatPharmD said:
Actually, I could care less and thanks for your advice. Now let me offer you some, which you dont have to take.
I am more than half way done with my PharmD in this program and I'm sharing my experiences with anyone who wants to know what this school is really like by exposing the obvious shortcomings it has. The reason "I am wasting my time" is to help future applicants and offer them some facts rather than just starting a thread "Worcester-MCPHS Rulez" and bloviating about how great this school is without stepping a foot into a classroom here. Lastly, if everyone focused on themselves then this forum would not be what it is and you wouldn't be here getting info and help from other students. And that wouldn't be good...😀
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Great, Thanks. I can appreciate your opinion. Just remember that others have some too and try not to belittle us because we haven't "stepped one foot into the classroom there". We aren't stupid, some of us actually make informed decisions on our future without needing to step into the classroom. There are other avenues of information regarding the school. 🙂 🙂
 
PossiblyCrazy said:
We aren't stupid, some of us actually make informed decisions on our future without needing to step into the classroom. There are other avenues of information regarding the school. 🙂 🙂
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I am not going to argue with you about the most intelligent way of selecting a school and I would agree that you are NOT STUPID if you have achieved what you have to this point. However, I can't agree that you are making the most informed decision, while you are clearly minimizing the value of student feedback. Like I mentioned before, I have a 3.5 GPA at MCP-Worcester to go along with many years of work and academic experience. I am not bragging, but merely trying to say that I thought I had made an "informed decision" as well. Shutting your eyes to situations like this will not only hurt you in the short term, but unquestionably in the long term when its time to choose a work environment.
The decision on what school you will receive your doctorate degree from will be one of the most important of your life. I am telling you right now that this school will not give back to you as much as you will give it. You will work extremely hard when you get here as everyone does but the faculty will provide no assistance and in many cases impede your learning to leave you with a poor pharmaceutical knowledge base. REMEMBER, SCHOOL SHOULD BE MUCH MORE THAN JUST SURVIVING.
In therapeutics today we had a 2 hour lecture. The professor had PowerPoint slides (which is considered spoon-feeding here at MCP-Worcester) and made sure to zoom through every slide, emphasizing that it all will be on the test, but most of the class was just writing as fast as they could to get the information. This approach to learning accomplishes nothing. The majority of the students left the class knowing nothing. This is a typical day here at MCP-Worcester. I am now memorizing everything that the professor said from class and will do fine on the exam, but admit to not understanding any of the foundational concepts.
This school is a DISGRACE. I am embarrassed to be involved in any way with. If you are not interested in hearing about it then step aside and let other prospective students benefit. I have made a conscious effort to inform everyone of the situation here at MCP-Worcester. I have told many preceptors within huge corporations to not accept students from this school and I will continue to do so, until either this school is shut down or it changes. Many of my fellow students are in the process of writing letters to the Accreditation Council (ACPE), who will be investigating the school shortly. I understand you don't want to hear that the school you chose is a mistake and I'm sorry for that. However, there are thousands of people who can be saved from this disgrace (some of whom I have already saved) and I will continue to try to help them.
 
torius71 said:
However, I can't agree that you are making the most informed decision, while you are clearly minimizing the value of student feedback.
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I am going to say this one last time and I won't respond here again. I am NOT minimizing student feedback. I heard you and your opinion..over and over..I get feedback often from people I work with that are students there. In fact, they were the major reason I decided to go there. Yes, students.

So, I have decided that keeping up on this thread really does not matter to me anymore. I have heard you and your friend who joined to post on this thread clearly. I even said I felt bad for you earlier. I think we get it by now from your point of view, but whenever someone decides to write something that doesn't fit your complaint you (and the person you asked to join) feels complelled to respond. Again, I do appreciate your point of view..please appreciate mine. How many times do you need to state your point of view? It's starting to look like you have a vendetta. Good luck on your future endeavors.

torius71 said:
However, there are thousands of people who can be saved from this disgrace (some of whom I have already saved) and I will continue to try to help them.
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Now you're a savior too. Classic. :laugh:
 
What are you two concern about? School or GPA or being a good pharmacist?
At the end of the program though you have 4.0/3.5/2.5 gpa if you can not know the fine drug interactions and disease states you are screwing a human life. Who is going to teach you about the new drugs yet to come to the market after you graduate?😕
 
Wow....this was one of the most interesting topics on sdn....


Just.....wow.
 
Just to update.. In the main class of debate here, Physical Assesment... Due to the major issues over the new grading system that was in place, the school reviewed the grading and it is my understanding that no one failed this course last semester.
 
astevens said:
Just to update.. In the main class of debate here, Physical Assesment... Due to the major issues over the new grading system that was in place, the school reviewed the grading and it is my understanding that no one failed this course last semester.
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Interesting. Thank you AStevens. 🙄
 
lostplato said:
In fact, during my interview, the faculty member told me that I would be better suited to head to some of the top schools which place more emphasis on other areas of pharmacy. Anyways, just my two cents.
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Was that comment not made in reference to an expression by you of a desire to focus on some area of pharmacy that's not covered in MCPHS's curriculum? If not, that would've been a warning bell for me.

I got something similar during one of my interviews when I expressed interest in compounding. The interviewer said, "We don't teach that. I know other schools do, though." I decided to attend that school anyway. I have other avenues to pursue for compounding experience.
 
That's interesting...a pharmacy school NOT teaching compounding...that is what pharmacy has TRADITIONALLY been all about. I personally don't enjoy compounding myself but I have come to view it as a necessary evil. Does your school really not have compounding labs; if so, how does it maintain accreditation? Some states do require wet labs for licensing!!
 
I know Georgia requires a wet lab test. I work retail at Kroger pharmacy and we rarely compound and most of the time it is magic mouthwash which even a dummy can make.
 
TBS5280 said:
I know Georgia requires a wet lab test. I work retail at Kroger pharmacy and we rarely compound and most of the time it is magic mouthwash which even a dummy can make.
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Ah, another Georgian! I've tried to get a job at kroger but they're too slow to need the extra help.
 
wow I thought the weed out was just in undergrad
 
PossiblyCrazy said:
I'm with ya! I'm actually getting a kick out of this. Like I've mentioned before, I know a handful of people at the school and I am not worried. I'll see you there.
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i heard this school accepted on a rolling basis and they don't check background, if you have cheated or flunk out, etc, they still accept you and when you apply early, basically, you pay and then if you don't do well, you get kick out? anyone heard otherwise? but my opinion can be backup if you look at student record or background, sometimes it's on record ?, etc 👎
 
I will be attending MCPHS-W this fall and i know first hand that this school is equally competitive to get in as other schools are. i have a friend who was waitlisted last year then reapplied this year and interviewed but got waitlisted again and still has not heard back. her stats were good, her interview went pretty well too. i've also worked with 2 graduates of MCPHS and they are wonderful pharmacists and i hope to be one in 3 years as well. my decision to attend was based on my interactions with current students and a few alumni who all had only positive things to say about their experiences at MCPHS.
 
All the pharmacists had something good to say about MCPHS Boston or MCPHS Worcester?
 
yes they did...i've worked with 2 of them so far.
 
ButlerPharm.D. said:
That's interesting...a pharmacy school NOT teaching compounding...that is what pharmacy has TRADITIONALLY been all about. I personally don't enjoy compounding myself but I have come to view it as a necessary evil. Does your school really not have compounding labs; if so, how does it maintain accreditation? Some states do require wet labs for licensing!!
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The only "compounding" we did in P1 year was a two hour lecture on making capsules. We didn't even get tested on that matieral. There's still two more years before rotations, so I'm hoping there will at least be some exposure to the practice.
 
pharmD131 said:
yes they did...i've worked with 2 of them so far.
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I think the poster of the question was asking which specific campus the positve comments referred to...maybe they were geared to the Boston campus and thought Worcester totally sucked...
 
One of them was from Boston and the other was from Worcester. The one from Worcester said that some people just can't handle the fast pace but besides that she had no complaints and she said she did absolutely fine there. I also talked to our District Manager who said he had worked with an intern from Worcester who was very good and knew her stuff.
 
I am going to say this one last time and I won't respond here again. I am NOT minimizing student feedback. I heard you and your opinion..over and over..I get feedback often from people I work with that are students there. In fact, they were the major reason I decided to go there. Yes, students.

So, I have decided that keeping up on this thread really does not matter to me anymore. I have heard you and your friend who joined to post on this thread clearly. I even said I felt bad for you earlier. I think we get it by now from your point of view, but whenever someone decides to write something that doesn't fit your complaint you (and the person you asked to join) feels complelled to respond. Again, I do appreciate your point of view..please appreciate mine. How many times do you need to state your point of view? It's starting to look like you have a vendetta. Good luck on your future endeavors.
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Why is it wrong to continually support his claims? No one has done much to refute this student's claims (although he hasn't provided documented proof that the school is officially being scrutinized by a major pharmacy association). This person is obviously trying to sway people away from an obviously troubled school. PR damage control doesn't necessarily make it all go away. If the school is being investigated for claims of incompetent teaching, I think that's a serious allegation that everyone should be concerned with - especially you, as you're a part of this program. Disgruntled students are one thing, but it's flat out dangerous to be granting PharmD students who haven't been well trained. It's a disservice to those hard working students who came to the school for that degree.
 
Future worcester MCPHS students:

Couple more shockers::scared:

Has anybody mentioned yet that you have to wear a white coat and sit in the class.😱.....You were not supposed to be seen with out a white coat in the buiding..... I am not sure if any other school has this kind of rule.

No drinks in the class room... students voice was heard recently to get water. No caffeine or colored drinks allowed....:meanie:
 
So has anything changed since half a year ago? I'd appreciate some honest answers and experiences, please.

I read this thread a long while back, and was so scared to apply to MCPHS-Worcester but did anyway. Well now I have an interview coming up, but whether I get in or not, I would like to know more about any new developments. Thank you!
 
so i heard tha they accepted a bunch of hicp students (or from the old hawaii school that got shut down), some of them weren't even qualify to be accepted to an accredited school, and even the one who got kick out from previous school one too, is that true?
 
Guy, can u tell me about Nova Sountherneast University in Florida too? Are they having a problem? You can tell me any problem that they have. I appreaciate that.
 
I actually have a moment.

I don't know about the Hawaii claim.. I guess you could be right, but as far as I can remember, from orientation, I don't think there were many if any students from Hawaii. I could be wrong though.

I can give some inside insight now that I have been going to school for a semester.

Yes, we have to wear white coats, can't eat in class, and we can only have water in class. The white coats aren't actually that bad. It can be a pain to not be able to eat or have coffee when you are in successive classes though.

First semester is packed with exams. After the 3rd week we have a minimum of 2 exams a week. This is only for the first semester though. I am amazed at all of my fellow students. It has been easy to get along with everyone, we all have many different backgrounds and most of us have had previous careers.

Maybe all pharmacy schools are like this, I wouldn't know, but I actually get a feeling, through discussions with everyone and from the grades posted, that the school has brought in the cream of the crop. There is a real sense of comradery amongst us all. There is a major sense of all of us going through this together. Many of us share outlines, flashcards, whatever it takes.

It has been real good...can be tough at times..but I have enjoyed it so far. Only time will tell if I have been duked! I'll keep you posted...next semester.
 
This is P2. I already gave my opinion regarding this issue before when I was P1 but here it is again since I am P2 now.

No school is perfect and this school is NOT perfect by all means. However, what do you expect from a school? I believe that the qualifcation to sit for NAPLEX and the knowledge to perform as a competent pharmacist are more than enough and this school does provide those two.

Two issues have always brought up with MCP-W. One is the poor way of conducting therapeutic course and the other high dropout rate.

I don't like the way our school teaches therapeutics as well since you have to learn by yourself. However, they put pharmacology and medchem portion before the therapeutics or at least try to match so it is not too bad and our pharmacology/medchem professors are sooo great/awesome/nice.

Regarding the high dropout rate, I admit that it is a lot higher than any other schools in the nation. Usually we start with 150 and end up with 120~130. However, in order to fail from our school, you have to get a F. D is still a passing grade as long as overall GPA is above 2.2. Seriously, if you study hard and put a decent amount of time, getting a F is as difficult as getting an A in my opinion. So, I am sure that those who failed had other issues. If someone studied really hard and still failed, then the person may not supposed to be in pharmacy school from the beginning.

Last words before going back to study...
I don't recommend this school to young students (early 20's) who just graduated from university because it is tough, very fast pace and also stressful. However, I believe this school is pretty good to career changers or older people who are very serious and want to get it done fast. ( 2 years and 9 months)

So, if you are accepted, the decision is up to you and don't worry about the rummors. Remember that school is just a vehicle for you to get there and MCP is NOT too bad~
 
P1 here-

I believe that in every school, you will encounter good and bad professors, good and bad classmates... and everything. What you will get out of school is what you put in it. This school is very stressful, no doubt, but we all still have time to go out and have some fun.. not as much as we used to in undergrad, but hey! this is a professional school!! why can't we stay put for 2 years and then go out and play even harder later?? 😛
 
Well, so I PM'd a bunch of current P1s, P2s, and P3s, and this is really for them (not sure if they have time to be reading here with all the studying and stuff they have to do though :laugh::laugh::laugh:) as well as anyone else who wants to read.

Just wanted to take the time to really spread thanks to the current MCP-Worcester students who have been unbelievably receptive, professional, and helpful in sharing with me their perspectives and letting me have an idea of the school from inside-out. Your honest responses about everything are so detailed and have really carried a lot of weight, and I only wish that all prospective students and whoever out there would also know the things you guys have told me. It's amazing to hear such lengthy feedbacks about each of your experiences at MCPHS-Worcester. I even know exactly how the lab the OP is talking about is graded, and what is expected for the students to pass. I know this school is extremely tough, and I know it definitely isn't for everyone. However, I also know that if the students study hard for ALL the classes, they *will* be rewarded. In fact, the only real negative comments I've received are from current P2s, but P1s and P3s are still happy with their decision in attending MCP-Worcester. This I think comes of no surprise due to the obvious killer called Therapeutics, but it appears that the brutality does pay off in the end. A lot of you have also commented that the school is improving every year. Acceptance to MCP-Worcester is also becoming more and more competitive. I thank you all for revealing so much to me. I hope I've done enough of my research by talking to so many of you, because despite the cons of the school, I am very much likely going to be coming here in Fall 2008 🙂.
 
Aww darn. I got owned! :idea:
 
I'm a P1 right now. It is expected of every school to have some percentage of drop out rate. This school might have a higher drop out rate (probably b/c the average class size age is older). Even if u fail the year, u could come back the next and repeat it (u get to do this twice).
FYI Last week, the school's NAPLEX result came out and the class of 2007 scored like 97% which is several % above national average.

Sheitz, all these trash talk about this school almost made me not picked this school. Luckily, I didnt let that influence me that much. A/w just befriend a lot ppl in class and you should be set..wink**
 
smagicmans said:
I'm a P1 right now. It is expected of every school to have some percentage of drop out rate. This school might have a higher drop out rate (probably b/c the average class size age is older). Even if u fail the year, u could come back the next and repeat it (u get to do this twice).
FYI Last week, the school's NAPLEX result came out and the class of 2007 scored like 97% which is several % above national average.

Sheitz, all these trash talk about this school almost made me not picked this school. Luckily, I didnt let that influence me that much. A/w just befriend a lot ppl in class and you should be set..wink**
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i agree...
 
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Haha, this is laughable now...you know what??? Do all of us current students a favor then and don't even attend the interview...I mean why bother? You're only gonna fail out anyways.
 
nightcrawleRx said:
Haha, this is laughable now...you know what??? Do all of us current students a favor then and don't even attend the interview...I mean why bother? You're only gonna fail out anyways.
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I agree. Unmotivated students should not be going to grad school in the first place. You all know that the program is accelerated so theres no need to complain about having too much material or the exams being too hard. Grading has never been unfair. Even in PPP lab people who do fail out are the ones that are careless and dont make sure they follow all directions. Same is true for physical assessment. You cant be handed a degree just because of the fact that you paid money to come to the school, thats not how it works and we all know that. Ive been at MCP for a year now and Im loving it. Thankfully I made the right decision and didnt give into the false rumors that have been going around.
 
Fidodido123 said:
I agree. Unmotivated students should not be going to grad school in the first place. You all know that the program is accelerated so theres no need to complain about having too much material or the exams being too hard. Grading has never been unfair. Even in PPP lab people who do fail out are the ones that are careless and dont make sure they follow all directions. Same is true for physical assessment. You cant be handed a degree just because of the fact that you paid money to come to the school, thats not how it works and we all know that. Ive been at MCP for a year now and Im loving it. Thankfully I made the right decision and didnt give into the false rumors that have been going around.
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I totally agree. Sometimes u wish that they haven't taken out points for things in PPP lab, but when u think of it, that intervention that you missed, worth 100 points, can kill the patient in real world.. so when u think of it, you kinda deserved it in the first place.. it's not like they didn't tell you what to look for, every week, there are specific problems that they tell you to look out for.. so they just don't throw you into the lab and asks you to fill an RX just like a pharmacist would do and 100% correctly either.
 
ButlerPharm.D. said:
That's interesting...a pharmacy school NOT teaching compounding...that is what pharmacy has TRADITIONALLY been all about. I personally don't enjoy compounding myself but I have come to view it as a necessary evil. Does your school really not have compounding labs; if so, how does it maintain accreditation? Some states do require wet labs for licensing!!
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Sadly it sounds as if compounding is dying. Some of the pharmaceutical companies see it as a threat to their profits. Look at the FDA's action at Wyeth's request against bio-indenticle hormone replacement and compounding. Cause we all know Wyeth's hormones derived from horse urine are FDA approved and must therefore be safer/better/more effective than bio-identicles.

The Mcphs curriculum seems like a model of how Wyeth would want pharmacy school designed, no compounding to be found.
 
Fuzzychickens said:
Sadly it sounds as if compounding is dying. Some of the pharmaceutical companies see it as a threat to their profits. Look at the FDA's action at Wyeth's request against bio-indenticle hormone replacement and compounding. Cause we all know Wyeth's hormones derived from horse urine are FDA approved and must therefore be safer/better/more effective than bio-identicles.

The Mcphs curriculum seems like a model of how Wyeth would want pharmacy school designed, no compounding to be found.
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we have pharmaceutics lab in P1 spring where you compound creams, suppositories, lozenges... all sorts of fun stuff.. but that would be as much compounding as u'd get... i think,
 
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