HELP! Deciding on Which Pharmacy School/Grad School Route to Take?!

[John T]

Hello Everyone,
I am currently in a tough situation regarding pharmacy schools and master programs. I have applied to many schools from in state and out of state.
I applied to the following schools:

University of Touro, PharmD. (Vallejo, CA) - No Interview
California Northstate (Sacramento, CA) - ACCEPTED.
Roseman University (Henderson, Las Vegas) - Interview next month, JAN
Manchester University (Fort Wayne, Indiana) - Interview next month, JAN
Marshall B. Ketchum (Fullerton, CA) - Interview next month, JAN
Touro College (New York) - Interview invite. Pending decision due to probation?

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Boston) - Waiting on Interview Invite
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Worcester) - Waiting on Interview Invite
Western University (Pomona, CA) - Waiting on Interview Invite
California Health Sciences (Clovis, CA) - Waiting on Interview Invite
Purdue University (Lafayette, Indiana) - Waiting on Interview Invite
West Coast University (Los Angeles, CA) - Waiting on Interview Invite

University of Touro, Master's COP Studies (10 Months - Guarantee Interview for Touro Pharm) - ACCEPTED.
Chapman University, Pharmaceutical Sciences Masters (2 Years) - ACCEPTED.

I am going to have to make a decision on which school to go to. What do you guys usually do when you get an acceptance to schools and still interviewing and wanting to hear from them before making a decision? My number 1 school is Western. The Touro Masters program is a 10 month scientific program that allow students to interview for the pharmacy program if you do well during the program so basically masters and pharm D in 4.5 years.

Any input is appreciated!

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[btcao]

Are you sure you want to go to Western? The tuition alone is 50k, which is absurd and not worth the trade off in my opinion. There are out of state schools that allow you to switch to instate for tuition purpose, and you will shell out 1/2 the cost of Western tuition. If you are super certain that it is worth the $200k plus in loans , you should paid the secure deposit of $200 for California Northstate and wait on Western interview.

 

[John T]

I understand the tuition costs are expensive in California. But from what I heard from interviewers and current students, the Western program is worth it. From the clinical exposure and opportunities they have for their students and the curriculum.

California Northstate, not so much but it is a back up plan for me. I was actually thinking of Touro masters over Northstate just because you would be earning a masters in 10 months then opportunity to start pharm D at Touro soon after.
Have you experienced any dilemma with accepting schools and still having interviews to go?

 

[btcao]

I accepted more than one acceptance thus far, gave my deposits to 2 schools while still going on interviews. So it is not a problem. Also, if you want to reject interview invites after scheduling your interviews already, you are allow to do so, but you have to give them at least a 48 hours notice. This varies on the school but if it comes to that, just know that is an option. My suggestion, which of course take with a grain of salt, I don't think you should do the masters program at Touro. If you are considering doing a masters program at Touro, this implies that you are okay with reapplying next cycle. If that is the case, I think you should look at other out of state options for next cycle that are stellar and cheaper programs as well. California tuition is expensive, if you are not applying to public state schools. California only have 2 public schools, SD and SF. Any other programs are private, so the tuition is through the roof. I applied to 2 CA schools, Western and SF. Western because it is very close to me, so I figured I'd save on the living expenses. I interviewed and was accepted to Western. But honestly, after flying out of state to Colorado Skaggs and Ohio State, Western is not worth it. As pharmacy becomes more saturated, you want a program that has accessibility to hospital programs as well, so you have a good chance at securing a residency after graduation. One downfall of Western for me, minus the inflated price tag, is that it does not have a teaching hospital. In my case, the out of state programs I interviewed at sit right in the center of multiple hospitals ( the state children's hospital and their own teaching hospitals) which are pluses. In all honesty, getting admission into a Pharmacy program is not difficult, with private schools popping all over the place. The difficulty is getting admitted into a program that gives you the best bang for your buck. Be wise and selective. Do not underestimate your competitiveness.

 

[John T]

Thank you for your input. What do you think of the other schools though apart from the obvious $$?

I accepted more than one acceptance thus far, gave my deposits to 2 schools while still going on interviews. So it is not a problem. Also, if you want to reject interview invites after scheduling your interviews already, you are allow to do so, but you have to give them at least a 48 hours notice. This varies on the school but if it comes to that, just know that is an option. My suggestion, which of course take with a grain of salt, I don't think you should do the masters program at Touro. If you are considering doing a masters program at Touro, this implies that you are okay with reapplying next cycle. If that is the case, I think you should look at other out of state options for next cycle that are stellar and cheaper programs as well. California tuition is expensive, if you are not applying to public state schools. California only have 2 public schools, SD and SF. Any other programs are private, so the tuition is through the roof. I applied to 2 CA schools, Western and SF. Western because it is very close to me, so I figured I'd save on the living expenses. I interviewed and was accepted to Western. But honestly, after flying out of state to Colorado Skaggs and Ohio State, Western is not worth it. As pharmacy becomes more saturated, you want a program that has accessibility to hospital programs as well, so you have a good chance at securing a residency after graduation. One downfall of Western for me, minus the inflated price tag, is that it does not have a teaching hospital. In my case, the out of state programs I interviewed at sit right in the center of multiple hospitals ( the state children's hospital and their own teaching hospitals) which are pluses. In all honesty, getting admission into a Pharmacy program is not difficult, with private schools popping all over the place. The difficulty is getting admitted into a program that gives you the best bang for your buck. Be wise and selective. Do not underestimate your competitiveness.