help with choise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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xiaoxun37

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hi, i need to make choise between Albany college of pharmacy,which offers me 6 year doctor of pharmcay program and SUNY buffalo. i'm the resident of NY.

if i go to ACP, i need to pay $12000 loan each year(i get $18000 from grants and the scholarship) .
if i go to buffalo i need to pay $4100 each year.
the problem is if i go to buffalo, after 2 years
pre-pharmacy, i need to reapply their four years doctor of pharmacy program, which is highly competetive, and it's really hard to get in (at least 3.5 GPA)..what if i can't get to their PHD program??

so which one should i go to???
really need your help, i have to make decision soon!!
thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
xiaoxun37 said:
hi, i need to make choise between Albany college of pharmacy,which offers me 6 year doctor of pharmcay program and SUNY buffalo. i'm the resident of NY.

if i go to ACP, i need to pay $12000 loan each year(i get $18000 from grants and the scholarship) .
if i go to buffalo i need to pay $4100 each year.
the problem is if i go to buffalo, after 2 years
pre-pharmacy, i need to reapply their four years doctor of pharmacy program, which is highly competetive, and it's really hard to get in (at least 3.5 GPA)..what if i can't get to their PHD program??

so which one should i go to???
really need your help, i have to make decision soon!!
thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which school do you want to go to more? If it doesn't make a difference, I would choose Buffalo if I were you. $4100 sounds a lot nicer than 12,000. You may even be able to make it through without being in debt at the end. Don't worry now about if you won't make the cut in 2 years. Just have faith, work hard, and make it happen. You've made it this far, I'm sure you will make it all the way!

Best of Luck to you! 🙂
 
patmcd said:
Go to which school you like better.

i don't know which school is better for me...
 
I don't understand...if you're a high school senior and got accepted to the pharmacy program in Buffalo, that means that you got into the 6-year program, in my view. According to the 6-year program, you have to maintain a specific gpa (usually 3.0) to get in. As long as you get the minimum gpa, your spot in the pharmacy program is guareented. Or is there something else I don't know? but if I were you, I would choose Buffalo.
 
luckyPharmD.stu said:
I don't understand...if you're a high school senior and got accepted to the pharmacy program in Buffalo, that means that you got into the 6-year program, in my view. According to the 6-year program, you have to maintain a specific gpa (usually 3.0) to get in. As long as you get the minimum gpa, your spot in the pharmacy program is guareented. Or is there something else I don't know? but if I were you, I would choose Buffalo.


buffalo dosen't have 6 year program, they only have four year PhD program, so i need to apply again after 2 years pre-pharm... that's very stressful
 
I don't have anything nice to say, so I'm not going to say anything at all...
 
xiaoxun37 said:
... that's very stressful

Everything about this entire process is stressful. It will never let up.
 
Just so you know the Doctor of Pharmacy degree is a PharmD not a PhD. 🙂 I think you should research both school and weigh both the pros and cons and go from there.
 
Hi there,
I am accepted by Albany and this is the 3-year accelerated program. Have you got the same thing too? 3 years or 6 years at Albany? If i were in your situation, i would go to Albany in order not to be stressfull & worried because the tuition is not big different. We should be more concerned about the school & the program. By the way, since live in NY, do you know any first year pharmacy student in Albany to get more information?
Good luck to you! :luck:
 
Buffalo only select 56 students from their pre-pharm to their PharmD program. I really worried about my science GPA, particular for biology and chemistry. I'm taking AP Bio now and i'm really struggling and suffering in this crouse(i don't know what the teacher is talking about 😕 ), and for chem, i never learned chem in USA. :scared:
(i came to America one year ago from China) .
i 'm hard working ppl but not smart. deciding to take pharmacy in college is already a big challenge for me. i still have problem on speaking English 🙁
look at buffalo 's criteria for the program http://www.pharmacy.buffalo.edu/school_adm_ea.shtml
isn't too challenging for me to get in??

i see some ppl apply PharmD program in whatever school with a B.S degree and high GPA but don't get in . So isn't better for me to go to Albany's PharmD program directly???
 
Obviously, Albany is the better choice. But that's not saying much because both schools (actually all pharmacy schools) are extremely tough. Again, if you want to play it safe and hopefully graduate in six years w/o worrying excessively about getting a seat to pharm. school, go to Albany. But if you're having too much difficulty, especially in the sciences (chemistry, etc.), you will have to step it up and study a lot; Chem is very important.
 
if i don't have above 3.5 GPA in buffalo,
anybody tell me what is the chance to apply a Pharm.D program after only 2 year pre-pharm (w/o any degree)??
 
xiaoxun37 said:
hi, i need to make choise between Albany college of pharmacy,which offers me 6 year doctor of pharmcay program and SUNY buffalo. i'm the resident of NY.

if i go to ACP, i need to pay $12000 loan each year(i get $18000 from grants and the scholarship) .
if i go to buffalo i need to pay $4100 each year.
the problem is if i go to buffalo, after 2 years
pre-pharmacy, i need to reapply their four years doctor of pharmacy program, which is highly competetive, and it's really hard to get in (at least 3.5 GPA)..what if i can't get to their PHD program??

so which one should i go to???
really need your help, i have to make decision soon!!
thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you get accepted to any of the schools or are you just trying to make a choice on who to apply to?
 
I would choose Albany, if you are infact guaranteed a spot in their Pharmacy school, if you maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. I wouldn't let money play a factor in my future career. I'd just borrow the extra $7,900 in loans and go to Albany. Think about it... Save $7,900 and have a slim chance of getting accepted to Buffalo, OR spend the extra $7,900 and be guaranteed a spot in pharmacy school and graduate with a Pharm D, and make around $90,000 a year when you graduate. I would choose the later. You can easily pay back that $7,900 once you graduate and get a job.
 
Go to Albany! Period. It is a bunch of stress that is taken away knowing you are guaranteed a seat in the pharm school with a minimum GPA.

Also, there must not be a very high drop out rate since as you could see on this board it is virtually impossible getting into Albany as a transfer.


I thought that in China, chemistry also covered organic chemistry very deeply, and was tested on the college entrance exam.

I think that the basic sciences in Chinese high schools are equivalent to the undergrad freshman and sophomore science sequences in U.S. colleges.
 
Xiao Xun, are you a permanent resident?

If not, that might affect your ability to take out Stafford Loans to go to pharmacy school.
 
I'm a permanent resident in US.
i think i have forgotten all the organic chemistry staff which i learned in China :scared:
 
PHP:
[QUOTE=Tic Tac]And that will be CHOICE not CHOISE :laugh:[/QUOTE]

i realized that mistake after i pressed the submit button, :laugh:
it's a sufficent evidence to show my poor ability of English 😀
 
JustTiff said:
Did you get accepted to any of the schools or are you just trying to make a choice on who to apply to?

i get accepted to both school. actually, i also get accepped to
Butler University (6 year Pharm.D & Hornor Program),
Long Island University (6 year Pharm.D & Hornor Program)
MCPHS (6 year Pharm.D )
Northeastern University (6 year Pharm.D)

the reason i narrow my choice in ACP and Buffoa is the tuition
 
Tic Tac said:
And that will be CHOICE not CHOISE :laugh:
:laugh: I had posted that but went back and edited it out afterwards, lol I couldn't get to anything else in the postbecause I was stuck on "choise".
 
I would go to Albany just for security. You do not want to worry about having to compete with everyone else again when you are sure you want pharmacy out of high school. Go to Albany, easy decision! You have no idea the way the classes could be graded at Buffalo or how hard it is to make a 3.5 GPA.

However, Buffalo is a very research oriented school.

What is your main goal with pharmacy?

IF you want retail or hospital, that is the Doctor of Pharmacy (professioal degree,

If you want research in a pharmaceutical company, that is the PhD in pharmaceutics or pharmaceutical sciences which is not a professional degree.

Some schools have dual PharmD/PhD.

The PhD is most likely even more difficult than PHarmD since it applies basically everything you know in the PharmD in a totally different way.

Many PhD students are foreign students actually from China and have taken a B.S. in Pharmacy in China. The education at the undergrad level in China in pharmacy in Xinjiang and Nanjing is very, very good, and many of my friends are extremely well prepared.

I go to NC State so I am familiar with Chapel Hill and also with UF since I am origianlly from Florida.

I would say to get the PharmD, since it is a guaranteed high salary after graduation and easier to get in than a phD.

I would say get the PharmD first, get a job in retail for two years, and pay off the loans. Then if you like research go back and get a PhD. The PharmD is a big job security thing. You could work anywhere with it, while with the PhD you have to go to major pharmaceutical companies or become a professor.

I am a PhD student in statistics at NC State and every from my school and Chapel Hill for that matter wants to go to pharmaceutical company, or if U.S. citizen, also the FDA. And it is very competitive.

The PharmD IS a guarantee of a $90,000 job after graduation.
 
What is your main goal with pharmacy?

IF you want retail or hospital, that is the Doctor of Pharmacy (professioal degree,

thank you for your advice.
i want retail..and i think i will go to albany.
i'm from Da Lian, LiaoNing. which part of China do u come from? 🙂
 
I am really confused about what to do!! I want to go to pharm school sometime in the future but right nwo i have two options in front of me:

1. Go to UOP where i was admitted in the 2+3 pharmacy prgram (with regents scholarship for 2 years.. dont know if that makes a difference) where i would get my pharmD in 5 years and skip a BS degree altogether
OR
2. Go the "normal" path by going to UCSD as an undergrad.. complete a B.S in 4 years in biochem and then apply to pharmacy schools once i finish my bachelor's and risk not getting in to any pharm school

I don't know which one is a better idea because i know getting into pharmacy school is TOUGH and guaranteed pharmD is kind of nice. on the other hand, i would love to go to ucsf or ucsd pharm school because i dont want to go into retail pharmacy and i know ucsd and ucsf have a different focus other than retail. also, the uop program is essentially like losing your "college years" because you're stuck studying all the time.(or this is what i've heard) whereas UCSD offers the more "traditional" route
i dont know what to do!!
any input would be greatly appreciated! thanks! 🙂
 
You have a guarantee! Go to UOP! No questions asked! Period. End of discussion.
 
neli158 said:
I am really confused about what to do!! I want to go to pharm school sometime in the future but right nwo i have two options in front of me:

1. Go to UOP where i was admitted in the 2+3 pharmacy prgram (with regents scholarship for 2 years.. dont know if that makes a difference) where i would get my pharmD in 5 years and skip a BS degree altogether
OR
2. Go the "normal" path by going to UCSD as an undergrad.. complete a B.S in 4 years in biochem and then apply to pharmacy schools once i finish my bachelor's and risk not getting in to any pharm school

I don't know which one is a better idea because i know getting into pharmacy school is TOUGH and guaranteed pharmD is kind of nice. on the other hand, i would love to go to ucsf or ucsd pharm school because i dont want to go into retail pharmacy and i know ucsd and ucsf have a different focus other than retail. also, the uop program is essentially like losing your "college years" because you're stuck studying all the time.(or this is what i've heard) whereas UCSD offers the more "traditional" route
i dont know what to do!!
any input would be greatly appreciated! thanks! 🙂


Unless you have doubts about pharmacy career, the decision is pretty simple............... Go to UOP.Here are some of the things to think about.
  1. You will start earning sooner
  2. Pharmacists are in demand and school does not matter much.Once you become a pharmacist,you can go into any desired area with little effort and motivation.The more difficult part is getting into a pharmacy school.
  3. All science curriculums are equally challenging.Dont think that you will have more fun in B.S. in BioChem. Dont forget you will be under pressure to maintain a good GPA, if you want to become pharmacist latter.
 
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