is there such thing as Pharm schools to avoid?

[foreverstud]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey SDN, I'm in the middle of picking all the pharm schools i want to attend, or ones that I believe will give me a chance.. I was wondering, is there such thing as a bad Pharm school? I know it all depends on the work you put in, but I don't want to graduate from a program and have future employers look down on me because of the school.

For instance, everyone was bad mouthing Northstate CA for awhile, even some of the pharmacists I came across with were describing how bad their interns from Northstate were. Now that the school in accredited, why do I still feel like I should still avoid that school. Am I wrong? Thanks.

 

[Travex]

Definitely... But I doubt anyone has a list. It really depends on how picky you can afford to be. If location is not an issue and you have the stats to get into most of them... You should definitely consider how long the program has been around. Anything that has popped up in the past 5-10 years is highly likely to be of a lower quality than the more established programs.

 

[Jessica1992]

Definitely... But I doubt anyone has a list. It really depends on how picky you can afford to be. If location is not an issue and you have the stats to get into most of them... You should definitely consider how long the program has been around. Anything that has popped up in the past 5-10 years is highly likely to be of a lower quality than the more established programs.

I agree. Usually pharmacy schools that are state colleges are pretty safe in my experience. My boyfriend is from TN and he told me to stay away from any pharmacy schools that isn't University of TN. They have had a massive amount of pharmacy schools built there recently (they have 6 and 2 of them are even in the same city!), which goes along with what was previously said.

 

[68quebec]

would you guys be more specific if you are mentioning which schools to avoid? you can't just point out school without reason...

 

[jonod1107]

would you guys be more specific if you are mentioning which schools to avoid? you can't just point out school without reason...

Just look at when that school or campus was first started. The newer the school, the more you have to worry about the type of teachers they are attracting and if the interest of the school more geared to students or to profit.

Basically, if a school is expanding like crazy with new campus every 2-3 years, can you really expect them to be picky about the kind of students they accept?

 

[radio frequency]

Yes, there are schools you should strongly consider avoiding. They may not be "bad", but they won't help you much, either. Here's my list:

1.Schools that are overpriced. If the school is brand new and charges more than nearby established schools, think twice.

2. Schools without accreditation (yet). What happens if they don't get accredited? Answer: you get screwed.

3. Schools where you mention the name to nearby pharmacists and they say "where?", "ohhh.......", or "why would you go there?".

The school's name will be on your CV for life. Try to get a good name on there in case you need it later.

 

[68quebec]

Yes, there are schools you should strongly consider avoiding. They may not be "bad", but they won't help you much, either. Here's my list:

1.Schools that are overpriced. If the school is brand new and charges more than nearby established schools, think twice.

2. Schools without accreditation (yet). What happens if they don't get accredited? Answer: you get screwed.

3. Schools where you mention the name to nearby pharmacists and they say "where?", "ohhh.......", or "why would you go there?".

The school's name will be on your CV for life. Try to get a good name on there in case you need it later.

I think almost all pharmacy schools are overpriced.. USC in california charges 45k per year.. which is extremely expensive IMO..

 

[88888888]

Yea USC is freaking overpriced lol. Plus add in room and board in LA is.. Too much

 

[68quebec]

Yea USC is freaking overpriced lol. Plus add in room and board in LA is.. Too much

I'm not having any affiliation with south dakota but that school is hell cheap and still have a great reputations..with big medical center next to it. I would definitely consider that school as my first choice if I would need to pay out of my pocket.

 

[radio frequency]

I think almost all pharmacy schools are overpriced.. USC in california charges 45k per year.. which is extremely expensive IMO..

45k per year?! USC students are getting hosed! They have a great reputation, but avoid 45 k/year like the plague.

 

[romylove]

45k per year?! USC students are getting hosed! They have a great reputation, but avoid 45 k/year like the plague.

Holey moley. I'm going to Tech, and they are much more affordable. $12k/year in state, $23k/year out of state. Plus they offer scholarships to give in-state tuition to out of staters.

 

[68quebec]

45k per year?! USC students are getting hosed! They have a great reputation, but avoid 45 k/year like the plague.

the cheapest school in CA is of course public school but still 30k/year.
I seriously think this is craziness.. too many students get student loan no matter how much school request..

 

[RN2RPh]

Unless a pharmacy school lost its accreditation, it is just as good as other schools. Each program, old or new, has its own pros & cons. So it's all depend on your own references !

 

[Carboxide]

1. If it is on probation, or has been in the last few years, avoid it.

2. If its NAPLEX pass rates are under 95%, avoid it. (95% is low. Just FYI.)

3. If it started since 2000, avoid it.

4. If it doesn't have an established relationship with hospitals and/or makes you find your own rotations, avoid it.

5. If it's the only medical-related college on campus, avoid it.

6. If pharmacists you know bad-mouth it, avoid it.


That's a good starting point.

 

[troponin2012]

Hey SDN, I'm in the middle of picking all the pharm schools i want to attend, or ones that I believe will give me a chance.. I was wondering, is there such thing as a bad Pharm school? I know it all depends on the work you put in, but I don't want to graduate from a program and have future employers look down on me because of the school.

For instance, everyone was bad mouthing Northstate CA for awhile, even some of the pharmacists I came across with were describing how bad their interns from Northstate were. Now that the school in accredited, why do I still feel like I should still avoid that school. Am I wrong? Thanks.

When I was deciding what school to go to, this is some of the stuff I shunned:

A) Expensive: Don't waste your money paying for an expensive school. The only to come out of it is more debt. No job cares about your grades, let alone the school you went to. They only care that you're licensed.

B) Non-accredited: Probably doesn't mean too much, but I didn't want to risk not sitting for boards

C) Professional Dress Code: I absolutely hate wearing a shirt & tie. I hate doing it for work (and love the shifts when I can wear jeans, hoodie and a hat) and sure as hell didn't want to do it for school (other than lab days).

D) Schools That Didn't Accept Me: For obvious reasons. Just added this to the list to make it a little longer lol

 

[Ante cibum]

the cheapest school in CA is of course public school but still 30k/year.
I seriously think this is craziness.. too many students get student loan no matter how much school request..

Education is a bubble, just like the housing market. It's a service that's decreasing in value(more people have degrees who didn't study rigorously, weren't outstanding in high school) and the cost is increasing year after year. Recipe for a bubble.

If you're interested in reading more, search for George Leef in Forbes magazine.