Lecom

[mj31482]

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I am strongly leaning towards going to lecom. I visited lecom once, but that was back in '05. I was wondering if there are any current lecom students who can tell me some things about the school (besides it being a 3-year program). What they like? Don't like? I figure you guys will probably know a little more after being in the program for a little bit than I do from just visiting there once.

 

[DrCure21]

LECOM is a great program. It is a three year program (accelerated). If you want to get out of school soon this the best option. The school allows you to do all of your rotations whenever you want in the USA, but you have to set up the rotations yourself. This is a great plus. Tuition is not cheap, but when you compare it to other three-year pharmacy school is not bad at all. Living in Erie you'll see a lot of snow. It is a small town so it is very easy to get around. There is an airport and you also have three major airports around it such as Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.
You are going to have to study hard and move on quickly, but it is well worth it. I liked LECOM. You just gotta put up with the bureaucracy of a small school, but this is everywhere. Do what you gotta do and get out! It was my plan and I acomplished it. I graduated in 2009, a lot of us went directly to work as a pharmacist and a lot of people are doing residency too. I graduated in 2009. Best of luck in your decision. I actually got accepted into two other three-year programs (Worcester, and Oregon) and I chose LECOM because of low tuition and low cost of living in Erie.

 

[rxforlife2004]

I don't know about the other campus, but LECOM campus at Lake Erie, PA is extremely depressed and boring. You have no social life there except for going to bars and drinking and getting wasted. If you are Asian or other minorities, get ready to face racism there...

The program is not that good either. Professors don't give a crap about the quality ...all they care about is $$$ . Most students from LECOM are pretty clueless while on rotations, can't even tell the difference between heparin vs lovenox. The school is really a joke and pretty much if you have double digit IQ with a GPA >2.8(i know a friend who had 2.9 and got in) , you can get in...

Of course there are smart ones there, but yet i have not seen one from this depressing school.

 

[DrCure21]

Erie is a small town. There are some things to do, but trust me as a LECOM student you won't have a lot of free time. My suggestion is to go to LECOM to study hard and when you have some time off, just get out and travel.
There is no racism. I had black, asian, and hispanic friends in my class. We all got along together and built very nice friendships. We still keep in touch.
Professors are okay, you have to do what they tell you like in any other professional schools. Most of them have done pharmacy residencies. They are not going to babysit you, you have to study hard and pass all the exams. It has gotten more difficult to get accepted now because more prospective students are finding out about the three year program and the fact that you can get your rotations done anywhere in the USA. Same requirements as any other pharmacy school GPA, PCAT, interview. When I applied to LECOM back in 2005 for the 2006 incoming class the PCAT was not required but now it is part of the admission requirements.
As far as academics, you'll get out what you put into it. Trust me by the time you'll finish the program you will know the difference between heparin and lovenox.
No school is perfect, LECOM is not. But it will give you a Pharm.D. in three years. You will not have to spend the entire three years in Erie. It is very fast paced. You are not going to Erie to party, you are going to study. I know there are no museums, arts, city life, but you can have all of that after you graduate if you decide to move to a bigger place.
trust me, i am from a big city and I am back at home now, very happy with my decision.

 

[rxforlife2004]

Erie is a small town. There are some things to do, but trust me as a LECOM student you won't have a lot of free time. My suggestion is to go to LECOM to study hard and when you have some time off, just get out and travel.
There is no racism. I had black, asian, and hispanic friends in my class. We all got along together and built very nice friendships. We still keep in touch.
Professors are okay, you have to do what they tell you like in any other professional schools. Most of them have done pharmacy residencies. They are not going to babysit you, you have to study hard and pass all the exams. It has gotten more difficult to get accepted now because more prospective students are finding out about the three year program and the fact that you can get your rotations done anywhere in the USA. Same requirements as any other pharmacy school GPA, PCAT, interview. When I applied to LECOM back in 2005 for the 2006 incoming class the PCAT was not required but now it is part of the admission requirements.
As far as academics, you'll get out what you put into it. Trust me by the time you'll finish the program you will know the difference between heparin and lovenox.
No school is perfect, LECOM is not. But it will give you a Pharm.D. in three years. You will not have to spend the entire three years in Erie. It is very fast paced. You are not going to Erie to party, you are going to study. I know there are no museums, arts, city life, but you can have all of that after you graduate if you decide to move to a bigger place.
trust me, i am from a big city and I am back at home now, very happy with my decision.

That's good....at least we have one positive student here for LECOM

 

[IrishHammer]

What the **** is wrong with you man is your sole reason for visiting these boards to give unsuspecting people discouraging advice? **** off. Bitch.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Rxforlife on this one. Accelerated programs are blatant diploma mills, and the rules at LECOM are beyond ridiculous. The school shuts down and locks up at midnight, which is asinine. There are assigned seats and you aren't even allowed water in the classrooms, which is extra asinine. And the extra strict dress code is Star Wars Holiday Special level asinine. Everybody who got into pharmacy school had the good sense to know that they had to dress professionally for their interview; there's no need to mind**** students for years and train them on how to wear a shirt and tie.

And as for "being able to set up your own rotations", I give them props for being able to spin that so well, because I realize what that really means - they don't give enough of a flip about their students to set up rotations for everybody. Every school in the country will allow you to set up rotations elsewhere in the country, so that's not a selling point. There was a good thread a while back that aired a lot of LECOM's dirty laundry. Hit up the user Quiksilver if you'd like the abridged version of it.

I would go to a different school with a traditional program if I were you. I was in your shoes last year. LECOM was far and away my first choice, and any other school that I applied and interviewed at was more or less for kicks. Ultimately, I was accepted at St. John Fisher and I abandoned my attempts to get into LECOM. A year later, I know I made the right choice to enter into a traditional program.

 

[rxforlife2004]

What the **** is wrong with you man is your sole reason for visiting these boards to give unsuspecting people discouraging advice? **** off. Bitch.

another loser from LECOM?😕

 

[maria1oh]

I know a CVS pharmacist who graduated last year when she was 23 years old from LECOM. Her first two years of pre-pharmacy were at a community college. She did mention that they are very strict about making sure you go to all your classes. They have a staff member come in at 8:30am to make sure everyone shows up on time and is there. I personally would feel like a child if they made me go through a roll call at the beginning of the day but maybe I would get used to it.

She graduated with $150k in debt but had no problem with finding a position after graduation (she was offered positions by Giant Eagle and CVS). She also said her classmates had no problem finding a rotation if they wanted one.
She did also mention that she was put on academic probation because she got a C- in a class and they are required to get all Cs. She was required to go in each week for tutoring while taking the second class in the series (I think it was biochem series she said). I think that is pretty nice that the professor would spend time tutoring people on academic probation. My biochem professor at ohio state is harsh with students who come to visit and accused them of trying to gain unfair advantages over other students. She claims that she is not there to tutor students and if they want tutoring they should study with other classmates. She basically just told you to go look up something on the internet, textbook, or another student if you don't understand it. 😡

 

[Auriel619]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Rxforlife on this one. Accelerated programs are blatant diploma mills, and the rules at LECOM are beyond ridiculous. The school shuts down and locks up at midnight, which is asinine. There are assigned seats and you aren't even allowed water in the classrooms, which is extra asinine. And the extra strict dress code is Star Wars Holiday Special level asinine. Everybody who got into pharmacy school had the good sense to know that they had to dress professionally for their interview; there's no need to mind**** students for years and train them on how to wear a shirt and tie.

And as for "being able to set up your own rotations", I give them props for being able to spin that so well, because I realize what that really means - they don't give enough of a flip about their students to set up rotations for everybody. Every school in the country will allow you to set up rotations elsewhere in the country, so that's not a selling point. There was a good thread a while back that aired a lot of LECOM's dirty laundry. Hit up the user Quiksilver if you'd like the abridged version of it.

I would go to a different school with a traditional program if I were you. I was in your shoes last year. LECOM was far and away my first choice, and any other school that I applied and interviewed at was more or less for kicks. Ultimately, I was accepted at St. John Fisher and I abandoned my attempts to get into LECOM. A year later, I know I made the right choice to enter into a traditional program.

I recently interviewed and was accepted at LECOM and a few other 3-year programs and three other traditional four year programs. Although experience from a student who goes there maybe more accurate, I'd just though I'd share my impressions and the research I've done about the school.

"Accelerated programs are blatant diploma mills, and the rules at LECOM are beyond ridiculous."

This is true to an extent. Many 3 year programs aren't necessarily diploma mills, but the administrators know that most people who go into 3 year program just want to go in, get out and start working in retail and make a good deal of money. I read elsewhere on the forums that the average accepted student in LECOM was ~25 years old. Many of the applicants and students at LECOM have already worked for a few years and decided to get another degree. Hence LECOM is a great choice for retail and even Hospital pharmacists with several hospitals and health centers nearby.

The strict rules they give the students are pretty ridiculous IMO. However, there's something to be said about walking around the hallways and seeing professionally dressed students talking or studying. Don't forget that LECOM is also a Osteopathic Medical School, and frankly all the students seemed well-rounded and competent. <- Again, just an impression.

Erie as a city leaves a lot to be desired, but it's right next to a huge lake which is good and bad. Also, freezing... all the time

TL;DR
Great Program for retail and Hospital Pharmacists, especially for slightly older candidates who want to go back to school. Rules kind of asinine but by themselves shouldn't discourage you from going. Kind of a depressing city, but you can certainly find things to do if you look for them.

Hoped this helped!

 

[Quiksilver]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Rxforlife on this one. Accelerated programs are blatant diploma mills, and the rules at LECOM are beyond ridiculous. The school shuts down and locks up at midnight, which is asinine. There are assigned seats and you aren't even allowed water in the classrooms, which is extra asinine. And the extra strict dress code is Star Wars Holiday Special level asinine. Everybody who got into pharmacy school had the good sense to know that they had to dress professionally for their interview; there's no need to mind**** students for years and train them on how to wear a shirt and tie.

And as for "being able to set up your own rotations", I give them props for being able to spin that so well, because I realize what that really means - they don't give enough of a flip about their students to set up rotations for everybody. Every school in the country will allow you to set up rotations elsewhere in the country, so that's not a selling point. There was a good thread a while back that aired a lot of LECOM's dirty laundry. Hit up the user Quiksilver if you'd like the abridged version of it.

I would go to a different school with a traditional program if I were you. I was in your shoes last year. LECOM was far and away my first choice, and any other school that I applied and interviewed at was more or less for kicks. Ultimately, I was accepted at St. John Fisher and I abandoned my attempts to get into LECOM. A year later, I know I made the right choice to enter into a traditional program.

I saw the title for a LECOM thread and I said, "oh no."

You hit many of the major points, the rules there are beyond ridiculous and in my honest opinion, I think the front office is shady. I don't go to LECOM but I have become friends with LECOM students throughout the last few years and I have heard stories. I would not recommend the school to my worse enemies. I also know that they didn't do things that we did in UB.

In the end its only my opinion and you have to weigh the pros and cons. I respect people's decisions and so that is that.

 

[rxforlife2004]

If you are a boring person who just wanna stay home...go for LECOM
If you have major depression.................................do not go for LECOM
If you have no social life and okay with it.................go for LECOM
If you love to explore new and exciting places...........stay away from LECOM
If you wanna be a competent pharmacist................do not go for LECOM
If you wanna be a average Joe retail pharmacist.......go for LECOM
For guys, if you wanna get laid...............................do not say that you're from LECOM
For social life, if you just wanna drink , drink, drink, getting wasted at a boring bar.....go for LECOM

 

[IrishHammer]

If you are a boring person who just wanna stay home...go for LECOM
If you have major depression.................................do not go for LECOM
If you have no social life and okay with it.................go for LECOM
If you love to explore new and exciting places...........stay away from LECOM
If you wanna be a competent pharmacist................do not go for LECOM
If you wanna be a average Joe retail pharmacist.......go for LECOM
For guys, if you wanna get laid...............................do not say that you're from LECOM
For social life, if you just wanna drink , drink, drink, getting wasted at a boring bar.....go for LECOM

Hey! I have no social life and am okay with it, don't lump me in with losers from Erie (by the way, Urban Dictionary has some hilarious definitions for Erie).