Life Decision - UHCoP vs. Texas Tech

[phuturepharmd]

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Ok, soooo, I got acceptance letters from both schools and I actually enjoyed the interviews and facilities at both campuses. This is going to be a very difficult decision for me, which I unfortunately have to make very quickly. I was curious if I could get some feedback pros and cons from current students at UHCoP and Texas Tech - Abilene (and Amarillo although I would be going to Abilene). Any feedback is truly appreciated!


UHCoP - accepted!
Texas Tech - accepted!
Texas A&M 3/12/2010 (gonna withdraw)

 

[ShineBrite]

go to UH so I can have a shot at your spot at Tech 😀

No seriously, I'm living in Abilene right now, and let me tell you...it's not an ideal town to live in. Plus, there's so many more opportunities for jobs/research/rotations in Houston. Think about the future, and the fact that the schools that are in metropolitan areas basically set you up with employers...that's the reason why I would choose a school besides Abilene. Personally, I'll take anywhere I can get! But, when presented with the two choices...I think it's pretty obvious which one is right for the future. And I actually talked to a couple people when I was interviewing at Tech who had also interviewed at UH and they said UH blew the Abilene campus out of the water.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[pharm B]

Please make sure you withdraw early from A&M. One person got 24 hours notice that they could interview due to a withdrawal. It'd be cool if they had say... more than 24 hours. 😉

 

[phuturepharmd]

Yea its such a tough choice and I am so very grateful for even getting into 1 school let alone 2! I actually remember interviewing the same day as you at Abilene =) I guess the choices really come down to "city slicker" vs. "country boy"! I lived in Houston for many years so I have a definite connection with the city. Texas Tech seems to have less distractions but I dont know if i would go insane with their schedule (no summer classes but more hours crammed into semesters due to this fact) and I dont know how thrilled I would be having only about 30% of classes with a professor and 70% via videoconferencing... I really like the classroom environment, its where I feel i thrive.

 

[phuturepharmd]

Please make sure you withdraw early from A&M. One person got 24 hours notice that they could interview due to a withdrawal. It'd be cool if they had say... more than 24 hours. 😉

LOL yea I am going to withdraw today

 

[ShineBrite]

yeah from what I hear from students, the whole video thing really messes up stuff in the classroom. I feel like they kinda glossed over that when we were at the interview.

having interviewed at UT, TTU, and UIW, I can say that I'm really hoping for an acceptance to Austin or SA. I haven't heard back from Houston, but nevertheless, I would still hope for the bigger cities over Abilene. I actually worked in the hospital pharmacy where we would do rotations, and I can tell you right now that from what I saw and heard from two of the students that I talked to, it doesn't represent what you would encounter in the real world much. Basically they just sit around with other pharmacists and talk, theres no real interaction on the floor 🙁 Since I want to do hospital pharmacy, hearing that was a real downer for me.

 

[phuturepharmd]

U of H is in such a prestigious area ( Texas Medical Center ) and is so well-regarded that I am leaning very heavily in its favor. I have a week to decide but I am just about decided. I was just looking for last minute opinions/perspectives. 🙂

 

[PharmDez]

U of H is in such a prestigious area ( Texas Medical Center ) and is so well-regarded that I am leaning very heavily in its favor. I have a week to decide but I am just about decided. I was just looking for last minute opinions/perspectives. 🙂

I would definitely go to UH if you are leaning towards clinical work because it will easy for you to branch out and network with lots of pharmacists in the Medical Center. Of course you can go to Tech and do your rotations in Houston but you will have a chance to meet a lot more people if you are in Houston for 4 years. Plus you will have more of a social life in Houston and you can't beat the food in Houston. The only drawback of UH is the fact that its located next to one of the worst neighborhoods in Houston. I know a handful of friends that have been mugged or robbed in that area.

 

[phuturepharmd]

and ironically its next to some of the nicest neighborhoods like River Oaks and West University... =) And yea, I have seriously been considering the networking potential of the location as well.

 

[phuturepharmd]

I just sent my decline letter to A&M regarding my interview. Hopefully it will open an opportunity for another applicant..

 

[phuturepharmd]

Bump

 

[tm79602]

I just got off of active duty here in Abilene and my husband is still stationed here. They say that Abilene is for people with families. I have a 3 year old son and I still hate it here. My husband loves it. It is what you make of it, though. Do no judge what school you go to solely on location. Figure out pros and cons of both and go with the school that has the most pros. I am moving to KC in may-if you need a house, let me know!! I am selling mine.🙂 good luck!

 

[ShineBrite]

just to clarify, theres nothing really wrong with Abilene, it's just my personal opinion that there are much better cities to live in. And the main point is that with a bigger city, come more opportunities. And thats the most important thing i think in choosing where you belong.

 

[tifflj2004]

I had an interview with Tech and UofH as well. Honestly, UofH was my first choice. When I had my interview there, I was highly disappointed. I didn't feel the connection as I did with Tech. I do believe you will have more opportunities being in the Houston area... but honestly, you're going to have opportunities anywhere when you graduate with your Pharm.D.
Houston does not use the laptops like Tech does. I have no idea how this would help/hurt your learning process. Because we use laptops, I do feel it's a distraction because a lot of students choose to play games or chat on facebook all day. But we have automatic access to all powerpoints and our exams/quizzes are taken on webct which are returned very quickly with your scores. As far as learning from the VCS system, I personally don't think it makes a difference. There are a lot of technical problems, but honestly you have the powerpoint right in front of you to refer back to. And if you only missed a few minutes, you can access the recorded lecture at a later time. My main point is that I don't feel the technical problems make my grades or learning suffer. There are professors in both campuses that are available whenever, so if you miss something from the opposite campus, you can ask the team leader on your campus.
I lived in Houston for quite a bit before moving to Abilene and my grandparents have lived in Sugarland all my life. I do miss Houston because of all the stuff you can do... but in this program, I don't feel you need a lot of entertainment. When I lived in Houston, I only worked full-time so enjoyed my free time as much as possible... I don't really have a lot of free time now. But I like it that way - I like that there aren't as many distractions.
My main reason for choosing Abilene was the tight-knit faculty/staff/student relationships. I feel you may not get that in large classes. So these relationships will help you later in your third and fourth years when choosing rotation sites, and of course, if you choose a residency!

Either school's is great to be honest. Go to Houston if you want the recognition. Go to Tech if you want personal relationships.

 

[iwbpharm]

Ok, soooo, I got acceptance letters from both schools and I actually enjoyed the interviews and facilities at both campuses. This is going to be a very difficult decision for me, which I unfortunately have to make very quickly. I was curious if I could get some feedback pros and cons from current students at UHCoP and Texas Tech - Abilene (and Amarillo although I would be going to Abilene). Any feedback is truly appreciated!


UHCoP - accepted!
Texas Tech - accepted!
Texas A&M 3/12/2010 (gonna withdraw)

did you get your prereqs or do you have a bs ? im curious to know if im going to have to end up getting my bs or not

 

[renetto]

Keep in mind that this is just my personal opinion but no matter what the X is...when it comes to X school vs Texas Tech, X school should automatically win.

 

[Dezixn]

Got accepted to both tech and UHCOP as well and chose UHCOP. *BTW it's UH not UofH 🙁"

I didn't like how tech has no summer courses, you just cram everything into the regular school year. I didn't like how there isn't much of anything next to their campus. I didn't like the idea of video conferencing lectures. I didn't like the idea of it being a REQUIREMENT TO have Mcafee antivirus installed to be able to connect to the schools network (antivirus is a huge scam, do your research).
I did like their rigorous curriculum, though that is partially negated due to the no summer school deal-e-o. I liked their building, especially the new building (fancy).

UHCOP seemed to win out in a lot of things though. Texas medical center, tons of opportunities near by to end up working at. Summer courses. We also have a pretty good tuition IMO, though not as low as Tech's. I've heard lots of good things from graduates from UHCOP too sooo it only took me a few days to think it over and make the choice. I could go on and on... But I don't want to.

Also, the red raider is a lame mascot. Go coogs 😀

 

[ShadowRX]

Got accepted to both tech and UHCOP as well and chose UHCOP. *BTW it's UH not UofH 🙁"

I didn't like how tech has no summer courses, you just cram everything into the regular school year. I didn't like how there isn't much of anything next to their campus. I didn't like the idea of video conferencing lectures. I didn't like the idea of it being a REQUIREMENT TO have Mcafee antivirus installed to be able to connect to the schools network (antivirus is a huge scam, do your research).
I did like their rigorous curriculum, though that is partially negated due to the no summer school deal-e-o. I liked their building, especially the new building (fancy).

UHCOP seemed to win out in a lot of things though. Texas medical center, tons of opportunities near by to end up working at. Summer courses. We also have a pretty good tuition IMO, though not as low as Tech's. I've heard lots of good things from graduates from UHCOP too sooo it only took me a few days to think it over and make the choice. I could go on and on... But I don't want to.

Also, the red raider is a lame mascot. Go coogs 😀

Mcafee is a huge scam. Norton and AVG are awesome though.

 

[rick1402]

Got accepted to both tech and UHCOP as well and chose UHCOP. *BTW it's UH not UofH 🙁"

I didn't like how tech has no summer courses, you just cram everything into the regular school year. I didn't like how there isn't much of anything next to their campus. I didn't like the idea of video conferencing lectures. I didn't like the idea of it being a REQUIREMENT TO have Mcafee antivirus installed to be able to connect to the schools network (antivirus is a huge scam, do your research).
I did like their rigorous curriculum, though that is partially negated due to the no summer school deal-e-o. I liked their building, especially the new building (fancy).

UHCOP seemed to win out in a lot of things though. Texas medical center, tons of opportunities near by to end up working at. Summer courses. We also have a pretty good tuition IMO, though not as low as Tech's. I've heard lots of good things from graduates from UHCOP too sooo it only took me a few days to think it over and make the choice. I could go on and on... But I don't want to.

Also, the red raider is a lame mascot. Go coogs 😀

How does the summer school option work at uh pharm? Just because I looked at their curriculum and don't see the summer curriculum until p3 and that's when I see summer in curriculum for tech too? Thanks