Midwestern CCP and Auburn

[suviphi]

Hi guys,

So I've been fortunate enough to be accepted to 2 really fantastic pharmacy schools and I've been thinking and sleeping on this decision for a long time now and this has been eating at me because of the decision.

Can I ask all of you for your input on any of these two schools. I really welcome students from these schools to post to me about the positive AND negative experiences they've had with these 2 schools. I just feel really torn right now because I love both schools and it's kind of physically impossible to attend both of them at the same time.

However, here's some of my criteria. I really want to go into a more hospital/inpatient/ambulatory pharmacy setting.

• Fortunately, money is not an issue so I'd appreciate if there weren't responses based on the money factor. They will both be the same price for me.

• I'm really looking for a strong student body connection and being able to really get to know the people I'll be taking my classes with. Are the students at School X cut-throat and competitive like I felt the UC system was?

• I also want to see which school would help me prepare for the kind of pharmacy I wish to go into...if they're both the same or if one you believe one curriculum is significantly better than the other at preparing students for residency or the kind of pharmacy I want to pursue.

• I'm Asian if that makes a difference. I don't want isolated incidents in Alabama to affect my decision on education, but nearly all my coworkers and peers have told me to steer clear of Alabama if I'm non-white. I know their advice may be just words and assumptions from what the media shows, but I'd appreciate honest feedback about this issue and I feel like this may be the place to get it.

Any advice would be wonderful especially from current students or alumni from both schools .

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[WLG101190]

I've lived in the south my whole life and actually go to school at South Alabama; which has a branch of the Harrison school of Pharmacy at their campus.

Racism is a non issue in this day, especially in higher learning situations. (I'm white and one of my best friends is an asian)

I'm a freshman pre-pharm student so i can't really comment on the first two bullets.

 

[suviphi]

Thanks. It's good to know to here this from a student who's going there. It's sad because even in Cali, the most diverse state in America, we still got our stereotypes. But I guess it's anywhere you go, right?

 

[IKRPHARMD]

I grew up in Alabama and attended undergrad at Auburn. Congrats on your acceptance.... The Auburn Pharmacy School is very highly regarded and very difficult to get into. I know I will be a little bias in my opinion... but the Harrison School of pharmacy is well respected and can open a lot of doors especially for work in hospitals. I did my volunteer time at the local veterans’ hospital and we had a few students that were in the Auburn pharmacy program. They said it was tough but talked about how much they enjoyed the program and the way people in the program interacted with each other. I guess they do a lot of studying in groups so everyone knows each other pretty well.

As far as race...well I’m Hispanic and no doubt stuck out like a sore thumb being in the south. But I can’t remember a time I ever had a problem with anyone based on my ethnicity. People tend to be more curious than anything. I hear CCP is a good school; however you would be crazy to turn down Auburn.

Good Luck with your decision!

- Marcos

 

[pharmDHSOP]

I'm a pharmacy student at Auburn University and I'll be happy to give you my input!

Hi guys,

So I've been fortunate enough to be accepted to 2 really fantastic pharmacy schools and I've been thinking and sleeping on this decision for a long time now and this has been eating at me because of the decision.

Can I ask all of you for your input on any of these two schools. I really welcome students from these schools to post to me about the positive AND negative experiences they've had with these 2 schools. I just feel really torn right now because I love both schools and it's kind of physically impossible to attend both of them at the same time.

However, here's some of my criteria. I really want to go into a more hospital/inpatient/ambulatory pharmacy setting.

• Fortunately, money is not an issue so I'd appreciate if there weren't responses based on the money factor. They will both be the same price for me.

• I'm really looking for a strong student body connection and being able to really get to know the people I'll be taking my classes with. Are the students at School X cut-throat and competitive like I felt the UC system was?

In regards to grades: the students at Auburn are definitely NOT cut-throat. It's a very non-competetive environment, most students are willing to help eachother out.

I would say however from a social aspect, it is rather clique-ish, almost highschool-like, which I find VERY UN-appealing. While there are many opportunities to be involved, it seems like it is always the same group of 'popular' students that are running the show.

• I also want to see which school would help me prepare for the kind of pharmacy I wish to go into...if they're both the same or if one you believe one curriculum is significantly better than the other at preparing students for residency or the kind of pharmacy I want to pursue.

Auburn tries to prepare you for clinical setting work, HOWEVER I feel like the stuff they teach us in regards to this is irrelevant. They teach us certain skills, but they give us such a brief overview of it, that NO ONE in our class could actually do it if we needed to. Also a lot of time is spent in labs learning COMPOUNDING, but again, we don't learn it well enough that we would actually remember it in 2 or 3 years when we finish school. We would have to learn all of this stuff again anyway. I haven't seen any other program, so I don't really know how to compare Auburn to other schools.

The vast majority of auburn students will pursue a career in retail.

• I'm Asian if that makes a difference. I don't want isolated incidents in Alabama to affect my decision on education, but nearly all my coworkers and peers have told me to steer clear of Alabama if I'm non-white. I know their advice may be just words and assumptions from what the media shows, but I'd appreciate honest feedback about this issue and I feel like this may be the place to get it.

People in auburn are not as ignorant/racist as probably most other cities in the state, but the Asian popluation is very small. I don't think you would be uncomfortable here, but I don't know where you are from. Auburn is a very small town, so I think it depends more on what you're used to. If you're coming from a big city, it would be a big change and you may not be happy here.



Any advice would be wonderful especially from current students or alumni from both schools .

I do like Auburn, and i've made a lot of friends that I know I'll have all my life. I also really like the faculty. But I'm not sold on the curriculum, parts of it are probably the best in the country, but there's also a lot of it that I feel like is a complete waste of time.

I also didn't apply anywhere else and pharmacy was sort of a last minute decision for me, so most application deadlines for other good schools had passed. I didn't realize that I probably could have gone anywhere I wanted if I had waited another year. I regret not moving someplace like Chicago. I would choose midwestern if I were you.