NEED HELP DECIDING BETWEEN MWU IN CHICAGO OR SIUE in EDWARDSVILLE

[kacelynn]

Please help I am accepted to both school and at a complete delima as where to go. If anyone can offer any adivce from educational quality and beyond please do!

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[Stratomaster18]

Midwestern, they've been around longer and have a better reputation (especially in the Chicago area).

 

[kacelynn]

Thankyou for the feedback. May I ask why you say they have a better reputation? I really just want to know what will give me the best job opportunities. However the tuition at mwu is about ten grand morbmore per year, and I live in so il already and feel more comfortable at siue. Its hard to choose based on comfort though. I really want the best education. Have you heard bad things about siue?

 

[kacelynn]

Sorry spellcheck is messing up my typing!

 

[Pharmamamama]

MWU hands down! Not only are we way cooler (jk) but the education quality is absolutely awesome (atleast at CPG it is). The teachers here are absolutely amazing, they make sure that you understand everything there is to learn and the organization of the classes is very cohesive and easy to follow. I'm sure that Chicago one is similar. Of course if you are worried about money then there's your other option. Go for whichever you feel most happy at because in the end your sanity matters!

This is totally not a biased opinion....or is it...

Your fellow MWU student

 

[kacelynn]

what is the class size at glendale? at chicago it is 214, i was worried about student teacher interaction with the bigger class size. At siue it is only 80. That is very important to me. Also, how are you handling your tuition? i know glendale is even more expensive than chicago campus. I think i just need another pharmacy student to hash this out with me. None of my friends are pursing careers at all really so im kind of alone in this decision. I have a fiance who is completely flexible with either city because he is a personal trainer so hes not much help either. I feel more comfortable with siue, but really feel that midwestern has more oppurtunity..blaahhhhh im so back and forth!

 

[amicable7]

what is the class size at glendale? at chicago it is 214, i was worried about student teacher interaction with the bigger class size. At siue it is only 80. That is very important to me. Also, how are you handling your tuition? i know glendale is even more expensive than chicago campus. I think i just need another pharmacy student to hash this out with me. None of my friends are pursing careers at all really so im kind of alone in this decision. I have a fiance who is completely flexible with either city because he is a personal trainer so hes not much help either. I feel more comfortable with siue, but really feel that midwestern has more oppurtunity..blaahhhhh im so back and forth!

Are you an Illinois resident? If so, I will recommend SIUE. It's newer compared to Midwestern but it's not worth the extra 40K in debt. Also I heard there will be no more Gov't Subsidized loan, beginning next academic year. This means, instead of having 6months grace period after graduation before the interest on the loan start accumulating, with the Gov't unsubsidized and Grad plus, the interest starts accumulating right away after disbursement.

This is one major reason why I'm considering dropping Minnesota for UIC. To me, upon my personal experience, I feel like Minnesota's program is just amazing and way better than UIC's(my personal opinion). However, money is a major factor in making Pharmacy school decisions. You may not feel it now but when you start paying more than 3k out of 5k salary (just a rough estimate) for student loans while others are paying less than 2k, that is when you see how worthless it was.

It's just an advice, but I think $40K more for the same PharmD is not worth it, especially when you are deciding between two relatively good schools.

 

[Stratomaster18]

Are you an Illinois resident? If so, I will recommend SIUE. It's newer compared to Midwestern but it's not worth the extra 40K in debt. Also I heard there will be no more Gov't Subsidized loan, beginning next academic year. This means, instead of having 6months grace period after graduation before the interest on the loan start accumulating, with the Gov't unsubsidized and Grad plus, the interest starts accumulating right away after disbursement.

This is one major reason why I'm considering dropping Minnesota for UIC. To me, upon my personal experience, I feel like Minnesota's program is just amazing and way better than UIC's(my personal opinion). However, money is a major factor in making Pharmacy school decisions. You may not feel it now but when you start paying more than 3k out of 5k salary (just a rough estimate) for student loans while others are paying less than 2k, that is when you see how worthless it was.

It's just an advice, but I think $40K more for the same PharmD is not worth it, especially when you are deciding between two relatively good schools.

Midwestern has a better reputation because its been around longer (since '91ish).
Unfortunately, PharmD's are not equal. In today's pharmacy world, it is all about who you know, and this will mostly come from where you go to school (school organizations, IPPE's, APPE's, etc.). I'd almost guarantee that MWU will have better connections then SIUE will. Plus, with them being near Chicago, you will have access to even better access to better sites, thus leading to better connections. Also, with this rapid increase in pharmacy schools, you'll want to go to one with the best name possible. You're going to want as much of an edge that you can get. Plus, I know FOR A FACT that some pharmacists "look down on" these new schools; they only think highly of students from UIC and MWU (granted, most RPh's are probably not like this, but I have talked to some that are).

Are you an Illinois resident? If so, I will recommend SIUE. It's newer compared to Midwestern but it's not worth the extra 40K in debt. Also I heard there will be no more Gov't Subsidized loan, beginning next academic year. This means, instead of having 6months grace period after graduation before the interest on the loan start accumulating, with the Gov't unsubsidized and Grad plus, the interest starts accumulating right away after disbursement.

Yeah I can see the Sub loans going away since our state is broke, but this is how I look at it....

If you go to a reputable school, do well, and (most importantly) make your connections, you will land a job and have no problem paying back your loans (especially if you don't spend frivolously the first year or two you are working, which unfortunately a lot of people do).