I am finishing up my P2 year at NEOUCOP; they will be graduating their first class one year from today, so at this point they are in candidate status and yes, ACPE visits have gone very well. I have no concerns about not getting the accreditation. I also went to CSU for my undergrad and yes, biochem I and II are required. CSU has (or at least had) a fast track program where you could get everything done in 2 years, but that included taking some rough courses in the summer (ochem I & II, biochem I & II).
Compared to UT IPPE's, I like our program better. We get all of our hours in during the school year, which leaves summer for PAID internships without having to worry about interfering with IPPE hours. P1's do IPPE's at six different types of pharmacies (12 hrs total at each), so that's more to give a student a taste of what's out there. For P2 and P3 years, we spend two mornings a week (8a to noon) for 8 weeks each at a community pharmacy, institutional, and an elective (managed care, infusion, etc.) I can't describe Toledo's IPPE program exactly, but I think it is something like going to the same place over and over. Personally, I feel NEOUCOP has a nice offering of institutional sites to choose from, which include local Akron hospitals to Cleveland hospitals: Cleveland Clinic, Metro (level 1 trauma center), Louis Stokes VA hospital (one of the biggest VA hosp in the country), etc. Yes, Toledo has access the Clinic as well, but they aren't traveling there for IPPE's during the school year (unless its during a break) like we are.
The first two years (P1, P2) include shared classes with the M1 and M2 med students and I can tell you the classes are brutal, but I learned a great deal and passed with flying colors.
Toledo has a two-year pre-pharmacy section, then you must apply for the four year professional part. It is very, very competitive and for the hundreds of students in pre-pharmacy, only 100 or so (not sure of their exact class size) get chosen. At least for NEOUCOP, CSU has 15 designated seats. Still competitive, but your chances are better than UT. We are still obviously new and are fine tuning the program--student feedback has played a big role in that, so yes, the faculty is extremely approachable and truly want you to learn.
Kent (not Rootstown--a bunch of fields) is where most of the "nightlife" happens, not too exciting, but its enough to still have a social life; Kent State and U of Akron students are around, too. Toledo (where I am originally from many years ago) is lots of bars and restaurants, so it isn't a buzzing metropolis either. Crime is up everywhere and Toledo and Kent are no exceptions. Toledo is a real university with other studies--so what. I learn more about my future profession from talking to med students than I would a liberal arts major. Our campus is small, but all of the buildings are connected so you can get anywhere and stay out of the crappy weather (or walk outside if you like crappy weather).
So which to choose for you? If getting in to a program tops your list, your best chance is with NEOUCOP. I suggest to visit each campus, talk to students and look around. That might give you a better feel for one or the other.
My apologies for the loooong post, but I thought I'd try to cover the questions that were raised.
