Pharmacy school concerns

[Uspconcerns]

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Hi all,
Its been a problem for most students that they dont have an avenue of complaining.
Our school (USP) runs the 6yr Pharm.D program has been having this issue where they over-admit more than their maximum capacity hoping that many will chnage their minds or drop down to the required size before they get to their final years. They obviously do this to get more students enrolled and make tuition money. Of course, a freshman would like to come do a pharm.D rather than enroll for any other course at the school for the tuition they ask (about $30,000)
The result of this is that get deadlocked in their fifth year and evrything is made difficult to ensure an atmosphere of "survival fo the fittest" and weed down students to the required numbers. Unfortunately at this time students are struggling to be right around the about 75% that will graduate. If you get unlucky, you realize that you've spent six years of your life and over $150,000 in debt. The school doesnt care if you're complaining or not just because they have many more students than they need.
Any attempts to complain get met up with very diplomatic and cover-up answers.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Anyone experienced these kind of things? Any suggestions on whom we can complain to?
Thanks.

 

[letjin]

I have a question for you. Do your professors curve your grades, so that certain % of people will fail no matter what? Because if they don't curve, I don't see any grounds for your complaining.

 

[Uspconcerns]

Yup thats what they do in the final year..
Unfortunately, everyone keps asking why they have more students than they can graduate???

I have a question for you. Do your professors curve your grades, so that certain % of people will fail no matter what? Because if they don't curve, I don't see any grounds for your complaining.

 

[SGPharmD]

Yup thats what they do in the final year..
Unfortunately, everyone keps asking why they have more students than they can graduate???

I have never heard of this before. Since when does a school say we can only graduate 100 people so since we have 101 people the person with the lowest grade won't graduate even if they aren't failing?

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

I have heard of the same thing, but they are mostly rumors. There is no limit a school can graduate, as long as they can graduate them. For example, regardless if a school graduates 100 or 300 students, their re-accrediation would still be the same. Your state's board of pharmacy doesnt tell your school that they can only graduate X amount of students.
In fact, having over your school capacity hurts your school for the following two reasons. 1. When the accrediation board comes and see that the ratio to teacher, etc is over the limit, it hurts their chances for reaccrediation, 2. less students graduating means less alumni to donate money back to them, a major source of fundings for most school and reason why schools spend so much money to improve campus quality of life to begin with.
Pharmacy school is suppose to be hard. The surivial of the fittest is just a mentality that students come up with. As long as you do what you have to do, you graduate, you all will end up doing the same job and get paid about the same. The key point is to ignore these rumors (that have been around since the start of time and almost funny. . like if you get through your p2 year, you are done. . ) etc and do your best. Talk to your counselor or your dean if you have any questions.

 

[SGPharmD]

I have a question for you. Do your professors curve your grades, so that certain % of people will fail no matter what? Because if they don't curve, I don't see any grounds for your complaining.

Also if they were somehow curving grades so that a C was no longer a passing grade and a student was unable to graduate, they would have a serious lawsuit on their hands. So you should probably be sure that this is fact instead of speculation or rumors. And if it is fact, it would make one wonder why there hasn't been a lawsuit yet?

 

[jewess]

This is exactly why I chose NOT to go to USP fresh out of high school! I'm so sorry... 🙁 rumors about this are all over the state of PA. You think the school would clean up their act.

 

[drugdoc]

Have you tried asking someone who will know, like an administrator?

 

[SGPharmD]

This is exactly why I chose NOT to go to USP fresh out of high school! I'm so sorry... 🙁 rumors about this are all over the state of PA. You think the school would clean up their act.

Sorry but I'm in PA and I know many Alumni from USP and I have never heard of these rumors, that's why I am very curious to how true this can be.

 

[njac]

and then there is the opposite end of the spectrum. I read a memo that they're wanting to graduate 95% of our classes on time.

which means they're dumbing down the entire curriculum and teaching to the lowest common denominator. If I find that I received a subpar education when I get out in the "real world" I'll come back and kick some ass in this place.

 

[SGPharmD]

and then there is the opposite end of the spectrum. I read a memo that they're wanting to graduate 95% of our classes on time.

which means they're dumbing down the entire curriculum and teaching to the lowest common denominator. If I find that I received a subpar education when I get out in the "real world" I'll come back and kick some ass in this place.

What are your sources?

 

[njac]

http://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/UNMCOPSummaryMarch2007.pdf