Pharmacy School rankings

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Kingstun

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Does anyone know if there is some central website that ranks all the pharmacy schools and has each schools stats for entering students?
Just wondering
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Kingstun said:
Does anyone know if there is some central website that ranks all the pharmacy schools and has each schools stats for entering students?
Just wondering
Click to expand...

There is no website for pharmacy school rankings, in part because it would be next to impossible to do. Check AACP for entering stats....but know that the school with the highest entering GPA is not necessarily the best school.
 
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U.S. News did their pharmacy school rankings in 2005 HERE

I don't know if the expanded ratings have what you want as I don't give one hoot about rankings that have too many generic assumptions that are not tailored-fit to the applicant.
 
Kingstun said:
Does anyone know if there is some central website that ranks all the pharmacy schools and has each schools stats for entering students?
Just wondering
Click to expand...

http://www.pharmacyschools.com/pharmacy-school-rankings.html

"With almost 100 accredited pharmacy schools in the United States, potential pharmacy students have many options - so how do you as one narrow down your choices to a manageable few? Pharmacy school rankings may help. "
 
Just thought I'd throw this in here, NABP recently released some importants stats regarding passing rates for first-time candidates per pharmacy school from 2002 to 2006. I thought some of you might find this interesting/useful. Sorry, I forgot to include the link!! http://www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/bulletins/schoolpassrates.pdf
 
I'm a UCSF graduate & have been in practice a looooooong time.

You should be careful with statistics. The AACP website will tell you the stats about who was accepted, but it won't tell you the why.

The Newsweek link is predominately related to grant money. You will find the major research universities get lots of grant money & that will draw great professors. Both are benefits. UCSF is a major medical institution and therefore gets lots & lots of grant money. One part of its campus is built by grant money alone.

But, you have to give it a human perspective.

The difference between living in San Francisco & Chapel Hill is like night and day. If you're going to be miserable, the school is wrong for you no matter how "great" the school looks statistically.

Now - if you compare UCSF & USC - go to UCSF (lets just see if Epic's reading, shall we????:p)

Seriously though, there are great pharmacists which come from many, many different schools. My criteria for judging a school though would involve how experienced the faculty is, where the rotations occur & who the preceptors of those rotations are & what the criteria is for the educational experience, and finally, what the expectations are (ie - the mission) of the graduates.

Good luck!
 
sdn1977 said:
Now - if you compare UCSF & USC - go to UCSF (lets just see if Epic's reading, shall we????:p)
Click to expand...


:eek:

I have you know... I chose SC over UCSF...:smuggrin:

1. Football
 
Epic said:
:eek:

I have you know... I chose SC over UCSF...:smuggrin:

1. Football
Click to expand...


:laugh::laugh::laugh:UCSF 100+ years & no football!

Glad to see you reading......

(I chose SC too - in football:p)
 
USPharmd.com Top 10 Resources (by voting)

Rating # Votes Resource
5.70 10 Samford University: McWhorter School of Pharmacy
6.08 15 University of Arizona - College of Pharmacy
8.36 20 University of Southern California - School of Pharmacy
8.40 15 Auburn University - Harrison School of Pharmacy
12.38 13 University of Connecticut - School of Pharmacy
17.24 25 University of California-San Francisco - School of Pharmacy
21.61 15 University of the Pacific - Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sc
22.27 59 Midwestern University - College of Pharmacy - Glendale
25.93 14 Western University of Health Sciences - College of Pharmacy
30.05 19 Loma Linda University - School of Pharmacy
32.82 16 Midwestern University - Chicago College of Pharmacy
39.39 18 Texas Southern University - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Top 10 Resources (by Votes)

Visitors' Ranking # Votes Resource
5.70 10 Samford University: McWhorter School of Pharmacy
12.38 13 University of Connecticut - School of Pharmacy
25.93 14 Western University of Health Sciences - College of Pharmacy
8.40 15 Auburn University - Harrison School of Pharmacy
6.08 15 University of Arizona - College of Pharmacy
21.61 15 University of the Pacific - Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sc
30.05 19 Loma Linda University - School of Pharmacy
8.36 20 University of Southern California - School of Pharmacy
17.24 25 University of California-San Francisco - School of Pharmacy
22.27 59 Midwestern University - College of Pharmacy - Glendale

2005 School Ranking
 
U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best Pharmacy Schools in the United States (1998)

Rank/School Average reputation score (5 = highest)
1. University of California–San Francisco 4.5

2. University of Texas–Austin 4.2

3. University of Kentucky 4.0
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor 4.0

5. Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN) 3.9
University of Minnesota 3.9

7. Ohio State University 3.8
University of Arizona 3.8
University of Florida 3.8
University of Maryland–Baltimore 3.8
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 3.8
University of Tennessee–Memphis 3.8

13. SUNY–Buffalo 3.7
University of Illinois–Chicago 3.7
University of Washington 3.7

16. University of Utah 3.6
University of Wisconsin–Madison 3.6

18. University of Southern California 3.5

19. University of Iowa 3.4
Virginia Commonwealth University 3.4

21. University of Kansas 3.3

22. Medical University of South Carolina 3.2
Philidelphia College of Pharmacy & Science 3.2
University of Georgia 3.2

25. University of Mississippi 3.1
University of Nebraska Medical Center 3.1

27. Rutgers College of Pharmacy (NJ) 2.9
St. Louis College of Pharmacy 2.9
University of Oklahoma 2.9
Washington State University 2.9

31. Auburn University (AL) 2.8
Creighton University (NE) 2.8
Mercer University (GA) 2.8
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center 2.8
Univeristy of Missouri–Kansas 2.8
Wayne State University (MI) 2.8
 
Here's what you do. Get a list of tuition rates and rank them in order 1-100, lowest to highest. That is your top 100 schools. Pharmacy education is being made as cookie cutter by the accreditation folk.....and if the school is accredited, it's gold. That's more or less the end all be all. Of course there are other considerations, too. Do you want to live in the city or county? Does that school have a good football team? Are any of the girls in you future class single and lingerie models? And so on.

WVU was the school for me because it was the cheapest and I was too lazy to apply to more than one place.
 
This ranking is based on USNews (2005):

Rank School Average assessment score (5.0 = highest)
1. University of California--San Francisco 4.6

2. University of Texas--Austin 4.4

3. University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill 4.2

4. Purdue University (IN) 4.1
University of Arizona 4.1
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor 4.1
University of Minnesota--Twin Cities 4.1

8. University of Illinois--Chicago 4.0
University of Kentucky 4.0
University of Maryland--Baltimore 4.0

11. Ohio State University 3.9
University of Florida 3.9
University of Wisconsin--Madison 3.9

14. University of Southern California 3.8
University of Utah 3.8
University of Washington 3.8

17. University at Buffalo--SUNY 3.7
University of Iowa 3.7
University of Kansas 3.7
University of Tennessee--Memphis 3.7

21. Virginia Commonwealth University 3.6

22. University of Georgia 3.5

23. University of Colorado--Denver and Health Sciences Center 3.4
University of Pittsburgh 3.4

25. Auburn University--Main Campus (Harrison) (AL) 3.2
Rutgers State University--New Brunswick (Mario) (NJ) 3.2

27. Medical Universtiy of South Carolina 3.1
Univ of the Sciences in Philadelphia-Philadelphia Col of Pharmacy & Sci 3.1
University of Nebraska Medical Center 3.1

30. Mercer University-Southern School of Pharmacy (GA) 3.0
University of Mississippi 3.0

32. St. Louis College of Pharmacy 2.9
University of Cincinnati 2.9
University of Connecticut 2.9
University of Missouri--Kansas City 2.9
University of Oklahoma 2.9
Washington State University 2.9
Wayne State University (Applebaum) (MI) 2.9
West Virginia University 2.9

40. Duquesne University- Mylan School of Pharmacy (PA) 2.8
Oregon State University 2.8

42. Creighton University (NE) 2.7
Samford University (McWhorter) (AL) 2.7
University of Rhode Island 2.7
University of South Carolina 2.7

46. Albany College of Pharmacy (NY) 2.6
Drake University (IA) 2.6
Northeastern University (MA) 2.6
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center 2.6
University of Arkansas for Medicial Sciences 2.6
University of Houston 2.6
University of New Mexico 2.6
University of the Pacific (Long) (CA) 2.6

54. Butler University (IN) 2.5
Temple University (PA) 2.5
University of California--San Diego 2.5
University of Toledo (OH) 2.5
 
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This is almost 10 years old!

1908PharmD said:
U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best Pharmacy Schools in the United States (1998)

Rank/School Average reputation score (5 = highest)
1. University of California–San Francisco 4.5

2. University of Texas–Austin 4.2

3. University of Kentucky 4.0
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor 4.0

5. Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN) 3.9
University of Minnesota 3.9

7. Ohio State University 3.8
University of Arizona 3.8
University of Florida 3.8
University of Maryland–Baltimore 3.8
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 3.8
University of Tennessee–Memphis 3.8

13. SUNY–Buffalo 3.7
University of Illinois–Chicago 3.7
University of Washington 3.7

16. University of Utah 3.6
University of Wisconsin–Madison 3.6

18. University of Southern California 3.5

19. University of Iowa 3.4
Virginia Commonwealth University 3.4

21. University of Kansas 3.3

22. Medical University of South Carolina 3.2
Philidelphia College of Pharmacy & Science 3.2
University of Georgia 3.2

25. University of Mississippi 3.1
University of Nebraska Medical Center 3.1

27. Rutgers College of Pharmacy (NJ) 2.9
St. Louis College of Pharmacy 2.9
University of Oklahoma 2.9
Washington State University 2.9

31. Auburn University (AL) 2.8
Creighton University (NE) 2.8
Mercer University (GA) 2.8
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center 2.8
Univeristy of Missouri–Kansas 2.8
Wayne State University (MI) 2.8
Click to expand...
 
What about the other 40+ schools? Are they ranked?

janeno said:
This ranking is based on USNews (2005):

Rank School Average assessment score (5.0 = highest)
1. University of California--San Francisco 4.6

2. University of Texas--Austin 4.4

3. University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill 4.2

4. Purdue University (IN) 4.1
University of Arizona 4.1
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor 4.1
University of Minnesota--Twin Cities 4.1

8. University of Illinois--Chicago 4.0
University of Kentucky 4.0
University of Maryland--Baltimore 4.0

11. Ohio State University 3.9
University of Florida 3.9
University of Wisconsin--Madison 3.9

14. University of Southern California 3.8
University of Utah 3.8
University of Washington 3.8

17. University at Buffalo--SUNY 3.7
University of Iowa 3.7
University of Kansas 3.7
University of Tennessee--Memphis 3.7

21. Virginia Commonwealth University 3.6

22. University of Georgia 3.5

23. University of Colorado--Denver and Health Sciences Center 3.4
University of Pittsburgh 3.4

25. Auburn University--Main Campus (Harrison) (AL) 3.2
Rutgers State University--New Brunswick (Mario) (NJ) 3.2

27. Medical Universtiy of South Carolina 3.1
Univ of the Sciences in Philadelphia-Philadelphia Col of Pharmacy & Sci 3.1
University of Nebraska Medical Center 3.1

30. Mercer University-Southern School of Pharmacy (GA) 3.0
University of Mississippi 3.0

32. St. Louis College of Pharmacy 2.9
University of Cincinnati 2.9
University of Connecticut 2.9
University of Missouri--Kansas City 2.9
University of Oklahoma 2.9
Washington State University 2.9
Wayne State University (Applebaum) (MI) 2.9
West Virginia University 2.9

40. Duquesne University- Mylan School of Pharmacy (PA) 2.8
Oregon State University 2.8

42. Creighton University (NE) 2.7
Samford University (McWhorter) (AL) 2.7
University of Rhode Island 2.7
University of South Carolina 2.7

46. Albany College of Pharmacy (NY) 2.6
Drake University (IA) 2.6
Northeastern University (MA) 2.6
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center 2.6
University of Arkansas for Medicial Sciences 2.6
University of Houston 2.6
University of New Mexico 2.6
University of the Pacific (Long) (CA) 2.6

54. Butler University (IN) 2.5
Temple University (PA) 2.5
University of California--San Diego 2.5
University of Toledo (OH) 2.5
Click to expand...
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Here's what you do. Get a list of tuition rates and rank them in order 1-100, lowest to highest. That is your top 100 schools. Pharmacy education is being made as cookie cutter by the accreditation folk.....and if the school is accredited, it's gold. That's more or less the end all be all. Of course there are other considerations, too. Do you want to live in the city or county? Does that school have a good football team? Are any of the girls in you future class single and lingerie models? And so on.

WVU was the school for me because it was the cheapest and I was too lazy to apply to more than one place.
Click to expand...
You know, I've been thinking about it. I need a second income :p.
 
drugdoc said:
What about the other 40+ schools? Are they ranked?
Click to expand...

Schools has the option whether or not to participate in the rankings..so you won't find them all there.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Here's what you do. Get a list of tuition rates and rank them in order 1-100, lowest to highest. That is your top 100 schools. Pharmacy education is being made as cookie cutter by the accreditation folk.....and if the school is accredited, it's gold. That's more or less the end all be all. Of course there are other considerations, too. Do you want to live in the city or county? Does that school have a good football team? Are any of the girls in you future class single and lingerie models? And so on.

WVU was the school for me because it was the cheapest and I was too lazy to apply to more than one place.
Click to expand...

I'm too lazy to look, but I'm still curious, how much is the tuition at WVU?
 
1998 doesn't apply anymore. Try again :)

1908PharmD said:
U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best Pharmacy Schools in the United States (1998)

Rank/School Average reputation score (5 = highest)
1. University of California–San Francisco 4.5

2. University of Texas–Austin 4.2

3. University of Kentucky 4.0
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor 4.0

5. Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN) 3.9
University of Minnesota 3.9

7. Ohio State University 3.8
University of Arizona 3.8
University of Florida 3.8
University of Maryland–Baltimore 3.8
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 3.8
University of Tennessee–Memphis 3.8

13. SUNY–Buffalo 3.7
University of Illinois–Chicago 3.7
University of Washington 3.7

16. University of Utah 3.6
University of Wisconsin–Madison 3.6

18. University of Southern California 3.5

19. University of Iowa 3.4
Virginia Commonwealth University 3.4

21. University of Kansas 3.3

22. Medical University of South Carolina 3.2
Philidelphia College of Pharmacy & Science 3.2
University of Georgia 3.2

25. University of Mississippi 3.1
University of Nebraska Medical Center 3.1

27. Rutgers College of Pharmacy (NJ) 2.9
St. Louis College of Pharmacy 2.9
University of Oklahoma 2.9
Washington State University 2.9

31. Auburn University (AL) 2.8
Creighton University (NE) 2.8
Mercer University (GA) 2.8
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center 2.8
Univeristy of Missouri–Kansas 2.8
Wayne State University (MI) 2.8
Click to expand...
 
Our profession is so diversified that no one person or body could rank a school. You have Pharmacoecon, Fellowships, Managed Care, Industry, Owning your own pharm, Legal Pharm, Networking, Research Funding, Tution, Location, Student Body.

The dynamics can go on forever.

Just figure out why you want to do this and compare the schools with your perspective.
 
Agreed. Try to base your decision on where you would like to go and with whom you would like to study under in order to get the most out of your money. If ranking is really a big deal, then I suppose going off of the 2008 list and making your way down works fine.
 
just letting you know that a lot of companies will hire based off where you graduate. at a pharmacy career fair, a pharmacist representing a company said if you graduate from a top 15 college, you basically get the job.
some things to consider:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/05/16/the-birth-of-college-rankings.html

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-graduate-schools/2008/03/26/health-methodology.html

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/pha/search
 
StringTheorist said:
just letting you know that a lot of companies will hire based off where you graduate. at a pharmacy career fair, a pharmacist representing a company said if you graduate from a top 15 college, you basically get the job.
some things to consider:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/05/16/the-birth-of-college-rankings.html

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-graduate-schools/2008/03/26/health-methodology.html

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/pha/search
Click to expand...

Lol...please. The real professionals in the field don't use those idiotic US News rankings. They are seriously useless. Based mostly off of the opinion of academics and research grants. People within a region know which schools produce the best grads...and in my region specifically, those rankings are very jumbled. Go talk to ItsOverZyvox on the big-boy forum. He'll tell you the same thing and he's been hiring pharmacists all over the country for decades.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
$10k/year in state, $27k/year out of state. It was $8200/year when I went starting from '03.
Click to expand...

wow, $10K is cheap. My Ohio State is running me $14K a year in tuition and fees, plus $2K in student health insurance. And it's going up 9% a year, every year. :scared:

Not saying a school's ranking/reputation is unimportant, but cost should also be considered as big factor.
 
The only way Rankings matters is if you want to specialize...you will most likely need a big name like UCSF or UNC to get into a very competitive speciality...but if you are NOT going to specialize then it would be SMART to go to the CHEAPEST school. ;)
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Lol...please. The real professionals in the field don't use those idiotic US News rankings. They are seriously useless. Based mostly off of the opinion of academics and research grants. People within a region know which schools produce the best grads...and in my region specifically, those rankings are very jumbled. Go talk to ItsOverZyvox on the big-boy forum. He'll tell you the same thing and he's been hiring pharmacists all over the country for decades.
Click to expand...
well arent you just the most considerate and empathetic pharmacist.
your resource is just one of MANY out there, and just because your source says different from mine does not invalidate what i say, nor does what i post claim to be "correct". it is just a consideration. something that students should know when applying. a pharmacist is not a pharmacist is not a pharmacist. your education and your experience makes you a good pharmacist. not one, not the other. but both. so yes, you can go to any pharmacy school, get your degree, and be a very succesful person. i am not arguing that. what i am saying is that someone who graduates at a top ranked university(which is ranked so for a reason, please read links) will more than likely be hired before someone graduating from a college whose accredidation is floundering.
next time you try to use your attitude to make yourself feel like the bigger person, consider how you are appearing to those who look up to you, those who want to be in your position, those applying and those in pharmacy schools.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Lol...please. The real professionals in the field don't use those idiotic US News rankings. They are seriously useless. Based mostly off of the opinion of academics and research grants. People within a region know which schools produce the best grads...and in my region specifically, those rankings are very jumbled. Go talk to ItsOverZyvox on the big-boy forum. He'll tell you the same thing and he's been hiring pharmacists all over the country for decades.
Click to expand...

Interesting logic.

The rankings are in part determined by academics....yet these same professionals don't use the "idiotic rankings" they help produce?

I've talked about this issue specifically to people in the field, and to some extent, it does matter...depending on the situation.

If you want to work at Rite Aid until you die, then it doesn't matter where you went. If however, you want to engage in atypical (and potentially enriching) professional activities, you can come from any school, but it helps to come from a school with a strong reputation.

While US NWR does in fact use unreliable and nebulous methods to produce the rankings, they still bear some weight amongst professionals in the field.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Lol...please. The real professionals in the field don't use those idiotic US News rankings. They are seriously useless. Based mostly off of the opinion of academics and research grants. People within a region know which schools produce the best grads...and in my region specifically, those rankings are very jumbled. Go talk to ItsOverZyvox on the big-boy forum. He'll tell you the same thing and he's been hiring pharmacists all over the country for decades.
Click to expand...

We had a fun discussion about this a while back :) We established that it was not ubiquitous in the pharmacy world, but in the business world of first impressions and reputation - whatever it is that they cling to. Choice in words of only stating pharmacy hiring practices...
 
I didn't get into UCSF, so rankings don't mean squat.
 
folks, ranks matters in some situations, but nothing in others. High ranking school do tend to have better faculty and staff, better rotation site, and give you a better shot at getting the residency you want. That should be obvious. So if you are going to clinical side, do look at the ranking.

On the other hand, if you are just aiming for retail, then ranking don't mean a lot. A license is a license in the retail world. CVS and Walgreen really only care if you can work as a pharmacist legally, and how many scripts you can crank out like a good little slave. That's corporate America for ya.
 
i have applied to pharm schools, but wanting to know if any one knew any thing about Texas schools

i came to the question after i saw this website posted by another person.

http://www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/bulletins/schoolpassrates.pdf


Texas southern University ..... im hearing the accreditation is at risk... teaching is horrible... is that true?
 
How does Midwestern University rate? I don't even see this school on the US News and World Report list.
 
Venicat said:
How does Midwestern University rate? I don't even see this school on the US News and World Report list.
Click to expand...

That's because it's pretty low on the list. But I work with a couple of pharmacists who graduated from there and they liked it. Not only that, but they are some of the smartest pharmacists Ive met.
So the ranking didn't have anything to do with them hitting the books and getting the most out of it.
Mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter.
 
how can I convince my mom that a 3-year accelerated program (south uni.) is indeed a good program? Her claim: 'lipscomb's faculty is top notch, and they send their students out on rotation during their 2nd week in school. You will get more experience this way.' This was the only school she went inside and met the faculty, but I can barely see a difference bw the two faculty. They just rolled out the red carpet for the interview and my mom liked it. Idk, any takers.

I'm going to go where I want to go, but in the end, I would like her to be behind me 100%.
 
tprice108 said:
how can I convince my mom that a 3-year accelerated program (south uni.) is indeed a good program? Her claim: 'lipscomb's faculty is top notch, and they send their students out on rotation during their 2nd week in school. You will get more experience this way.' This was the only school she went inside and met the faculty, but I can barely see a difference bw the two faculty. They just rolled out the red carpet for the interview and my mom liked it. Idk, any takers.

I'm going to go where I want to go, but in the end, I would like her to be behind me 100%.
Click to expand...

You really can't prove anything. Look up the pass rates. With accelerated programs you just have to watch out for being inexperienced. I know there are well-trained pharmacists at a few, but for the most part (at least in CA) they're assumed to be unprepared to work.
 
tprice108 said:
how can I convince my mom that a 3-year accelerated program (south uni.) is indeed a good program? Her claim: 'lipscomb's faculty is top notch, and they send their students out on rotation during their 2nd week in school. You will get more experience this way.' This was the only school she went inside and met the faculty, but I can barely see a difference bw the two faculty. They just rolled out the red carpet for the interview and my mom liked it. Idk, any takers.

I'm going to go where I want to go, but in the end, I would like her to be behind me 100%.
Click to expand...

tprice108: I would agree with the poster above. You could get a good education in a 3 year program, but they are lower ranking for a reason. In pharmacy, there is some feeling that people with 3 year programs do come out unprepared, hence not as "good". After all, one of the most popular/best ways to get hands on experience is during the summer internships/work that most pharmacy students do.
 
dangerdog said:
tprice108: I would agree with the poster above. You could get a good education in a 3 year program, but they are lower ranking for a reason. In pharmacy, there is some feeling that people with 3 year programs do come out unprepared, hence not as "good". After all, one of the most popular/best ways to get hands on experience is during the summer internships/work that most pharmacy students do.
Click to expand...

y'all said the opposite of what I wanted to hear, but thanks I guess. Unfortunately, Lipscomb has yet to have a graduated class; their first class was last year, so I cannot look up test scores.

However, by this website: http://www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/bulletins/schoolpassrates.pdf

South University has a 97.44% pass rate in 2007 and a 95.56% pass rate, with a cumulative of 96.43%. They still have an entire year of rotations in the third year so I cannot see how they will get 'so much more experience.' They just work continuously through the summer and the theory is to retain more information that many students lose of the summer. Most pharmacy students that I know end up working in retail as a intern/tech as the 'hands on' work. While that can give 'experience,' it's not really making them too diverse and they are not always capable of all of the pharmacist duties. Do you see where I'm coming from? Thanks!
 
tprice108 said:
y'all said the opposite of what I wanted to hear, but thanks I guess. Unfortunately, Lipscomb has yet to have a graduated class; their first class was last year, so I cannot look up test scores.

However, by this website: http://www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/bulletins/schoolpassrates.pdf

South University has a 97.44% pass rate in 2007 and a 95.56% pass rate, with a cumulative of 96.43%. They still have an entire year of rotations in the third year so I cannot see how they will get 'so much more experience.' They just work continuously through the summer and the theory is to retain more information that many students lose of the summer. Most pharmacy students that I know end up working in retail as a intern/tech as the 'hands on' work. While that can give 'experience,' it's not really making them too diverse and they are not always capable of all of the pharmacist duties. Do you see where I'm coming from? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Working both hospital and retail really do help me retain and apply the knowledge. Most things you learn in class, you'll forget in 2 weeks if you don't use them, never mind 2-3 years later. Emperic treatment for bacterial meningitis? You'll memorized it for the test, but if you don't have a clinical internship, I bet you won't know off the top of your head when you graduate.

Then there are things you don't learn in class, eg how does hospital pharmacy operate, the duties of an ER pharmacists. Also, summer internships/programs are ofter geared towards business/corporate side (eg. Walgreen/CVS summer programs), or pharmaceutical research (eg. Pfizer summer programs).

Passing Naplex is pretty easy, most graduates who do a prep course right before will pass. But it's the ability to apply knowledge in real world settings that makes a good pharmacist. And trying to cram things into 3 years limits the amount of learning opportunities for that. Hence the assumptions by many employers out there. I'm not saying you can't be a good pharmacist still, but now you got to convince them that you are as good as a 4 year graduate.
 
tprice108 said:
how can I convince my mom that a 3-year accelerated program (south uni.) is indeed a good program? Her claim: 'lipscomb's faculty is top notch, and they send their students out on rotation during their 2nd week in school. You will get more experience this way.' This was the only school she went inside and met the faculty, but I can barely see a difference bw the two faculty. They just rolled out the red carpet for the interview and my mom liked it. Idk, any takers.

I'm going to go where I want to go, but in the end, I would like her to be behind me 100%.
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If she is paying for your tuition then you will have to listen to her...My mom doesn't like 3 years programs either, but since South was the ONLY school that has interviewed me so far...(I took the PCAT in Jan...) there is a good chance that I will be going to South...
 
SHC1984 said:
If she is paying for your tuition then you will have to listen to her...My mom doesn't like 3 years programs either, but since South was the ONLY school that has interviewed me so far...(I took the PCAT in Jan...) there is a good chance that I will be going to South...
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I will be paying most, if not all of it. I just value her opinion a lot, but ultimately it's my decision. Would you still go to south if you got in a 4-year program?...you liked south a lot when you went right, and you don't think the graduates of that program are any 'less' than other schools? Thanks for answering, I just have about a week to make a decision, I might end up putting both deposits down and think about it more.
 
what i am saying is that someone who graduates at a top ranked university(which is ranked so for a reason, please read links) will more than likely be hired before someone graduating from a college whose accredidation is floundering.
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Yeah...and nobody disagreed when talking about those two extremes. But if you are claiming that a graduate from somewhere like Wisconsin would be looked down upon by those in power versus a UCSF grad because its the super-magical #1 school, you are nuts. Everyone KNOWS that pharmacy school attendence is by and large regional. There is less geographical drift in pharmacy than most other college majors. I went to WVU because I'm from WV. Only school I applied to. Tuition was too good. The big state schools tend to admit a skewed amount of in-state kids. It's kinda hard to assume that a kid from one school is better than one from another unless you are a biased geographic supremacist of some sort. I could see a theoretical ranking being legit if kids from all over the country/world actually tried to get into to the top ranked school every year...but that ain't how it works.


next time you try to use your attitude to make yourself feel like the bigger person, consider how you are appearing to those who look up to you, those who want to be in your position, those applying and those in pharmacy schools.
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Good god, I hope nobody looks up to me. There can only be so many *******s in the world.
 
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tprice108 said:
I will be paying most, if not all of it. I just value her opinion a lot, but ultimately it's my decision. Would you still go to south if you got in a 4-year program?...you liked south a lot when you went right, and you don't think the graduates of that program are any 'less' than other schools? Thanks for answering, I just have about a week to make a decision, I might end up putting both deposits down and think about it more.
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Hey, I completely understand what you mean. I am Asian so I KNOW that its VERY IMPORTANT to get approval from the parents! :laugh:

I applied to 4 schools and I only care about South and Mercer. (all the other ones I might as well withdraw b/c I do not want to attend) I LOVE south when I interview there! Nice people, SMALL class size, THREE year program, HOT weather, near the beach, beautiful city, did I mention THREE years?? :laugh:

The price of Mercer and South are about the same....110K for South (~9900 per quarter for 12 quarters) and 116K for Mercer (~29,000 per year for 4 years). (however with compound interests Mercer would be higher b/c South is only three years and I get an extra year of earning potiental! ;))

The ONLY advantage of Mercer that I have is the fact that my aunt lives in Altanta and I can live with her for FREE!! (but I don't know if I want to be living with my aunt when I am in my late 20s...:rolleyes: I need my own place..I don't even like roommates! LOL...)
Another "slight" advantage of Mercer is the fact that they are more well-known. If I wanted to do a residency I might have a higher chance at Mercer b/c they are more well-known. (but I am not sure if I want to do a residency...I prefer just doing retail but I don't know if I want to do it forever and I really don't know what I want.:confused: but if I want a residency I might have a better shot at Mercer, but that is just my guess...and its b/c Mercer is MORE well-known NOT b/c its a 4 year program.)

With that say. I do NOT think people that went to a 4 year program are better or smarter or better pharmacists etc etc. I think 3 year programs are just as good. But South is not a very well known school. I am not saying that South is no good, its just not very well known and therefore could post a problem if you want to do a residency.

So if I were in your shoes I would 1) find out how much each school will cost you! If the other school is a lot cheaper I would go with the other school...The LESS loans the better trust me!!! 2) if they are about the same price I will look into how well the other school get into residency programs...for example UCSF and UNC students can easily get a residency...can the other school you are talking about be just as good? IF YES and you WANT to do a residency then I would pick the other school...if you don't want to do a residency then I would pick the CHEAPER school!! It all depends on whether or not you want to do a residency. ;) Good luck I hope I helped.
 
tprice108 said:
how can I convince my mom that a 3-year accelerated program (south uni.) is indeed a good program? Her claim: 'lipscomb's faculty is top notch, and they send their students out on rotation during their 2nd week in school. You will get more experience this way.' This was the only school she went inside and met the faculty, but I can barely see a difference bw the two faculty. They just rolled out the red carpet for the interview and my mom liked it. Idk, any takers.

I'm going to go where I want to go, but in the end, I would like her to be behind me 100%.
Click to expand...

Omg, I wouldn't imagine taking my parents to my interview. But yeah, when a parent gets the 'red carpet' experience they automatically expect it to be the GREATEST school ever. I'm sure when we are parents we will probably be as impressionable on some things. But I'm glad you're gonna go where YOU wanna go. I remember having my dad persuade me to go to UF instead of FAMU where I was already accepted into their 6 year program. I don't regret it but there is a part of me that always wonders.

Regardless, though, I'm sure your mom will eventually learn to trust your judgment. She just wants you to have the best and I'm sure you know that:). Some of our biggest decisions are those that our parents don't see eye to eye with. But if you trust your decision, she will too;). good luck...




Staying on topic though... I'm not sure how you would rate pharmacy schools. I'd say rate them based on different standards... which is best at clinical etc.... I've heard that dental schools don't even have a ranking system. Maybe we should follow them...
 
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