I am not in pharmacy, but I am PhD in statistics , and the jobs are in the pharmaceutical industry, or at the FDA, in research hospitals such as Duke or the cleveland clinic, or in academia. However, my aunt is a pharmacist and she graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1981, and she went to pharmacy school directly after high school. She works at Walgreens under this particular pharmacy manager that is on the alumni committee at UF. So I am very, very familiar with the pharmacy field. I am originally from south Florida but now live in North Carolina.
I was just wondering about international students in PharmD programs as well. The composition of the students in my PhD program are 40% China, 40% US, and 20% mostly other Asian countries.
I know that if you get a PhD in pharmaceutics, then there is a very interesting sector called pharmacokinetics, which is a combination of applied mathematics (differential equations), biochemistry, and a lot of physiology. To me this is the most interesting area in pharmacy if perhaps maybe the most difficult as well. The jobs are as highly paid as a pharmacist if not even higher. However, if you look at who is in the PhD program, and NOT the PharmD program there are mostly international students. However, I know that you cannot take out the Stafford loan if you are not at least a green card holder. And that is why you do not see the foreign students in the PharmD program. Simply because of finances.
IN terms of classes that are hard for me. Well, my current classes that are at the PhD level are very difficult. IN terms of pharmacy school, I would think that pharmaceutics would be most difficult and anything that requries a very thorough understanding of biochemistry. Therapeutics I think would also be a very hard class. Organic chemistry is a very important prerequisite course since it is the foundation for biochemistry.
UF is a very difficult pharmacy school in terms of coursework, since they are research based. In many of the classes, you have to do projects. Hence the faculty are hoping that you really try to explore clinical pharmacy and fields outside of retail. Hence, many of the classes go beyond the scope of the minimum. However, retail may not last forever. And there are many other type of positions in academia, as well as the private sector, if you combine the PharmD with either a FELLOWSHIP RESIDENCY, or a PhD, or an MBA.
I have a friend who has PharmD/MBA from UF and she did a fellowship at Novartis, and eventually worked there. However, she decided that industry is not for her and she is back in south Florida as a pharmacy manager at one of the CVS stores.
English is not looked at for UF. But try to do well anyway. You still have the verbal on the PCAT. DO not worry, many Chinese in my class know how to study and got higher than my GRE verbal score which was in the 94th percentile, even though I am a US citizen. So practice with SAT verbal and GRE verbal sections.
Finally, as far as the other two Florida schools. Nova looks at all grades and the science GPA separately, and Palm Beach Atlantic is very, very religious. So in Florida, UF > NOVA > Palm Beach Atlantic > FAMU. I do not know anything about FAMU, but it is impossible to get in there unless you go to their undergrad.
Which country are you from?
Good luck!!!