nickpate56
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Everyone share your application status and if called for an interview , please share us your interview experience.
Shenandoah University Class of 2023
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nickpate56
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What was the format of the interview and what questions did they ask.
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Fellas,
Congratulations on your acceptances and best of luck to those who are still in the process or waiting on interviews. I’m a P2 at ICPH-Fairfax campus so let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Congratulations on your acceptances and best of luck to those who are still in the process or waiting on interviews. I’m a P2 at ICPH-Fairfax campus so let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
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Please share your experience about this school so far include pros and cons. TIA. Plan to apply this school in Fairfax campus but don't know much about it
The biggest con is the cost of attendance. Adding up all tuition and fees for all 8 semesters comes out to be $186,635 (https://www.su.edu/hornet-central/tuition-fees/2018-2019-graduate-tuition-rates/). If you include living expenses (assuming ~$1500/month) and you will end up $258,635 in debt.
As you all know by now pharmacist salary are dropping quickly (https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/summary-of-community-pharmacist-layoff-pay-cuts-other-negatives-oct-2018.1351946/). Wages of $50/hr and 32 hr/week cap are already happening in some areas. When that becomes the norm, pharmacist salary will be $83,200 by the time you graduate. With $258,635 of debt upon graduating, you will be paying $3,002/month or $36,024/year (assuming 7% federal loan interest rate and standard 10 yr repayment plan). Thus your effective salary will actually be $47,176 per year as a working pharmacist.
This is LESS than what the average master's degree graduate makes which is ~$75k/year. In fact it is LESS than the median household income in the US which is currently $62,175/year. You are a pharmacist - you hold a doctorate degree which you sacrificed 4 years of your life. Do not settle for an income less than average. I recommend anybody considering this school to either attend a less expensive school or choose another profession altogether.
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Damn! You sound very bitter man. Why are you discouraging him from attending the school? And where in the world did you get all this information? I need to see some references sir. SU is a private school and hell yes you will definitely come out with loans like any other student in any other graduate program which is no longer something to be astonished about. Private schools are more expensive than government schools so depends on which route he wants to go. But talking about the profession with so much hate and anger to someone who is passionate about it isn’t the right thing to do.
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Shenandoah is great! The only con is the tuition and if you reside in the DMV area then ICPH-Fairfax campus is the best option. Very very friendly environment, we are like family and the professors are great and will do everything to make students pass. Also, the technology is awesome. We have a VTC system with students from Winchester campus, we are given iPads and MacBooks which is included in your tuition and very user-friendly. Eases the burden of carrying note books and textbooks since everything is online and electronic. They prepare us very well for NAPLEX from your first year to the last. We have mentoship programs, leadership opportunities and faculty advisors to help you through the 4 years. It will be a great choice if you think of going to a private school and become a well trained and knowledgeable pharmacist. Good luck.
Which information are you wondering about? The school's tuition and fees per term are posted online. All I did was add it all up. Then You can use any loan payment calculator to find out your monthly payment (I used Loan Calculator | Credit Karma).
I don't think I've said anything hateful in my post? I'm just warning people to think about their finances. Being passionate is great and if pharmacy is your one and only dream, then I'm behind you 100%. But if you have other priorities in your life (e.g. buying a home, having kids, traveling, etc.) you better rethink your financial choices. I know most of you are stressed out about interviews and GPAs right now, but don't forget to pull out your calculator and plan for what you're going to do AFTER pharmacy school too.
And maybe I'm a little bitter, but you know what? I only ended up with ~$150k in debt when I graduated and my salary is $120k with +40 hrs/week guaranteed. I only got another 1.5 year left to pay off my loans so I'm in an okay situation. But for you future new grads, coming out with +$250k in debt with a salary of only $80-90k? It just isn't worth it. Not that SU is a terrible school, I'm sure it's a fine institution, but going another route (either cheaper school or alternate career) is the more financially sound decision - especially for those of us who have limited financial support.
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Salary of only 80-90k? Well I don't know about that and it all depends on the area so it will be better if you don't generalize because most areas average 110k per year. I have friends who graduated and got job offers from Walmart, Rite Aid etc in the DMV area making $60-62/hr. Medical students, pharmacy students etc all get into debt and its no news anymore, it wasn't my choice to come to a private institution, I just had no luck getting into a public institution and if I had the option to choose I will definitely choose public but then had no choice. I'm in my second year (P2) and I sure do not regret my decision. Yes, I will come out with more loans but the bottom line is creating connections, set your priorities(properly manage your finances) and gradually pay the loans when you start working. No one has ever died paying loans.
110-120k is the current reported average as of early 2018. But why should it stay that way when pharmacist supply continues to far outpace demand? When I say 80-90k I'm talking about the way it's heading in a few years. Simple law of supply and demand. 2018 is the year corporations have started to make big changes. Here are a few threads for your reference:
- Summary of Community Pharmacist Layoff,Pay Cuts, Other Negatives OCT 2018
- Walgreens pharmacist salary freeze 2018
- Kroger Staff Pharmacist 32 hours : pharmacy
- Walgreens to close 600 Rite Aid stores
- Walgreens to Purchase Pharmacy Files of 185 Fred's Pharmacies
What year did your friends graduate? I've heard there has been a huge drop in wages for 2018 new grads (in addition to huge drop in employment % as well). For example WAG new grad hire rate in FL has dropped to $47-49/hr. It may be only certain areas for now, but of course saturation will spread quick. People aren't going to sit around jobless with $200k of debt, they're going to move.
You're right every professional school will result in debt, but for pharmacy is currently the worst off by far due to fast decreasing salaries and slowest job growth all meanwhile schools are graduating pharmDs in record numbers and tuition is at an all time high. No one has ever died from loans, but doesn't mean you shouldn't at least take out your calculator and plan for your future.
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Wow! Those are some alarming stats. Community/retail is really getting saturated since must recent grads just want to get into the job market after they graduate and very few do residency. I feel like having connections can also go long way, I guess it’s about who you know. My friends just recently graduated (may 2018) and had lucrative job offers from Walmart ($60/hr )and Rite Aid ($58/hr) respectively and started working 3 months ago. So the bottom line is it just depends where you are, location wise. I completely agree with you that some areas are super saturated which really increases competition. However, I recently read somewhere ( reliable source) that pharmacy employment rates will increase by 2020 due to baby boom generation and the need of pharmacists are drastically increasing. So let’s see how things unfold.
That's why if you do choose to go to pharmacy school, I recommend residency as well. Community pharmacy is a sinking ship. You're right about networking. Having connections will help you get the job, but I doubt it's going to help wage negotiation. They're not going to start you at $10 higher just because you know a guy.
I sure hope you're right about pharmacist need increasing, but remember they said the same thing 10 years ago and it just didn't pan out. If I was pre-pharm today, I wouldn't put my money on it and choose another career to pursue. There are currently ~15,000 new PharmDs graduating per year right now, meanwhile I'm pretty sure there isn't even half that number of new pharmacist jobs opening per year. That's why I can pretty much guarantee you wages will drop fast all across the country as we already are seeing in some parts. And that's why I'm warning applicants here to not bet on getting hired at $120k a year when they graduate 4 years from now, so plan your future and finances accordingly.
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