St Johns University vs SUNY Buffalo

[Axion]

Hi, I have a problem. I got accepted into both of the schools listed above but I am torn between which one to go to. Both of the schools are located in NY.

SJU is a 0-6 year program, but if I go there, I would have to commute since it is near my house. However, I really want to dorm, since my house is full of distractions and I need to learn how to fend for myself so to speak. SUNY Buffalo is the traditional 2 years prereq w/ PCAT and then you apply to the 4 year pharm school. I heard that buffalo is quite competitive but I think I could handle it but maybe I am getting too ahead of myself.

Basically, is the "guarantee" of a pharm degree from SJU worth giving up something that I really want? I talked to my parents about nearby apartments but they said it would be too expensive and the same goes for SJU dorming. Thank you for any help.

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[Dr.Biassi]

Well NY is pretty expensive!!!. Queens is more expensive than Buffalo though. SJU is more expensive than Buffalo. Both schools are pretty good. buffalo is cheaper means less loan for six years. Personally I would choose buffalo. Because it is less cheaper and I will have number of choices after my first two years.
Living at home also have advantages!!!! Less troubles. You can concentrate more on your studies if you want to. Call upon daddy and mummy when in trouble or need help. But the load of loan is pretty high for SJU for six year though ($32K for just tuition/year)
Well weight your options. My dad always said:" you nedd to go for whatever you want. It worth a try"

 

[Axion]

Thank you for the insightful response, you bring up very good points. However I forgot to mention a few things (entirely my fault sorry). I received a scholarship from SJU, which places the yearly tuition at around 14k, which is around what Buffalo is too (w/ room and board) so just ignore price for now. Any more help?

 

[Axion]

Any more help?

 

[klampster23]

All I can say is avoid Buffalo. If you take a look at my previous posts, you'll know why. They did dismiss me from their program (I was in 1st year last year) due to poor academic performance. (i got 2.0, needed 2.2 to move on)
But I had family problems which forced me to go home frequently. They are so uncaring about their students. Not mention the intensity of the course work. Average GPA for 1st year students was around 2.7-2.8. I'm not saying that you'll end up doing bad because of my horrible circumstance, but just don't take the risk. The faulty just are not approachable and they don't want to help out students who are struggling.

best of luck

 

[IsoPod]

I didn't get that impression at all of the faculty when I interviewed there. Everyone was super-nice and the student who led the tour even said that the faculty was really helpful.

 

[Quiksilver]

I didn't get that impression at all of the faculty when I interviewed there. Everyone was super-nice and the student who led the tour even said that the faculty was really helpful.

x2

in related news:
my boss is also a preceptor for the p4 rotations, so i have a lot of exposure with the students. The one i was talking to the other day made it sound like they work hard to keep you there, a tight knit bunch. But who knows i am not speaking from my own experience.

 

[Hosstheboss]

Yeah that is what I heard from a P-3 that goes there as well.

 

[pkpd]

I personally think Buffalo is better than St. Johns due to many reasons for example ranking, clinical/research exposure and etc. I do know for sure that they try hard to keep you in their program and they do not just kick you out of the program because you did bad in school. If anything, you'll just have to stay back a year to re-take your classes.
However, Buffalo is pretty competitive, you have to apply to get into the program whereas St John's you are guarantee a spot.
good luck!

 

[Pharmfan100]

I'm in the exact same situation trying to decide between the two. You have to decide what's best for you, though. You could still be surrounded by distractions in Buffalo. Since you're paying almost the same either way, the question isn't is St John's worth the guarantee, but is Buffalo worth the risk? You should definitely visit both campuses and get a feel for the schools...as best you can.

 

[Tate]

The impression that I got from Buffalo was that if you did decent in your pre pharm years you really didn't have a problem getting into the professional program. They have early assurance for their pre pharm students. I also would keep in mind that SJU is still new and not accredidated yet. Buffalo is a well respected school with great opportunities for rotations and/or research. It is a large school, but the impresssion I got from the people when I interviewed there was of a really tight knit group. They even encouraged sociallizing and networking. I just feel there are a lot more diverse opportunities there. I have quite a few friends as well as a sister who is doing her undergrad there and they all love it. They love the diversity. I went to a private undergrad university similiar to SJU and I can't tell you how excited I am to be going to Buffalo where there will be more diversity.

Even if you did your 2 pre pharm years as buffalo and didn't get into the pre pharm program couldn't you just apply to SJU then? You would save a lot of money in those first years.

 

[Axion]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Are you sure st johns is not accredited? Can someone follow up on this? Thank you

 

[penguins429]

st johns university is fully accreditted ... i think the other poster was referring to st. john fisher (wegmen's school of pharmacy) -- which is a new program, and not yet accreditted ...

as for deciding between the two -- i think i would choose st. john's (as long as you're not paying full tuition) ... with the field of pharmacy becoming more and more competitive every year, i would rather that guarantee to be in the program all 6 years ... at st. johns, you can always transfer out if you don't like it, but you aren't able to transfer in ...

but it is a tough call, so good luck ....

 

[Tate]

st johns university is fully accreditted ... i think the other poster was referring to st. john fisher (wegmen's school of pharmacy) -- which is a new program, and not yet accreditted ...

as for deciding between the two -- i think i would choose st. john's (as long as you're not paying full tuition) ... with the field of pharmacy becoming more and more competitive every year, i would rather that guarantee to be in the program all 6 years ... at st. johns, you can always transfer out if you don't like it, but you aren't able to transfer in ...

but it is a tough call, so good luck ....

oops...sorry I am an idiot, disregard everything I said about SJU I was confused.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

There are several posts on St Johns versus Suny Buffalo and other schools. Be sure to do a search on them.

St Johns University pharmD program has been around for 6 years and was recently fully accredited for another 6 years. Furthermore, you are guarantee a spot in pharmacy school after 2 years while SUNY Buffalo does not. In addition to that, St Johns doesnt accept transfer in, meaning they commit to that class through the entire 6 years. Whatever students they lost, they dont make up in tuition money because they dont accept transfers. This shows their commitment into making sure you graduate and become a good pharmacist.

Furthermore, one of the sterotypes is that St Johns cost more because it is a private school. However St Johns is very generous with its scholarship package in addition to federal loans making it sometimes more affordable than a SUNY. In fact, since you got 14k in scholarship (not sure if that includes the guarantee 2k scholarship), after federal aid and tap, there is a good chance you are getting money back in addition to a free laptop. In SUNY Buffalo, you have to pay for both dorming and tuition plus cost of living.

 

[Axion]

Aznfarmerboi thnx for all your help, it was very informative. Do you have any commenst on the social life at st johns?

 

[bwsalvas]

Go UB.

 

[pharm127]

Go UB.

Hahaha that says it all! I'm hoping to do that myself but I still have to get in, my interview is next Friday.

 

[panbabylon]

If you are OK with living in a smaller, less exciting city: definitely go UB. You will save $100K on tuition and probably get a better education. If you are used to NYC and/or don't want to take chances after the 2 years, take some loans and go to SJU. I would go SJU.

good luck