Tell me about your 0-6 pharm school!

[amnaite]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I'm a senior applying for college this year.
Since my major interest is pharmacy, almost all of the schools I would be applying to are the ones with 0-6 program or direct entry.

Right now, I'm living abroad, so beyond internet searches, there's limited methods of knowing more about how the "feel" of each campus differ and the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. Also, unlike most universities, there seems to be lack of reviews about pharmacy schools, especially 0-6 ones.. Yes, I've googled,but most were quite redundant.

I might be able to visit the schools after I get away from all this college admission craze which would likely be December...

But mean while,
please let me know about your schools 😀

Any random facts, campus feel, location, clique-y ness, areas of concentration, job search, food, professors, courload... just anything!

St. Louis is off of my list since they do not accept students who studied abroad for high school..

and I also might not apply to MCPHS because they require WES.org credential paperwork which sounds pretty ridiculous for undergrads...

Thus, colleges of my interest are
St. John's
USP
Rutgers
ACPHS
ONU
Northeastern
URI

feel free to tell me if there are any other schools that I've left out..

 

[chuckle beast]

MCPHS is about $10,000 cheaper per year than northeastern, and about 1/2 mile away.

 

[cloudlessblu110]

.

 

[amnaite]

Because my family's been saving up quite well for college (not sending me to prep school and such), tuition does not matter at all.

In fact, my parents wish me to send me to a pharm school where it has the best environment (yes, I know this term is quite general and depends very much on personal preference-just let me know the differences 'city-like vs suburban..) , great faculty, and successful program.

Anyone from St. John's??
I've heard their administrations were horrible (100 phone calls just to get a clear answer about deposits) but what about everything else?

 

[ronkoshy]

...

 

[deleted205891]

I heard good things about Rutgers.
I really liked Northeastern when I visited, but didn't go because of tuition. If your parents are rich, maybe you can go there.
I go to USP. Yes you'll graduate as a knowledgeable pharmacist, but if you're looking for a good "environment", expect none here. It's probably not as bad as someone described St. Johns, but I really don't like going to a school where there's no social life and everyone's studying all the time. I mean I understand studying is necessary, but if that's all you do (while sleeping in and skipping class the next morning) it's just not right.

 

[amnaite]

@ronkoshy
WOW..
Although I'm still a senior, the curriculum sounds screwed up...
Or are you just a troll? I mean, this is your first post and it sounds bit like an exaggeration.

If that's true, Eeeeeek!!TT TT
St. John's was on my top5 list becase the campus seemed quite nice and it is in NYC..

1.How about social life at your schools?
I know this should sound stupid enough because pharmD is such a rigorous program...
but just wondering after seeing Bacillus's post..

2.@ Bacillus:
By the way, I thought USP wouldn't be THAT bad since location wise, it's Philly, right? Or is it just the people??

3. Anyone from Northeastern/ Rutgers/ or anywhere else???

 

[deleted205891]

2.@ Bacillus:
By the way, I thought USP wouldn't be THAT bad since location wise, it's Philly, right? Or is it just the people??

I mean I don't think that pharmacy students should be partying every night, but I am just saying that the students tend to not hang out together as a class or student associations (while Jefferson was telling me that their APhA chapter does a lot of social events together, I was actually at their APhA social at a bar once).
Basically to sum up my school, I'll quote the 2009 Student Appreciation Day T-shirt: "We study hard and we party harder, and by party we mean study more." Yes there's Philly, with plenty of opportunities to do things (which I sometimes take advantage of), but it just seems like the people study all the time and do nothing else. Also, during the preprofessional phase almost all students go home on the weekends.
Last year the 5th years did do a bar crawl, but the school banned any advertising of it on campus.

It's not THAT bad, but it's not that good either.

 

[amnaite]

*students tend to not hang out together as a class or student associations
*2009 Student Appreciation Day T-shirt: "We study hard and we party harder, and by party we mean study more."
*it just seems like the people study all the time and do nothing else. Also, *all students go home on the weekends.
*school banned any advertising of it on campus.
.

You're right-that could be bad or good but doesn't sound that great.

How are the faculties and preparing students for employment after graduations?

 

[deleted205891]

You're right-that could be bad or good but doesn't sound that great.

How are the faculties and preparing students for employment after graduations?

OK I guess.

The USP name is respected, but here I'll bring you another good quote about this school (from a student, I believe): "They teach us to be good physicians, not good pharmacists". Basically this means that they may focus too much on obscure treatments or obscure side effects that might apply to very few people instead of letting you know what you need to know to effectively practice pharmacy. Our NAPLEX pass rate is pretty bad, so now they're throwing whatever they can think of at us to hopefully make it better (NAPLEX prep quizzes, preparedness assessments before class, etc...). One good thing I have to say about our school though is that we have excellent rotation sites (IHS in Alaska and New Mexico, many pharmaceutical companies in this area, Johns Hopkins Hospital, etc...). However, what they don't tell you is that those rotations come at a price (about a $12k price increase during 6th year as compared to other years).

If you can get in, just go to Pitt's early assurance program. I heard Rutgers is good too. However, I've heard that USP is considered a better program than St. Johns and MCPHS.

 

[ronkoshy]

...

 

[owlegrad]

I'm not a troll, I used to post under pinkpillowzz but forgot my password. Go to USP, the kids coming out of there are much smarter than St. John's. Also, the party life is way better, especially if you are in pharmacy.

Don't let "NYC" fool you. St. John's is located in the eastern most part of Queens, NY. To get into NYC is an hour ride using bus/subway. St. John's is 10 minutes away from Long Island. Living in Jamaica does not represent city life at all if your thinking of NYC.

And yes, I'm pissed off at SJU. They screwed me over for rotations. I don't like the administration. The secretary at the pharmacy office is a doll, she's really sweet, but in terms of scheduling, getting classes you want, and just people skills, the administration is ******ed dude..

I don't like the curriculum. Its better to teach a semester of pharmacology, a semester of med chem, a semester or two of therapeutics. the way we learn it at St. John's is by disease states..

Pharmacy is not a good field to get into now. I'm graduating, and I am part of the first class who is actually getting a lower salary than the graduating class a year before.

Switch your field while you have the chance! If your gonna be a pharmacist and want to do residency, don't even bother spending 8 years on that non-sense. Just be a doctor.

If you wanna work as a retail pharmacist like me, then 0-6 program is the way to go, however, its tough to get a job in a city area like 5 boroughs of NYC and northern NJ, and Philly (so I've heard).

Good luck

I think I agree with this. If you want to do a residency, why not just become an MD? Unless I am wrong, it's more money and more responsibility (which I would guess would appeal to those seeking a residency), but the same amount of time. Don't get me wrong I enjoy pharmacy work but if you are gonna invest that much time/energy, why not get the most bang for you buck? Pharmacy residencies just don't make sense to me, how are they better than just working in the field?

 

[deleted205891]

I think I agree with this. If you want to do a residency, why not just become an MD? Unless I am wrong, it's more money and more responsibility (which I would guess would appeal to those seeking a residency), but the same amount of time. Don't get me wrong I enjoy pharmacy work but if you are gonna invest that much time/energy, why not get the most bang for you buck? Pharmacy residencies just don't make sense to me, how are they better than just working in the field?

Pharmacy school+PGY2=8 years (if you go 0-6 route).
Med school+primary care residency=11 years. More if you specialize.

How is this the same amt of time?

 

[owlegrad]

Pharmacy school+PGY2=8 years (if you go 0-6 route).
Med school+primary care residency=11 years. More if you specialize.

How is this the same amt of time?

Is that so? I stand corrected.

 

[amnaite]

MD? wow, if I could get in, why not?
but I'm a non-resident and female(<-no stereotypes intended- it's just the whole Asian parents' 'girls can't marry anyone better than them if they're doctors' 'pharmacists have more flexible hours,so you're better off...'type of nillywilly..... I'm half-counscious/half-skeptical of this stuff, but first off,
what attracts me about pharmD is flexible hours and more time to pursue other things in life..

Let's get back to the subject..

If I get in, I would be graduating at least 6 years after bacillus,
so I'm not so sure about how the job outlook would be then😕

Anyone know about Ohio Northern's PharmD program?
I don't think the school is well-known as Rutgers or URI, but I've read that their NAPLEX pass rates are great.

Besides, the city's not as populated as NYC or Philly so I assume it MIGHT be easier to find jobs there...

 

[amnaite]

bumpbump

 

[297point1]

Why are you so fixated on a 0-6 program? There are still plenty of 2+4 programs that will take you with just two years of college under your belt...and many of these are good schools to boot.

Don't just limit yourself to the nine 0-6 programs.

 

[amnaite]

Why are you so fixated on a 0-6 program? There are still plenty of 2+4 programs that will take you with just two years of college under your belt...and many of these are good schools to boot.

Don't just limit yourself to the nine 0-6 programs.

Actually, I am applying to several four-year colleges for Regular Decision.
I understand that my post might give an impression that my views are only limited to 6 year programs..😛 But the truth is, unlike most four year colleges where there are plenty of reviews and books about atmosphere, outlooks, student body, clubs, there are limited amount of information available about schools with specialized programs. For example: review about Rutgers U vs Enrio Pharm School.

That's why I'm trying to seek help here.

 

[StriveForGlory]

I go to Rutgers and just love it. There is so much to do here and such a huge student body that anyone can find a niche. Plenty of party and non-party opportunities. Two good coed pharmacy frats (one that tends to party more one that tends to study more) as well as tremendous amounts of non-pharmacy frats/sororities if you are into that sort of thing. An enormous amount of pharmacy and non-pharmacy clubs with almost any focus imaginable. Very good recognized pharmacy faculty and quite honestly some of the smartest kids you will ever meet. Nationally recognized hospital affiliated with the school. Amazing industry fellowship and good residency opportunities in terms of resources available. You can find multiple people in almost any specialty that work in the school.

Very competitive (and by very i mean nearly impossible) to transfer into the school if not admitted out of high school (unless you take the 2+4 newark option). I believe we got less than 10 people that came into my class after getting a BS.

Honestly I think pharmacy is a very wise choice time-wise. Rutgers is honestly not nearly as hard to get into from high school as a good medical school is after four years. You get out at least three years before the doctors and the pay (as of now at least) is comparable to general practitioners when you consider that pharmacists are payed by the hour (I know pharmacists making around 120-130k at walgreens right now).

I also have to say that residencies are not pointless. They are just new and no one is quite sure what their role is within the pharmacy field. But I honestly believe that in 20 years residencies will become commonplace in pharmacy as it transforms into a more clinical field. Most hospitals that I know (near me in NJ and in NYC) are rapidly developing their clinical pharmacy departments and hiring more and more people and have only begun to do so in the last five or ten years. I believe that in the future there will be a pharmacist stationed at every nurses station. And hospital pharmacists will all be residency trained. Its a speculative thought but I see it as a definite possibility.

Honestly it seems like the MD is a much more stagnant field compared to pharmacy, PA, and NPs right now. Might just be me...

 

[amnaite]

It's the first time I've ever heard that MDs are more stagnant than PharmDs... It what aspect do you mean stagnant?


Rutgers does have a tough curriculum, don't they?
And great preparation for clinical pharmacy?

Are there any other schools known for preparing students well for clinical pharmacy?

Or if anyone just feels like writing generally about any sort of peculiarities,atmosphere,etc about their schools, feel free to do so!😀

 

[pharmagirl15]

Can I ask you why you want to be a pharmacist?

0 to 6 schools are for student who know they definitely want to become a pharmacist. Once you're in, you just need to maintain your GPA. You are in a professional school so you might not expect the common college life your friends might experience at a state college unless you go to RUTGERS...

2 plus 4 is also another way but you need to take the PCAT so if you definitely want to be a pharmacist 0 to 6 is great way to go

I go to USP, I hate it there because there's not a lot of people, everyone is a science major so no one has time to party, all they do is study. I wish I went to a state college to grow as an individual and have more time to explore other career options. I am into my 2nd year and next year I will be a third year. However I don't know if I really want to be a pharmacist and this school.

As for the pharmacy school you want to go to, look at the ranking, price, location, environment type, and student body when you decide

Do you want smaller classes? Do you want to live near a city? Do you want to be surrounded with people of all different majors? What about the price? To me the price wasn't an issue since I received a large scholarship.

I suggest Rutgers if you can get in, if not go to northeastern however USP has the city aspect -clubs and bars, it all depends on you. 🙂

 

[rph3664]

Although I live in the Midwest, I've met a couple of people who graduated from Rutgers. It's a good school.

And never take it for granted that your parents will pay your tuition. Your parents could get sick, or have a terrible accident, or die, or lose their money in a bad investment, or any number of other disasters.

I would go the 2-4 route myself; if you decide you don't want to be a pharmacist after all, it will be much easier to switch majors without having to change schools. Have you ever worked in a pharmacy? If you haven't, try to find a job this summer, or even as soon as you turn 18. If a paid job isn't available, contact your local hospital and inquire about volunteer work. Make sure you have some clue what you're getting into before you embark on this long, difficult journey.