The most important thing to consider when choosing a school

[gogoomaparis]

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What is the most important thing that you need to consider when choosing a school? Tuition, ranking, school environment? I would appreciate if you could give me some advice. Thank you very much.

 

[BearDown]

Interesting question considering im totally divided between Midwestern Glendale and Hawaii. I'm leaning towards Hawaii even though I'd be 80 more grand in debt, but how often does one get the chance to attend college in Hawaii? I've gotta take that chance and give it a go.

 

[bluesickle]

What is the most important thing that you need to consider when choosing a school? Tuition, ranking, school environment? I would appreciate if you could give me some advice. Thank you very much.

Why do you need advice when you're already a pharmacy student?

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

What is the most important thing that you need to consider when choosing a school? Tuition, ranking, school environment? I would appreciate if you could give me some advice. Thank you very much.

How did you choose your current pharmacy school?

 

[FarscapeGirl]

Interesting question considering im totally divided between Midwestern Glendale and Hawaii. I'm leaning towards Hawaii even though I'd be 80 more grand in debt, but how often does one get the chance to attend college in Hawaii? I've gotta take that chance and give it a go.

BearDown, what did you think of Hilo when you interviewed there? I spent a little over a week on the Big Island back in September, half the time around Hilo and half the time around Kona. I liked the people in Hilo; they were very laid back and very nice. It did feel very rural around there, but it was so nice to be in warm weather and in such a tropical setting. And the volcanoes were great. The only thing I didn't like was the mosquitoes! I'd love to live there if I could, but there really aren't any jobs for my husband (he's a scientist). The Big Island was so big that I don't think you'd risk getting island fever as much as with the other islands.

To answer the original poster's question, I think the most important factor in choosing a school is you. Is rank important to you? Location? Classes? My best advice is spend a few days thinking you'll go to one school and see how you feel. Then switch to the other school. You'll figure out real fast which you want to go to.

 

[gogoomaparis]

How did you choose your current pharmacy school?

I'm actually not a pharmacy student yet. I just got into two pharmacy schools, and I need to choose one by the end of this month.

 

[confettiflyer]

1) accreditation
2) geographic location (somewhere cool)

 

[kern07]

Here's my 2 cents:

Personally, I would look at the NAPLEX passing rate. If the school's passing rate is low, then that school is out of the question. There's a chart somewhere floating around with the passing rates. Most schools have a 85-95% passing rates, but some are in the 50s and 60s...yikes.

Location is also a huge thing for me. If my family has an emergency, then I would like to hop on a plane and get back ASAP rather than have to fly across the country. (I live in Alaska, so the west coast is primarily where I'm going to look for when it comes to schools).

Prestige, not so much.

Tuition: the cheaper the better.

Hope this helped. 🙂

 

[ffpickle]

There is not *just* one thing. You have to decide what qualities are most important to you and base your decision accordingly.

1) and 2) are certainly important, but I would add the following things to consider:

3) School experience. Are you going to enjoy the campus while there? You may want to consider facilities like whether or not there is a gym, can you go watch football games, are there places to hang out, is there an active student body with pharmacy organizations, etc. Maybe none of these are imp. to you or perhaps all are. Only you will know.
4) Is the curriculum conducive to your style of learning? e.g. Labs, number of electives, testing methods, student:faculty availability, dual degree possibilities, etc.
5) Cost? Are you comfortable with incurring the debt associated with shcool?
6) Are the mission & values of the school consistent with your own interests and post-graduate career objectives?
7) Do you know people there (potentially related to Geography, as mentioned above)

 

[dumbguy]

there's no one factor in choosing a pharmacy school but there are factors that have priority over the other.

1.) which school will provide you with the best education?
2.) location
3.) cost

these are my top 3.

 

[codep1nk]

What is the most important thing that you need to consider when choosing a school? Tuition, ranking, school environment? I would appreciate if you could give me some advice. Thank you very much.

I went by ranking, hehe. 😉

 

[xiphoid2010]

for me it was cost and ranking. Location didn't matter to me since I'm single.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

Threads merged. In the future, please don't post the same topic in multiple forums.

 

[SeattleCoug]

For me the most important thing was how the school made me feel. When I was applying I was very enamored with the ranking of Colorado and the fact that it is one of the top 5 NIH funded universities in the nation. However when I interviewed there, something wasn't quite right.

When I applied to Midwestern-CPG, it was near the middle of my choices. Going there to interview was an interesting experience and it was not as good of an interview day as I had in Colorado or at Pacific (Oregon). For example: there were not students to converse with and the ones who were there didn't really seem too interested in us as applicants or future classmates, there was a lot of unexpected waiting time, and there was not a lot of staff or faculty around to ask questions of either.

BUT...the faculty that I did talk to were genuinely interested in me as a student and enabling me to be as successfull as I wanted to be. They were not going to do things for me but they were going to help me to do anything that I wanted to.

These things will be unique for everyone, but you will know what is right. It was the hardest decision for me when I had to choose between two schools. I wish you the best in your choice and look forward to the unique reasons that everyone chooses their school.

 

[applejuju]

For me, I decided to stay in state to be close to home and pay cheaper tuition.

 

[RXsocal]

For me, I'm going to be attending the CHEAPEST 3 year school that I can make it to. I've done extensive research into all the schools I'm applying so the only reason why I'd deny an acceptance is if something happened at the interview that was REALLY a turn off such as me getting MUGGED in a ghetto neighborhood. As of right now, my goal is LECOM-erie.

TOP REASON:
1. COST OF TUITION
2. Area/neighborhood; I want to go to a school that is in a big city and not some countryside, etc.

 

[Storm90]

1 - The school that said yes 😛
2 - If multiple schools said yes, the history, ranking/quality of education
3 - Tuition (it's ridiculously expensive no matter where I go).

 

[xshooshix]

1.) If you got into one school, go where you got accepted in. I got accepted at CPG, and didn't want to go because of the location. I did a lot of thinking and figured, that a lot of users here would die to be in your place and to turn down an acceptance would be a crime. Also, you paid the money for transportation and lodging fees, why would you let it all go to waste?

2.) Location. I've been in a three year relationship with my boyfriend who lives in Chicago. I didn't want to stray far from the Midwest at all despite having family in Southern California.

3.) Accreditation. I turned down Notre Dame's invitation because they were pre-accredited and I wasn't too sure about being the only class in a new pharmacy school.

4.) Cost of living and tuition.

I decided to go to my university (Wayne State) because the cost of attending every year would basically cost about what I was paying as an out of state undergrad. I would be saving 30,000 with the four year program at Wayne compared to the three year program in Glendale.

Plus, they are #32 of a 100 pharmacy schools in the nation; I wouldn't be apart from all my undergrad friends; my father did his residency at the DMC after he was done with med school and believes what he learned at Wayne was beneficial to where he stands as a healthcare professional. PLUS, the 5 hour bus ride from Wayne to downtown Chicago was just the icing on the cake. 😍

 

[SHC1984]

for me it was cost and ranking. Location didn't matter to me since I'm single.

Cost and ranking is the big ones...but location matters too...you don't want to be stuck in some place thats freezing cold. Thats why I am staying in the deep south!

 

[fhx06]

Yeah I hope you go somewhere you are comfortable, whether it is due to weather or locale.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Cost and ranking is the big ones...but location matters too...you don't want to be stuck in some place thats freezing cold. Thats why I am staying in the deep south!

awww, c'mon man, we are young and strong. Weather? What's that? 😉 Ok it matters a little. But having gone undergrad in texas and worked in michigan, I know I can tolerable pretty much anywhere on the lower 48 states. 😀

 

[MarchIoda]

Where you do your rotations in your final year can help you find the job you want after graduation. Rotations are one of the most important factors in comparing schools you are interested in.

 

[SHC1984]

awww, c'mon man, we are young and strong. Weather? What's that? 😉 Ok it matters a little. But having gone undergrad in texas and worked in michigan, I know I can tolerable pretty much anywhere on the lower 48 states. 😀

The lower states are great...its the northern ones with the bad weather. TX would have the best weather. I love your profile picture. 😍