University of Oklahoma vs Purdue University

[Prof Farnsworth]

I have heard a few arguments for both schools but thought I would turn to the gurus of the industry to hopefully shed some more light on my current situation.

I've been accepted into both OU and Purdue and now have a (fortunate yet hard) decision. So here are a couple pros and cons I have come up with.

Purdue
* Consistently "ranked" higher than Oklahoma.
* I have received a scholarship (start in P1) at Purdue which is renewable until I graduate pending I maintain a solid GPA.
* Located on the undergraduate campus
* 4th year rotations will send me all over Indiana (not a major issue)
* World class research department

OU
* Closer to family.
* Definitely much more "family friendly" and the staff/faculty seemed extremely supportive while on campus. I also feel I will enjoy myself more here
* They are located in a Med Center/HSC
* I could probably stay in OKC for my 4th year rotations
* Lower ranked than Purdue

Other factors I have thought about but negated are:
* I'm OOS for tuition at both places, and it will be near impossible to get in-state tuition.
* Both school have international pharmacy programs
* Both schools have nuclear pharmacy programs
* Cost of living is approximately the same.

If there are any current OU/Purdue PharmD students on the forum reading this, I'd definitely love to hear from you.
I'd also like to find out how important US News & World Report and Annals of Pharmacotherapy rankings are when it comes to finding residencies, furthering education (MBA/PhD) and jobs beyond retail (leaning towards industry)

If there's anything else you guys would like to know, I'd be more than happy to provide you with information.

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[chstrainer13]

Good for you on getting the scholarship. Means they must really want you with you being out of state. They are at least trying to bring the cost down a bit.

 

[Prof Farnsworth]

Bringing down the cost of tuition is a for Purdue. However I intend on living with loans for years to come, so it wont be the end of the world.

I was hoping there would something similar to TX, where if you get a competitive scholarship over 1,000/year it bring you to in-state tuition. I'm not that lucky, lol.

I'm starting to lean more towards Purdue as I PMed a couple students and I'm starting to think family-friendly/"homely" shouldn't be a heavy pro as a deciding factor, considering school is only going to be 4 years. I'm thinking "Where am I going to be in 10-20 years?" and I think Purdue can open doors for me.

 

[cycloketocaine]

Okay, so honestly....I think that the only benefit Purdue would have over OU is if you are interested in industry. "Rankings" are so arbitrary and based on nothing concrete. OU has opened up so many doors for me. It is what you put into it. There are so many opportunities for research at OU as well. I have 2 manuscripts and 3 posters and Im only a P4. I think it all depends on what you want to do. OU will develop connections for you in this area. I am headed to an awesome residency that had 32 applicants per spot next year because of what I've done here.

That's all the cheering I can do for OU today. I really think that it comes down to your personal interests. I don't think one school would open up any more doors than the other, maybe they just open different doors.

 

[SVB99]

Put me in the OU camp as well. Nothing against Purdue (I've heard MANY good things about their program), but OU is much closer to you for one. I also appreciate the fact that OU is part of a health science center so you can avoid the kiddies. You'll be surrounded health care professionals and you'll have plenty of networking opportunities.

As for ranking, it's like the last poster stated; it's very arbitrary. I'm going to be attending UT and it's the 4th ranked program in the country. So what does that mean? Not too much, at least to me. From what I've gathered during my six years of pharmacy experience, where you go to school plays a marginal, if any, role in employment opportunities.

I was strongly considering attending OU (got accepted in December) but am backing out due to OOS cost factor. If it weren't for that, I would most likely have gone there because of the convenience. Think about it: you can do all your rotations on campus and if you live at the Village (on campus housing), you're in walking distance of your clinical sites. No rush hour traffic!

As for your interest in furthering your education, I can't speak too much on that. You can pursue your MBA at either school but if you're interested in research, I'm sure you'll more closely at the research departments of both schools to make your decision.

In the end, it just comes down to what you want to do.

Those are my two cents. Good luck with you're decision.

 

[Prof Farnsworth]

Cheers guys,

I greatly appreciate all the input.

The distance is only a minor deciding factor. I'm actually from Sydney but my wife's family is from McKinney. So we'll be closer to her family, lol. We wont be able to live in the village as we have a dog, but we wanted our own place wherever we go anyway. The location is a major benefit of going to OU. My wife is also just about to graduate with her MPH in Epidemiology, and I know W.Lafayette doesn't have any jobs (probably have to commute to Indianapolis). OU clearly wins this battle.

It's good to know that opportunities are available regardless of where I go. I know the school plays little if any role in employment opportunities if I want to go retail (would have went to Midwestern CPG otherwise). However I'm thinking pharmaceutical industry, and with Eli Lilly being just down the road from Purdue, along with having tighter connections on the East Coast ...

Cycloketocaine, congrats on the residency I hope you don't have to move too far after being matched. Obviously going to OU has benefited you greatly ... however are you the student who always hands in homework early, sits up the front, and screws up everyone's curve? I just hope I don't base my decision off a genius assuming it will be the same for me

SVB99, I think going to UT your fourth year is pretty much spent in Houston. I volunteer in the Pharmacy at Methodist Hospital, and we continually have UT students rotating through. BTW, congrats on UT
I also have an acquaintance who is about to graduate from UT soon who got matched for a residency in San Diego, she's pretty stoked about that.

And yes I know the ranking system is completely arbitrary (based off how deans/administrators/faculty vote on a survey). However, it carries some weight and can give a certain aura when applying to residencies/jobs/... . I know it shouldn't (it should be based off personal abilities), but in the real world it does.
Why would people (myself included) turn down a 3 year accelerated program (such as Midwestern CPG), if it truely is what you make of it. You already start out at a loss by losing 1 years worth of earning potential, there is a major opportunity cost lost by not going there (but greater opportunity gain by going to a "better" school).

You guys have been awesome I greatly appreciate giving me more things to consider when having to make this decision.

Peace out.

Farnsy.

 

[SVB99]

Farnsworth,

Glad to help anyway I can. I had a few comments based on your response:

1) I can't speak on why everyone turns down certain schools but the fact remains many of us turned down CPG strictly because of the cost. No other reason. For me personally, cost has been the deciding factor. How that school is ranked had no bearing on my decision.

2) if you're truly into residencies and you feel purdue provides the better option, I say you attend. You may want to come into contact with reps at Eli Lily to see how competitive you'd be for a research or intern spot before making you're choice though.

3) ultimately, I think the decision should be based on where you want to be, and where you are more comfortable. Both schools are clinically solid and will provide you with numerous opportunities. However, choosing one school over another will not make a major difference in hospital or retail employment opps. Possibly residencies.

I wish you luck. Tell us how it goes.

Sam

Cheers guys,

I greatly appreciate all the input.

The distance is only a minor deciding factor. I'm actually from Sydney but my wife's family is from McKinney. So we'll be closer to her family, lol. We wont be able to live in the village as we have a dog, but we wanted our own place wherever we go anyway. The location is a major benefit of going to OU. My wife is also just about to graduate with her MPH in Epidemiology, and I know W.Lafayette doesn't have any jobs (probably have to commute to Indianapolis). OU clearly wins this battle.

It's good to know that opportunities are available regardless of where I go. I know the school plays little if any role in employment opportunities if I want to go retail (would have went to Midwestern CPG otherwise). However I'm thinking pharmaceutical industry, and with Eli Lilly being just down the road from Purdue, along with having tighter connections on the East Coast ...

Cycloketocaine, congrats on the residency I hope you don't have to move too far after being matched. Obviously going to OU has benefited you greatly ... however are you the student who always hands in homework early, sits up the front, and screws up everyone's curve? I just hope I don't base my decision off a genius assuming it will be the same for me

SVB99, I think going to UT your fourth year is pretty much spent in Houston. I volunteer in the Pharmacy at Methodist Hospital, and we continually have UT students rotating through. BTW, congrats on UT
I also have an acquaintance who is about to graduate from UT soon who got matched for a residency in San Diego, she's pretty stoked about that.

And yes I know the ranking system is completely arbitrary (based off how deans/administrators/faculty vote on a survey). However, it carries some weight and can give a certain aura when applying to residencies/jobs/... . I know it shouldn't (it should be based off personal abilities), but in the real world it does.
Why would people (myself included) turn down a 3 year accelerated program (such as Midwestern CPG), if it truely is what you make of it. You already start out at a loss by losing 1 years worth of earning potential, there is a major opportunity cost lost by not going there (but greater opportunity gain by going to a "better" school).

You guys have been awesome I greatly appreciate giving me more things to consider when having to make this decision.

Peace out.

Farnsy.

 

[cycloketocaine]

Cycloketocaine, congrats on the residency I hope you don't have to move too far after being matched. Obviously going to OU has benefited you greatly ... however are you the student who always hands in homework early, sits up the front, and screws up everyone's curve? I just hope I don't base my decision off a genius assuming it will be the same for me

I'm not sure how to respond to this.....

No, I'm not the "button pusher". I have two kids and a husband and other things to do.

 

[MaxHess]

Well I may have a different spin on this than the others. With Purdue you have a scholarship and which will help with costs, and may say they want you more. They are also higher ranked, and most likely have more name recognition.

As far as opportunity goes, your wife may actually have more if you went to Purdue as Indianapolis is much larger than Oklahoma City. Also as you stated there are some large companies which may open the door for you as well later on.


Nothing against OU but if you have the chance to go to a higher ranked school with a scholarship I wouldn't pass that up.

 

[AceInhibitor]

Well I may have a different spin on this than the others. With Purdue you have a scholarship and which will help with costs, and may say they want you more. They are also higher ranked, and most likely have more name recognition.

As far as opportunity goes, your wife may actually have more if you went to Purdue as Indianapolis is much larger than Oklahoma City. Also as you stated there are some large companies which may open the door for you as well later on.


Nothing against OU but if you have the chance to go to a higher ranked school with a scholarship I wouldn’t pass that up.

Well said

 

[Prof Farnsworth]

Sam:
CPG was approximately 41k in tuition over 3 years, which would be $123k. I think that's comparable to most schools' tuition/fees for OOS students. If I wanted to only do retail/hospital I think that school would have made the most sense economically; working that one extra year is a major bonus. Also, as for opportunities at Eli Lilly http://www.lilly.com/careers/students/partners/ Clearly this is only one example, but Purdue is kind of Lilly's picking ground.

cycloketocaine:
No, I was just saying I didn't want to make a decision off someone who goes above and beyond. It was a compliment

MaxHess + Ace:
Indy is bigger than OKC, however it's also an hour commute to get there from Lafayette (and obviously another hour to get home). The ranking isn't everything, but it doesn't hurt to go to a school where more students (pro-rata) get fellowships/residencies.

I've also spoken to a few other health care professionals and academics the past few days, to which 90% have said without hesitation to go to Purdue (the other 10% gave me the "do what you feel is best" answer, lol). So I am somewhat leaning towards Purdue at this time, but nothing is set in stone.

Once again, you guys constantly give me food for thought Cheers.

Farnsy.