University Of Sciences in Philly (PCP)

[lighthouse1920]

I'm considering PCP and i was wondering what current students think. I've heard the first 2 pre-pharm years are extra hard because the accept many more students than they can take into P-1. Is this true?

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[pharmacopola]

from what i've heard is that biochemistry in the 2nd year can be difficult, but that it is more the 3rd year that people have a difficult time with. i don't know for certain though, just from what i've heard from friends.

 

[ericn2k3]

Get this, I am actually attending USP right now, HOWEVER, am not a pharmacy student. Over the past few years, it came to me, that i wanted to be a pharmacist. So I'll be applying for F08 after I get my BS.

USP is now very competitive to get into since when I was a freshmen. They do accept more students than they can handle. They changed the req of 2.3 to 2.5 gpa (only sciences course,pre-prof years) just recently. If you're still in HS, I strongly recommend taking this 0+6 route.

From the people that I know, 3rd year and 5th year are the most difficult. 3rd year classes include biochemistry,micro, and physio, among others. Micro and physio are the classes that breaks people. If you manage to get pass that, 4th year is a bit easier, but 5th determines if you're going to be a pharmacist or not. Consists of successive blocks with a test every 2 weeks, I think. About 100 pages of notes back and front + more usually for a test.

 

[pharmwannebe2]

I'm considering PCP and i was wondering what current students think. I've heard the first 2 pre-pharm years are extra hard because the accept many more students than they can take into P-1. Is this true?

Ah. I am a first year pharm student at USP. I don't really like the school. Its pretty much a waste of money that doesn't give you anything in return. But that is just my idea about it. I think some people like the school

Um. Actually the first 2 pre-pharm years aren't the hard part at USP. It is alright i guess...I got a 3.1 gpa last semster and a barely left my friend's room to study. Our class needs a cum gpa of 2.7 and math/science of 2.3. It is getting higher. It was a 2.6 cum the year before and 2.1 cum about 5 years ago.

I heard the school weeds out cause they are only allowed to give so many accreditations for pharmacy and they accept way too many kids. I don't know if that is true or not. The pharm. orientation teacher said it wasn't but i don't believe her.

ps-we don't take biochem til 3 year. And if they do try to weed out they do it during the 3rd-5th year because they can make more money that way.

 

[AnonFaculty]

Ah. I am a first year pharm student at USP. I don't really like the school.

As an alumnus, PCP was a bittersweet experience. It was sweet because the foundation for what I have done after leaving there was fantastic. However, my interactions with certain faculty members was bitter and almost ruined my career. Although they have a new Dean, a number of their good faculty members have left and some of the older faculty don't want to change the culture, which in the Department of Pharmacy Practice (5th year and 6th years) is toxic. Regional preceptors have commented to me about the decline in student preparedness coming out for rotations compared to other regional schools.

As a student, I was a very energetic and hungry student, which made a few PharmD faculty feel threatened. On rotations there, I had a resident (PGY2) who fell asleep in an OR while a case was taking place. Granted it was overnight and I did fine providing information to the surgeon. However, the resident ordered me to drive her home and said "if it were up to her, I would get an A for it." I reported this to my advisor who then reported to my rotation preceptor (Sarah Spinler). Spinler had me suspended from the rotation without due process as outlined in the student handbook, then used an unofficial interpretation of the grading rubric to try to fail me for the rotation, and then forced me against my will to have a psychiatric evaluation at Penn before allowing me back on the rotation. She then tried to talk me out of pharmacy school with only six months to go. In April 2002, right before graduation, George Downs, the Dean at the time told me he was keeping a secret file on me that he would keep long after I graduated. In May, I graduated and was doing well for two years.

It came time to look for a job. Some potential employers called the former Dean, George Downs. George told another Dean that "...is great guy who just needs a little lithium in his coffee every morning." Spinler told folks that I threatend to sue the school and rotation sites during my tenure as a pharmacy student, which never happened. To the extent that any paperwork exists on me, I am sure it was fabricated. Needless to say, I chewed out (politely) Phil Gerbino and George Downs.

Flash forward to 2006...the faculty are up to their old tricks as I begin to look for another position. This time, I filed a complaint with ACPE against their accreditation. Most likely, the accreditation won't be revoked because this isn't a serious infraction, but a letter to ACPE will be embarrassing nonetheless.

So would I go to USP if I had to do it all over again, probably not.

A word to the wise Jefferson hired as their Dean of Pharmacy, Rebecca Finley who as Department Chair of Pharmacy practice at PCP, was involved in this slander campaign against me.

 

[whitewasheddesi]

I am second year student at USP, I hated USP the first year because there was no fun, but then again, I have always been a commuter. First year is very easy. well, it depends who you have for biology. Math and English classes are jokes. Second year is a bit harder because of organic, anatomy and physics. organic is ok, anatomy is a bitch. though it is good for you to handle such hard courses because they don't just mentally challenge you, but also test your critical thinking ability. I have met several alumni who have awesome jobs as directors of programs in hospitals, to directors of pharmacy affaird at merck and even in public health service, in places like FDA, CDC and NIH. Right now, I am pursuing a PharmD and Pharmaceutical MBA(which is awesome) and I need to maintain 3.0 to do this. My cum is 3.2, and I am beginning to freak out, and have become obsessed with GPA, like most kids here (which is a bad thing, but you can get over it) and I have given up my hardcore political activism and am now involved more in school extracurriculars.
USP gives you an awesome opportunity to pursue two degrees. Depending on what you want to do, you can do it easily. Pharm D with MBA(if u wanna go into industry), BS in Pharmacology and toxicology(if you wanna go into research), i am not sure, but i think you can also simultaneously pursue MPH (masters of public health) which is awesome if you want to go into the public health sector.

about the weeding out. faculty always keeps telling me that there is no way they are trying to weed kids out. this is because USP, nationally, has one of the highest rates for students returning. on the other hands, deans have been known to get on cases of teachers who dont fail anyone, especially science teachers, and this is important to note since failing any semester of organic chemistry or physics means failing out of the pharmacy program. but i am doing some investigating, as i am supposed to write an article in the school paper about this.
if you need any more info, IM me on me sn on aim at xsxhxixvxexnx or send me an email at [email protected]