University of Washington vs. USC

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acadia18

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First post! In part as an act of desperation, to be honest. :confused:

I am a CA resident and am trying to decide between USC and UW for pharmacy school. It seems like UW would be the obvious choice: it's ranked higher, it's much cheaper to go there, and it's in a nicer neighborhood/is better looking than USC. However, when I visited UW for the interview I thought their interview process was extremely impersonal and was disappointed overall. At this point I'm starting to think it's just a battle of public vs. private school.

Here's a pro-con list:

USC
Pros:
-A large variety of student groups
-Ample networking opportunities
-Sunny, for the most part
-I think LA has a more diverse patient population than Seattle
Cons:
-$$$$$$$$
-The building is pretty darn ugly, and the location is... not the best


UW:
Pros:
-Cheap!
-Higher ranking
-Nice location/campus (although the healthsci building is kind of ugly)
-Not just a health sci campus
Cons:
-Didn't have the best feeling that the when I visited, possibly because they didn't try to sell the school to me at all
-The people eating in the cafeteria in the pharmacy building looked SO SAD...

I would love any suggestions or any information about either of the schools!!! I have this saying that I will never really know until I go there myself... but right now I just have to decide!
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Steve Sarkisian & Pete Carroll already dumped USC for Seattle... what are you waiting for?:) I'm not sure why the UW did so poorly at interviews this year, but if you can ignore the interview process, the school is awesome
 
UW FTW! Seriously, though, UWash is a great school. Well known, lots of connections and opportunities, good faculty, and there IS diversity there. I considered applying there but my S.O. didn't want to live there. Boo.
 
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UW, cheaper for a better school. Sounds like a bargain. =P
 
Yeah... I'm trying to take these rankings lightly just because they aren't fully transparent about their evaluation process.

As for where I plan to work afterwards... most likely CA if I can.
 
I'm presuming you meant the hospital cafeteria at UW? The Plaza Cafe? While it may be a bit depressing, it is a hospital cafeteria. Most of the students eat at the Rotunda, which is crowded but not depressing.

I'd look at the class offerings, too, when you compare the two schools.

I've been at UW for awhile now, and I really like the area. The weather can be a hard thing to get used to. As for the program itself, UWSOP has done a lot to advance the profession of pharmacy. The professors are good, they really work to make the best program possible, and the students are a good group.

There are plenty of student groups up here, too. I'm a member of several and attend meetings for some that I'm not a member of. It's quite overwhelming when you first start, but there are more than enough opportunities to get involved in things.
 
acadia18 said:
Yeah... I'm trying to take these rankings lightly just because they aren't fully transparent about their evaluation process.

As for where I plan to work afterwards... most likely CA if I can.
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It's hard to estimate the value of networking, but with the oversupply of pharmacists in most metro areas, it might be worth considering USC if you plan to return to SoCal when you're done.
 
For those of us who have only been to seattle during the summers---what is it like during the rest of the year, weather-wise? I heard it doesn't rain cats and dogs 9 months at a time, but there def is a gloomy mist presiding over the area for a huge chunk of time-true? Does it snow often? Does it get as depressing as it has been made out to be?

Oh, and OP did u find that UW was receptive to OOS applicants?
 
dancingdoctor13 said:
For those of us who have only been to seattle during the summers---what is it like during the rest of the year, weather-wise? I heard it doesn't rain cats and dogs 9 months at a time, but there def is a gloomy mist presiding over the area for a huge chunk of time-true? Does it snow often? Does it get as depressing as it has been made out to be?

Oh, and OP did u find that UW was receptive to OOS applicants?
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I went for my interview in supposedly good weather (it was sunny) but I've heard that it really doesn't rain as much as everybody says it does. One of the other interviewees said that it rarely snows, but when it does people really don't know how to deal with it because they aren't used to it.

I would say that UW treated their out of state applicants the same way they would treat their in-state applicants. The staff is really nice, but they don't really "sell" their school at all. For whatever reason they also don't conduct tours or Q&A sessions anymore, which was a huge disadvantage for me. Another issue I had with their interview process was that they called me to interview within a week's time. I had to schedule an interview 2 weeks after the date that they requested so that it wouldn't conflict with my finals and so I could book decently-priced plane tickets. They refer you to a site with the hotel and transportation info, but nothing outside of the ordinary. I would highly suggest making a trip out of it so you can explore the University district, the campus, and Seattle itself. Otherwise, you will just be going for a 1-2 hour interview without getting a feel of the school/area around it.
 
Hmm this isn't an easy choice but it's a great situation to be in. I would ignore the rankings in this case since both schoosl are great and one is not better than the other. If money is a big issue for you, go to UW. But if you plan to practice in SoCal, I hear that USC has major networking opportunities (aka the USC mafia lol). USC alumni are VERY proud of their school.

Seattle is a neat city. If gray skies bother you, be prepared for emotional changes. It happens more than people realize. Seattle doesn't rain much, it just drizzles (misty) a lot and is constantly wet.
 
rxlea said:
UW FTW! Seriously, though, UWash is a great school. Well known, lots of connections and opportunities, good faculty, and there IS diversity there. I considered applying there but my S.O. didn't want to live there. Boo.
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As opposed to USC?
 
USC!! USC!! USC!! unless you want to witness suicides and sleep next to diseased rats in a tiny moldy apartment... the choice is yours.
 
jaako said:
USC!! USC!! USC!! unless you want to witness suicides and sleep next to diseased rats in a tiny moldy apartment... the choice is yours.
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Hmm... I've lived in Seattle for seven years now. Never seen a suicide, and the house I rent with my husband is not moldy nor rat-infested.

What have I been missing???
 
Do you guys have the same thoughts about these schools (5 years later)?
 
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