UNMC vs. Creighton pharmacy school

[stellar33]

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Hello all. As you can see from my signature, I was accepted to UNMC and have pretty much decided on going there. However, recently I have had an interview with Creighton University and was impressed by the facilities, their faculty, campus and most importantly maybe, NAPLEX passing rate for the 2011 class was 100% there for last year. I am a Nebraska resident so UNMC is signficantly cheaper. Now I know the pharmacy market in Omaha is oversaturated to say the least, but was wondering if anyone could give me pros and cons of both schools especially in opportunities for residencies/jobs from each respective school and which curriculum gives better preparation in your opinions. Obviously both interview processes were very biased at both ends so I couldn't really make any real comparisons. I know this thread will probably have some bias as well, but just wanted some input from people who are pharmacy students in Nebraska. It's a great problem to have and I am very fortunate that this is happening. Thanks.😉

 

[DrDrugs2012]

Never look at NAPLEX pass rates unless the school's pass rate is say, less than 80%.
The variance in practical sense is trivial - a difference of two or three students per class. Hardly statistically relevant. And its important to note that some schools teach to the NAPLEX, others don't. Some schools give reviews for NAPLEX, others don't. There are lots of reasons why there are pass rate discrepancies... and none of them valid reasons to pick one school over another.

Quite honestly, if you think you need to go to a school which teaches to and offers reviews for the NAPLEX in order to have a good chance at passing the NAPLEX, you're already doomed. When most schools have a > 90% pass rate, what does that tell you about the difficulty of the exam, or more appropriately, the difference in curriculum as it pertains to passing the licensing exam?

 

[cleanshirt]

I am living in Lincoln and was accepted to UNMC for next year. I know a few pharmacists who went to Creighton who really loved it, but the same can be said of the Med Center. They are both great schools with associated hospitals. Creighton is Catholic, so some of your healthcare ethics will be taught from that perspective. If you end up going to UNMC, send me a PM!

 

[stellar33]

Never look at NAPLEX pass rates unless the school's pass rate is say, less than 80%.
The variance in practical sense is trivial - a difference of two or three students per class. Hardly statistically relevant. And its important to note that some schools teach to the NAPLEX, others don't. Some schools give reviews for NAPLEX, others don't. There are lots of reasons why there are pass rate discrepancies... and none of them valid reasons to pick one school over another.

Quite honestly, if you think you need to go to a school which teaches to and offers reviews for the NAPLEX in order to have a good chance at passing the NAPLEX, you're already doomed. When most schools have a > 90% pass rate, what does that tell you about the difficulty of the exam, or more appropriately, the difference in curriculum as it pertains to passing the licensing exam?

Thank you for the clarification. From what you said that really does make a lot of sense. In my original post, I was just surprised at the stat, and they over-emphasized it in the interview, which worked in their favor to pull me in to be honest.

 

[DrDrugs2012]

Thank you for the clarification. From what you said that really does make a lot of sense. In my original post, I was just surprised at the stat, and they over-emphasized it in the interview, which worked in their favor to pull me in to be honest.

Well of course they emphasize that fact. Their job is to drum up a lot of interest and demand for their school. But really, their emphasis on it is just trivial... kinda like saying "oooh, we give all our students a new copy of DiPiro!".... but really that's just built into your tuition.

The key is learning how to wade through the nonsense to find the real nuggets of information.

 

[Brunsizzle]

I'm a P2 at UNMC this year and I am definitely biased towards UNMC but I think for good reason: if you are in-state, the tuition is about 1/2 the price of creighton. (a savings of at least $60k or more) The NAPLEX pass rate for UNMC has been 100% for the past several years, so don't think that Creighton is having some great unmatched stat in that category. UNMC out scores Creighton on NAPLEX every year from what I have read. Every school ranking list I have seen has UNMC higher than Creighton (although I don't think there really is a good comprehensive ranking list of pharmacy schools at the moment). UNMC is starting to build a new COP building that should def be completed for your use during your schooling.

When I was applying to schools, I declined my interview to Creighton and they kept bugging me with emails during the last week of the deadline after I had already chose UNMC. I had a couple classmates tell me this same story.

 

[ImmunoPharmD]

Hello all. As you can see from my signature, I was accepted to UNMC and have pretty much decided on going there. However, recently I have had an interview with Creighton University and was impressed by the facilities, their faculty, campus and most importantly maybe, NAPLEX passing rate for the 2011 class was 100% there for last year. I am a Nebraska resident so UNMC is signficantly cheaper. Now I know the pharmacy market in Omaha is oversaturated to say the least, but was wondering if anyone could give me pros and cons of both schools especially in opportunities for residencies/jobs from each respective school and which curriculum gives better preparation in your opinions. Obviously both interview processes were very biased at both ends so I couldn't really make any real comparisons. I know this thread will probably have some bias as well, but just wanted some input from people who are pharmacy students in Nebraska. It's a great problem to have and I am very fortunate that this is happening. Thanks.😉

Please don't ask life-making decision advice on a anonymous forum. You should talk it over with your close ones, advisers, and anyone important to you. Take my advice.

 

[stellar33]

Please don't ask life-making decision advice on a anonymous forum. You should talk it over with your close ones, advisers, and anyone important to you. Take my advice.

I already have talked it over with these people. Since it is a life-making decision, however, I just wanted more opinions on the schools from people that know more about each school without the "sugar-coating" facts from the interviews. My close ones, advisers, and those important to me have all told me their opinions, however ultimately none of these people have ever gone to pharmacy school. Since they do not know facts I wanted to come on here for more facts as well as opinions from students at their respective schools to make the most practical decision I can.

 

[stellar33]

I'm a P2 at UNMC this year and I am definitely biased towards UNMC but I think for good reason: if you are in-state, the tuition is about 1/2 the price of creighton. (a savings of at least $60k or more) The NAPLEX pass rate for UNMC has been 100% for the past several years, so don't think that Creighton is having some great unmatched stat in that category. UNMC out scores Creighton on NAPLEX every year from what I have read. Every school ranking list I have seen has UNMC higher than Creighton (although I don't think there really is a good comprehensive ranking list of pharmacy schools at the moment). UNMC is starting to build a new COP building that should def be completed for your use during your schooling.

When I was applying to schools, I declined my interview to Creighton and they kept bugging me with emails during the last week of the deadline after I had already chose UNMC. I had a couple classmates tell me this same story.

Thank you for the info. 🙂

 

[ImmunoPharmD]

I already have talked it over with these people. Since it is a life-making decision, however, I just wanted more opinions on the schools from people that know more about each school without the "sugar-coating" facts from the interviews. My close ones, advisers, and those important to me have all told me their opinions, however ultimately none of these people have ever gone to pharmacy school. Since they do not know facts I wanted to come on here for more facts as well as opinions from students at their respective schools to make the most practical decision I can.

Huh...I never thought that this would be a counter response to my advice...touche 😎

 

[xtsukiyox]

Huh...I never thought that this would be a counter response to my advice...touche 😎

That's why I joined this forum. 🙂