UOP, USC, or UCSD?

[pharm4peace]

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I'm having a tough time deciding which school I would go to out of these three (UOP, USC, and UCSD).

They all have their pros and cons, so I was wondering...
Besides cost and 3yrs v.s 4yrs, how would rank them/which one would you go to, and why?

 

[dangster]

i definitely wouldn't want to do a 3 year program.
factor in area of living. sd and norcal are expensive but it's a generally nicer, safer area. usc is in a downtown area so it's not as safe so i'd be weary of that.
also consider class size. if you feel comfortable learning with a smaller group, i'd go with sd.
look at the curriculum also in terms if hands on experience and working in groups. if you dislike working in groups, you would maybe reconsider the school that focuses a lot on group work and practice...

 

[boltdude]

i definitely wouldn't want to do a 3 year program.
factor in area of living. sd and norcal are expensive but it's a generally nicer, safer area. usc is in a downtown area so it's not as safe so i'd be weary of that.
also consider class size. if you feel comfortable learning with a smaller group, i'd go with sd.
look at the curriculum also in terms if hands on experience and working in groups. if you dislike working in groups, you would maybe reconsider the school that focuses a lot on group work and practice...

Oh please, I am weary about the whole USC is dangerous argument. Lets not forget, 2 UCSD med school students were raped in La Jolla in their own apartments b/c they didn't lock their windows. This was in the La Jolla area, one of the richest zip codes in the country. So the point is, it doesn't matter where you are; it matters how you act and safeguard yourself. Crime happens everywhere.

 

[sungieality]

I'd rank them 1) UCSD 2) USC 3) UOP.

They're all well-respected, established institutions and you'd get a great education. These are just my opinions:

UOP is ranked last (for me) because Stockton is kind of in the middle of nowhere. The accelerated program makes it cheaper but I believe that also means you don't get summers free (correct me if I'm wrong please), where you would normally be able to obtain your internship hours and gain your own chosen clinical experience.

USC is a good school for those who plan to stay in SoCal. Even their undergrad institution is known for the incredible network opportunities. From what I've heard/seen from current P1s and graduates of the program, you'll be much more likely to get your position through a former Trojan. The downside as everyone knows, is the cost. The location is really not as bad as its made out to be, as the school has its own police and there are options for housing on-campus.

For me, I pick UCSD as first choice because I went there for undergrad and it was a really good experience and environment. There are a number of different research institutions nearby (Salk, Scripps, Burnham, etc.) and research is something that I'm interested in so that appeals to me as an applicant. Being a public school, it's cheaper than USC. From what I saw at the interview, UCSD is poised to surpass UCSF in amount of funding per faculty, and they are planning to add even more faculty to the program. Also, the classes are P/F which limits the competition between students.

The downsides are that UCSD probably asks more of you than any other school given that you have to take classes with medical school students and research projects are required to graduate.

 

[boltdude]

I'd rank them 1) UCSD 2) USC 3) UOP.

They're all well-respected, established institutions and you'd get a great education. These are just my opinions:

UOP is ranked last (for me) because Stockton is kind of in the middle of nowhere. The accelerated program makes it cheaper but I believe that also means you don't get summers free (correct me if I'm wrong please), where you would normally be able to obtain your internship hours and gain your own chosen clinical experience.

USC is a good school for those who plan to stay in SoCal. Even their undergrad institution is known for the incredible network opportunities. From what I've heard/seen from current P1s and graduates of the program, you'll be much more likely to get your position through a former Trojan. The downside as everyone knows, is the cost. The location is really not as bad as its made out to be, as the school has its own police and there are options for housing on-campus.

For me, I pick UCSD as first choice because I went there for undergrad and it was a really good experience and environment. There are a number of different research institutions nearby (Salk, Scripps, Burnham, etc.) and research is something that I'm interested in so that appeals to me as an applicant. Being a public school, it's cheaper than USC. From what I saw at the interview, UCSD is poised to surpass UCSF in amount of funding per faculty, and they are planning to add even more faculty to the program. Also, the classes are P/F which limits the competition between students.

The downsides are that UCSD probably asks more of you than any other school given that you have to take classes with medical school students and research projects are required to graduate.

The fact that UCSD is about to surpass UCSF in funding per faculty member is not that big of a deal considering how little faculty UCSD has.

Salk, Scripps, Burnham will be irrelevant when it comes to your pharmacy education unless one is considering a PharmD/PhD dual program. Even then, it's still not very relevant.

The fact that you have to take your basic physiology, pharmacology (etc) courses with the med students doesn't make it harder. The courses are not curved.

UOP is not cheaper because it is a three year program. Please get your facts right

USC is the best one out of the list by far. However, it's expensive...very expensive. UCSD is cheaper but at $25,000 AND RISING (due to how broke the UC system is) it's not so cheap either.

 

[Passion4Sci]

UoP is a 3-year program, which will have you practicing faster (And they place students in residency all over the state with stunning success). It's also a very old, reputable program.

USC has name-brand recognition anywhere, and certainly has been established. can't go wrong here, although it is expensive ($19,000~/sem). Then again, why do we mince money? Everything's expensive in CA.

I might be wrong here, but isn't UCSD's program really new, as opposed to being really established?

 

[Passion4Sci]

UoP is a 3-year program, which will have you practicing faster (And they place students in residency all over the state with stunning success). It's also a very old, reputable program.

USC has name-brand recognition anywhere, and certainly has been established. can't go wrong here, although it is expensive ($19,000~/sem). Then again, why do we mince money? Everything's expensive in CA.

I might be wrong here, but isn't UCSD's program really new, as opposed to being really established?


@Sungie - Stockton isn't in the middle of nowhere. It's 1.5 hours from San Francisco, an hour from Oakland, less than an hour to the state's capitol Sacramento, 2 1/2 hours away from Truckee, Lake Tahoe, etc... And it's a fine city if you don't go out after dark (lol) too often or stray too far from mid-town (Pacific/March Lane). Lots of restaurants, lots of cafes, great movie theaters. Sure, you're not living in Times Square but it's far, far from the middle of nowhere (That'd be Modesto). You won't have problems with your clinical hours @ UoP.

 

[boltdude]

UoP is a 3-year program, which will have you practicing faster (And they place students in residency all over the state with stunning success). It's also a very old, reputable program.

USC has name-brand recognition anywhere, and certainly has been established. can't go wrong here, although it is expensive ($19,000~/sem). Then again, why do we mince money? Everything's expensive in CA.

I might be wrong here, but isn't UCSD's program really new, as opposed to being really established?

UCSD is relatively new and not as established as USC or UOP. UCSD pharmacy has the big research machine behind it. Your right on USC, name recognition. UOP churns out the most CA pharmacists I believe. All are good programs.

 

[Passion4Sci]

UCSD is relatively new and not as established as USC or UOP. UCSD pharmacy has the big research machine behind it. Your right on USC, name recognition. UOP churns out the most CA pharmacists I believe. All are good programs.

Yep. Agree on all points.

I will add, though, that the hospital I have been volunteering at for over a year now has had interns from all over the state, as well as residents, and most of them have been from either UoP, UCSF, or Touro.

All have been great pharmacists/students and are pleasurable to work with... which leads me to believe that the actual tangible difference between the schools is quite muted.

 

[dangster]

Oh please, I am weary about the whole USC is dangerous argument. Lets not forget, 2 UCSD med school students were raped in La Jolla in their own apartments b/c they didn't lock their windows. This was in the La Jolla area, one of the richest zip codes in the country. So the point is, it doesn't matter where you are; it matters how you act and safeguard yourself. Crime happens everywhere.

my brother went to usc and yeah, crime is very prominent in downtown la.
tons of my friends go to usc too and i hear tons of stories about cars being broken into and thefts.
yeah, crime does happen everywhere and of course you're going to take precautions but the probability of it occurring in downtown la is way more prevalent than la jolla.

 

[boltdude]

Yep. Agree on all points.

I will add, though, that the hospital I have been volunteering at for over a year now has had interns from all over the state, as well as residents, and most of them have been from either UoP, UCSF, or Touro.

All have been great pharmacists/students and are pleasurable to work with... which leads me to believe that the actual tangible difference between the schools is quite muted.

Do you have an impression on Touro interns/residents at the hospital you volunteered at? Just curious because I may be going there (hopefully)...

 

[boltdude]

my brother went to usc and yeah, crime is very prominent in downtown la.
tons of my friends go to usc too and i hear tons of stories about cars being broken into and thefts.
yeah, crime does happen everywhere and of course you're going to take precautions but the probability of it occurring in downtown la is way more prevalent than la jolla.

You do realize that the area around UCSD is notorious for car thefts? At least in downtown LA you expect it. La Jolla is "dangerous" b/c many students don't expect it and stand off guard. Yes, downtown LA is probably more dangerous, but to base your decision on that is not very wise.

 

[dangster]

You do realize that the area around UCSD is notorious for car thefts? At least in downtown LA you expect it. La Jolla is "dangerous" b/c many students don't expect it and stand off guard. Yes, downtown LA is probably more dangerous, but to base your decision on that is not very wise.

but i would feel much safer walking around in la jolla than in downtown la.

 

[boltdude]

but i would feel much safer walking around in la jolla than in downtown la.

Perhaps, but it's that "feeling safer" mentality that gets people in trouble when they no longer focus on their surroundings, or don't secure their homes like those 2 med students.

 

[BMBiology]

You guys made some valid points about USC especially the high tuition. However, you are wrong about its safety. The pharmacy school is located on the health science campus, not the main campus and it is like 10 miles away from downtown LA. It's pretty safe (just look up the crime statistic on the health science campus). Boring and dead? Yes.

 

[dangster]

Perhaps, but it's that "feeling safer" mentality that gets people in trouble when they no longer focus on their surroundings, or don't secure their homes like those 2 med students.

but it's just common sense to know to secure your homes.
and maybe it's just me, but i'd rather spend time in an area where hobos don't ask me for a cigarette every few blocks.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Do you have an impression on Touro interns/residents at the hospital you volunteered at? Just curious because I may be going there (hopefully)...

Each one has extolled the virtues of the split program (I believe it's one of the few 2+2 schools, meaning only 2 years didactic, then 2 years practica).

Like I said, though, they all seem pretty much capable!

 

[pharm4peace]

Thanks for all the responses so far!

I actually go to UCSD for undergrad, so I know the area well. Also, my hometown is LA so I'm not too worried about safety...more worried about traffic and driving actually.

I guess I am trying to get a feel for how well each school prepares their students. Passion4sci said that between UOP, UCSF, and Touro they seem pretty well-matched. Hopefully that is the case for UCSD and USC too.

The "vibe" or atmosphere is important to me too. UOP and UCSD seem really chill/laid-back, which I really like. USC seemed a little more competitive/maybe not as friendly. If anyone could comment on this, that would be great. Also, if anyone knows about the faculty/student interaction at the different schools and how approachable faculty are, I'm interested in that too.

Does anyone know how much the alumni really play a role in helping USC grads with jobs, etc? I know that's always something that's talked about, but how true is it really?

Also, a concern I had about UOP was interning. USC and UCSD have their associated hospitals and I'm assuming there are a lot of opportunities for internships/rotations/jobs there. I don't know too much about UOP though.

And..I know UCSD is more research/clinical oriented. I've also heard that USC and UOP are more retail oriented. Is that true?

Thanks for all the input! Keep it coming!

 

[boltdude]

Thanks for all the responses so far!

I actually go to UCSD for undergrad, so I know the area well. Also, my hometown is LA so I'm not too worried about safety...more worried about traffic and driving actually.

I guess I am trying to get a feel for how well each school prepares their students. Passion4sci said that between UOP, UCSF, and Touro they seem pretty well-matched. Hopefully that is the case for UCSD and USC too.

The "vibe" or atmosphere is important to me too. UOP and UCSD seem really chill/laid-back, which I really like. USC seemed a little more competitive/maybe not as friendly. If anyone could comment on this, that would be great. Also, if anyone knows about the faculty/student interaction at the different schools and how approachable faculty are, I'm interested in that too.

Does anyone know how much the alumni really play a role in helping USC grads with jobs, etc? I know that's always something that's talked about, but how true is it really?

Also, a concern I had about UOP was interning. USC and UCSD have their associated hospitals and I'm assuming there are a lot of opportunities for internships/rotations/jobs there. I don't know too much about UOP though.

And..I know UCSD is more research/clinical oriented. I've also heard that USC and UOP are more retail oriented. Is that true?

Thanks for all the input! Keep it coming!

I went to UCSD too. UCSD seemed pretty competitive to me considering everyone was pre-med, dental, pharm, engineering, etc. lol.

USC is definitely not retail orientated. UCSD is a good school and will be one of the top but right now, I think USC is way, way ahead. It's not even close.

I would imagine that being a USC alumni means more than being a UCSD alumni. We've heard of the USC mafia right? lol. Regardless, it probably doesn't even matter.

 

[sungieality]

The fact that UCSD is about to surpass UCSF in funding per faculty member is not that big of a deal considering how little faculty UCSD has.

Salk, Scripps, Burnham will be irrelevant when it comes to your pharmacy education unless one is considering a PharmD/PhD dual program. Even then, it's still not very relevant.

The fact that you have to take your basic physiology, pharmacology (etc) courses with the med students doesn't make it harder. The courses are not curved.

UOP is not cheaper because it is a three year program. Please get your facts right

USC is the best one out of the list by far. However, it's expensive...very expensive. UCSD is cheaper but at $25,000 AND RISING (due to how broke the UC system is) it's not so cheap either.

You seem a little pissed off for some odd reason. I'm merely giving my opinions from what I have gleaned during my interviews and research. As I said in the beginning, these are just my impressions. I assumed that UoP would be cheaper given the lack of an additional year's living expenses, but I can see that I was wrong. Additionally, you said that the cost of tuition for UCSD is rising, but it is still dwarfing USC's $39,000+ yearly tuition by a good amount. Also, I don't agree with your dismissal that the research institutions are irrelevant. I find research to be one of the major draws of the program, and the fact that there are opportunities in the area is important to me.

UoP is a 3-year program, which will have you practicing faster (And they place students in residency all over the state with stunning success). It's also a very old, reputable program.

USC has name-brand recognition anywhere, and certainly has been established. can't go wrong here, although it is expensive ($19,000~/sem). Then again, why do we mince money? Everything's expensive in CA.

I might be wrong here, but isn't UCSD's program really new, as opposed to being really established?


@Sungie - Stockton isn't in the middle of nowhere. It's 1.5 hours from San Francisco, an hour from Oakland, less than an hour to the state's capitol Sacramento, 2 1/2 hours away from Truckee, Lake Tahoe, etc... And it's a fine city if you don't go out after dark (lol) too often or stray too far from mid-town (Pacific/March Lane). Lots of restaurants, lots of cafes, great movie theaters. Sure, you're not living in Times Square but it's far, far from the middle of nowhere (That'd be Modesto). You won't have problems with your clinical hours @ UoP.

Hi Passion. Didn't mean to rag on your school/location. I don't know much about Stockton so I'll confess ignorance on my part. I Google-mapped it and I was surprised by how much empty land was surrounding it 😳 Anyway, I know that UCSD is new, but I think the graduates and program have already made a solid reputation for themselves in the Pharm field, so I suppose that's what I meant when I said established. Obviously they don't have the long history of UoP or USC, but every school has to start somewhere, and I think UCSD has done a good job. (Maybe I'm just biased.)

 

[boltdude]

You seem a little pissed off for some odd reason. I'm merely giving my opinions from what I have gleaned during my interviews and research. As I said in the beginning, these are just my impressions. I assumed that UoP would be cheaper given the lack of an additional year's living expenses, but I can see that I was wrong. Additionally, you said that the cost of tuition for UCSD is rising, but it is still dwarfing USC's $39,000+ yearly tuition by a good amount. Also, I don't agree with your dismissal that the research institutions are irrelevant. I find research to be one of the major draws of the program, and the fact that there are opportunities in the area is important to me.

Do I sound that pissed off? lol. I learned that it's always easy to misconstrue a posters attitude since you're not talking to them face to face. I'll add a few more 'lol's to compensate for the perceived anger you see. lol.

What I meant about the institutes is that they literally have no relationship to you as a pharmacy student. Don't get me wrong, they are great. I did UG research at Scripps Research Institute. But, you cant really do the research project with them since they have no connection to UCSD.

 

[kmoogs]

I would imagine that being a USC alumni means more than being a UCSD alumni. We've heard of the USC mafia right? lol. Regardless, it probably doesn't even matter.

Trojan Family. They tout the whole Trojans hiring Trojans thing. A mild form a nepotism haha

 

[Gosondth]

The fact that you have to take your basic physiology, pharmacology (etc) courses with the med students doesn't make it harder. The courses are not curved.

I felt compelled to clarify that statement. The med school classes are in fact curved, but curved in favor of passing as many people as possible. These classes are not "weeder" classes, so they don't want to fail more than 10% of the class. If everyone in the class beats the set cutoff, they have no problem passing everyone. However, if the class average is lower than expected, the cutoff for passing will be lower.

Does it make the classes harder? Doing well really just depends on time management and study techniques. The med students aren't necessarily always smarter, but they do have good techniques.

 

[defacto]

UOP changed their curriculum so that you actually will get all of your interning hours because you are working more hours per semester. Also, the curriculum has been re-formatted to prepare you for the early practice experience. The order of classes got switched around and you are required to take the advanced courses early on. Good luck deciding.

 

[SCP08]

Trojan Family. They tout the whole Trojans hiring Trojans thing. A mild form a nepotism haha

Wow. Being a USC grad has never gotten me anything at all. 🙂

I guess it's my own fault for moving out of the LA area after graduation--on other parts of the West Coast, being a Trojan is actually a bit of a liability...

 

[pharm4peace]

Wow. Being a USC grad has never gotten me anything at all. 🙂

I guess it's my own fault for moving out of the LA area after graduation--on other parts of the West Coast, being a Trojan is actually a bit of a liability...

Really? Do you know if there's any particular reason why?

 

[SCP08]

Really? Do you know if there's any particular reason why?

PAC-10 rivalries play a role, I think. In OR (my home state) people are rabid about their Ducks and Beavers, and the Trojans are pretty much universally reviled. Once, when I was wearing a USC sweatshirt, my friend and I were actually chased through the streets of Portland by anti-USC-ites (true story!). On the other hand, wearing a UW sweatshirt got me a free dinner in Los Angeles once. 🙂

Saying this may make me a terrible (undergraduate) alumnus, but people outside the school's immediate area don't really seem to respect USC as a serious, rigorous institution. From what I've heard, USC gets even less love on the East Coast.

That being said, a USC degree has certainly never held me back, and they do have some really awesome, unique opportunities (be sure to check out their Gerontology program, which is top-notch). Additionally, the experience of living on my own in Los Angeles--especially coming, as I did, from a safe, smaller city--was a valuable one.

 

[boltdude]

PAC-10 rivalries play a role, I think. In OR (my home state) people are rabid about their Ducks and Beavers, and the Trojans are pretty much universally reviled. Once, when I was wearing a USC sweatshirt, my friend and I were actually chased through the streets of Portland by anti-USC-ites (true story!). On the other hand, wearing a UW sweatshirt got me a free dinner in Los Angeles once. 🙂

Saying this may make me a terrible (undergraduate) alumnus, but people outside the school's immediate area don't really seem to respect USC as a serious, rigorous institution. From what I've heard, USC gets even less love on the East Coast.

That being said, a USC degree has certainly never held me back, and they do have some really awesome, unique opportunities (be sure to check out their Gerontology program, which is top-notch). Additionally, the experience of living on my own in Los Angeles--especially coming, as I did, from a safe, smaller city--was a valuable one.

Even in the west coat, many people see USC as a school where less than stellar students get in b/c of their rich daddies. 😉 Kinda like a better Pepperdine.

I don't feel this way, just sayin...

 

[SCP08]

Even in the west coat, many people see USC as a school where less than stellar students get in b/c of their rich daddies. 😉 Kinda like a better Pepperdine.

I don't feel this way, just sayin...

Not me! I got a full scholarship there (wouldn't/couldn't have gone there without it) but that element certainly exists--and it's terribly obnoxious. 🙄

Don't know how much of the snootiness you'd find at the pharmacy school though (I'd expect less).