USC pharmacist student, how do you feel ?

[matt48]

Do you like the program ? pros and cons ? Would you choose another pharmacy school if you had the choice?

Sorry I'm trying to make an informed decision to choose the best school for me, and I don't know which one yet. I visited all of the school websites and read a lot about their curricular but I feel like I need some real experience from an actual pharmacist student. Please share your experience.

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[BMBiology]

Do you like the program ? pros and cons ? Would you choose another pharmacy school if you had the choice?

Sorry I'm trying to make an informed decision to choose the best school for me, and I don't know which one yet. I visited all of the school websites and read a lot about their curricular but I feel like I need some real experience from an actual pharmacist student. Please share your experience.

Where are you from? What schools are you comparing USC to?

 

[matt48]

Where are you from? What schools are you comparing USC to?

I'm from Nothern California. I know UCSF is my first choice, but other than that, i'm not really sure. And I know the chance of getting into UCSF is kinda unpredictable, so I'm thinking worst case scenario, which one between the 3 USC vs UOP vs Touro?

 

[Farmercyst]

Depends on what you want out of pharmacy school besides your diploma.

Really though this would be a pre-pharm question, despite your target audience, the subject matter would make it necessary to move.

 

[BMBiology]

I graduated from USC. USC is well known and it offers a lot of opportunities not just in retail and hospital but also in industry, pharmaeconomics, PBMs. You will also have on hand experiences during your first and second year such as compounding and IV preparation training. However, these are the most common complaints about USC:

- PhDs teaching pharmacology in thereapeutic classes. They are not practicing pharmacists so a lot of what they teach (e.g. structure) is a complete waste of time
- Only 6 clerkships during your 4th year while UCSF and Western have 8 clerkships so you may not get as much experience as other pharmacy students. However, since you get 2 rotations off, you can work at your regular job and make some money or travel.
- Not learning what clerkship sites you got until a week before you start. It is really disorganize and a lot of people have complained about it.
- $40,000 a year in tuition is A LOT of money

Overall, I would give my experience at USC a B. Perhaps, Farmercyst can also give his opinions.

 

[sandpiper]

50% of all pharmacists in the Southern California region are USC grads. USC "owns" L.A. and most of SoCal. It's the oldest pharmacy school on the West Coast too. The Trojan Family is for real and worth every penny.

I graduate on May 15 of this year and have had such a great experience (even for a married student with a child). Profs, for the most part, are wonderful, friendly and willing to help. Distance learning on BLACKBOARD means attending class can be optional for some lectures. Employers love USC grads and you have an inside track for certain fellowships, residencies and post-grad opportunities.

Fight On!!

(BTW - I applied only to USC and mentioned that in the interview...they loved my desire to be a USC PharmD!!)