It seems like invitations for interview were sent out for the coming year students at USN already. I think it's better to start a new thread for USN class of 2013. Anyone here got invitation yet?
Aw, that makes me sad, because I didn't get an invite yet! Here's hoping one comes soon.... What are your stats?
I got an interview offer on Friday too, via e-mail from Dr. DeYoung. I'm also the beneficiary of academic forgiveness, since my undergrad GPA was mediocre (3.0).
Good luck to all.
I'm finding school to be pretty easy. I get a three day weekend every two weeks. That part is kind of cool. I think the profs are decent enough. After reading what other pharmacy students have to say about the profs at their school, I'm guessing that the ones here aren't any different. Profs read powerpoints just about everywhere.
I haven't really experienced unfairness and I have no idea why the block system is fixed if it is. I can't really speak to the rest of the complaints because I either don't have experience with them or I haven't noticed that there was a problem. I come to class, study at night, take a test, pass the test, get a three day weekend with almost no stress. No major complaints here.
Thanks, diastole...Are you finding it easy enough during interning, etc. Mrblah made it seem like he wasn't learning enough to be a pharmacist. I want to make sure I'll know enough to be a great pharmacist and find a job!
1.The block system is fixed. what does this mean? I like the block system a lot. One thing I think they could fix is making sure each test has 5-7 days on it and not more or less as the tests most people really struggle with are those where there were 8 or more days of material on them. The other thing that could be improved is the Thursday lecture day before Friday tests. One suggestion is to have class only till 11am on Thursday and then cover the rest of that material in the afternoon on Monday. The Thursday material could be on the Friday test as it would motivate more people to come and if class had to end at 11 am that would also encourage students in being there
10.Questions and answer sessions after a test is a joke (they ignore your questions). I think the school does these so that they'll be a learning experience for students however the students that are disrespectful during these sessions and those that don't have a good academic argument but rather are just fighting for a point so they don't have to remediate really make it hard on the faculty as well as all the students who have to sit through the session. It seems like a lot of the unjustified arguments happen from students who are lazy or who put other priorities above studying whether that be playing or working. Remember USN is a 3 year program so you'll likely be in class more each day and study more each day than if you were in a traditional 4 year pharmacy program.
11.The remediations are HARDER, and you can only miss 6 on monday remediations, and they can test you on anything.I remediated some and found that the remediation seemed harder at times but at other times it was easier. I think faculty should have to submit both tests before the Friday test and then one will be randomly selected so that that way there can be no "making the test harder or easier" after the Friday test. One other thing I've thought is that maybe the school should allow a team test on Mondays too. The school emphasizes teamwork but then throws that concept out on Mondays and during the summer remediation. They should do away with the Monday pre-remediation review session and use that time to allow students to take a team test instead.
12. Great professors leave, Lousy professors stay. Not sure about this. I've known of professors leaving but whether they are going to a COP that is closer to their hometown or to one that is more "prestigious" it is hard to say. USN does have good faculty and recruits good faculty.
14.Dean rolls around in a brand new lexus (Dr. Rosenberg). Haven't seen this but haven't looked but I do wonder if management is top heavy. Sometimes students wonder about why tuition keeps rising when salaries have stopped rising but I would bet this happens at all COP especially private ones.
16.No parking for students (somewhat fixed this year, but last year they made us walk a block).I've heard parking is worse at the Nevada campus but still one block shouldn't be something to complain about. In undergrad I often had to walk 4 or 5 blocks from my parking spot to class or use a campus shuttle
17. P2 rotation sites (IPPE) as far as outside of Vegas itself. My site is literally outside of vegas, 1 hour away without traffic. I'm not the only one.Distant rotation sites happen at many COP.
You are right, competitive salaries are neccessary to obtain quality people.I didn't know it was a bad thing for a dean to make good money. Is the idea to make him work for free, that doesn't attract the best canidates.
gsinccom - thanks for being honest and very insightful. USN is still in my list of potentials so its real good to hear from the students themselves, away from the facades that can come up during interviews or info sessions.
however I'd imagine the sjordan campus would be different from lv... any vegas students have anything to say? are you vegas, diastole?
Yep, I'm in Nevada. I agree that every school has its downsides and upsides. One of the reasons I decided to come here is because it is non-competitive. I went to a very competitive UC that graded on a curve and I didn't really want to repeat the experience. People here are a lot more willing to help people out because it doesn't hurt you if more people do well. In fact it is a good thing because there are smiles all around the room after we get our exam results back if lots of people did well.
The downside to the whole, non-competitive, need 90% to pass is that I think questions that require a lot of critical thinking get left out. You have to know your information but there aren't many questions where you have to take what you know and take it one or two more steps to reason out an answer. I suspect that too many people would miss those questions so they don't appear often on the exams. Maybe that will change as we move further along but I suspect not. It is too hard to teach critical thinking but that skill is one of the most valuable in the real world. I think the testing format limits the freedom they have to really challenge us. They make it challenging by the volume of information we are expected to learn but that isn't the same. That's a shame because I really like the block system otherwise.
What hours do you guys usually have class? How much do you tend to study after class? Also, what's the deal with the sort of low NAPLEX passing rate? I think it was in the mid-80's% range somwhere I checked. Thanks for all your helpful responses so far.
so you're saying that in a way, they make the tests easier because students do need a 90% on the test to pass?
but then in turn the students limit their critical thinking?
hmm... it seems like the 90% thing is just some claim of pride that students can say to others. what is the advantage of the 90%+ system?
Thank you SO MUCH for the updated info! I am definitely hoping for an interview.We go to school from 8 to 3 with an hour lunch break but sometimes we get out early. Study hours vary from person to person. I typically put in a 2 to 3 hours after class but I do take days off here and there. I think some of my classmates put in a lot more hours than that and I'm sure some put in less time.
I think you must have looked up older NAPLEX pass rates. One class in 2005 did get an 80% pass rate but it has been much higher since. We got an email with this year's results and it was above 98%. The two years prior to that were in the 97-98% range. USN is on the newer side (about a decade old) so if I had to guess why the old pass rates were lower, it would be because they had to accept a less competitive student body when the school was new. Now the average GPA is something crazy like 3.7 so I don't think that is an issue anymore. Of course, that is just a guess on my part as I wasn't around back then but regardless, the recent pass rates are very solid.
I wonder why they changed their minds on acceptable PCAT dates... Sure could have used that info a month or two ago...
Does anyone think this will push back offers? It seems to me that if they dont evaluate your file until they get the PCAT results, the Jan test would push back evaluations even further, or am I reading too much into this?
Kinda nervous because I took the practice tests, and it gave me a range avg in the mid 80s, but when I took the test, it was much more difficult. I studied for the last five months for it and think I did well in everything except math... Another shot at it in Jan couldnt hurt, right?
The big question is: Will they average your scores, take the best composite, or only accept the latest?
Is this the first year they dont require the PCAT? This is my first choice school, I'm applying next fall for class of 2014, and it would be nice to know that they are not going to have the 1600 applicants that states on their website.
You'll need to ask Dr. DeYoung or his assistant these questions.
I imagine the reason they are accepting the Jan scores is that they haven't had as many applicants as they've had in the past and/or as many as they want. In the past they've had more admissions applications than most pharmacy programs and I'd bet more of it than they realized was tied into the fact that the school didn't require the PCAT.
Hi yall, I haven't posted awhile, but after going through my P1 year, and now in my P2 year. DON'T GO TO USN. I use to be a big fan of my school, but as the year goes on, the more I realize that USN is a diploma mill that really only cares that it gets its money. I wish I went somewhere else. Somewhere that I feel that I'm actually getting the education that I deserve with the money that I've spent. Enough with me, here is what many of the p2's feel about USN.
1.The block system is fixed.
2.Professor's don't really teach (they give you a powerpoint, and expect 3.you to read between the lines) (Jorvig, Dr. Barclay).
4.Professors that make up policies as they go along (Jorvig).
5.Professors that don't speak english (Dr. Mandel).
6.Professors that when you ask a question, tell you to figure it out (Dr. Rhee).
7.Faculty that tells us that ONLY ENGLISH should be spoken on campus (Karla Labbe, racist woman).
8.Faculty that says we don't understand english (Metzger, Dr. Lacy)
9.Faculty that refers us as orientals, blacks (Dr. Welder)
10.Questions and answer sessions after a test is a joke (they ignore your questions).
11.The remediations are HARDER, and you can only miss 6 on monday remediations, and they can test you on anything.
12. Great professors leave, Lousy professors stay.
13.BS policies (contract that says we can't complain at all about faculty on campus).
14.Dean rolls around in a brand new lexus (Dr. Rosenberg).
15.Faculty that parks in the handicap spot that arent handicap (those escalades).
16.No parking for students (somewhat fixed this year, but last year they made us walk a block).
17. P2 rotation sites (IPPE) as far as outside of Vegas itself. My site is literally outside of vegas, 1 hour away without traffic. I'm not the only one.
For obvious reasons, I can't tell you who I am (USN admin like to watch these threads, they did last year and the year before), but keep these reasons in mind when you apply. IT SUCKS TO BE at USN.
Admin if you want to verify that I am a student, feel free to email me.
Have a nice day.
P.S. there are definitely positives about this school, but at this point in time, I don't really have much to say about that. Check my old posts if you want to hear about the positives.
Questions for everyone, won't you drive a Lexus or a BMW or something better when the loans are paid off? Come on, basing the school of what the dean drives....come on! Dr.R is a great and is always there to help.
Mr Blah, thanks for sharing and contributing for all these years.Hi yall, I haven't posted awhile, but after going through my P1 year, and now in my P2 year. DON'T GO TO USN. I use to be a big fan of my school, but as the year goes on, the more I realize that USN is a diploma mill that really only cares that it gets its money. I wish I went somewhere else. Somewhere that I feel that I'm actually getting the education that I deserve with the money that I've spent. Enough with me, here is what many of the p2's feel about USN.
1.The block system is fixed.
2.Professor's don't really teach (they give you a powerpoint, and expect 3.you to read between the lines) (Jorvig, Dr. Barclay).
4.Professors that make up policies as they go along (Jorvig).
5.Professors that don't speak english (Dr. Mandel).
6.Professors that when you ask a question, tell you to figure it out (Dr. Rhee).
7.Faculty that tells us that ONLY ENGLISH should be spoken on campus (Karla Labbe, racist woman).
8.Faculty that says we don't understand english (Metzger, Dr. Lacy)
9.Faculty that refers us as orientals, blacks (Dr. Welder)
10.Questions and answer sessions after a test is a joke (they ignore your questions).
11.The remediations are HARDER, and you can only miss 6 on monday remediations, and they can test you on anything.
12. Great professors leave, Lousy professors stay.
13.BS policies (contract that says we can't complain at all about faculty on campus).
14.Dean rolls around in a brand new lexus (Dr. Rosenberg).
15.Faculty that parks in the handicap spot that arent handicap (those escalades).
16.No parking for students (somewhat fixed this year, but last year they made us walk a block).
17. P2 rotation sites (IPPE) as far as outside of Vegas itself. My site is literally outside of vegas, 1 hour away without traffic. I'm not the only one.
For obvious reasons, I can't tell you who I am (USN admin like to watch these threads, they did last year and the year before), but keep these reasons in mind when you apply. IT SUCKS TO BE at USN.
Admin if you want to verify that I am a student, feel free to email me.
Have a nice day.
P.S. there are definitely positives about this school, but at this point in time, I don't really have much to say about that. Check my old posts if you want to hear about the positives.
so you're saying that in a way, they make the tests easier because students do need a 90% on the test to pass?
but then in turn the students limit their critical thinking?
hmm... it seems like the 90% thing is just some claim of pride that students can say to others. what is the advantage of the 90%+ system?
Congratulations! I was there, too, but no phone call for me yet...Holding out and hoping to hear early next year!I applied in September, and interviewed on 11/10. Guess what, 3 days later, Dr. DeYoung called me on Friday 11/13 and told me the great news: I have been accepted...yeahhhhh...Friday 13 is not bad at all. I have friends studying at USN , and they all said this school is really great. The professors here are really nice. Just can't wait to attend the white-coat ceremony...I already love this school..
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Sullivan University (interviewed 10/30)
Touro University - California (accepted 11/13)
USN (accepted 11/13)