I got accepted to both UW and UCSD but waitlisted at UCSF. I need to make the decision soon but I want to hear more opinions on these schools, either you heard things from people in the program or you are in the program. I would like to hear more opinions on UW and UCSD since there's a lot of UCSF thread already. Greatly appreciate your response!
UW vs. UCSD
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Congrat!!! I have accepted to uw and ucsf. I actually got rejected by ucsd. I am pretty familiar with the three schools.
Uw is cheap for me. I am in state. I did my undergraduate here. I know Seattle pretty well. It's a gorgeous city in the summer. Winter can be depressing. It rains every single day. Uw has good rural medicine program. With that being said, it is a strong clinical program . It also have on of the kind physician assistance (pa) and pharmd program joint program.
However, if u r research oriented. I recommend u to go to a California school. Uw is a good research school. However, research is not of their curriculum. You have to go beyond and find research opportunity on your own, which can be hard sometimes if u did not apply dual phd/ pharmd. Both Ucsd and ucsf has a fairly cuttingedge research pathway build in their pharmd curriculum.
Uw is cheap for me. I am in state. I did my undergraduate here. I know Seattle pretty well. It's a gorgeous city in the summer. Winter can be depressing. It rains every single day. Uw has good rural medicine program. With that being said, it is a strong clinical program . It also have on of the kind physician assistance (pa) and pharmd program joint program.
However, if u r research oriented. I recommend u to go to a California school. Uw is a good research school. However, research is not of their curriculum. You have to go beyond and find research opportunity on your own, which can be hard sometimes if u did not apply dual phd/ pharmd. Both Ucsd and ucsf has a fairly cuttingedge research pathway build in their pharmd curriculum.
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I went to UCSD for undergrad and honestly, the weather can't be beat. In terms of the schools, I have friends at both.
The people at UCSD really came to like how small there class is; they're all really tight-knit from what I've seen. They're less than 20 years old, but I don't think its something you have to worry about since UCSD is really well known in the research. I'm also pretty sure that they have the entire San Diego locked down for rotations (if you look at your packets from UCSF, you will find that there are no sites in SD).
UW is another great school. I've never been to Seattle, but I imagine the weather to be much like Vancouver (overcast and rainy). The school is over 100 years old. My friend that goes there really likes it there. However, he wished that they had more interprofessional courses. He also mentioned that they start therapeutics late (3rd year) and thought that the knowledge gap between 2nd year med students and 2nd year pharm students is huge and they don't really catch up until the 3rd year. There are only two PharmD programs in Washington (ther other being WSU), so I don't think you have to worry about not getting your rotations as much as in California.
The people at UCSD really came to like how small there class is; they're all really tight-knit from what I've seen. They're less than 20 years old, but I don't think its something you have to worry about since UCSD is really well known in the research. I'm also pretty sure that they have the entire San Diego locked down for rotations (if you look at your packets from UCSF, you will find that there are no sites in SD).
UW is another great school. I've never been to Seattle, but I imagine the weather to be much like Vancouver (overcast and rainy). The school is over 100 years old. My friend that goes there really likes it there. However, he wished that they had more interprofessional courses. He also mentioned that they start therapeutics late (3rd year) and thought that the knowledge gap between 2nd year med students and 2nd year pharm students is huge and they don't really catch up until the 3rd year. There are only two PharmD programs in Washington (ther other being WSU), so I don't think you have to worry about not getting your rotations as much as in California.
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Also Uw will have a greater class size than Ucsd . Most of the student r local. They prob also did their undergraduate in the same institute. If you r a California resident, maybe there is greater sense of belonging going to Ucsd.
Facility wise, Ucsd has newest an brightest building I seen. Uw is in the old health science building. The building is old.
In term of Rotation site, I think Uw has advantages. It is affiliated with the nation top 10 hospital. It will probably provide u more opportunity to shadow and work with a top specialized pharmacist.
Facility wise, Ucsd has newest an brightest building I seen. Uw is in the old health science building. The building is old.
In term of Rotation site, I think Uw has advantages. It is affiliated with the nation top 10 hospital. It will probably provide u more opportunity to shadow and work with a top specialized pharmacist.
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Yes, Uw pharmacy curriculum is not innovated. They don't have much interprofessional curriculum. They don't even have many dual degree program , I recall. All the dual degree program start by a dean called Thomas hazlet. There is the regulatory science, pharmaceutical outcome and then the phd.
Ucsd did a nice job of implementing interprofessional curriculum. It blend the medical student and pharmacy student in the same class room. The curriculum is more rigorous and challenging.
Ucsd did a nice job of implementing interprofessional curriculum. It blend the medical student and pharmacy student in the same class room. The curriculum is more rigorous and challenging.
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If u looking for more so an innovated and interprofessional training, you should choose California. It's unbeatable in its research curriculum.
However, if you look for a more so a traditional type of pharmacy training, Uw is a good choice. It is old, established pharmacy school and will provide u with wide range of rotational sites. uw faculty is also friendly and welcoming.
Seattle is a nice little city and start to develop into a metropolitan. There are many software and biotech companies. The city also just built the subway system. There will be plenty of good restaurant and entertainment places .
However, if you look for a more so a traditional type of pharmacy training, Uw is a good choice. It is old, established pharmacy school and will provide u with wide range of rotational sites. uw faculty is also friendly and welcoming.
Seattle is a nice little city and start to develop into a metropolitan. There are many software and biotech companies. The city also just built the subway system. There will be plenty of good restaurant and entertainment places .
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It's worth noting that if you plan on moving towards industry, the immediate area surrounding the campus (La Jolla and Sorrento Valley) is the place to be. This area is world-renowned for the concentration of biotech companies and research institutes (e.g. Scripps and Salk). Also, with UCSD health system, VA, and Scripps Health (separate from the research institute), there is no shortage of hospitals on or near the campus.
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Yes exactly. Just curious. If u get into ucsf, will u go there? How will u choose between ucsf and Ucsd? There r lots change going on for ucsf. They will Change the curriculum to three years in 2017. Their ranking is no longer number one in the nation. However San Francisco is still home for lots biotech and pharmaceutical companies. I was checking the linkedin of ppl who graduate from ucsf. Some get into Amgen and Genentech
I think I'm leaning toward ucsd for now if picking between uw and ucsd.
I honestly don't know where I should go if I get off the waitlist at ucsf. I'm hearing things that students don't like from both schools. But there's less info from ucsd that's why I want to hear more about thoughts/opinions from current students or ppl who know someone in the programs like you guys. (I did get some feedback from students during interviews but I feel like they emphasize on impressing you with positive things) I don't worry about the U.S news ranking since it's based on surveys at institutions. What I'm more concerned is the change that ucsf is having and lack of info from ucsd (when I say lack of info I meant honest opinions from current students since most of the schools will try to impress you with theses info on their websites, info days, interviews etc).
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Yes, I do happen to hear one disadvantage of UCSD.....However, I believe it is more so a special individual circumstance. It should not be generalized for the entire program. I have a family friend, who graduate from UCSD in 2013. She spend nearly two years to search for jobs. She ended up volunteering in the hospital. Then finally, she landed a job in Denver. From what her told me, she thinks one possible disadvantage of UCSD is lacking of alumnus connection. In her case, she have to network very hard, on her own, to land the job. UCSD still a relative new school (Compare to other school have been established more than 100 years). So New might has both pro and con. The program is definitely innovated. It does rise very quickly, associated with one of the nation best pharmacology research instituion . I have no doubt it will have great potential.
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Also Do u think taking class with medical student is an advantage or disadvantage? I do hear from UCSD students that they need learn things that a pharmacist don't need to know. The profs is more targeted toward the medical student and talk like "as physicians, you will be ...."
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I can link you up with some current UCSD pharm students if you'd like.
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@exiangwsu do you happen to know how possible it is to establish in-state residency at UW? :/ i asked at my interview but they didn't seem to be well-versed in that subject and basically referred me to their website. Their OOS tuition is just about as expensive as USC's tuition :/
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I didn't interview at UW, but I did interview at WSU. I was told that you can establish state residency after your first year.
You should call them and ask to confirm. When I called few weeks ago, the coordinator told me that many students have done it and it is very possible.
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I think it is hard. Advisor prob tell u otherwise because they want to attract oos students . However washington is one of state u will show residency is obtained for non tuition purpose. Washington u have to work full time outside school to obtain residency, Where as Cali you can stay 12 months and established ur residency regardless ur enrollment.Unless u can work full time during school, your chance of obtaining residency is pretty low. Most of oos student stuck with oos tuition and fee for entire four years.
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At my interview and in one of their emails, they said the following: "Please note that PharmD students are NOT required to work 30 hours per week to be eligible for Washington residency." And I just heard from a P3 from CA that she was able to establish in-state residency quite easily? :/
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I think unless they work full time or 30-35 more hour per weeks, they can obtain residency for no tuition purpose. Overall, Washington state residency is not super easy to obtain.I think the coordinator need to give more realistic description for the state requirements. I know couple oos students who failed to establish their state residency.
Yeah when I called, they said that full time work is not required for pharmacy school students. But I'm sure it's not easy to obtain residency!
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Go to UCSD, avoid UW if out of state, in state tuition is possible but likely to take 2 years to obtain.
