What to consider when picking schools?

[bmclinn]

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I'm going to be attending some open houses this semester and find it hard to pit different schools up against each other when picking which ones to apply. I've heard its harder to find a job/internships if the school is located in a big city vs a more rural city. If that's true what other things should I look into? So far here is my list (in no particular order):

Proximity to indiana
Climate
Ranking
People I already know in the area
Variety of dual degree programs
Variety of rotations
Job placement and certification %
Social scene

 

[bmclinn]

Bump. I'm visiting schools in the next coming weeks and I'd really know what to look out for.

 

[Mur7ay]

Harder to obtain a job in a larger city? I figured it would be opposite since there's about 90 students in one class plus those ahead of you in one little town fighting for the same position

 

[Mur7ay]

But to also add to your list.. Accredited status

 

[NaOH]

Depends on what your long-term goals are.

Me, I'd go to the cheapest decent school I could find.

 

[Mur7ay]

I'm currently struggling on deciding if I want to go to a three year program or four year.

 

[Mur7ay]

Do I want to have a life or don't want one the next three years

 

[bmclinn]

Depends on what your long-term goals are.

Me, I'd go to the cheapest decent school I could find.

What about an OOS school that is more prestigious?

 

[DrDrugs2012]

Since most of my posts are a list of sorts... no reason to break from the norm...

1) Location is temporary; your future is not.
Everyone seeks a school which is close to home or whatever place of residence you consider home. One instinctively seeks a school near family and friends. However, by not branching out beyond your normal group you may be shortchanging yourself in the long run. Pharmacy school is a temporary blip on your radar of life. The entire objective of attending graduate school (of any degree) is to place high importance on your future professional life. Your goal should be to obtain the best education you possibly can.

2) Define what you consider the best education available to you.
When considering graduate school, you should already have a solid idea of where you want to end up in life. Not all graduate schools are made equal. This is not to say 'follow US News rankings' but rather to follow a deeper investigation into a school. Some schools have nationwide brand power - it doesn't matter where you go, employers in the field recognize the name. Some have regional familiarity. Some are experts in clinical pharmacy, others in research. If you know of specific destination, find the school which offers the clearest path towards that destination. And if you are unsure or have a wide range of interests, then seek a school which can accommodate your curious mind and allow you to pursue multiple avenues until you arrive at your destination.

3) Graduate school in all its forms is only 50% about what you learn.
The rest is about who you bring into your professional circle. Insufficient emphasis is placed on professional networking these days, and it is doubly important considering the sheer number of pharmacy graduates with respect to the fewer number of openings in pharmacy employment. The people you bring into your circle today could be a colleague, supervisor or direct report tomorrow. Develop those relationships because you never know what you may need from them and they from you.

The rest is simply a superfluous cloud of phosgene poisoning your decisionmaking. So long as you are sociable and genuine, you will find new friends, you will find a social life worth having, and entertainment wherever you land. And who knows, you might actually learn something new.

 

[NaOH]

What about an OOS school that is more prestigious?

Again, depends on what your goals are. If you think you're interested in doing clinical work, or going into academia, etc. then it might make sense to apply to schools that are strong in those areas, or that have residencies you're interested in.

If you know your future is in community pharmacy, there's not much to be gained (in my mind) by having a 'prestigious' name on your diploma, unless it's simply for personal satisfaction. Provided my in-state school was at all decent, I'd look at that first.

 

[oldstock]

Since most of my posts are a list of sorts... no reason to break from the norm...

1) Location is temporary; your future is not.
Everyone seeks a school which is close to home or whatever place of residence you consider home. One instinctively seeks a school near family and friends. However, by not branching out beyond your normal group you may be shortchanging yourself in the long run. Pharmacy school is a temporary blip on your radar of life. The entire objective of attending graduate school (of any degree) is to place high importance on your future professional life. Your goal should be to obtain the best education you possibly can.

2) Define what you consider the best education available to you.
When considering graduate school, you should already have a solid idea of where you want to end up in life. Not all graduate schools are made equal. This is not to say 'follow US News rankings' but rather to follow a deeper investigation into a school. Some schools have nationwide brand power - it doesn't matter where you go, employers in the field recognize the name. Some have regional familiarity. Some are experts in clinical pharmacy, others in research. If you know of specific destination, find the school which offers the clearest path towards that destination. And if you are unsure or have a wide range of interests, then seek a school which can accommodate your curious mind and allow you to pursue multiple avenues until you arrive at your destination.

3) Graduate school in all its forms is only 50% about what you learn.
The rest is about who you bring into your professional circle. Insufficient emphasis is placed on professional networking these days, and it is doubly important considering the sheer number of pharmacy graduates with respect to the fewer number of openings in pharmacy employment. The people you bring into your circle today could be a colleague, supervisor or direct report tomorrow. Develop those relationships because you never know what you may need from them and they from you.

The rest is simply a superfluous cloud of phosgene poisoning your decisionmaking. So long as you are sociable and genuine, you will find new friends, you will find a social life worth having, and entertainment wherever you land. And who knows, you might actually learn something new.

👍👍 !! 😍

 

[PreAA]

Okay, I'm asking this as a dead-serious question and mean to impart no offense whatsoever against this particular program, but what about LECOM? What kind of reputation do they actually have in the eyes of hospitals as well as chain and independent pharmacies?

 

[oldstock]

Okay, I'm asking this as a dead-serious question and mean to impart no offense whatsoever against this particular program, but what about LECOM? What kind of reputation do they actually have in the eyes of hospitals as well as chain and independent pharmacies?

LECOM's Pharmacy schools, one in Eerie PA and the other in Brandenton, FL, are definitely new. LECOM is also DO school. The two Pharmacy schools are housed with their medical schools at both campuses. Probably they have connections with hospitals, at least the local ones.

I can't find the ranking for LECOM-Brandeton on the ranking of US-News, but it ranks LECOM-Eeries only as Non-Rank/Bottom of the List

There are lots of talks about the increasing competition for residencies in the future as there are more pharmacy graduates. Thus, schools' names and rankings might be a factor in the process.

Retail might not matter much what school one went to as long as the person passed the board exam (NAPLEX) from what I heard.

Hopefully, more knowledgeable people will add in on this.


*this thread discuss the importance of names/reputation of schools

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-four-ca-schools-opening-up.1056428/

Participated in a PGY-1 residency interview in California. The Residency Director explained the process used to determine interviewees. There were 40 applicants for each residency spot. 20% of total applicants were offered an interview. He said that all the applications were impressive, and that 5+ yrs ago, even the 'bottom' applicant would have been a top match.

There was a GPA cut-off, and they gave points based on your school's ranking, if the school gave grades (or not), prior degrees (BS, MS, PhD, etc). If a candidate attended an unranked school that also issued no grades, they were not offered an interview.

I can only speak for two health systems I have worked for over the past 4 years. We do not take any students for internships from the newish pharmacy school in our state, nor do we interview them for residencies. Our clinical pharmacy team is made up of all pharmacists from established programs in state and out of state, some residency trained and others hired after years of experience. Same goes for my previous hospital as well.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-four-ca-schools-opening-up.1056428/


*US News-School Ranking:

http://www.usnews.com/education/bes...3/10/methodology-best-health-schools-rankings

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/pharmacy-rankings/page 4

 

[Jibby321]

Okay, I'm asking this as a dead-serious question and mean to impart no offense whatsoever against this particular program, but what about LECOM? What kind of reputation do they actually have in the eyes of hospitals as well as chain and independent pharmacies?

I've talked to preceptors who have never heard of LECOM.

 

[PreAA]

I've talked to preceptors who have never heard of LECOM.

Is that a better situation to be in than if a student's preceptors had heard of them, but had actually heard negative things? With so many new pharmacy schools out there nowadays (and more opening up), is it unusual/bad for a preceptor, hospital, etc. to have never heard of a school?

 

[bmclinn]

Again, depends on what your goals are. If you think you're interested in doing clinical work, or going into academia, etc. then it might make sense to apply to schools that are strong in those areas, or that have residencies you're interested in.

If you know your future is in community pharmacy, there's not much to be gained (in my mind) by having a 'prestigious' name on your diploma, unless it's simply for personal satisfaction. Provided my in-state school was at all decent, I'd look at that first.

Thank you for your response, very insightful! One question: say I want to go into research, how do I find out which schools lean that way? Same would apply for clinical, academia, etc.

 

[Jibby321]

Is that a better situation to be in than if a student's preceptors had heard of them, but had actually heard negative things? With so many new pharmacy schools out there nowadays (and more opening up), is it unusual/bad for a preceptor, hospital, etc. to have never heard of a school?

Ill pm you

 

[DrDrugs2012]

Thank you for your response, very insightful! One question: say I want to go into research, how do I find out which schools lean that way? Same would apply for clinical, academia, etc.

Thats easy. Find PDF copies of two gold standard pharmacy textbooks: dipiro and koda kimble. Look at the authors for each chapter and record the schools from which they teach. More or less, the frequency at which a school appears is a fairly rough laymans guide to identifying clinically focused schools.