<p>I recently got accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program at Albany College of Pharmacy. I was really REALLY happy because this is what I've always wanted. However, I received my financial aid reward, and I was shocked. My family couldn't afford it. I received about 10k grants and 5k in loans. I would still have to pay about 25k a year. I know this is a really good program but is it worth it to be in that much debt after these six years? Would I be guaranteed a job when I graduate? I want some opinions from people. </p>
<p>A local college offered me a lot of financial aid but its the an undergraduate program. None of my family members have actually been to a four year college so they wouldn't know much about financial aid and stuff. Please give me your feedback; I would really appreciate it!!</p>
<p>Even though it’s a really good school and its a 0-6 and not a 2-4 program, I would not be willing to get out of school with a big fat 125k in loans to pay off. A rule of thumb is that your loans should not be more than your first expected salary out of pharmacy school.</p>
<p>I have the same goal as you, to become a pharmacist. My plan is to go to a local university, where I will be paying close to nothing because of the aid they offer, for my first 2 years of pre pharmacy. Then, I will apply to a 4-yr Pharm D program. Even though they are competitive, there are about 6 of them in my state so I am bound to get into at least one of them. </p>
<p>Congrats on getting in by the way! Whatever decision you make, it’ll be a good one. It doesn’t matter how you get there, what matters is that you will eventually get there. :)</p>
<p>Are you going to go to Albany college of pharmacy? I want to apply there for regular decision and I was wondering what was your SAT score and GPA?</p>
<p>I agree with the poster above. I also got in, but after reading about the teaching quality and area, it didn’t sound very appealing. Also, Albany isn’t a very well esteemed school so it might be hard to find a job. I would suggest choosing a different school because you could probably get into pharm school through a cheaper route.</p>