Help me decide Purdue Honors vs Michigan vs Northeastern for Pharmacy

College Search & Selection
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Hello! I am not usually the kind of person to post in these forums because I am afraid of judgment, but I know many of you here have different perspectives than me and I think this will be helpful.

I applied to 20 schools overall and I am down to three choices. I was waitlisted at Cornell which is my absolute top choice, and if admitted off there, these won’t matter. I have to choose a school to commit to otherwise.

I am a prospective pharmacy (PharmD) student. I am also a singer and I want to continue music in college with either participation in a chorus or a music minor (or both). In case this helps, I am also gay so I am looking for a school with an inclusive atmosphere. I live in PA, so all of my top choices are out-of-state.

At Purdue: I was awarded a 10k a year scholarship and a spot in the honors college. The total program length at Purdue is 6 years, and this option is my best financial offer. I love Purdue because of the honors college at a big ten school and its beautiful campus in the middle of nowhere. Part of me is concerned that I would get bored of the area or that maybe being a big fish in a small pond is not my kind of life. The pharmacy program is ranked #7 and it is not an early assurance program. However, I spoke with pharmacy program people who said that almost everyone who applies to the pharmacy school from the pre-pharmacy Purdue program gets in. My family has agreed to get me a single dorm for my first year at Purdue because I do not feel super comfortable rooming with straight guys and I haven’t been able to find other honors college gay males.

At Michigan: I was accepted into the Early Assurance Program which ensures that as long as I finish the prerequisites for pharmacy with a certain GPA, I will have a spot in the pharmacy school. I am bringing in a bunch of dual enrollment and AP credits and Michigan says that I could do the program in 5-6 years depending on how much I want to take outside of the pre-pharmacy school. Michigan has an excellent pharmacy program (#3 in the country) and having this assurance is amazing. I do not have a final decision on LSA honors or LSA merit scholarships. Since I don’t know my cost, I do not know if it is going to be affordable. The honors college is not important to me especially because of the prestige of Michigan. The pharmacy school is slightly cheaper and with my current price, I would most definitely incur some major debt.

At Northeastern: I was admitted into the N.U. In program (which was something I really wanted because the pharmacy curriculum is super structured and there is not much room for study abroad). I also received an 8.5k a year scholarship from RaiseMe. Northeastern has always been my dream school and I love its location. I see myself living in Boston after college and I think the co-op programs will give me great access to job opportunities afterward. Northeastern’s 6-year pharmacy program is unique because two semesters are paid co-ops in which I will not have to pay tuition (which is super expensive at Northeastern). Though Northeastern is my dream school, it has a lower-ranked pharmacy program (#31) which I do not understand. Maybe some of you all know why, but it is currently what is drawing me away.

In case you are curious: I love Cornell specifically because of the unique pharmacy program it has with Binghamton. It is a 7-year program that earns a Bachelor in Plant Science and a PharmD. I specifically want to work in medicinal plant research pharmacy, and this would put me on the right track.

I applied to: Cornell, Lehigh (for Pharmaceutical Chemistry), Purdue, Michigan, Delaware, Minnesota-TC (Pre-pharmacy and Microbiology B.S.), UConn, OSU (no scholarship but honors), UW-Madison (no scholarship), UPitt (in-state), Duquesne, UVM (microbiology B.S.), Villanova (optometry and honors college), Allegheny, Bowdoin (waitlist), Drake (huge scholarship), Ohio Northern, UNC-CH (rejected), Dartmouth (rejected). If you have questions on why I am not considering one of these, I am happy to answer!

Thank you so much! :slight_smile: <3

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Also want to note: my family was not involved in my college admissions process at all and they do not know much about these schools. They both went to Penn State (which was the only school they applied to, nothing wrong with PSU, just that they don’t know anything about other schools). They are quite judgmental on some of my more expensive choices and don’t see why they are worth it. It is my decision but they do not want me to go to most of my choices. If I get solid reasoning from you guys, I can possibly use it to encourage them.

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Did you end up picking a school? I thought this was so funny because we applied to a lot of the same schools. In my opinion, Michigan is the best option for you. I’m an in-state resident and trust me, you don’t want to let that admission go. Especially this year because a lot of the people I know got rejected. But then again, this is coming from someone who picked Ohio State since they accepted me into a really good program. I’m also gay and I know that OSU is much more inclusive than most of the US campuses(not to say that any are bad, it’s just OSU was voted in that category). I also didn’t get a scholarship which sucks. But I did get into a Scholars program so I’m really excited. But anyways, I know that where you go, you’ll do wonderful and it seems like you’re extremely driven.

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Hello! I ended up choosing Purdue with honors and a nice scholarship. I am also on the cornell waitlist so if i get off of that, I might go there. I loved michigan but overall, I would’ve been 100k in debt going there. In-state michigan i’d like a third of the cost of out of state and it’s just hard to rationalize. I think you made the right call with OSU. I loved it there and ultimately my offers at purdue and ohio state were so similar, but purdue offered the money which made me like them a bit more. Best of luck to you in all your future endeavors :slight_smile:

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I know this post is coming very late and you did mention getting a scholarship, but it’s always okay to write an appeal letter asking for more money. Worst thing they can do is say no. You can reference the other offers you received. We’re always so overjoyed at being accepted, we often forget colleges are run like big business. Make an impassioned plea, can’t hurt. In the meantime, congratulations and best of luck!

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Hello. I am curious why you are not considering UVM or Lehigh. My daughter is interested in both, and Purdue (and Cornell but I know she will get no $ there).

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Can you close this thread? The OP made a choice. That should end the discussion.