Sorry, if this sounds clueless… I am somewhat new to the pharmacy schools/programs but trying to help DC with his school selection. DC is trying to apply RD to the following schools - U of Maryland Eastern Shore, UMD-Baltimore, Pitt, Tenn, WVa, Howard, Lake Erie, Appalachian, Albany, St John Fisher, UNC-CH, Ohio, Buffalo, Mercer, Cinci, VCU, Campbell (NC), Wisconsin, Utah, Kentucky, and FL.
Obviously, there are too many on the list so DC is trying to cut down to a manageable number of schools. DC’s weak on GPA (cGPA of only 3.0, prerequisite GPA of 3.3-3,4 depending on school) but scored high on PCAT (94 (chem/bio), 97 (reading), 99 (math) and 99 (composite)). So, schools that put more emphasis on PCAT (over GPA) would be beneficial to him. Any thoughts you have is greatly appreciated. If there are schools DC has no shot (due to his GPA) that would be nice to know as well. Sorry about the long post. TIA.
Isn’t Albany a 6yr program? Also, does he have a bachelor’s degree? I think Ohio State requires a bachelor’s degree to be accepted to their pharmacy school.
Where is he instate at? These schools have high tuition cost, especially for OOS.
As long as the instate schools have good NAPLEX pass rates, there is no reason to pay more to go OOS.
@mommdc - thank you for your replies. DC has applied to ED but doesn’t feel comfortable about his chances due to his GPA and, therefore, he is doing research on other possible RD schools in case he doesn’t get his ED school. Other than the cost involved, what are the factors he should consider in selecting schools? Is NAPLEX pass rate the most important factor? I don’t really understand what makes a “good” pharmacy school (vs. not so good one). His list is constantly changing and I am not smart enough (he isn’t either) to question his reasons. Thanks again.
Well the cost intig factor. At least for us. Instate tuition is much lower than OOS.
My D had to apply to her school by November. Will he hear from the ED school about his admissions decision by then?
Naplex pass rate is important imo.
If a high percentage of students pass on their first try, then that would show that the program prepares them well. Look at the numbers over several years.
Other considerations could be location, cost, class size, etc
Some schools require 3 or more years of prerequisite courses.
Some only accept a limited number of students.
He will have to read the pharmcas school directory information for each school.
@mommdc - Yes, he will hear back by the end of October. Assuming he doesn’t get in, he wants to have any many applications ready to send out. He says most schools use rolling admission process so the sooner he sends out, the better his chances are. Not sure if that’s how it works but… Do you have any insights on how much advantage applying ED has over RD process? Thanks again for your replies.
I guess if you have one school that is your favorite, program, cost etc are all favorable and you would definitely attend if you were accepted, then that would save a lot of time and money.
Each application costs money, supplemental apps as well, essays and interviews can be time consuming.
My D was in an early assurance program and only had to apply to one pharmacy school, only go to one interview, etc.
Also I assume that not all schools notify about admission decision (different application deadlines, interview times) at the same time, so if you have to send an enrollment deposit within 2 weeks of acceptance, you might have to pay it to reserve your spot, but then if you change your mind, it might not be refundable.