need help from someone who knows pharmacy and pharmacy schools!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>ok so i got accepted into rutgers pharmacy program and st. john's university pharmacy program. Now as some of you may know, one school is in New Jersey and the other is in New York. Now from what I'm told not only would you have to take a national licensing exam, but also you would take individual state certification exams. so for example, person that wanted to practice in NJ would take the national licensing exam followed by a respective state certification exam. Now my father says that St. John's may be better than rutgers b/c it prepares the student to take a NEW YORK licensing exam as well as the national exam. As a result, a school like St. John's, although statistically weaker than rutgers pharmacy, would be more beneficial to me if i was to get licensed to practice in NY (this seems to be the most probable situation after a graduate).This works the same way for rutgers since it's in NJ (same premise). </p>

<p>What I want to know is...is that true? Or does it not matter what school, no matter what state it's in, you go to as long as it has an overall strong program (which in that case I would go to Rutgers)? </p>

<p>I know its a ton to read but im really lost and need serious help. HELP!</p>

<p>and thanks for any advice that is given.</p>

2

<p>Your father is right. If you go to a pharmacy school in another state, it's difficult to pass the NYS exam. The NYS exam consists of three parts: national, state law and something called the "compound" exam. California is the only other state that requires the compound. Because of that, Rutgers will not prepare you for the compound exam, but SJU will. However, pharmacists with one year experience in another state only have to take the state law part when applying for the NYS license. So, that's what many Rutgers graduates do: they work for a year in NJ, and then take the abbreviated NYS exam.
This info is from a very reliable source.</p>

3

<p>The advantage of Rutgers Pharmacy is that it's close to several major pharmaceutical companies and there are internships and job opportunities because of that. It's considered a very strong pharmacy program.</p>

4

<p>There are only three pharmacy schools in the NY metro area: St. John's, Rutgers, and LIU. They are all good. Rutgers, however, may provide better overall college experience for the students. Many eventually get licensed in both States, anyway.</p>