<p>I got accepted into both Northeastern and MCPHS for the 6 year pharmacy program. I was wondering if people had any pros and cons for both schools. Both are equally far away from home (I'm from CA) and although MCPHS's tuition is a little cheaper, I'm afraid that the social life at MCPHS won't be as...exciting as at Northeastern. Also, which school has a higher reputation in their pharmacy program? I know that Northeastern emphasizes experience (with the co-ops starting in the 2nd year), but is MCPHS more classes-based or experience-based, like Northeastern? Any input from students at either university would help a lot! Thanks!</p>
<p>MCPHS disappointed me entirely. Also, from all the research I have done about it I have learned that students tend to be disappointed as well, mostly concerning the social life(or lack there of) and the probability of failing.</p>
<p>MCPHS’s campus is a lot smaller. It’s basically one building and it doesn’t have a lot of green space. I feel as though the social life would be greatly lacking there compared to Northeastern. They are both located in Boston, though.</p>
<p>Like bgwhite, I heard that many students are not satisfied at MCP, but I have also talked to people that are.</p>
<p>In terms of which program is more highly respected, I would say that Northeastern is harder to get into and has the coop opportunities. However, both are located in Boston so there are plenty of opportunities at both schools to gain an internship if you’re a hard working student. </p>
<p>I talked to a friend who also had to make a decision between the two schools and she ended up choosing MCPHS because of the (much) cheaper tuition, the smaller class sizes (so more individual attention), and because of the fact that in the end, you will probably end up graduating as a pharmacist at both schools. </p>
<p>I know you live in California, so it would be kind of hard to visit, but I highly recommend it. We can’t really tell you which atmosphere you would prefer, and that’s what it really comes down to for pharmacy schools.</p>
<p>But based on my experience, and in my opinion, Northeastern > MCPHS.</p>
<p>I know several people who transferred to MCPHS to NU. I think the NU campus, social life, and reputation are better than mass college. I work across the street from MCPHS… and yeah, it really is just a few buildings with no defined campus. It’s a great place to work as a scientist (Longwood ave, next to Harvard Med and several hospitals, massive research facilities–but these are Harvard/Brigham Women’s, not mass college), but not a great location to be a student, in my opinion, and not a school that I’d move across the country for.</p>
<p>Not to pan MCPHS… I know it has a decent reputation around boston and grads do well with jobs etc., also, if it’s significantly cheaper, it’s worth checking out the campus and looking into what campus life is like.</p>
<p>I got into both schools as well (for Physical Therapy programs, but Pharm and PT programs are similar at both). Several recent alumni from my high school attend both schools and the three students I talked to from MassPharm said they desperately wished they had gone to NU. All the students that I spoke to at NU were very pleased with it, especially co-op. The MassPharm kids all said they felt like students who had done co-op had an upper hand on them when applying for jobs. MassPharm is definitely more class-based. For some people that is preferable, but for most health sciences it helps to have the competitive edge of work experience. </p>
<p>As far as the college in general goes, both said the administration was a bit strict. The NU kids told me the social scene was very good there and they didn’t have to go out of their way or off campus to have fun. The MassPharm students said that since there isn’t really a solid campus at MCPHS they have to go to other college campuses or other locations for fun.</p>
<p>All in all, I’d say NU is a better choice. But of course everything I’ve got is just hear-say so good luck with making a decision! :)</p>
<p>@bgwhite: what do you mean by “probability of failing”? Are their classes harder than most pharmacy schools?</p>
<p>@highachiever793: Thanks for all the input! I have visited both schools and I saw how small MCPHS was. I originally was leaning towards Northeastern, but with a second opinion, I’m pretty sure I’ll like Northeastern better.</p>
<p>I read a review from a recent student who said that they essentially shoved the material onto students, and several could not handle it, resulting in drop outs. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that MCPHS is easier to get into, so the students were less capable.</p>
<p>@titanmom: I have looked at that ranking and applied to all the 6 year programs. I did get accepted into University of Pittsburgh, but I rather go to Boston than Pittsburgh (even though Pitt has a higher ranking), since Boston provides more opportunities and it isn’t as cold there than in Pitt. My parents want me to go to a school with higher ranking (like Rutgers and Pitt) but I feel I’ll have a more enjoyable experience at Northeastern.</p>
<p>I agree with whmcp101-- don’t base your decision on the weather. It will basically be about the same. Boston will get Nor’easters just like last Sunday where everything closes. Pittsburgh will get lake effect snow storms off Lake Erie. I think if you don’t consider Pitt and you’re going for any type of science curriculum including PharmD, you are overlooking a great school and city. Pittsburgh has just about everything that Boston does culturally and sporting wise. They don’t have an NBA team, but other than that they have a lot in common…except the ocean, but I’m guessing you won’t spend a lot of time on the Cape! I was very pleasantly surprised when I visited Pittsburgh and it is much easier to get around and the cost of living is a lot lower than Boston or NYC.</p>
<p>Congrats on both of your acceptances I had a chance to visit both over the summer and do a bit of online research so I’ll give you my two cents for what it’s worth.
Like some other people said, I have heard some bad stories about MCPHS. They enroll a larger amount of people in the program than they have spots to graduate. This means that they are purposefully trying to get people to drop out, which means classes/labs are really hard or have a bad grading policy. I think this overenrollment technique isn’t all that uncommon in some programs (I heard also engineering?) but the extent that they do it seems unfair. The dorms where the nicest I have ever seen- however there didn’t seem to be a lot of social life. The tour guide mentioned that MCPHS is part of the fenway colleges so you get access to facilities at other nearby colleges which seemed cool. Overall, it seems like you don’t get as much independence and socializing as you might at other schools, but if you’re the type of person that likes to study and get work done it might be right for you. Also, I think merit scholarships there are quite easy to come by (lots of them and low requirements). Even my tour guide said they “hand them out like candy” :p</p>
I had a chance to visit both over the summer and do a bit of online research so I’ll give you my two cents for what it’s worth.