<p>I have applied to undergraduate programs and now have to decided where to go. I plan to go to pharmacy school and get a PharmD after bachelors. If I go to Ohio State's undergraduate will I have a significantly higher probability of getting into their PharmD program? What is the average gpa of students who go to these undergraduate programs who get into PharmD programs? Which universities do students who go to each of these colleges get into for PharmD programs? I have a guaranteed 6 year PharmD program from UOP but is it worth it since it isn't very highly ranked? Which of these has the most undergraduate research opportunities? Pretty much as a whole, which program should I go to?</p>
<p>I wish I could help, since you’re asking very good questions. Those were the same questions that my kid asked when he was admitted to schools. You may have better luck asking these questions in the pharmacy forums at the student doctor web site (can’t provide the link on CC), and by contacting the admissions offices of the pharmacy schools directly. </p>
<p>It was a few years ago, but my kid was warned away from the UOP program for two reasons (1) supposedly the ratio of [entering students who actually graduate with PharmD degrees is pretty low, since the majority get weeded out; and (2) if you get weeded out or need to find an alternative major or want the whole college experience, UOP is much more limited than other universities. Years ago there were plenty of jobs and residencies for PharmD graduates, but that is no longer the case. For example, 48% of applicants who wanted a residency didn’t get matched this year (according to an email my kid received from the matching program). The reputation of a program is starting to matter more.</p>
<p>If you can visit the pharmacy schools and ask questions of existing students, they may also be able to give you the inside-scoop. In one case, my kid was told by an admissions office that there was a higher probability of getting into a PharmD program as an undergraduate of that school. The students told him a different story, and said admissions were based primarily on GPA in science classes, the PCAT scores and the interview. Most of the students had actually done their prereqs elsewhere. The Admissions Office had claimed that their undergrads had an inside edge, since the Admissions Committee was aware of the strengths of its own prereq classes. However, the Committee seemed to be going for some diversity. While it probably was possible to have filled their class with their own undergraduates due to the large number of applicants, they didn’t do that in reality. Since most of the PharmD classes aren’t huge, the students can know each other’s stories and definitely have insight on your questions.</p>