I’m having trouble deciding whether or not to go to uop (pre-pharmacy program) or a uc( chem/biochem). If I go to uop ill probably end up with a low gpa but guaranteed admission to their pharmacy program but if I go to a uc I’ll probably get a higher gpa and may end up going to a better pharmacy program (ucf, usc, etc.)? I have scholarships to uop so the price will pretty much end up being the same in addition to uop having an accelerated program.
Do I pick the mediocre/ guaranteed/ faster pharmacy program or the better/ longer/ unguaranteed pharmacy program?
What makes you think you would have a low GPA at UOP versus a higher GPA at a UC? If you want to guarantee you will make it in to a PharmD program, UOP seems like a better option. Plus, you will get into the workforce faster if you can get on the 2+3 track.
Thanks for the replies! From the forums I read about uop, I’ve read about students barely getting 2.7 gpas and getting their scholarships away which seems pretty scary considering the 60k cost while uc students maintain a slightly higher gpa from what my friends have told me.
Well I’m not familiar with either school, but pharmacy is a hard major anywhere. What gpa did those students have going in from hs? What are the minimum stats required to get the scholarship at UOP and keep it? The students barely getting a 2.7 gpa probably won’t enter the professional part of the program or does everyone advance? I only know from looking at the naplex pass rate, where almost all pharm d students pass on the first try, that the ones who made it to the end of the program were successful. That part is not much different than at the UC.
Then consider cost of 4 yr UC and then 4 yr pharm school versus cost of UOP for 6 yrs with scholarship. Not having to apply and interview with lots of pharm schools, having to have an even higher gpa to be competitive.
Being done in 6 yr versus 8 yr.
I’ve also heard that some stem majors are impacted at UCs, that kids don’t graduate in 4 yrs sometimes because they can’t get into classes they need.
Every school has gen bio and chem 1,2, org chem, some physics, calc, it is hard stuff. If you have done well in these classes in hs you should make it, but you still have to work hard. Going into pharmacy just for the salary is wrong.
I got into the 3+3 track. I need to maintain a 3.0 gpa overall and a 2.7 gpa for math/ science classes. If I do, I get a guaranteed interview and maintain the scholarships.
Thanks, the forum was really helpful!
Well I’m pretty sure that you would need a higher gpa than 3.0 when applying to several pharmacy schools after prepharm to be competitive. So if you work hard you should be able to do it. Some students on SDN seemed to say that UOP was a supportive environment and help is available if you ask for it.
How much would your cost be for 6 yr UOP with scholarship? And the alternative 8 yr path?
You should make sure you shadow pharmacists to see if that is the career you want.
How well did you do in math and chemistry in high school?
They’re fine with me doing anything but I think the main problem is that I am still a little hesitant with pharmacy like the student in the other forum. I don’t want my parents paying the tuition only for me to drop out of uop(only good for certain majors) while uc’s will allow me to change into other majors… I think I will be choosing uop though.
The merit scholarships are only able to be used at UOP for the 2 years or 3 years you are in pre-pharmacy. Once you progress on to pharmD, you are only eligible for federal loans - as you are no longer considered an undergraduate student but rather a professional student.
We can’t make this decision for you. We can just present some facts so you can make an informed decision.
So many kids and families take on huge debt because they think they want to be an engineer, doctor, etc.
If you’re going into a career where grad/professional school is expensive then you ideally should keep undergrad costs low. Also keep options open in case you want to do something else.
The UOP Accelerated Pre-Pharm Advantage program does not “guarantee” admission into the actual pharmacy college even if you meet the GPA requirements. After your second year of pre-pharm, you are screened through a writing sample, 3 recommendations and an interview. Not all pre-pharm applicants are accepted. Also the tuition without room & board for the two undergraduate years $40,822 per year and the pharmacy years is $65,721 (not including some additional pharmacy incidental fees for technology, etc.) because there are 3 semesters in each pharmacy year. Room and board is estimated at approximately $17,000 per year. (See http://www.pacific.edu/Documents/finance/student-accounts/14-15%20Annual%20Cost%20Sheet.pdf). Also, the UOP Accelerated program does not include a bachelor’s degree which may be important later if you decide to get an MBA or other non-pharmacy graduate degree.
So unless you are offered a huge financial aid package that doesn’t have to be repaid or your parents have the means to easily support you in those programs, you’ll probably want to be pretty sure that pharmacy school is your main goal and you would screen through after your 2nd year in college to get into the pharmacy graduate school.
A bachelor’s degree from UCSD would be much less expensive if you are paying in-state tuition. UCSD has a BS in Pharmacological Chemistry which would be a great undergraduate degree for pharmacy and many other careers. You would still have to apply to a graduate pharmacy school, but with much less debt behind you.
You might also want to check out getting licensed as a pharmacy technician and getting a part time job in a pharmacy rather than just shadowing in a pharmacy. Our DS who is now a PharmD started that way in high school. He was 16 and stayed in his California high school, but took the GED and the PCTB exams (studied on his own with a book from Barnes & Noble) just to meet the licensing qualifications and then easily got part time work that fit around his school and sports schedules. It gave him a good idea about whether or not to choose pharmacy as his major.
(DS graduated in 2013 with a BS and PharmD with a minor in business administration from Northeastern University in Boston. He is currently licensed in CA and MA and working on a medical information team in the pharmaceutical industry. Northeastern is one of 10 universities that has a true guaranteed zero-6 year PharmD program (it ie a year-around program which includes a bachelor’s degree as well as a PharmD for incoming freshmen) —guaranteed acceptance meaning no test, no interview, as long as you maintain a 3.0 GPA and no grade less than a C.)
If you are looking for a guaranteed freshman entry 0-6 accelerated PharmD program, check out the following schools (not sure which of them besides Northeastern also includes a bachelor’s degree) :
Florida A & M University
Massachusetts - Boston
Northeastern University
Ohio Northern University
Rutgers University
St. John’s University
St. Louis College of Pharmacy
University of Findlay
University of Rhode Island
University of the Sciences
