Purdue or Drake?! Please, any suggestions!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Purdue University
1

<p>Please help me decide on a college!</p>

<p>Ok, I was accepted to all of my schools but am drawn between two in particular--Drake University and Purdue University.</p>

<p>This is a short pro/con list I've compiled:</p>

<p>Pro Drake:
1.Small campus=smaller classes and no big lecture halls.
2. Pretty/friendly Campus.
3. I'll receive $9500 a year from them.
Con Drake:
1.Located in Des moines where 90% of the kids are from the midwest like me. No real diversity.
2. Has a good pharmacy school (#51 but not nearly as good as Purdue's-#5)</p>

<p>Pro Purdue:
1. Pretty/friendly campus
2. Will receive $7000 in scholarship $ a year(less but not a huge difference)
3. Awesome pharmacy school (grad is ranked #5 and many people are lined up with jobs right after graduating).</p>

<p>ConsPurdue:
1. Again small city with not much diversity (indiana)
2. Very big school with TA's and giant lecture halls
3. Less $ from purdue.</p>

<p>Really, it boils down to if I should choose the much better ranked pharmacy school over the smaller school with an okay pharmacy school with more money.
Does the school rank make a huge difference?</p>

<p>I'm also afraid I wouldn't make it into Purdue's graduate program--what would you do if you didn't make it?! whereas drake's is guaranteed.</p>

<p>Also, would I be able to do 2 years at Drake and transfer to Purdue's (or another universities) graduate program? Or do you have to stay committed to the 6 year program?</p>

<p>I know, I know... a lot of questions! but please, What should I do?</p>

2

<p>very interesting questions and they are fair. first off, you need to determine your own credentials. purdue pharmacy is really really hard to get in so if you're not a top of the line student, i would go with the safer choice and the guaranteed degree b/c in all honesty, undergrad gpa only determines your first job and if you get a pharmd it really doesn't matter where you graduated from 20 years down the road. purdue will definitely have more diversity then drake and also expose you to more people from different backgrounds while also challenging you b/c the competition will be much much stiffer. so i guess you need to post more about what you're looking for specifically.</p>

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<p>I don't know where you're from but I'd stay away from Iowa. =]</p>

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<p>You can always start at Drake, take the PCAT in year 2, and apply to any pharmacy school you'd like. I think this would be having your cake and eating it too! Just be award of what Purdue's prepharm requirements are and make sure you're on track to meet the required coursework!</p>

5

<p>lisalisa, from what i read it sounds like the university of illinois chicago would have been a perfect fit for you- it's half the size of purdue, ranked in top ten for pharmacy, and its located in the second city...plenty to do.</p>

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<p>Ah, I know, but I live 20 minutes away from the UIC campus which was something that realllly didn't appeal to me. Oh well!</p>