I am an incoming freshman to FIU my ultimate goal is to end up in UF and attend their pharmacy school. I have heard from a lot of people that transferring from FIU will be difficult and that i should attend a community college. Should i attend FIU for a year and transfer to santa fe and then apply to UF or should i just stay in FIU for my first two years and then apply to UF?
Be sure to look up UF’s transfer requirements for your particular major and make your advisor aware of your intentions from the start- it’ll make your two years smoother.
My suggestion would be to do the two years at FIU, don’t chop up your college trajectory because of what you heard. At the end of the day, you’ll want to pursue the most affordable option.
Get the highest grades possible with a strong course load and you will very likely be admitted to UF. Work on establishing a strong relationship with two or more professors for recommendation letters and lastly try to be a part of a club or two that’s relevant to your interests.
One thing to look for is that the courses you are taking are transferable credits and not credits for FIU only. That’s the main thing that would be a concern!
You do not need to transfer to UF in order to get into the Pharmacy Program. You only need 60 credits of general education coursework AND pre-professional courses. You can accomplish this at any Florida State College or FIU. You can apply to UF Pharmacy Program once you complete these courses ( preferably with a science GPA: 2.75 - 3.4) and take the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test: > 40th percentile composite) exam. So, you can stay at FIU and complete the basic requirements or do them a one of the Florida State Colleges (cheaper option).
You can look at the UF admission requirements here:
http://admissions.pharmacy.ufl.edu/planning-to-succeed/application-requirements/
Frankly, you shouldn’t become fixated on one Pharmacy Program if you are serious about becoming a Pharmacist. In Florida, there are three public universities that have Pharmacy Programs (UF, USF, FAMU) and 2 private universities. Apply broadly and then make a decision based on cost, board pass rates, etc.
http://health.usf.edu/pharmacy/prerequisites/admissions-requirements
http://pharmacy.famu.edu/office-of-student-services/transfer-applicant-criteria/