University of the Sciences vs. URI

<p>Up until just a few days ago, my first choice was University of the Sciences in Philadelphia- Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, which if you know about pharmacy, was the first school in the country and is extremely reputable. The thing is finances are really tight right now and I'm now caught between a school I love and one that I could probably put up with and is much more sound financially. I'm into pharmacy and research. University of Rhode Island gave me a financial package I'd probably be dumb to turn down, YES it includes loans but other than one specific to my major, they're all federal loans-- and the grand total is more than the cost of attendance. USP gave me some in merit, some in work study and the rest which doesn't cover the tuition/room and board in loans. It's for a total of 31,000 out of an estimated 42,000 cost. Today I got an opportunity that might give me 5,000 more a year in merit. I went to Philly and LOVED the school. I've never actually seen the URI campus, but the cost difference is .... tempting. Not to mention, I'm in their honor s program. The only thing that worries me is potential differences in reputation and location... Kingston, Rhode Island. so any opinions? info on either school?
Thanks so much.</p>

<p>bump. any opinions?</p>

<p>bump again</p>

<p>bump. any one familiar with either school?</p>

<p>bump again. any ideas?</p>

<p>Hi GSV13, </p>

<pre><code>No one has replied so i’ll offer my perspective. I have never heard of university of sciences so i cannot offer a good assessment. URI is known as a party school and is tier 3 or worse. I’m not to sure how both schools will look on your resume but i would recommend transferring out after a year or two. Other colleges to look at in RI are Providence College, Brown, and Bryant
</code></pre>

<p>Heyyy, I know about USP too, i might go but it’s soo expensive, i visited and I liked it a lot too, BUT I would say pick the one you think you will do the best in as in suceeding academically. Pick the less riskier one because it doesn’t matter which pharm school u go to, as long as u get ur license and pick the one u will have a better experience at</p>

<p>I am really stuck between Rutgers and USP!! wahhhh and i have only 10 days to decide, i m going crazy too.</p>

<p>I love USP. I think I’m going to go there if I get into PREP. Did you apply to that? And good luck!</p>

<p>And USP is better academically by far… it’s just the money.</p>

<p>USP is no cakewalk. Quite a low retention rate. First rate preparation for a career, particularly in Pharmacy. Recent new construction to add to the qualify of student life. Students who survive the academic rigor enjoy significant success.</p>

<p>I know the rigor of the school. what would you say about student life there? I’ve read about a lack of activities but also so that Philly can compensate for that.</p>

<p>bump. any opinions on taking out more loans?</p>

<p>GSV, my d received a similar package from USP and rejected it immediately. USP is asking you and your family to borrow $31K for next year and their costs only go UP! This is too much debt, even for a PharmD, imo, unless your parents have alot of money saved and very secure futures! And what happens if you find that pharmacy isn’t what you truly want to do and you’re 2 years, and $60K, into it? There are other equally good or better schools that are far less expensive.</p>

<p>Kingston is close to the beach and is more affordable. USP is not in a great area of Philly, is a small intense school, and is very expensive. I would definitely make a quick visit to URI!</p>

<p>My daughter has applications in to USP, St Johns, URI, MCPHS and Rutgers for their 0/6 Pharm D programs. Can anyone add anything new to this thread? She loves USP but hasn’t visited URI yet.</p>

<p>According to the status update online, D has now also been accepted to URI.
Any opinions or experience to share on USP, URI or St. John’s?</p>

<p>hi guys. i am currently a student at USP so i can give some input. Yes it is expensive you cannot deny that. i am in my second year and the pile of papers i have for loans just gets bigger every week. but the truth is, once you graduate with the pharmD degree, and prospective employers see that you went to USP aka philadelphia college of pharmacy, you will be raking in the $$. The campus is very small and we are a very close knit group of students. campus like is moderately active and you will meet here some of the nicest smartest people. the 0-6 program is a plus++ for anyone looking into pharmacy.</p>

<p>My daughter has been accepted at USP and we are considering it but haven’t visited yet. This is for OTherapy, so she is also in at Quinnipiac, and Jefferson…maybe Ithaca. It is a tough choice. USP, Ithaca and Quinnipiac are kind of equivalent. Jefferson is really ranked much higher in US News, but would require a transfer in the 3rd year after 60 credits at another college. Not sure if she is up for that. Anyway - hard to determine how good USP is. Why isn’t it ranked in US News? What tier is it? Second, if you look at the SAT and GPA stats of enrolled students they aren’t that spectacular. How could the academics (as someone earlier mentioned) really be that tough? Is the type of student attending able to handle it. Don’t get me wrong…daughter wants to do well and actually things USP might be a safer bet. Daughter got 12.5K in merit, so it is still expensive but a consideration. Any insight on all of this would be appreciated! Thanks</p>

<p>anteldel </p>

<p>"According to the status update online, D has now also been accepted to URI.
Any opinions or experience to share on USP, URI or St. John’s? "</p>

<p>I was wondering if your daughter has made a decision yet and what your/her evaluation is of each school. My son will be evaluating the same three schools when we re-visit each one. Thanks.</p>