<p>hi. im a junior in high school
and i was wondering if i could get some information (any information)
on usc pharmacy program.
i heard it's 3 year program which gives you masters degree with bachelor's degree. is that true?
if it is true, then how long would it take me to finish the program? 3 years?
i heard usc pharm program is really good. :)
so i just wanted to get some info on it!
thank you!</p>
<p>hey...im a freshman at SC in the pharmacy program right now</p>
<p>its called the TAP program (trojan admission prepharmacy) and its the equivalent to the bach md program that usc has for medical students.</p>
<p>basically, you do your undergraduate prepharmacy work at USC on the University Park Campus and then after three or four years (depending on whether you want your BS or not...if you do it would take four years), you gain automatic admission into USC's pharmacy school on the Health Science Campus.</p>
<p>at the pharmacy school, you do another four years of study to get your PharmD which is like an MD except for pharmacists</p>
<p>so total, its a 7 or 8 year program.</p>
<p>just to clarify, the pharmacy curriculum is completely separate from your undergraduate work, meaning that during your undergraduate years you wouldn't be taking any pharmacy related classes. the program simply is a guarantee into the pharmacy school. you can still apply to the pharmacy school after undergraduate years even though youre not in the program.</p>
<p>other schools have similar programs, like the University of the Pacific and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>To get into the program, you have to have some pretty good scores and GPA. they also require an extra essay, recommendations (one from someone who can attest to your academic qualities and the other from one who can talk about your potential as a pharmacist), interview, and an additional impromptu essay during your interview to test your writing skills. the program is selective, but not as selective as the Bach-MD program, with a couple hundred students applying and around 35 being accepted.</p>
<p>if you have anymore questions i'd be happy to answer them</p>
<p>Dear Ek1000,
I know that the TAP program wants students who know what they are getting into. What kind of pharmacy exposure did you or other TAP students have?
Thanks,
LA</p>
<p>To be honest, I don't have a lot of exposure to pharmacy and any tips on getting some exposure would be appreciated haha... </p>
<p>Basically I had known since I was small that I wanted to get into health care and during my high school years I found pharmacy. So I started to look into the profession on the internet and spoke with a hospital pharmacist, my local community pharmacist, and a pharmacist involved in research who used to teach at USC and discovered that this profession would be perfect for me. </p>
<p>That's pretty much all the exposure I have. But I did get a lot out of those talks with the different types of pharmacists and that combined with the internet gave me enough information to convince the TAP program that I knew what I was getting into.</p>
<p>I'm not too sure about the other TAP students...</p>
<p>What do you think are the best ways to get some exposure? I'd imagine that a job in the local pharmacy would do, but it seems that they all require tech licenses to work and no longer have on-the-job training like they used to. I guess I could volunteer at a hospital pharmacy if they accept volunteers, but I'm looking to make some cash as well. Do you know of any opportunity where I could get pharmacy experience for a paid job?</p>
<p>Dear ek1000,
I will ask around if anyone has suggestions on getting experience and pay w/o a tech license. I know you can get a tech license by passing the tech certification test. I am certain the math portion would be a breeze. I don't know how much "pharmacy" is on it. I work with people who have taken it, but they took it several years ago. The test may have changed. You can get an intern license after the 1st year of pharmacy school, so you will be able to get paid experience in a few years.</p>