Did I make the right decision?Answered
I am pursuing a PharmD degree. I intend on pursuing pharmaceutical research after college and working with highly respected medical experts in advancing new solutions and formulas for curing/eradicating potentially life-threatening viruses, like cancer. I have applied to ACPHS, UB, and MCPHS. Anyway, my final choices were UB, ACPHS, and MCPHS. Now MCPHS has some disadvantages: its yearly cost is UB and ACPHS costs combined, has no parking lot, & its housing is not guaranteed after the first and second year. So I decided to rule out MCPHS too. To get straight to the point, I chose UB because of its cheap tuition, Pharmacy prestige, a broad range of extracurricular activities, and its city environment. I felt UB offered more of what I wanted in a college than ACPHS and MCPHS. But now I'm not sure I made the right decision since I never visited UB or MCPHS. I’m deciding between UB, ACPHS, MCPHS and I need some advice, and then list the pros/cons for each.
you also have to consider how happy you would be there, whether you’re going to be financially sound, what the vibe is like, etc etc
@crsgo My parents seemed concerned about the financial situation. I haven't won any scholarships that I would remain eligible for until my graduation other than the Excelsior Scholarship. The only scholarship I earned from UB is the Dean's Leadership Scholarship and that's only good for the P1 year. At ACPHS & MCPHS, I earned the Academic Achievement Scholarship, a merit award based on my hs performance and FAFSA, and a housing award. And they're all good for all 6 years.
UB does offer financial assistance within its pharmacy school, and it allows you to combine merit and outside scholarships with the ones they award you, but I'm still a bit skeptical. I don't know, what's your take on it?
I would reach out to ask what your offer could be
if you got a full-ride or a multi-year scholarship you might want to consider the other options. idk honestly but it sounds like you’re not going to get good financial aid. i googled on us news and they both have (mcphs and acphs) rolling admissions so you could also just wait and not enroll/accept yet? like i’m not sure if you could email UB and say you’re rethinking the offer
@crsgo0422 Yeah, I did. UB SPPS said they offer additional scholarships during the PharmD portion of the program; these are made possible through school fundraising efforts and our partnerships with outside organizations: http://pharmacy.buffalo.edu/departments-offices/our-offices/student-affairs-professional-relations/scholarship-committee.html. UB also has a scholarship portal current students can access for application to any number of others
@crsgo0422 They offer highly competitive, selective admission scholarships, need-based scholarships based on FAFSA results, and outside scholarships. I'm not sure about highly competitive admission scholarships, but I have earned some outside scholarships but with all of those outside scholarships I earned is around $1,600. If I wanted to be considered for merit scholarships, I would've had to apply to UB by December 15, but I applied later than that.
hmm… honestly i think all of them sound good and i can’t really advise you any more cause i dont have experience with it, sorry! i think you have a good idea of what you want to do with it :,)
@crsgo0422 Well, putting cost aside, what about the campus life? I mean, MCPHS and UB offer a more vibrant city environment than ACPHS given their immense city size, but ACPHS offers a smaller college environment. My family is nearby Albany, and if I attend ACPHS, I'd be closer to them, my friends, and I could still work at Latham Walmart.
@crsgo0422 But attending UB, I would experience a new city life and become more independent. Plus, I would be in a diverse community with other people besides pharmacists; doctors, engineers, artists, teachers, you name it. Plus, the student loan repayment would be much easier and faster than ACPHS or MCPHS.
@crsgo0422 Plus, UB's pharmacy is higher ranked and its graduation rate is higher. However, its city life isn't as incredible as Boston and it's only slightly better than Albany. The only reason I didn't choose MCPHS was because of the expensive cost, lack of yearly on-campus housing, and parking lot. I talked with ACPHS today and they told me that they would reevaluate my enrollment if I submit my documents within a specific date. I don't know, have any advice?
I'm also thinking about pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry but I don't know as much about it as I would like to. What do you plan on doing once you've obtained your PharmD?
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honestly it’s for you to decide. you just laid out all of the pros/cons and now you can weight them and make a decision!
I know I won't be able to get a specific answer, but what kind of salary can one expect from pursuing a career in this field? Also, are there any schools in Texas that offer PharmD programs?
personally i think you did make a good decision with UB :)