Dont Know What to Do

[linadolly]

Hi everyone
I'm faced with two options right now.
Because my grades are not the most competitive, I can either do the UCSF post-bacc program (and still be uncertain about getting into a pharm school but increase my chances of getting into one in the bay area) or take my admission from a pharm school in florida and jump into the pharm d program.
I know it sounds trivial, but I am quite conflicted because I dont want to be so far from home, but at the same I dont wanna face the uncertainty of not being able to get admitted next year and essentially waste time.

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[sunshao]

what school in FL?

 

[BC_89]

Hi everyone
I'm faced with two options right now.
Because my grades are not the most competitive, I can either do the UCSF post-bacc program (and still be uncertain about getting into a pharm school but increase my chances of getting into one in the bay area) or take my admission from a pharm school in florida and jump into the pharm d program.
I know it sounds trivial, but I am quite conflicted because I dont want to be so far from home, but at the same I dont wanna face the uncertainty of not being able to get admitted next year and essentially waste time.

If you don't wish to be far from home, you need to reevaluate your career choices.

Leaving my own bias aside and speaking strictly on earning the degree: if the end goal is a pharmD from an accredited program, then you go to where you've been accepted. Doing a post-bac for a degree instead of jumping right into the desired degree with an acceptance is a waste of resources, opportunity cost, and money.

 

[BigBoss]

Just do something else that has demand. Pharmacy is a **** show right now.

 

[Xenophylia]

Yeah- hate to be a downer, but if you really don't want to "waste time" don't spend all those years on a dead profession. Things will only be worse by the time you graduate- almost no jobs, and the working conditions in the jobs that exist are terrible. It's simply diminishing returns. Pharmacy school isn't worth the effort you put into it anymore. That was not always the case, but now it is reality.

 

[DagS132]

Hi everyone
I'm faced with two options right now.
Because my grades are not the most competitive, I can either do the UCSF post-bacc program (and still be uncertain about getting into a pharm school but increase my chances of getting into one in the bay area) or take my admission from a pharm school in florida and jump into the pharm d program.
I know it sounds trivial, but I am quite conflicted because I dont want to be so far from home, but at the same I dont wanna face the uncertainty of not being able to get admitted next year and essentially waste time.

Kind of sounds like you don't actually want to be a pharmacist if you aren't jumping at the first chance you get to actually become one.

 

[PharmtoCS]

I dont want to be so far from home, but at the same I dont wanna face the uncertainty of not being able to get admitted next year and essentially waste time.

You need to think about what you are going to do after you graduate. Getting in is the easy part. Getting a job when you're drowning in student debt is the hard part.

The metro areas of California are completely saturated. Many new grads cannot find jobs in their hometowns especially in the SF, LA, OC, and SD areas and have to move hundreds or even thousands of miles away to the middle of nowhere to find jobs (and even these areas are getting saturated). Some have decided to settle down and start families in places like the Central Valley because they have given up the hope of ever finding a full-time job in their desired saturated city.

I would seriously consider computer programming as a career choice instead. There is a huge shortage of computer programmers right now. Many companies, especially in the Bay Area are hurting for programmers and are willing to pay six figures to coding bootcamp graduates. Compare that to being a pharmacist where you would have to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years of your life on a doctorate degree only to have to settle somewhere such as Alturas or Bishop.

 

[Xenophylia]

As a veteran RPh coming from the age when pharmacists were actually in demand, it IS nice being in a career where you're actually wanted. Having a GED level store manager tell you that your occupation is essentially worthless to the company is not good for the ego, especially when he's essentially right. No one wants pharmacists anymore. PERIOD.

 

[SoFloDO]

Hopefully you're not considering Larkin school of pharmacy if that's where you were accepted

 

[AM77]

I hate to break it to everyone but even rural areas such as the Central Valley are completely saturated. Before anyone tries to counter my argument, I even did my 4th year rotation there and considers looking for a job there. This was several years ago.

 

[CaptainPicard]

Rural areas across the country are pretty saturated. The idea of getting a job as long as you moved is a thing of the past.

 

[GhostOfCourteousAnimals]

Rural areas across the country are pretty saturated. The idea of getting a job as long as you moved is a thing of the past.

Where is a good area to get a job in the North east?

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Rural areas across the country are pretty saturated. The idea of getting a job as long as you moved is a thing of the past.

Just hired another prn. Jobs are out there, just not full time haha.

I also think old timers not retiring is another problem. If schools are gonna pop up like pimples on a teenager’s face, the they need to implement a law allowing (more like forcing but wanted to use euphemism lol) old school rph to retire at a certain age.

 

[Cookiecatfromouterspace]

Just hired another prn. Jobs are out there, just not full time haha.

I also think old timers not retiring is another problem. If schools are gonna pop up like pimples on a teenager’s face, the they need to implement a law allowing (more like forcing but wanted to use euphemism lol) old school rph to retire at a certain age.

I don’t think they can impose a law that forces the old timers to retire but man oh man do we need one. There’s a Hospital where I used to work at where the majority of the pharmacists are >50 years of age with a good amount probably meeting the age to retire who have no plans of doing so. I think it’s about greed but who can blame them? It’s hard letting go of a job where you make >100k. One of these pharmacists has the full time job and also works verifying orders from home for a different company. Must be making $$$. Regardless the job situation is dire.

 

[BigBoss]

Just hired another prn. Jobs are out there, just not full time haha.

I also think old timers not retiring is another problem. If schools are gonna pop up like pimples on a teenager’s face, the they need to implement a law allowing (more like forcing but wanted to use euphemism lol) old school rph to retire at a certain age.

Or you shut down a lot of these schools that are propping up and increase the academic standards for pharmacy school admission. Simple.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

Or you shut down a lot of these schools that are propping up and increase the academic standards for pharmacy school admission. Simple.

I agree that schools need to be shut down based on naplex passing rate but then i feel like those subpar schools will start doing illegal stuff to stay alive lol

 

[DIPEA]

Hi everyone
I'm faced with two options right now.
Because my grades are not the most competitive, I can either do the UCSF post-bacc program (and still be uncertain about getting into a pharm school but increase my chances of getting into one in the bay area) or take my admission from a pharm school in florida and jump into the pharm d program.
I know it sounds trivial, but I am quite conflicted because I dont want to be so far from home, but at the same I dont wanna face the uncertainty of not being able to get admitted next year and essentially waste time.

why pharm? snapchat and other company interns are getting paid 10k a month + benefits.

 

[Dino007]

Hopefully you're not considering Larkin school of pharmacy if that's where you were accepted

What's wrong with Larkin?

 

[mentos]

Hi everyone
I'm faced with two options right now.
Because my grades are not the most competitive, I can either do the UCSF post-bacc program (and still be uncertain about getting into a pharm school but increase my chances of getting into one in the bay area) or take my admission from a pharm school in florida and jump into the pharm d program.
I know it sounds trivial, but I am quite conflicted because I dont want to be so far from home, but at the same I dont wanna face the uncertainty of not being able to get admitted next year and essentially waste time.

Your third option: don't go to pharmacy school.

If you don't want to be far from home for 4 years then how will you be far from home forever since there are no jobs in your area?

 

[Pharmd5]

Hopefully you're not considering Larkin school of pharmacy if that's where you were accepted

What's wrong with Larkin? I just wanted to know...I was accepted there and am debating on whether I should go or not?

 

[beautifulrobot]

What's wrong with Larkin? I just wanted to know...I was accepted there and am debating on whether I should go or not?

It is a newer private school that doesn't have full accreditation yet. It is also the second most expensive pharmacy school in Florida (even when you take into account that it is a 3-year program, i.e. the total tuition you pay for three years is more than what you would pay for four years of school at all but one Florida school [Palm Beach Atlantic]). Not to mention the cost of living in Miami isn't low either (maybe lower relative to CA, but it still isn't great). So you're paying a lot of extra money for a PharmD from a school that hasn't really established itself yet. Plus going to a new private school that has yet to prove itself as a reputable establishment will likely decrease your networking opportunities, and a big part of going to school isn't just the quality of education you get, but the connections you are able to access.

In general, most private pharmacy schools that have popped up in the last 5 years or so are looked at with skepticism. These days, the more qualified applicants can easily get into state schools that have a solid reputation and are much more cost effective (and even state schools are struggling to attract enough qualified applicants these days, and are decreasing their class sizes as a result). These newer private schools have to accept applicants of questionable qualifications to survive.

 

[LivingMyBestLife]

As a veteran RPh coming from the age when pharmacists were actually in demand, it IS nice being in a career where you're actually wanted. Having a GED level store manager tell you that your occupation is essentially worthless to the company is not good for the ego, especially when he's essentially right. No one wants pharmacists anymore. PERIOD.

I can't imagine how nice it mustve been living in the golden age. I have spoken to many older pharmacist and they tell me about the gravy days.