UOP vs. UCSF

[Prolab007]

If you guys had to choose between UCSF and UOP which school would you choose? Pros and cons of each. And any other information that one should know about the schools. I would appreciate all input. thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GravyRPH]

UCSF will work your butt off and will give you an awesome foundation and education. You will be prepared for anything and everything.

UOP will also give you a great education, though not as intensive or thorough as UCSF in my opinion. Board passing rates are consistently lower for UOP than UCSF, but they are still pretty good.

I went to UOP, and passed my boards on the first try, and can dance toe to toe with any pharmacist. I also got to go to the movies on Saturday nights instead of studying.

 

[neonam11]

UCSF (Pros)
* It's a state school, so tuition is much cheaper although next year's tuition might increase anywhere from $5K - 10K.
* Its faculty is world-renowned for their research, clinical, and teaching skills.
* More often than not, the administration is very responsive to the needs of the students.
* It's located in SF, lots of opportunities to enjoy the city life.
* Your classmates are awesome!
* The program is demanding and will train you very well to become leaders and innovators in pharmacy (I'm hoping).

UCSF (Cons)
* We don't get NBC in SF without cable--no must see TV for free
* It's located in SF and because we work pretty hard, we hardly have time to go out and play.
* We share our facilities with the medical and dental students. We don't have a building solely dedicated to the School of Pharmacy.
* Rent in SF is expensive, running anywhere from $500/per shared room to $1700 for a one bedroom apartment.
* Parking is horrible around campus.
* Walking up the Parnassus hills to get to class causes you to break out in sweats, especially if you are wearing three layers of clothing during the winter time.
* Parallel parking on a hill sucks as well as getting parking tickets.

Overall opinion--the school is awesome, but living in SF and getting around takes some adjustments, especially if you grow up in the suburbs like me. However, for the next four years this is home. Sorry, I don't have any opinions for UOP. Maybe the folks from UOP can help you out.

 

[EarlyEditionDude]

Originally posted by Prolab007
If you guys had to choose between UCSF and UOP which school would you choose? Pros and cons of each. And any other information that one should know about the schools. I would appreciate all input. thanks!

Just go to UCSF!

 

[ucdbiochem]

Prolab007, it's depends on your preference. if you wanna finish quick in 3 yrs with no summer break, then you can choose UOP. they have a year-round program. but to me, i need my summer break to work, travel, or relax, so UOP is not for me. but don't get me wrong, i'm sure UOP trains good pharmacists because i used to work for 2 Rph's and they both grad from UOP. One of them actually did a residency and fellowship.

that's all i can say about UOP. if u wanna know more about their program, u need to ask the people who go there.

 

[player0917]

I say go to the school that offers you the best package...the more money and perks they give you, the better. My guess is UOP will probably be able to give you more.

 

[64microbus]

UOP tuition = 37K/student. 37K tuition x 600 students = 22,200,000. I don't know, but I'm guessing that if you took the UOP SOP operating budget and divided it by 600 students, that it would come out to substantially less than 37K.

UCSF tuition = 12K/student. Again, I don't know, but I'm guessing that if you calculated how much the state spends per a pharm school student's education at UCSF, that it comes out to more than 12K.

Of course it's not a level playing field. Private institutions must generate their own revenue to operate; whereas public schools are given a budget by the state. Further, public schools have advantages in acquiring land, think La Jolla, Santa Barbara, Westwood, Monterey, Parnassus; compared to Watts, Palo Alto, Stockton.

Ask yourself, would you rather subsidize the educations of the rest of the student body in Stockton, or would you rather have the state subsidize your education on a scenic hill in S.F.?