Answers from the Experts

Pharmacy "I will be a senior in high school and I am not quite sure of what I want to be. I have considered becoming either a pharmacist, a teacher, or an engineer. I am also kind of foggy on the college process. When is the latest that you can apply for a college if you are a senior in high school? When is the last chance to take the SAT or SAT II if you are applying for college? If I become a pharmacist do I have to major in pharmacy or something like chemistry? After I take pre-pharmacy for two years, do I transfer to a graduate school? Can you please just give me some specific information about college and what to major in and the last chance to apply. I just want to be certain about the whole college process especially because I am a senior this year." Responses were sent from: Albany College of Pharmacy, Seton Hill University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Foundation of New York State Nurses, Minority Health Professions Foundation, Rutgers University, and Simmons College.. Member Institution and Association Answers:

From Albany College of Pharmacy: If you are considering pharmacy as a career, you must complete the six-year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D.) degree program. I strongly encourage you to apply to a college or university that has a six-year Pharm D. program and enter as a freshman. There are two types of Pharm.D. programs that you should be aware of. Direct-entry programs, also known as 0-6 programs, are your best opportunity for entry into a pharmacy program. If you are admitted to a 0-6 program you are admitted to all six years of the Pharm.D. program. Pre-Pharmacy programs, or 2+4 programs, require students to apply to a pharmacy program between the second and third year, and also may require students to take the PCAT (similar to the SAT, only for professional entry to pharmacy programs). The PCAT is not required for entry into 0-6 programs. Transfer entry to the Pharm.D. program also is possible. However, this is extremely competitive. Pharmacy programs are limited in capacity, allowing for only a small number of openings for transfer students. It is far easier to start in a Pharm.D. program directly out of high school and decide to change to something else than it is to start in another college and transfer. Whether you decide to enter as a freshman or apply as a transfer student, your science courses are essential. To be a competitive applicant at either level you will need to be very strong in your science and math courses, particularly chemistry and calculus. I would recommend that you apply for 2005 freshman entry this fall. Doing so will give you the time you need to decide what is best for you. If you do not apply to a pharmacy program this fall, you will limit your options and your opportunities. Most undergraduate colleges require either the ACT or SAT I. You should check with each school you will apply to for specific requirements. Some colleges may require the SAT II to be considered for scholarship. Michael Green Assistant Director of Admissions Albany College of Pharmacy Phone: (518) 445-7221 Email: info@acp.edu

From Seton Hill University: Thank you for your question. First off, I would like to note that you do not have to know what you plan to major in at this point. You are wise to begin your college search, and may want to be sure to consider schools that have the majors that interest you. However, you do not actually have to choose a major yet. You may want to consider checking with the schools that interest you and inquire about programs that help students to decide on a major. Here at Seton Hill University, we have a Deciding Program. Students that enter as undecided freshman participate in this program, and receive counseling, testing, and career search assistance. Support such as this at an institution can be vital once you are an enrolled student. If you are certain that you wish to study pharmacy, you can inquire at schools that offer the program. Some institutions do offer a pre-pharmacy major, but I would first check the transfer policy or any agreements they have with other institutions as far as moving at a later date. Application deadlines will also depend on the schools you apply to. At SHU, we have a rolling admission, so we have no deadline. Students can apply up to the last minute before classes begin. Some schools have deadlines, and some have early decision acceptance. Applying early can be beneficial, and you will have plenty of time to make a final decision before committing to any of the schools. Best of luck! Kimberly A. McCarty Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Campus Visit Coordinator Seton Hill University 724-838-4201 kmccarty@setonhill.edu

From Rochester Institute of Technology: RIT offers programs in engineering, but not in education or pharmacy. Our freshmen application deadline is December 1, for early decision and February 1, for regular decision. You may want to contact schools with pharmacy programs for specific about obtaining the degree. Sally M. Douglas Assistant Director of Admissions/Coordinator Rochester Institute of Technology 60 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 Email: smdadm@rit.edu Phone: 585-475-5497 Fax: 585-475-7424

From Foundation of New York State Nurses: For the individual interested in becoming a Pharmacist: In NY the minimum credential is a doctorate in pharmacy. Most schools here provide the student with an entrance through doctorate program. Regardless of where the student is, he or she should check the State Board for Pharmacy, generally via a Web site, for exact criteria in that state. Generally, in the long run, regardless of degree of entry into the profession, it is better to get it all at once at the same institution, even though upfront cost and time seems more. It generally takes much longer for a student to spread out his or her education plus it delays them from starting to earn wages in their chosen profession and may place them behind their colleagues who graduated with full credentials. For the student who wants to go to veterinary school in his own state, my recommendation would be to only concentrate on his state. I think there should be strong encouragement to all students that the application process should start before the senior year and it is very helpful if the student can find or be directed to a mentor in his our her chosen profession who can assist in guiding the student through the process. Susan Fraley Foundation of New York State Nurses sfraley@foundationnysnurses.org

From Minority Health Professions Foundation: One can major in anything as long as they complete the pre-pharmacy requirements. I would advise that one complete an undergraduate degree then go on to pharmacy school. Please remember that each pharmacy school has different requirements. In addition, I have a summer program for students interested in Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences. I hope that this helps. Robyn Hart/Anika Foster, MPH Professional Development Manager Minority Health Professions Foundation C/O Morehouse School of Medicine Harris Building, Room 136A 720 Westview Drive, SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-756-8931 404-756-8934 (fax) afoster@minorityhealth.org

From Rutgers University: Most students entering college are unsure of what they want to study. That is OK. What it means is that you need to look for a college that has all the possible options you are considering. That way, you won’t have to transfer to another school if you change your major. Rutgers University, for example, has a School of Engineering, a School of Pharmacy, and three liberal arts colleges. You could potentially pursue all of your interests at one school. Generally, the larger a college or university is the more major options that will be available. Keep in mind that every university is set up differently. Rutgers has a School of Pharmacy you can enter right from high school, but on some other campuses, it is a graduate program. The pre-requisites will vary from college to college. Application deadlines will also vary by institution. Try to focus on submitting your applications as early as possible rather than “at the latest possible time.” Some colleges, like Rutgers, have priority deadlines of December 1, others require all credentials to be in by mid January. Some schools offer rolling admissions which means they will review your application whenever you submit it. However, if you wait too long, the first-year class may be full and you might be denied admission even if you are a strong candidate. Be sure to check with each college to which you are applying. Application deadlines are typically on the application itself and on the college's website. If you cannot find it, call the admissions office. Never assume that one school has the same application deadline as another. Remember, the earlier you get your application in, the more consideration it will be given and the more time you will have to enjoy your senior year. Diane Harris Rutgers University Office of Undergraduate Admissions 65 Davidson Road Piscataway, NJ 08854 732.445.7303 harris@ugadm.rutgers.edu

From Simmons College : Not knowing what you would like to major in is completely OK! Many students are undecided about a major or begin school in a particular program and change programs later on in their college career. Selecting schools that have many various majors is important for a student like yourself. You may want to start your research now on the web or through the VS program to find out about colleges that have your major interests available. I'm sure you'll find quite a few that fit your interests. Select maybe 5-10 schools to apply to. Once you've selected the schools that meet your needs look at their application dead lines. Make sure you get on their mailing lists so they mail you an application or apply online. You should talk to your college advisor in your high school immediately to find out the dates for the SAT's and the ACT. You can also check out www.collegeboard.org. This is the organization that produces the SAT. I would suggest you'd begin the application process as soon as October. Even if you've not sat for the SAT or received your score yet you can still begin the application process. In the college application process the rule of thumb is, the earlier the better. As far as pharmacy and chemistry is concerned, it depends on the program at a particular institution. Some institutions have a 6-7 year program where you major in chemistry and then continue on in the school to complete your PharmD degree. Some schools are a bit different. Again, research plays such an important roll in this because this is a very intense program that many students need to be very organized from their freshman year on to complete this. Check out this Web site for an example of a pharmacy program, www.simmons.edu/academics/undergraduate/chemistry/programs/chemistry_pharmacy.html. I do hope this information helps and if you have any further questions feel free to contact me. My information is as follows: Kimberly Johnson Simmons College Office of Undergraduate Admission Sr. Admission Counselor/Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment 300 The Fenway Boston, MA 02115 Ph: 617-521-2050 Fax: 617-521-3190 kimberly.johnson@simmons.edu www.simmons.edu