Hey all, I wanted to share some of my recent experiences with UTHSC and also had a few questions if there are any current ETSU students or alums out there. I apologize if I upset anyone or if I shatter any hopes.

I’m currently a P1 at UTHSC in Knoxville. They were my top pick given their strong history, pass rates, and my wonderful experience with their alums. I also did not wish to relocate seeing as my parents live nearby and I currently live with them as to not pay rent. I applied early to UTHSC with a 3.5 GPA, soared through their interview process, and got my desired campus location. Everything seemed to be falling into place, or so I thought. I got to orientation in Memphis and they began explaining they were rolling out a new form of curriculum. “A better curriculum than the classes before us? Sign me up!”, I thought. They then began emphasizing that it was “experimental”, with constant reassurances from advisors of how “it will all be okay”. Odd. Orientation lasted three days. They withheld our course schedules until end of day on the third day. They were a train wreck. IPPEs started on our second day. Flipped classroom. Constant exceptions and later discovered contradictions to the “set” schedule. Then came the cherry on-top. They proudly touted their high stakes SPECs grading tables. They stated that less emphasis would be put on letter grades and overall averages would be nonexistent.

I wanted to trust the process. I firmly believed they had our best interests in-mind. Of our three completed courses, they have had to drop passing thresholds twice. Constant scares of not passing or not doing enough outside of class, only to lower the bar later-on. Not to mention, there is no cap on recorded lectures. I have had some get up to 4 hours not mentioning pre-class assignments. They held a meeting to address concerns about grades and the curriculum. I attended thinking that maybe something would be amended, surely something had to be fixed. Not even two minutes into the meeting “We will not be changing the curriculum nor will we be going back to the old curriculum in any capacity”. Our opinions were “noted” and nothing has changed. One of our current courses is seemingly no different seeing as our past three quizzes have ended in class makeups and academic affairs coming to students personally asking about their perceived issues.

I began digging. Surely there had been warning signs I had missed during my application process. I discovered an incredibly telling underbelly. High faculty turnover, satellite campuses operating in the red, and current class sizes not even meeting 50% of what they were in 2023. These changes are not about student performance. This is their life boat.

I met with my academic advisor two days ago, informing her of my plan of transferring to ETSU in Johnson City. She defended their lower NAPLEX score, implied ETSU’s was inflated, and began rattling off UTHSC’s impressive statistics. These statistics are not applicable to my class seeing as they are trialing a broken curriculum they refuse to fix, and who only knows come the NAPLEX.

I feel like every prospective UTHSC student needs to know this. I wanted a top 20 program but what I am getting is a nightmare. No one should sink their loan money into a program who sees them as a guinea pig.

My experience aside, I am hopeful of ETSU. I cannot wait for traditional curriculum and grading again. They have been lovely having acknowledged my previous acceptance, and are working with me so that my semester at UTHSC will not go to waste. I will join their P1 class for their Spring semester. If there are any ETSU students or alums out there I would love to hear your experiences and possibly connect. What’s it like? Campus life? What have your experiences been with faculty?

If you made it this far thank you for reading, and I hope this helps anyone who plans to attend a pharmacy school in Tennessee.

Hello I am still in undergrad this is actually my first year. I only have 3 of my prerequisites done because I took a little break from classes during the summer. I really want to start pharmacy school in the fall of 2027, but I don’t feel prepared I’m not good at math, or science it’s something I really struggle with. I haven’t even gotten my prerequisites done yet for science, I have no idea what I am getting myself into with pharmacy school. At one of the pharmacy schools I am interested in they told me I should wait until 2028 to start so I can get my bachelors first and not rush to get my prerequisites done. I want to wait but I am very impatient especially because 2028 is so far away especially starting pharmacy school in the fall. I am a full time student in undergrad so I would be finished in 2028 August. I just need advice please if I should take my time and learn math and science get a firm foundation first before stating? Or should I take online prerequisites somewhere else and try to start in 2027? I don’t want to fail or regret my decisions, I am just very confused on what I should do and I need advice please.

Hi everyone! I am a PP1 at Purdue University, and the first semester has been extremely challenging for me academically and mentally. My grades aren’t the best. I’m not failing classes, my lowest grade is a C+ in biology, but I failed my first chemistry exam. Although my grade is still an 82, I am questioning so much right now. I put a lot into my courses especially chemistry. I go to tutoring, extra help sessions, and more. I have wanted to be a pharmacist for a long time, but with me not doing the best with exams in biology and chemistry my first year, I’m questioning if I should continue this path. My thinking is like oh if I’m struggling now in these classes, how will I do more advanced classes. Any help or advice is appreciated.

hi, has anyone heard back from ucsf? i applied mid september and haven’t heard anything back since then. when do they usually send out interview invites? since it’s been so long is it safe to assume i likely didn’t get an invite? they’re the last school i’m waiting to hear back from.

Im working on studying for my PTCE, but I have heard a few people say that they shadow pharmacists? How do people go about that? I would like to shadow in a hospital pharmacy but idk how realistic that is and who to reach out to.

I had my interview an over a week ago and still waiting. They said less than 7-10 days so I’m getting a little nervous that I haven’t heard back

I’m in highschool and love health sciences. I have strong grades (95+) in all subjects, but chem and bio are my particular interests, along with math of course. I like the idea of being a pharmacist because nursing hours are too long, being a doctor is way too stressful, and I’m not sure what other paths to take. I see a lot of pharmacists on social media begging people to just seek another profession because apparently it is so awful. Any opinions?

Hello, I’m applying for fall 2027 and haven’t submitted my apps yet 😓, which is mainly because I’m worried about my personal statement, especially because of my low gpa. I talked about my research projects, working as a medical assistant, and I mentioned my dad’s disability, and wanting to help provide better access to medication to people with similar problems as him. Would anyone be willing to look over it and give me feedback? I would really appreciate it.

Also is it worth it to apply to multiple programs, like at least 5?

i submitted my supplemental application for TTU about two weeks ago and still have not heard back? how long did it take to hear back for those who have already interviewed?

Hello!! Although this may seem like a rhetorical question, i really want to see what people have to say about this. I want to know what you’re looking for when determining which school you attend. I have a couple schools i am looking at but unsure which to pursue.
Currently stuck between
USC
Chapman
UCI
UCSF
WesternU
MBKU
all california based !
#megaththread!

I am looking for studying or pursuing fellowship in foreign countries.. i dont know the exact lead for going to abroad for PhD... also i wish to attend this on scholarship...so if anyone have any suggestion for this beginner please let me know..

Hi! Im a first year life sci student looking to go into pharmacy and was seeking some advice from current students.

1. Should I apply in my second year right when I finish my prereqs or should I wait until my third year or longer. Is it better to get my bachelor's first, or should I go into it right away?
2. How did you know pharmacy was for you? Do u regret pharm? What is some advice you would have given yourself before pharm?
3. How is the workload in pharm compared to undergrad?
4. What was your GPA getting into the program?

applied october 6th, my other schools have reached out except UMSOP, was wondering when people heard back from them. Thanks!

Has anyone heard from UF about scholarships? Especially if you’re oos and not going to be a double gator

Iowa pharmacy programs looks like very easy to get into. most students come in with no bachelors or background working in pharmacy.

Hello everyone,

I’m a bit worried because I haven’t heard anything from Upitt (Open pool) and UNC. I applied to them on October 1st, and my application was verified on October 5th. I received an email stating that it’s under review, but since then, I’ve heard nothing. I’m starting to get anxious. Does this mean I won’t be getting interviews from them? These are my top schools. I was wondering if others have experienced the same situation I’m going through right now.

which one is better I got accepted to both. Auburn looks like it’s focused on community pharm

So I got accepted into A&M Kingsville and University of Houston for their pharmacy programs. I just want to know people’s opinions on which school I should pick. I’m being really indecisive and I need to decide by Wednesday so I can let the schools know and put a deposit. Any advice?

I'm applying to UCL, KCL, Nottingham, Manchester and Belfast for pharmacy. Problem is, I don't have pharmacy shadowing experience. Additionally, I live in a city in Europe where English isn't a common language so barely any of the pharmacies here operate in English nor speak English (I don't speak the language here...)

But I do have two internship experiences: shadowing internship at a pharmaceutical company in rural China and a UCSD lab internship about material science.

In my personal statement, I have connected those two experiences to clinical/pharmacy skillset as much as possible but I'm afraid this will compare with applicants whom have pharmacy shadowing experiences which I feel like may be more competitive. What do we think?

I’m know these are vastly different careers! But I have a personal situation at hand.

To preface: I am NOT in healthcare for the money, I love people, science and research to a fault. But it is still an important factor to consider when it comes to debt/income ratio.

Becoming a PA has been my dream for a while now. But I can’t seem to get into my local program. I’m on my second cycle after they rejected me the first time, and have heard nothing from them since I submitted in May. My application isn’t the strongest either with only pharmacy tech experience (this program has no minimum direct pt care requirement).

I’ve been a pharmacy tech for the last 4 years and have the dream retail job at Costco. If I choose pharmacy school, not only will I be their intern making decent money, but I’ll have a foot into one of the best chains you could possibly work for. I’m not SUPER passionate about pharmacy but I think I could tolerate it.

Financially, here’s the breakdown:

PA: local program, living expenses taken care of by parents. Under the new BBB and elimination of grad plus loans, ~60k federal and ~56k private loans needed. Cannot work throughout the program, so 2.5 years of unemployment. Done a bunch of shadowing; I know I’d be happy with the career choice.

Pharmacy: also local, living expenses taken care of. Would not need private loans since it falls under the 50k federal cap. Cost is ~24k per year. Plan on using almost all of my intern money to throw at the loans while I’m in school. I love the company I work for currently and would love to stay with them, but it wouldn’t be a passionate project, more a job is a job and better financial stability.

The pay for new grads in either field is pretty comparable in my state, with PA being slightly lower.

I know no one can make this decision for me but really looking for some insight. Thank you :)

Hi, I am currently a junior majoring in biology. I have my UMN (university of Minnesota) pharmacy interview tomorrow morning and I am super nervous because this is my first interview. I am so scared that I would freeze and will not be able to answer. Do you guys have any tips or past experiences with UMN interview?

Hey! I just got an email from Nottingham and they invited me to an MMI scheduled about 40 days in advance. I want to prepare for it, but I have no idea what the best way is. I really need some guidance!

I had to add onto someone’s post but I come from a low income immigrant background, and pharmacy has always been something I’ve been interested in pursuing. Now that I’m actually working toward it, all I seem to hear is people telling me not to do it, and honestly, it pisses me off. I grew up watching my parents struggle financially, working some of the most miserable, physically and mentally exhausting jobs just to make a couple of dollars an hour. From what I’ve witnessed, I can assure you that there are far worse things than working a retail pharmacy job, and even if I do end up in retail having to deal with getting yelled at 24/7, at least I’ll be making a decent living doing it!

I genuinely believe that some of the pharmacists discouraging people from entering the field come from more financially comfortable backgrounds than they realize. Maybe they grew up watching their parents, aunts, uncles, etc. enjoy a certain standard of living and expected their own careers to provide the same, but are now disappointed that their work lives in fact do not look the same. I’m not saying their complaints aren’t valid, and I understand that pharmacy has its problems, but I think perspective matters. When you grow up watching those around you work such draining jobs for barely enough money to survive, the prospect of earning a stable, respectable education can look very different to you.

Looking for input on Wayne State”s PharmD program. Wondering what the culture is like. Is the faculty supportive? Looking for all the input and useful details! Thank you!!