Entering the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, ranked among the top pharmacy schools in the United States, can lead to six years of stress and frustration but can also be very lucrative.
"It is definitely worth it; the hard work pays off," said Jaclyn D'Aloia, a fifth-year pharmacy major. "You are guaranteed a job when you graduate. You can work at a pharmacy, do research, there are a lot of opportunities and also a good starting salary - about $80,000 a year."
Karl Fiebelkorn, assistant dean for Student Affairs and Professional Relations, said pharmacy is a difficult major to be admitted into and to survive, especially when compared to the program's past.
"It is very competitive," said Fiebelkorn. "There is a heavier workload due to new drugs, therapies, discoveries, techniques, drug interactions. It is a doctorate degree, therefore it's an intensive program."
Despite the difficulty level, most pharmacy majors interviewed agreed that the benefits of being a pharmacist are worth the work.
Pharmacy, an overall six-year program, entails two years of pre-pharmacy courses followed by four years of courses in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Unless students are in the Early Assurance Program, the PCAT must be completed prior to consideration for admission; most students are admitted to the School of Pharmacy at the beginning of their third year of college.
Amy Wong, a sophomore pharmacy major who was admitted into the school a month ago under early assurance, said she expects the next four years to be daunting.
"I am finishing up my two years of prerequisites," said Wong, "after which, I will have four additional years of schooling within the major. I certainly think that it will get more difficult; I hear from people who have been in the major for years that the level of difficulty rises with each semester."
Students within the major said the intensity of the workload keeps them very busy, confirming Wong's belief.
"I am in school almost every day at six in the morning and work until 11:30 p.m. or midnight," said Melissa O'Donnell, a fourth-year pharmacy major.
"It is definitely a lot of work," said Wong. "Science courses are difficult, and I spend a lot of my time studying and preparing for exams, though I haven't actually done anything pharmacy related as yet."
Though pharmacy is traditionally a female-dominated major, male students interviewed said they are not affected by the gender imbalance.
"Being in a female-dominated field doesn't hinder me at all," said Sean Reilley, a freshman pharmacy major. "Maybe I will be paid more because I'm male, as female engineers are."
Despite the magnitude of the workload and the pressure of exams, pharmacy students still manage to make time for themselves.
"I am able to go out on weekends, but not all the time," said O'Donnell.
Jeremy Garvin, a freshman pharmacy major, said he handles his workload just as he would any other major.
"Pharmacy doesn't hamper my social life any more than any other major would. Sure, you have harder classes that you have to sit down and study for, but I figure it's just a part of being in school," he said.
Fiebelkorn said although pharmacy majors have heavy course loads, there are lots of active students whose social lives are in no way hampered by their work.
According to Fiebelkorn, the annual "Halfway Dance," a semi-formal dinner and dance, just passed. He said $1,000 was raised through raffle sales.
Wong, however, said that finding time to party is not one of her priorities.
"I definitely have less time to party. Science courses are time consuming and I have to maintain a certain GPA to stay in the program and to keep my financial scholarships, especially in recent times with proposed tuition hikes," she said.
"A lot of active students do lots of volunteer work," Fiebelkorn said. "They helped out in the Toys for Tots, the Food Bank of Western New York a few years back, and a few years ago, the benefit for Roswell Park."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
