Northeastern Adventures

Hello anon! 

Hi anon, 

I don’t personally know anyone that came from Canada but we do have a sizable population of international students - for Northeastern as a whole and in Pharmacy. 

From what it sounds like in your question, you’ll already have obtained a Bachelor’s degree from your university before applying. The application process for that case is outlined on this page: https://bouve.northeastern.edu/pharmacy/programs/pharmd/ under Admissions and the section starting with ‘I have a Bachelor’s degree […]’ All the details you need will be there. 

In terms of competitiveness in entry, I would say it is fairly competitive. There are limited spots in the direct entry class every year as those students join the pool who started the program right out of high school in the 0-6 program. 

Hi anon!

Since you’re in high school, you would likely be applying for the 0-6 PharmD program. This is accelerated versus the usual 8 years where you would get an undergrad bachelor’s degree then go for the 4 year professional PharmD portion. The application for the 0-6 program is no different from the normal application process for Northeastern - Common App, letters of recommendations, SAT/ACT, grades and essays. You would just indicate that you’re interested in the PharmD program on the application. Because you start at Northeastern as an undergraduate, you automatically continue to the professional part of the program at year 3 as long as you meet the GPA requirements. 

This is a very quick and general rundown but if you head here: https://bouve.northeastern.edu/pharmacy/programs/pharmd/ you can get all the details about the program including admissions info. 

As of last Thursday, May 3, 2018 - my 6 years here at Northeastern University officially came to an end with the PharmD graduation. 

In hindsight, the 6 years flew by almost too quickly ... although it certainly didn’t feel like that while I was stuck in the midst of exams and quizzes and papers and activities and work. But Boston is a great city to go to college in - lots of things to do, to see, and of course ... to eat :) 

Now I’m heading back home to San Francisco, where temperature extremes are minimal and snow is never a thing. Oh and the adulting thing begins too since I have a job and all. 

Hello!

Hi anon!

I would definitely recommend that you schedule a tour and information session. They come as a package deal - the information session is around 30 minutes and gives you the basic rundown on everything Northeastern and the tour is about an hour long led by a Husky Ambassador. Perhaps I am biased due to my previous experiences in the Husky Ambassador position but the campus tour is the best way for families to really learn more in depth about what Northeastern has to offer, since they are led by current students who all have such unique experiences and insights. 

You can schedule a date and time here: https://www.northeastern.edu/admissions/connect/visit/ 

The times and dates are rather flexible. Just as a note, most of the sessions are on the weekdays (with limited weekends) so that’s something to keep in mind when planning. Additionally, there may be specific college information sessions depending on what it is that you’re interested in studying. These sessions will be geared specifically towards the majors in that college - all the ones that are offered are listed at the above website as well. 

I’m not sure exactly what a “couple of days” would mean but I also want to mention that this entire coming week is finals week for the students so the residence hall won’t be shown due to 24 hour courtesy quiet hours for students studying. 

(But also the weather is finally warming up and becoming really nice so it’s a perfect time to come. Spring finally decided to show up.) 

There’s definitely nothing wrong with walking around campus on your own as well but I think that a campus tour will give you a good background of what Northeastern has to offer and what it’s all about so that you have a better perspective of the school. You can always walk around and explore on your own afterwards too :) 

Hi anon! 

I think that the academic rigors for any university are going to be challenging. I’m not sure what program you’re interested in but that’s pretty much a constant across the board. The programs here at Northeastern are very much focused around the experiential learning tenet since so many students do co-op and research. (There’s also study abroad and service learning). All of these really allow students to bring back practical knowledge to the classroom to apply to their studies. Conversely, while they are out of classes, they can use that knowledge and build on it. So yes, the academics can be challenging are also designed to help you grow in a professional capacity. The experiential learning and classes build off of each other, creating this unique experience that very few other schools can replicate. 

Pharmacy for me has been pretty intense but that’s by virtue of how broad the material in this field is compared to the timeframe we have to learn it. But I can say that a good chunk of my learning experiences has been from co-op and APPEs building off the foundations in classes. I studied … a lot. Pretty sure I holed up in my room with notes really often. But I also stayed sane with extracurricular activities (very important). 

Academic support is also a very big thing here at Northeastern. You have your academic advisor there for questions. Professors are always willing and open to helping out. Several programs have peer tutors or TAs set up for extra help. For example, I serve as a small group tutor for several Pharmacy courses. There’s so much support available for students to take advantage of - you only have to ask!

Handling college academics really rests on one idea and that is … time management. I’ve highlighted this in one of my previous asks but without proper time management, things can turn pretty ugly pretty fast. Sticking to a plan and staying on top of things will really make a difference in the long run. 

Hi anon! 

Congrats on being admitted :) 

The pharmacy program feels like it can be long when you’re in the midst of it. (Now that I’m graduating in a month and a half though it feels like it all went by strangely quick.) But yes it can be stressful at times - there’s a lot of material to learn in a comparatively short amount of time (and that’s probably just scratching the surface of what’s out there and what happens in clinical practice). So yes it requires a commitment to the 6 year program and you have to be okay working with patients and other healthcare professionals to help manage patient care (It’s inevitable and unavoidable let me say that now.)  

But it’s worth it if pharmacy ends up being a career that you want to pursue. 

I’ve alluded to this several times before in other asks but … no program in university will ever guarantee you a job after graduation. (Although wouldn’t that be nice.) If you take advantage of the opportunities that you have available and make the most of them and show what you are capable of to employers … then that puts you in a great spot. But nothing is going to get handed to you on a silver platter from day 1. 

Northeastern provides plenty of aforementioned opportunities for the students. For pharmacy, there are the 3 co-op periods, amounting to a year’s worth of pharmacy practice experience (more than what some other pharmacy programs provide). Many students stay on after they finish their co-op cycle to work part-time at the site … which adds on more experience. For example I stayed on with my co-op site for 3.5 years. And the APPE rotations in the 6th year of the program also lend a hand to providing experience. 

I know many graduates from the pharmacy program who have gone on to secure residencies or fellowships or job positions afterwards. So yes success is definitely attainable but it’s all about working towards it every chance that you have. (This principle applies for any program actually).

The school has a very broad network of employers (local and out of state) that they are connected with, which makes it great while looking for co-ops and rotations. And of course Boston itself is healthcare mecca, considering there’s Longwood Medical Area 15 minutes away from campus, MGH right across the Charles, BMC about 20 minutes away, and more. Cambridge area is also rife with the pharmaceutical companies. 

If you’re looking to change into business then I would also suggest you talk to someone from that program to see which one fits more with your future goals and who you are as a person. And then you can compare the two programs. It’s easier to switch out of pharmacy than it is to switch into it for the most part, only because our curriculum is more rigid than most. 

Hi anon! 

Congrats on being accepted! 

Can I say with certainty that you need a residency to work at a hospital? Nope (sorry). 

But what I can tell you is that the general trend these days is certainly pointing towards completing residency before landing a job at a hospital. (Keep in mind that sometimes completing residency also does not mean a guaranteed job offer afterwards.)

Then again maybe in 6 years the landscape of post-grad training will change dramatically. Who knows? Pharmacy is a really fast evolving field and there are definitely going to be new possibilities in the future for it. 

So while it’s great that you already have your sights set on a goal, don’t be afraid to look at and explore other practice settings as well. Northeastern gives you plenty of opportunities to do that between co-ops and APPEs so use them to the fullest. Plans might change down the line after all :) And pharmacy has so many different fields within it. 

Hi Spencer!

Congrats on your acceptance! :D

I know that prior to the start of the spring semester, there is an orientation/welcome week program designed for NUin students to get them acclimated to the university and introduced to what we have both on campus and around the city. I would definitely recommend to check those out events and programs because that’s a great starting point coming back from abroad to learn what we have to offer and what Boston has to offer. Additionally, there will be a clubs/organizations fair at the start of the spring semester as well so you can check out what interests you. 

I think that fitting into the university will require a bit of effort on your part as well. Put yourself out there, try out a few clubs or organizations (or sports teams if that’s your interest) and see what interests you, strike up conversations with other people in your classes, etc. Freshman year is a great time to go out and explore Boston since there’s much more free time compared to when you get to the upperclassman years. There’s a lot of opportunity for students to try new things and get involved nearly everywhere on campus - you just have to figure out what your interests are and then go for it. 

Remember Northeastern is a very fluid campus so there are always people leaving and coming back at any given semester. It’s one of the characteristics that makes our school really unique. So even though it may seem like you’re a semester behind the others who started on campus in the fall, I think there are plenty of chances for you to find a place really easily. 

NUin is a great opportunity and pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to about it loved their experience. One of the things that I wish I had the chance to do during my time at Northeastern was definitely to study abroad. Unfortunately, the schedule never worked out for that to happen :( But just hearing the different stories from everyone definitely makes me think that it’s a great program. 

I hear that RD admits have officially gotten their letters today - congrats to those who were accepted! As always my inbox is open for any questions you guys might have so feel free to send them in. Now I wish you all best of luck in making that ever-important decision of where you’ll be for the next 4 (or 5 ... or even 6) years :3 

Hi anon! 

I remember how nervewracking the wait was - I wish you the best of luck! 

In terms of the financial situation, Northeastern does guarantee to meet 100% of your demonstrated financial need should you be accepted. That will come through a mixture of grants, work study, loans, and merit aid. All of this information will be included in the acceptance packet. 

It sounds like you have a good, open discussion going on with your mom when it comes to this and that’s a plus. However, I would not recommend taking on more loans than you can handle for college, especially if there is a more financially viable option available with another school. I understand that Northeastern is your dream school but if the financial situation ends up being too overwhelming to handle, then that will likely be detrimental in the long run. Yes, many students do take on some type of loans while in university … but it should not be to the extent that it becomes unmanageable to pay off post-graduation.

Your future career plans should also factor into this decision - are you planning to pursue graduate school or some other type of professional education after? That requires more financial planning and if that is the case for you, then it’s another thing to consider when making your undergraduate plans. 

Co-ops (that are paid) provide some amount of income for students during those respective semesters but you should not necessarily count on it being able to cover the entirety of your finances either. Some students also work part-time while in classes but that will depend on schedules.

Lastly, you can always look up outside scholarships to apply to. (And you can be doing this right now!) These are usually a couple hundred to thousand dollars and require nothing more than short essays for the most part. They’ll stack up quickly and there are quite a lot of them out there aggregated into databases that will fall in line with a quick Google search. These might help towards your situation. 

You can always reach out to your financial aid advisor when the acceptance packet comes and the financials are laid out - they can answer any questions that you might have in greater detail than I can.   

I hope this answer helped you a little bit more. 

Hi anon!

Intro level courses here are your typical lecture hall style courses (like bio amd chem) - 100+ students in an auditorium style room. But you can waive out of these with AP/IB credits possibly. Otherwise, these large classes are also all paired with a recitation section that breaks out into groups of about 15-20 led by TAs to review material and other activities set by the professor. As you progress through the years and get to more advanced levels, the course sizes get smaller, on average 15-20. (Not sure if you’re in honors but these sections never go above 20 students.) So you won’t be in giant classes throughout your time here at Northeastern. Most electives are limited in size as well. The largest sized elective I had was maybe 30ish students? 

I’ve met several students in your shoes before who came from small schools and nervous about the size of Northeastern. But one of our perks is that we are large but the professors are still quite available and willing to hear from students. There are so many resources available that the larger size fades into the background for most people from what I’ve seen. And for many people, they end up working with professors very closely for research or capstone so the size shrinks even more. 

Something I can recommend (depending on how plausible this is for you) is to come over to campus and arrange to sit in on a class to see how you like it. You can do this (I did it myself way back when) by contacting the academic advisor of the major/program you’re admitted to and they can help you arrange this. So this might be a good way for you to see if the environment clicks with you. Since you seem unsure if you’d be confortable, what better way than to try it out yourself? 

Where does the time go? I’ve already completed 5 out of 6 APPEs as of last Friday ... which means I’m only 1 APPE away from officially graduating with a PharmD! 

I’ve been at Boston Medical Center for my Internal Medicine rotation, which is just a fancy way of saying I worked as part of the pharmacy team for the inpatient side of the hospital. There was always something new every day and my preceptors gave me so many learning opportunities, all of which I loved. My favorite was working with the renal team - which is a bit of a surprise, considering that renal was always a bit of a shaky area for me. (Not anymore though.) 

I’ll be heading off for an ambulatory care rotation for my final one. 

Hi anon! 

Congrats on getting accepted into Northeastern! :) 

Unfortunately there is no appeal process for being offered Honors at the point of admission. However, you will have the opportunity to apply to enter the program once you start at the university. If accepted, you’ll be starting with the program the following semester (i.e. apply during the fall, enter for the spring). There are a few requirements tied in, including GPA and a recommendation letter but I have met a few students who have done this successfully. Check out the details here! 

If you are really interested in being a part of the Honors program and taking advantage of the resources it has to offer (and it has some pretty great things), I would highly encourage you to try applying for it once you start here at Northeastern. 

Hi anon,

Honors admission here at Northeastern is not based on the program that you are in since they admit based on the top 15% of the entire applicant pool. So the numbers in each program could vary. In my experience, I don’t typically see any programs having a majority of honors students, even in pharmacy. But since the total number is spread out through all the different classes that means that honors kids usually have really good access to all the honors program has to offer every year. 

Hi anon, 

Congrats on your acceptance! :) 

If you’re in a browsing mood, you can go here to check out all sorts of pharmacy-related questions that I’ve answered in the past. 

But I’ll give some brief details on the things you’re asking about as well. 

Classes - the first 2 years are basically all intro level courses (like bio, chem, physics, writing, etc). Nothing too heavy in the pharmacy department save for some intro courses that kind of give you more insight into the field and help you explore what options there are. Year 3 is when things start to kick up a notch with classes like pharmacology and pharmaceutics. Year 4 and 5 are the most important ones with CDM involved, where you learn how to manage and treat disease states across the board - basically the meat and potatoes of pharmacy. And year 6 is all APPEs/rotations, which I’m in the midst of right now. In between you’ll have the chance to take electives as well and declare a minor if you so choose. So you won’t be 100% saturated with pharmacy material. The coursework is pretty rigorous and demanding; that I will not sugarcoat, especially for the latter half of the program. There is a lot of material to learn and you have to know how to apply everything you learn instead of straight regurgitation. (In the real clinical setting, regurgitation only really gets you 40% of the way there probably.) 

Professors - all the professors in CDM are practicing pharmacists as well in addition to their lecturer duties. While that means that sometimes they may not be physically on campus (since they might have to be at their other work site), they are still accessible and willing to help if needed. You’ll probably interact with them outside of class as well, whether it’s for APPEs or research or capstone. 

Co-ops: I have an entire co-op tag on my blog here. For me, co-op has been a really invaluable part of my pharmacy experience here at Northeastern. I’ve gained so much first hand experience through it and it’s really helped frame what it is that I want to do after graduation. The learning experiences out on co-op really help to cement the things that you learn in the classroom and it makes you think about ‘how can I use what I’ve already learned to solve this problem or treat this patient?’. It also looks really good on your resume. Many sites will also keep you on part-time after you finish the co-op so you can work a few hours every week while you’re in classes if you’d like. One co-op must be in a community setting (so retail, independent or outpatient pharmacy in a hospital) and one must be in a hospital inpatient setting (this one is pretty self-explanatory). The third is up to you - you can explore another community or hospital site but there are also options like managed care, research and industry (and more!). It’s really nice to have a lot of options to pick from and a majority are easily accessible in terms of transport. (oh and yes they also count towards those intern hours requirements that you’ll need to become fully licensed down the line. Very important.) 

…

(Ok so this turned out less brief than I expected. Oops.)