Pharmacy School Tours 101

Over the weekend, I toured my first pharmacy school! I traveled up to the Twin Cities in Minnesota to tour the University of Minnesota's College of Pharmacy!

I wanted to share with you guys some thoughts on my experience.

Upon setting foot on the Minnesota campus, I absolutely loved the environment. It was very urban, and not far from the undergraduate campus.

Additionally, I loved how integrated the pharmacy school was with their other pre-professional programs in the health field. Their nursing, pharmacy, dental, medical, and physical therapy programs all share a home within three conjoined buildings.

My favorite part of the day however, was hearing from the current students about their experiences, in addition to some faculty members. The students emphasized the community that they felt they were a part of in the pharmacy program. While they all came from different backgrounds, they all had nothing but good things to say!

I want to share with you guys some advice I have, for when you start your tours. Now, I'm no pharmacy school-touring expert...but there were definitely some things I learned from my first tour.

1. Ask Questions

As the old saying goes, there are no stupid questions. You are touring programs to find out what may be best for you. This means you should also ask any questions you have of the city! For example, if I were to go to Minnesota, I would need to figure out where I could live, since it would be a whole new city for me.

2. Listen

The advice the students have for you when you visit different programs can apply to any school. While theirs may be specific to the school you are at that day, it probably applies to other programs as well. Current pharmacy students are a great resource when it comes to learning more about the actual pharmacy curriculum and how life is as a student.

3. Don't be scared to feel a little overwhelmed

One thing that shook me when I was taking my first tour is how nervous I began to feel. This nervousness, I noticed, wasn't stemming from an admission aspect, but the transition to pharmacy school itself. I started to realize that, within a year or so, my life will be facing some major changes. It took me a little while to wrap my mind around that.

New things can be very scary. Starting pharmacy school, likely in a new city, away from all of your friends you made in undergrad all seems very daunting. But with any new experience, its something you adapt to as it comes. So don't be surprised if you feel a little overwhelmed, or even a little scared. I think its perfectly normal to feel that way during a transitional period in life.

That wraps up my first pharmacy school tour! As always, please contact me if you have any questions, or just want to chat more about my experiences!

Thanks for following me on my journey to pharmacy :)

Allison