<p>Hey there,
CONGRATS on the acceptance! conditional is a great status to have coming in as a freshman wanting to pursue pharmacy. you have no idea how many wish they have it/heard of it early enough to apply. i personally think pitt was the greatest decision i made. the pharmacy school, from the sessions they have held, has a great program with great people. i’m only a freshman and i already know a lot of the older pharmacy students and have them to go to for advice in terms of classes, applying, etc (there’s actually a RxPrep club that helps you prepare for the application process).
in term of pre-requisite classes, i am taking the standard bio, chem, english, etc and the classes are definitely challenging, but the professors at pitt have all been very helpful (do check out my post on a different thread on what professors i recommend). taking some honors classes in english or other electives can make the transition easier if you are not used to the big class sizes. but if you think you are up for it and has good foundation in those subjects, i heard honors bio and chem has great profs. the workload is manageable and if you stay on top of your classes, you should have no problem having fun and exploring various clubs, the city, etc.
and with so many hospitals around, getting a research opportunity is easy. i’m actually doing research at children’s right now through the first year experiences in research program. and i know a lot of people have easily gotten internships and volunteering positions. it just all depends on how well you utilize pitt’s resources.
and as an OS, pitt is a great value if you can manage to get some scholarships. i’m on the UHC full tuition and i will be an RA next year so i essentially won’t be paying anything next year. there are also numerous grants and scholarships you can apply for once you get here i’m pretty sure (aka a lot of my friends are applying right now but i don’t know the exact details, sorry.)
so overall, yes, i’m very glad i came to pitt! and if you want to meet up this weekend when you come visit, i can maybe meet you in person depending on when you are coming to discuss any other questions you have. :)</p>