Auburn's Pharmacy School Truly an Honor

[Carey Beth Elder]

The James I. Harrison School of Pharmacy is the oldest professional school on Auburn’s campus. Established in 1885, it is the only public pharmacy school in Alabama and the only school to offer a graduate program. The school is highly selective in their admissions process because they usually receiver two to three applicants for each one space in the program.
Thuvan Nguyen, a junior at Auburn University, was one of the few people selected for pharmacy school for the upcoming fall. Nguyen knew decided she wanted to be a pharmacist in high school when she worked at a restaurant that a local pharmacist visited frequently. After asking him about his job she became very interested and decided she wanted to be a pharmacist as well.
Nguyen’s parents are both biomedical scientist so that adds to her interest in the medical field. She said the application process for Auburn’s pharmacy school made her very nervous but she chose to do “early decision” so if she got accepted into Auburn’s pharmacy school she had to go to Auburn.
Nguyen said the application process consisted of an application that students fill out online. The application includes a list of all of their information and previous classes. There is also an essay students must fill out which explains mainly why they want to be a pharmacist. Students applying for pharmacy school must also take the PCAT. The PCAT is usually what students fear the most. Nguyen said “most people usually end up taking the PCAT at least twice.”
After you have submitted your application and it has been reviewed by faculty, people will either be extended an interview or not. If you are not invited to a interview then you must either apply the next semester or apply at another school. The interview is given by faculty and current pharmacy students.
When asked what advice she would give students applying for pharmacy school Nguyen said “study hard!” She said studying hard keeps your GPA high which gives you an advantage over other students. She also so you need to talk to your professors about what you can do to get a competitive advantage over other students. Also taking part in extra credit research opportunities can help you see early on what you will be involved in once accepted into pharmacy school.
Nguyen worked at Walgreens in Birmingham the past two summers when she wasn’t taking classes at Auburn. She said she highly recommends working in a pharmacy so you can learn how to do all of the basic things in a pharmacy. She also said she made some great connections which will hopefully help her in the future.
Nguyen said if she had not been accepted into Auburn’s pharmacy school she would probably have tried to go to Samford University in Birmingham or Mercer University in Atlanta. She said that not only was she already at Auburn and loved the school but it has the best pharmacy program in the State.
Auburn’s pharmacy school has a long standing reputation for excellence. Since it was founded it has continued to improve the practice of medicine and patient care methods. Nguyen looks forward to beginning pharmacy school in the fall.