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College

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To many high school students, college seems like a far away land, a mysterious place where everyone wants to be yet not many know how to get there. As children, our parents tell us how much time we have to think about college, and that it is too far down the line to think about. The truth is it is never too early to think about your future. I, like many people, put little thought into my future career and now am lost in an unfortunate mix of indecision and anxiety. Not knowing where you want to be in the future is a hard burden to bear. Many of us tend to find out that we only know what we do not want, not what we actually do want. Do we want to be poor? Absolutely not. Do we want a boring job? Of course we don’t. We all want our nice big house, white picket fence, and dog in the backyard. We also want to be happy. These next few paths are ways I might be able to achieve both.
I have many different possible interests when it comes to my future. I hope to attend a four year college, and after graduation attend graduate school. Having gone to small schools my entire life, I prefer a small school. I am looking for a school with a tuition under $30,000, but would not rule out schools that aren’t significantly over my budget. I am open to the thoughts of leaving home, yet I am not sure I would survive on my own. None of preferences are set in stone and I am willing to try and consider new possibilities. When it comes to careers and majors, I have considered becoming a pediatrician, orthodontist, pharmacist, or being an english major. After researching all of my options, I became even more interested in pharmacy. A pharmacist helps in the treatment of disease. They advise both doctors and patients about the dosages, interactions, and side effects of certain medicines and help people make decisions regarding which drugs to take. Pharmacists work at drugstores, research new medications or monitor drug use and supply at hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical institutions (collegeboard.org pharmacy). Pharmacists make, on average, $111,570 per year. To become a pharmacist in the United States, one must receive a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, referred to as a Pharm.D, and being certified by passing board exams (bls.gov). To be accepted into a Pharm.D program, one must complete at least two tears of undergraduate study (usnews.com), while some attain a Bachelors degree in a science to better their abilities. These courses include biology, chemistry, and calculus, among others. I think I would make a good pharmacist because I have always had an interest in medicine. I also love helping people and doing things for others. As a pharmacist, I would be able to study and work with medicine while helping people understand their sicknesses, manage their health, and improve their overall quality of life. The feeling that you just helped a person with a problem is very satisfying, and is having the ability to save someone’s life is more gratifying than any amount of money made.
To have the abilities necessary to help people, a good education is paramount. After looking at many schools, I found the University of Pittsburg, commonly referred to as Pitt. Pitt is located three miles away from downtown Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. It is a large school, with 18,427 total undergraduates. The average age of students is 20 years old. Pitt is considered to be somewhat selective, accepting approximately 58% of applicants. Pitt’s tuition is $16,132 for in state students and $25,540 for out of state students, with room and board costing an additional $9,430. Pitt’s average financial aid package is $12,172. Pitt requires one to take the SAT or ACT, and takes your highest score on the SAT. The criteria Pitt considers most important are one’s GPA, standardized test scores, and the level of difficulty of the high school classes taken (collegeboard.com University of Pittsburg). I am considering the University of Pittsburg because it is affordable, in Pennsylvania, and has a pharmacy school ranked in the top 15 nationally (rankingsandreviews.com). I was looking for a small school or a more local school, but the combination of affordability and academics Pitt offers is very intriguing. While at Pitt, I would like to major in chemistry and after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree, enter into Pitt’s School of Pharmacy and pursue my Pharm.D, or Doctor of Pharmacy degree. I would then try to enter the workforce and find a job as a pharmacist.
Going to study at the University of Pittsburg might be an ideal situation for me. If I cannot handle leaving home, Wilkes University may also be a good choice. Wilkes also has a pharmacy school is ranked number 74 in the country (rankingandreviews.com) and is much closer to home. Wilkes is located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and only has 2,211 undergraduates, fitting my desires of being a pharmacist, being close to home, and attending a smaller school. Wilkes also offers a two year prepharmacy program, allowing students to enter into pharmacy school after two years, while still having completed the necessary course requirements. If I am accepted into Wilkes, I would like to take their prepharmacy course and then enter into their Pharm.D program. Wilkes requires either the SAT or ACT, strongly considers your class rank, and has tuition of $28,210, with room and board costing an additional $11,698. The average financial aid package for first year students is $21,443. Wilkes may not be as prominent nationally compared to the University of Pittsburg, but it offers criteria that is important to me Pitt does not.
Whether I attend Pitt or Wilkes, I would like to become licensed and work as a pharmacist. After graduating, I hope to find a job quickly. Pharmacy jobs are predicted to grow at an above average rate over the next decade (bls.gov). One of my biggest fears in life is that I would not be able to provide for my family, which I desperately want to have. With a pharmacist’s salary, those worries are not nearly as bad. My education at either school would be well respected and hopefully be able to get me a job in pharmacy.
After the research involved in this paper, I have gone over the river and through the woods to the unknown world that is college life. I have learned about majors, tuitions, city schools versus rural schools, and have gotten a better idea of what I might want to do with my life. There is still much work to be done if I ever want to get where I want to be. Many things in life are unpredictable, based off the people you meet, the places you go, and the events that occur throughout your life. I may not be there yet, but at least now I can say I know not just what I do not want, but a little bit of what I want as well.

Works Cited
"Careers - Pharmacists - Health Diagnosis Treatment." Careers - Pharmacists - Health Diagnosis Treatment. Web. 13 May 2012. .
"College Search - University of Pittsburgh - Pitt." College Search - University of Pittsburgh - Pitt. Web. 13 May 2012. .
"Pharmacist: Job Profile & Salary." Pharmacist Job Overview. Web. 13 May 2012. .
"Pharmacy." Best Programs. Web. 13 May 2012. .
"Pre-Pharmacy." Wilkes. Web. 14 May 2012. .
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 13 May 2012. .
"Wilkes University." US News & World Report. Web. 14 May 2012. .

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