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Deciding where to apply - new institutions

I am currently deciding where to apply for entry in 2013 so am trying to visit the Universities that I am interested in on their Open days to help me with this. I am right at the beginning of my research. Two of my the Unis Im looking at are at institutions just starting to offer the MPharm, Birmingham and Durham, does anyone have any info on these new courses, or have any opinions on whether they will offer a good experience studying on a brand new course. I am attending Durham's Open day next Friday but I know they therefore wont have any students currently studying to have a chat to. I am particulary interested in applying to Durham as my sister studied another course at Durham and loved it, but just not sure if there will be drawbacks of studying a brand new course...I have spoken with the admissions dept at the University and they did make it sound good, plus it is fairly high in some league tables looked at (though obv as a uni and not specifically for Pharmacy).... hmm decisions, decisions! Is anyone else considering an institution newly offering Pharmacy or planning on checking them out at open day?
(edited 11 years ago)
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AmberCD
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Original post by MissingStudentLife
I am currently deciding where to apply for entry in 2013 so am trying to visit the Universities that I am interested in on their Open days to help me with this. I am right at the beginning of my research. Two of my the Unis Im looking at are at institutions just starting to offer the MPharm, Birmingham and Durham, does anyone have any info on these new courses, or have any opinions on whether they will offer a good experience studying on a brand new course. I am attending Durham's Open day next Friday but I know they therefore wont have any students currently studying to have a chat to. I am particulary interested in applying to Durham as my sister studied another course at Durham and loved it, but just not sure if there will be drawbacks of studying a brand new course...I have spoken with the admissions dept at the University and they did make it sound good, plus it is fairly high in some league tables looked at (though obv as a uni and not specifically for Pharmacy).... hmm decisions, decisions! Is anyone else considering an institution newly offering Pharmacy or planning on checking them out at open day?


Hi I'm an A2 who has a place at Cardiff (if I get AAB that is) to study Pharmacy in 2012.

I would be nervous of going somewhere for the MPharm at a University who had not offered it previously. Admissions departments are payed to make the university and courses look good. I'm very sure these University's will gain accreditation from the GPhC there is also the fact that they have not yet done this yet.
The the facilities specifically for Pharmacy and the course will, to a certain extent, be a work in progress, they will probably fine tune the programme after feedback from your year, the year bellow etc. Though they are both very good institutions which will obviously have links with hospitals and industry for medicine/biochemistry etc. they won't have an established track record with employers of Pharmacy graduates, particularly in community. Birmingham is right by Aston which is a well established school of Pharmacy with a good reputation and for holiday placements and extra experience you will be competing with student from there if you wish to stay in the area. Durham is fairly near Sunderland so I guess the same could apply there but probably not that much (with places in Newcastle).

You have 5 choices though so I don't see any harm in putting at least one down. It is true that for Pharmacy there are few top ranked Uni's currently offering the course, particularly outside London. Pharmacists have always said to me that they are wary of new institutions though weather that applies so much when these are so highly ranked in other subject areas I am unsure. I would talk to a variety of pharmacists if possible to get a balanced view on there opinions on the new institutions.

Don't know if that helpful or not but thats just my thoughts :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)

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