Question about University of Southern Nevada

Question: I am pretty open to moving any school anywhere in the United States that will admit me. My test scores and GPA are pretty average, so I was researching schools that admit student with credentials similar to mine. I haven't been in school for several years, but want to try pharmacy school (I have a chemistry degree).

Are you familiar with the University of Southern Nevada? I was reading through their website and found this interesting, "The Admissions Office will rank applicants using a formula based on their Interview Selection, actual Interview, and PCAT scores. Letters of recommendation, pharmacy experience, a BS/BA degree and Nevada or Utah residency are NOT required to apply." Plus, they offer academic forgiveness which will help my GPA big time.

So, if I've got this straight - no LORs, no experience and they'll make my poor grades disappear? I'm a shoo-in, right?


Answer: I will first state that I did not attend and have never been employed by the University of Southern Nevada School of Pharmacy. I have no affiliation with the school. I believe there is a link among the ads on the side of the page or under this blog entry for the USN School of Pharmacy, so you can click the link if you want more information from them directly.

To your question: I find it a bit interesting that the school publicizes the fact that "Letters of Recommendation are not required and are not accepted". I am not judging their admission process, but I learn quite a bit about applicants by reading what others have to say about them. I don't know why they won't accept LORs.

In your case, the academic forgiveness sounds like it could help quite a bit. Please read the fine print, however, that all prereqs must be taken within the last 5 years. It also appears that there are actually two campuses (one in Nevada and another in Utah) with a total number of admitted students > 200. Their website says they received more than 1500 applications, so quite a few people might think the way that you do. Nevertheless, it would certainly be worth sending your PCAT score to them and let the chips fall where they may. Good luck.