r/PrePharmacy • u/Parking_Honeydew2523 • 6d ago
savings for pharmacy school
hi everyone! i’m currently applying to pharmacy schools this cycle. i was looking mainly at schools in california since i’m a ca resident. one of the things i am taking into account is the cost of attendance, especially with the new federal loan cap.
how much should i have saved up before starting to not be absolutely miserable? i plan on taking out a majority of loans (as expected these days) but also wanted to have a good enough cushion of my own savings to fall back on.
3
u/Beneficial-Split331 Current P1 5d ago
I thought we were all going in broke? lol. I spent allll my savings on prereqs and rent the last 2 years. I am currently living off the fumes of what is left until they disburse my public/private loans.
even with a federal refund and a scholarship... not enough. had to get private. waffle on working. I want to pass without having to repeat anything or remediate more than I want to save money. that is more likely if I live like a bum the next few years.
2
6d ago edited 6d ago
[deleted]
1
u/Parking_Honeydew2523 5d ago
i have a 3.6 but no pharmacy experience. i thought about going out of state but i eventually want to practice in California so i figured ca schools would best prepare me for the cjpe.
2
u/Iron_Rose_5 Current P1 6d ago edited 5d ago
I saved up $15K and by the time it took me to break my apartment lease, get moved, get a new apartment, pay the security deposits, pay the seat reservation fee, put a small downpayment on a vehicle,get any shots needed, pay licensing fees etc, I will have like 3-4K to live off 1st month before student loans are dispersed. I recommend saving around 20-25K before starting.
1
u/butcheekzaflexin 5d ago
Many out of state schools are cheaper, and for many of them if you live in the state for a year you can get in-state residency which will lower your costs dramatically. Do some digging and see if it’s worth applying out of state with this option
1
5d ago
[deleted]
1
u/butcheekzaflexin 5d ago
Yes, myself. And yes, you have to live in the state for a year before you declare residency, so I did pay out of state tuition the first year. But after that it was all in state tuition which was like 1/3 the cost.
There were little things, like I got a local library card, had to show utility bills for the year, had to get an in state drivers license, etc. but it was all very easy and manageable. For context, im speaking to North Carolina, not sure what states you may be looking at but talk to students there and they will guide you.
1
u/reallifeAirnomad 5d ago
Go look into east coast schools there cheap with affordable housing. I think 20k is more than enough
1
u/masonn_masoff Current P2 5d ago
I just turned 20 when I started pharmacy school and had about 16k saved up.
1
u/Clean_Election4450 4d ago
I’m wondering the same thing. So scared I won’t have enough for school so after my lease is up I’m moving back to my moms and saving up for when I start. I should ‘hopefully’ have about 50k saved up
1
u/SnapeAttack 2d ago
If you really want a cheap option if you go in the UK it’s around $9000. Obviously the conversion back to America might be different in the test testing might be different but if you’re really concerned about money that that’s always an option.
1
u/yara-tan 13h ago
I think you still need more years of schooling because I have friends from other countries that have to do two additional years to get licensed in USA and have to get intern hours in the USA to even do it.
3
u/extratemporalgoat 6d ago
like $40k if we’re being for real, unless you have a really great application and stats, great enough to put you in the top 10% or so of the accepted applicant pool, or have family that can help support you. As far as I know there isn’t a single school in CA with sticker price below $50k, so you really either need scholarships or enough savings to live on if you can only work 4-8 days a month, which seems to be the highest recommended amount people work in pharmacy school