General Questions

I have a LOT of questions because Butler is one of my top picks.

 I am applying to the Pharm D. Program and I was just wondering how intense it is and how many people are enrolled in it?

Also, are the community bathrooms that bad? Sorry to say, I consider that to be a factor in choicing schools.

Are there a lot of things to do around Butler? I heard there really wasn't much to do unless you went into the city.

Is the campus pretty small? Do you have to take transportation to get to campuses or are they walkable?

 Why is it such a small school but offers so many majors? Doesn't that mean there won't be a lot of kids for each major?

 

Hey, I'm not in the pharmacy program (I'm a junior English major), but I'll try to answer as many of your questions as possible.

 Community bathrooms are not bad at all.  I lived in Schwitzer Hall and they were very clean and the RAs in that building decorate them so they were actually quite cute and homey.  I cannot speak for the boy's bathrooms in Ross Hall, but they get the same cleaning services that Schwitzer does so I would imagine they are fine, too. Resco, another residence hall we have, is suite-style, meaning there is a bathroom in between every two rooms. Do you live very far away? It would be great to do a campus visit sometime if you can.

There is a ton to do at Butler - way more than I can fit in my schedule, in fact.  Our campus is the center for lots of cultural life in Indy because we have the fabulous Clowes Hall that has great performances like the Indianapolis opera and symphony and traveling Broadway shows, and Butler's student government brings in musical acts such as Ok Go, Ben Folds, Better than Ezra, The Fray, etc.  The Butler fine arts performances are outstanding, too.  We also have lots of visiting writers and other speakers.  As far as fun things to do, Student Government has lots of big campus events.  If you're interested in sports, downtown may have the Colts and the Pacers - but WE have Butler Basketball in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, which is way more exciting, in my opinion.

If you're interested in off-campus fun, downtown is an option, but we're actually really close to one of the most popular neighborhoods in Indy, called Broad Ripple.  It has tons of restaurants, bars and small shops and is about 7 minutes away from campus.  We are also pretty close to the malls on the North side (which are way better than the shopping downtown).  Oh, and how could I forget?? We are across the street from the Indianapolis Art Museum which is FREE and amazing.  Beautiful gardens and really cool exhibits.

 The campus is pretty small and very easily walkable (15 minutes from one corner to the other).  I consider this a major bonus, because as a freshman I could literally get to class in 60 seconds and Starbucks in about the same.  Now I live a very far 5 minutes away from these things ; ) 

 I think the reason we offer so many majors is that we're a liberal arts school where students are encouraged to explore lots of different interests.  Many people choose to add a minor (or several) or double major.  Yes, some programs have a smaller number of students, but that just means those departments are close knit.  One example is anthropology - because they are smaller, the students are all really good friends, and they know their professors VERY well; one of the professors hosts parties for the whole department at her house.  So, a small department can mean really great access to and attention from professors.  However, not all departments are that small.  Pharmacy, while obviously very selective, is one of the bigger majors at Butler from what I can tell.

That's all I've got for now... I'll let someone who knows more about the pharmacy program answer those questions, but I hope this helps! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions. We love to talk about Butler!

Hi Sonalie!

Thanks for your post! The Pharmacy program is a GREAT program-in fact, its one of the programs that most people recognize right off the bat when they hear "Butler." It IS competitive to get into, but we are an automatic advancement program, and many students see the benefit of our Pharmacy program and want to apply. A student has to meet specific requirements to stay in the automatic advancement track, but if they meet those requirements they can go through to the professional phase without reapplying! Does this make sense? Please feel free to contact me at morourke@butler.edu if you have more specific questions.

Also, being a graduate of Butler, I'd like to think I can answer the other questions you asked!

1. The bathrooms are not that bad-they are cleaned more than once a day during the week, and although it was hard for to get used to, I enjoyed it in the end.

2. I think there are a lot of things to do around campus, whether you and your friends are hanging out or you are attending an event on campus. Indy is a great resource, but I think between the Greek students with their all campus events and a plethora of student involvement opportunities, you'll definitely have things you'll want to participate in and attend.

3.The physical campus itself is 290 acres, and is pretty compact. We are in the back of a neighborhood, so its a little quieter than being in the middle of downtown Indianapolis. I think it's a very traditional looking campus and its VERY easy to get around. There is only one campus, and most students just walk. There isn't a need for shuttles, but you could bring a bike if you wanted.

4. For all intents and purposes, we are technically a medium-sized school...which to me is such an elusive thing to define. However, we have a strong history in liberal arts, and all of our students complete a liberal arts core curriculum, in addition to their professional curriculum. Yes, some programs have more students than others, but I think it's great we can offer so many different types of programs to students who have a wide variety of interests. When I first got to Butler, I had NO idea what I wanted to study, but I knew that Butler was a great fit BECAUSE it had so many choices, and I think it can expand or broaden your education and your learning here.

I hope this helps! Please, again, let me know if you have further questions. (Even those these are great questions!!!) Good luck with your college search!

 

Megan

 

 

Sonalie,

   I am actually just beginning my senior (P-2) year of pharmacy school.  Unlike most other universities, at Butler you are in direct competition with yourself.  Other universities only allow a certain number of students to advance from pre-pharmacy into the professional phase and there is usually an extensive application process.  At Butler, I do not believe they set a cap as to how many students advance into the professional phase.  We have what is known is "automatic advancement" as Megan just mentioned.  Basically there are 10 pre-pharmacy courses that the university requires you to earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in.  Butler also requires a certain score to be achieved on the PCAT (basically a pre-pharmacy assessment taken in the fall of your 2nd year), but I am not sure what this score is as the rule was just instated.  So, ultimately, you make the grades, you get in... unlike most other universities where your fate lies in the hands of a committee.  My class (as seniors) has roughly 120 pharmacy students in it.  We began with somewhere around 170-180.  The program is not super intense by any means... It gets a bad reputation for being intense/difficult, but I still find plenty of time to be involved in other activities on and off campus.  Hope this helps.

wow Sonalie~I'm an international student also interested in the Phamacy program! Find that Butler guys are so hospitable and helpful.cooool! Is it really difficult to get into the program?What SAT scores will be competitive? How many hours do u usually study a day?I mean the pharm students.I think I might break down without a 7-hour sleep every day.. Are international students well represented on campus?Is there lots of interaction between students from US and abroad?

Hi! I'm an international pharmacy student, so I'll try to answer most of your questions! Competitive SAT scores - the SATs have changed format since I took them, so maybe someone from the admissions department try and give you a specific number. I know that SAT scores are taken into consideration, and my best advice is to just try your best when you take the test!Hours a day spent studying - it's really hard to say "I spend X number of hours studying a day" because I basically study any time I'm not eating, sleeping, or in class. But, in the middle of studying I might stop for a few minutes, check my e-mail, talk to someone who walks by, write a blog post, etc. On weekdays, I spend almost all my free time studying. I also spend most of my weekends studying, but I'll work harder during the week if there's something coming up on the weekend that I really want to do. It's all about time management and planning your schedule in advance. If there's something you want to watch on TV (like an Indianapolis Colts, work on less difficult tasks during commercial breaks, things like that. Another point to make is that when our cluster exams are coming up, I'll spend a lot more time studying than I will right after the exams. Sleep - if you want seven hours of sleep, don't procrastinate on your work! I would say that procrastination is the #1 reason for a college student's lack of sleep....either that or staying out all night at a party (which is generally a bad idea, especially on a week day). You get better at time management as you go through college. I'm in my fourth year of college, and I think I'm finally starting to make sure I get about 7 hours of sleep a night. In your first year, your work load should be manageable enough where you can get enough sleep, but my problem was that there are so many things to do around campus and in the dorms that staying up late was a fun option! International students on campus - I don't know exactly how many international students there are on campus, but Jerry would definitely be able to give you an answer to that question. Keep in mind that a majority of students will be American, but if you're looking for international students to hang out with, it won't be hard to find them. There's an international club, in which I think a lot of the international students are active, and that would be a great way to meet people. As for interaction between the US and international students, it really depends on how willing you are to make friends with the American students. If you want to get to know them, they'll make an effort to know you. I found it a little difficult at first, just because everyone seemed to have people that they already knew from high school, and I knew no one! Getting to know the people in your freshman hall will be a big step to integrating into American society. If you're looking at being a pharmacy student, I would get to know your classmates well. You'll need them to help you study! Even as I'm writing this, I'm sitting with four other (all American) students from my class. Don't expect to see a lot of international students in your pharmacy class....I'm the only one in my year, and there's only one that I know of in the year ahead of me.  

Hope this helps you out!

 

Hi Ashlen! It helps greatly(the length stoke me..!realllllllly appreciate ur time =] )!Even more excited now... I think the daily schedule is just as intense as that of my high school,so maybe I can handle the load~ do you think that working hard in the pharmacy program can generally bring good results? I'm going to take the SAT1 this coming Oct...reply to Butler straightly after that~less time to get online now T T

I'm glad to hear that you're excited about applying to Butler! Good luck on your SATs....I hope you do well!! I do think that working hard in the pharmacy program can bring good results. I've noticed that the people who don't do well in pharmacy don't put enough time into their work. Just to show you, last semester I took five classes, and I got A's in two classes and an A- in another class. I feel like I didn't put enough time into the classes I didn't get A's in, and if I had of put more time in I think my grades could have been higher. You definitely learn about time management as you go along, and you keep getting better at figuring out how much effort you need to put into your work.  If you have any more questions about pharmacy, Butler in general, or the application process, just let us know! 

Ashlen

 

I will be honest with you.... I am currently in my 4th year of pharmacy school and I study MAYBE 5-7 hours a week, which mostly consists of preparation for lab and studying for a quiz here and there.... During weeks where we have tests, I usually devote most of my free time to studying, but what's 1 week out of 4? As far as grades as concerned, it is not something to stress about by any means. If you have an academic scholarship, you are usually required to maintain a 3.0 GPA, which is not super challenging. Other than that, the pharmacy program only requires you to maintain a 2.0 GPA. And as you are probably aware, grades do not mean anything in the pharmacy department, as there is 100% job placement, just as long as you graduate. So you will still have plenty of time to sleep, work, do extracurriculars, etc.... probably more time than you can imagine.

Couple questions. Applying to Butler still. 1. How is the biomedical engineering program? 2. Is it possible to get a dual degree in BME and business? A. How hard is it to? 3. Can freshman have cars on campus? A. How expensice are the parking garages? 4. Do I need SAT II's? 5. Whats the SAT approximate range for Butler?