University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy

I chose this program because it is one of the most highly ranked programs in the field of health economics and outcomes research. The faculty members are widely recognized both nationally and internationally. Also, previous students from my undergrad college had attended this program and shared their positive experiences and highly recommended joining it.

My course syllabus is highly relevant to the field and is updated each year with innovations and advances in the field. Faculty members make sure to incorporate hands on training in courses through homeworks and tests. Also, latest publications are often discussed in class. I was given an opportunity to do an industrial fellowship in a big pharma company which proved to be a tremendous learning opportunity. The program supports students to pursue fellowships and internships.

My scores: GRE: 169 Quant, 159 verbal, TOEFL: Reading and listening 30/30, speaking 29/30, writing 28/30.

The department has 100% placement rate. Students have the ability to extend graduation date till they find a job. This is especially helpful for international students because they can adjust the graduation date to ensure that no unemployment days are lost before starting the job.

I did a two year fellowship in abbvie inc. the stipend is about 4000$ per month before taxes. Application process included submitting a CV through department faculty, and two rounds of interview- one was an initial screen and the next was a panel interview with one hour presentation on previous research work

The PhD program guarantees tuition waiver along with assistantship. Assistantship is officially guaranteed for the first two years. Then, students can get RAships with faculty members, apply for grants, or continue TAships within the department. Though these are not officially guaranteed, no student has ever had any issue with funding funding so far.

I received a TAship in my first year. The department guarantees funding in the form of TA for two years and students have the opportunity to find RAships after starting the program.

"There are about 8-10 faculty members and the intake each year is between 2-7 students, depending on availability of funding. Each faculty member is highly accomplished in their respective fields and very approachable. The department is like a tight knit family that is always available to help out with any personal or professional issues. Dr. Todd Lee is a great department head who is extremely supportive of students and goes out of his way to help students achieve their personal and professional goals. "

There are Indian undergraduate and graduate student associations on campus that regularly hold events like Indian festivals, or other informal gatherings. There are two huge libraries and gyms on the east and west side of campus respectively. Wifi is available throughout campus and the university also provides access to eduroam which is a wifi network that can be accessed while on campus of other academic institutions

I live in a nice apartment near campus which costs $850 per month. This is on the higher side. Average rent would be about $650 per month, with electricity, gas and internet costing about 100$ per month. These costs can be reduced if more people share the apartr.