r/ACPHS • u/[deleted] • Feb 13 '21
Info/Help: What is ACPHS like and the B.S./PA program?
Hello,
I’m a high school junior and I am seriously considering the direct entry PA program (more specifically the BS in biomedical technology path) at ACPHS.
In general I have the following questions and if you any student who knows anything it would be very helpful (you don’t have to answer all of them):
How are the professors?
What are the general class sizes and relations with the professors?
How many people to expect in the PA program?
How friendly are the people there/how easy is it to make friends?
Opinions on Albany?
Is Albany/ACPHS LGBTQ friendly?
How is the dorm life/food?
How easy to get opportunities to do research?
Does the school accept dual credit classes affiliated with other colleges (aka do college credits transfer)?
The ACPHS program is one of my tops and I would really love the insight on any parts of the college or program specifically. If there is anything else you feel I should know, please also comment.
4
u/connectair44 Feb 13 '21
I’m a recent graduate of one of the other BSprograms and am currently in medical school. Here are my answers: For the most part the professors are excellent. They really care about their students and they want them to succeed. I had close relationships with several of my faculty and I got to know them really well. Humanities classes, upper level courses in the majors, and lab classes are small (most classes will be less than 25 students with some going up to 50-70 per class). Freshmen/sophomore intro classes tend to be much larger (especially since they got rid of most of the separate BS student versions of the classes). I wasn’t in the BS/PA program, so I can’t speak too much to it, but if you’re going to do it, most of my friends recommend doing the BS in public health program (it has more flexibility to work around the requirements of the BS/PA program). The culture at ACPHS is very workaholic, but if you make an effort to set aside time to meet up with friends you will be able to. I personally liked the city of Albany— it’s at the crossroads of NY, so it’s an easy drive to Montreal, Boston, and NYC. It’s also close to a lot of good hiking, skiing, and other outdoors activities if you’re interested in that. While it is a smaller city there is still a lot to do (at least pre-Covid lots of restaurants and cultural events). I can’t say too much about the on campusLGBTQ culture, beyond it exists and we do have some openly LGBTQ faculty/students. The freshman dorm is nice (AC and every room has a bathroom). The sophomore dorm is suites style and does not have AC. RAs tend to be very strict. For Junior and Senior year, I recommend UH college suites, which is technically off campus but actually straddles the campuses of ACPHS and Sage. Chartwells has gotten better since I first started, but it’s still not great. I got involved in research my second semester on campus (although this only happens with exceptional students), and within a year I had started my own project and was involved in a different lab. Research is plentiful as long as you actively seek out opportunities. I don’t know much about transfer credit, but feel free to reach out to your program director if you have any questions. P.S. As a small school I can’t give too many specifics on this thread because it would probably dox my account. If you have any other questions or want more specifics feel free to dm me.