The Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is continuing to grow its name internationally. This week, four members from the South Korean education institute UWAY were at SOPPS to learn more about pharmacy education and the program available at Binghamton University.
"It was an incredible experience hosting our friends from South Korea," said Christianna Friedrichsen, the associate director of admissions at SOPPS. "The goal is for them to share their knowledge and experiences here with the international high school students they work with to promote Binghamton University and our pharmacy programs."
UWAY has worked with Binghamton University when it comes to student recruitment.
"Our students have a very high interest in studying pharmacy," said Beena Jang, a team manager at UWAY. "Binghamton is one of the newest and youngest programs we partner with, so we always wanted to visit the pharmacy school here. The most important part of this visit was bringing our main counselors so they can actually see and hear about the program firsthand and better advise students."
One of those UWAY counselors, Claire Song, was excited to make this trip and was very impressed with the school overall.
"We just wanted to see what Binghamton University, especially the pharmacy school, looks like so we can introduce it to our students," Song said. "I think the conditions here are really good for studying. It's actually the largest pharmacy school I've seen, and it gives us something clear to share with students back home."
Throughout the day, the visitors were able to meet with some faculty and staff members to learn about the admissions process, curriculum and research being done at the school.
"I was really shocked and surprised by the manikins - it was a little scary at first because they look so real!" Song said. "But I think it's great for students to have that kind of hands-on experience. It really helps them practice before becoming pharmacists."
They were also given a tour of the school to see some of the state-of-the-art equipment being used by pharmacy students, which really stood out to both Jang and Song.
"This is the biggest pharmacy building I've ever visited, with the newest equipment and a community practical center," Jang said. "I did two interviews with faculty members, and they seem very dedicated to their work with students. That really stood out to me."
Dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor Kanneboyina Nagaraju was excited to have these members from UWAY visit the school as well as learn more about what it means to be a pharmacist.
"Pharmacists are the most trusted healthcare professionals in most of the countries around the world," Nagaraju said. "Pharmacists who are trained from our school are prepared to practice at the top of their education and license anywhere in the world. We're glad our friends from Korea could come and experience that here."
