The University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy welcomed the Class of 2027 during the annual White Coat Ceremony on August 17, 2023. This year’s class boasts 92 of the best and brightest students from fourteen states and two foreign countries with an average GPA of 3.68.
Many of the students are already familiar with the college as 90 percent conducted their undergraduate studies at USC, while 35 students joined the College through the Gamecock Pharmacy Assurance Program, having met the requirement during their first two years of the prepharmacy curriculum. Thirteen percent of the class are first-generation students, while nine students are legacy students whose family members also attended the College of Pharmacy.
I encourage you to take chances and step out of your comfort zone. Work hard and make a commitment to excellence ...
Jarrod Tippins, ‘09, and this year’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipient, shared his advice for succeeding in pharmacy.
“I encourage you to take chances and step out of your comfort zone. Work hard and make a commitment to excellence,” he says. “Life offers choices with good and bad decisions to be made. You will need self-discipline and perseverance to keep pushing forward when it gets tough. The key to success is to shake it off and take a step up. Your goals are anxiously awaiting your attention!”
Dean Stephen J. Cutler reminded the class to embrace the symbolism of the white coat.
“It tells the world that you have something to share,” he says. “Donning the coat acknowledges that you have accepted the trust, the professionalism, and honesty and integrity that the white coat represents.”
Topics: Pharm.D. Program, White Coat Fund