title: Admissions Criteria as Predictors of Academic Performance in a Three-Year Pharmacy Program at a Historically Black Institution.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the ability of University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy's admissions criteria to predict students' academic performance in a 3-year pharmacy program and to analyze transferability to African-American students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Statistical analyses were conducted on retrospective data for 174 students. Didactic and experiential scores were used as measures of academic performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), grade point average (GPA), interview, and observational scores combined with previous pharmacy experience and biochemistry coursework predicted the students' academic performance except second-year (P2) experiential performance. For African-American students, didactic performance positively correlated with PCAT writing subtests, while the experiential performance positively correlated with previous pharmacy experience and observational score. For nonAfrican-American students, didactic performance positively correlated with PCAT multiple-choice subtests, and experiential performance with interview score. The prerequisite GPA positively correlated with both of the student subgroups' didactic performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both PCAT and GPA were predictors of didactic performance, especially in nonAfrican-Americans. Pharmacy experience and observational scores were predictors of experiential performance, especially in African-Americans.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy, Princess Anne, Maryland.
authors.forename: Frederick R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Tejada
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy, Princess Anne, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jayesh R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Parmar
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy, Princess Anne, Maryland.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Purnell
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy, Princess Anne, Maryland.
authors.forename: Lynn A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D003099:College Admission Test; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D012580:Schools, Pharmacy; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African-American students; HBCU; academic performance; admissions criteria; three-year pharmacy program