Deanna Forella

The first time Westchester native Deanna Forella visited Binghamton University she was in eighth or ninth grade and was accompanying her older brother on college visits. It might as well have been her visit, because she “fell in love” with the campus and set her sights on attending.

“Most of high school was making sure I have the GPA and other things I needed so I could be admitted,” she said. “When I was accepted in January, I put my deposit down a week later and said, ‘That’s it! I know what I’m doing!’”

Then she learned that Binghamton was starting a pharmacy school, and “it was a sign!” she said.

Forella is one of the first Binghamton students to take advantage of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Early Acceptance Program (PEAP) that provides academically exceptional students future admission into the Doctor of Pharmacy program.

Currently a sophomore at Binghamton, Forella applied for PEAP during the second semester of her freshman year and – as a pre-pharmacy student – has been taking the required prerequisites in preparation for beginning her third year at Binghamton as a first-year pharmacy student.

“This is my last semester on Binghamton’s main campus and I’m basically only taking prerequisites for pharmacy, including some sciences, writing and economics courses,” she said. “I’m not getting a bachelor’s degree, but instead I’m going straight into the PharmD program and will have my Doctor of Pharmacy degree in another four years, after my two years on the main campus.”

“Doing all of the prerequisites is really insane, but I will have my doctor of pharmacy in six years and get into the workforce even faster,” she said, so she’s prepared to begin the PharmD program.

“I live in Hinman this year and take classes on the main campus, but will be living in downtown Binghamton next year,” she said.

She isn’t concerned about leaving her friends on the main campus. “I’ll be living in a house with friends, and I have friends in theater, environmental studies, pre-vet and everything else so, since I’m not actually in classes with them now, it’s okay to be taking classes separate from them at the pharmacy building.”

The small class sizes in the School of Pharmacy are also attractive to Forella. “I can make connections for the future. It will be nice to get to know a class of 80 to 90 people that I can have connections with.”

Aside from classes, Forella has recently joined a sorority that supports the Reading is Fundamental program through fundraising activities, and she’s also a musician.

“I play classical flute,” she said. “It was a really big part of my life in high school and I still play, just not to prepare for a concert,” she said. “I play what I want when I want and will definitely keep it up.”

Though she hasn’t yet shadowed a pharmacist, she expects to do so over the summer to “get a feel for the profession and see what I’m interested in,” Forella said. “There are so many facets to the field and you can do anything. Right now, I’m thinking I might want to work in a hospital setting, but don’t think I will really know until I shadow someone and see all that it entails.”

We don’t have any pharm in my direct family, but my mom’s sister’s friend has a good career and flexibility to have husband and kids, not just in the health field but can have a life outside of it as well.