Impact of Providing a Living Learning Community for First-Year Pre-Pharmacy Students

Objective. To conduct a retrospective cohort pilot study to evaluate the impact of a living learning community (LLC) designed for undergraduate pre-pharmacy students interested in pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program. Methods. Persistence, retention, and progression within the pre-pharmacy program, as well as grade point average (GPA) were measured for LLC students and their pre-pharmacy peers who did not participate in the LLC. Information was obtained from the university’s data system and analyzed. Persistence was defined as the student continuing at the university from the fall to spring academic terms. Retention was defined as the student being enrolled at the university during a subsequent fall term. Progression was determined by whether the student had successfully completed the pre-pharmacy curriculum and began pharmacy school within two or three years of initial enrollment in the pre-pharmacy program. Results. Despite having admissions characteristics comparable to other pre-pharmacy students, students who participated in the LLC demonstrated significantly higher grade-point averages and retention than their peers who did not participate. Conclusion. Living learning community programs may be a valuable contributor to pre-pharmacy student success in terms of students’ persistence, retention, and progression in a pre-pharmacy program.