A Pre-matriculation Success Program to Improve Pharmacy Students’ Academic Performance at a Historically Black University

Objective. The Pharmacy Biomedical Preview Program (PBP) is a five-week summer academic reinforcement program held for students entering the Howard University College of Pharmacy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the PBP and preadmission factors on first semester academic performance. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted of students entering the program from 2013 to 2015. The primary outcome assessed was first semester GPA. Descriptive statistics of all study variables was conducted. Bivariable analyses were used to compare students by PBP status. Pearson correlations and point biserial R were conducted to evaluate which factors were associated with the first semester GPA. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate whether participation in the PBP program predicted GPA during the first semester in pharmacy school after adjusting for other factors. All analyses were conducted using SPSS version 23 at an alpha of 0.05. Results. Findings showed that incoming overall undergraduate GPA was the strongest predictor of first semester GPA in pharmacy school followed by participation in the PBP program. After adjusting for other factors, mandatory participation in the program was associated with a first semester GPA that was 0.300 units higher and voluntary participation in the program was associated with a first semester GPA that 0.238 units higher. Conclusion. Findings from this study indicated that the implementation of a pre-matriculation success program at a college of pharmacy in a historically black institution is a viable strategy to improve academic success in the first year.