1st Year Pre-Pharmacy Student

[cf89]

Hi you guys,
Im in my first yaer of college and i needed soem advice on what i should do in order to prepare for my application to pharmacy school. Should i really worry about extracurricular activities and volunteer hours or shoud i just focus on my grades? i just got hired as a pharmacy clerk so im starting to gain some experience. Also, should i aim to get my AA degree or should i just obtain all of the pre-requistes needed in order to apply for pharmacy school? How long does it take to finish them all on average? When should I take the PCAT? When should I start apllying to pharmacy school?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[STAR3URY]

You stole all my questions, i have the same exact questions, and i am in the same exact state as u mentioned.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

You should definitely focus on your grades, but getting pharmacy experience is really a must. You need to make sure you want to pursue pharm long term and also need to convince adcom's that you are serious about pharmacy. Some shadowing is good, but a long-term committment is the best, like you are doing. The experience will really help you get admitted if you are weak in other areas, such as PCAT or grades. Try to get moved up to a pharm tech. Also keep in mind what your limits are so you aren't working so much that you can't study. Everyone is different on this.

An AA most likely won't help you, so focus on your pre-reqs. However, doing the pre-reqs actually might get you pretty close to an AA anyways. Supposedly you can get the pre-reqs done in two years, but most I've known need three. Especially since schools are adding more pre-reqs every year, it will most likely take you three.

Take the PCAT when you have completed the pre-reqs needed and you feel prepared. Generally you will need to have taken Bio 1 and 2, Chem 1 and 2, Calculus, and O.Chem 1. I suggest also taking Anatomy and Physiology along with O.Chem 2. Microbio is also a good one to take to prepare. The PCAT is offered four times a year. Your best bet is to take it in June or August of the year you are applying so that you can retake it in October or January if you need to.

You should start applying when you have a year left of pre-reqs. Some schools require that you have all your pre-reqs done the spring semester before you matriculate, some allow you to finish in the summer. The PharmCAS application becomes available in June. Not all schools use PharmCAS though. The deadlines for schools vary, but December and January seem to be most common. Best thing you can do is apply early especially for rolling admission schools.

 

[97obw]

all of my advisors say experience/ec's dont help in the admission process, but experience will help you PERSONALLY, the lingo here is "3.0 youll be good to go" (somewhere)...btw how do you like LIU?? im thinking of transferring there or to Albany next year

 

[bigdogc]

don't screw up your GPA, allow yourself 4 B's total for your 2 years of undergrad, study for the PCAT, aim for at least 75comp, get pharmacy experience- if you do all these things right you should get in.

 

[angel89]

I am a first year pharmacy student too. I had the same questions about extracurricular activities and volunteer work.