getting accepted with no experience

[northtexan]

I am wondering what the likelihood of getting accepted to a school is with no pharmacy experience.
I will be getting a BS in biology at the end of the spring semester.
my GPA is 2.9 overall and 3.1 math and science

PCAT
verbal- 58
biology- 92
reading- 29
math- 95
chem- 97
composite- 89

This semester I am looking into getting some volunteer time at a local pharmacy and a hospital pharmacy after I get my pharmacy technician certification but I am unsure if I will have much experience before the deadline for many schools. Would I still have a chance to get in or will it be minimal until I get some solid experience?

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[KansasPharmGirl]

I had no experience during pre-pharmacy and I got accepted. The only experience I had was shadowing on two occasions. Based on the fact that you'll have a biology degree soon and your PCAT scores are strong, I think you have a good chance of getting accepted. I highly recommend shadowing/volunteering or working in a pharmacy. It will help you get a better idea of what you're getting into.

 

[confettiflyer]

GPA is low-ish, but if that number hides a) a rigorous/prestigious undergrad and b) a general trend up on GPA (like your upper div coursework > 3.5, your lower div you were just finding your legs), you could be a strong candidate.

Most matriculants do not have direct pharmacy experience, we juggle enough actual pharmacy students that we literally have no time to showcase/let interested people shadow. The most accessible form of experience, being a clerk or technician at a retail joint, is nice but isn't exactly a showstopper. It's glorified cashier work at times.

The best candidates have unique experiences that stem from their surroundings (academia).... they did research and/or published, were involved in general health field activities and organizations, and showed general interest/aptitude in health care. Schools in general want the person whose leg is twitching while sitting down and has the academic background to take in a lot of information and the emotional intelligence to articulate it back.

Without a certificate, can you straight volunteer at a hospital? That might be a faster way to get some experience under your belt ahead of application season.

 

[RxStudentatUB]

Post in Pre-Pharmacy mi amigo.

 

[eagles22]

Are you eligible for federal loans?

 

[northtexan]

to get time volunteering in at a hospital I was told by the pharmacist that I would need a Pharmacy tech certification. Im not sure if a pharmacy tech trainee certification would be enough or not but I am in the process of getting one, will take a month or so to receive in the mail. I also have the opportunity to be a tech trainee at a local compounding pharmacy where I would cashier and work my way up when there is an open position. my GPA is increasing with the advance in school time. last semester I had around a 3.5, I really messed up my first year since I was excited to be on my own and didn't pay much attention to school.


I do not believe I am eligible for federal loans and would not want to take any. Why do you ask?

 

[eagles22]

to get time volunteering in at a hospital I was told by the pharmacist that I would need a Pharmacy tech certification. Im not sure if a pharmacy tech trainee certification would be enough or not but I am in the process of getting one, will take a month or so to receive in the mail. I also have the opportunity to be a tech trainee at a local compounding pharmacy where I would cashier and work my way up when there is an open position. my GPA is increasing with the advance in school time. last semester I had around a 3.5, I really messed up my first year since I was excited to be on my own and didn't pay much attention to school.


I do not believe I am eligible for federal loans and would not want to take any. Why do you ask?

Federal loans are the force which propels the propagation of pharmacy schools. If you can get them, you can pay for school which means the school makes money. With all these new diploma mills opening up and accepting anyone, it would seem that the bare minimum is eligibility for the loans and that grades, PCAT, experience, etc does not really matter. Business comes first and education comes second. It's all about the benjamins.