HOPE for everyone....

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PointBreak

PointBreak

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You shouldn't trip over a C too much....if anything maybe this will help, not just you but everyone else who worries about their stats.

I graduated back in 2006 from a UC, and i graduated with a 2.58 GPA. But if you think that's low, how about this? I got 7 D's at that university.
Calculus - D
General Bio series (3 quarters) - D, D, D and retook them at the same university, C, C, C+
Physics - D
Ecology and Conservational Biology - D
Anatomy - D
These are just the D's I received.
I also got a W in Immunology
I also got 2 C-'s as well in Molecular Biology, Neuroscience

I also took the PCAT twice that year, scoring composites of 33 and 49 respectively.

I mean just by looking at these stats, you got to be thinking holy ****, that's horrible as hell! But I applied to about 20+ pharmacy schools that year and of course i got no interviews. So I took two years off and I retook classes at a local community college. I retook 10 classes over.
General Bio series - A,A
General Chem series - A,A
Anatomy - A
Physiology - A
Molecular Biology - A
Biochem - A
Microbio - A
Psych - A

I retook the PCAT twice last year again and scored composites of 72 and 79 respectively.

So my GPA at the community college was a 4.0. So with that being combined with my 2.58 from the University. Pharmcas calculated my cummalative gpa to be a 2.87 gpa and that's the gpa i applied with my 2nd time. I applied to 15 pharmacy schools this time and only got 2 interviews and was waitlisted on both after my interviews. Eventually I was pulled on the waitlist a month ago to one of the schools and with all this craziness, I'll be starting pharmacy school this September 2008.

So basically, my point is you guys with your (3.0-3.5 GPA's) who are always posting up whether or not your stats are good enough or not, don't even sweat it. If someone in my case could get into pharmacy school with the horrible stats I had and worked hard for 2 years to increase their GPA, then anyone has a chance as long as you're willing to fight for it. I'm not saying that everyone with stats as bad as mine will get into pharmacy school, but i'm just trying to show that my stats are probably as bad as it's gonna get for a person applying to pharmacy school and eventually I got in, so there's always hope out there. I only mentioned the D's and C-'s i got, but i got a butt load of C's too. So for all those out there who are similar scenarios to where I was, just keep your head up and keep trying! :thumbup:

If you have questions, just hit me up!
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I'm glad you shared this, I was losing some hope getting into pharm school this year. I am in similar situation. I graduated with 3.0 from UC and I got 4.0 from CSU this year taking prereqs and retaking classes. I think the big thign is that there was a major upward trend. I don't think people who have cum 2.5 without retaking classes or getting near straight A's in the last few years will get into pharm school, but gives hope for those of us who work hard to improve ourselves.
 
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Thanks for this post..it was a much needed pick me up. What school are you going to be attending?
 
wow, congrat i must say. I seen some low gpas but man yours is definitely one if not the lowest yet with an average pcat.
 
Schools do like to see applicants show a upward trend, but how many people out there can afford to apply to 15 to 20 schools two years in a row, and even then only 2 interviews. Realistically, I wouldn't call that hope for everyone. Sorry, I'm a realist.

Anyways, congratulations.
 
definitely, I understand your realistic view of it. I mean i'm as fortunate as hell to have been given an acceptance because I was already giving up and thinking about applying a 3rd time or going for P.A. My point was to just show that if you're willing to fight for it and give yourself an opportunity then you have a shot. I think i'm a rare case because there are way more people out there have stats that dominate mine and still didn't get in this year. It was more for all the people out there who posts up threads like "Oh i failed so and so, do i still have shot?", or "are my stats good enough?" With my GPA, i knew for sure applying to 5 schools wasn't gonna cut it, I had to apply to many more schools, probably 4 times as many as the average pharmacy applicant. I know not everyone can do that, but if a person is willing to go to the extreme to give themselves that chance, then there's always hope.
 
I see your point. I think in your case, self sacrifice, hardwork, and dedication is what paid off for you, and generally, that is the case for anyone who really wants it bad enough.

I don't believe in hope or luck or fate, because like you, I had to work at it to get into pharmacy school.

Anyways, I hope my post didn't rub you the wrong way. Again, good job and congratulations.
 
Wow, thats really cool. Sometimes it takes getting D's and C's to really motivate you to do better. I personally know someone who applied for 4 years before they got in because of bad stats. Once in pharmacy school, they were at the top of their class. Sometimes things happen in our undergrad, such as lack of maturity, social/family problems, etc. that cause us not to reach our full potential. This just proves you can turn it around if you really try. :thumbup:
 
and UC schools are very hard especially la. it's not like he's a bad student sometimes you can study like crazy and still end up with a bad grade in the class because of their crazy grade policies and I'm sure he enjoyed community college b/c they let you breathe and professors actually care. good luck

laimyours said:
Wow, thats really cool. Sometimes it takes getting D's and C's to really motivate you to do better. I personally know someone who applied for 4 years before they got in because of bad stats. Once in pharmacy school, they were at the top of their class. Sometimes things happen in our undergrad, such as lack of maturity, social/family problems, etc. that cause us not to reach our full potential. This just proves you can turn it around if you really try. :thumbup:
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Congrats. Did you do anything special to study for the PCAT this time?
 
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Well all four times I took the pcat I didn't study from the book. The first two times I did really poorly. The 3rd in which I scored a 72, that was right after I took a semester of general chemistry so I guessed it helped. The 4th time I took it, it was after I took the 2nd part of general chemistry and a semester of biology and anatomy so I was really fresh off the material. I ended scoring a 79 composite but I got a 91 on chem and 90 on the biology portion. I'm pretty good with math so I got in the 80s. I scored in the 60s for verbal and 50s for reading. With the amount of time I had with school and work, I figured for reading and verbal, you either know it or you don't so I just focused on bio and chem. Posted via Mobile Device
 
ruth265 said:
and UC schools are very hard especially la. it's not like he's a bad student sometimes you can study like crazy and still end up with a bad grade in the class because of their crazy grade policies and I'm sure he enjoyed community college b/c they let you breathe and professors actually care. good luck
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Never said he was a bad student. Obviously if you get Ds there is room for improvement. I'm quite aware of how hard UC's are in general, i am from southern california and I do attend one. :D
 
congrats, I think the key to your success was that you applied to 15 schools and no doubt had a bit of luck, still it takes alot of determination to pull your grades up like that :thumbup:

EDIT: lol at all the threads that come up when you search for "hope"
 
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yea congrats pointbreak! if you don't mind i was wondering what your science gpa was
 
I think probably around 2.8 as well
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That's an impressive story Pointbreak, good luck in the future!
 
Wow, that is very nice. You went from a __ to a G. Good job. :D
 
haha this is pretty crazy, but this morning I just got an email from the University of Maryland which is one of the schools that rejected me this year. Well the email says:

Hello University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy applicant: You are receiving this email becase your application has been reconsidered for the Fall 2008 School year. At this time, students and faculty will be conducting phone interviews with candidates as part of our admissions process. Once interviews have been conducted, a decision to admit or decline the candidate will be made by the admissions committee. Please email me back at your earliest convenience and let me know if you are still interested in being considered for the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy's PharmD program for the Fall of 2008 school year. If so, please indicate some dates and times that you will be available for a hour phone interview. Thank you.

haha, that's pretty interesting, its tempting to see if i could get it or not but that would be screwing someone else's chance. So for those of you who were rejected by the University of Maryland this year, there's still a chance!
 
PointBreak said:
haha this is pretty crazy, but this morning I just got an email from the University of Maryland which is one of the schools that rejected me this year. Well the email says:

Hello University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy applicant: You are receiving this email becase your application has been reconsidered for the Fall 2008 School year. At this time, students and faculty will be conducting phone interviews with candidates as part of our admissions process. Once interviews have been conducted, a decision to admit or decline the candidate will be made by the admissions committee. Please email me back at your earliest convenience and let me know if you are still interested in being considered for the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy's PharmD program for the Fall of 2008 school year. If so, please indicate some dates and times that you will be available for a hour phone interview. Thank you.

haha, that's pretty interesting, its tempting to see if i could get it or not but that would be screwing someone else's chance. So for those of you who were rejected by the University of Maryland this year, there's still a chance!
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So I guess you prefer midwestern over maryland? I would try and get into the school you want to go to most as in either case the schools will fill that spot with the next best candidate. However, if you prefer midwestern, then yes no need to go through phone interview with maryland.
 
Oh yeah I'm definitely set on Midwestern...I was just letting anyone who got rejected by Maryland that they are reconsidering applications and offering phone interviews so look for it in your email
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Pointbreak, you have NO idea how much you brightened up my otherwise crappy day!

One question though-- how were the other non-statistical parts of your application? That is, did you have strong letters of recommendation, pharm experience, extra curricular activities, a kick ass entrance essay, etc? (Okay, more than one questions but you get it) :)
 
Haha that's good to hear... Well besides my grades everything was really great I'm assuming. I thought my personal statement was really good, I have almost five years of pharmacy experience, I'm a tech, and I had a lot of volunteer stuff such as hospital work and coaching basketball. In terms of LORs I know for sure those were amazing cuz my pharmacy manager is like my older brother I hang out with him outside of work like for basketball and poker. My two professors who wrote me letters were anatomy and biology professors. I finished at the top of both classes at the community college and also I know them really well out of class through sports. In addition while I was on the waitlist for Midwestern and Howard, I wrote each school a letter of intent and I also had my chemistry professor send in an extra letter of rec straight to the schools. So yeah besides grades, I would say I was well off with the other things lol
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pointbreak your giving me hope... I have a 2.85 gpa but I still need to take all my sciences so the next two years will be dedicated to working my ass off.. I also have been working as a tech for 4 years now and have volunteer work in hospitals..so I hope that will help me
 
wait so are you saying you got another interview? wow
 
Haha perhaps I guess but I didn't respond back to the email from Maryland so I'll never know. That's still cool that even though they rejected me months ago they are still reconsidering me for an interview.
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actually not yet. I interviewed with them in november, didn't hear from them till like march and got waitlisted. So im still currently on the waitlist for Howard and they said I'd hear something by august 22nd. But it's ok, I'd definitely rather go to midwestern than howard for sure.
 
wait so you got in one school, waitlisted at another and got a call for a interview at another? dang if i don't get in I should seriously shoot myself
 
hey, great job on getting into midwestern. question though, when did you apply for this school? did you do it early? its one of my top schools :)
 
Haha pretty much farcus... I'm sure you'll get in. How are your stats? As for applying, I submitted my pharmcas around mid july, got the supplemental from Midwestern around early Sept and I submitted it the next day after I got it. I got an email from them in October for an inteview for November and that was the second interview session. Midwestern does group interviews so its cool cuz you have the chance to outshine others.let me know if you need anything else
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Bravo mang! ......!!!!! Wow thanks for sharing that , i feel alot better about going to school for pharmacy. The reason I think you got it is because the adcoms saw that you werent willing to give up , and them seeing that you retook so many classes over that span of two years really shows your dedication to pharmacy. any ways , congrats, and see you at the top when i get there..... :smuggrin:
 
PointBreak,

Congrats! You post is really a pick-me-upper! I did my first undergraduate at a very prestigious NC school because I was young and didn't know better. I struggled all the way through my science classes because I failed to receive individualized attention and my undergraduate degree from there wasn't even science related. I made the decision to graduate early and immediately the next semester enrolled in a smaller university and was able to receive help beyond the classroom. It made an immense difference and I took 3 semesters to finish my B.S. in Biology, graduating Magna Cum Laude. I applied for the first time last year as well to about 8 or 9 different schools and didn't receive 1 single interview, so I was very disappointed. Thanks for sharing your struggles with us. It makes me feel better and know I can get there with patience and determination.
 
HmoobRX said:
PointBreak,

Congrats! You post is really a pick-me-upper! I did my first undergraduate at a very prestigious NC school because I was young and didn't know better. I struggled all the way through my science classes because I failed to receive individualized attention and my undergraduate degree from there wasn't even science related. I made the decision to graduate early and immediately the next semester enrolled in a smaller university and was able to receive help beyond the classroom. It made an immense difference and I took 3 semesters to finish my B.S. in Biology, graduating Magna Cum Laude. I applied for the first time last year as well to about 8 or 9 different schools and didn't receive 1 single interview, so I was very disappointed. Thanks for sharing your struggles with us. It makes me feel better and know I can get there with patience and determination.
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huh that is werid you got a second degree in biology Mag Cum Laude and didn't receive one interview? Did you do really bad on your PS or PCAT?
 
Farcus said:
huh that is werid you got a second degree in biology Mag Cum Laude and didn't receive one interview? Did you do really bad on your PS or PCAT?
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I didn't do the best in Chem and Quant on PCAT. Will try better this time around. At the time I submitted the majority of my applications I only had 1 semester of good solid grades, but I felt with my pharmacy experience and LORs I would have a shot. By the time I got my grades submitted for my second semester in January I had gotten responses for about 4 or 5 schools. I got my B.S. this past spring, however I had mentioned that I would be receiving a second degree on my applications, but I guessed that didn't make much of a difference for the admissions committees.
 
Very nice post PointBreak! I'm a firm believer that if you want something bad enough, you'll do whatever it takes to get there. You just have to want it enough. Hard work and determination eventually pays off. NEVER GIVE UP! This Tim McGraw song says it all:


People always ask me
"Son what does it take
To reach out and touch your dreams?"
To them I always say

Are you hungry?
Are you thirsty?
Is it a fire that burns you up inside?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line

I get to make my living
Doing what I love
Every night I give my heart and soul
Sometimes that ain't enough
But brother, if you're like me
Lookin' down that road
Be careful of that wild wind, son
Sometimes it don't let go

Can you feel it?
Can you taste it?
Can you hear it ohhh knocking at your door?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eatin', sleepin', dreamin'
With that one thing on your mind?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line (that's right)

There's always a price you pay no matter what you do
If you're gonna climb that mountain to the top
It always comes down to

How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eatin', sleepin', dreamin'
With that one thing on your mind?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line

(preach on brotha!)





I think this song can apply to getting into Pharmacy school too!

​
 
Good for you :thumbup: You obviously worked hard and earned it! :)
 
Dude, PointBreak. Awesome job and congratulations on your acceptance!

I'm running a similar case, but it's going to be my first time applying for pharmacy school this winter. I transferred from a local community college to university and am finishing up my last prereqs. Low GPA and I haven't studied for PCATs yet so, sadly, I have low expectations. But your post is giving me a little hope because I'm definitely willing to work hard at it, just like you did.
 
Thanks for a captivating and an incredibly inspiring story, I am sitting here completely devastated, lost and feeling absolutely worthless after I spoke to an admissions counselor at one of schools today. You cheered me up and made me smile. Thanks for that, I feel much better now. :thumbup: :love:


Maybe I'll have a chance too this year, hopefully, I am not as pathetic of an applicant as I think I am. :(
 
Congratulations and a very inspiring story, PointBreak!

I just have two question.

First, what happened to the courses that you got D's in and didn't retake like: Calculus, Physics, Immunology, Ecology and Conservational Biology? And did you even take Organic Chem?? o_O

Second, obviously you applied out-of-states, but do out-of-state applicants get less priority (let alone "low to decent" stats) compared to in-of-state applicants? I guess I'm asking so whenever I do apply, I can be as hopeful to BOTH in-of-states and out-of-states colleges.
 
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ochem, i got an A-, B+ and B-, so i didnt take it over. Calculus i got a D, took it over and got an A+, immunology i got a W and never took over. Physics got a D and retook it and got a B, and ecology and conservational bio got a D and retook it and got a C...haha

Code:
 
So I guess you enjoyed more on o-chem; hence, you did better than your gen-chem during the first round. Way to go!
 
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