I need advice from a pharmacist or pharmacy student!

[elizabeth7394]

I have been going to a community college for a year now, I have a 3.8 GPA . I am in the Pre-pharmacy program and I plan to transfer to Wayne State's school of pharmacy. I have been talking to my counselors and they are giving me NO hope of getting into a pharmacy school. I am even thinking of changing to engineering, but I really want to be a pharmacist. Is it even humanly possible to get into a pharmacy school? ALL I hear is how difficult it is to get into a pharmacy school, i am starting to wonder how the hell anyone gets in a pharmacy school by the way my couselors are talking. Also, if i dont get accepted,what do you do with your life? what do you do after that?

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[inquirer89]

People with 3.8 GPAs get into medical school, so why would pharmacy school be any different? Your advisers just suck at advising. Keep doing well in school and you'll be fine.

BTW, I'm being nitpicky but you said "transfer" to a pharmacy school, but instead you need to apply (just like any other college).

 

[Passion4Sci]

If you have a 3.8 and they're spinning a story about how it's difficult to get into Pharmacy school, is there something they know that we don't? LOL.

Honestly, Pharmacy school is "hard" to get into, if you look at 2,000 applicants, 400 interviews, and 100 matriculations at any given school. But you need to figure that a great deal of those applicants are sub-par in many ways, such as GPAs <3.0, if applicable a poor PCAT, no ECs, etc.

If your science GPA is a 3.8 and you're almost done w/ pharmacy school pre-requisite classes, just add some volunteering or some work experience, 1/3 cup water, 2 TBsp canola oil and a decent PCAT seasoned to taste.

I don't mean to be glib... But unless there is something you are not telling us, there's no reason to think admission to any pharmacy school for you is impossible. And if you don't get in, to address that portion of your question, you assess what part of your application needs polishing, improve on it, and re-apply the next year. You don't give up after one year, that's for damn sure.

 

[diastole]

I have been going to a community college for a year now, I have a 3.8 GPA . I am in the Pre-pharmacy program and I plan to transfer to Wayne State's school of pharmacy. I have been talking to my counselors and they are giving me NO hope of getting into a pharmacy school. I am even thinking of changing to engineering, but I really want to be a pharmacist. Is it even humanly possible to get into a pharmacy school? ALL I hear is how difficult it is to get into a pharmacy school, i am starting to wonder how the hell anyone gets in a pharmacy school by the way my couselors are talking. Also, if i dont get accepted,what do you do with your life? what do you do after that?

Your GPA is really good. Some schools may discount it a bit because it comes from a CC but if you back it up with a good PCAT, you'll be fine. Be sure to work on the rest of your application though. Try to get experience in a pharmacy. Working as a tech is best but at least try to volunteer in one if you have trouble finding a paid position. Try to gain some leadership experience and work on your other ECs.

I have no idea what your advisors are talking about. You only finished your first year and it sounds like you are doing well. If you keep improving your application, you will get a spot in pharmacy school. Even if you don't get in straight out of a CC, you could always transfer to a university, get a degree and make yourself even more competitive. They shouldn't scare you so much.

 

[ValeRx]

Also, if i dont get accepted,what do you do with your life? what do you do after that?

Why would you be directing this question towards pharmacists or pharmacy students? Obviously they don't have advice to give you about what to do if you don't get in since they either a) got in or b) are already practicing pharmacy.

 

[homeslice]

I came to realize by 2nd semester freshman year that advisors are pretty much worthless.

 

[jasonbourne]

I have been going to a community college for a year now, I have a 3.8 GPA . I am in the Pre-pharmacy program and I plan to transfer to Wayne State's school of pharmacy. I have been talking to my counselors and they are giving me NO hope of getting into a pharmacy school. I am even thinking of changing to engineering, but I really want to be a pharmacist. Is it even humanly possible to get into a pharmacy school? ALL I hear is how difficult it is to get into a pharmacy school, i am starting to wonder how the hell anyone gets in a pharmacy school by the way my couselors are talking. Also, if i dont get accepted,what do you do with your life? what do you do after that?

Tell your counselors to get their facts right. They are being very misleading. 3.8 gets people into Med school. You will get into pharm school. You are academically qualified.

 

[diastole]

Why would you be directing this question towards pharmacists or pharmacy students? Obviously they don't have advice to give you about what to do if you don't get in since they either a) got in or b) are already practicing pharmacy.

Why not? If I didn't get in, I would do things to improve my application and apply again. I can even think of advice I'd give to someone else who didn't get in. Just because someone hasn't experienced the situation, doesn't mean they can't give advice. And some pharmacists/students did have careers before pharmacy school you know.

 

[ValeRx]

Why not? If I didn't get in, I would do things to improve my application and apply again. I can even think of advice I'd give to someone else who didn't get in. Just because someone hasn't experienced the situation, doesn't mean they can't give advice. And some pharmacists/students did have careers before pharmacy school you know.

... alright? Your statement is irrelevant. What does what a pharmacist/pharmacy student did prior to their current occupation have anything to do with what this individual is asking to do if they fail to get into pharmacy school?

Asking what one should do if they don't get in can be asked to anyone. Doesn't necessarily need to be directly towards pharmacist/pharmacy students. Ask your janitor.

 

[rhythmspirit]

... alright? Your statement is irrelevant. What does what a pharmacist/pharmacy student did prior to their current occupation have anything to do with what this individual is asking to do if they fail to get into pharmacy school?

Asking what one should do if they don't get in can be asked to anyone. Doesn't necessarily need to be directly towards pharmacist/pharmacy students. Ask your janitor.

the pharmacy student and pharmacist has been through it and experienced failure before they are at where they are now? You think 100% of everyone on this forum applied once and were accepted? More relevant to ask a pharmacy student or pharmacist if that's the case? People give advice base on their experience, sometimes...hmmm right?

 

[WhiteSnows]

I never think that someone with 3.8 has a hard time to get in.

 

[AKN16]

I have been going to a community college for a year now, I have a 3.8 GPA . I am in the Pre-pharmacy program and I plan to transfer to Wayne State's school of pharmacy. I have been talking to my counselors and they are giving me NO hope of getting into a pharmacy school. I am even thinking of changing to engineering, but I really want to be a pharmacist. Is it even humanly possible to get into a pharmacy school? ALL I hear is how difficult it is to get into a pharmacy school, i am starting to wonder how the hell anyone gets in a pharmacy school by the way my couselors are talking. Also, if i dont get accepted,what do you do with your life? what do you do after that?

First off, tell that counselor to screw his/or her self.

Now, to business. Your gpa is very very good- keep it up! I know for a fact that Wayne is fine with community college classes bc I had taken some pre-pharmacy classes at a cc and I still got accepted.

You might want to talk to another counselor, maybe at wayne State itself, b/c the ppl running the show at your cc sound like idiots who have no idea what they're talking about.

 

[DoctorRx1986]

I have been going to a community college for a year now, I have a 3.8 GPA . I am in the Pre-pharmacy program and I plan to transfer to Wayne State's school of pharmacy. I have been talking to my counselors and they are giving me NO hope of getting into a pharmacy school. I am even thinking of changing to engineering, but I really want to be a pharmacist. Is it even humanly possible to get into a pharmacy school? ALL I hear is how difficult it is to get into a pharmacy school, i am starting to wonder how the hell anyone gets in a pharmacy school by the way my couselors are talking. Also, if i dont get accepted,what do you do with your life? what do you do after that?

With all due respect, don't you get it? Chances are, your counselors are nothing but losers who make the average American salary of $40 k. OF COURSE they want to discourage you from applying to pharmacy school because they don't want you to be successful and make a high five income/six figure salary and work in the profession of your choice. Don't listen to those imbeciles. Perhaps, those very counselors are simply frustrated they couldn't get into pharmacy school or any healthcare profession and ENVY your 3.8 GPA. Tell them to go to hell and don't seek their worthless advice. I once had a counselor tell me I wouldn't get in with a 3.9 GPA I had if I didn't finish my bachelor's degree. He also told me I needed to get a master's degree to be competitive for pharmacy admissions. They were full of s***. You have great chances of getting into pharmacy school, especially if you do particularly well in courses such as organic chemistry. Stop listening to those mindless rejects.

 

[ValeRx]

the pharmacy student and pharmacist has been through it and experienced failure before they are at where they are now? You think 100% of everyone on this forum applied once and were accepted? More relevant to ask a pharmacy student or pharmacist if that's the case? People give advice base on their experience, sometimes...hmmm right?

Ok Mr. 3-posts, lets review the statement by the OP shall we?

Also, if i dont get accepted,what do you do with your life? what do you do after that?

Clearly they are asking what to do with their life should they be rejected. Says nothing about how to improve their application, etc does it? That being said, it wouldn't be too beneficial to ask a pharmacist what to do with their life if they don't get in.

Doctor: What can I do for you, sir?
Patient: I didn't get into medical school. What should I do with my life?
Doctor: Ummm....

Fast food cashier: What can I get for you today, sir?
Customer: I'll have a number four with a coke.
Cashier: Will that be all?
Customer: No, I just got rejected from medical school. What should I do with my life?
Cashier: Ummm....

The end result is the same. Nobody can tell you what to do with your life... and don't hate because I got accepted the first time around.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I have a feeling OP meant to say something like this;

"If I go through all the pre-pharmacy crap, and never get into pharmacy school despite my best efforts, what the hell can I do with X degree?"

I have to admit, the thought did cross my mind, but it was more along the lines of, "If I absolutely abhor pharmacy, what the hell can I do with this degree?"

 

[jasonbourne]

I have a feeling OP meant to say something like this;

"If I go through all the pre-pharmacy crap, and never get into pharmacy school despite my best efforts, what the hell can I do with X degree?"

I have to admit, the thought did cross my mind, but it was more along the lines of, "If I absolutely abhor pharmacy, what the hell can I do with this degree?"

Most advisors are very misinformed. They rarely do their homework.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Most advisors are very misinformed. They rarely do their homework.

Can't disagree with you there.

I visited my advising office only a handful of times during undergraduate, and every time I did, I always went to a peer adviser, because I found them to be much more competent than their paid colleagues.

 

[SHC1984]

Tell your counselors to get their facts right. They are being very misleading. 3.8 gets people into Med school. You will get into pharm school. You are academically qualified.

Med students don't attend community colleges. A 3.8 at a community college is a like a 3.0 at a competitive 4 year university.

 

[drjmariesegars]

If you have a 3.8 GPA and somewhere near or above the average-you are a pretty competitive applicant. What makes them say that? Honestly advisors at community colleges sometimes don't know what they are talking about. The best people to talk to are the advisors at Wayne State, establish a relationship and have them EVALUATE your transcript. I do know that the first Tuesday of every month they have an informational meeting.

If you have no chance with a 3.8 my 4.0 means nothing lol
Try not to worry and consider other schools besides Wayne State-what about Ferris State? The majority of the schools they admit from (aside from themselves) they are GUESS what? Community Colleges...

 

[Eckel]

To be completely honest, your chances are low because you are at a community college.
I'm not trying to put you down, or your school, but you are competing with everyone that attends an actual university.
Community college classes are easier by their nature, they are taught by professors with less experience/education than those at a university.

There's still hope if you do well on the PCAT, volunteer, and have pharmacy experience. Just remember who you are competing with.

 

[Sparda29]

To be completely honest, your chances are low because you are at a community college.
I'm not trying to put you down, or your school, but you are competing with everyone that attends an actual university.
Community college classes are easier by their nature, they are taught by professors with less experience/education than those at a university.

There's still hope if you do well on the PCAT, volunteer, and have pharmacy experience. Just remember who you are competing with.

Bull****. ^ This guy has only 1 post.

 

[rhythmspirit]

To be completely honest, your chances are low because you are at a community college.
I'm not trying to put you down, or your school, but you are competing with everyone that attends an actual university.
Community college classes are easier by their nature, they are taught by professors with less experience/education than those at a university.

There's still hope if you do well on the PCAT, volunteer, and have pharmacy experience. Just remember who you are competing with.

haha don't listen to this guy. This guy is probably your couselor from school, got nothing to do on Sunday. I know many people who get into USC, Western with only CC classes, some even get into Western and other schools without a BS degree. All you have to do is get some work experience so you can get a letter of rec from a pharmacist. If you apply to schools in california, you don't even need to take the PCAT. Your GPA is perfect.

 

[Eckel]

I only have one post, because I just 'joined' today. I saw this and had to say something. I know plenty of people getting into schools that don't have a degree. I was just offering my opinion on what your counselor was thinking.
I am student, just like you are.
I was just making you aware that a 3.8 at a community college is like a 3.0 (maybe) at a university. Someone had even said this earlier in the thread.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I only have one post, because I just 'joined' today. I saw this and had to say something. I know plenty of people getting into schools that don't have a degree. I was just offering my opinion on what your counselor was thinking.
I am student, just like you are.
I was just making you aware that a 3.8 at a community college is like a 3.0 (maybe) at a university. Someone had even said this earlier in the thread.

[citation needed]

Can you prove that a 3.8 is "just like" a 3.0 at a 4-year school, or is this a number random people just dreamed up because it sounds good? Seriously, I see this a lot, and no one has cited a study or anything else remotely empirical and scientific that states this "fact." There is conjecture, and anecdote, which mean nothing in the pursuit of science.

 

[mslorna]

Med students don't attend community colleges. A 3.8 at a community college is a like a 3.0 at a competitive 4 year university.

At the end of the day a gpa is a gpa. The first thing that these schools look at is your science gpa. They dont got time to say a 3.8 is equivalent at a community college to a 3.0 at a 4year University. One thing I can say is they do favor those who graduate with a bachelor's degree and in the upcoming years they will make it imperative for an applicant to have obtained a bachelors degree. I know this because I work with Pharmacists who serve and served in Pharmacy School Admissions Commitee's. Your gpa is great. Study for the pcat and you will be fine. Apply to many schools, just in case you dont get into your first choice

 

[pharmaspire]

I'm trying to figure out how a 3.8 at a community college is a 3.0 at a university. A gpa is a gpa. I know people that have gotten into pharmacy schools from community colleges with a lesser gpa. Academically you qualify. Just keep those grades up, get some volunteer work and/or some form of pharmacy xperience. You will need good letters of recommendations too, so if those advisors are discouraging you now I dont know what kind of recommendations you'll be getting from them.

 

[jasonbourne]

Med students don't attend community colleges. A 3.8 at a community college is a like a 3.0 at a competitive 4 year university.

I totally disagree. If someone has a 3.8 at a CC, that doesn't mean that this person is not capable of getting a 4.0 at university. There is no way to tell. Med schools require Bachelors degrees and they dont mind if some classes are completed at a CC. My cousin graduated from UT Galveston medical school in may 2009. He took all his basics premed prerequisites at CC before he obtained his bachelors in electrical engineering (EE) at a university. He had a 3.7 at CC and obtained a 3.9 (EE) at university. He then completed his medical school education at UT Galveston. His undergrad at university was higher than his grad. Also, My cousin became more focused when he started attending a university and that could explain why his grades improved. When he was at cc, he used to play around a lot. He knew that if his GPA was not high, he wouldnt get accepted to Med school so he had to spend more time studying and improving his undergrad grades.

 

[jasonbourne]

Med students don't attend community colleges. A 3.8 at a community college is a like a 3.0 at a competitive 4 year university.

Student A
Community College student
GPA: 3.8
Pcat: 90
Lots of community service
Pharmacy experience

Student B
University student
GPA: 3.0
Pcat:90
Lots of community service
Pharmacy experience

If I am an ADCOM member, I am definitely going to choose student A over student B. My main point is that a 3.8 at CC does not translate into a 3.0 at university. There is no way to devalue someone's grades because they attended community college.

 

[jasonbourne]

I only have one post, because I just 'joined' today. I saw this and had to say something. I know plenty of people getting into schools that don't have a degree. I was just offering my opinion on what your counselor was thinking.
I am student, just like you are.
I was just making you aware that a 3.8 at a community college is like a 3.0 (maybe) at a university. Someone had even said this earlier in the thread.

Student A
Community College student
GPA: 3.8
Pcat: 90
Lots of community service
Pharmacy experience

Student B
University student
GPA: 3.0
Pcat:90
Lots of community service
Pharmacy experience

If I am an ADCOM member, I am definitely going to choose student A over student B. My main point is that a 3.8 at CC does not translate into a 3.0 at university. There is no way to devalue someone's grades because they attended community college.

 

[Transformer]

I only have one post, because I just 'joined' today. I saw this and had to say something. I know plenty of people getting into schools that don't have a degree. I was just offering my opinion on what your counselor was thinking.
I am student, just like you are.
I was just making you aware that a 3.8 at a community college is like a 3.0 (maybe) at a university. Someone had even said this earlier in the thread.

Regardless of how many posts you have, many people will disagree with your above statements. (myself, included).

3.8 at community college is NOT like a 3.0 at a university (Not even a maybe). Not even close!

I can honestly tell you, a 3.8 GPA at a community college with pharmacy experience will get you interview invites at almost every California Pharmacy school. A 3.0 at a university level with pharmacy experience (example: UC school = University of California) will get you less interview invites or almost no invites.

Bottom line, the more interview invites you receive, the higher your chances of getting accepted to multiple pharmacy schools. Personally, I rather have a 3.8 GPA at a community college than a 3.0 at the university level. I'm sure many people will say the same.

btw, my university level counselor told me I would never get into pharmacy school with my grades. After graduating with my B.S., I retook many classes at both UC and community colleges, worked part time, and got accepted this year.

 

[jasonbourne]

Regardless of how many posts you have, many people will disagree with your above statements. (myself, included).

3.8 at community college is NOT like a 3.0 at a university (Not even a maybe). Not even close!

I can honestly tell you, a 3.8 GPA at a community college with pharmacy experience will get you interview invites at almost every California Pharmacy school. A 3.0 at a university level with pharmacy experience (example: UC school = University of California) will get you less interview invites or almost no invites.

Bottom line, the more interview invites you receive, the higher your chances of getting accepted to multiple pharmacy schools. Personally, I rather have a 3.8 GPA at a community college than a 3.0 at the university level. I'm sure many people will say the same.

btw, my university level counselor told me I would never get into pharmacy school with my grades. After graduating with my B.S., I retook many classes at both UC and community colleges, worked part time, and got accepted this year.

You are totally right.

 

[SHC1984]

Student A
Community College student
GPA: 3.8
Pcat: 90
Lots of community service
Pharmacy experience

Student B
University student
GPA: 3.0
Pcat:90
Lots of community service
Pharmacy experience

If I am an ADCOM member, I am definitely going to choose student A over student B. My main point is that a 3.8 at CC does not translate into a 3.0 at university. There is no way to devalue someone's grades because they attended community college.

Depends on which University Student B attended.

 

[SHC1984]

[citation needed]

Can you prove that a 3.8 is "just like" a 3.0 at a 4-year school, or is this a number random people just dreamed up because it sounds good? Seriously, I see this a lot, and no one has cited a study or anything else remotely empirical and scientific that states this "fact." There is conjecture, and anecdote, which mean nothing in the pursuit of science.

Well, I have no written prove, but I do know a guy that graduated from Harvard with a 3.2 GPA. Very smart, top of his class in dental school etc. He took a few classes at a CC once and thought that it was a joke. He made a 4.0 GPA easily at the CC and told me he didn't even try. He told me CC classes are just a bunch of straight memorization from class notes and textbooks. While his classes at Harvard require a lot of conceptual thinking (thinking outside the box) and pretty much none of the questions on any of his exams came from any notes or textbooks at all. All questions required thinking. No memorization.


I think the main difference between a CC and a competitive 4 year university is mainly the fact that at a CC everything you are required to know is all in your notes while at a university you actually have to do some thinking, not just memorizing and spitting out information from your notes.

 

[coldkatanagirl]

Well, I have no written prove, but I do know a guy that graduated from Harvard with a 3.2 GPA. Very smart, top of his class in dental school etc. He took a few classes at a CC once and thought that it was a joke. He made a 4.0 GPA easily at the CC and told me he didn't even try. He told me CC classes are just a bunch of straight memorization from class notes and textbooks. While his classes at Harvard require a lot of conceptual thinking (thinking outside the box) and pretty much none of the questions on any of his exams came from any notes or textbooks at all. All questions required thinking. No memorization.


I think the main difference between a CC and a competitive 4 year university is mainly the fact that at a CC everything you are required to know is all in your notes while at a university you actually have to do some thinking, not just memorizing and spitting out information from your notes.

Good for him? They're not all like that.

 

[diastole]

... alright? Your statement is irrelevant. What does what a pharmacist/pharmacy student did prior to their current occupation have anything to do with what this individual is asking to do if they fail to get into pharmacy school?

Asking what one should do if they don't get in can be asked to anyone. Doesn't necessarily need to be directly towards pharmacist/pharmacy students. Ask your janitor.

And why is my statement irrelevant? You said that a pharmacist/pharmacy student obviously had no advice to give if the OP doesn't get in. That isn't so obvious. I got into pharmacy school and I could offer advice on what to do if the person doesn't get in. If you want to argue that technically I'm not a pharmacy student yet, I'm pretty sure that I can offer the same advice in about a month when I'm a pharmacy student officially.

I bet I can give better advice than a janitor because I have taken all those science classes that the OP will take and I have a degree like the OP presumably will have if she doesn't get into a pharmacy school. I'm familiar with what one can do with a BS in science as I had a career prior to my acceptance to pharmacy school.

Now if your real objection is that the question could have been answered by a pre-pharm then you should have just said it. Instead you said that pharmacists/students would obviously have no advice to give which is untrue and then you called my statement irrelevant when I disagreed.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I think the main difference between a CC and a competitive 4 year university is mainly the fact that at a CC everything you are required to know is all in your notes while at a university you actually have to do some thinking, not just memorizing and spitting out information from your notes.

Well, certainly not every community college has its classes boiled down to mindlessly taking notes and spitting them back on exams. I took most of my pre-requisites at a CC, and no one's even looked twice at it. Perhaps because California's CC system is one of the best, if not the best, in the nation but I think CCs are not given enough credit overall. In lumping every class at every CC in the country into the same boat as "no thought necessary", you're doing a vast disservice to everyone who goes to a CC. And certainly at any given CC you will have a number of different kinds of instructors, ranging from the freshly minted Master's degree type all the way to the instructor who is a well-published, Doctorate-holding professor of X at UC Berkeley, Stanford, USC, UCLA, etc.

To generalize against CC like that is to demonstrate an overall naivete that I've come to expect from a lot of people here on SDN.

Using anecdote to back up your claim is a fool's errand, SHC, and you'd be wise to learn that.

 

[SHC1984]

Well, certainly not every community college has its classes boiled down to mindlessly taking notes and spitting them back on exams. I took most of my pre-requisites at a CC, and no one's even looked twice at it. Perhaps because California's CC system is one of the best, if not the best, in the nation but I think CCs are not given enough credit overall. In lumping every class at every CC in the country into the same boat as "no thought necessary", you're doing a vast disservice to everyone who goes to a CC. And certainly at any given CC you will have a number of different kinds of instructors, ranging from the freshly minted Master's degree type all the way to the instructor who is a well-published, Doctorate-holding professor of X at UC Berkeley, Stanford, USC, UCLA, etc.

To generalize against CC like that is to demonstrate an overall naivete that I've come to expect from a lot of people here on SDN.

Using anecdote to back up your claim is a fool's errand, SHC, and you'd be wise to learn that.

Maybe CA CC are better. But since you attended Stanford and a CC, you know what I mean. At Stanford I am sure most if not all the answers on your exams are answers that require a complete understanding of the subject and even some conceputal thinking. At a CC if anyone work hard they can have a 4.0 b/c everything on the exam is given to them in some form, if not in notes, then it has been mention in class before or its in the textbook etc.

You can't possibly tell me that the classes you have taken at a CC is just as diffcult as the classes from Stanford.

 

[diastole]

Not everything was given in advance but it mostly was. At UCLA, a lot of it was given in advance too. You just had to know things really well. Like I had to memorize every last detail of the Krebs cycle. At a CC, I didn't have to do that. But really what was the point of doing it in the first place? If you really need to know about a particular step in the Kreb's cycle, you could always look it up. I think the reason why we had to do that was to separate students on the curve. Maybe there was some value to it but a lot of it seemed just like pointless memorization to make it harder.

 

[Hels2007]

Pretty much everyone I have ever met who would be ardently defending community colleges comes from California. And California is really a part of US in so many ways... I have some friends who have taught at community colleges in Midwest, and there the level of teaching was lower than at the universities in the area, as well as the facilities for chemistry labs and physics labs were less well equipped. So, it comes down to the reputation of the particular community callest the OP attends. There are some good ones, known for a particular program especially, and there are many not so good ones. As always, the Devil's in the detail.

I would still think that with that GPA, even from a CC, I would invite you to the interview assuming the other factors were in your favor. PCAT (if required, though I personally have no experience with it), pharmacy and volunteer experience, and especially the way you answer essay questions on the application and your personal statement.

 

[rhythmspirit]

Maybe CA CC are better. But since you attended Stanford and a CC, you know what I mean. At Stanford I am sure most if not all the answers on your exams are answers that require a complete understanding of the subject and even some conceputal thinking. At a CC if anyone work hard they can have a 4.0 b/c everything on the exam is given to them in some form, if not in notes, then it has been mention in class before or its in the textbook etc.

You can't possibly tell me that the classes you have taken at a CC is just as diffcult as the classes from Stanford.

That's why university grades are curved (70-80% is A), class averages (usually 50-60%) are C/C+/B-. Some classes go even lower for an A. Where as CC grades are straight 90% A 80% B. It's all the same at the end.

 

[nehe87]

I came to realize by 2nd semester freshman year that advisors are pretty much worthless.

100% true. I decided this by the end of freshman orientation at college. You have a good shot--just keeping doing what you're doing, and try to get pharmacy experience, and I am sure you will get accepted somewhere.

 

[AKN16]

Pretty much everyone I have ever met who would be ardently defending community colleges comes from California. And California is really a part of US in so many ways... I have some friends who have taught at community colleges in Midwest, and there the level of teaching was lower than at the universities in the area, as well as the facilities for chemistry labs and physics labs were less well equipped. So, it comes down to the reputation of the particular community callest the OP attends. There are some good ones, known for a particular program especially, and there are many not so good ones. As always, the Devil's in the detail.

I would still think that with that GPA, even from a CC, I would invite you to the interview assuming the other factors were in your favor. PCAT (if required, though I personally have no experience with it), pharmacy and volunteer experience, and especially the way you answer essay questions on the application and your personal statement.

I took some pre-pharm classes at both the university and at the local community college. And I'd say the cc classes where taught better then at the the Uni. This is taking into consideration that the university I attended is the second best public university in the country.

I'm from the Midwest and some of the best teachers I had at the college level, were the cc ones. In fact my two teacher LOR"s were the ones I had at the cc.

 

[SHC1984]

That's why university grades are curved (70-80% is A), class averages (usually 50-60%) are C/C+/B-. Some classes go even lower for an A. Where as CC grades are straight 90% A 80% B. It's all the same at the end.

You wish! Universities makes it very easy for somone to make a C, so the C(s) are curve quite a bit. Like my Physics class has C =60%. B are curve also but not as much as C(s). However A(s) are curved only by 2 or 3 points most of the time. I think an A= 85% is the lowest A I have ever recieved. A are very hard to get, however you are right in that C are very verrrrry easy to get. If you have a pulse you can get a C.

 

[xxxhotstuffxxx]

I agree that a 3.8 GPA from a CC should not be looked at differently compared to a 3.8 GPA from a university when it comes to getting to any school. However, after having taken classes at both a CC and a university, I have to admit that classes I took at CC were pretty much a joke. Everything was spoon fed to me and the exams were ridiculously easy. I'm not saying that all classes taken at a CC were like the ones I took. What I AM saying is that I look at the people that have come from a CC and a university much differently.

 

[Hels2007]

That's why university grades are curved (70-80% is A), class averages (usually 50-60%) are C/C+/B-. Some classes go even lower for an A. Where as CC grades are straight 90% A 80% B. It's all the same at the end.

None of the classes I or my friends from pharmacy school had in undergrad had been curved. And in pharmacy school A for us started at 94%. But it may be a recent trend. I never, ever even considered curving for any exams I have written/graded. Grading against each other may be appropriate in "soft" subjects, ie in law school, where analysis is more important than the answer. Where there is a definite answer, grading should be against the absolute standard, hence curves are not appropriate. It only means that the professor is not an effective teacher if all the students do so poorly (s)he HAS TO curve.