Junior in high school..interested in pharmacy

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kck023

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Hi. I am a junior in high school, and i'm pretty sure i want to go to college to be a pharmacist. I could take any advice in every area possible. One of my main concerns is i know pharmacists work A LOT of hours, does that leave a lot of time for family? Do most pharmacists work weekends also? What colleges does everyone recommend..i'm from the NY area. My grades are okay, i have a 92 overall average..What should my grades in high school be, to have a better chance of getting into a pharmacy school?

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Hi, I'm also a junior in high school interested in pharmacy. I'm looking at Rutgers Pharmacy. Heard it was good. Do you know anything about it? I think I want to go to a 0-6 program so that I don't have to reapply after my second year. Good Luck;)
 
yeah, i would like to get into a 0-6 program also, i haven't heard of that college though..is it in NY?
 
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Well it is good that you have a bright future planned ahead. As a high school senior myself, I can tell you a few things.
-You can start looking for a volunteer opportunity, or maybe even a job, at a pharmacy related environment. It never hurts to get firsthand experience in a job that you would be doing for the next..i dont know.. 30 years? And besides, there may be a chance where you'll decide that pharmacy is not for you and want to pursue another profession. Or maybe you will fall in love with it and dedicate yourself to it. Either way, it is a good idea to know the job that you will dedicate to for the rest of your life.
-0+6 program is a good idea. It saves you time and headache in the future. I heard that pharmacy schools are going to get more and more competitive in the future, due to good job characteristics, pay, etc.
-Keep up the GPA and ACT/SAT scores. I know that 0+6 programs take these two factors into heavy consideration. The university that I am going in the fall does take these two things seriously. I'm not sure about rutgers, etc.
-WAtch out for deadlines! It is better to apply early because the documentations that you submit to the school may be in the front of the paperstack instead of in the last.

Good luck!
 
It's also a good idea to take as many college classes as you can while you're still in high school (as long as they will transfer). I basically started college as a sophomore and it has made it a lot easier to get my prereqs out of the way.
 
Oh, and I forgot one thing. The only place where you'll be expected to work a good bit are in the big, chain pharmacies such as Walmart, walgreens, etc. However, I'm sure that you can work something out to allow more time off or something.
Independent pharmacies, on the other hand, have more flexibility in the hours you work. It takes more work though, because you have to handle insurances, etc.

Anyway, the profession of pharmacy is among one of the most flexible jobs you can have. It is popular among women, for they love the flexibility that accompanies it because they want to raise families and stuff.
Again, good luck!
 
A main reason I am going into Pharmacy is actually because compared to a physician, you work a lot less hours.


edit- (not that I am lazy, I just want a family and a life outside of my profession)
 
Hi. I am a junior in high school, and i'm pretty sure i want to go to college to be a pharmacist. I could take any advice in every area possible. One of my main concerns is i know pharmacists work A LOT of hours, does that leave a lot of time for family? Do most pharmacists work weekends also? What colleges does everyone recommend..i'm from the NY area. My grades are okay, i have a 92 overall average..What should my grades in high school be, to have a better chance of getting into a pharmacy school?

Define A LOT of hours. I know my friend's mom works an 9-10 hour shift every weekday. Her mom has time to drop off her youngest son at school and be back in time to make dinner. I guess it depends on the pharm path you choose and where you work.

If you want to find more 0-6 schools, just go to the FAQ section.
 
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