Do Community College Students have a chance???

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pharmara

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I just recently (yesterday) turned 19 and i am attending a community college for my pre-reqs. I just finished my 1st year. Is there anyone that received their pre-reqs from a community college and transferred or applied to a pharmacy school and got accepted? What was your GPA? Where you in any extra-curricular activities ( clubs, honor societies, organizations etc.) when did you take your PCAT and what was your score? i'm just wondering if universities give preference to students that have bachelors degrees rather than students w/o a degree.
 
Yes, they have a very good chance. But only the limited few that can use the search function of these forums. 😀

Okay, you're new so I will be nice 😛

GPA = 4.0
PCAT = 92 (last June)
EC = Toys for Tots, Habitat for Humanity, March of Dimes (no clubs)
LOR's = were stellar! 1 from VP of medical device R&D (employer), and 1 from Bio 2 professor
Experience = 7 yrs USMC, 5 yrs hemodialysis/peritoneal dialysis R&D
degree = AA only

It's more than where you go to school and what degree you obtain. It's your journey, motivations, intestinal fortitude, commitment, and resilience. You must be a sponge for knowledge, exude the willingness to help and learn, and, in my opinion, carry the innate ability to eloquate complex ideas to a sixth-grader with ease.

Then again, maybe all you need is to be a freaking insomniac and member of these forums.
 
Dont believe all the hype about going to a University rather than a CC. If your application stands out it doesnt matter whether or not it is CC or any other school.
 
I'm a student at the UF Jacksonville campus, and everyone has been very open when speaking about their academic bacgrounds. There are those who have bachelors, and others who have AA's. A lot of the people in my class finished their pre-reqs at a community college, and they got into UF. Some of the smartest people in my class went this route, so you shouldn't feel sensitive about where you completed your classes.

I've heard variations on this question from a lot of people, and from what I've seen, it's not the most important thing for getting into pharmacy school. The important things are how well you did in your classes, and if it stuck with you when you took the PCAT. I'm sure there might be a lot of talk about which is more important, your grades or your PCAT, but that's a discussion for another time. You should be focused on making yourself a good candidate, volunteering in some capacity, thinking about who will write your letters of recommendation, and doing well in your pre-reqs.

Good luck.
 
I went to a CC for my pre-reqs..

GPA~3.5
Science~3.85
PCAT=84
I had a lot of extracurricular experiences that helped a lot I think. As well as good letters of rec from professors I worked with that know me pretty well.

My suggestion would be to get to know your professors.. they can do a lot for you along the way
 
I think it depends upon where you apply. The California schools are as competitive as good medical schools and it is almost assumed that you did your prereqs at a four-year university since there 90% or more people have a bachelors degree. In addition, the California schools seem to not require PCAT because I think that they expect you went to a very high ranking UC school to get in: UC-Berkeley, UCSD, UCLA, UC-Irvine.

But I know that UF takes people and always have taken people who have done well on both the prereqs and PCAT from community college, also NOVA is the same as UF, they do not care about the community college or not for the most part (although their other professional divisions such as the dental school will not even look at your application if you have done so) (kind of weird!!). As for PBA, I think most people have a four year degree since there are VERY FEW in-state students in their entering class of 75.

USN is another school that does not seem to care where the prereqs are taken, but MCPHS-Worcester does not take community college credit (strongly prefers four-year credit on website).

You need to call the individual school, and apply to the schools that have taken community college students in the past. But with UCSF, UCSD, etc., I think you would be wasting your time even if you had a 4.0 since there is no PCAT.
 
cdpiano27 said:
. In addition, the California schools seem to not require PCAT because I think that they expect you went to a very high ranking UC school to get in: UC-Berkeley, UCSD, UCLA, UC-Irvine.


You need to call the individual school, and apply to the schools that have taken community college students in the past. But with UCSF, UCSD, etc., I think you would be wasting your time even if you had a 4.0 since there is no PCAT.
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sorry but everything that u just said is pretty much BS, and i don't mean bachelors in science. Many people get into schools in cali from Cal States and CCC w/ GPA that are 3.2+. Check the admission threads. Grades are only 50-60% of admission criteria. The other parts are interview, EC, work experience, and essays.
 
coming from CC, i think you have a good chance, but you need to work hard. Score 3.5 - 4.0 gpa and I think you will be good to go.
 
steveysmith54 said:
sorry but everything that u just said is pretty much BS, and i don't mean bachelors in science. Many people get into schools in cali from Cal States and CCC w/ GPA that are 3.2+. Check the admission threads. Grades are only 50-60% of admission criteria. The other parts are interview, EC, work experience, and essays.
Click to expand...

All but Stats, Micro, and Molecular at CC. 3.5sci/3.59cum BS Chem/Biochem, minor Bio. No Pharm experience. Accepted to USC. No PCAT.

The fact that most credits were CCs never came up, but BS was also a factor. Of course you take someone without a BS give them some pharmacy experience and some good ECs you'd have a chance at UCSD/SF. Now that may not be the case for too much longer. They are really starting to stress the BA/BS before matriculation.
 
Due to the increasing competitiveness of pharmacy school admissions, a larger pool has shifted the accepted applicant pool to the Bachelor's recipients. Simply put, schools can find more B.S/B.A students with the same amount of experiences as one without a degree.

At Creighton, the school I will be attending this fall, around 40% have degrees and an additional 20% or so has completed over 90 hours (3 years) of coursework. So, it's not impossible to get in with an AA, but it's getting tougher.
 
Went to CC:

GPA - 3.27.
PCAT - 83 or 85..I forget.
Admitted to school with top ten average admittance GPA in ACPE.
No volunteering
Had a job....
 
I think were going to a 4 yr university helps is if your GPA is a little bit lower. If you are like in the 3.0-3.3 range they might look more favorably if you went to a 4 yr vs. a CC. But it is more than justa numbers game...PCAT, interview, EC's...all that weighs in.
 
gpa: overall ~3.65 math&science ~3.7
pcat: 70 (took it three times)
2 yrs of pharmacy tech experience
honor society member (wasnt a very active member though)
no volunteer experience
strong LORs (1 from pharmacist, 1 from organic teacher, 1 from AnP teacher)
AA: General studies
I got in 3 schools here in florida (U.F., NOVA, LECOM)👍
 
quick question...i know extra curriculars are important and all, i do want to do volunteer work, but how do they have PROOF of what u did, you could be lying and tell them u did this and this...but u really didnt.i only want to know bc there are alot of volunteering programs this summer..i just want to make sure i'm getting CREDIT for it. do u show them proof at the interview, or what do u do exactly. and also if u have been on dean's lists and stuff. do u send that along with the application or show them at the interview???
 
chem123 said:
quick question...i know extra curriculars are important and all, i do want to do volunteer work, but how do they have PROOF of what u did, you could be lying and tell them u did this and this...but u really didnt.i only want to know bc there are alot of volunteering programs this summer..i just want to make sure i'm getting CREDIT for it. do u show them proof at the interview, or what do u do exactly. and also if u have been on dean's lists and stuff. do u send that along with the application or show them at the interview???
Click to expand...

some places actually have computers where volunteers sign in keep track of hrs. Or even sign in books. ask the place that u plan to volunteer at about it.
 
chem123 said:
quick question...i know extra curriculars are important and all, i do want to do volunteer work, but how do they have PROOF of what u did, you could be lying and tell them u did this and this...but u really didnt.i only want to know bc there are alot of volunteering programs this summer..i just want to make sure i'm getting CREDIT for it. do u show them proof at the interview, or what do u do exactly. and also if u have been on dean's lists and stuff. do u send that along with the application or show them at the interview???
Click to expand...

For proof of dean's list, it actually shows on my transcript. And for proof of volunteer work, the committee will probably ask you questions about your experience. Like, "what was your most memorable experience/what one really interesting thing would you say happened there/what did you like or dislike about it/etc" and if you look like you completely draw a blank or if you sound like you have no idea what you're talking about, you're in deep sht =) so just be honest!
 
Definetely... I was completed all my prerequesite classes at a Comunity College got accepted to two universities. University of Florida and Palm Beach Atlantic. So yeah keep your grades very very high, get involve in community activities, maybe pharmacy club etc... you build up your curriculum it all depends on you rather than the university you attend.
 
PharmDY said:
For proof of dean's list, it actually shows on my transcript. And for proof of volunteer work, the committee will probably ask you questions about your experience. Like, "what was your most memorable experience/what one really interesting thing would you say happened there/what did you like or dislike about it/etc" and if you look like you completely draw a blank or if you sound like you have no idea what you're talking about, you're in deep sht =) so just be honest!
Click to expand...


Remember however that Pharmcas doesn't actually forward Dean's List notifications to the schools. You have to make sure you put it down in your application.

On a side note, PharmDY, love the Rinoa =)
 
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