what B.S degree is ideal for pharm; what jobs are availible for that degree?

Started by endeavor6636
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endeavor6636

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hi everyone🙂, i am currently second year student at UCdavis, i am struggling if i should go for pharmacy career or not. the reason is becasue its so competitive for applying pharm school; its like only 120 out of 1200 applicant can get in. i want to know what B.S degree is good for pharm major or other related health care career. for example , i heard other say biochem, biology, etc. but, what job can u do with such B.S degree? please list some for me and please give me some advise about what option i have if i failed to apply pharm school? THanks
 
I just had to laugh when I read your subject BTW.. "What B.S. degree should I have... In my mind it was "What B*** S*** degree should I...... cracked me up

Anyway... Had I seen a need to continue on to a BS I would have done Chemistry. I'm not saying it's the best one for medical stuff, just the most interesting one in my opinion.

That being said. If your sure you want pharm why not concentrate on an Associates of Science and apply ? That plus a few other pre-reqs are really all you need to be accepted to (most) pharm schools. I'm not saying get that and just stop... Just apply when you get to that point and see what happens while you are really getting cranked up on your BS degree.

Solid GPA, and a solid PCAT with just the pre-reqs will get you into a ton of schools. I'm sure someone will be along to tell me how wrong I am but at the same time I can think of at least 10 people I personally know that have no BS and are currently in pharm school. Some of the people do not even have the associates, just pre-reqs.
 
if you really want to play it safe, major in chemical engineering. if you don't get into pharm school you can get a job that pays around 60k. most if not all the pre-reqs are satisfied in the bs degree9wieth a couple classes thrown in here and there.
 
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Hey fellow aggie. I'm currently a biochem major and I think it fulfills most prereqs for pharm and other pre-health programs (med, PA, nursing, etc.). You need to throw in a few other classes like NPB101, CHA101 and MIC102. Plus, some other humanity courses (these can be used to fulfill your GE requirements). I think getting a BS depends on where you want to go to pharmacy school. You should go to a few prepharmacy club meetings. They give out a lot of info. 😀
Personally, I'm applying for one school this year and if I don't get in I'll continue with my major and get a B.S.
With a bachelors (doesn't have to be science), you can
1.) apply to a post grad program (like pharmacy school) given that you've fulfilled the prereqs
2.) get your masters
Specifically for science, you'll most likely work in research if you decide to stop your education with a B.S.
 
Well, I got my B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science before I applied. I worked for two years in a reference lab before deciding to do pharmacy. We are the people that run clinical laboratory tests (CBCs, urinalysis, blood bank, etc.).

Trust me, you will never be out of a job if you get a degree in CLS (assuming you do not get into pharmacy school). There is a great shortage of lab techs in this country. My pharmacy school interviewer seemed impressed with my background, too.
 
Penn State doesn't really have a pre-pharmacy major but I feel my Toxicology major prepared me well enough.
 
I agree with Mike and blueclassring. If I'd known then what I know now, I would have either remained a Chemistry major or majored in Medical Technology or just went to another school and got a Chemical Engineering degree. I have a B.S. in Biological Sciences and was poorly advised at my university. As a result six years later, the degree has served me no purpose and I'm applying to MT certification programs. For one, couldn't find a job in my field that paid more than $25k even with two years of research experience unless I wanted to be a teacher and I don't have the compassion to teach high school. I was under the impression that my lab experience and life science degree was enough for me to work in a clinical lab and was wrong because by the time I graduated the rules had changed. On the flip side, if you don't want to use your B.S. immediately and want to go to PA (pathology assistant or physician assistant) or get a masters or PhD in one of the medical or pharmaceutical sciences if not attend medical or dental school, then a Biology degree is perfect for you. Also, if you are near the big pharma and/or biomedical companies Bio would be great too if you can get into a summer research program.
 
endeavor6636 said:
hi everyone🙂, i am currently second year student at UCdavis, i am struggling if i should go for pharmacy career or not. the reason is becasue its so competitive for applying pharm school; its like only 120 out of 1200 applicant can get in. i want to know what B.S degree is good for pharm major or other related health care career. for example , i heard other say biochem, biology, etc. but, what job can u do with such B.S degree? please list some for me and please give me some advise about what option i have if i failed to apply pharm school? THanks
Click to expand...

Well, as experience shows you really can't do much. You'd be lucky to score a minimum paying job somewhere as a research assistant. Pretty much everywhere you will need several years of experience to even be considered for a job even with a B.S degree. Science is a field where after earing bachelors you are a nobody.

Don't mean to be harsh, but I am just very disappointed, I wish I have known this prior to wasting 5 + years into the BS.

My boyfriend's degree is in biochem, he is working at one of the best top notch labs in Bay Area and he is earning less 1400 a month after working not just full time but 6-7 days a week.
 
cheburashka said:
Don't mean to be harsh, but I am just very disappointed, I wish I have known this prior to wasting 5 + years into the BS.
Click to expand...
Same here. I went into college originally planning to work right after getting my BS. With my biology degree in hand, I've found that it really amounts to nothing out in the job market. Companies are expecting years of experience for positions that pay only slightly above minimum wage. It's practically necessary to do more schooling in order to get a decent paycheck.

Don't get me wrong... I'm doing pharmacy now and loving it, but I wasn't expecting to be in my twenties and still living under my parents' roof. My girlfriend also got her BS in biology, and she was so disappointed in the results she's gone to a completely new field altogether.
 
mochiko said:
Same here. I went into college originally planning to work right after getting my BS. With my biology degree in hand, I've found that it really amounts to nothing out in the job market. Companies are expecting years of experience for positions that pay only slightly above minimum wage. It's practically necessary to do more schooling in order to get a decent paycheck.

Don't get me wrong... I'm doing pharmacy now and loving it, but I wasn't expecting to be in my twenties and still living under my parents' roof. My girlfriend also got her BS in biology, and she was so disappointed in the results she's gone to a completely new field altogether.
Click to expand...

Correct...BS Biology prepares you well for P-1 (you'll need a science background else you'll be doing lots of "treading water" getting basic concepts like enzymes/catalysts and basic physio).

However, a BS Biology WITHOUT any type of job experience will spit you out onto the job market as some sort of leper. I had BS Bio friends get great jobs in biotech/engineering, I've had others who had to work at the mall to make ends meet. There's really no in between.
 
agreed, a bachelor's in a science field has been pretty much worthless for me... i got my b.s. in biochem at davis in june and am now living at home and working retail. earlier this year i applied for several lab jobs/internships and was rejected though i had a year of research experience so i stopped looking for those types of jobs. tbh though, i don't want to do any more research or lab work.
 
veritaserum said:
agreed, a bachelor's in a science field has been pretty much worthless for me... i got my b.s. in biochem at davis in june and am now living at home and working retail. earlier this year i applied for several lab jobs/internships and was rejected though i had a year of research experience so i stopped looking for those types of jobs. tbh though, i don't want to do any more research or lab work.
Click to expand...

I second that, same story here
 
veritaserum said:
agreed, a bachelor's in a science field has been pretty much worthless for me... i got my b.s. in biochem at davis in june and am now living at home and working retail. earlier this year i applied for several lab jobs/internships and was rejected though i had a year of research experience so i stopped looking for those types of jobs. tbh though, i don't want to do any more research or lab work.
Click to expand...

oh ,veritaserum u already graduated from davis and still applying for pharm school?
 
mochiko said:
Same here. I went into college originally planning to work right after getting my BS. With my biology degree in hand, I've found that it really amounts to nothing out in the job market. Companies are expecting years of experience for positions that pay only slightly above minimum wage. It's practically necessary to do more schooling in order to get a decent paycheck.

Don't get me wrong... I'm doing pharmacy now and loving it, but I wasn't expecting to be in my twenties and still living under my parents' roof. My girlfriend also got her BS in biology, and she was so disappointed in the results she's gone to a completely new field altogether.
Click to expand...


i totally agree. there isn't many entry level jobs for newly graduated biology BS students. i had to resort to my certification as pharmacy technician to get a higher paying job, than starting from the bottom again. I would like to get some good news from pharmacy school, or I think I have to go back for a master's. but, i have no idea what to study?
 
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