12 units is bad??

Started by cystapharm
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
C

cystapharm

Full Member
10+ Year Member
5+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
So I've been taking like 12 units per semester and over at the medical forum people are sayng that that is waayy below full time of 15-18 units.

What is a good amount to take for pharmacy school? Over at my school 12 units is full time.

I know its always a plus to take like 18 units but is 15 units or more a must for pharmacy school to not get a red flag?

Has anyone gotten accepted with many semesters of less than 14 units?
 
cystapharm said:
So I've been taking like 12 units per semester and over at the medical forum people are sayng that that is waayy below full time of 15-18 units.

What is a good amount to take for pharmacy school? Over at my school 12 units is full time.

I know its always a plus to take like 18 units but is 15 units or more a must for pharmacy school to not get a red flag?

Has anyone gotten accepted with many semesters of less than 14 units?
Click to expand...

For finaid and school census purposes, most schools consider 12+ units full time. With the exception of my last two quarters, when I was attending 2 schools simultaneously, I was generally taking 12-14 units (Lowest qtr was 6 units, highest was 15). Most pharmacy schools will schedule 17-18 units per qtr/semester (based on what little research I've done). It shouldn't affect your admission, but it will be a little bit of an adjustment once you start if you have to increase your courseload by 50%.
 
I've taken between 15-17 credits each semester (plus 8 credits in the summer between). I only recommend taking more than 12 credits a semester if you're planning on doing all the pre-reqs in 2 years. If not, then you have time to take it a bit slower, giving you more time to study and get better grades. If 12 units a semester works for you, then it should be no problem for the admissions people. Just be prepared when you get into pharmacy school that they usually schedule you for about 15+ credits a semester.
 
Most schools require a minimum amount of credit hours before you can start pharm school. Most are around 60 credits if you are on a semester system and about 90 if you are on a qrt system. It might take a longer time to finish all your pre-reqs if you are only take 12 hrs. Each school varies so check where you are planning on applying.
 
I haven't seen an actual rule that mandates a certain number of credit hours, though there are schools that have a minimum for their own undergrads to take for guaranteed admission. The unspoken rule is to take around 15 credit hours. The reason for this is to simply show as an applicant that you can handle a large course load that will become more strenuous in pharmacy school.

Of course, taking only 12 credit hours will not prevent admission. I took 12 hours for the last three semesters in college. The key was that I worked in a research lab position while having other responsibilities. To me, working 20 hours a week (which I didn't do but I'm just offering an example) is like taking a six to eight credit hour course due to the time constraints.

You just have to remember that schools wonder about the applicant who take the bare minimum and have enough time to study to get a high GPA. I could get a 4.0 GPA if I only took 12 credit hours each semester with no work or family commitments.🙂
 
i took about 12 units all throughout my undergrad. I got into pharmacy school jsut fine.

Trust me...it will look bad if you do 17 units and do bad in those courses. Just make sure you can compensate with extracurricular activities.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.