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- Apr 10, 2007
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Hello and thank you for reading this. As you might know, I usually don't post too many comments on SDN. As a matter of fact, this is my first thread.
The basis behind this post is for two reasons 1) to motivate and give hope to low gpa candidates and 2) to give back to sdn.
Here is my story...
It all started in 2006 when I was a senior at college. I became interested in pharmacy and wanted to know more about it. I went to the Bio dept counselor and asked about pharmacy. She blatantly pointed out my low gpa (~2.9) and alluded to lab tech careers. I came out of the office demoralized and humiliated. I took the pamphlet that she gave me and threw it in the trash can outside her office. After a few days, I made an appointment with a career counselor. She told me that pharmacy school is competitve and insinuated that I would be lucky to get an interview. Again, like many others, she was not supportive and helpful. I felt really depressed and questioned my candidacy for pharmacy. Here I was with a 2.9 gpa, no pharmacy experience, no support, no job, and nothing going right for me. It seemed like the univese was going against me. I wanted to give up trying but...I didn't.
I was going to prove everybody wrong. Not only was I going to get an interview but I was going to get in (that was my mentality at the time). I began working for a pharmaceutical company. Then, I volunteered for a mobile pharmacy and a hospital pharmacy. Afterwards, I took 2 yrs doing post-bac at a cc. I gradually increased my gpa and my pharmacy experience. Then, I studied my a** off for the pcat. The first time I took the pcat, I scored an 85% but I knew I could do better (and I needed to). Second score arrived and I got a 94% comp, 99% bio, and 94% chem. I was excited! I now have a chance to get into pharmacy school.
I applied to 10 schools last year ('08). I finished PharmCAS and all the supplementals for each school in September and November respectively. Then, the wait began. I waited and waited. The months rolled by without a single peep from any of the schools. Then, my first rejection came (a Cali school). Then, the second, third, fourth, and fifth rejections came. I began to panic and thought that the counselors were right; I am not good enough for pharmacy school.
Then, a glimpse of hope opened up. It was the "Academic Update" for PharmCAS. I inputed my data and my overall gpa climbed up to a 3.05. I made it pass the cut-off for some schools. A few weeks later, I began receiving interview invites via e-mails. The first invite was CU Denver SOP. The second, third, and fourth were UWyoming SOP, UMichigan SOP, and UWashington SOP respectively. I was excited. I began practicing my interview skills religuously for about 3 weeks; SDN interview feedbacks helped a lot. I got into all the SOP's I interviewed at. However, I cancelled UMich. Now, I am just at awe at how things turned out, i.e. how life unfolded for me in the past 2 years. I am grateful that I have options for pharmacy school but at the same time, I can't help wondering what or where I would've been if I listened to those counselors. With great modesty and humility, I am living proof that there is hope for you (yes, you with the low gpa). Don't give up on your dream to become a Pharmacist. Of course there are adversities you must overcome to achieve your goals but it is you who must decide want you want out of life.
I hope this motivates you. Cheers!
_______________________________________
University of Washington SOP 2013
The basis behind this post is for two reasons 1) to motivate and give hope to low gpa candidates and 2) to give back to sdn.
Here is my story...
It all started in 2006 when I was a senior at college. I became interested in pharmacy and wanted to know more about it. I went to the Bio dept counselor and asked about pharmacy. She blatantly pointed out my low gpa (~2.9) and alluded to lab tech careers. I came out of the office demoralized and humiliated. I took the pamphlet that she gave me and threw it in the trash can outside her office. After a few days, I made an appointment with a career counselor. She told me that pharmacy school is competitve and insinuated that I would be lucky to get an interview. Again, like many others, she was not supportive and helpful. I felt really depressed and questioned my candidacy for pharmacy. Here I was with a 2.9 gpa, no pharmacy experience, no support, no job, and nothing going right for me. It seemed like the univese was going against me. I wanted to give up trying but...I didn't.
I was going to prove everybody wrong. Not only was I going to get an interview but I was going to get in (that was my mentality at the time). I began working for a pharmaceutical company. Then, I volunteered for a mobile pharmacy and a hospital pharmacy. Afterwards, I took 2 yrs doing post-bac at a cc. I gradually increased my gpa and my pharmacy experience. Then, I studied my a** off for the pcat. The first time I took the pcat, I scored an 85% but I knew I could do better (and I needed to). Second score arrived and I got a 94% comp, 99% bio, and 94% chem. I was excited! I now have a chance to get into pharmacy school.
I applied to 10 schools last year ('08). I finished PharmCAS and all the supplementals for each school in September and November respectively. Then, the wait began. I waited and waited. The months rolled by without a single peep from any of the schools. Then, my first rejection came (a Cali school). Then, the second, third, fourth, and fifth rejections came. I began to panic and thought that the counselors were right; I am not good enough for pharmacy school.
Then, a glimpse of hope opened up. It was the "Academic Update" for PharmCAS. I inputed my data and my overall gpa climbed up to a 3.05. I made it pass the cut-off for some schools. A few weeks later, I began receiving interview invites via e-mails. The first invite was CU Denver SOP. The second, third, and fourth were UWyoming SOP, UMichigan SOP, and UWashington SOP respectively. I was excited. I began practicing my interview skills religuously for about 3 weeks; SDN interview feedbacks helped a lot. I got into all the SOP's I interviewed at. However, I cancelled UMich. Now, I am just at awe at how things turned out, i.e. how life unfolded for me in the past 2 years. I am grateful that I have options for pharmacy school but at the same time, I can't help wondering what or where I would've been if I listened to those counselors. With great modesty and humility, I am living proof that there is hope for you (yes, you with the low gpa). Don't give up on your dream to become a Pharmacist. Of course there are adversities you must overcome to achieve your goals but it is you who must decide want you want out of life.
I hope this motivates you. Cheers!
_______________________________________
University of Washington SOP 2013
I wish you the very best in pharmacy school. Enjoy the excitement and happiness of getting in to the max, you absolutely deserve it!
And thanks for answering my question without getting offended, looking back it was a little forward. I'm Hispanic and it just caught my interest since I absolutely hadn't heard of anything of the sort.
