2 year pre-pharm vs 4 year b.s.

[pharmwannebe2]

I am going to be honest. Everyone who has graduated pharmacy school says most people that apply usually only do 2 years prepharm. However I am pretty sure more people get a b.s. degree before applying to pharm school

I wanted to see what everyone here has.

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[tootoo30]

I think two years are sufficient enough time to complete the required courses for pharmacy school, but I agree the degree then pharmacy school route is becoming very popular since pharmacy school admission has became so competitive. I have a degree, but only because I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up When I decided to pursue pharmacy, I was already in a MS program at Nova, which I will complete in June! Yah

In a way I'm glad that I did stick around to get that degree because it will come in handy. I talked with the adcoms at the two schools that I was considering and they told me that a degree does boost your application some.

 

[SHC1984]

I am going to be honest. Everyone who has graduated pharmacy school says most people that apply usually only do 2 years prepharm. However I am pretty sure more people get a b.s. degree before applying to pharm school

I wanted to see what everyone here has.

if you want to get into pharmacy school with only 2 years prepharm then your PCAT have to be very high...90s maybe?

 

[wolfpackhal]

I think that if you know coming out of high school you want to try and pursue pharmacy then you should take the prereqs in 2 years, do well in your classes, and plan to apply after two years. In the meantine, keep options open for a B.S. degree as a backup in case you have to apply 2 or more times.

 

[cdcd67]

I am trying to get a B.S. before applying for pharmacy school. But, I just got lucky...I didn't want to do pharmacy when I graduated from high school...now, I am considering it...and I realized the benefits of having a B.S., so yeah...

 

[inquirer89]

I'm trying to get in after 2 years, before it gets so competitive that an undergrad degree will almost be required (I talked with pharmacy students who graduated and they said it was pretty easy to get accepted after 2 years. Now not so much). But I have the benefit of knowing what I wanted to do since high school.

 

[Sparda29]

I think 3 years is the optimal time for applying to pharmacy school.

2 Years Pre-Pharm requires you to study your ass off starting from the first day of college. That's hard when you're trying to get rid of the senioritis that you had during your last year of high school.

Making it a 4 year Bachelor's Degree requirement would allow the applicant adequate time to get some experience in the pharmacy field, do some volunteering, research, etc.

 

[naseuy]

I did 2 and a half years of pre-pharmacy work (well first semester I didn't really know what I wanted to do).

 

[WhiteSnows]

B.S will help a lot.

 

[PharmPrincess]

In the long run, getting a B.S. would benefit yourself. I think its good to get a B.S. now since the cirriculum has changed to a Pharm.D.

And because of the Pharm.D., few pharmacy schools are even requiring a B.S. before applying and I know that there have been talks in my school to switch over to that as part of the admission process.

In addition, over 50% of the people in my class hold a B.S. or higher and the other half just did the standard 2-year pre-reqs. Those that substantially did better grade-wise most likely had a degree- which is why some professors in my school are pushing for this requirement for admittance.

 

[cdcd67]

I am just wondering....wouldn't it also depend on what you get a B.S. in? Like, obviously, something in the sciences will help you a lot...but what about other majors?

 

[ValeRx]

When I was going to Ohio State, their requirements said that it doesn't matter what your Bachelors degree was in, as long as you met the science requirements. So you could have a history degree and it wouldn't matter.

 

[evilolive]

here at Michigan about 80% of us have a bachelors, and the rest of the 20 either are directly fed from the undergraduate program or other really amazing people who did their prerequisites quickly and well. When i interviewed at UCSF, I think the percentage was 99%...

 

[Jooks]

I did two years pre-reqs at hampton before being accepted...I went to a competitive high school in Brooklyn (Brooklyn Tech)that prepared me well for pre-pharm, However I agree with the post that said that a BS will soon be required because many of the pre-pharm students that applied at the same time I did were barely getting by.

 

[Sparda29]

One reason that the Bachelor's plan is better is because you can get a higher paying job while you're in pharmacy school.

 

[SHC1984]

One reason that the Bachelor's plan is better is because you can get a higher paying job while you're in pharmacy school.

You have time to work while in pharm school??

 

[naseuy]

You have time to work while in pharm school??

A lot of people do internships or work as techs while in school, but a B.S. wouldn't really affect your pay.

 

[cdcd67]

When I was going to Ohio State, their requirements said that it doesn't matter what your Bachelors degree was in, as long as you met the science requirements. So you could have a history degree and it wouldn't matter.

No, I know that...I meant that wouldn't you be better prepared if you had a B.S. in the sciences?

 

[ValeRx]

Maybe

 

[Sparda29]

A lot of people do internships or work as techs while in school, but a B.S. wouldn't really affect your pay.

For a pharmacy tech position, it wouldn't affect your pay but you could get a part-time job in a hospital doing lab work.

Right now, I work 13 hours a week in a pharmacy. 10AM-6PM on Saturdays, 7PM-11PM on Sundays.

 

[bluesickle]

No, I know that...I meant that wouldn't you be better prepared if you had a B.S. in the sciences?

Ideally, but it really depends on what you learn and get out of your undergraduate education.

I'm not knocking those who're taking the 2-year then pharmacy school route but people with a B.S. or higher, in general, take their education a lot more seriously than those without. Either way, I'd recommend getting a B.S. before applying because it's only going to get more competitive as the years go by.

 

[aterly]

work towards a B.S. , but if you choose a science field you'll be done with prereq's in 2-3 years. So, why not try applying to pharm school while you working towards your degree?

 

[salliiee]

im going to graduate from highschool and go into a 6 year pharmD program
i dont know which one yet
but im accepted to stjohns, UConn, and northeastern