About Pharmacy Exprience...

[WannabePharm88]

Hello, I am still a n00b for SDN, which is a great source to research my career path.

Let me introduce myself first.

I came to United State when I was 16 years old as an exchange student in Pennsylvania. After a year, I came to California to keep pursue my high school education. Since I was not good at English, they put me in as 10th grade when I was 18 years old. During my junior year, I decided to get the hell out of high school and get GED then go to Community College since it would be waste of time and money (I went to Private School).

To be honest, I didn't know what to do after I came to Community College. I researched what I wanted to do. I came up with either RN or Pharmacist.

I choose to be a Pharmacist because of money and reputation.

When I research for some factors that Pharm school look at on the "Sticky" thread.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1700959&postcount=13

*Academic rigor
*Extra curricular activities
*Enthusiasm
*GPA (overall, prerequisite, or both)
*Interview quality
*PCAT score
*Personal motivation for pursuing pharmacy
*Pharmacy experience
*Prerequisites complete or planned for completion
*Recent academic performance
*Recommendations
*Research opportunities
*Residency
*Special achievements
*Volunteer work

My GPA is bad at this moment, but I only did General Chemistry and First semester of Organic Chemistry. I got A in Communication and Sociology.
In General Chemistry, I got B and C.
Probably C in first semester of Organic Chemistry.
And I will be transferring to either UC Davis or UC San Diego in fall of 2009 as Chemistry major.

I heard that Pharmacy Technican can be one of the great Pharmacy experiences, but I also heard that International Students cannot do Pharmacy Technican because of Visa issues. Any ideas for solve this problem?

And, can I take PCAT during my pre-reqs? Can I take that in California (I know that CA school don't require them).

Thanks for taking time reading this.

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[WhiteSnows]

As an international student, you need to have a much higher GPA, and Pcat than others to get in.

To answer your question:

Yes, you can take Pcat while taking pre-pharmacy class.
You do not have to be pharm tech to work, you can volunteer. It can be hard to get the job, but it is possible.

Also, I would not go to pharmacy because of money and reputation only. You have to enjoy it. Well, I do not want to discourage you. However, it is touch to get in Pharmacy school for international students. Private school is probably better to apply than publish school.

 

[WannabePharm88]

As an international student, you need to have a much higher GPA, and Pcat than others to get in.

To answer your question:

Yes, you can take Pcat while taking pre-pharmacy class.
You do not have to be pharm tech to work, you can volunteer. It can be hard to get the job, but it is possible.

Also, I would not go to pharmacy because of money and reputation only. You have to enjoy it. Well, I do not want to discourage you. However, it is touch to get in Pharmacy school for international students. Private school is probably better to apply than publish school.

5minutes, thanks for your answer.

I would love to "volnteer" as Pharm Tech and see if I like it or not.
Can I get a license with F1 Visa?

 

[medicalCPA]

You can probably GET a license (I don't know about this, though), but you probably won't be able to work with it, unless you either
1. Have off-campus employment authorization OR
2. Go to a school with a hospital. That way, you could be a hospital tech and it would be considered an on-campus job.

Pharmacy experience is not the be all and end all of pharm school admissions. Lots of people get in without it. In your case, see if you can shadow any pharmacists. Hospital pharmacists are more willing to do this than retail pharmacists.

 

[WannabePharm88]

You can probably GET a license (I don't know about this, though), but you probably won't be able to work with it, unless you either
1. Have off-campus employment authorization OR
2. Go to a school with a hospital. That way, you could be a hospital tech and it would be considered an on-campus job.

Pharmacy experience is not the be all and end all of pharm school admissions. Lots of people get in without it. In your case, see if you can shadow any pharmacists. Hospital pharmacists are more willing to do this than retail pharmacists.

I am just worried that I have low GPA, yet my pre-reqs are not done yet.
Should I think about becoming RN?

 

[PharmGrl]

I am just worried that I have low GPA, yet my pre-reqs are not done yet.
Should I think about becoming RN?

I had an average GPA when I got done with high school, and slightly above average when I got done witih my A.A., all the while knowing that I wanted to go to pharmacy school, but knowing my scores were not competitive. I took a little bit of time off to regroup, and even reconsidered the pharmacy profession, but I decided that I am not going to let anything stand in my way and you shouldn't either. I have gone back to school (as a slightly older student), and my grades have been super, but it has been tough, between working, and family.

Do some extra leg work to find out more about the visa situation, find out if your school offers "hidden help" that you can use to your advantage (I found a smaller calculus course that was geared for people that had been out of school for awhile, but it is the exact course that is required for pharm schools, and it was A LOT less overwhelming than a course with 200 students in it!) and do what you really want to do, not something else that you sort of think would be ok.

You will not be truly happy if you sacrifice your ultimate goal!

I hope that I can be even a little bit inspiring for you!

 

[WannabePharm88]

I had an average GPA when I got done with high school, and slightly above average when I got done witih my A.A., all the while knowing that I wanted to go to pharmacy school, but knowing my scores were not competitive. I took a little bit of time off to regroup, and even reconsidered the pharmacy profession, but I decided that I am not going to let anything stand in my way and you shouldn't either. I have gone back to school (as a slightly older student), and my grades have been super, but it has been tough, between working, and family.

Do some extra leg work to find out more about the visa situation, find out if your school offers "hidden help" that you can use to your advantage (I found a smaller calculus course that was geared for people that had been out of school for awhile, but it is the exact course that is required for pharm schools, and it was A LOT less overwhelming than a course with 200 students in it!) and do what you really want to do, not something else that you sort of think would be ok.

You will not be truly happy if you sacrifice your ultimate goal!

I hope that I can be even a little bit inspiring for you!

I know that I will not be truly happy if my goal won't be acomplished.
Being an International student is a pain in the you-know-what.

I have not taken Biology or Physics yet. (And Cal.)

I have B and C in Gen Chem
I might have either B or C in I Organic Chem.
B in Stat.
A in English Wrting (and I am doing second semester of it)
A is Sociology
A in Communication
B in Priniciple of Biology

I am OK at this moment. I am just worried too much about this.
I know some of people in this thread are International student, and I want to ask about their GPA and such.

Thanks for encouraging, by the way.

 

[WhiteSnows]

I am international student. I got in pharmacy school this early year.

GPA:3.9 bythe time I applied. 3.86 in science. A in both BIochem 1 and 2.
PCat 80
Shadow pharmacist
Volunteer hours in school
Full scholarship university
Honorary member of PTK
Chemistry, Anatomy, Maths for 3 years.
Strong letter R from Biochem, and Pharmacist
Strong at anything else.

 

[WannabePharm88]

I am international student. I got in pharmacy school this early year.

GPA:3.9 bythe time I applied. 3.86 in science. A in both BIochem 1 and 2.
PCat 80
Shadow pharmacist
Volunteer hours in school
Full scholarship university
Honorary member of PTK
Chemistry, Anatomy, Maths for 3 years.
Strong letter R from Biochem, and Pharmacist
Strong at anything else.

How did you get scholarship?

And

"Chemistry, Anatomy, Maths for 3 years."

What's that mean?