Adivce for a non-trad?

[Chicken Tenda]

Hi All,
I am new to the pre-pharmacy world and am wondering if anyone can give me some advice.

Here's my story:
Education:
graduated from Mich. State with a B.S. in Physiology in 2005 (GPA 3.5, science 3.3-3.4)
Currently enrolled in PhD program in bio sciences at top ten university

Work:
NIH two year research internship - 4 co-authored publications (one in Science)
3 years undergrad research

Volunteer:
2 years of teaching kids to read in undergrad

I am really not happy in my PhD program. I feel that I am setting myself up for a career of isolation. Doing experiments or writing grants alone all day does not appeal to me. I am a very social person and crave more human interaction. I didn't pick up on the isolation of science until I started grad school because my previous labs were full of young people that were fun to work in a team with. However, I realize now that most career scientists work alone for most of the time.

My questions for you guys are: Is a GPA where mine is competitive for some pharmacy schools? How did you go about getting a pharmacy volunteer position? Is it possible to shadow / volunteer at a local chain pharmacy?

Would it look bad to leave this PhD program before I complete the PhD? Would it be necessary to stick it out for a masters? Are there certain schools that would value my research experience more than others?

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[Chicken Tenda]

bump.

Is there anyone out that has (or knew anyone that has) a similar situation to mine?

 

[UES Girl]

bump.

Is there anyone out that has (or knew anyone that has) a similar situation to mine?

I've read up at least a dozen stories that people shared here that are similar to yours. You just need to do some reading/research. Also your background in research seems excellent to me - you make a really good candidate - at least compared to some people on this forum. Also do not think of yourself as nontraditional - you have a science background - you are very traditional.

 

[Weekender]

Hey I'm not a non-traditional student but from your resume looks impressive. The thing you need to work on is to persuasively explain why you want to do pharmacy. I think your gpa is pretty decent, if you get an 80-90s pcat you should be fine. Plus, your research is a really nice distinction. I'm not sure where you are from but in my area its hard to get a volunteer position in pharmacy bc of hippa rules. So I suggest either volunteer at a hospital and see if they can move you into the pharmacy later on or get a retail job as a tech. I know UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) is a really big research school so you might want to try contacting them (or any other schools) and ask about the whole sticking it out for the masters / PhD thing. I'd say maybe stick it out for the masters if you still need time to take the pcat, get LORs and pharmacy experience but not really PhD. Just make sure you get a lot of exposure in the pharmacy first (getting a job is the best way IMO) so you don't end up in the same situation- and end up hating pharmacy too!

 

[BlueCrayon]

Hi All,
I am new to the pre-pharmacy world and am wondering if anyone can give me some advice.

Here's my story:
Education:
graduated from Mich. State with a B.S. in Physiology in 2005 (GPA 3.5, science 3.3-3.4)
Currently enrolled in PhD program in bio sciences at top ten university

Work:
NIH two year research internship - 4 co-authored publications (one in Science)
3 years undergrad research

Volunteer:
2 years of teaching kids to read in undergrad

I am really not happy in my PhD program. I feel that I am setting myself up for a career of isolation. Doing experiments or writing grants alone all day does not appeal to me. I am a very social person and crave more human interaction. I didn't pick up on the isolation of science until I started grad school because my previous labs were full of young people that were fun to work in a team with. However, I realize now that most career scientists work alone for most of the time.

My questions for you guys are: Is a GPA where mine is competitive for some pharmacy schools? How did you go about getting a pharmacy volunteer position? Is it possible to shadow / volunteer at a local chain pharmacy?

Would it look bad to leave this PhD program before I complete the PhD? Would it be necessary to stick it out for a masters? Are there certain schools that would value my research experience more than others?

Wow, your situation is almost exactly like mine! I graduated with a B.S. in molecular biology in 1999 with just about the same gpa but instead of getting into a PhD program, I've been doing pharmacology research for the last 9 years at UB. We have NIH and ADA grants and I have about 8 publications. I totally agree with you, after doing research for so long, it got very unsatisfying and cumbersome. Although I work on diabetes and it can be very exciting, I just wanted a change. I became interested in pharmacy mostly through my research and last July decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I took the PCAT in October (90%), applied to UB and got accepted. So it sounds like you are in a pretty good position. I also shadowed at a local pharmacy...but from what I hear, it's not that easy to do. (I knew the pharmacist that I shadowed...he got his PhD in the dept that I work in) I'd say if you're interested, then go for it...I didn't expect to get accepted, but you'll never know if you don't try! Good luck!