advantage of having a bachelors degree

[luvu76]

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Hey fellas,

Do you get an edge over other students if you apply to pharmacy schools with having a bachelors in hand? are there schools that do not require pcat if you have the bachelors. Just wondering!!

have a great week ahead!!

 

[eekOMG]

A bachelors degree gives you some backup in case something goes wrong. Or even if you decide you want to do something else. You can always rely on a bachelors degree. For example, we've had people drop out of our program. If they didnt have a bachelors degree, they wouldve had all this schooling and have nothing to show for it.

 

[pharm B]

Hey fellas,

Do you get an edge over other students if you apply to pharmacy schools with having a bachelors in hand? are there schools that do not require pcat if you have the bachelors. Just wondering!!

have a great week ahead!!

I'll leave it to others to tell you if those schools exist or not (I think I've heard of a few doing this).

I think there is an intangible benefit from holding a bachelors. Whether the school outright gives you "points" for having it, it looks like that's the direction we're going. As discussed in numerous other threads, some schools even require a bachelors now. My school doesn't require it, but over half the class has one.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Hey fellas,

Do you get an edge over other students if you apply to pharmacy schools with having a bachelors in hand? are there schools that do not require pcat if you have the bachelors. Just wondering!!

have a great week ahead!!

Pretty much every school in CA + USN + Pacific Oregon and I'm sure a couple others.

 

[PharmCase]

they say its not required...but many schools that I have spoken to have told me that at least 2/3 of accepted students have bachelors degrees nowadays. it is definitely becoming the norm. i mean realistically it isn't very easy to finish all those pre-reqs in two years (especially if you want to apply to multiple schools that have different pre-reqs). so if it takes you three years to finish ur pre-reqs, why not just stay one more year and finish your degree instead of just blowing all of that money you spent away.

 

[Farmpharm]

Hey fellas,

Do you get an edge over other students if you apply to pharmacy schools with having a bachelors in hand? are there schools that do not require pcat if you have the bachelors. Just wondering!!

have a great week ahead!!

Yes, there are schools that do not require pcat/bachelors. Many schools just want pre-reqs done for their school. Regarding having an edge? I would say...no. If you have a decent GPA with your pre-reqs, I would think you would be on par with other applicants.

That being said, do I wish all schools required bachelors and PCATS or some overall universal standard? Yes. It would help deter the problems associated with the "oversupply" of pharmacists thread.

 

[Croutonz]

Pretty much every school in CA + USN + Pacific Oregon and I'm sure a couple others.

I have a Bachelor and ONLY applied to schools without PCAT.
USN is not one of them, cuz I think they require the PCAT now (http://www.usn.edu/pages/278/Requirements & Prerequisites)

You have UP to 11 choices in Schools
ALL 8 in California ( UCSF, USC, Western U, Loma Linda, UCSD, UOP, TOURO, NorthState). Although i think only USC requires a Bachelor, while others don't
1 in OR (Pacific University)
1 in NY ( Touro)
1 in MA ( there's actually 3, but you can ONLY apply to ONE! MCPHS: Boston,or Worcester, or Manchester)

 

[Passion4Sci]

I have a Bachelor and ONLY applied to schools without PCAT.
USN is not one of them, cuz I think they require the PCAT now (http://www.usn.edu/pages/278/Requirements & Prerequisites)

You have UP to 11 choices in Schools
ALL 8 in California ( UCSF, USC, Western U, Loma Linda, UCSD, UOP, TOURO, NorthState). Although i think only USC requires a Bachelor, while others don't
1 in OR (Pacific University)
1 in NY ( Touro)
1 in MA ( there's actually 3, but you can ONLY apply to ONE! MCPHS: Boston,or Worcester, or Manchester)

Ah OK I stand corrected w/r/t USN.

And I think at least one of those MA schools is a 0-6 only...

 

[megandupe]

During my interviewe, my interviewer pointed out to me on my evaluation sheet that having a BS makes me more competitive.

 

[RXsocal]

I'm currently at CPG with no BS. Having to take classes like biochem and physio for the first time put me at a disadvantage. I have to study 2X as much as my friends to get the A. But I rather be at this disadvantage and finish 2-3 years early...than have the advantage...and finish at normal pace.

 

[armorking]

The bachelor's degree will give you an edge but I know some pharmacists who finished only the pre-requisites, went directly to pharmacy school, and are very successful. It really depends on what you want out of your pre-pharmacy experience. Personally, I wanted a bachelor's degree as a safety net in case I needed to use it immediately. I also enjoyed earning the degree. I not only took science and math courses but also Shakespeare, European history, American Indian art, Tae Kwon Do, environmental stewardship, and a bunch of other interesting courses to name a few. I had fun with my degree and wanted to be well-rounded in the end. I understand the goal is to earn a Pharm.D. but you could miss out on the full college experience if you rush it.

 

[Namishin]

Having a bachelor certainly helps if you are talking about getting you an interview. I wouldn't put a lot of weight on it though.