Advice about what to do

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HPTC

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I'm wondering about what I should do, given my current situation. Basically, I've pretty much graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience and I want to go to Pharmacy school.

The issue is, however, that my GPA is less than stellar. My overall's a 2.9 and I'm not sure of my science GPA. A lot of Cs, really. Though, I did do pretty well in my Neuroscience classes, but I'm guessing that doesn't really matter.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. I know I can (and should) take the PCAT and I will eventually. But for the science classes, I know I can do better in them. I was thinking of taking them at a community college near where I live. Is there anywhere else I could take them? Is there anything I can do?
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HPTC said:
I'm wondering about what I should do, given my current situation. Basically, I've pretty much graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience and I want to go to Pharmacy school.

The issue is, however, that my GPA is less than stellar. My overall's a 2.9 and I'm not sure of my science GPA. A lot of Cs, really. Though, I did do pretty well in my Neuroscience classes, but I'm guessing that doesn't really matter.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. I know I can (and should) take the PCAT and I will eventually. But for the science classes, I know I can do better in them. I was thinking of taking them at a community college near where I live. Is there anywhere else I could take them? Is there anything I can do?
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Do not go to pharmacy school, antiquated profession with no future, techs, robots and docs themselves will take over role, no future. They dont mix potions in back room anymore and Ive never been or met anyone "counseled" by pharmacist, besides a grumbled "do you have any questions?"

escripts makes even more pointless as they cross reference emr and any human error in hand written scripts. bet my right eye they will be limited to some small research field or gone.

check out other schools, some may replace bad grades if u retake, I went from 3.2ish to 3.4ish after working then post bacc for med prereqs, and it wasnt straight As. good enough for plenty schools.

it doesnt have to keep you from anything, time goes by and take other classes and admissions doesnt hold it against. take some BS classes in mean time for As, work, figure out later when gpa is better
 
Donkeykiss said:
Do not go to pharmacy school, antiquated profession with no future, techs, robots and docs themselves will take over role, no future. They dont mix potions in back room anymore and Ive never been or met anyone "counseled" by pharmacist, besides a grumbled "do you have any questions?"

escripts makes even more pointless as they cross reference emr and any human error in hand written scripts. bet my right eye they will be limited to some small research field or gone.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear all pharmacists and doctors will be replaced in the future by highly skilled CNAs, and robots, too. They'll be able to diagnose and take pills from a big bottle and put them in a smaller bottle at the exact same time! It's 99% sure to save us all trillions of dollars in health care costs. I can't wait for the future to be here.
 
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Donkeykiss said:
Do not go to pharmacy school, antiquated profession with no future, techs, robots and docs themselves will take over role, no future. They dont mix potions in back room anymore and Ive never been or met anyone "counseled" by pharmacist, besides a grumbled "do you have any questions?"

escripts makes even more pointless as they cross reference emr and any human error in hand written scripts. bet my right eye they will be limited to some small research field or gone.

check out other schools, some may replace bad grades if u retake, I went from 3.2ish to 3.4ish after working then post bacc for med prereqs, and it wasnt straight As. good enough for plenty schools.

it doesnt have to keep you from anything, time goes by and take other classes and admissions doesnt hold it against. take some BS classes in mean time for As, work, figure out later when gpa is better
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Are you D.O. or M.D. school? And did you also do E.C.'s while doing your Pos-bacc?
 
Well, say I still want to do pharmacy school regardless of possible robot outsourcing. What can I do?
 
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HPTC said:
Well, say I still want to do pharmacy school regardless of possible robot outsourcing. What can I do?
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Sorry for the early thread derailment. I find the hyperbole on this site to be a source of humor/annoyance sometimes...

Study for the PCAT, take it and see how well you do, then start talking to schools. They can give you a heads up on whether it's worth your time retaking classes or if they'll even care if you retake classes. There are postbac programs you could potentially attend, as mentioned earlier.

People have gotten into pharmacy programs with GPAs as low as 2.9, but I don't think it's common. You'd have to be a pretty exceptional candidate in other respects, I would imagine.
 
HPTC said:
Well, say I still want to do pharmacy school regardless of possible robot outsourcing. What can I do?
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Check your private message inbox. :)
 
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HPTC said:
Well, say I still want to do pharmacy school regardless of possible robot outsourcing. What can I do?
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I wonder if robots in India will replace good-old American robots someday. It keeps me up at night.

No, wait, that's just the neighbors that do that. :D
 
I actually graduated from Pitt too (2008), and am currently re-taking some classes at CCAC. I had a 3.2 at Pitt, but had C's in a decent amount of science classes, so I'm hoping to get my GPA up to around 3.4. I'm applying for Fall 2012 admission, so I'll let you know how it goes. :xf:
 
Okay, what about this situation? [More detailed description of what I'm in]

[CopyPaste from another site]

I'm about to graduate with a BS in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh, and I want to apply to Pharmacy School, eventually.

The problem is, however, that my science GPA (i.e. Prerequisites' GPA) is less than stellar. Basically, Cs, C+, and a C- in Biology II and Organic Chemistry II, along with a D in Physics lab (separate from the lecture). Terrible, I know. I won't lie, it was mostly due to unsureness of what to do and laziness. Trust me, if there's anything I regret the most in my life, it's not doing those classes well. They're almost haunting me, frankly.

Bio 1: C
Bio 1 Lab: B
Bio 2: C-*
Bio 2 Lab: C+
Chem 1: C
Chem 2: C+
Ochem 1: C+
Ochem 1 Lab: B
Ochem 2: C-
Ochem 2 lab: A-
Physics 1: C+
Physics 2: C+
Physics Lab: D
Biochem: C+

*I'm taking Biology II again at Pitt (during the summer), so I'll hopefully improve that grade. Nevertheless, the other poor prerequisite grades are there. I haven't even taken Anatomy and Physiology yet, since it's extremely hard to get into at Pitt if you're not in the School of Nursing (I'm in Arts and Sciences)

My question is, what should I do?

As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, I'm willing to work hard and do well in those classes, but I have no idea where or how to take them. Or even if it's worth it.

At first, I was thinking of taking them at a local (Accredited) Community College, mainly because of the cheaper cost, but then I realized that AdCom may see it as "dodging" or taking an easier version of said classes. I was going to take Anatomy and Physiology there regardless, since they were offering it.

I don't know where else I could take such classes, really. Could I take them at other 4 year universities as a Non-Degree seeking student, perhaps? That would require being accepted at those universities, for one, which I doubt will happen. Are there other options?

Should I just take the whole pre-pharmacy track again at another college? I know the bad grades won't be erased from my record or anything like that, but I could show that I do have the ability to master the material. It would be expensive and take a lot of time, but if it's the most viable option, I'll consider it.

I haven't taken the PCAT yet. I was also considering trying to become a Pharmacy Technician to bolster my level of experience in the field, which is minimal.

Ultimately, I don't know what to do and how to proceed. It's so frustrating; I feel trapped by these mistakes I made.

Is it worth it for me personally to even pursue Pharmacy? Is it a waste of time to try? Should I just give up?

Any advice would be welcome. Thank you.
 
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Donkeykiss said:
Do not go to pharmacy school, antiquated profession with no future, techs, robots and docs themselves will take over role, no future. They dont mix potions in back room anymore and Ive never been or met anyone "counseled" by pharmacist, besides a grumbled "do you have any questions?"

escripts makes even more pointless as they cross reference emr and any human error in hand written scripts. bet my right eye they will be limited to some small research field or gone.

check out other schools, some may replace bad grades if u retake, I went from 3.2ish to 3.4ish after working then post bacc for med prereqs, and it wasnt straight As. good enough for plenty schools.

it doesnt have to keep you from anything, time goes by and take other classes and admissions doesnt hold it against. take some BS classes in mean time for As, work, figure out later when gpa is better
Click to expand...

Ive never been or met anyone "counseled" by pharmacist, besides a grumbled "do you have any questions?"
Click to expand...
You apparently have never met the few, the proud, the people who swallowed suppositories!
take some BS classes in mean time for As, work, figure out later when gpa is better
Click to expand...
This is not a good idea. The admissions committee is going to look at your transcript and wonder why you took ELEC 100 Underwater Basket Weaving, BUSI 100 How to Balance a Checkbook, and ELEC 100 Fundamentals of Ping Pong. I know the temptation to take easy classes is strong, but devote that time to something that is applicable to the field you want to go into. Take a level 100 Biology class with a Lab, ace it, and then ask the professor about being a TA for the lab. That looks great on applications. I was an STA for Physics and Vertebrate Anatomy, and I know that it made a huge difference in my application. Just because Donkeykiss is a premed student, it doesn't mean he knows what is best for you, no matter how much he thinks he does.
 
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HPTC said:
Okay, what about this situation? [More detailed description of what I'm in]

[CopyPaste from another site]

I'm about to graduate with a BS in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh, and I want to apply to Pharmacy School, eventually.

The problem is, however, that my science GPA (i.e. Prerequisites' GPA) is less than stellar. Basically, Cs, C+, and a C- in Biology II and Organic Chemistry II, along with a D in Physics lab (separate from the lecture). Terrible, I know. I won't lie, it was mostly due to unsureness of what to do and laziness. Trust me, if there's anything I regret the most in my life, it's not doing those classes well. They're almost haunting me, frankly.

Bio 1: C
Bio 1 Lab: B
Bio 2: C-*
Bio 2 Lab: C+
Chem 1: C
Chem 2: C+
Ochem 1: C+
Ochem 1 Lab: B
Ochem 2: C-
Ochem 2 lab: A-
Physics 1: C+
Physics 2: C+
Physics Lab: D
Biochem: C+

*I'm taking Biology II again at Pitt (during the summer), so I'll hopefully improve that grade. Nevertheless, the other poor prerequisite grades are there. I haven't even taken Anatomy and Physiology yet, since it's extremely hard to get into at Pitt if you're not in the School of Nursing (I'm in Arts and Sciences)

My question is, what should I do?

As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, I'm willing to work hard and do well in those classes, but I have no idea where or how to take them. Or even if it's worth it.

At first, I was thinking of taking them at a local (Accredited) Community College, mainly because of the cheaper cost, but then I realized that AdCom may see it as "dodging" or taking an easier version of said classes. I was going to take Anatomy and Physiology there regardless, since they were offering it.

I don't know where else I could take such classes, really. Could I take them at other 4 year universities as a Non-Degree seeking student, perhaps? That would require being accepted at those universities, for one, which I doubt will happen. Are there other options?

Should I just take the whole pre-pharmacy track again at another college? I know the bad grades won't be erased from my record or anything like that, but I could show that I do have the ability to master the material. It would be expensive and take a lot of time, but if it's the most viable option, I'll consider it.

I haven't taken the PCAT yet. I was also considering trying to become a Pharmacy Technician to bolster my level of experience in the field, which is minimal.

Ultimately, I don't know what to do and how to proceed. It's so frustrating; I feel trapped by these mistakes I made.

Is it worth it for me personally to even pursue Pharmacy? Is it a waste of time to try? Should I just give up?

Any advice would be welcome. Thank you.
Click to expand...


First and foremost, don't give up on yourself. Buddy, we all make mistakes but they can be fixed. You can turn things around in a hurry and as long as you want to invest the time, you will get what you want.

Second, I would recommend retaking chem I & II and ochem I & II. Any way to show improvement in those courses is always going to be a plus. Taking those courses at a community college should be fine as well. I knew people who not only got into pharm school but medical school retaking courses at the community college so don't doubt the CC's worthiness (plus you'll save a pretty penny as well).

Third, you still have plenty of upper level bio courses that will bolster your GPA. A&P, microbiology, genetics, etc. Those are still all there for the taking. If you get As in most or all of them, you not only improved your overall and science GPA but you also did well in the tougher bio courses. All of these courses are opportunities to shine.

Also, scoring well on the PCAT will greatly improve your chances as well. I have been telling many on this forum to aim for an 80% or higher on the exam since it is usually higher than the average PCAT score of accepted students around the nation.

Working as a pharmacy technician is definitely going to show that you are serious about the profession and you are leaning toward that route. It wouldn't hurt to find places where you could volunteer at a pharmacy (if possible). In general, building up volunteer experience will be a plus to the adcoms. Find something you would enjoy helping out on a weekly basis and you will be benefiting both the community and yourself.

Those were my two cents. I hope this helps on your journey to get into pharmacy school. Life isn't perfect but as long as you have the drive and the motivation to walk the path less traveled, you will come out with the goal in hand.

Just remember: http://up.neutek.net/di-212990894360.jpg

Good luck with everything!!!
 
I think you should retake the chem and bio classes to show improvement. If you can take them at your university, that'd be better. But, taking it at community college will be fine. They're a lot easier though. But, you have no choice.

Do well on the PCAT.

And then I highly highly suggest looking for strong extracurricular activities you can put on your app to make up for the GPA. Start something pharmacy related like a clinic or volunteer group for underrepresented populations. or something along those lines...or go abroad and volunteer. something innovative.

When you do your personal statements. Focus on how much you've improved/grown/etc. Explain any significant experiences that helped you realize this is really what you want.
 
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