Advice for Pre-Pharm

[Asnchic]

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I'm fresh out of highschool, currently in the works for my EMT-B/Pharmacy Tech Cert., and am an incoming student to UT's College of Natural Sciences.

I'm Undeclared Pre-pharm right now and was wondering if any of you awesome people would be willing to help me out with some advice. I'm the first from my family's generation going to a Uni so anything is appreciated! My schedule for the Fall is basically:

PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY I
INTRO BIO: GENETICS & EVOLUTN
ELEM FUNCTS AND COORD GEOMETRY
INTRO BIOLOGY: CELL BIOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO MICROECONOMICS

I'll be the first to tell you, I'm not the sharpest but I like to think I'm dedicated to a job well done. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work, whether that be sacrificing my social life (In fact, I expect it) or making UGL my home away from home .

I need advice, anything actually as to what would make me a good candidate for UT's Pharm School. Hopefully, I'll do it two years, just because I'm a wishful thinker. I fully intend to volunteer often and make sure that LPPA membership is at the top of my priority list. But besides that, what else would any of you advise? What were some of your mistakes (if any) that you would advise for me to avoid? Suggestions? Concerns? I love you long time if you help! My friend told me that his friend had a 3.7 and scored relatively well on the PCAT but was rejected because she didn't volunteer often enough and just wasn't enthusiastic enough.

I'm scared out of my mind! I don't know what to expect other then long nights spent with my chem book and mornings on top of my bio. I'm not so much scared about the curriculum, but more or less not getting accepted. I want to make this work so any advice?

 

[biophiliac1]

My suggestion is unless you reeaallllyyyy want to get your pre-reqs done really fast or apply without finishing a degree take a more balanced schedule. By balanced I mean classes with general education credit/non-science courses. It will not only give you time to adjust to the rigor of college or science classes in general but also you may find something that interest you in an area outside of science that you may want to major/minor in. I took some of the harder/weeder courses at school first term and as I look back it would have been better to just take 2 hard classes and 1 easy or something like that. When they have the student organizations fair during first week or whenever they do it at your school make sure to go because then you will get alot of info. on stuff you might be interested in or just wanna try out (cuz hey you do wanna do an extra-cirricular activity that is of interest to you personally). Keep ur positive additude and dedication!!! Don't be scurred heh heh...by the way one thing I learned is don't believe the hype there's always gonna be someone telling you that they know someone who didnt get in with blah blah. The application process is a random one. Just remember to continue to focus on your goals and the steps that need to be done to achieve them. As a professor of mine said you can turn certain moments in your life into obstacles or stepping stones. good luck to you

 

[bananaface]

Quality is definitely more important than speed. But, you don't need to go reeeeeeally slow.

One shortcoming of many of my classmates who did not get their bachelor's degree before pharmacy school seems to be technical writing skills, or writing skills in general. I would recommend that you take at least one class involving heavy technical writing.

I would also recommend a course such as speech that gets you used to being the object of others' listening.

 

[dgroulx]

I don't see freshman english on your schedule. You need reading and writing skills to do well in your other classes. I would drop one of your introductory biology classes and take english. Bananaface is correct about public speaking. You have to give lots of presentations in pharmacy school.

I don't know about UT's pharm school, but the school I attend requires at least an AA degree in addition to the science prerequisites to ensure a balanced education. I would think that it would look better on your application to be well rounded.

 

[Modnar]

Number one, don't beat yourself up if you don't do as well on a test as you'd like. Just tell yourself that one bad test isn't the end of the world and then put it out of your mind and start studying for the next one.

Don't try to compare yourself to the big overachievers in your class. That's a recipe for misery.

Finally, talk to your professors!!! They have office hours for a reason! Most of your professors are not evil or out to get you. They like the material and they genuinely enjoy telling people about it. Find at least one professor who'll let you help out in his/her lab. You can get a good LOR that way.

 

[Asnchic]

WOW! Thank you all so much! i didn't think I would get a response so quickly!

I don't have English because I'm waiting to see how well I did on the Writing placement test and the AP English tests. I had awesome AP English teachers and worked super hard in English. My possibility for making a four is what's keeping me from putting those down right now.

You guys think I should take more of my basic classes? I'm worried that later, I won't have the time to take them. I feel like I'm behind already seeing as how I haven't even taken Calculus yet. Any suggestions on what to take to balance it? It's so overwhelming and I don't know which classes are generally considered "easier" to take with that courseload. Someone told me Psychology is tough because it has a lot of writing and on top of the sciences that it's really hard. Thank you guys so much!

 

[bananaface]

Take all of your math ASAP. If you are like 99% of us you will forget too much if you wait until later.

It is easier to take a variety of course since you can change "modes" and feel as if you haven't been studying the same thing for ages.

Be be sure to start your series science classes right away. If you ever need to retake one class you will have the flexibility to do so without getting set back a year.

It sounds like the basics of writing are under control. Technical and creative writing are quite different, so make sure you pick up the differences somewhere in your education.

If you have to take basic humanities type courses then Philosophy 101 is a good course to stretch your brain on. I thought it was useless when I took it. But, looking back, I think it made me think "out of the box" more than I realized.

I agree with Modnar about the grades. Sometimes you are going to do worse than you'd like on an exam or project. Since you took AP English, you are probably one of the overachevers who always wants and gets A's. This is a good thing from a motivational standpoint. But, you can also set yourself up to get hurt that way. So, when the time comes that you are stressed out by a B (or lower) on an exam, (and believe me it will,) remember that you are human. Ask yourself what good it does you to be mad at yourself. When you find that it does no good, just move on to the next thing. otherwise you will feel like you are going to self- destruct.

Here is a funny story about what is important...
My friend Trish was an education major with a 4.0 GPA her senior year in college. She saved the hard stuff for the end, wanting to keep up her GPA. So her senior year she took the general chemistry series. She was offered the job of her dreams in May. In June she was set to go to Hawaii on vacation. Our professor for the last Gen Chem class counted the best 3 of 4 exams, including the final. Trish had planned on leaving Wednedsay of finals week, even though the fianl was on Thursday. After we got the 3rd exam back she realized that she had a B+ in the course. She was torn between going to Hawaii and taking the final exam so that she could keep her 4.0 GPA. Right up until finals week we did not know what she was going to do. So, she ended up deciding that her GPA was good enough to get her where she needed to be. She went to Hawaii, took the 3.98 or whatever her cumulative turned out to be, and got the job just the same. Alot of times we set our sights higher than they really need to be. And, we can't always be perfect. Nobody expects you to be perfect, not even pharmacy admissions committees.

 

[Asnchic]

I'm still milling over my schedule and I checked to see exactly what's interchangeable. UT advises that I take the courses I listed above simply because if I don't, I'll be behind. The second year, the whole lot of classes that I'll be taking require the ones I'm taking above as prereqs. I don't really have a choice. I know I'm going to be checking out my options in summer school/wintermester etc. definitely though. Actually, I think I'm checking into any option that could possibly lighten the load for next year.

I know Pharm school is about as competitive as it gets, I even dare say more competitive then medical school. I know I don't need a 4.0 etc. but it would kill me to think that I didn't at least try. In high school, I bummed for a year or two and finished with a 3.7 and that really had me worked up. And that's just high school! I know it's not all about GPA but I just want the edge in the competition so I'm going to shoot for however much I possibly can. I don't think I'm as serious about anything as I am about this. I face rejection pretty horribly, especially since I didn't get into any FIG's or even the TIP program. But I suppose I should use that as fuel for the fire though.

Thank you guys so much for the help! This forum is awesome!

 

[Asnchic]

Anyone specifically from UT Austin that has any suggestions for their pharm school?

 

[Longhorn23]

There a couple of other people besides myself who have been accepted to UT starting Fall 2004.
As far as my experiences go- it is really important to keep up that gpa but as other ppl have already posted before me, there is no need to kill yourself over getting an A in every single class. Remember that you have an interview too besides your factual data of PCAT scores and gpa's.
I had a gpa above 3.6, some volunteer experience at a hospital pharmacy no extracurriculars, (was a member of LPPA but hardly went to meetings mainly because I had no time) and a good PCAT score.
I think it's really important to take a manageable load in your first semester in college because it takes time to adjust to new surroundings and you don't want to do too poorly and end up repeating classes which costs both time and money.
Hope this helps!

 

[kwakster928]

i dont think there is no need to take more than 2 science classes at a time especially those 2 classes require labs. at least my experience my lab session was 3 hours each week plus 1 hour of recitation. my 2 science classes took 14 class hours!!! no joke. unless you are 100 percent sure you can get the requirements done in 2 years, then go for it, but am sure u will be burned out quick. there is nothing wrong with finishing up in 3 years or get a degree before applying you will be able to balance time better and have some decent social life as well. college is best four years of your life. dont waste it all in academics, just dont do anything that you will regret 5 years from now. i just dont think 6 years straigt grunt academics work is really good for your body and soul.

 

[Asnchic]

Longhorn23, did you take the University's suggested sequence or did you space them out? Thanks for the input!

I don't know. It's a bit unnerving when it comes to regrets because looking back on my high school experience, I really regret the fact that I slacked off the first two years in. I wish I had tried harder and that I had been more academically inclined. But well, that was high school...

I know I'm rushing myself, oh good lord, that I do. But I think it's more about the challenge. So few get in the first try, the classes are so tough, and even though I'll be kicking myself on those late nights studying, I know if I gave it my best then that's all I can really expect. And hopefully...admission into UT's Pharmacy College. It's wrong to think like this, but I guess I want to see if I'm good enough for this.

And I'm trying not to take my sweet time on this either because it's not just me who's depending on this. After college is through, my parents then can finally retire etc.

 

[Longhorn23]

Longhorn23, did you take the University's suggested sequence or did you space them out? Thanks for the input!

I spaced them out because my first year I didn't know what I wanted to do-so I took the calculus classes, general edu classes -pretty aimless just something science leaning. Once I decided on pharmacy -I took the first year classes at ACC(cheap and convenient ) transffered to UT last Fall and finished up the second year.
My first semester at UT was tough adjustment and I got B's in Genetics and Ochem1 despite my best efforts. But in the next semester I studied less but more effectively and did quite well. It was a matter of getting acclimatized to a new system.

 

[Asnchic]

Thank you so much!

 

[UT-Frank]

Wow, you're so determined and dedicated and school hasn't even started yet!

I'm a student at UT Austin and will also be attending UT's Pharmacy School in the fall. I did 2 years pre req and 1 summer (15 hrs). I had my classes pretty spaced out because I took my intro bio courses and freshman comp. in high school. My recommendation is in addition to the required pre reqs, take other non-pre req or non-sciences courses that interest you! This definitely shows well-roundedness (i think) and makes you stand out a little from all the others who just take the required.

Grades and PCATs aren't the only things they look at...I believe the interview is VERY important also. Last year, there were about 700-800 applicants (i think) and out of those, 300 or so got interviews and 130 are accepted. You can check these stats online also.

Regarding courses....what you have lined up up there sounds about right. You definitely need to take your Chems and Bios now..maybe squeeze in another easy blowoff class like psy (depends on the prof but overall, it's fairly easy). Ask around for the good profs (try pickaprof) The only thing that's holding you back is Calc. Try to take the placement test? Most people go straight the M 408c (from what I've seen).

LPPA is a great organization to join also. We had different schools' admissions ppl, pharm students and faculty, and members of the profession come to talk to the organization and did a lot of volunteer work. Although the organizations is large (almost 300 members), the ppl are great (I'm a former officer just promoting this great org)! My recommendation though, is the join other organizations other than LPPA -- just shows that you're a more interesting person.

Volunteer work....I personally did not have any pharmacy experience at all other than volunteering 2 summers at a local county hospital (a little pharmacy but mainly clinical experience) I also volunteered at the Student Clinic on campus (UHS) and Brackenridge Hospital (ER, not pharmacy-i was looking into critical care pharm)

And last but not least, IT'S COLLEGE, HAVE FUN! Don't stress out too much on school. Don't let that B or C or D or maybe even F on that first test bring you down. Let us know if you have any further questions.

 

[goheel]

Wow, you took 15 hours credit in 1 summer? 😱 That's crazy

 

[UT-Frank]

yea, took 2 one term and 3 courses the next. It's only the hist and govs and literature...and they were at a com college so it wasn't that bad.

 

[Asnchic]

So far, it looks like I'm in the green for my englishes. If I go with my SAT 2 writing score, I'll have made a B in Rhetoric and Comp. and I'm somewhat confident that I did alright in my AP English Literature exam. Heck, I felt more prepared for that one then I ever did for the other supposedly easier AP exam.

Yay for English! Yay for great teachers! If it all works out, then those suckers are out of the way!

Argh, on the other hand, I was so not very fortunate in my math dept. Bah :-(. I should be a Liberal Arts major...Anyway, I was always a bit behind on math because it takes me a little longer to do it. I guess I'm just not very math inclined. I mean, don't get me wrong, I made A's and all, it just didn't feel like I was doing anything "extra". It didn't challenge me enough, and if it's not challenging, then more then likely...somethings wrong. Oddly enough, I did fine in AP Physics... And if I'm feeling shy about my math skills, I figure it's just better to have this stuff down solid. I'll need it further down along the road anyway. Math is definitely something I don't need to be slacking on. And I figure...my two english credits compensate for my mathematical shortcomings.

UT has so many great classes to offer, I love the fact that there's so much diversity in Austin, not just within the people but it's also integrated into every aspect of the school itself. Another reason why I'd like to get accepted into their Pharm School...I WANT to stay in Austin! I'm wanting to take a lot of my basic classes over the summer, like history and all that jazz so I can take more intriguing classes during the year. I always wanted to do something in Fencing but who knows, I guess it's all a matter of time and determination!

Thanks so much for the guidance! Do you have any suggestions as to the interview itself? I too am thinking that the interviews are the most crucial part of the entire process of possible acceptance into UT. So far, no one that I've encountered has really talked about the interview itself.

 

[Longhorn23]

You can read interview experiences on SDN where ppl have posted their experiences not only from UT but from a bunch of other schools as well.

 

[vafcarrot]

I suggest you wait at least several months before you interview to start worrying about it. You have a long while before you need to start thinking about pharmacy school. Get through your prereqs now and focus on grades and getting experience. Do you plan on getting a degree before trying to get into pharmacy school?

I thought I as being silly worrying about interviews so early when they're months away, but you're thinking YEARS ahead. Take baby steps and explore other oppurtunties, like research and such.

Good luck at your first semester at UT. Remember, Drinking 101 isn't really a class. It's an EC 🙂

 

[kwakster928]

i think it will be a challenge for you first year. to be all determined while u are having the freedom for the first time in your life. pharmacy school is not everything. take your time. you have a least two years of undergrad left even before you apply. i wounldn't stress so much right now. take it slowly and enjoy your life as a college student. who knows you might find somehting really interesting while you are attending UT. i am sure plenty of people said this before DONT FORGET TO HAVE FUN TOO!. drinking 101 is EC, but very very fun EC.

 

[Asnchic]

I'm weird...uptight, I have no idea. But I don't drink. I've had too many bad experiences with the people around me to even want to drink now.

But, like they say, you never know. For some odd reason, some of my greatest friends who've known me the longest think I'm going to go stark raving mad the first year because I've been so "sheltered".

:-D I so totally see myself chugging! J/K

 

[pharmel]

I think your schedule is tough, but doable. All of the classes are necessary pre-reqs.

My advice to you would be to sit down with a list of ALL the classes you will need and look them up in your university catalog. Some may only be offered in spring or fall, so that will dictate when you can take them. Break your list into semesters and write down which classes you will take which semesters (including summer), and don't deviate from your list down the road. It is easy to get to the end of two years thinking you have it all and you're still missing some humanities class! Good luck to you!

 

[Asnchic]

Thanks!

I've been thumbing through the course listings but where do I find out what classes are offered during the summer? I've been trying to find a website that lists them but I haven't turned up much success. I'm thinking that they offer the usual, like the history, ecomonics, english etc. so I'm thinking that I'm going to take a couple of regular joe classes during break time so I can fill out my schedule during the year with more interesting classes.

Thanks for the well wishes!

 

[debvz]

So far, it looks like I'm in the green for my englishes. If I go with my SAT 2 writing score, I'll have made a B in Rhetoric and Comp. and I'm somewhat confident that I did alright in my AP English Literature exam. Heck, I felt more prepared for that one then I ever did for the other supposedly easier AP exam.

Yay for English! Yay for great teachers! If it all works out, then those suckers are out of the way!

Careful about using your AP English Lit credit to cover "core" university requirements. I had a 4 on mine, which gave me 6 hrs of lit credit, but the core curriculum required 6 hrs of composition, not lit. So, i had 6 credits, but still had to take the 6 of composition too.

 

[UT-Frank]

Most major classes are offered during the summer (your bio, english, chem, etc) You might want to look at the Summer 2004 course schedule to get an idea. Summer 2005 courses won't be posted until April I believe. Hope this helps.

 

[Asnchic]

Thanks guys!

Debvz, do you mean 6 hours of rhetoric and composition or something entirely different? At UT, they require both of them and I scored high enough on my SAT 2 score to take a "B" as credit for Rhetoric and Composition. Then I took the AP English 3+4 tests for literature and the rhetoric and composition (as backup) and am thinking I scored well enough for a 4 on the literature portion of the exam. So does that mean that I have credit for both englishes?

Is there another composition that you're talking about? I am confuzzled...

 

[goheel]

Usually, most pharmacy schools require 2 semesters of writing/composition, and 1 semester of literature. So if you got credit for the literature due to your AP score, then you don't have to take it. As for the writing/composition, if you got credit for the 1st semester, you'll have to take the 2nd semester. Hope that helps! 🙂

 

[Asnchic]

Oh okay, I gotcha! Thanks!

 

[PharmDude]

I was just accepted to UT-Austin College of Pharmacy . The only english requred for admission are 1sem of Composition and 1sem of Literature, which I satisfied with my AP scores. Hope this helps.

 

[Asnchic]

Yeah it does! Thanks!

Congrats on your acceptance! Any tips?