Advice really needed: Lost and confused, please help.
- Thread starter WithHeart
- Start date
If you really want to become a pharmacist, you will have to assure to yourself that this pre-pharmacy will take you 2 to 3 years to prepare. Since you wrote you had to practice the problem 10 times to understand, and you also have severve personal problems, I would suggest you to solve your personal problems prior before you do your pre-pharmacy. Why? After 2000, pharmacy schools have received thousands of applications, getting in pharmacy school is highly competitive, and the PCAT is also toucher.
Since you had an F in one of your classes, and going to receive some bad grades for others, I think it will look bad in some ways, but I do not believe if you can't do pharmacy. However, you may need to retakte the classes to demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge to succeed in Pharmacy school. Work or Volunteer in retail pharmacy will definitely help you. Remember, nothing is impossible unless your mind says "No" to it.
I will tell you briefly the process of applying to Pharmacy school:
1) Each school requires you to take 60 credits or more. Classes are varied depend on schools.
2) Take the Pcat which is Pharmacy College Admission Test.
3) Have 2 or 3 Letter of Recommendations from Professors or Pharmacy.
4) Apply through PHARMCAS.
You do not send your application to the school, but you have to do all your papers through Pharmcas, and then Pharmcas will send everything to the school.
5) Receive the secondary application from the school.
6) After finish and summit secondary application, wait for an Interview.
7) After an interview, wait for thier decisions.
Since you had an F in one of your classes, and going to receive some bad grades for others, I think it will look bad in some ways, but I do not believe if you can't do pharmacy. However, you may need to retakte the classes to demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge to succeed in Pharmacy school. Work or Volunteer in retail pharmacy will definitely help you. Remember, nothing is impossible unless your mind says "No" to it.
I will tell you briefly the process of applying to Pharmacy school:
1) Each school requires you to take 60 credits or more. Classes are varied depend on schools.
2) Take the Pcat which is Pharmacy College Admission Test.
3) Have 2 or 3 Letter of Recommendations from Professors or Pharmacy.
4) Apply through PHARMCAS.
You do not send your application to the school, but you have to do all your papers through Pharmcas, and then Pharmcas will send everything to the school.
5) Receive the secondary application from the school.
6) After finish and summit secondary application, wait for an Interview.
7) After an interview, wait for thier decisions.
I BELIEVE IN YOU, I HAVE TO, FOR I AM IN THE SAME SITUATION AS YOU ARE, I AM 26 YEARS YOUNG AND I BELIEVE I CAN STILL MAKE IT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS MY SECOND CAREER AND AFTER I CHILD...JUST WORK HARD AND TRY TO MAKE THE GRADE AND PERSEVERE THROUGHOUT THE HARDSHIPS AND DIFFICULTIES
This is a long hard road and there will always be obstacles on the way! I am 26 also and my applications are submitted. But I also had health and personal problems this semester which led to my withdrawal from ALL of the courses I was taking! I had to take WFs since it was after the withdrawal date and I had to submit an appeal to the Academic Standing Committee with evidence of my health problems. This set me back and I am having to change course a little...
So what I am saying is this: you are in this situation. Try not to let it discourage you too much. It is hard and it IS discouraging. BUT pharmacy school is definitely still possible! I would recommend that you determine your possibilities in dealing with this situation. Check with the registrar and see when the deadline is to turn in your appeal to have WFs changed to Ws. Our deadline has passed and once you are in the last 3 weeks (at my school) your only option is to try and get an Incomplete for the courses until you are able to finish. In your case, that may not be helpful since your grades are already down. The only way that would help you is if you are still really depressed and distracted but you believe you could get a decent grade if you finished up strong. It doesn't sound like that is the case though.
Check on the WF policy and go to a psychiatrist (and I would say psychologist too but you said you are seeing a counselor so that is great!) to seek help for depression first. You will be AMAZED at how much better you can do in school if you are not depressed. I take Wellbutrin and it helps me so much. I actually ran out recently because I didn't have the money to get it filled and now that I am off of it for the moment I can see how much it was REALLY helping me. Do this!!
If WF is not an option...then your best bet is probably to do the best you can and finish up the semester to the best of your ability. See what grades you make and take it from there. Retake what you need to retake and don't beat yourself up. Try not to worry about the disappointment from your parents that you think you will have...you are probably disappointed with yourself already. You don't need to worry about their disappointment. They love you and I am sure they ARE proud of you - you are doing a really good thing by going to school and working hard to become a pharmacist. We all have hard times and that doesn't make us a disappointment! Its not like you were out partying and that is why you didn't have a good semester!
The road to becoming a pharmacist is long. In the grand scheme of things, if it takes you one or two extra years - so what!
About the money, I am not sure. Just do what you have to do and see what happens. You might not have to pay back the money. You might not get on probation. If any of that happens, there are ways. Deal with that bridge if and/or when you get to it. Do what needs to be done and deal with things as they are presented.
About nursing school...I have not been through pharmacy school or nursing school - but I bet they are BOTH hard. Nursing has a HIGH burnout rate and pharmacy a) is what you decided you wanted to do and b) pays more and c) is not as physically intensive or mentally stressful (in most cases and this is a very general statement). Stick to your plan! You might have to change a few details, but you can still reach your destination!!!
You can do this!! If you are willing to work hard then YES you can become a pharmacist. If you are willing to put in the extra work that you feel you require compared to other students then you can definitely get through school! Don't let a detour stop you! Life is an adventure...see where it takes you and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Now go find out about the withdrawal information ASAP - like right NOW. If you have not missed the deadline then it is quickly approaching I am sure. My school had the information on their website under the registrar page...in the withdrawal tab.
Good luck! You can do this!! Don't stop believin'!!
So what I am saying is this: you are in this situation. Try not to let it discourage you too much. It is hard and it IS discouraging. BUT pharmacy school is definitely still possible! I would recommend that you determine your possibilities in dealing with this situation. Check with the registrar and see when the deadline is to turn in your appeal to have WFs changed to Ws. Our deadline has passed and once you are in the last 3 weeks (at my school) your only option is to try and get an Incomplete for the courses until you are able to finish. In your case, that may not be helpful since your grades are already down. The only way that would help you is if you are still really depressed and distracted but you believe you could get a decent grade if you finished up strong. It doesn't sound like that is the case though.
Check on the WF policy and go to a psychiatrist (and I would say psychologist too but you said you are seeing a counselor so that is great!) to seek help for depression first. You will be AMAZED at how much better you can do in school if you are not depressed. I take Wellbutrin and it helps me so much. I actually ran out recently because I didn't have the money to get it filled and now that I am off of it for the moment I can see how much it was REALLY helping me. Do this!!
If WF is not an option...then your best bet is probably to do the best you can and finish up the semester to the best of your ability. See what grades you make and take it from there. Retake what you need to retake and don't beat yourself up. Try not to worry about the disappointment from your parents that you think you will have...you are probably disappointed with yourself already. You don't need to worry about their disappointment. They love you and I am sure they ARE proud of you - you are doing a really good thing by going to school and working hard to become a pharmacist. We all have hard times and that doesn't make us a disappointment! Its not like you were out partying and that is why you didn't have a good semester!
The road to becoming a pharmacist is long. In the grand scheme of things, if it takes you one or two extra years - so what!
About the money, I am not sure. Just do what you have to do and see what happens. You might not have to pay back the money. You might not get on probation. If any of that happens, there are ways. Deal with that bridge if and/or when you get to it. Do what needs to be done and deal with things as they are presented.
About nursing school...I have not been through pharmacy school or nursing school - but I bet they are BOTH hard. Nursing has a HIGH burnout rate and pharmacy a) is what you decided you wanted to do and b) pays more and c) is not as physically intensive or mentally stressful (in most cases and this is a very general statement). Stick to your plan! You might have to change a few details, but you can still reach your destination!!!
You can do this!! If you are willing to work hard then YES you can become a pharmacist. If you are willing to put in the extra work that you feel you require compared to other students then you can definitely get through school! Don't let a detour stop you! Life is an adventure...see where it takes you and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Now go find out about the withdrawal information ASAP - like right NOW. If you have not missed the deadline then it is quickly approaching I am sure. My school had the information on their website under the registrar page...in the withdrawal tab.
Good luck! You can do this!! Don't stop believin'!!
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Thank you so much for your words of encouragement, guys. It means a lot to me and I really appreciate you having taken the time to read my post (which was more like an essay, heh) and respond. Thank you!
Withheart,
The only way to fail is to quit. If you just never quit and just persevere and keep trying you will make it. Look at what you could do diff. next time that would help and do it. As long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other you will get there. Get help where you can. Psychiatrist, counselor, tutor, whatever you need. I don't know where you go to school but at a big university you can get all of these services. You cannot be afraid to ask for help. As soon as I signed up for organic I also signed up for a tutor. Why? because I had heard what a b**** it was and wanted to stack the deck in my favor.
Good luck to you! We are rooting for you.
The only way to fail is to quit. If you just never quit and just persevere and keep trying you will make it. Look at what you could do diff. next time that would help and do it. As long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other you will get there. Get help where you can. Psychiatrist, counselor, tutor, whatever you need. I don't know where you go to school but at a big university you can get all of these services. You cannot be afraid to ask for help. As soon as I signed up for organic I also signed up for a tutor. Why? because I had heard what a b**** it was and wanted to stack the deck in my favor.
Good luck to you! We are rooting for you.