anyone ever petition a pharm school prerequesite?

[jason UCSD2000]

Hey guys,
Has anyone ever petitioned to not take a prerequesite for pharmacy school? I'm just curious if anyone has ever attempted...I may be in a unique situation if UOP accepts me...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Triangulation]

I'm gonna have to for SC if I go there. I keep forgetting to call. I took the wrong speech class and they're giving me crap about the micro class I took even though it was instructed by a UCSF prof who teaches the pharm school

 

[Nocsag56]

hi guys.

i was wondering how your petition process is going, particularly for USC? one of my prereqs just got the boot and i really need to petition.

any help would be great!

thanks in advance.

 

[Triangulation]

I'll let you know. I have to call today. I've got a bunch of classes that I'll have to appeal, as well as a bunch of classes still to take most likely. I just found a room in a house close to school this wknd, so I'm getting geared up to go there.

 

[Triangulation]

I finally got up the gumption to call SC admissions to go through my pre-reqs. They weren't gonna accept my micro and lab, but we'll just see about that......

Anybody else got a progress report on appealing?

 

[Triangulation]

I may be in a unique situation if UOP accepts me...

What's your sitch? Unless, it's personal...

 

[jason UCSD2000]

What's your sitch? Unless, it's personal...

Well, I had never taken general psych or public speaking at UCSD. Upon moving to Baton Rouge (a whole other story), I decided to take them at the local community college. It turns out that UOP won't accept the courses because the college is not accredited (which was news to me). The school is actually in the process... So... if I get accepted to UOP and decide to go there, I'll have to retake the couses somewhere else. The admissions office said it will affect they're accredidation status if they accept the courses. They funny thing is that UOP is the ONLY school out of the five that I applied to that will not accept the courses. I'm going to hang myself in the back of the classroom if I have to take those courses again - especially public speaking.
By the way - NEVER move to Louisiana. Not even Mardi Gras makes it worth it... sorry LSUMED...
- jason

 

[Triangulation]

Well, my micro course appeal at SC just went down in flames. Better luck to other people. I've gotta call them back monday to check on other courses now. this could turn out to be my worst summer yet

 

[dgroulx]

Originally posted by Triangulation
Well, my micro course appeal at SC just went down in flames. Better luck to other people.

Why did they turn down micro? Did you take it at a community college, or something?

None of the schools around here that offer bachelors degrees in biology will accept micro from a community college. At my college, it is a senior level course.

 

[Triangulation]

Yeah i took it a non-accredited institution, but the instructor is a professor at UCSF who teaches the f$%#in pharmacy students. How jacked up is that?!?!

 

[Nocsag56]

Triangulation,

How did you go about petitioning? Did you fax/email/mail them a course description? Did you include a letter stating your case? I'm about to embark on a similar situation.

My situation
In undergrad, I didn't have to take the Genetics course which fulfills USC's molecular biology prereq. I was a biochem major -- so that class was not required. Instead - we took an upper division course in Biochemistry -- which actually involves more molecular biology principles than a genetics class would.

What's more, I've been working in mol. bio research for the past 3 years! So, I really don't want to sit through an intro molecular biology (or genetics) course during my last summer before being chained to the books.


FYI
Oh - FYI Triangulation, Skyline College is offering Bio 240 (Microbio) - the exact course required by USC - during the summer.

Much luck.
-s

 

[LSUMED2006]

>By the way - NEVER move to Louisiana. Not even Mardi Gras makes it worth it... sorry LSUMED...


Lol...Louisiana has a lot to offer. Why, a couple of years ago we were damn near leading the nation in syphilis. I'm up here in shreveport, so I usually miss out on all of the marti gras goodness. Not that I mind too much, a good bit of new orleans is a hell hole.

Good luck in your quest to have the prereq waived,
Jason

 

[Triangulation]

How did you go about petitioning? Did you fax/email/mail them a course description? Did you include a letter stating your case? I'm about to embark on a similar situation.

Thanks Nocsag for skyline advice I faxed them a syllabus, complete with the prof's EM, the first two pages of the exam, and a description of who he instructs. I don't even think they really reviewed it.

My fam is telling me to have the prof call them himself, so I'll see. My summer is quickly moving from difficult to impossible.

I'm probably moving down there in June, so I'll take the courses in LA. Are you taking classes at Skyline? I'm taking an english at City College and a lab at State.

 

[Nocsag56]

Originally posted by Triangulation
I'm probably moving down there in June, so I'll take the courses in LA. Are you taking classes at Skyline? I'm taking an english at City College and a lab at State.

Nope, not at Skyline. I'm taking a night course at Foothill for Calc. My grades are too old, so I'm having to re-take it.

Wow, moving down in June? Why so early? I'm not 100% sure I'll be going to USC. Partly because I'm waiting to hear back (Feb interview) -- but also because I'm itching to get out of Cali.

Anyway - let me know how your situation goes.

 

[Triangulation]

I just got off the phone with the director at SC student affairs he was really good about the other classes I was asking about (I took all of my courses according to UCSF's equivalencies, but they're a lot different at SC, they make you take the tougher versions)

I only have 3 courses to take this summer and two are online

Moral of the story: Call admissions now if you've got equivalency questions.

Oh yeah, and the response i was given about the micro course was: it's from a non-accredited institution and therein lies the problem. For pharm schools to maintain their accreditation they can only accept courses from schools with the correct accreditation. That actually sounded like a legit reply.

 

[Brill]

Has anyone else successfully petitioned to substitute or be excused from a prerequisite?

I just sent off an e-mail to my school trying to get out of public speaking. I've already taken interpersonal communication and I really don't want to go through another speech class. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get shot down, but I have to try.

 

[Monkeyguts]

I have successfully petitioned a course for pharmacy school, so there is hope.

 

[Brill]

Did you have to be persistent and hassle them about it, or did they give in pretty easy?

 

[jason UCSD2000]

Hey Brill,
I would try to call them instead of emailing. I don't know if you read my post on this thread from a while back, but I was going to have to re-take public speaking and psychology because I took them at an unaccredited community college. I ended up calling UOP and "asking" again if I really had to retake them because I was worried that one of those "non-essential" classes were going to prevent me from attending this year if I couldn't get them this summer. The lady said that they'll accept them as fulfilling the pre-reqs, but I just won't get the units for them. She said it really wouldn't effect me at all. The moral of the story is that I would be taking those two classes again this summer if I hadn't called and begged them.
Call them!
-jason

 

[Brill]

Thanks for the word of advice. I already sent out the e-mail, so if it doesn't have the desired results I'll definitely give them a call (or see them in person even?). I'm not going to accept the first no for an answer.

 

[Monkeyguts]

Did you have to be persistent and hassle them about it, or did they give in pretty easy?

Actually Brill, I was talking to the Assistant dean for student affairs about something totally unrelated when I happened to mention I had to take a speech course over the summer. He mentioned that many students petition that course, and are successful if they have sufficient reason for doing so. This could be through life experience or whatever. He told me to either e-mail or write him a letter explaining why I should be able to petition the course and I wrote a letter. The next day (in the morning) I got an e-mail back saying I had been approved.

I thought the college of pharmacy at my school was a pain in the ass, but since I have been accepted into their program they are the most helpful, nice, and considerate people I have ran across in academia which in nice considering I am spending the next four years with them.

 

[Brill]

The e-mail worked. No more speech for me

 

[jason UCSD2000]

Congratulations, Brill.
I really think it's the difference between being a prospective student without certain pre-reqs and an accepted student without certain pre-reqs.
-jason

 

[Brill]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that played a factor in it. I remember when I went in for an advising session when I was still in the application process I asked them about the speech class. They told me I had to take public speaking -- no exceptions. Now that I've been accepted all it took was one little e-mail.

 

[Monkeyguts]

Good times Brill, congrats on the petition.

 

[TrishaPoo]

I'm lost. The ones who are petitioning, are you already a pharm student or a prospective pharm student? If you are a pharm student then why petition? Arent' you already accepted? And if not, how would the admissions office know that you had a sucessful petition when getting your application. As you can see I'm lost. I'm a prospective pharm student and that public speaking/speech class is scaring me a bit. Ok not a bit, a lot.

 

[Brill]

When you are accepted to a school without all of the prerequisites completed it is called a conditional acceptance, meaning that your acceptance is based on the understanding that you will finish completing all of the prereqs before matriculation. I've already been accepted to pharmacy school, but I had not yet taken public speaking, which is one of their requirements. Now I don't have to worry about it

 

[Triangulation]

Yeah, like I've said earlier the speech requirement after the acceptance is completely warped. They know you can communicate from your IV, presuming you had one. It serves no purpose, you've already confirmed that to them

 

[spoons]

Not sure if this is a correct place to ask this but I have one physiology course to take at community college this summer. I got a choice, i can either wait until the grade is posted(which can be as late as september) to send in my complete application or send in my application right now, and have pharmcas send in my summer grade in winter 2004( which they say is the earliest they will send!!!!). Being that my application is pretty much complete, i want to send in my application by early july. Problem is ofcourse, that application will be technically incomplete until winter 2004. But how much of importance does some physiology class grade have in application, especially if I have already have BS at accredited four year college?

 

[jdpharmd?]

I'd send it, or call and ask, then send it.

 

[dstormz]

Originally posted by Brill
Has anyone else successfully petitioned to substitute or be excused from a prerequisite?

I just sent off an e-mail to my school trying to get out of public speaking. I've already taken interpersonal communication and I really don't want to go through another speech class. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get shot down, but I have to try.

speech class is fun

i got an A in it.

anyway, good luck, mate.