Applying for Pharmacy Schools Soon

[687679889]

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I was thinking about applying to pharmacy school for the upcoming year and I have some questions if you folks don't mind 😳

1.) I realize that most schools say that a "GPA" isn't everything but, I was wondering...

My GPA currently is at ~2.9 (and should be rising within the end of this semester) and I received a C+/D+ in Biology. I know that most schools don't accept less than a C, should I really be worried? I mean, taking into account my GPA, I'm not exactly a spectacular candidate academia wise.

2.) What are some good extra-curricular activities that would make me seem like a better candidate?

I'm a tutor and a department representative at my school and I don't really have any experience in the pharmaceutical field. I'm going to try to get my Pharmacy Technician license and a job this summer. Would it be worthwhile?

3.) I'm hesitant on taking the PCAT.

I'm not set on the idea of moving so far away from California and I know that the schools in California don't necessarily require the PCAT. Do these schools take the score into account when discerning between applicants? I'm fairly good at standardized testing and when I was a freshman I took a practice PCAT and scored pretty well. Should I take the PCAT even if I'm not set on leaving California?

4.) Waiting a year.

I may seem like a downer, but I'm trying to think about this realistically. I'm not a spectacularly strong candidate (what with all of the aforementioned information) for pharmacy schools. Should I wait a year, maybe retake some courses or gain more experience, before I apply for pharmacy school? I heard that they save applications even if you were denied, and another thing I'm scared about is that they'll remember me and look upon me in a different light due to my second time applying.

5.) Graduate School

I was also thinking about getting my Ph. D. or Master's Degree. I was told that this could strengthen my application and I think I could do well in the field of chemistry or pharmacological research. My advisor seems to think that it might help my situation.


Thank you for, at the very least, reading my lament. I'm confused and nervous. I heard about this website through a friend and I just now mustered up the courage to type this up and ask (all of) you. I look forward to your replies and I appreciate each and every one. (I'm nervous just clicking the "Submit New Thread" button!)

 

[Ayuka001]

Honestly, with that gpa you will not have a chance in California. Even the non-accredited school Northstate seems to not interview anyone with less than a 3.1 gpa (from what I've seen). If you have less than a C in a prereq, you must retake it because the schools will not accept it (meaning schools will not consider your application unless you indicate your plan to retake it on your application).

So, I highly recommend you taking the pcat. With a decent score on your pcat (60+), good rec letters, extracurriculars, and apply broadly you should have a chance somewhere 👍

And there's nothing wrong with waiting a year to get more experience (pharmacy related) and maybe taking some extra classes to boost up your gpa (I'd say to 3.1+ gpa) , especially if you really want to stay in California.

 

[Red Angry Bird]

Agreed with Ayuka, not to be a downer. However, you probably have 0.1% chance to get into a CA school or even any non PCAT school. There are way more applications at non PCAT school than PCAT school. I say take PCAT and just apply anywhere that doesnt ASK for a high PCAT score unless you score 80+.

80+ is about competitive while 70ish is about semi competitive. With 2.9 gpa, i highly recommend retaking PCAT if you got lower than 60ish.

Start retaking classes in summer where you got a C or D to boost your GPA. At least a 3.0 will make you look way better becuz its a B average. Pharmacy school just gets more competitive every year.

Getting a phD is just a waste of time. No offense, you are probably in more debt by then.
Masters is doable as long as you got 3.5+. It is MORE important to retake pre req classes that pharmacy schools ask for than going for a master in my opinion. Those non pharmacy counselors have no idea on what they are talking about to help their students. If its a pharmacy counselor, i dont think he or she will tell you to go do masters.

depends on how much pharmacy experience you already had, I say do more because it will show that you are dedicated to this field.

Just my opinion.

EDIT about pharm tech.

DO IT ASAP. cannot emphasis more. you take a test, you pass. you wait 4-6 weeks for that certificate to come in the mail. After that, you apply at the board of pharmacy and you probably had to wait another 3 to 4 months before you get that license.
Unless you are lucky and have connections, you get 0 job for pharm tech because you have no experience.
To get prior experience, you probably had to go do pharmacy technician school which costs $1000-$3000 where they guarantee you some experience, ask the school about it. I think.

Ultimately, you probably have better luck to volunteer for pharmacy clerk at retail or hospital or compound settings.

 

[ws2016]

Do you already have a degree?

California is pretty ridiculous, so I believe your chances are slim. Does your transcript at least show an upward trend in your grades. It will not hurt to wait a year take the classes you need to take, and maybe some unnecessary ones to raise your GPA.

 

[687679889]

Thank you all for the reply.

Ayuka001,
I'm a third-year, so I only have 1 summer and 2 semesters before I graduate with a BS in Biochemistry (and hopefully a minor in biology). My GPA should be shooting up by the end of this semester, I should be able be above a 3.1. What are my chances of going out of state? Would it be more expensive?

Red Angry Bird,
In the summer I will be taking more prerequisites for pharmacy school. Also, I think my advisor WAS trying to get me to go into my school's graduate program. I tried studying for the PTCB exam but I realized I didn't know what to study. I tried looking up guides online and even bought one. Do you have any tips or recommend any particular study material?

ws2016,
I will be graduating in Spring 2013. Yes, my transcript does show an upward trend, especially because I will be taking 4 units of research with a professor I'm pretty close with, which will get me 4 units of A.




What do you think my chances will be of getting into an out of CA pharmacy school?


I'm also debating, I want to go to a good pharmacy school (I know it kind of seems unlikely at this point), but I also just want to get ANY pharmacy school. Does it matter whether it's top notch or bottom rank? I've heard horror stories of people who went to Touro and were not able to get a job as a pharmacist.

Again, I'd like to thank you for responding and reading my posts.

 

[DiveHawaii]

Thank you all for the reply.

What do you think my chances will be of getting into an out of CA pharmacy school?


I'm also debating, I want to go to a good pharmacy school (I know it kind of seems unlikely at this point), but I also just want to get ANY pharmacy school. Does it matter whether it's top notch or bottom rank? I've heard horror stories of people who went to Touro and were not able to get a job as a pharmacist.

Again, I'd like to thank you for responding and reading my posts.

I think that you probably can get yourself to be a bit more competitive for out of California schools if do well on the pcat, boost your GPA, and just have a good overall application. That means have EXCELLENT rec letters, pharmacy experience, extracurricular activities, and a decent interview. I actually think that it's more important to get either A or B in the specific pre-req courses than it is to just boost your GPA. I also think that someone else mentioned about your grades showing a positive upward trend. That's very important as well. I got in and I had a bunch of F's in my past when I didn't take school seriously and didn't know what I wanted to do. But after I decided to pursue pharm school and went back to school full time I maintained all A's and some B's for a pretty high GPA. They take that into consideration. Also I didn't do very well on the PCAT but I'm assuming that other parts of the application helped to pull me back into competition. Just do community service type extracurricular stuff if you're going to do anything. And getting a pharm tech job with no experience will be hard so maybe just start volunteering in a pharmacy to get your foot in the door. Anything is better then nothing!

 

[ws2016]

I think that you probably can get yourself to be a bit more competitive for out of California schools if do well on the pcat, boost your GPA, and just have a good overall application. That means have EXCELLENT rec letters, pharmacy experience, extracurricular activities, and a decent interview. I actually think that it's more important to get either A or B in the specific pre-req courses than it is to just boost your GPA. I also think that someone else mentioned about your grades showing a positive upward trend. That's very important as well. I got in and I had a bunch of F's in my past when I didn't take school seriously and didn't know what I wanted to do. But after I decided to pursue pharm school and went back to school full time I maintained all A's and some B's for a pretty high GPA. They take that into consideration. Also I didn't do very well on the PCAT but I'm assuming that other parts of the application helped to pull me back into competition. Just do community service type extracurricular stuff if you're going to do anything. And getting a pharm tech job with no experience will be hard so maybe just start volunteering in a pharmacy to get your foot in the door. Anything is better then nothing!

I agree, my grades and PCAT were not great (actually my PCAT was abysmal) either and I got into UT Austin, so I really believe the entire package matters a lot. I think the reason I got in was because I put together a strong application. I too had that flaky year with shady grades, so i focused on strong personal statements, letters of rec and had 1 yr of retail pharmacy experience (shadowing for free 4 hrs/week). I was lucky because I worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a microbiologist and later as a microbiologist in a compounding pharmacy, but for you all this can be substituted by your research.

Also talk about why your grades sucked in your personal statement and what you have learned from that experience. You have to draw attention to it in your statement, dont ignore it. I talked about what I was going through at that time, how it made me loose motivation, and how I came back with determination and it was reflected in the upward trend in my Grades. Say something like " you have learned how to study the right way because of your past failure"

One thing you should also work on is getting some interview experience. A lot of pre-pharmacy groups have mock interviews and you should start practicing. In most of my interviews I just ended up having relaxed conversations and laughing a lot, while my other friends were sweating and panicking. I had confidence in my interview skills and that made me relaxed for the interview itself. I truly believe, NO MATTER HOW LOW YOUR SCORES ARE IF YOU GET AN INTERVIEW YOU HAVE A GREAT CHANCE OF GETTING IN. Most schools get 1000 applicants and interview about 2something and accept 1/2 of that, so you just have to make yourself look better than the other half. Remember a Pharmacist is not a neurosurgeon you actually have to have good social skills, not the super stiff super serious personality. If you can show how social you are while appearing intelligent you will be fine.

I am writing too much so I will end here. If you want to know how abysmal my stats were to make yourself more confident send me a message LOL!

 

[ekimed]

I think your priority right now should be to raise your GPA. If I were you, my main plan would be to take a year or two off to retake classes and finish prerequisites. But I would also amp up my extracurriculars as well. It doesn't necessarily have to be pharmacy related. Doing community work, like volunteering for a tutoring organization for kids or for an organization that delivers food to HIV/AIDS patients. Build up on experiences can help you gain insight and empathy.... and as a result, help you develop as a person. I think such experiences will resonate in your personal statement and interviews.

You don't have to work in a pharmacy...you can volunteer and shadow. All you have to do is demonstrate that you researched the field and therefore you know what you're getting into. I shadowed several clinical pharmacists in different settings and then networked my way in to getting a volunteer position. Just do what you can to get your foot in the door. Think outside the box. Look for pharmacists in non-typical settings...perhaps research institutions, industry, government orgs, etc...

I don't know what Red Angry Bird is talking about, but getting a PhD will not put you in more debt...assuming that you'd be pursuing a biological science field....PhD programs pay you (stipend). You don't pay them. Actually, you'd be more in debt if you pursued a Masters. With a 2.9, you can't get into a good PhD program, unless your a research prodigy with publications in like Cell and Nature. And PhD programs, on average, take 5 years to complete. So don't try to get a PhD just to get into a PharmD program. They are just as hard to get into. It's a whole another game.

As for getting a masters...I would only suggest that to someone who has an OK gpa and is looking to just strengthen their application in other areas. But like I said before, you should really concentrate on raising your GPA.

Taking the PCAT is a good idea. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Apply broadly. If your goal is to be a pharmacist then don't limit yourself to CA. I know it's hard to leave CA...trust me...I went to school in San Diego and I'm living in the east coast right now. But if you do have to go out of state, it's definitely a great learning experience. There are some great schools outside of CA, just be open minded!

 

[687679889]

I'm going to write in general because ya'll brought up similar-ish points, but I still appreciate each of you for responding, especially in my time of panic. 😳

I know my GPA is a big issue, I just looked at it and for 2.5 yrs, I have a 2.80. I took it easy this semester (which in retrospect was probably a bad idea) with three 4-unit classes where I should be getting B's and A's. My last two semesters should be around 15 units with the similar results, which should get me in better standing (hopefully).

I have been contemplating the PCAT and, seeing the general consensus, think I will take it, but I still would like to know if the schools in California take it into account. Another question is if I do take a year off for strengthening my application, should I take it this year or next?

How would I attain experience in the field? I asked a local pharmacy that had just recently opened and they literally did not want anyone to do anything, even for free. A friend of mine is trying to get me into a home care pharmacy but I will mostly be doing clerical work (from what she experienced).

Also, a friend of mine was saying that they lied on their personal statement, or "adjusted the truth" of their lives to make their application seem more relevant. Is this... acceptable? I don't even know how to categorize it. I mean, I understand the interviewers bring up your personal statement (I think), but is this normal?

There's a lot of information I have to take in right now and if I didn't bring something up, I'll be sure to bring it up later. Again, appreciate all the replies. I feel really comfortable here!

 

[Ayuka001]

b/c California schools don't require the pcat, they won't look at your score. So unfortunately, no matter how good u score on it, it won't help u in terms of getting into CA schools.

And I think you should take the pcat anytime u feel ready. You can check on pharmcas on individual school's page to see the last date that they accept the pcat.

 

[ws2016]

How would I attain experience in the field? I asked a local pharmacy that had just recently opened and they literally did not want anyone to do anything, even for free. A friend of mine is trying to get me into a home care pharmacy but I will mostly be doing clerical work (from what she experienced).

Also, a friend of mine was saying that they lied on their personal statement, or "adjusted the truth" of their lives to make their application seem more relevant. Is this... acceptable? I don't even know how to categorize it. I mean, I understand the interviewers bring up your personal statement (I think), but is this normal?

/QUOTE]

Just find out what they do in the home care pharmacy and be abe to talk about it. As an un licensed individual you are not legally allowed to do anything.

Adjust the truth if you want, just make sure its not something ridiculous and you can remember it. Fortunately for me my life has been like a crazy soap opera so i didn't have to lie. Honestly you dont want to seem like a pity case either. The only thing I would say to you should even attempt is to adjust the sequence of events to make yourself look better.

 

[DiveHawaii]

I have been contemplating the PCAT and, seeing the general consensus, think I will take it, but I still would like to know if the schools in California take it into account. Another question is if I do take a year off for strengthening my application, should I take it this year or next?

How would I attain experience in the field? I asked a local pharmacy that had just recently opened and they literally did not want anyone to do anything, even for free. A friend of mine is trying to get me into a home care pharmacy but I will mostly be doing clerical work (from what she experienced).

Also, a friend of mine was saying that they lied on their personal statement, or "adjusted the truth" of their lives to make their application seem more relevant. Is this... acceptable? I don't even know how to categorize it. I mean, I understand the interviewers bring up your personal statement (I think), but is this normal?

There's a lot of information I have to take in right now and if I didn't bring something up, I'll be sure to bring it up later. Again, appreciate all the replies. I feel really comfortable here!

I agree, you can adjust some of your information but I wouldn't lie. You don't want to wind up getting caught up in your lies and not that they would but you don't want them to find out that you lied either. Make sure to maintain your integrity. You are considering a career in a very respected field and to lie would be highly unprofessional. They will frown very greatly on that!! Don't take that route.

Yes getting a job is very difficult even though it's only as a volunteer. I'm not sure where you live but if there's a military facility nearby, I remember we used to have red cross volunteers help us out in the pharmacy so red cross might be something worth checking out.

Also, there are different ways that pharmacy schools handle interviews, they are not all the same. Some schools the interviewer knows everything about you through your app prior to interviewing you while other schools do closed application interviews in which case your personal statement won't come up at all during the interview and they generally ask more hypothetical, situational type questions. Either way you want to ensure that your personal statement is a genuine and honest reflection of you as a person and who you are.

 

[687679889]

Thank you Ayuka001, Red Angry Bird, ws2016, DiveHawaii, and ekimed. I sincerely appreciate your honest responses as well as the air of comfort that you all exhumed. You have all been a great help and I hope to get to know you all someday. This thread has been very informative and I will greatly consider taking a year off to strengthen my GPA and gain experience.

But, a few more questions =x: In the event that I do take a year off, should I even apply to any pharmacy school? Should I take classes at a local junior college or try to go somewhere else? I'm hesitant on taking a year off for classes because I only really need to retake 1 class (to bump from a D+), so what other classes should I take/retake? Also, I haven't really had a super tough life, nothing tragic, or any epiphanies. How would I write an awe-inspiring personal statement?
I apologize for asking so many questions, I'm just a bit confused, stressed, and worried.

(It's going to get a little personal...)
I'm also scared to take a year off because of parental pressures. I kind of tricked them (at the time I was the one who was tricked) to go to a private university and then change majors into a pre-pharm. A year in, I was told that you can only switch OUT of a pre-pharmacy major. I've racked up about ~100,000 in debt for me and my parents (who expect me to pharmacy school right out of university, due to the school I went to). I don't know why I'm telling you all this, but it sure is a weight off of my chest. In sum, I'm just scared of disappointing my parents and their expectations (that I've heard from the people they talk to).

 

[ws2016]

Take the PCAT and apply all over, you will get in somewhere. Dont take a year off without applying thats a bit crazy! You take a year off when you fail not before. Do the best you can and apply for 2013, you basically have a year to go. I had about 23 interview offers because I literally applied all over, it cost moret but I got in. Apply to some new schools in great cities and use them as your backups.

Unfortunately, regardless of your year off I think you will not have a good chance in Cali unless you get involved in some genius crap within that year. With that said apply next year and to everywhere. When I first started this year I wasn't confident at all, I even scheduled interviews for pre-candidate, and candidate accredited schools and end up in UT Austin. Just try your best, you will get in somewhere, you dont want the interset on the 100,000 to start.

 

[DiveHawaii]

Definitely, I agree with ws2016. If you can afford to, apply to as many schools as you can, the more the better. You'll get lucky and one of the schools will have a candidate pool that will work for you in your favor. But you should apply for the 2013 year, show persistence, motivation, and dedication. You are going to want to retake whatever courses you got a C/D in and improve it to an A/B. You can always address that topic in your personal statement saying something like when you first took the class you didn't know for sure what you wanted to do, you were confused and didn't take things seriously. But then you figured it out and thats why you went back to retake the class and this time seriously. As far as the rest of your personal statement is concerned, I'm not sure how to help you with that especially since that was the hardest thing that I had to complete during this whole process. Just think about things you would want to hear/know about yourself if you were the admissions committee considering you for that school. Sorry idk what other advice to give you on that.

Where are you now with pre-requisites? What have you completed already? And what classes do you think you did bad in as far as pharmacy schools are concerned?

 

[687679889]

Where are you now with pre-requisites? What have you completed already? And what classes do you think you did bad in as far as pharmacy schools are concerned?

I have 4 more pre-requisites to go: microeconomics, psychology, public speaking, and physiology/anatomy. I didn't do too well in the biology department and maybe calculus 1+2. I should have all my pre-requisites done by the time I graduate, minus the D+ in biology.

If I can't redo that D+, which means that some schools won't even consider me, should I still apply? I mean I have a summer in between graduation and pharmacy school, ideally... (at least I think so).

 

[ws2016]

Take your Anatomy & Physiology in a community college.

 

[ws2016]

Just take the classes during the summer, take anatomy & physiology in summer one and two and Microeconomics. Psychology is pretty standard and public speaking is the same in any regular college. You can take all these courses again at your four year college if you know you are going to get an A. I honestly believe if you retake a class with a C, you should get an A to show you actually learned. Getting an A in something you had a C/D in previously kinda implies something went wrong the first time.

 

[DiveHawaii]

I have 4 more pre-requisites to go: microeconomics, psychology, public speaking, and physiology/anatomy. I didn't do too well in the biology department and maybe calculus 1+2. I should have all my pre-requisites done by the time I graduate, minus the D+ in biology.

If I can't redo that D+, which means that some schools won't even consider me, should I still apply? I mean I have a summer in between graduation and pharmacy school, ideally... (at least I think so).

When you say you have a summer between graduation and pharm school do you mean this summer or next summer 2013? If you are talking about next summer and you are planning to start pharmacy school in August 2013 then you might have a problem. Most schools require you to have the core science pre-reqs completed by the spring semester of the year of matriculation. All other pre-reqs like your psychology and speech (non-science courses) are okay to be completed during the summer before you get to your pharm school.

I really don't think that you will be benefiting from your time and efforts of applying to schools with any grades below a B in the core science courses like biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and A&P. The schools will look at that as maybe you are not capable of handling the rigorous curriculum of pharmacy school. I would do whatever you can to retake those classes and get much higher grades. Plus like what ws2016 said if you get higher grades the second time around it will show that you have learned, both the material and your mistakes. On top of that you can justify your initial bad grades however you want👍