I am going to be a junior at my university and have finally settled on pursuing a career in Pharmacy. However, I am unsure as to when I should apply? I want to start Pharm school ASAP after graduating but, I will not be able to finish all the required classes this year such as Microbiology, Anatomy, and Communication. When did you apply? Did you take a year off? What are the pros and cons of taking a year off? What did you do during that year off? Thanks.
In general, you would apply for the application cycle starting in June of the year prior to when you want to matriculate. You would need to have all the required course work done prior to matriculation, so you'll need to sit down and make a course schedule for yourself.
You will also need to take the PCAT for most schools (generally, anything not in CA) - I recommend taking it during the July testing date for a couple reasons: 1) you can study without having to cram it around your regular classes, and 2) you can still retake in September without being too late in the cycle.
FWIW, I ended up with a rather strange path to pharmacy school. I ended up taking the year prior to pharma school "off" with the exception of an online psych class - the last prereq. However, I worked full time while I was doing undergrad studies, so I just ended up working that year at a place unrelated to pharmacy & volunteering at a medical clinic.
