At a loss, what do I do now; pcat’s suck, the only thing holding me back...

[Pharmtopharm716]

I have taken the pcat twice now:

Once in 2015 and yesterday; my scores are beyond embarrassing.

November 2015 PR:
Bio 20
Reading 41
Quant 4
Chem 11
Composite 14
I do not remember how long I studied for in 2015. I did purchase a used Dr. Collins (after being scammed once), as well as a Kaplan book. During studying I moved from Alabama to Kansas so I do not recall being terribly focused on studying. Also at this point I had not taken Ochem, calculus, or anatomy. I was overly eager. I had started the application with the intention of finishing the pre reqs in time. Even before taking the pcat I had competed my application, evaluations and all.

Yesterday PR:
Bio 8
Chem 31
Reading 52
Quant 35
Composite 25
I have been studying since June, though I did move halfway across the country in August (Kansas to Georgia) and got sidetracked for a bit while adjusting. I used Dr. Collins from (from 2015), Barron’s(current), Kaplan(current), and three practice Pearson tests (only reviewed two of three, bought them late in the game).

At this point in time I have taken all my pre reqs except for physics which I am currently taking. My application is complete, all evaluations (two pharmacists and one chem professor), all transcripts, etc.

I’ve been a certified tech since 2013. This is the next step that I have been gunning towards. Despite my hardest I cannot seem to make the pcat work for me. My life keeps getting in my way. I keep getting in my way, I feel like I am not smart enough. I feel like an idiot. I have no clue what to do.

I planned on applying to creighton distance as well as Lecom distance. These are the only options that I have unless I want to be away from my husband; which I don’t. We spend enough time apart as is. My husband has been kind enough to suggest that I apply to other places and we make it work but I just can’t do that. My heart is with him and I would never be focused enough without him. My husband with epilepsy last year so the last two years have been a wirlwhind, not knowing what’s happening or what will happen. I do not want to be away from him as I overly worry about him. Not to mention I married him to share my life with him not to be apart.

What do I do? I am at a loss. This is everything I have wanted for years. I have worked so hard and now I feel like I have wasted the last three years of my life. So many people I have encountered in my professional life have told me that I could do this, that I would make a better pharmacist than them. My family says otherwise, the look of shock when I pull out books to study during the holidays is aggravating. “You never did that in high school... hey did you ever think you’d see her do that.” Is my family right?

I am 26, but right now I feel crushed. I want to be a pharmacist. I am not good at many things. When I am in the pharmacy I feel at home. I am comfortable in my own skin and for me that means the world. I lived a troubled life early on, thus the large reach for Pharmacy.

To me a pharmacist is the epitome of success. I met a pharmacist as a young lost person, newly married, who changed my perception of myself. That man made me believe that I could be something, without even knowing me. I want to be successful for myself and my husband. I never want to be where I was as a child ever again. I strive to be more than the circumstances I came from.

I do not claim to be the smartest person. I don’t have an incredible gpa (3.0; 4 different schools). But I have upward trends each time I move and try again. I am very determined and I am by one to give up. At the same time I feel like I look like a joke on paper. My desire to be successful seems to outwit my success.

Any advice would be appreciated. I apologize for the length or the whiny tone if that is how this comes across. I just need some guidance. I’ve dreamt this dream for years and never imagined that I could accomplish something like this in the first place, but I really want this.

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[NextStepTutor_4]

Hey Pharmtopharm716, it sounds like your heart is set on pharmacy - and the passion that comes through in your post will be apparent to admissions committees and will be obvious to your patients when you're a pharmacist!

Beyond your passion, your lengthy experience in pharmacy demonstrates your commitment to the field, and hopefully has affirmed your decision to pursue pharmacy.

You also seem to know exactly what your goals are, to attend Creighton distance or Lecom distance, which is entirely justified.

Probably the first place to start would be to contact the admissions committees at these programs and research their matriculant statistics to make yourself as competitive as possible. Some things to consider:

• What do they look for in prospective students? What makes a prospective student particularly competitive?
• What are the minimum required and median/mean GPA and PCAT scores for matriculants?
• Are there any outstanding criteria I need to fulfill (taking certain classes, etc.)?
• When are their application deadlines (PharmCAS and supplemental application if applicable), and do they have rolling admissions?

There are some parts of your application that are harder to change than others - for example, it can be hard to improve GPA in general unless you're willing to enroll in more classes, but it is possible to improve your PCAT score. Obviously your application has a lot of strengths, including your extensive experience and passion for pharmacy, but a strong PCAT score is like icing on the cake. You'll definitely want to make sure that your PCAT score is above their minimum requirement, but the closer it is to the median score for their current students, the better chance you'll have when you're set on applying to a specific program.

I don't know you personally, but someone who has maintained a 3.0 GPA while transferring between schools and who has studied for a test as difficult as the PCAT is not an idiot. For some perspective, the number of students who ever take (and pass) college-level chemistry is incredibly low, let alone those who continue on to spend months at a time studying for the PCAT. Based on your post, I wonder whether you feel that you could carve out some time during your non-work hours over a period of a few months to study for the PCAT? And if that's possible, you might want to think about what your goal PCAT score would look like and what it would take to get there. Hope is far from lost: only a few more questions right on each section could boost your score by 10-30 percentile points in each section, and it's not unheard of to even see jumps as high as 50 percentile points with really focused studying.

I also mentioned application deadlines because if these programs use rolling admission, applications that are submitted sooner rather than later will have a somewhat better chance at securing an interview slot.

Someone as committed to pharmacy as you are deserves your best chance at getting into the program that's right for you!

 

[Bareitashvilli]

One of the things in my opinion that would help is take more upper level science courses
if you haven't already, (if you have the time and the money) they can really broaden your understanding. When I took more bio classes I started connecting more and more dots.
Like Biochemistry, Genetics, Cellular Molecular Biology., Microbiology.
Besides being interesting they were of big help to me.
I did not take any more chemistry courses and I probably should have. Took up to
Organic Chemistry 2 and did not want to hear anymore about chemistry. Plus I really didn't like my professor.

Family is never easy. (In the case of the example of the time that you said about thaw books)

Just maintain that focus.

 

[Igra]

TBH i think you need to take or study organic chemistry and calculus for sure,

I took the PCAT in July and scored a 29 composite, nothing was really high and nothing was super low. I hadn't taken biology 2/microbio/A&P 1 or 2/Calculus, and I was just starting Organic Chemistry 2 in July.

I'm currently in biology 2 and calculus 1 and retook the PCAT on Nov, 1 and scored
bio 63
chem 89
reading 46
math 85
composite 75

not the best scores by any means, but I've got a 3.6 gpa and 4 years retail pharmacy, 1 year long term care, and 2 years of various clinical experience. I don't plan on retaking at all, I know some people would hate scoring a 75 and would recommend retaking but I think everything else I've got going in my favor makes me a competitive candidate.

When I first took the PCAT I definitely noticed that there was a lot of ochem and calculus on the test and I feel those two classes improved my score the most.

 

[Natty103]

I would say apply you never know. I took the pcat 3 times and did worse than you. I even received a 5 composition percentile on one of them. I just took my 3rd one on October 25th and sent my application on the 30th. When I took it I received a 25th percentile and I said to myself I’m done!!!! I studied my ass off for that exams and I really think the exams should be canceled because it doesn’t measure how smart someone is. I know for a fact I knew many things but just because those topics or questions didn’t come on the exams doesn’t mean I’m dumb. Anyways like I said exams on october 25th applied on the 30th. application was verified within a few days and received an interview from one school on November 7th. I’m sure I will be hearing from more schools. I applied to 7 schools. So don’t be discouraged. Apply!!!! I’m on the same boat as you so trust me I know exactly how you feel.

 

[hecksflakes]

I would say apply you never know. I took the pcat 3 times and did worse than you. .....

wooow.....I like your gut, a perfect testimony, I wish same is possible in Canada, when I think about it, i feel like just moving to the US to study

 

[Pharmtopharm716]

Thank you to everyone that offered advice to me. I genuinely appreciate you all taking the time.

Still weighing my options, but feeling like I may just decide to risk it and hope for the best.

Right now taking the class I am taking has been taking up lots of my time so I haven’t had the opportunity to study more for the January PCAT.

The way I see it is I will wait for the scores to come back and send in my application as is and hope for the best. Worst case I do not get offered an interview or do not get accepted. At least then I will know it was because of my awful PCAT scores.

If I do not get in this time I will have another opportunity as well as longer amount of time to take the PCAT again and apply for the following the next cycle. I just really don’t want to take it again in January and do even worse.

All I can do is hope that I am seen for more than my scores no matter how awful they may be. Like I said I still thinking about it but as of right now I think I am just going to go in and hope for the best. Worst case I have a back up plan and can always try again, with a better score.

Again, thank you all so very much.

 

[hecksflakes]

OP, If I may ask, which school are you applying to?

 

[Pharmtopharm716]

OP, If I may ask, which school are you applying to?

As of right now I am only applying to Creighton Distance and Lecom Distance.

If I apply anywhere else it would have to be near an Army base and even then there is no guarantee that my husband will be stationed somewhere specific. I am on the fence as to whether or not I want to spend four years away from him; he’s told me to at least consider it, but right now I still think Distance programs are what works for me and my situation.

 

[hecksflakes]

keep hope alive, my friend got into a pharm school without Pcat in the U.S, there are a lot of schools that do not even consider Pcat at all. This my very friend, his two brothers failed pcat, yet they got into and grad from pharm school

 

[Natty103]

Thank you to everyone that offered advice to me. I genuinely appreciate you all taking the time.

Still weighing my options, but feeling like I may just decide to risk it and hope for the best.

Right now taking the class I am taking has been taking up lots of my time so I haven’t had the opportunity to study more for the January PCAT.

The way I see it is I will wait for the scores to come back and send in my application as is and hope for the best. Worst case I do not get offered an interview or do not get accepted. At least then I will know it was because of my awful PCAT scores.

If I do not get in this time I will have another opportunity as well as longer amount of time to take the PCAT again and apply for the following the next cycle. I just really don’t want to take it again in January and do even worse.

All I can do is hope that I am seen for more than my scores no matter how awful they may be. Like I said I still thinking about it but as of right now I think I am just going to go in and hope for the best. Worst case I have a back up plan and can always try again, with a better score.

Again, thank you all so very much.

Trust me applying early also gives you an advantage. Do not wait for your officials scores to come in because that will take a month or more to come in. Apply now!!!! They take your preliminary score. They may say on the site that they need official scores but that’s not true. They take your preliminary score. I mean if I took my pcat on October 25th and got an interview nov 7th it proves you do not need your official scores To come in before applying. All the schools I applied to took my preliminary score. Remember it is rolling admissions so first come first serve. If I had waited till my official scores came in then I would be applying on November 25th And that would be late. Who knows I might not even have gotten an interview because by then they have already accepted majority of the students they want.