August too late to take the PCAT or should I take in June

[atomi]

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[dovebar]

this is a rough decision...you might be considering why you shouldn't/couldn't go to medical school. when i was in undergrad, i also debated between medical school and pharmacy school. i took the mcat...got a 23, then A LOT of things happened. i could have improved and still applied...but i realized it wasn't what i wanted after all. two years later, i'm now studying for the pcat.

so here's my advice to you, so you don't waste time(PRECIOUS) between undergrad and grad.
if your gpa is good and you have good references and are good at standardized tests, and you'll have enough time to study for the pcat apply to pharmacy school too(so wait until august to take the pcat, work on your pharmacy applications in the meantime)...pharmacy school is easier than med school to get into. get some kind of pharmacy experience asap, so you can show them this wasn't a random decision.

i wish i had decided like you what was good for me, instead of wasting the last two year!!
good luck to you.

 

[samfromVA]

dovebar and I fall in the same category!!!

 

[atomi]

Ok, so you're saying take the MCAT in 2 weeks and send off med school applications in June-July while waiting for scores and deciding if I really want to do it over pharmacy. Then take the PCAT in August and send pharm school applications in September while completing any remaining pre-reqs. I'm thinking this sounds like a good plan because it will allow me more time (the alternative is take the PCAT 3 weeks after the MCAT) and hopefully going through the application process of each will give me a better idea of which I want to do should I be lucky enough to get into both types of schools.

But my concern is that too late to send pharm school applications and I really should take the PCAT in June since I'm already prepped for the MCAT (well kinda). I guess my question is when do most people submit their pharm school apps.?

EDIT: Wait, you're saying apply for pharm school this summer before taking the PCAT? So I really shouldn't wait until fall to apply?

FWIW, I'm 24 and 3 years post B.S. with a 4.0GPA working in the engineering industry currently. Zero pharm experience, but a lot of volunteer experience in the medical field, so I know a few things. It's the time crunch that's getting to me. I really, really don't want to get behind another year and desire to be in some type of school whatever it is by fall '09.

 

[Farcus]

Ok, so you're saying take the MCAT in 2 weeks and send off med school applications in June-July while waiting for scores and deciding if I really want to do it over pharmacy. Then take the PCAT in August and send pharm school applications in September while completing any remaining pre-reqs. I'm thinking this sounds like a good plan because it will allow me more time (the alternative is take the PCAT 3 weeks after the MCAT) and hopefully going through the application process of each will give me a better idea of which I want to do should I be lucky enough to get into both types of schools.

But my concern is that too late to send pharm school applications and I really should take the PCAT in June since I'm already prepped for the MCAT (well kinda). I guess my question is when do most people submit their pharm school apps.?

EDIT: Wait, you're saying apply for pharm school this summer before taking the PCAT? So I really shouldn't wait until fall to apply?

FWIW, I'm 24 and 3 years post B.S. with a 4.0GPA working in the engineering industry currently. Zero pharm experience, but a lot of volunteer experience in the medical field, so I know a few things. It's the time crunch that's getting to me. I really, really don't want to get behind another year and desire to be in some type of school whatever it is by fall '09.

Whats your BS btw?

 

[dovebar]

Ok, so you're saying take the MCAT in 2 weeks and send off med school applications in June-July while waiting for scores and deciding if I really want to do it over pharmacy. Then take the PCAT in August and send pharm school applications in September while completing any remaining pre-reqs. I'm thinking this sounds like a good plan because it will allow me more time (the alternative is take the PCAT 3 weeks after the MCAT) and hopefully going through the application process of each will give me a better idea of which I want to do should I be lucky enough to get into both types of schools.

But my concern is that too late to send pharm school applications and I really should take the PCAT in June since I'm already prepped for the MCAT (well kinda). I guess my question is when do most people submit their pharm school apps.?

EDIT: Wait, you're saying apply for pharm school this summer before taking the PCAT? So I really shouldn't wait until fall to apply?

FWIW, I'm 24 and 3 years post B.S. with a 4.0GPA working in the engineering industry currently. Zero pharm experience, but a lot of volunteer experience in the medical field, so I know a few things. It's the time crunch that's getting to me. I really, really don't want to get behind another year and desire to be in some type of school whatever it is by fall '09.

me too...i'm 24 two years post bs and i'm on the time crunch too. i think you can apply to pharmacy school that don't require a pcat. CA schools don't. I think some pharm schools will also process application(esp with your 4.0 and medical experience) without a pcat score. they might just wait to recieve a pcat score...so when you get everything else in,the ball is rolling. i was debating on taking the pcat in june or august. i chose june. but if i chose august i would spend the summer filling out pharmcas.

Here's something i didn't know last year!pharmacy schools accept application until february/march to fill their fall class. this could be an advantage for you.
good luck again.

 

[dovebar]

i'm not too sure about them processing the application. pick the schools you want to apply to...see if they require a pcat score. then call them and ask if they will start looking at your application from pharmcas if you don't have a pcat score.
i took the mcat too and i think(pretty postitive) the pcat is WAY easier. i still remember a lot of stuff from bio and chem and it's been helping in my pcat study.

another option is go ahead and take the pcat in june. your prep for mcat should be 1/2-3/4 of the pcat ... & see how you do. you will get the scores back in 6 weeks. then decide if you want to take it in august.
i think this could also be a good option...in that you're keeping all your options open.

 

[atomi]

Whats your BS btw?

Electrical engineering. Getting a 4.0 in EE was not easy to do at a large state U, and I hope that carries some weight even though it is totally unrelated to pharmacy. I also have a 4.0 in my premed coursework even though some of that is from a community college.

 

[atomi]

me too...i'm 24 two years post bs and i'm on the time crunch too. i think you can apply to pharmacy school that don't require a pcat. CA schools don't. I think some pharm schools will also process application(esp with your 4.0 and medical experience) without a pcat score. they might just wait to recieve a pcat score...so when you get everything else in,the ball is rolling. i was debating on taking the pcat in june or august. i chose june. but if i chose august i would spend the summer filling out pharmcas.

Here's something i didn't know last year!pharmacy schools accept application until february/march to fill their fall class. this could be an advantage for you.
good luck again.

If they accept until Feb. that's good. But I think medical schools "say" they accept until that time period too, but everyone knows that if you don't get your apps in by September, you don't really have a shot. I was wondering if Pharm school was the same way. Hopefully it's not as severe with all its 'rolling admissions'

 

[SexyPlexi]

Some schools have rolling admissions and some don't. Earlier is always better but August isn't too late by any means to take the PCAT. Although if you are all studied up for the MCAT then you'll be ready for the PCAT too and I personally would want to take those close together to avoid having to freshen up on the information.

 

[SexyPlexi]

I just re-read your post...if August is better for you than do August. You sound like you will have a solid application. Taking it in August shouldn't hinder you much, if at all. Many people take it in October too so you will be ahead of all those people. Plus you can submit Pharmcas without your PCAT so you can still apply as early as you want.

 

[atomi]

I just re-read your post...if August is better for you than do August. You sound like you will have a solid application. Taking it in August shouldn't hinder you much, if at all. Many people take it in October too so you will be ahead of all those people. Plus you can submit Pharmcas without your PCAT so you can still apply as early as you want.

Thanks. August it is, and I'll hold off on taking classes this summer until I know which schools I'm applying to and know exactly what pre-reqs I need.

 

[inquirer89]

I just re-read your post...if August is better for you than do August. You sound like you will have a solid application. Taking it in August shouldn't hinder you much, if at all. Many people take it in October too so you will be ahead of all those people. Plus you can submit Pharmcas without your PCAT so you can still apply as early as you want.

I plan to take the PCAT in August and October and maybe January. So if my top school has an early decision PharmCas deadline on August 31st...which is too early to receive scores from the August exam...then I would still be in the running for early decision even if they don't have my scores yet? Nice.

 

[omnione]

If they accept until Feb. that's good. But I think medical schools "say" they accept until that time period too, but everyone knows that if you don't get your apps in by September, you don't really have a shot. I was wondering if Pharm school was the same way. Hopefully it's not as severe with all its 'rolling admissions'

Pharmacy school deadlines are generally a couple of months after med school apps deadlines if not more. Also, there is greater variety in pharmacy school deadlines where as med school deadlines are mostly before the first weeks of December. I think the pharmacy school equivalent of the September de facto deadline would be the end of December. Of course, this differs per school as there are some early ones.

That being said, the August PCAT won't hinder your application as long as the rest of your materials are in before the scores are sent out. If you bomb the PCAT for some reason, then October is always available. I agree that you can cover most of the PCAT material by studying for the MCAT. You just have to brush up on math and vocab. Otherwise, the PCAT is a breeze compared to the MCAT.