average time for pre-reqs

[chudson]

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Hey all!
It seems like the average time for pre-reqs is about 2 years or less. I am mapping things out and I have so many pre-reqs for my pre-reqs (mainly math; my psych degree had barely any math or science) that it looks like it might take longer even going full time. Does this affect my admission to pharm D? Any suggestions on speeding things up? 😕

 

[Moxxie]

Hey all!
It seems like the average time for pre-reqs is about 2 years or less. I am mapping things out and I have so many pre-reqs for my pre-reqs (mainly math; my psych degree had barely any math or science) that it looks like it might take longer even going full time. Does this affect my admission to pharm D? Any suggestions on speeding things up? 😕

Can you test out of any of the pre-reqs for math? I know that a lot of schools will let you test out of algebra and pre-calc if you can demonstrate that you're somewhat competent. In my case, my SAT score was good enough to pass me out of those classes so that I could go straight to calc.

 

[insipid1979]

It seems like the average time for pre-reqs is about 2 years or less.

I think the average time for pre-reqs is at the very minimum 2 years. I know for UIC undergrad in order to finish in 2 years you have to place into all the prepharm classes (if you have to take any prereqs you aren't going to finish in 2 years) and then you have to take classes over the summer. For some school's prepharmacy coursework I think it would be impossible to finish in 2 years if they make you take statistics and microbiology and other classes.

I don't think it will affect your chances in getting accepted to a pharmacy school. I don't think they really care how long it took you to do your prereqs as long as you had a heavy courseload the whole time. For speeding up the process you can take summer classes (obviously) and some schools offer 5 week classes for sciences...so you can finish 2 semesters in 10 weeks over the summer.

 

[a504n]

The minimum is 2 years, but that's if you take like 17-18 hours each semester, which all should be pre-reqs. For me, it took me 3 1/2 years to finish my pre-reqs, mainly because I was in remedial math, which prevented me from taking any science courses until I was out of it. Plus, I only took 12-13 hours each semester since I've been in college.

 

[JustTiff]

The minimum is 2 years, but that's if you take like 17-18 hours each semester, which all should be pre-reqs. For me, it took me 3 1/2 years to finish my pre-reqs, mainly because I was in remedial math, which prevented me from taking any science courses until I was out of it. Plus, I only took 12-13 hours each semester since I've been in college.

I'm in the same boat. My math was behind (way too long since high school, lol) and I have so many sciences courses to take for prereq's that it will easily take me 3 to 3 1/2 years to finish it all. I've only been taking 13 to 14 hours per quarter as well but I'm going to bump it up to about 17 and pray it goes well. Oh well, at least I'm doing it now and in a couple years I'll be farther along that if I didn't.

 

[futurerxguy]

Hey all!
It seems like the average time for pre-reqs is about 2 years or less. I am mapping things out and I have so many pre-reqs for my pre-reqs (mainly math; my psych degree had barely any math or science) that it looks like it might take longer even going full time. Does this affect my admission to pharm D? Any suggestions on speeding things up? 😕

I would tend to believe that 2 years would be a minimum as well. I am a person with a Bachelors Degree in Math (thank god I have that done), but I have not taken any of the required science courses. Having a Bachlors and 90% of a Masters (School Counseling) has been good for me with regards to getting any counseling/communication and other sciences out of the way... but I still have General Chem (w/Lab) I and II, Organic Chem (w/Lab) I and II, General Physics, and Biology (w/Lab) I and II. Keep in mind, what I have mentioned here are only science requirements. Many schools have an Economics course, Human Anatomy, Microbiology and other various classes. I plan to finish these up in about 1-2 years, but that is only because I am sitting with over 160 semester hours already.... if I were just beginning, I would likely plan about 2-3... and if your working more. Feel free to message me if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,
FutureRxGuy

 

[lola69r]

I don't think it will affect your admission...I'm sure they understand that some schools have pre-reqs for their required pre-reqs....it took me about 5 years to finish all of mine, but I also worked full time and had to take semesters off to take care of my mother, who has MS. I was told the same thing by a few of my peers, that because I took an extended amount of time getting my prereqs done I might have hurt my chances a little, but I got into two schools so far this year, and this was my first time applying...hope that helps you a little

 

[chudson]

Thank you all for answers!! I appreciate it- it has really set me at ease. 😉

 

[Poland]

Right, look into the max credit hours at the school you're attending. You may be able to take more than the regular full-time of 12. If you can stand constant full time or more credit hours that would be great. But, if your grades go down a letter then most people would say that a better grade with part-time enrollment seems more agreeable. Good luck! I am in my last pre-reg before my pre-req!

 

[gatheringhoney]

I was able to cram in all the math and science pre-reqs that a majority of schools require in a year and half. When I made the decision to complete the classes in such a short amount of time, I did so under the guidance of a pre-pharm admissions counselor who told me the admissions committee would much rather look at how I performed under pressure vs what I could do over time. In the end, I was accepted at this school.

On the other hand, an admissions counselor at another school told me I was a fool to take the course load I was taking as her adcom would rather see a flawless transcript than three straight semesters of 17 - 20 science credits. Needless to say, I didn't get in at this school.

I don't believe there is a definitive answer to your question, but you need to get to know the schools you are interested in and ask questions about the expectations of the adcoms. From there, you need to decide what works best for YOU in terms of sanity, finances and ultimately your educational goals.

 

[kkelloww]

I'm in the process of completing them in 14 months and I had no previous college credit. So it can be done much quicker.

 

[sASU]

Id say 2 yrs if youre hardcore and 3 if you go at a good pace.

 

[Smilescali]

I started with my science pre-reqs when my son was a year old.. and he is about to turn 4 this month.... it seems like ages ago though....

I also had to take some pre-reqs before my actual pre-reqs for pharmacy school like (Intro General Chemistry and some remedial math courses before Calculus... 🙁 )

 

[genesis09]

I was able to complete the UIC prePharmacy pre-reqs in two years without summers. I took only 16 hours per semester. I was able to do this because I had 20 AP hours, and I was placed into English Composition 2. I can tell you doing it in two years it is not easy. It is harder to do that than to complete pre-reqs in three years.