Bachelor or pre-req's

[Tenor CS]

Hi all. I tried searching for this, but didn't find anything specific to my situation.

I have a master's degree in music - opera, specifically. I taught for several years and am planning to pursue a career in pharmacy. I am currently working as a pharmacy tech and enjoying it, for the most part.

I start my Molecular and Microbiology program at University of Central Florida in a few weeks. Should I just do the classes I need to satisfy my pre-req's and get out ASAP? Or should I finish the M&M degree and THEN apply to Pharm school?

Right now, based on my first Bachelor's degree, I have a 3.8-something coming in to UCF.

It would pretty much take me a full 4 years to finish the M&M degree. I'm 35 and married.

Pros of pre-req only:

• finish faster
• lower cost

Pros of finishing M&M

• I will have a stronger science background before starting pharm school
• AdComs might consider me more seriously - guy with a science degree vs. "failed musician who took a bunch of pre-req's"

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[musicman123]

Hi all. I tried searching for this, but didn't find anything specific to my situation.

I have a master's degree in music - opera, specifically. I taught for several years and am planning to pursue a career in pharmacy. I am currently working as a pharmacy tech and enjoying it, for the most part.

I start my Molecular and Microbiology program at University of Central Florida in a few weeks. Should I just do the classes I need to satisfy my pre-req's and get out ASAP? Or should I finish the M&M degree and THEN apply to Pharm school?

Right now, based on my first Bachelor's degree, I have a 3.8-something coming in to UCF.

It would pretty much take me a full 4 years to finish the M&M degree. I'm 35 and married.

Pros of pre-req only:

• finish faster
• lower cost

Pros of finishing M&M

• I will have a stronger science background before starting pharm school
• AdComs might consider me more seriously - guy with a science degree vs. "failed musician who took a bunch of pre-req's"

You already have a Masters, so I'd say spend the time to complete your prereqs. I have a Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance, but at the same time, I took the prereqs. We're not too different

 

[UNMorBUST]

Pre-reqs all the way. Also about the failed musician thing. Just write a convincing PS.

 

[musicman123]

Pre-reqs all the way. Also about the failed musician thing. Just write a convincing PS.

I don't think the adcoms will necessarily see us as "failed" musicians who just took prereqs. I say I was pretty accomplished on the music talent aspect.

 

[UNMorBUST]

I don't think the adcoms will necessarily see us as "failed" musicians who just took prereqs. I say I was pretty accomplished on the music talent aspect.

I didnt say that is how they would look at it. If he/she is concerned, a strong PS (which everyone should have) could convince a Adcom of an applicants interest in pharmacy.

 

[megapinkass]

Hi all. I tried searching for this, but didn't find anything specific to my situation.

I have a master's degree in music - opera, specifically. I taught for several years and am planning to pursue a career in pharmacy. I am currently working as a pharmacy tech and enjoying it, for the most part.

I start my Molecular and Microbiology program at University of Central Florida in a few weeks. Should I just do the classes I need to satisfy my pre-req's and get out ASAP? Or should I finish the M&M degree and THEN apply to Pharm school?

Right now, based on my first Bachelor's degree, I have a 3.8-something coming in to UCF.

It would pretty much take me a full 4 years to finish the M&M degree. I'm 35 and married.

Pros of pre-req only:

• finish faster
• lower cost

Pros of finishing M&M

• I will have a stronger science background before starting pharm school
• AdComs might consider me more seriously - guy with a science degree vs. "failed musician who took a bunch of pre-req's"

definately finishing the M&M degree will boost up ur chances a little bit from the rest but since yu already have an m.s degree in music and work experience as a pharm tech then doing just the prerequisite courses to add to that is enough to get into pharm school.

 

[Tenor CS]

The thing I'm terrified of is being in Pharmacy school and wishing, "God, I wish I had a stronger background in, say, Biochemistry or ________________ (fill in the blank)."

It will definitely take me at least 2 academic years to complete the pre-req's.

And I was harsh in calling myself a "failed musician." I was a college professor and opera singer for almost 10 years. I loved it, but the travel ... and with the budget cuts in education, fine arts teaching jobs are few and far between. And if you do find one, they are less-than-ideal situations.

 

[musicman123]

The thing I'm terrified of is being in Pharmacy school and wishing, "God, I wish I had a stronger background in, say, Biochemistry or ________________ (fill in the blank)."

It will definitely take me at least 2 academic years to complete the pre-req's.

And I was harsh in calling myself a "failed musician." I was a college professor and opera singer for almost 10 years. I loved it, but the travel ... and with the budget cuts in education, fine arts teaching jobs are few and far between. And if you do find one, they are less-than-ideal situations.

Don't be terrified.. You'll be fine. Many people in pharmacy school come from diverse backgrounds.

 

[UNMorBUST]

Don't be terrified.. You'll be fine. Many people in pharmacy school come from diverse backgrounds.

 

[ShadowRX]

Hi all. I tried searching for this, but didn't find anything specific to my situation.

I have a master's degree in music - opera, specifically. I taught for several years and am planning to pursue a career in pharmacy. I am currently working as a pharmacy tech and enjoying it, for the most part.

I start my Molecular and Microbiology program at University of Central Florida in a few weeks. Should I just do the classes I need to satisfy my pre-req's and get out ASAP? Or should I finish the M&M degree and THEN apply to Pharm school?

Right now, based on my first Bachelor's degree, I have a 3.8-something coming in to UCF.

It would pretty much take me a full 4 years to finish the M&M degree. I'm 35 and married.

Pros of pre-req only:

• finish faster
• lower cost

Pros of finishing M&M

• I will have a stronger science background before starting pharm school
• AdComs might consider me more seriously - guy with a science degree vs. "failed musician who took a bunch of pre-req's"

That's a major change from Masters in Music to Pharmacy... no pun intended.

What took so long?

 

[Tenor CS]

That's a major change from Masters in Music to Pharmacy... no pun intended.

What took so long?

I was doing OK, was a college professor, teaching private voice lessons and some music theory and history classes, and singing opera and had a professional church choir gig. Sang with Florida Grand Opera in Miami for 5 seasons.

Left the part-time college gig to take a full-time high-school teaching gig. Loved the kids, hated the administration. Sang with Orlando Opera for a season. Then they went out of business. (Not my fault! )

Then, budget cuts hit the school system. Bye-bye, fine arts.

So, I have no job and no prospects. I decide that I need to go back to school and do something else with my life. I had always wanted to do something scientific or medical, but not surgical, since I can't handle the whole blood-and-guts thing. So pharmacy seems like a good fit for me.

 

[Tenor CS]

Pros of finishing M&M

• I will have a stronger science background before starting pharm school
• AdComs might consider me more seriously - guy with a science degree vs. "failed musician who took a bunch of pre-req's"

I forgot to add this pro: If I finish the M&M, I would have 4 years of experience as a Pharm Tech vs. only 2.

But the consensus already seems to be, "You only need pre-req's." Thank you to all who responded. I appreciate the advice.

 

[whatbout2morrow]

AdComs might consider me more seriously - guy with a science degree vs. "failed musician who took a bunch of pre-req's"

Given your teaching experience and such, I would think that they probably would look at you as more of "an artist who also wants to be a pharmacist."

 

[ShadowRX]

I was doing OK, was a college professor, teaching private voice lessons and some music theory and history classes, and singing opera and had a professional church choir gig. Sang with Florida Grand Opera in Miami for 5 seasons.

Left the part-time college gig to take a full-time high-school teaching gig. Loved the kids, hated the administration. Sang with Orlando Opera for a season. Then they went out of business. (Not my fault! )

Then, budget cuts hit the school system. Bye-bye, fine arts.

So, I have no job and no prospects. I decide that I need to go back to school and do something else with my life. I had always wanted to do something scientific or medical, but not surgical, since I can't handle the whole blood-and-guts thing. So pharmacy seems like a good fit for me.

Ok, I gotcha on those points... but why music in the first place? Curious is all I am

 

[Tenor CS]

Ok, I gotcha on those points... but why music in the first place? Curious is all I am

Easy:

• I loved it
• I was very good at it
• I had a scholarship offer that was so generous that it allowed me to actually get paid to go to college during my undergrad

The rush of a crowd applauding for you is almost as addicting as OxyContin. (May or may not be scientifically accurate).

I still enjoy music, and will probably continue to do it as a hobby. A lot of my problem is location, as well. If I still lived in a major metropolis, I could probably get more gigs, but I live near Orlando, and Disney does not have have any use for opera singers. And with so many institutions (opera companies and colleges) tightening their belts, it's hard to make money doing music anymore.

So I needed to pick something else. And science/medicine is another thing about which I am interested to the point of being passionate.

Granted, I've only been a pharmacy tech for a few months, but I've seen enough to think that I could be happy doing retail pharmacy. And I've already seen plenty of the downsides of the industry, and they aren't enough to scare me away.

I plan on taking some electives that I think might prepare me for leaning towards long term care, in a geriatric setting. (Health Care Needs of the Elderly, Gerontology). I'm also taking general psychology now as a pre-requisite for Psychology of Addiction, which sounds like it would be really interesting.

 

[Pinser555]

As a UCF alumi who got into pharmacy school, please do NOT take on the M&M degree. Its overkill. There is no need to take the upper level electives like histology, gross anatomy, hematology, virology, microbial metabolism, etc during your undergrad. Save them for once your in pharmacy school as they will be GPA killers. Look into other majors like health science or IDS. Thats just my 2 cents though.

 

[Tenor CS]

As a UCF alumi who got into pharmacy school, please do NOT take on the M&M degree. Its overkill. There is no need to take the upper level electives like histology, gross anatomy, hematology, virology, microbial metabolism, etc during your undergrad. Save them for once your in pharmacy school as they will be GPA killers. Look into other majors like health science or IDS. Thats just my 2 cents though.

Pinser555, thanks for advice from someone who also went to UCF. I have to say, I wasn't all that impressed with orientation. But, living in the Orlando area, UCF is pretty much my only option for a 4-year university. Where are you studying pharmacy now?

 

[Pinser555]

I got in as a 3rd year transfer to MCPHS Boston. UCF is just a huge school, 55k students making it the 3rd largest in the country. You have to realize your just a number, meaning your PID and NID. Even my upper level Biochem classes were 450 deep. But there are lots of great resources to take advantage of since were such a big institution. Endless research opportunities, free tutoring through the SI department, free concerts and comedy events with big name artists, free universal studios passes every spring.

Edit: You may also want to look into the Pre-Pharmacy Society. I never did, because I felt it was a little too nerdy for me. Nevertheless they may have some good advice and study groups.

 

[Tenor CS]

Just checked out the catalog. It looks like the Health Science and IDS programs won't really give me what I need.

It looks like I can finish my Pharmacy school pre-req's in 2 years, maybe 2 years plus a summer, still declared as a M&M Bio major, but with no intention of graduating.

At 35 years old, I need to finish as quickly as possible.

 

[eekOMG]

Finish your degree!

If for some reason you decide pharmacy is not for you, you at least have something.

Even after pharmacy, if you decide to change careers, a BS will look better than just a specialized field like pharmacy.

 

[aussiepharmer]

Since the vote is 50:50 now, toss a coin for luck! Heads or tails? lol

 

[Tenor CS]

Ugh. Just tweaked my schedule a bit for this upcoming fall semester. I had been using University of Florida's pre-requisites as a guide. I checked out some other schools, and a lot of them require stats and micro and/or macro economics, so I'm trying to get those in there.

The RPh I work with and an MD friend of mine have advised against the degree. It will be two extra years of courses that won't help much and will add a lot of cost and delay me getting into Pharmacy school.

 

[pharm B]

The RPh I work with and an MD friend of mine have advised against the degree. It will be two extra years of courses that won't help much and will add a lot of cost and delay me getting into Pharmacy school.

They gave you good advice. Since you're later in the game, you also have to consider those two extra years as two years where you're not making a pharmacist's income.

 

[Tenor CS]

They gave you good advice. Since you're later in the game, you also have to consider those two extra years as two years where you're not making a pharmacist's income.

That was pretty much their point. And already having a master's, albeit in music, should prove to the AdCom's that I can handle more intense study, research, etc.

If I can start practicing by 42-43, that gives me 20 years or so to work at (hopefully) a decent salary. More than I was making as a music teacher, anyway.

And I have been enjoying my time working as a tech, so I at least have some clue as to what the day-to-day in a retail pharmacy is like.

 

[Passion4Sci]

That was pretty much their point. And already having a master's, albeit in music, should prove to the AdCom's that I can handle more intense study, research, etc.

If I can start practicing by 42-43, that gives me 20 years or so to work at (hopefully) a decent salary. More than I was making as a music teacher, anyway.

And I have been enjoying my time working as a tech, so I at least have some clue as to what the day-to-day in a retail pharmacy is like.

Sounds like a great plan

 

[Style]

The thing I'm terrified of is being in Pharmacy school and wishing, "God, I wish I had a stronger background in, say, Biochemistry or ________________ (fill in the blank)."

It will definitely take me at least 2 academic years to complete the pre-req's.

And I was harsh in calling myself a "failed musician." I was a college professor and opera singer for almost 10 years. I loved it, but the travel ... and with the budget cuts in education, fine arts teaching jobs are few and far between. And if you do find one, they are less-than-ideal situations.

Don't worry you don't use much of the knowledge in your undergrad science classes for pharm school. The only year you may say you wish you had a stronger background in ______________ is your first year when they go at a faster pace to review general science courses but even then the pre-req courses should have been sufficient to cover what you need to know. If you have generally good study skills you can do just fine.