Back to school help....please.

[morecowbell84]

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Hello all. I am new to this forum and in the intial stages of going back to school to pursue my PharmD. A little background before I get into my questions...I have been working for the past two years after having already gotten a bachelors finance/business degree from a competitive university with a good GPA.

My questions are, what is the best process or path to go back to school in order to get my prerequisites and the necessary GPA before applying to Pharm school. Have any of you taken this path and how did it work for you? Also, from my understanding I can either go the transfer route or the non-degree post baccalaureate route but if I went for the ladder, federal aid is unavailable and I would have to look for private aid or money from my own pocket....thoughts? Experiences?

I am currently just getting all my ducks in a row so that I can jump back in with all my ducks in a row and hit the ground running. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[joh0472]

Hello all. I am new to this forum and in the intial stages of going back to school to pursue my PharmD. A little background before I get into my questions...I have been working for the past two years after having already gotten a bachelors finance/business degree from a competitive university with a good GPA.

My questions are, what is the best process or path to go back to school in order to get my prerequisites and the necessary GPA before applying to Pharm school. Have any of you taken this path and how did it work for you? Also, from my understanding I can either go the transfer route or the non-degree post baccalaureate route but if I went for the ladder, federal aid is unavailable and I would have to look for private aid or money from my own pocket....thoughts? Experiences?

I am currently just getting all my ducks in a row so that I can jump back in with all my ducks in a row and hit the ground running. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I followed this route as well (B.S. in Business Administration with a Emphasis in Finance). When I started school again I took Physic I, Bio I, Chem I, and Calculus I (my business calculus class doesn't count at many of the schools I applied to). You can get all of your prereqs done in two years for most years if you go to school during the summer as well. You can still get federal aid if you declare a 2nd bachelor's degree and have a degree audit performed at your school. If not try a community college and work while going to school. Good luck with everything.

Please post on my largest thread ever, thread (excuse the redundancy)

 

[morecowbell84]

Can you explain the degree audit process?

 

[joh0472]

At my school I met with a degree counselor and found out how many credits were needed to obtain a 2nd degree and was awarded financial aid availability for a resonable amount of time necessary to complete though credits. Many of the credits were not appilicable to pharmacy school but were needed if I stayed in school and got my B.S in Chemistry. Talk with the financial aid office at the institution you are planning on attending and ask about your options. I would also check for scholarships because there are so many out there they are easy to get little $300-$500 one that can accumulate to livable incomes.

 

[AlphaChiPharmD]

I graduated with a Finance degree May 2008, and I returned to school fall of the same year. All I had to do was meet with the an advisor in the science department, and she had list of courses that I had to complete to get a second degree in chemistry. I just had to take that list to the financial aid office, and I received financial aid dependent upon what year of undergraduate I was for the program. Since then I have finished up pretty much all of my pre-requisites except for Organic Chem lab that I am taking this semester. The financial aid office told me that I just had to be working towards a second degree, and I could apply to pharm school without actually finishing the second degree. Hope this helps. 🙂

 

[morecowbell84]

Thanks. That does help out a lot. I am going to be going to a different school than my initial undergraduate degree. Do you think the same process would pretty much take place with my situation?

 

[morecowbell84]

And once you get into pharm school with two bachelor degrees.....do you then have 4 more years of schooling left?? I have heard of people jumping to year 3 of pharm. Or am I way off base here? Thanks again for the help.

 

[AlphaChiPharmD]

I would assume that it would be the same for a different school. I was going to take my pre-reqs at a different in state school since they have a pharmacy program and for there it was the same financial aid for my current school. I am applying without having a second bachelors. I just have the pre-reqs finished. After that, its either 4 years or 3 years of pharm school. I applied to both.

 

[morecowbell84]

Makes sense. Thanks for the help!

 

[Passion4Sci]

Thanks. That does help out a lot. I am going to be going to a different school than my initial undergraduate degree. Do you think the same process would pretty much take place with my situation?

Keep aware that going back to school after you have a BA/BS already will dramatically change your financial aid eligibility!

 

[morecowbell84]

To what extent are you referring that it would change my federal aid? I am just trying to get all angles covered so that I am well informed.

 

[morecowbell84]

I am under the assumption that if I were to go back for a second degree that I would only be eligible for federal or private loans and not any grants. Is that fair to say? If I were to go back as a non degree post baccalaureate, I would only be eligible for private loans. Is that fair to say?

 

[Passion4Sci]

I am under the assumption that if I were to go back for a second degree that I would only be eligible for federal or private loans and not any grants. Is that fair to say? If I were to go back as a non degree post baccalaureate, I would only be eligible for private loans. Is that fair to say?

You won't be able to get subsidized federal Stafford loans, either. I was ineligible for them when I got out of the Army because there's a box on the FAFSA that says, "Will you be receiving your FIRST Bachelor's Degree before X date?" and obviously the answer is yes, since you have one.

And yes, a non-degree post-bacc. will set you up for massive debt from someone like Sallie Mae unless the school offers you something.

 

[Passion4Sci]

It's worth mentioning the value of the community college in your situation, though.

 

[bozeefus]

I am under the assumption that if I were to go back for a second degree that I would only be eligible for federal or private loans and not any grants. Is that fair to say? If I were to go back as a non degree post baccalaureate, I would only be eligible for private loans. Is that fair to say?

At my school, 120 hrs is an undergrad degree. My school will offer financial aid up to 180 hours

Students must complete their program within 150% of the published length of their program. The minimum number of credit hours required for an undergraduate degree at UIC is 120. Therefore, 180 credit hours (150% of 120 hours) is the limit for aid eligibility. The 180 hour limit applies even in cases of changed majors or the pursuit of multiple degrees. The only exception allowed is for programs that require more than 120 hours for a degree. Students exceeding the maximum time frame will have their aid cancelled.

 

[Schnotty]

If you have a bachelor degree you cannot get grants (i.e. pell grant), but you can get subsidized federal loans. You just have submit an appeal to the financial aid office. My school just asked for the pre-reqs that the pharmacy schools that I am applying to need and I was approved to get financial aid.

 

[AlphaChiPharmD]

At my school, I received both subsidized and unsubsidized loans for last year and this year. I have completed 192 hours, and I am still eligible for financial aid. You can't get grants after getting your first bachelors. I'm not sure if this is just my school, but the financial aid office had me sign a paper that says that I am working towards a second bachelors and also that I will complete all hours attempted.