Biology or Chemistry for Pharm

[cystapharm]

What major as an undergrad will help/is more applicable for those wanting to enter pharmacy school? I am good at one subject more than the other. I heard bio is more useful which is why more people have a degree in bio. Even my friend who sucks at bio but gets all As in chem is majoring in bio. Is this because it's more closely related to pharmacy? or is it more like 50-50?

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[shikamaru]

Didn't you start a thread similar to this months ago?
I will paste the relevant parts from that thread (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=370642) here, and you can wait for other people to reply, as I am not in pharmacy school yet so I unfortunately cannot help you. I can tell you though, that I am just like your friend. I got all As in chemistry (just 1 B+ in orgo 2) and yet not a single A in any biology class... and I am majoring in bio... -_-;; Anyways...





THE FOLLOWING IS PASTED FROM THE LINK ABOVE
cystapharm wrote:
I have no clue what pharmacy school will be like so can someone help me out?
How much on a scale of 100% will the following subjects pertain or be involved in Pharmacy school?

Bio (general, anatomy, physiology, micro, etc)
General Chem
Organic Chem/Biochem
Physics
Algebra/arithmetics
Calculus

From what I assume,
Bio 35
General Chem 8
Organic chem/biochem 40
Physics 1
Algebra/Arith 15
Calculus 1

Am I right? Or am I in for a killer surprise if there are lots of physics and calculus? I mean, pharmacy school is just memorizing a bunch of drug names and memorize their reactions and side effects right?





gaba101 wrote in response:
Bio (general, anatomy, physiology, micro, etc)--40
General Chem/Organic Chem--5
Biochem--40
Physics--5
Algebra/arithmetics-7
Calculus-3

 

[LECOMorBUST]

Hey shikamaru, did you get my PM about your PS?


These bio. and chem. course are interrelated and build upon each other. So, a background in all aspects will only enhance your appreciation and comprehension when you really need to apply both disciplines for Biochem.

At my undergad. university, pre-pharm falls under the chem. department, while the pre-med. falls under the bio. department. This may give you a better idea of what the faculty/professors emphasize for the respective disciplines.

 

[DownonthePharm]

Major in whatever you are best at, or whatever you would like to do with your like if the pharmacy thing doesnt pan out as planned. It doesnt really matter what you majored in as long as you complete all the pre-reqs.

 

[azPharmD2B]

Just go for Biochemistry and cover both bases. But really, I think shooting for a BS degree to get into pharmacy school is a waste unless you've already finished all the pre-reqs and are well into your junior year for the 4 year degree. The degree certainly helps get into schools, but why put off pharmacy school for 2-3 years just to finish a BS?

 

[KARM12]

Major in whatever you are best at, or whatever you would like to do with your like if the pharmacy thing doesnt pan out as planned. It doesnt really matter what you majored in as long as you complete all the pre-reqs.

I agree with this statement 100%.

People major in all kinds of things and still get into pharmacy school...business, engineering, history even. If it doesn't work out you should still have a career to fall back on and not have wasted 4 yrs. Major in something you are interested in. I don't think it matters too much between biology or chemistry. Pick what you will do better in because both are part of the pharmacy curriculum.

 

[lvp0021]

This is the reason why I chose to get a BS in biochem (minor biology). I was exactly in your position in the past: not knowing which field would benefit me more in rx school. Eventually, I picked biochem so it covered both fields and really I found my true passion. If I hadn't got into rx school, I'd definitely pursue grad study in biochem.
Usually pre-pharm only requires up to organic chem (2 semesters). If you look at the curriculum of rx school, you'll see that chem-related classes predominate. So loosely speaking, something dealing more with chem might do the trick for you. Also keep in mind that all these chem you learn in rx school are applied to living systems' health. Foundation of biochem is just that: study of chemical processes and functions underlying biological systems. You have to know enzyme kinetics, physical chem (exlcuding the quantum part, the rest are pretty good stuffs for rx), molecular study... all of which, to me, are extremely useful for rx school.
That's just my thought! You should go and talk to your school advisor. Schools in the states might differ from one another regarding classes and requirements

 

[bsps_2007]

b.s. pharmaceutical sciences