California Pharmacy School Chances

[SteelAurelius]

GPA's (after DIY post-bacc):

• Overall: ~3.5
• Science: ~3.3
• USC Pre-Pharmacy: ~3.2
• DIY Post-Bacc (all classes taken were sciences and at the community college): 4.0
• I will take the PCAT.

Experience:

• 2 quarters of research at the university
• Volunteered more than 100 hours at the hospital
• No pharmacy experience yet

As a transfer student who did much better at the community college than at the university I transferred to, I took more classes after graduation to improve my science GPA.

Please chance me for the pharmacy schools in California. Also, if anyone knows how retakes count towards the science GPA, please let me know. I appreciate the feedback!

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[PharmtoCS]

Easy to get into California pharmacy schools but extremely difficult to land a job after you have incurred $200k+ in loans.

 

[Modest_anteater]

GPA's (after DIY post-bacc):

• Overall: ~3.5
• Science: ~3.3
• USC Pre-Pharmacy: ~3.2
• DIY Post-Bacc (all classes taken were sciences and at the community college): 4.0
• I will take the PCAT.

Experience:

• 2 quarters of research at the university
• Volunteered more than 100 hours at the hospital
• No pharmacy experience yet

As a transfer student who did much better at the community college than at the university I transferred to, I took more classes after graduation to improve my science GPA.

Please chance me for the pharmacy schools in California. Also, if anyone knows how retakes count towards the science GPA, please let me know. I appreciate the feedback!

California pharmacy schools are simply not worth the cost of attending unless you have a full ride or semi-full right. Much better to go out of state get your degree for cheap then come back to Cali with half the debt. I hear mixed things about the Cali job market. Yes, they pay very competitive wages with some pharmacists starting at 140,000 USD. However I heard some places are very saturated and there are no jobs unless you want to work up north in rural california "Jefferson"

 

[MyRealNameIs]

Also from California but decided to skip pharmacy school in California for the same reason.
They are not better with the exception of UCSF and maybe UCSD compared to most schools which you will not get into anyways with your grades.
Many schools offer in-state tuition scholarship for out of state students. Just ask them about it. Currently paying 15k per year at a great school.

They may have changed from a few years back but as far as I remember, most California schools did not consider PCAT score. But if they did, I would think a PCAT score of 70 would make you a decent candidate for many of the mid-tier schools.

Your scores should be fine for the bottom half of pharmacy schools in California. But again, I really feel like the price and the quality of education isn't worth trying to stay in California.

 

[DailyDaisies]

GPA's (after DIY post-bacc):

• Overall: ~3.5
• Science: ~3.3
• USC Pre-Pharmacy: ~3.2
• DIY Post-Bacc (all classes taken were sciences and at the community college): 4.0
• I will take the PCAT.

Experience:

• 2 quarters of research at the university
• Volunteered more than 100 hours at the hospital
• No pharmacy experience yet

As a transfer student who did much better at the community college than at the university I transferred to, I took more classes after graduation to improve my science GPA.

Please chance me for the pharmacy schools in California. Also, if anyone knows how retakes count towards the science GPA, please let me know. I appreciate the feedback!

I agree with the previous user. There are a bunch of new pharmacy schools popping up all over the state, even much so in California. This sudden influx of new pharmacy schools has definitelty decreased the standards needed to be accepted. And I know a handful of classmates who definitely had worse stats than you but were still accepted to Northstate or Touro (low-ranking CA schools). But attend those schools at your own risk because they cost over 50% more than out-of-state schools who will definitely have a better program; It's even worse when they don't even offer you financial aid (aka Northstate).

Regarding retaking science courses: whether or not it will affect your science GPA depends on the school. I would check out their site first because they usually already have an answer posted. If not, email them first, and if they don't reply, I would call them. Be proactive! A lot of schools appreciate it when applicants reach out for assistance.

Are you applying this cycle? If not, you should definitely look into acquiring pharmacy experience, it's definitely a crucial part of the application. It not only shows schools that you're interested in the field, but it also gives you a chance to test the waters! From personal experience, if you have a classmate who is already working/volunteering at one, you should ask if they can recommend you. If not, you should call or ask in person, if pharmacies are willing to take you in as a volunteer.

Also, a majority of CA pharmacy schools do NOT require the PCAT. So I would look into that before you sign up for it.

 

[SteelAurelius]

Thanks a lot to everyone for the feedback and happy new year! If I can find some pharmacy experience and get a decent score on the PCAT, I'll probably apply this year.

 

[Modest_anteater]

I agree with the previous user. There are a bunch of new pharmacy schools popping up all over the state, even much so in California. This sudden influx of new pharmacy schools has definitelty decreased the standards needed to be accepted. And I know a handful of classmates who definitely had worse stats than you but were still accepted to Northstate or Touro (low-ranking CA schools). But attend those schools at your own risk because they cost over 50% more than out-of-state schools who will definitely have a better program; It's even worse when they don't even offer you financial aid (aka Northstate).

Regarding retaking science courses: whether or not it will affect your science GPA depends on the school. I would check out their site first because they usually already have an answer posted. If not, email them first, and if they don't reply, I would call them. Be proactive! A lot of schools appreciate it when applicants reach out for assistance.

Are you applying this cycle? If not, you should definitely look into acquiring pharmacy experience, it's definitely a crucial part of the application. It not only shows schools that you're interested in the field, but it also gives you a chance to test the waters! From personal experience, if you have a classmate who is already working/volunteering at one, you should ask if they can recommend you. If not, you should call or ask in person, if pharmacies are willing to take you in as a volunteer.

Also, a majority of CA pharmacy schools do NOT require the PCAT. So I would look into that before you sign up for it.

"This sudden influx of new pharmacy schools has definitely decreased the standards needed to be accepted."
x9999999

 

[Modest_anteater]

GPA's (after DIY post-bacc):

• Overall: ~3.5
• Science: ~3.3
• USC Pre-Pharmacy: ~3.2
• DIY Post-Bacc (all classes taken were sciences and at the community college): 4.0
• I will take the PCAT.

Experience:

• 2 quarters of research at the university
• Volunteered more than 100 hours at the hospital
• No pharmacy experience yet

As a transfer student who did much better at the community college than at the university I transferred to, I took more classes after graduation to improve my science GPA.

Please chance me for the pharmacy schools in California. Also, if anyone knows how retakes count towards the science GPA, please let me know. I appreciate the feedback!

You do not want to go to school in Cali unless you have a full ride. The schools are too expensive and don't deliver in terms of quality. Move out of state, get educated, then move back.

 

[PharmtoCS]

You do not want to go to school in Cali unless you have a full ride. The schools are too expensive and don't deliver in terms of quality. Move out of state, get educated, then move back.

Even if they move out of state for school they'll be forced to remain out of state due to the extreme saturation in California. I would recommend a different profession, i.e. computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, etc. if they want to actually be able to stay in California and not have to take out $200k+ in loans and spend another 4 years in school.

 

[Modest_anteater]

Even if they move out of state for school they'll be forced to remain out of state due to the extreme saturation in California. I would recommend a different profession, i.e. computer programming, finance, accounting, engineering, etc. if they want to actually be able to stay in California and not have to take out $200k+ in loans and spend another 4 years in school.

I couldn't agree more stoichiometrist! You are one of individuals that keep it "real".

 

[Pharmacy Princess]

Not to be a downer but please at least try to gain pharmacy experience