California Pharmacy Schools

[bumblebee917]

Hello!

I am new to this site and had a few questions concerning California Pharm Schools.
I have just noticed that they do not require taking the PCAT. (A huge plus)

I am an out of state applicant and an upcoming senior at a university and want to go to school in my home state California. I have about a 3.90 GPA and zero experience in pharmacy but plan on shadowing a pharmacist this month to gain more insight in the field of pharmacy. I do have about 500 volunteer hours at various clinics, hospitals, and other organizations and over 1000 working experience (not medical related)

So besides having a decent-high GPA, what other non-obvious factors contribute to an interview at a pharmacy school in California?

* I just don't want to waste my money applying to pharmacy school THIS CYCLE.. and not get any interviews because I have no hands-on experience in pharmacy.

THANK YOU.

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[kies89]

no pcat is huge plus but also it brigs up competitiveness. i am not sure oos acceptance ratio for ca schools but u can check. i believe its like 10%?

u have a great gpa and a lot of volunteer and stuffs.
i dont think pharmacy experience matters since many students do not get a chance to work at a pharmacy. try research schools u want to apply and check their stats and ratio etc!

 

[RxEvileye]

Pharmacy experience is a plus but usually not a necessity (aside from whatever is required to get a recommendation letter from a pharmacist if a school needs one). Definitely try to get some though to make sure it's what you want to do and to understand the field more.

There are more than a few pharmacy schools in CA and just like other states they may focus on and favor different types of applicants. Even different individuals looking at your application may favor things differently like your experience in healthcare overall and volunteering.

 

[Sugoi Travis]

Before you send your application in to the California schools, find out what their OOS tuition is as well as the cost of living in California. See what your expected costs are going to be and make your decision based on that.

Personally, I don't understand how not taking the PCAT is a huge plus. You've got a 3.9 GPA. You should have no problem murdering the test unless if you have major test-anxiety. Taking the test will open up your options considerably. You might find a better deal for the PharmD degree in a different state even though that school in that state might require the PCAT.