Can't decide if I want to take it or not

[RedRuda]

I've had a hard time deciding if I want to take the October PCAT. Yes I would have to register for late registration. My school doesn't require it but I think I might want to apply to some other schools too. I have only completed 1 year of college so I am just starting organic now. I would probably be able to get through the Kaplan book, I have done some of it already. I would be able to do some other practice too. I can probably devote an hour every weekday and a few each weekend which I've been doing and it's not too hard. Should I take it or just try to get good grades this semester to try in get in at my local school?

Any advice?
Thanks

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[omnione]

Though many people do get in with one application for only one school, I generally don't like risking a year off because your only school rejected you. Assuming that you want to enter pharmacy school in Fall 2008, the October 2007 PCAT is your last chance. I recommend taking it if you can't find a few non-PCAT schools for your designations.

If you double-time it on organic I and have your other classes taken, then you should be able to manage the PCAT. It's just that your chemistry score could be a liability.

 

[RedRuda]

Thanks for the advice omnione. I think I will take it. Even if I don't do well it will be good practice in case I have to take it next year.

 

[RedRuda]

Can you decide what schools you want to send your results to after you get your scores? And do you get proof of what score you got in the mail that you can include in an application?

 

[binghamkid]

If you apply to PharmCAS schools, you can just elect to send a copy of the scores directly to PharmCAS, and they will disseminate the scores that way. All scores must be reported to every school you apply to, so you can't select a good score and just send it. If you apply to non-PharmCAS schools, tehn you have to send in your own score requests to send the official score report to the schools.

 

[RedRuda]

I guess I'm not taking it because the other schools I want to apply to require physics and more than one semester of calculus so I won't have enough credits anyway. Stupid general education requirements.

 

[airen]

Hi Everyone,

Is the October 2007 PCAT the last time to take it for schools with a later deadline, let's say Feb-March?

Please advise. I'm kind of new to this whole PCAT thing.

Thanks,
Airen

 

[omnione]

Hi Everyone,

Is the October 2007 PCAT the last time to take it for schools with a later deadline, let's say Feb-March?

Please advise. I'm kind of new to this whole PCAT thing.

Thanks,
Airen

It depends on the school, so check out the school websites to get your answer.

 

[RedRuda]

One more question: Is it a complete waste of time to apply to schools where you are missing one or two pre-requisites or will they take other schools' pre-pharmacy programs?

 

[eelo]

One more question: Is it a complete waste of time to apply to schools where you are missing one or two pre-requisites or will they take other schools' pre-pharmacy programs?

You need to check with the schools themselves. When the AACP website is up and running, you can check on there to see what the schools actualy require. There is a link to a large documents that lists schools alphabetically, and inside each school near the section that describes pre-reqs, it will say whether or not everything needs to be completed before application or before matriculation. If it's before application, then you've got to have everything done much earlier. If it's before matriculation, then ou have up until the day classes start to get those pre-reqs completed.

Of course, schools are likely to accept people who are missing pre-reqs only if it looks like the prereqs can (and will) be completed before matriculation. If you're missing one or two science classes and you're scheduled to take one in the Spring semester and the other in the summer, that's a reasonable expectation. But if you're missing two lab sciences, A&P, calculus, and two humanities, that's a little tougher to do in that time and the pharmacy school might be a little leery.

Check with your prospective school If the AACP website doesn't come back up soon, you can go to the actual school's website, or contact someone at the actual school.... rater than ask people in here who really have no vested interest in getting you into pharmacy school.