Chances of Admission

[CristiaanC]

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[chemguy79]

Quick answer:

Your old credits WILL be used to calculate your current GPA. I understand the reason for it, but it's in rather poor taste if they won't use the coursework, but they will take the GPA from said coursework.

I had college credits from 1997 which were used to factor in my GPA when I applied to pharmacy school. However, they will look more closely at your current academic record which will put you in a favorable light. If you score well on the PCAT, it will strengthen your case if you apply to schools that require the PCAT.

Good luck on the application process!

 

[PharmMom2011]

I agree with what Chemguy79 said, but also wanted to add that you have a great opportunity to address this in the essay that you submit with your application. My first round of college, I graduated with a 3.0, but my science grades, especially Chemistry, were dismal. Now that I have returned to school, I aced those classes, and I have been accepted to a pharmacy program for Fall 2012. In my essay, I spoke about my first undergraduate experience, mentioned how my work experience in another totally unrelated field (IT), would help me as a pharmacist, and let them know why and how I became interested in becoming a pharmacist.

So yes, while your older classes do factor in to your GPA, they will look at how much time has passed and see that you have changed.

Good luck!

 

[bw6]

^See above comments^ - Good advice.

While your poor grades will affect your GPA, as long as you retook the prerequisites and did well in those classes you should be fine. While I wouldn't exactly consider your situation unique, the fact that you went back and did well in prereqs will show motivation and intelligence. PCAT is probably going to be very important for you. A good score will show that your bad grades were a matter of maturity and not intelligence.

Just kill that PCAT and you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[xtsukiyox]

I have nothing really to add to the above comments, except... CristiaanC, I can't tell you how awesome it is that 1) even though you had to fund it yourself, you continued to go to school and 2) you've found your calling. I know how hard it is to work to fund school. I'm impressed that you kept coming back to it. So, a big thumbs up to you, and best of luck.

 

[CristiaanC]

Thanks so much guys. That makes me feel much better. I must say, for a considerable amount of time, my outlook at my future was very much negative, but I've remained steadfast and have worked hard to ensure that I clearly show an obvious change in my maturity level to those at the admissions level. Thanks again, and I'll keep you guys updated regarding my journey toward becoming a pharmacist.

 

[Heathbar314]

I had a similar situation Op, but there is hope! I started taking college classes in 2001 when I was only 15 years old (got a GED, dropped out of HS). I got okay grades, mostly B's and C's. I switched majors multiple times and took a lot of pointless classes. My GPA was only 2.7 when I decided I wanted to try to go to pharamcy school in 2008. I got strait A's since that time and did well on my PCAT. I finished with a 80 PCAT composite and a 3.2 GPA.

I used my personal statement to explain my situation and the schools I applied to took this into account. I was very honest about this in my essay and during my interviews. I applied to two schools this year and got accepted to both!

 

[PharmQQ]

Am I the only person that sees all these replies as being incorrect? Since when do schools mandate the transfer of old credits from previous colleges? How will the pharmacy school you are applying to ever find out you took classes somewhere else? Unless of course you tell them. I am only saying this because I am in a similar boat. Started community college after high school and did poorly. Stopped for a year to work and recently started again at a new CC. Never transfered my credits over and now have a 3.9 GPA. So unless I am mistaken your credits and GPA will NOT affect your chances of getting in nor will the college ever know you attended that university. Unless of course you tell them.

 

[chemguy79]

Am I the only person that sees all these replies as being incorrect? Since when do schools mandate the transfer of old credits from previous colleges? How will the pharmacy school you are applying to ever find out you took classes somewhere else? Unless of course you tell them. I am only saying this because I am in a similar boat. Started community college after high school and did poorly. Stopped for a year to work and recently started again at a new CC. Never transfered my credits over and now have a 3.9 GPA. So unless I am mistaken your credits and GPA will NOT affect your chances of getting in nor will the college ever know you attended that university. Unless of course you tell them.

Yes, you are mistaken.

It is quite easy for Pharmacy Schools to find out whether you attended schools previously; They can find this information via your FAFSA, which keeps track of where you received financial aid. Furthermore, there is a National Collegiate Clearinghouse of all accredited community colleges & universities which keep track of your records. Furthermore, when you apply to Pharmacy School, you are required to send in ALL transcripts, regardless of whether you liked the grades or not. It's a part of the ethics statement that is in your application.

Therefore, PharmQQ ... You may have been able to attend another community college without sending in previous transcripts (which is a violation since schools require previous transcripts), but you will NOT be able to attend Pharmacy School using the same tactics. ALL transcripts are required.

 

[PharmQQ]

Yes, you are mistaken.

It is quite easy for Pharmacy Schools to find out whether you attended schools previously; They can find this information via your FAFSA, which keeps track of where you received financial aid. Furthermore, there is a National Collegiate Clearinghouse of all accredited community colleges & universities which keep track of your records. Furthermore, when you apply to Pharmacy School, you are required to send in ALL transcripts, regardless of whether you liked the grades or not. It's a part of the ethics statement that is in your application.

Therefore, PharmQQ ... You may have been able to attend another community college without sending in previous transcripts (which is a violation since schools require previous transcripts), but you will NOT be able to attend Pharmacy School using the same tactics. ALL transcripts are required.

Thank you very much for this info. I was completley unaware of this. So like has been said lets say you got B's and C's previously but show an upward trend pharmacy schools will still accept you?

 

[kcwang]

Thank you very much for this info. I was completley unaware of this. So like has been said lets say you got B's and C's previously but show an upward trend pharmacy schools will still accept you?

That depends on the school, but usually yes they accept upward trend. Remember, you just need to prove you can do well in pharmacy school.

 

[bw6]

Thank you very much for this info. I was completley unaware of this. So like has been said lets say you got B's and C's previously but show an upward trend pharmacy schools will still accept you?

I had B's and C's freshman year and did a little better every year after. Finished freshman year with a 2.7 and graduate last year with a 3.35. I obviously had a pretty drastic upward trend in my semester GPAs something like 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.25 3.5 3.5 3.8 4.0 but I just used it to my advantage and cited how my drastic academic turnaround was because of my decision to attend pharmacy school - which is quite true.

Truth is, the admissions committees are human and they understand a bad first year or a few bad grades. They aren't looking for a perfect candidate, they are looking for someone who will be successful at their school and successful as a pharmacist. Just prove this somehow. Upward trend in GPA, good PCAT, a lot of pharmacy experience, or whatever else you think will show them that a few bad grades are just that - a few bad grades.

Good luck - you will be fine

 

[Nelcovp]

The only reason I'm posting this fairly common question once again is because my situation is VERY different than most. I started college at Stony Brook University in 2001, and throughout the years there I maintained about a 2.7 GPA. My first year was fraught with poor grades. Financial aid gave me problems mainly because my parents would not file their tax returns and so I had to work in order to pay tuition. I had to take many semesters off just to save money and sure enough, almost 8 years of time passed and I still had no degree. I also took courses over to try and raise my GPA, but the more courses I took, the more credits accumulated and therefore it became that much more difficult to raise my GPA. I was very immature and unprepared and it reflected in my studies. My record at SBU is very inconsistent.

Since 2009, I've changed as an individual and have matured in terms of my work ethic and diligence. I've been working in a retail pharmacy since 2009, and I love the experience. I've been told by almost every pharmacist that I've worked with that I am a very intelligent individual, and would be an amazing pharmacist, and so I've decided to pursue pharmacy school. I decided to take the pre-requisite courses at a community college and I've been maintaining a very high GPA. I plan on graduating with a 3.8 GPA. I have about a year left of course work and want to transfer these credits to a pharmacy school. I will be taking the PCAT and plan on performing extremely well on it.

I've been told that coursework over 5 years old is not accepted for transfer by most pharmacy schools. Will my old credits affect my current GPA even though most are too old to transfer? Since I'm taking every pre-requisite again and doign very well, does my previous history still weigh down my efforts? I sincerely thank anyone with any form of information as these are questions which have been plaguing me for months now.

Take care all, and thanks again.

Take all your prereqs at a school you've never been to and no one will ever know.

 

[bw6]

Take all your prereqs at a school you've never been to and no one will ever know.

False.

See Chemguy's comment above. FAFSA knows every school you've been to and there are other inter-collegiate organizations which share academic attendance histories. If you don't report EVERY transcript from EVERY academic institution you attended, you are in violation of the agreement that you made with PharmCAS. Violating the PharmCAS policy is grounds to be denied or have your acceptance terminated by any pharmacy school.

So, long answer short: send all of your transcripts to PharmCAS so that all of your grades are reported or you may end up regretting it.

And seriously... Chemguy already answered this question and answered it well so stop giving bad advice.

 

[owlegrad]

False.

See Chemguy's comment above. FAFSA knows every school you've been to and there are other inter-collegiate organizations which share academic attendance histories. If you don't report EVERY transcript from EVERY academic institution you attended, you are in violation of the agreement that you made with PharmCAS. Violating the PharmCAS policy is grounds to be denied or have your acceptance terminated by any pharmacy school.

So, long answer short: send all of your transcripts to PharmCAS so that all of your grades are reported or you may end up regretting it.

And seriously... Chemguy already answered this question and answered it well so stop giving bad advice.

Well said.