Chances???

[HmoobRX]

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Hey Guys/Gals,

It seems like a lot of people are asking about thier chances of getting into pharm school, so I would also like to post my own stats and get some feedback.

Went to a prestigous 4 year state university and graduated with a 2.48 GPA. I did horrible in my sciences because my classes were 250+ and just felt like I wasn't able to get the support I needed to succeed. When I didn't see any improvement I lost motivation to really try. This started to become a repetitive cycle so I made up my mind to pursue a non-science degree. Unfortunately, that didn't really boost up my GPA since by then I had taken and retaken a few science courses. The only positive was that it only took me 3 1/2 years to finish this degree.

Immediatly, after I graduated with my first bachelors I enrolled in a much smaller university where I was no longer a number but my professors knew me by name. Even when it was not office hours, I could walk down the hall to their office 90% of the time and get help. This really made a big difference to how I performed as a science student. In 3 semesters, I graduated Magna Cum Laude (GPA 3.67) with my second bachelors in biology.

I have not taken the PCAT this year yet. I took it last year and did not have a great composite. I scored much higher on verbal, reading comp, and biology, but I definitely have some grounds to make up in the chem and quantative sections of the exam.

But I want to know if I am a better candidate now then I was last year? I applied to about 8 or 9 schools last year and even though I mentioned I would be getting a second bachelors I did not get a single interview.

Please provide feedback.
Thank you.

 

[Prepharm1214]

I think most schools screen applicants by gpa initially, so if you did not meet their minimum gpa cutoff they may have not even looked at your essays or other activities. What did Pharmcas calculate your overall gpa to be when adding together both your prestigious school's gpa and your smaller school's gpa?

 

[HmoobRX]

Last year, the PharmCAS cumulative was 2.9. But this year I have not submitted yet so I do not know what the cumulative is. PharmCas did not get my final grades from the spring semester.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

A second bachelors isn't going to make you more competitive, though the upward trend in grades helps. With that low of a GPA you really need to nail the PCAT and have a strong application in your other sections.

 

[bwsalvas]

I viewed the PCAT as my great equalizer. My grades were OK, not amazing.

Take a PCAT prep class either through KAPLAN or a similar company and try to get a competitive edge on that test.

I can't say that a 90's%tile composite can make up for past inadequacies but it can certainly show that you have what it takes to do well in pharmacy school.

I look at the test as a prediction of how well you'll do once you're in. The higher you score the more confidence an admissions committee can have in you.

All pharmacy schools are competitive, but its not impossible to get in.