Concerns about applying

[paperpeony]

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Hi all,

I'm worried about my chances of being accepted into pharmacy school. My original plan when I first went to college was pharmacy, but I didn't take school seriously and it affected my GPA. I ended up changing to Business, and am currently in my junior year. I decided that I wanted to try again with pharmacy because I hadn't given it my best effort, and plan to take my pre-pharmacy courses at a community college. Currently, I have an overall GPA of 2.8 and my major GPA at 3.2. I've been working extra hard to pull it up, and aim for a 3.2 by the time I graduate.

At this moment, I'm taking one course at CC in physics. After a couple years of not taking science classes, I'm really struggling to grasp the subject. I know the pre-requisites only get harder, but I'm hoping I'll be able to focus more once I graduate from my business degree.

I just wanted advice on how to better myself for my application. What other way can I get pharmaceutical experience in California without a pharm tech license? Will volunteering be enough?

 

[Hot Pharmacist]

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[Kelp103]

Physics sucks and literally has nothing to do with pharmacy... I just hate physics... Haha

You don't have to get a tech license, but I would recommend it to get exposure. It's one of the best ways to learn and you will get to see if you actually enjoy pharmacy before spending a lot of money on school.

 

[Doc-Rx]

Your past GPA can be overcome- but understand you now have more to prove. From my experience (albeit limited, I did serve on admission committee x 1 yr in pharm school)- you need to be full time. Heavy course load = biggest thing. Especially in your situation. A lot of people fall into the trap of wanting to do well with one science/math class at a time- but it just doesn't show us anything. They are trying to predict how well you are gonna do in pharmacy school. Full time - w/ 2-3 prereq science/math classes at a time should be your goal. Everything else is kinda secondary so keep that in mind. Good luck!


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[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

Your past GPA can be overcome- but understand you now have more to prove. From my experience (albeit limited, I did serve on admission committee x 1 yr in pharm school)- you need to be full time. Heavy course load = biggest thing. Especially in your situation. A lot of people fall into the trap of wanting to do well with one science/math class at a time- but it just doesn't show us anything. They are trying to predict how well you are gonna do in pharmacy school. Full time - w/ 2-3 prereq science/math classes at a time should be your goal. Everything else is kinda secondary so keep that in mind. Good luck!


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That was true ten years ago for Pharmacy. Or did you mistake this for the pre-Medical or pre-Dental forums.

 

[Doc-Rx]

That was true ten years ago for Pharmacy. Or did you mistake this for the pre-Medical or pre-Dental forums.

I most certainly did not mistake. I'm sure the OP would also like to hear your perspective as it seems to be different than mine.


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[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

Just compare the applicant-to-offer ratios of pharmacy schools to Med, Dental, and PA schools. The ratios for these programs tend to be in the double digits. But for pharmacy schools it is in the single digits.

There was a shortage of pharmacists and consequently a deluge of students wanting to go into pharmacy back in the early 2000's. That golden era in which pharmacy was able to command respect in the healthcare food chain grew the egos of pharmacy school deans and professors. They came to believe that they were as respectable as MDs, and definitely more so than nurses.

Now there are 130+ schools and a saturation issue in most areas. Pharmacy no longer commands prestige. Most students who would have gone to pharmacy school ten years ago are now going to Nursing and PA school.

Most med schools won't even look at your application if you get below 75% on the MCAT. In contrast, you will have students who get 28% on the PCAT getting offers to pharmacy school (what a joke).

The truth is, pharmacy school admins cannot fathom the fact that pharmacy no longer gets the respect it used to. When it comes to pharmacy school adcoms, they still want to act like they can be strict with admitting students. But the truth is, they have to admit what they can get.

When I interviewed for pharm school, one adcom member came after me because I worked as a CNA. He asked with an angry face "Do you think pharmacy school is easier than nursing school?" I had to stop myself from laughing. I knew some pharmacists had an inferiority complex to doctors. BUT NURSES?

How the times have changed.🤣

So don't worry. Those harsh words they throw at you during admissions interviews? All a bluff.

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

At one PA school there was 1500 applicants for 50 spots. That is a 30-to-1 applicant-to-offer ratio.

Pharmacy is lucky to get above 4-to-1 even for a reputable school.