Did your GPA drop in Pharmacy School?

[MrRx]

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I've read in other places that some people did really well in the PCAT (90s%) and had good GPAs before Pharmacy school (3.5 up) but in Pharmacy School are dragging a 2.6, 2.8, and some keep a 3.5 up gpa. What do you think is the norm? Why would such good students dip into lower grades at Pharmacy School? 😕 I just want to be prepared for when/if I get into Pharmacy school.

 

[ZpackSux]

You need a decent GPA to get in.

Then.. C = pharmD

Naplex is a minimum competency test.. if you even come close to flunking it.. u might as well quit.

I think previous CA RX board exam before the change was a better test and competency measure for new pharmacists. Naplex is a joke.

 

[OSURxgirl]

It makes sense actually. You only admit the cream of the crop into a PharmD program BUT, someone still has to fail. (The instructors make sure of that when they write the exams). In undergrad you are competing against everyone...the D students, the chronic party people, etc. In pharm school you are competing against strong students. Plus, it's just a lot of work. In undergrad, I barely studied (usually the night before or sometimes an hour or two before the exam). I graduated with a 3.67. I got a 97 on my PCAT. In pharm school, the difference between an A and a B is huge in terms of how much work and studying you have to do. To me, it isn't worth it. I choose to spend more time with my husband, more time working, and more time with extracurriculars. I'd rather just take the B (and sometimes the C...ugh) than study all the time, but that's me. My GPA after one year of pharm school is 2.87. I'd like to raise it a little this year, but I won't stress myself out too much by trying to do it.

 

[ZpackSux]

You only admit the cream of the crop into a PharmD program

There weren't that much cream in our crop..

 

[tupac_don]

I've read in other places that some people did really well in the PCAT (90s%) and had good GPAs before Pharmacy school (3.5 up) but in Pharmacy School are dragging a 2.6, 2.8, and some keep a 3.5 up gpa. What do you think is the norm? Why would such good students dip into lower grades at Pharmacy School? 😕 I just want to be prepared for when/if I get into Pharmacy school.

Most people can get 3.5 and up in undergrad no problem with minimal studying. In pharmacy, there is more pressure more tests, and I guess people loose motivation to study consistently. If you study consistently and go to your classes, you should do just as well in undergrad, if not better, b/c the topic may interest you. Good luck.

 

[AngryRPh]

I've read in other places that some people did really well in the PCAT (90s%) and had good GPAs before Pharmacy school (3.5 up) but in Pharmacy School are dragging a 2.6, 2.8, and some keep a 3.5 up gpa. What do you think is the norm? Why would such good students dip into lower grades at Pharmacy School? 😕 I just want to be prepared for when/if I get into Pharmacy school.

I think you'll find that a lot of students in pharmacy school begin to focus on things other than academics. When I was in my last year, I was making $20 per hour as an intern at Walgreens. I worked about 35 hours a week through school, which helped me to buy a house about 8 months before graduation. Many students in my class worked as much as I did.

We also had a few sayings at my school. The graduation policy stated that you had to have a D to pass a class as long as your overall GPA was 2.0 or higher. The first saying was "D's make PharmD's", and the second was "2.0 keeps the study time low". I'm not advocating not studying or doing well, but I did not see a reason to shoot for a 3.8 GPA...not when my student loans were going to be over $100k.

 

[GravyRPH]

It was pretty much the opposite for me. My GPA actually went way up in pharmacy school. I had done the whole exploring my independence in the undergrad years and was ready to rock and roll when I got to pharm school. I guess it all depends on the person and what your motivation is.

 

[imperial frog]

My overall GPA was somewhere in the 3.7 range and my sciences was 4.0. My first semester of pharmschool I had a 3.43 and the second I improved to 3.9. The first semester I studied the same way I did before...which means I only really devoted a few hours of studying before tests. The next semester I tried to actually keep up with the material throughout the semester and started studying with a small group of people and found out that it helped a little.

The work is harder...but not so hard that you can't succeed with a little adaption.

 

[dgroulx]

My overall GPA is a 3.27 in through 2 years of pharmacy school. This is lower than my undergrad GPA because I got a couple of C's during my 2nd year. I chose to spend every evening relaxing and watching TV, unless I had an exam. Grades don't mean enough to me to give up home life.

If you did well in undergrad, you should still be fine in pharmacy school.

 

[RUN DMV]

I've read in other places that some people did really well in the PCAT (90s%) and had good GPAs before Pharmacy school (3.5 up) but in Pharmacy School are dragging a 2.6, 2.8, and some keep a 3.5 up gpa. What do you think is the norm? Why would such good students dip into lower grades at Pharmacy School? 😕 I just want to be prepared for when/if I get into Pharmacy school.

Uh, cause pharmacy school is hard. And when you're already accepted, does it matters if you got an A or a C as long as you get your degree and start making money.

Personally, I would try to get A's. I start to panic when my work is in what I think is C range. Don't want to fail that one test that has you failing the course.

 

[Trancelucent1]

Mine only slightly went down (from a 3.6 Science GPA to a 3.5 last semester, 3.42 overall). I'm really pleased with my grades. It's not easy though and I'm only working in the summer. I prefer to have free time and would rather be able to take time away from school/work.

 

[Caverject]

There weren't that much cream in our crop..

That's because UCSF creamed on your crop

 

[ZpackSux]

That's because UCSF creamed on your crop

Why would I go to school I can't get through..and actually have to do work and no football program.

 

[Trancelucent1]

Wow congrats James! And I was just happy to make the dean's list! Damnit, I knew I should have come over to get free meals...err I mean study!

 

[imperial frog]

Wow congrats James! And I was just happy to make the dean's list! Damnit, I knew I should have come over to get free meals...err I mean study!

The door's always open. Well not always open because we moved to Deltona...land of the bat wielding lunatics.

 

[aaron31981]

My undergrad GPA was a 3.25 and I placed in the 99th %tile on the PCAT.

First 3 quarters at MWU-CPG I had a 3.7 GPA. This quarter it will drop down. I seriously hit the road block with my mind and the heat here. I am used to Minnesota and Arizona is just slightly warmer.

I also work between 10 and 30 hours a week.

 

[AngryRPh]

The door's always open. Well not always open because we moved to Deltona...land of the bat weilding lunatics.

Have they tried those psychopaths for murder yet? Such a sad tragedy...all over an X-Box... 🙁

 

[imperial frog]

Have they tried those psychopaths for murder yet? Such a sad tragedy...all over an X-Box... 🙁

Their lawyers just asked for a delay because they felt they couldn't get a fair trial and apparently needed more time to come up with a valid reason for beating four people and their dog to death.

 

[ZpackSux]

Most of you should be able to bring up your GPA during your 4th year rotation. Except for the Medicine/Critical Care rotation, you should be able to get As on the rest.