Do I apply? Do I take the PCAT?

[vdrugdealer]

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Hello,
I had slacked off my first couple of years in college/uni and now that i got serious i realized how low of a gpa i have. At the moment i am at 2.67GPA and have an upward trend in the works.
With such a low GPA should i even try to apply to schools (for class of 2011)? I am not sure that i can go 3.0+ by the end of this year (even with straight As).

whats the best thing to do here. I am in the process of retaking my classes i got Cs in. Most of my grades are Bs. I read elsewhere taking upper division science classes (300's-400 levels) looks good to schools especially in these situations.

I am studying for the PCAT at the moment as well. I feel a bit hopeless as to what to do, how good of an applicant i am. This feeling is killing me and i know that at the same time it should be a motivational factor to help supplement for a low gpa.

i just need some guidance here please. It is much appreciated.

BTW
my selection of a major is really up in the air...what are appealing majors to chose from for pharmacy schools?

 

[SparkLy09]

Generally, major doesn't really matter for pharmacy schools. But a good portion tend to be some sort of science major since you need to take a good number of science classes - but otherwise makes no big difference. Major in something you ENJOY, and can do well in. Just be prepared to ace your classes from here on out, and do well in your upper levels. Study for the PCAT as you said, and be prepared to kill it, 90+ composite.

Since your GPA is low, you need to concentrate on other factors. Make sure you get stellar LORs and how are your ECs? If you don't have much volunteering/experience, go get some!! Even if you're starting now, it shows that you're trying. You should also concentrate on writing an excellent personal statement. Evaluate really why you want to become a pharmacist despite everything, make sure it's free of grammar errors and that YOU still shine through it. I would also try to get things done ASAP if you still want to apply this year. If you're looking for more competitive schools, I'd recommend taking a year off and working on your GPA. This gives you time to get more ECs as well and you can apply super early in the process next year =)

 

[vdrugdealer]

thanks,
As far as ECs, I hav worked in CVS and a pharmacy on my schools campus. I have a state tech license as well. Other volunteering has been done for numerous years by helping to set up free clinics at a community center to cooking for the needy.
I just feel really lost. I have no read advising for this matter. I will take the October PCAT and try to crush it...but about applying this year for class of 11....well i feel like with the gpa i have i wont have a chance.
I am retaking the classes i got C's in, but now i read elsewhere on the forum that this isnt so much of a good idea. I will try and take bchem classes in the spring to show i can handle the material. LORs shouldnt be a problem, i have one submitted and others on their way.

im just trippin out.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Crush the PCAT and get the score on record, and if you have extra cash money, apply. The worst that can happen is that you get turned down. If you get in, then you'll be good to go obviously.

Likely, you'll be rejected or WL'd, but you can even learn something in that case. You can contact the admissions offices, and ask what, besides GPA, if anything you can do to make your packet look more appealing.

It seems like you have a decent spread of things and the only real drawback to "you" will be the GPA and you're working on fixing that. As far as majors go, choose something where you're interested in it and you can score well on the classes, so you can have some bargaining room on your science classes (if you tend to do more poorly in science than in humanities, for example).

Retaking Cs to get higher grades isn't expressly a bad idea, although typically if you get the C at a university and then retake for a higher grade at a 2 year school it can look like you're dodging the more difficult coursework.

 

[milkchocolate]

vdrugdealer,

i am on a similar boat as you. if you find yourself with a low GPA and youre retaking all the preqs classes anyway, then you may as well Major in something science related. if you have the determination to do well in the classes required to fulfill your major, then i would assume pharm schools will look at you as someone dedicated in their similar coursework. thats basically what im doing and hoping for myself as well...🙄

 

[UMterps]

Stay positive. I definitely slacked off my first 2 1/2 years of undergrad and didn't really apply myself outside of my science courses and graduated with less than a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Later on I decided to go to pharmacy school so I headed back to take some postbac courses at my alma mater. I also called up the schools I was interested in applying to and basically they told me how I would make myself a competitive applicant. Basically they told me to ace my PCAT, get As in courses that other applicants would not (such as organic I and II, micro, physics II, etc.) and get great LORs. Ended up getting a 94 on my PCATs and straight As for the two semesters I took pre-requisite coursework for pharmacy school. It helped that I stood out from other pre-pharm applicants from my school. It also showed both admissions offices determination on my part to succeed. Thankfully I got in during my first try. I finished up pharmacy school and am now almost done getting a post-doc master's to focus on research. Anything is possible if you stay positive.