Do I have a chance at being accepted?

[Brobdingnagian]

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Hey everyone,

I'm sort of new to these forums (I've looked around briefly, but never posted) so I apologize if you've seem a similar story 10,000 times. I'm currently majoring in molecular and microbiology, and my cumulative GPA is a 3.356. I have a 7 month old son, and work 25 hours a week in a clinical micro lab on campus. I'm a junior, and I've finished all the pre-req's for pharmacy school. I got all A's in generalI/II and orgoI/II, and my science is still only a 3.2 even though I only had one C (in calculus).

I guess the real question I'm trying to ask is, do I stand a chance getting into the University of Florida's college of pharmacy (or any pharmacy school for that matter)? Should I wait to finish my degree before I start trying to apply to pharm school? I've heard several "he said she said" stories where people with lower credentials got in, but are those truly viable stories? Another thing I must ask is, do they care that I'm working, and have a child while in school? I didn't know if they would take into account my son as some sign of irresponsibility.

A lot of people I know have told me that I'm crazy, but that's ridiculous because I know people personally with more credentials than myself that have been declined.

Hopefully someone can help answer my barrage of questions, thanks so much.


-B

 

[WhiteSnows]

I know that UF requires GPA of science to be much higher than you currently have. UF also emphasize on the Pcat heavily. I would not say it is impossible for you to get in with those stats for I know there were a few cases that got in with low stats. I myself do not know any secret to help you to get in, but I recommend you to take the Pcat and try to score 85 or more. ALso, having some pharmacy experience is extremely helpful to demonstrate your desire on pharmacy.

 

[diastole]

I have a kid and I'm in pharmacy school. I even talked about her in my interview. Several of my classmates have children as well. That part is no big deal and I think that they aren't allowed to ask you about such things regardless.

I don't know specifically about you chosen school but your GPA is certainly good enough to get into pharmacy school somewhere. You don't need to finish your degree though it will make you more competitive. If you want in early, make sure you work on the rest of your application (ECs, PCAT, LORs, etc.) too so you are a strong applicant.

 

[wgt5]

Honestly, schedule a meeting with the admission staff and talk to them. I am applying to pitt and I got so many different answers from students and profs and I talked to the person in charge of admissions and she straightened things out. Talk to them and ask them, take a list of pre thought out questions and ask away. Also, the PCATs could be the deciding factor. Find out what their average PCAT score is.

Ur gpa may be slightly lower than average, but it is defintely competitive.

 

[leolanoles]

Actually, UF recalculated their competitive GPA based on the stats of the incoming class of 2009 and your science GPA falls in their competitive range. Previously the GPA range listed of UF's website was much higher. However, this is because they only calculated GPA based on the math/science courses that were prerequisites for UF. Also, they used the B+= 3.5, C+= 2.5, etc. Now, they use the science GPA that pharmcas calculates. The average for the incoming class of 2009 was 3.48. But the competitive range was 3.0-4.0. Also, their average PCAT score went from previously being 86th percentile, to being an 80, with 70-99 being competitive. All of this information can be found at http://www.cop.ufl.edu/studaff/admission.pdf

As for having children, I would think that quite a few people in pharmacy school might. I agree with the other posters that if you are concerned I would call and speak with someone in admissions. I have previously spoken with Marcy Davis and she has always been very helpful. Sorry for the lengthy post.

 

[BavarianMWE46]

There are people in my class who made C's in all four of the pre-req chemistries, people with no pharmacy experience and have never worked a day in their life. Just apply to about 5-10 schools and you will get in. Almost everyone who isn't a complete idiot gets into pharmacy school.

 

[atticus27]

There are people in my class who made C's in all four of the pre-req chemistries, people with no pharmacy experience and have never worked a day in their life. Just apply to about 5-10 schools and you will get in. Almost everyone who isn't a complete idiot gets into pharmacy school.

I completely agree. Pharmacy admissions are not difficult.