Do schools that don't require PCAT value undergraduate degrees more?

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If you attended one of the top universities in the nation but your science GPA is not too great (a D, a C-, a couple of C's), would a pharmacy school that does not require PCAT overlook your lower grades because your undergraduate degree stands out.

No offense to anyone who went to CC, but I could have easily gone to a community college and maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Instead, I chose to go to one of the top universities in the country, and so my GPA is 3.0.

It stands to reason that they would value your undergraduate institution more. Since they don't look at PCAT, how else will they compare candidates?

Surely they would realize that a mediocre student from HYP is stronger than a straight A student from community college?

 

[Corpseman]

If you attended one of the top universities in the nation but your science GPA is not too great (a D, a C-, a couple of C's), would a pharmacy school that does not require PCAT overlook your lower grades because your undergraduate degree stands out.

No offense to anyone who went to CC, but I could have easily gone to a community college and maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Instead, I chose to go to one of the top universities in the country, and so my GPA is 3.0.

It stands to reason that they would value your undergraduate institution more. Since they don't look at PCAT, how else will they compare candidates?

Surely they would realize that a mediocre student from HYP is stronger than a straight A student from community college?

In your case, the CC students would have to go to a "not-as-good" university compared to your vastly superior one and finish out the upper level courses. That is how they even out the playing field.

 

[88888888]

That's not always the case. Ppl in cc can get high pcat as well. 90+, I'm sure many ppl do. A lot of top programs though look for that bachelors which requires you to go to 4 year university. In which case if you didn't do terribly bad your probably in good shape as someone from some ivy.

Ppl from cc aren't always bad students.. Some people choose so because to save money or be close to family for a couple years etc...

 

[AlPacino]

If you attended one of the top universities in the nation but your science GPA is not too great (a D, a C-, a couple of C's), would a pharmacy school that does not require PCAT overlook your lower grades because your undergraduate degree stands out.

No offense to anyone who went to CC, but I could have easily gone to a community college and maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Instead, I chose to go to one of the top universities in the country, and so my GPA is 3.0.

It stands to reason that they would value your undergraduate institution more. Since they don't look at PCAT, how else will they compare candidates?

Surely they would realize that a mediocre student from HYP is stronger than a straight A student from community college?

The PCAT is the universal pharmacy equalizer. Doesnt matter if you went to John Hopkins or some state college, it is all the same material. If it came down to one seat, and you have a CC student with a 4.0GPA, 95PCAT, and pharmacy experience against a "top university" grad, 3.0GPA and a 55PCAT, with no experience, who do you think they are going to get accepted? This criteria would depend on which pharmacy school you are applying to but the ones Ive spoken to have all said the same thing.

 

[Sugoi Travis]

A low GPA is bad, no matter where you went for undergrad. You can read my response from your other thread on what school I went to and what GPA I got; basically I was saying that you'd be shooting yourself in the foot by applying to schools that don't require the PCAT. Take the test and shred it; I don't know how CCs teach, but at least at my university, my professors stress integration and understanding of the concepts and seeing the big picture. Very little memorization is required; that kind of learning was a huge boon for me in scoring much, much higher than average on the PCAT.

 

[KasHfg]

Surely they would realize that a mediocre student from HYP is stronger than a straight A student from community college?

So you are saying you are better than me just because you went to a good university rather than community college? The fact that one goes to a CC does not mean that the person would not do great at your school... There are many different reasons why someone chooses CC over University... and adcoms know that. The school only matters if you are comparing two people with approximately the same GPA; not 4.0 to 3.0. Having a degree will help in schools that don't look at PCAT, but only to some extend... again, if you have bachelors and GPA 3.0 or below, a person with no degree and 4.0 will still look better to adcoms (given similar extracurriculars).

 

[Kat3445]

If you attended one of the top universities in the nation but your science GPA is not too great (a D, a C-, a couple of C's), would a pharmacy school that does not require PCAT overlook your lower grades because your undergraduate degree stands out.

First, I would retake the courses that you received a D in. Whether or not a school requires a PCAT score, they will look unfavorably on those grades especially if it's a science course (chemistry, biology, biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, etc). Many schools also require a "C" minimum (not C-) in all prerecs. The absence of one requirement does not make another "stand out" more. Each piece of the applicant puzzle will be examined, although a strong personal statement and letter of recs could really bring it to the next level.

No offense to anyone who went to CC, but I could have easily gone to a community college and maintained a 4.0 GPA. ... Surely they would realize that a mediocre student from HYP is stronger than a straight A student from community college?

Second, I don't know who told you this but it's absolutely false. I am a CC-transfer student (A.S., Honors Biology) attending a top research university in CA, and my transfer peers and I are the ones consistently setting the curve, getting the internships, elected to officer positions in clubs, and attending office hours to build interactions with professors. If you think getting straight A's at a CC is so easy, I would recommend retaking those courses mentioned above at a CC of your choice. 👍

On a final note: Even if you continue to hold this opinion about your "shoulda-woulda-coulda" CC grades, I would keep it to yourself during an interview. You may not know every detail of your interviewer's background, and it would be a shame if it were one like mine.

 

[technician107]

I went and got my bachelors at undergrad and graduated 2007. I took the majority of my pre-reqs at a "CC". Organic chemistry in a "CC" is still hard, I don't care that you think "CC" students have it easy, it's just plain hard. I studied for that class at a "CC" way more than I studied for all 4 years of my undergrad. I ended up having a 3.3 GPA from combination of the two. I got into school, and I didn't take the PCAT because of my bachelors. I wouldn't be worried about whether the school makes the difference... I'd try making yourself look competitive. Volunteer, pharmacy, etc. It's not just about grades - it's the entire package.

 

[owlegrad]

I agree that you need to keep that opinion to yourself. No one is impressed by how well you would have done if you had gone to a CC.