Easy Pharmacy Schools

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Hello there,

If you just want to get by, i.e. just get your degree, you can go to literally any Pharmacy school on the planet. UCSF, HICP, any school will suffice if all you want to do is pass. It's considerably harder to do well in pharmacy school though, but it sounds like you're shooting for the lowest common denominator.
 
Hello there,

If you just want to get by, i.e. just get your degree, you can go to literally any Pharmacy school on the planet. UCSF, HICP, any school will suffice if all you want to do is pass. It's considerably harder to do well in pharmacy school though, but it sounds like you're shooting for the lowest common denominator.

the thing is, not too many employers care about grades, and GPA in pharmacy school doesnt directly represent the important knowledge either. You could have a 2.8 from getting C-'s in all the nonsense classes and came out with A-'s and B+s in the important ones.

there seem to be a lot of pharmacy students in my class who are stressing themselves out about grades mostly because they have been raised that way and for some reason are basing a significant percentage of their self worth on whether or not they can "achieve" in pharmacy school. When a lot of it is really meaningless, it's really sad to see peoples' quality of life suffer.

Not that pharmacy school is meaningless, easy, or a joke.. but just a lot of people seem to take a lot of things way too seriously.
 
the thing is, not too many employers care about grades, and GPA in pharmacy school doesnt directly represent the important knowledge either. You could have a 2.8 from getting C-'s in all the nonsense classes and came out with A-'s and B+s in the important ones.

there seem to be a lot of pharmacy students in my class who are stressing themselves out about grades mostly because they have been raised that way and for some reason are basing a significant percentage of their self worth on whether or not they can "achieve" in pharmacy school. When a lot of it is really meaningless, it's really sad to see peoples' quality of life suffer.

Not that pharmacy school is meaningless, easy, or a joke.. but just a lot of people seem to take a lot of things way too seriously.


Perhaps they are considering residencies, fellowships or post graduate training ?

I know I am and naturally I am concerned about my GPA.
 
Of course you can get a job with a engineering degree. I am talking about science degrees like BS Biology, BS Physics, BS Chemistry, BS Sociology, BS Pyschology, BS Of any Science, etc. you will not be able to find a well paying job without doing a PhD or going to med or pharm school. Chances are you the only job you can find is high school teacher.

I would like to add at a catholic school. Most public schools require a masters nowadays... psssh. Oh, you could also teach at a community college. 👍
 
Hello there,

If you just want to get by, i.e. just get your degree, you can go to literally any Pharmacy school on the planet. UCSF, HICP, any school will suffice if all you want to do is pass. It's considerably harder to do well in pharmacy school though, but it sounds like you're shooting for the lowest common denominator.

Your comparison of HICP to UCSF just caused Dean Koda-Kimble to have a stroke.

I don't think HICP would suffice!
 
Undergrad is the new high school, no one cares about it after you receive a doctorate/professional degree/masters. But if your undergrad makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, good for you, unfortunately you won't feel warm and fuzzy with the way the job market treats you and your "top 30 chemistry degree" laughable.

LMAO

My parent's always tell me the same thing. Undergrad is the new high school... lol I majored in biology because I LOVE biology... not because I expected to stop there and become a zookeeper.

This guy can't be serious. Honestly... I WANT to go to a hard pharmacy school. Playtime is over... when the **** hits the fan and people are relocating and walking around with a briefcase full of resumes handing them out, I want to have a diploma from a well known school and a kick ass GPA to back it up. But you know... that's just me.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
BTW... I know at this point GPA isn't a huge huge deal, but I like to make the best use of my money and time. I might want to do a residency... so I'd like to have that option without worrying about how competitive things might get. I am also low maintenance, don't care much for German cars, know how to socialize and have fun outside of studying, etc, but I still want to do well in school.
 
I dont think the material taught in pharmacy school is all that hard. Sure it takes time to master but its not difficult. While some have the "C equals PharmD attitude" its probably not the best.. If you want to do residency and be competitive you need to do reasonably well or make up for it in other ways (research etc). Also I suppose in some markets where jobs are limited even a chain would probably hire somebody with a higher GPA. I would be curious to know though if any pharmacy schools have changed over to pass/fail grading like a lot of medical schools have. That seems to reduce stress. One thing I guess that could make one school more "difficult" than another is a required research project/thesis or require more experiential time. Bottom line though: No pharm school is going to be significantly easier content wise because in the end you still have to pass the NAPLEX.
 
I dont think the material taught in pharmacy school is all that hard. Sure it takes time to master but its not difficult. While some have the "C equals PharmD attitude" its probably not the best.. If you want to do residency and be competitive you need to do reasonably well or make up for it in other ways (research etc). Also I suppose in some markets where jobs are limited even a chain would probably hire somebody with a higher GPA. I would be curious to know though if any pharmacy schools have changed over to pass/fail grading like a lot of medical schools have. That seems to reduce stress. One thing I guess that could make one school more "difficult" than another is a required research project/thesis or require more experiential time. Bottom line though: No pharm school is going to be significantly easier content wise because in the end you still have to pass the NAPLEX.
You are right, the material is not that tough, its just an overload of information. There is a great deal of **** to shovel through. The other thing is GPA should matter to everyone, as the market gets smaller and smaller, GPA will weigh a little more heavily in an employers eye. Gone are the days of C = PharmD
 
I dont think the material taught in pharmacy school is all that hard. Sure it takes time to master but its not difficult. While some have the "C equals PharmD attitude" its probably not the best.. If you want to do residency and be competitive you need to do reasonably well or make up for it in other ways (research etc). Also I suppose in some markets where jobs are limited even a chain would probably hire somebody with a higher GPA. I would be curious to know though if any pharmacy schools have changed over to pass/fail grading like a lot of medical schools have. That seems to reduce stress. One thing I guess that could make one school more "difficult" than another is a required research project/thesis or require more experiential time. Bottom line though: No pharm school is going to be significantly easier content wise because in the end you still have to pass the NAPLEX.

My school is pass/fail but passing is 90% or 85% if your team passes with a 95%. I'm not sure that reduces the stress. That 90% bar is pretty intimidating to some of my classmates.
 
Yeah I have definitely heard that passing at p/f schools is pretty hard. Do they rank you too?
 
Last edited:
Hi I have a really good GPA, PCATs and what not. My undergraduate was Biochemistry and I'm really academically spent; I would like to know which pharmacy schools are easier as far as rigor.... Please Post and explain your school (especially if your school is easier than undergraduate). Its also plus if their in a good location to live

PBA, you get to make rap videos... hahahahah :meanie:
 
It's sad that rotations are not graded with the letter system here but the didactic classes are. IMO, your performance at your rotations is much more important and should count more towards your comparison to other classmates than your performance on a couple of exams.
 
My school is pass/fail but passing is 90% or 85% if your team passes with a 95%. I'm not sure that reduces the stress. That 90% bar is pretty intimidating to some of my classmates.

90%? Does anyone pass therapeutics?
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
It's sad that rotations are not graded with the letter system here but the didactic classes are. IMO, your performance at your rotations is much more important and should count more towards your comparison to other classmates than your performance on a couple of exams.

Same with us IPPE are p/f, but all the classes are letter grade. I still think IPPE are a complete waste of time though, so I am glad its p/f.:laugh: I don't know any schools that grade their rotations on a letter grade system actually. Do you?
 
Same with us IPPE are p/f, but all the classes are letter grade. I still think IPPE are a complete waste of time though, so I am glad its p/f.:laugh: I don't know any schools that grade their rotations on a letter grade system actually. Do you?

And before someone replies that some people are shyer than others and have a tougher time on rotations, they are going to have to get over that if they want to be a good pharmacist.
 
And before someone replies that some people are shyer than others and have a tougher time on rotations, they are going to have to get over that if they want to be a good pharmacist.

I just thought of another reason why I would hate to be graded on rotations....I HATE subjective grading. I like being graded on exams and I like taking exams b/c there are no gray areas...it doesn't matter who you are if you get a question RIGHT you get correct for it...if you get a question WRONG you don't get correct for it...its that simple. Grading that involves ass kissing your preceptors and pure luck (some preceptors are more lenient than others...some preceptors are complete aholes etc) I don't really like subjective grading or grading that depends on your luck/ass kissing skills. 🙄
 
I don't really like subjective grading or grading that depends on your luck/ass kissing skills. 🙄

I kissed no ass during my 1.5 years of rotations and my gpa from those rotations destroyed my gpa from sitting in class. Some of my preceptors were jerks, some were actually hostile, others I barely saw and left it to the resident to decide my grade, but if you're there to learn you will do well regardless. It's almost like they wanted to see if they could break you down. Don't kiss ass. It's pathetic, and they'll penalize you for that.
 
I kissed no ass during my 1.5 years of rotations and my gpa from those rotations destroyed my gpa from sitting in class. Some of my preceptors were jerks, some were actually hostile, others I barely saw and left it to the resident to decide my grade, but if you're there to learn you will do well regardless. It's almost like they wanted to see if they could break you down. Don't kiss ass. It's pathetic, and they'll penalize you for that.


I know the IPPEs we do during our p1, p2 and p3 years are not graded...but I am not sure about our 4th year rotations. If I can choose I wish we had 4 years of classes and no rotations.:laugh: But yeah...I guess thats a good questiont to ask...I am not sure if our 4th year is grade or just p/f. I hope its just p/f so I don't have to kiss ass! :laugh:
Anyways...I am surprise those jerks don't like ass kissing...about 99.99999% of jerks in the world LOVE to hear people kissing their ass its hilarious...I remember back in high school when we had group projects we had to grade each of our team members...I had this stupid girl in my group that was rude and thinks she is perfect. So I just agree with her and kiss her ass b/c she was going to give me a grade at the end of the project. Well, she ended up givng me a perfect grade and everyone else in the group a bad grade for calling her an idiot!!! See idiots love ass kissing. 🙄
 
I kissed no ass during my 1.5 years of rotations and my gpa from those rotations destroyed my gpa from sitting in class. Some of my preceptors were jerks, some were actually hostile, others I barely saw and left it to the resident to decide my grade, but if you're there to learn you will do well regardless. It's almost like they wanted to see if they could break you down. Don't kiss ass. It's pathetic, and they'll penalize you for that.


I still don't see how these preceptors are so bad. Don't they get weeded out by the student complaints and evaluations? I really surprised to hear about all these bad experiences. I must have picked my rotations well because I have had great experiences for every single one so far. Just work hard and don't be dumb. Maybe dumb is a bit harsh but just good common sense should get you through with most people.
 
Last edited:
I just thought of another reason why I would hate to be graded on rotations....I HATE subjective grading. I like being graded on exams and I like taking exams b/c there are no gray areas...it doesn't matter who you are if you get a question RIGHT you get correct for it...if you get a question WRONG you don't get correct for it...its that simple. Grading that involves ass kissing your preceptors and pure luck (some preceptors are more lenient than others...some preceptors are complete aholes etc) I don't really like subjective grading or grading that depends on your luck/ass kissing skills. 🙄

I dunno, I prefer subjective grading, which is why I don't like multiple choice questions on exams. With multiple choice questions, you're either right or you're wrong. With short answer or essay questions, you can get partial credit.
 
I know the IPPEs we do during our p1, p2 and p3 years are not graded...but I am not sure about our 4th year rotations. If I can choose I wish we had 4 years of classes and no rotations.:laugh: But yeah...I guess thats a good questiont to ask...I am not sure if our 4th year is grade or just p/f. I hope its just p/f so I don't have to kiss ass! :laugh:
Anyways...I am surprise those jerks don't like ass kissing...about 99.99999% of jerks in the world LOVE to hear people kissing their ass its hilarious...I remember back in high school when we had group projects we had to grade each of our team members...I had this stupid girl in my group that was rude and thinks she is perfect. So I just agree with her and kiss her ass b/c she was going to give me a grade at the end of the project. Well, she ended up givng me a perfect grade and everyone else in the group a bad grade for calling her an idiot!!! See idiots love ass kissing. 🙄

If this were the case you'd end up a terrible pharmacist.
 
I still don't see how these preceptors are so bad. Don't they get weeded out by the student complaints and evaluations? I really surprised to hear about all these bad experiences. I must have picked my rotations well because I have had great experiences for every single one so far. Just work hard and don't be dumb. Maybe dumb is a bit harsh but just good common sense should get you through with most people.

Well, rotation site/preceptor availabilities are getting tight with all the schools popping up, so that may have something to do with it.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I know the IPPEs we do during our p1, p2 and p3 years are not graded...but I am not sure about our 4th year rotations. If I can choose I wish we had 4 years of classes and no rotations.:laugh: But yeah...I guess thats a good questiont to ask...I am not sure if our 4th year is grade or just p/f. I hope its just p/f so I don't have to kiss ass! :laugh:
Anyways...I am surprise those jerks don't like ass kissing...about 99.99999% of jerks in the world LOVE to hear people kissing their ass its hilarious...I remember back in high school when we had group projects we had to grade each of our team members...I had this stupid girl in my group that was rude and thinks she is perfect. So I just agree with her and kiss her ass b/c she was going to give me a grade at the end of the project. Well, she ended up givng me a perfect grade and everyone else in the group a bad grade for calling her an idiot!!! See idiots love ass kissing. 🙄


The beauty of my school is if you choose pharmaceutical sciences pathway - you work last year on your independent research project and only have to do 4 rorations total, compared to the 12 pharm care pathway candidates have to do. Plus if your project is good enough, you can publish or conduct it at a hot shot biotech company, win-win for research oriented people.
 
The beauty of my school is if you choose pharmaceutical sciences pathway - you work last year on your independent research project and only have to do 4 rorations total, compared to the 12 pharm care pathway candidates have to do. Plus if your project is good enough, you can publish or conduct it at a hot shot biotech company, win-win for research oriented people.

Yeah, I should have apply to UCSF. It really sucks that I miss their deadline. 😡 That would be the perfect pathway to go!👍 is that what you are doing? Does UCSF grade their rotations or is all rotations p/f?
 
Same with us IPPE are p/f, but all the classes are letter grade. I still think IPPE are a complete waste of time though, so I am glad its p/f.:laugh: I don't know any schools that grade their rotations on a letter grade system actually. Do you?

USC does.
 
I mean I'm pretty sure my 3.90 undergraduate from a top 30 school in chemistry towers your worthless degree in biology...

i know this post is old but...

you went to the university of maryland and you had a 3.7 according to your old posts with an 80 something PCAT. with your yammering about "academic stress as an undergrad" and "top 30 school" and other people's "worthless degrees in biology" i was kind of expecting you to have a 3.9 from Johns Hopkins or something.

Just sayin.
 
Hi I have a really good GPA, PCATs and what not. My undergraduate was Biochemistry and I'm really academically spent; I would like to know which pharmacy schools are easier as far as rigor.... Please Post and explain your school (especially if your school is easier than undergraduate). Its also plus if their in a good location to live


Go into pharmacy so I can laugh when you have spent 100K+ getting a degree only to find there are no jobs left for pharmacists.
:laugh:


When did pharmacy become the profession for all the fools who think 100k is worth anything. Pharmacy is for people that actual care about pharmacy. You think it's all about the money till you're posted up in the Board of Pharmacy meeting getting hammered because you (hate your job and thus can't give two farts in the woods whether or not you take care of your patients) nearly killed people with your mistakes. Yes people can die if you don't intervene during a mistake.

When you sign up for pharmacy school your basically saying I want to be an expert on drug therapy. When did it occur to you that this was easy. Also, your chemistry degree isn't going to make a difference in your pharmacy career because chemistry is not = pharmacy. It's important, but no more important than physiology. A PharmD is a clinical degree. If your really proud of your Chem. degree and you really like it. Get a PhD in pharmaceutical/medical sciences. Don't come around here with your ignorance trying to pretend the only reason any of us are in pharmacy school is to lick stick and pour. Retail is not easy, and it's not fulfilling for people like you who want a job with a decent paycheck. For people who actually want to be pharmacists and who know where to work, retail can provide a golden opportunity to really make a difference.

Don't pretend to be surprised when we rip you a new one for coming on here with the attitude of someone wanting to complete a certification program so he can get a job. Pharmacy school is more than what you think. It doesn't look like you'll get along with pharmacy students/pharmacists because you don't fully respect what the profession entails nor are you committed to excellence in Pharmacy. Only continue down this path if you are enjoy being put down on a daily basis. I suggest going into law. It's "only" 3 years.
 
Last edited:
Yeah OP is right, some girl was complaining about all of the work she's doing in college as an accounting major and I told her "if I wanted to major in something easy, I would have majored in pharmacy". But if you thought pharmacy was easy you should try being a heart surgeon, I hear that doing quadruple bypasses are as easy as farting after thanksgiving dinner.


Someone saying pharmacy is easy has to be one of the dumbest people I've ever met, if it was easy then EVERYONE would be majoring in it. You don't see college drunks telling people "yah I'm here just to party and I'm a pharmacy major, maaaan pharmaceutics? more like pharma-easy-ceutics...pass the makers mark". Well you might but you don't see them very often.

there is usually 1 or 2 in every class, but even when they graduate them smartenemselves up :meanie:
 
i dont know .. i have found pharmacy school p1 year to be far easier than undergrad. dont let people turn you off with regard to pharmacy school. I think as long as you dont go to one of the top 5 schools or something, you wont get overwhelmed. The key to remember is you can only get as stressed as you let yourself. You're in control of your pharmacy school experience. Even at a school you might consider "hard", it's still what you make of it.

you're right my p1 year so far is relatively way easier than my undergrad but that doesn't make the p1 year easy, it could be that ur undergrad year were no joke like mine.

edit sorry for all the post and for some of u guys saying pharmacy school is easy what about theraputics? here when we start p2 its suppose to be pretty touch all the way till end of p3
 
Last edited:
you're right my p1 year so far is relatively way easier than my undergrad but that doesn't make the p1 year easy, it could be that ur undergrad year were no joke like mine.

edit sorry for all the post and for some of u guys saying pharmacy school is easy what about theraputics? here when we start p2 its suppose to be pretty touch all the way till end of p3

Therapeutics is pretty easy compared to physiology if you ask me, it's just the bulk amount of information that needs to be learned in such a short time that makes it hard. Once you learn the mechanism of action and group the drugs into different classes, it becomes easy.
 
Therapeutics is pretty easy compared to physiology if you ask me, it's just the bulk amount of information that needs to be learned in such a short time that makes it hard. Once you learn the mechanism of action and group the drugs into different classes, it becomes easy.

sadly physiology is the only bshiii science class we have at our school, or at least i think so compared to my undergrad a&p.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
there is usually 1 or 2 in every class, but even when they graduate them smartenemselves up :meanie:

1 or 2? Probably more like at least a quarter of my class of 230-235...then again it's a 0-6 school. Also some people's criteria for choosing a residency is "where they have the hottest nurses".

Many people that went in it for the money end up at chains where they end up miserable (among pharmacists I work with), so do it for patient care and caring about being a medication expert, and you'll be sure to find a career path that suits you and has relatively good job security.

Don't see how people consider pharmacy school easy. I guess there is variation among curricula, with teachers not trying to trick students in many programs.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think the main issue here is that the medical students (our arch-nemesis when I was in graduate school too) all think they are able to walk-on-water. They all think Dentists and Vet's were those who failed to get into medical school, Optometrists were those who failed to get into Dental school, and Pharmacists are the left overs.

So then they spread this type of animosity towards Pharmacists because they believe that pharmacists are way over-paid for the training and job they perform. I'm soooo sorry that we all couldn't give men prostate exams in school 🙄. Trust me, ignorance breeds ignorance. The same applies to some friends I know who just finished law school from a Tier 1 school. They also think they're the greatest because our culture emphasizes that Lawyers and MD's are the top profession of society 🙄.

Different cultures value different things. In Asia, Pharmacists are held as high or higher regard then Doctors (mainly because you don't have to see a physician for a prescription for your medication, the pharmacist actually is trained to give diagnosis and help prescribe medication). In Germany, the term "Doctor" is reserved for those who attain their PhD, whereas a "MD" is a physician. Like I said, different cultures emphasize different things.

Lastly, I think the main reason people assume our profession is easy is that there are simply way too many pharmacy programs open. This decreases competition in a sense and allows the opportunity for more people to get into the profession. Now the MD's can fire back and say that they let even *****'s in, but it's not true at all! There are ~120 MD/DO schools (I think), 60~ Dental Schools, ~23 Veterinary Schools, ~19 Optometry Schools. I think the Pharmacy school number is in the 80-90's? Correct me if I'm wrong please.
 
Therapeutics is pretty easy compared to physiology if you ask me, it's just the bulk amount of information that needs to be learned in such a short time that makes it hard. Once you learn the mechanism of action and group the drugs into different classes, it becomes easy.

I don't think anyone in our entire class thinks therapeutics is easy. The material may be straight forward, it's what they present to you exams that are always ambiguities.
 
This thread is very amusing and funny, everything the question as well as the mean responses...gosh!!!:laugh: What a buch of meanies!!!
 
I think the main issue here is that the medical students (our arch-nemesis when I was in graduate school too) all think they are able to walk-on-water. They all think Dentists and Vet's were those who failed to get into medical school, Optometrists were those who failed to get into Dental school, and Pharmacists are the left overs.

So then they spread this type of animosity towards Pharmacists because they believe that pharmacists are way over-paid for the training and job they perform. I'm soooo sorry that we all couldn't give men prostate exams in school 🙄. Trust me, ignorance breeds ignorance. The same applies to some friends I know who just finished law school from a Tier 1 school. They also think they're the greatest because our culture emphasizes that Lawyers and MD's are the top profession of society 🙄.

Different cultures value different things. In Asia, Pharmacists are held as high or higher regard then Doctors (mainly because you don't have to see a physician for a prescription for your medication, the pharmacist actually is trained to give diagnosis and help prescribe medication). In Germany, the term "Doctor" is reserved for those who attain their PhD, whereas a "MD" is a physician. Like I said, different cultures emphasize different things.

Lastly, I think the main reason people assume our profession is easy is that there are simply way too many pharmacy programs open. This decreases competition in a sense and allows the opportunity for more people to get into the profession. Now the MD's can fire back and say that they let even *****'s in, but it's not true at all! There are ~120 MD/DO schools (I think), 60~ Dental Schools, ~23 Veterinary Schools, ~19 Optometry Schools. I think the Pharmacy school number is in the 80-90's? Correct me if I'm wrong please.

They just opened a brand new MD program in the corner of house (FIU) :laugh:
 
some are easy, some are very rigorous
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Actually some LPN programs are pretty tough and rigorous too, what about not entering health care field at all?

My neighbor is in an LPN program (at age 50 - good for her! 👍). It's a 9-month program that's so intensive, she cannot work during this time.
 
Whoa, don't go flashing that big ol' 3.9 Chem BS around all willy-nilly man, you might put someone's eye out!

One of my classmates had a degree in chemistry and came into pharmacy school with a GPA in the high 3's but knew she didn't want to teach, go to medical school, or work in a lab, so she chose pharmacy. While she never failed a class, she was on academic probation for as much of that time as you could be and still graduate. And I have no doubt that she's a good pharmacist, because she's just that kind of person.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Top Bottom