Electives/Extra Courses

[dannnielleeee]

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I have decided to defer my applications to pharmacy schools and to apply for 2018 admission instead of 2017 admission, so that I can meet the pre-requisites for more schools and can have more options. This also gives me a chance to take several extra classes that aren't necessarily required as pre-reqs, but will surely help me in my first year of pharmacy school and will make my application look much better.

Here's what I'm planning on taking:

[continuing at my current community college]

Spring 2017
Organic Chemistry II - 3
Organic Chemistry II Lab - 1
Biology II - 4
Intro to Organic & Biochemistry - 3
Intro to Organic & Biochemistry Lab - 1
Genetics - 4

[transferring to a 4-year school]

Summer 2017 (two 6-week sessions)
Human Anatomy & Physiology I - 3
Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab - 1
Biochemistry - 3 [a bio department course]
Cell Biology - 3
Human Anatomy & Physiology II - 3
Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lab - 1

Fall 2017
Pharmacology I - 3
Medicinal Chemistry I - 3
Biochemistry I - 3 [a chem department course, part of a sequence]
Elements of Immunology - 3
Elements of Immunology Lab - 1

Spring 2018
Pharmacology II - 3
Medicinal Chemistry II - 3
Biochemistry II - 3
Medicinal Chem & Pharma Lab - 3
Health Care Ethics - 3

And, in Summer 2018, I'm going to take a gross anatomy lecture/lab combo, just for fun 😀

I'm a non-traditional student (did a little university, then some community college, then 7 years in the military), and have been working as a tech for the last year and a half. I plan to continue working as a tech for a few hours a week throughout school, but I do have the good fortune of having parents willing to take me in for free while I finish my undergrad classes.

Does anyone have any recommendations of any other classes that you found beneficial before starting pharmacy school? Any non-science courses that you're just really glad you took?

I'm curious to see what other people did/are doing to prep for pharmacy school (outside of academics, as well)!

 

[ldiot]

My honest advice is to apply this year if you can realistically get accepted, but seeing as you are taking A&P/cell-biology/organic chemistry/biochemistry I highly doubt you currently meet the pre-reqs for any schools.

It really depends on the individual pharmacy school but in my opinion immunology, microbiology, biochemistry, and A&P are the most important undergraduate classes. Organic chemistry is completely useless and I personally didn't take and medicinal chem/pharmacology classes in undergrad (though they would look nice on an application). Genetics hasn't come up too much either aside from knowing inherited disease states and transcription/translation on the molecular level.

If I had to pick I would really focus on physiology and immunology. If you could take a microbiology or pathology elective and replace the ethics class I think that would help you out down the road too.