Advice for Pre-Pharmacy Newbie!!!

[Kroc86]

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Hi Everyone! I;m new to SDN but glad to be here....Im Kay.... I'm 25 and i've been a pharmacy tech for 8 years (2 years retail) and 6 years mailorder. After years of experience and successfully passing the PTCB exam last year i decided to take it all the way and work towards completing the pharmacy prerequisites so that I can apply for pharmacy school. I am in the process of completing my prerequsities at my local CC because i dont want to take out any loans before Pharmacy school and also the class times are convienent because I work 40 hours a week. I'm in my 2nd semester but i havent taken any of the sciences yet ( i will start this summer) and the highest math i completed so far was precalc.. Can anyone give me their opinion as to what they felt the toughest pre-req classes were for them so i can have an idea what to expect. All comments are welcome!!

Thanks!

 

[dancingallday]

For me personally, calculus was the most difficult in terms of time spent. I know I put in at least 2 hours per night just doing math problems the whole semester. Organic chem was not as conceptually difficult for me, but still required a lot of study time (at least 1 hour daily just for that class.)

 

[Kroc86]

Thanks for your input. i never liked math when i was in school so i had to do alot of studying and practicing in precalc but it paid off so hopefully i'll pull off the good grade in Calculus next fall if i stick with the same strategy. I'm registering for summer 1 and 2 sessions to try and knock some of the science classes off the lists since it's sorta difficult to get them in the fall.... how many more pre-reqs do you have left to take?

 

[dancingallday]

I'm in my final semester. The four classes I'm taking now are the last four I'll need for the school where I got accepted, so I'm all set for fall after this.

The one thing I'd advise you to check out is whether or not your schools of interest have an issue with taking your science courses in the summer. Some don't care whether you take them during the school year or in the summer; some won't accept summer science courses or give them "lower preference". Just something to note.

 

[Kroc86]

CONGRATS TO YOU!! 🙂 I can imagine how good it felt to get your acceptance letter... Thanks for giving me the heads up about taking sciences in the summer, i'll def check with the school and see what they have to say. thanks again!!

 

[Pojman]

I am not so sure that summer classes would be a negative aspect of your transcript. I might be wrong, but I have never heard of this being an issue. That is the last thing I would worry about. With your work history, I would primarily be focused on keeping a high GPA, while only focusing on completing the pre-requisite classes. If you can keep a 3.5+ GPA, I think you will be very well off.

As for your question about the difficulty of the undergraduate work.. It really all depends on the person. For me, I have a 3.9 GPA, and I had to literally work my butt of hardcore. I found it to be extremely challenging, and very difficult. I found the math associated with general chemistry to be hard, and the application of that math to the lab. I also found calculus to be very difficult. I also found organic chemistry to be very difficult (especially the lab). I also found physics to be hard. I also found anatomy/phys to be very difficult.

Heck!! I may as well say all of the requisite classes were difficult for me!! haha! The only classes that were not difficult were art, history, humanities, and philosophy.

I had to work hardcore for my GPA, but I sure do have an interesting understanding of the world now! 🙂

Good luck!

 

[Kroc86]

LOL I love your sense of humor and im sure im going to find these classes to be difficult but im willing to go completely MIA and go to tutoring and practice my butt off so i can get the good grades so it will be well worth it 🙂 Congrats on keeping your GPA up high you def earned it!!! Everyone I've talked to inspires me!! Thanks!

 

[owlegrad]

The biology series was the hardest for me (Bio I&II, A&P I&II). Chem and ORGO were not as bad for me as they are for some. The maths are time consuming, but not hard if you put the time in.

And please read the link in my sig to get a clue as to what the alot thinks is the hardest pre-req. 😉

 

[Kroc86]

LOL..Thanks for you input your right you def have to put the time in theres no half stepping when it comes to success.....I'll check the link out right now! 🙂

 

[JADpharm28]

I am currently in Anatomy right now and I must say that my course is extremely fast paced and I have to keep cramming a LOT of material into my brain. Luckily I love biology so I don't despise how much effort and time it takes out of my days.

General chemistry for me is difficult only because of the math related concepts. I am not very good at math and I absolutely hate math lol

I have yet to take organic chem and physics so I'm not any help there. Luckily I have a strong 3.7 GPA right now before jumping into those last few classes I need to take. I believe that if you set a goal for yourself, stick to it and work hard, in the end your efforts will pay off! Good Luck to you!

 

[Kroc86]

Thanks! and Congrats to you on the high GPA 🙂 Thanks for your input, your right hard work def pays off in the long run and regardless of how hard it is i know if i continue to put forth 110% make it through the tough classes as they come along 🙂

 

[JADpharm28]

Thanks! and Congrats to you on the high GPA 🙂 Thanks for your input, your right hard work def pays off in the long run and regardless of how hard it is i know if i continue to put forth 110% make it through the tough classes as they come along 🙂

Exactly! And if you can maintain a positive attitude it makes it even easier! 👍(Although everyone always has some of those "rip my hair out" days haha)

 

[xtsukiyox]

I thought O Chem was the most time-consuming, but A&P II was most frustrating (due to the poor prof). I wish I had taken Gen Chem closer to O Chem - it would have made it easier.

I know a couple of people who would have said the English series, because they hate writing pointless stuff that much. 😛

I'm going to chime in as someone who's never heard of a problem taking summer courses. Not that I have the widest experience, but I've only seen mention on CoP websites of problems with online classes. Perhaps it's a particular college that poster was talking about.

Congrats on deciding to become a pharmacist. 👍

 

[MShopes]

I thought microbiology was the hardest class but I'm not sure if it is a pre-requisite for all schools. It was mainly hard because of the teacher who used to give multiple choice questions that had choices ranging from A-H. All other classes were pretty easy.

 

[Kroc86]

Thanks for the feedback everybody, I really appreciate it! Congrats to you all for kicking butt with the tough classes!!! I'm up for the challenge as well 🙂

 

[Illinette2012]

Personally, Physics I has been the hardest pre-req. For me, it's just a whole different way of thinking & I haven't enjoyed it much. It could also be because I go to a huge university, my TA couldn't explain things very well, and our professor was terrible (just found out he was fired from teaching the course, one exam curved 30% ) I'm taking part II now & its not so bad with a better professor & TA. It just requires a lot of time to practice problems. Good luck in your pre-pharmacy courses!!

 

[Kroc86]

Lol... Thats good you have a better professor this time around 🙂 Thanks for the good luck wishes same to you!!! 🙂

 

[ShindyK2]

Anatomy II hands down

 

[Kroc86]

Thanks for the feedback... hang in there my friend! 🙂

 

[rxdreamin12]

I am not so sure that summer classes would be a negative aspect of your transcript. I might be wrong, but I have never heard of this being an issue. That is the last thing I would worry about. With your work history, I would primarily be focused on keeping a high GPA, while only focusing on completing the pre-requisite classes. If you can keep a 3.5+ GPA, I think you will be very well off.

As for your question about the difficulty of the undergraduate work.. It really all depends on the person. For me, I have a 3.9 GPA, and I had to literally work my butt of hardcore. I found it to be extremely challenging, and very difficult. I found the math associated with general chemistry to be hard, and the application of that math to the lab. I also found calculus to be very difficult. I also found organic chemistry to be very difficult (especially the lab). I also found physics to be hard. I also found anatomy/phys to be very difficult.

Heck!! I may as well say all of the requisite classes were difficult for me!! haha! The only classes that were not difficult were art, history, humanities, and philosophy.

I had to work hardcore for my GPA, but I sure do have an interesting understanding of the world now! 🙂

Good luck!

Hi guys,
I'm in a very bad predicament. I have been working as a pharmacy technician for 2 years. I will graduate with a biology degree this summer. However my college years have not been so great. I had many obstacles my way being the eldest child I had to work full time as well as be a full time student. I came from a family where domestic violence was an everyday thing and my dad was an alcoholic. He passed away last year and things got worse. But through all these hardships and financial problems I decided to still pursue a degree despite the many times I wanted to give up. But I always wanted to be a pharmacist and it has been a dream of mine ever since I was young. I didn't want the troubles at home to be a reason as to why I didn't achieve my goals. However even though I'm graduating with a biology degree my transcript is not so great. I'm graduating with a 2.1 cumulative gpa. I know for a fact no pharmacy school will take me. Please someone tell me if I can get a second chance at my dreams to be a pharmacist. What should be my next step after graduating with a biology degree? Should I take over all those classes I did poorly in over at a community college and aim for nothing let's than A? But I hear no matter what PharmCAS averages every grade. So if I had an F, then a C and I take the class over at a community college and get an A, how significantly will that change my grade on PharmCAS? People deserve second chances at life and I really wish I can fix my situation. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[YTAZ]

Took almost all of the science classes. The hardest was OCHM I. Lol

 

[Intl student]

I am planning to join a PharmD accelerated program.
How long does it take to finish all the pre requisites?