Failed a Class

[fuzzypt]

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Hey everyone. I was planning on going to pharmacy school since the beginning of last year and I had a good track record. My GPA was 3.4 (very close to 3.5). I had a lot of research experience and I had taken more than enough classes to graduate.

Unfortunately, it seems that I will be receiving an F on a 3-credit biology lab and was wondering how much of an impact it will have on my chances to get into pharmacy school. Thanks.

 

[apteryx]

Definitely briefly address it in your personal statement (what went wrong and how you changed it/extenuating circumstances), and if it's necessary for your pre-reqs, I'd advise a retake. Other than that, it's old news at this point, nothing you can do to go back and change it, so don't linger on it. Suck it up, move on, and don't make the same mistake twice(again, unless it was some kind of situation beyond your control.) Lots of people have failed a course of two and still made it into pharmacy school.

 

[pharm B]

Definitely briefly address it in your personal statement (what went wrong and how you changed it/extenuating circumstances), and if it's necessary for your pre-reqs, I'd advise a retake. Other than that, it's old news at this point, nothing you can do to go back and change it, so don't linger on it. Suck it up, move on, and don't make the same mistake twice(again, unless it was some kind of situation beyond your control.) Lots of people have failed a course of two and still made it into pharmacy school.

👍

Make sure you get it knocked out in due time and be ready to discuss it when the Adcoms bring it up.

 

[crazytuts]

I failed a class also, i have an F on my transcript. And I've gotten accepted to pharm.school. what i did was retake the class over the summer, got an A in it. Mentioned it in the PharmCAS application and in the supplemental application. Talked about what I learned from the failing class and how that affected the way i study and stuff like that.

it's not the worst thing ever, just make sure u retake it and do well.

 

[rxlea]

I think what most pharmacy schools look at are trends. If you failed a couple of classes, retook them and got good grades, then it is obvious you are capable of mastering those concepts. It also demonstrates your determination and willingness to succeed. I failed my entire first semester in college because I was an idiot 17 year old. I retook every class and got all A's. I still got an interview at a top school and I am hoping to get in.If you are consistent from here on, it shouldn't be an issue, especially since adcoms consider experience, ECs, PCAT, and your interview. They look at the whole person- including any lifestyle changes that have been made. Maturity goes a long way.

 

[fuzzypt]

The problem is that I can't retake this course. It's ONLY offered in the fall, not spring or summer. And I already stayed an extra year. Staying one more year just for this class isn't what I hope to do. Will it look bad on me if I don't retake it?

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely talk about it briefly in my personal essay.

 

[cuncti316]

You might want to retake that class at somewhere else ... maybe at a community college that is equivalent to the one that you failed? So that you can explain it when the pharmacy schools bring it up. From my perspective, a failing grade just does not look good on the transcript.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Ask the professor is s/he can give you an Incomplete instead of the F? If you just can't re-take it, and don't have time to re-take it at a CC (Or if it's upper-div) then that might be your only choice.