Feeling Like A Failure

[PharmD0671]

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Good evening everyone,

I am fairly new to this website, forums in general, so please bear with me.
I am a Pre-Pharmacy/ Biology student and I started off my college career very rocky. That being said, I did a minuscule amount of research on what classes to take that would supplement my entry into Pharmacy school, upon entering university. I've read somewhere that usually biology majors complete majority of pre-requisites for pharmacy and given that I love biology, I thought this would put me on the right path. I am aware that you do not need a degree for Pharmacy school, so long as you complete the required pre-requisites, but most applicants have attained a BS.
My first semester at uni. I took general chemistry, microEconomics, college precalculus and English. I ended up getting an F for precalculus, I withdrew from my chemistry course, acquired a D for Microeconomics and a C for English. At this point I was devastated! For what it's worth, I moved literally 1000+ miles away from home (I'm from Guam) and moved to the mainland for school. I guess being surrounded by unfamiliar people and places really shocked me -plus moving from a warm climate to a place which got negative temperatures, caused me to become frequently ill (fevers, pneumonia, colds). I decided to opt out and attend a Community college the next semester.
So I met up with my community college adviser and she said, due to my previous grades, I'd need to take a lower math (so I could remaster the skills that i'd need for precalc), the next leveled English course and a social science (death, dying and bereavement). I ended up getting an A for English, a B+ for the social science and an A for math. I ended the quarter with a 3.3 GPA.
I don't want to make this thread any more longer than it already is...so long story short, here I am in the middle of my sophomore year. I barely passed some classes after that first quarter at my cc, which brought down my GPA to a 2.8. I'm ending another quarter as I type this, I just found out a literally failed (59.6%) my calculus class, I still have to take my other finals to get a solid view of how I really did with this semester.
What I'm trying to get at, is that I REALLY DO, with all my heart, want to pursue a career in Pharamacy, but my performance in college so far is really bringing my spirits down. After this quarter ends, I decided to join the Navy as a hospital corpsman, to gain that medical experience, but also to get a taste of the medical field and see if this is what I really want to do in the long-run. I'm doing the reserves so after training I could come back to school.

I just want to know if I still have a chance in this field given the circumstances. I mean I'll be retaking some classes for the 3rd time and some for the 2nd time when I return to continue my education. My community college does a grade change, which means they'd replace the lower grades with the higher grades if I manage to successfully pass the class the next time I take it. But even with that in mind, I feel like IF I get to the point where I'm getting interviewed for entry into Pharmacy school, I have no idea how to explain my failures. Would you think the panel interviewing me would even give me the time of day? Would they look at my past failures and turn me down after reviewing my application? Please, if anyone has had similar experiences, your two cents would go a long way with me. Should I continue with Pharmacy? I had a back up plan that if Pharmacy isn't in the picture, I'd go pursue my second dream of becoming an architect. 🤔
I apologize for this monstrosity of a thread. But thank you to anyone who reads this.

 

[SClENCE]

Well from my experience community college is a joke... nothing more than high school. Your grades at Uni tell the story.

This doesn't mean you can't get in, but you need to have at least a C in every class and graduate with at least a 3.0 as a bare minimum. And keep in mind that if you are the minimum in terms of grades, you will have to do great on the PCAT and have quality pharmacy experience (shadowing a pharmacist for 20 hours is NOT sufficient).

The BEST pharmacy experience you can get is working as a technician. Also aim for at least an 80+ if not 90+ percentile on the PCAT. These two things are critical with your grades, but what's even more critical is getting A's in your remaining years of college.

PS: The grade change that your community college does will not work with pharmacy school. PharmCAS requires that you submit both grades and they will average them out. So if you take Calculus 3 times with F,F,A as far as your GPA is concerned it will be as if you took calculus 3 times with a D+ all 3 times. Not once with a D+, but 3 times (though getting the A the third time WOULD fulfill the minimum requirement of C, even though it averages out to less than a C). This is detrimental to your GPA and means that your PharmCAS GPA will probably be MUCH lower than what you are expecting... and as history suggests you probably won't even get an A the third time...

That being said, there are schools that will accept anyone that will pay their 45k tuition so sadly unqualified applicants can get into pharmacy school if they want to essentially "buy" their degree.

If I were you, I'd focus all my time on acing every class I take for the next two years. Either the summer after your junior year or even after your senior year (taking a year off) you will need to get a tech job and study for the PCAT... but right now all you should be concerned about is your grades as you haven't even taken any difficult classes yet.

 

[pharmnewbie123]

Joining the reserves is the best route for you. They give actual job training (unlike college) and prepare you for careers.
Also, don't become a pharmacist. You'll get nowhere with those grades.

 

[dread090]

Don't be discouraged, there is no time for that. Every minute you spend being stressed or depressed about your grades is time that you could be utilizing productively to improve your situation. I'm going to speak from personal experience and say that I graduated a UC school with a 2.3gpa and kept being persistent by retaking classes (sometimes up to the third time) to achieve A's while gaining professional healthcare experience through various jobs. I rocked the PCAT, got some awesome professional LOR's, wrote a good statement, and was accepted to a non-degree-mill school with a scholarship. Do not listen to any nay-sayers, the past does not dictate your future. Stay persistent and buckle down, you'll reach any goal of yours if you work for it.

 

[mjmjoa]

If GPA is a weakness then strengthen up other areas. Get good pharmacy experience, maintain a really high GPA for a year (retaking some classes and taking new ones), and have a good personal statement and you have a shot. It's never too late trust me.

 

[hurx]

If the pre-requisites are this challenging for you, pharmacy school will be a nightmare. You need to sit back and evaluate why you want to do pharmacy in the first place. See if there are perhaps other careers that would suit your interests given these challenges in addition to the pharmacy saturation. Don't architects also need to take calculus or higher level math? I'm also not an advocate for quitting though. If you just absolutely, truly, love, love pharmacy then don't give up. Look at your study habits. How often are you studying? Are you actually studying for that whole time or are you texting, surfing the web, daydreaming. Ask teachers for help with topics you don't understand. Start a study group with other students in your class. It can be done but a lot needs to be changed not just for acceptance into pharmacy school but for you to graduate once you get in.

 

[HelpfulPharmer1]

I just want to know if I still have a chance in this field given the circumstances. I mean I'll be retaking some classes for the 3rd time and some for the 2nd time when I return to continue my education.
I apologize for this monstrosity of a thread. But thank you to anyone who reads this.

I like your humble attitude and persistence energy so I write here to you secrets: Yes, you still have a chance. Some schools have policy called "Academic Forgiveness" which will count only grades within certain 5 years from the date you apply. Example, Roseman University in Nevada. That means previous F, C, D, A...whatever beyond 5 years will not be counted. Some other schools may do the same, do your research or ask around this forum.

Get a job as pharmacy technician by studying at home, did I write that clear my friend? studying at home, then take the test with this organization called WWW.PTCB.ORG. If you pass that fairly easy test like 400 thousands people did, you can apply to work as technician in any state of the whole country. (If you need more information about PTCB test, ask and research in this forum, find keyword PTCB. It's legal, famous, and secretive at the same time that many working pharmacy members don't know.)

See if you like working in pharmacy then continue the path as pharmacist.

I would continue with classes at community colleges. Many pharmacists got good grades by studying at community colleges instead of going for the same biology class at university...

Good luck on your path and continue to try.