Getting a B.S.?

[tmac01]

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I hear a lot of pharm schools don't put a lot of emphasis on applicants with a B.S.

Since I'm on schedule to get my B.S. by the summer 08, I was wondering if i should be killing myself....and possibly my G.P.A. by taking these upper level courses.

I'm pretty much done with all my pre-reqs and I only have a 3.2 G.P.A.... which i know isn't all that great....So i plan on taking at least 2-3 classes over before I apply this summer.

I also wanted to get some of your opinions on 2 classes that i registered for next semester......Basically how hard are these classes and what other classes would you compare them to in level of difficulty.

The first one is biochemistry and the other is general Genetics.

 

[grincheola]

I have actually heard the opposite, that more schools are paying more attention to applicants with bachelors degrees. I would say it is worth it. If anything happens while you are in pharmacy school that makes you leave, you will have your bachelors to fall back on.

 

[abt04]

I hear a lot of pharm schools don't put a lot of emphasis on applicants with a B.S.

Since I'm on schedule to get my B.S. by the summer 08, I was wondering if i should be killing myself....and possibly my G.P.A. by taking these upper level courses.

I'm pretty much done with all my pre-reqs and I only have a 3.2 G.P.A.... which i know isn't all that great....So i plan on taking at least 2-3 classes over before I apply this summer.

I also wanted to get some of your opinions on 2 classes that i registered for next semester......Basically how hard are these classes and what other classes would you compare them to in level of difficulty.

The first one is biochemistry and the other is general Genetics.

i honestly dont know where you heard about schools not focusing on wanting students with bachelors because with it makes you so much more competitive. with your gpa, the degree only helps you more. biochem and genetics are pretty intense courses, but if you dedicate yourself to doing well in those classes, then there is no such thing as impossible. i may compare it to microbio/ i dunno, these classes are always a different experience for me.
it helps to have a degree cuz as the person said above, at least you have a degree to fall back on. I got my degree of history and econ with a 3.2 overall and science and i must say i was lucky to get into a school. i believe it was my degree and essay that put me over the top.

 

[funny_pharm]

I hear a lot of pharm schools don't put a lot of emphasis on applicants with a B.S.

Since I'm on schedule to get my B.S. by the summer 08, I was wondering if i should be killing myself....and possibly my G.P.A. by taking these upper level courses.

I'm pretty much done with all my pre-reqs and I only have a 3.2 G.P.A.... which i know isn't all that great....So i plan on taking at least 2-3 classes over before I apply this summer.

I also wanted to get some of your opinions on 2 classes that i registered for next semester......Basically how hard are these classes and what other classes would you compare them to in level of difficulty.

The first one is biochemistry and the other is general Genetics.

I never read a school's website that stated they preferred students with a BS/BA and vice versa. I think they will change the rules when the trend dictates it. I was going to link an article but the server is down. It basically states that it is more competitive to get in, but a BA/BA does not mean they will make a better student..especially those who have been out for several years. It went on to say they there may be changes within the next 10 years.


NOTE: Most of the people that I know that have a BA/BS still spend about 2 years taking/retaking prereqs before applying.

 

[abt04]

I never read a school's website that stated they preferred students with a BS/BA and vice versa. I think they will change the rules when the trend dictates it. I was going to link an article but the server is down. It basically states that it is more competitive to get in, but a BA/BA does not mean they will make a better student..especially those who have been out for several years. It went on to say they there may be changes within the next 10 years.


NOTE: Most of the people that I know that have a BA/BS still spend about 2 years taking/retaking prereqs before applying.

true.. but if you want to have a good chance, isnt a degree better than none? i know few schools that have 100% students with degrees... and several more tht has 80% of students with degrees. what does that tell you about the trend for applying to pharmacy school? yes, they never mentioned that you need a degree to apply, but i have seen several schools say on their application that although the degree is not required, it will make you more competitive. yes i also met people without degrees get into pharmacy schools, but they had either stellar gpas or stats and what not. something to think about

 

[genesis09]

It wasn't that long ago, only a couple of years, at my school, UIC, BS/BA made up between a quarter and a third of the class. The increase of BS/BA can be correlated with the increase of applicants. At UIC, if you have a bachelors, you will get extra points, but that extra amount is not something a good non BS/BA applicant can't overcome. The program only assumes you have taken its prereqs. My class is 60% with at least a bachelors, and 40% with no bachelors.

 

[SobeGekko]

Both Genetics and Biochem are good classes to laying the groundwork for you pharmacy studies. While biochem generally would be fairly intense, general genetics generally is not as hard and can be a fair bit easier if you are good a probabilty and statistics. While neither will train you to be a pharmacist, adcoms look at classes like these as barometers of how you will handle pharmacy curriculum. IMO, you should be hesitant to take classes because of a grade you might receive if you do poorly. If you do poorly enough to impact your pharm school application significantly, then there's a good chance pharm school curriculum will be difficult for you.

In terms of difficulty, my biochem class was almost as challenging as Organic, and my Genetics class was about as hard as general biology but different institutions, different professors make my take very anecdotal.

 

[Farmercyst]

true.. but if you want to have a good chance, isnt a degree better than none? i know few schools that have 100% students with degrees... and several more tht has 80% of students with degrees. what does that tell you about the trend for applying to pharmacy school? yes, they never mentioned that you need a degree to apply, but i have seen several schools say on their application that although the degree is not required, it will make you more competitive. yes i also met people without degrees get into pharmacy schools, but they had either stellar gpas or stats and what not. something to think about

The USC rep who came to CSUSB said if you don't have a Bachelors it's not worth it to apply. Got the same message in 2005 and 2006. I don't know if that's because she was at CSUSB or if that's what they tell everyone, but its a pretty good indication that at least some schools hard core stress the BA/BS