GPA woes...

[Sefira]

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Hi everyone...right now I'm a Junior in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I'm looking to go to Pharmacy school right after I graduate but I'm worried about a couple of things.

I had a really rough time my freshman year. Back then, I was an Electrical and Computer Engineering major, and ended up with a D in General Chem I, C- in Calc I, many C's and a 2.25 GPA overall.

Sophomore year, I tried pretty hard to turn things around. I switched out of the Engineering program, because I definitely knew it was not for me, and decided on Biology with Pharmacy school in mind. Retook General Chem I (B) and Calc I (A-) (I also finished Calc II and III), and did pretty well in all my other classes (A-B). However, In General Chem II, I got another C and a B- in Physiology, although I did get a B+ in Bio. Right now I am sitting on a 2.67 GPA.

I know the most obvious thing to do is to raise the GPA, but in addition to that and scoring well on the PCAT, what other things could I do to make the admissions office look past my GPA? I'm currently looking for a position as a pharmacy technician, but is there anything else that could really help me? 🙁

 

[Roxicet]

I think you should consider finishing your bachelor's degree before you apply.

 

[OSURxgirl]

Since it seems you haven't taken organic chem yet, make sure you really shine in this course. There are summer programs that allow you to complete an entire year's worth of O-chem in a summer. Although that sounds scary, everyone I know who has done it has gotten awesome grades because they were so immersed in the material. In whatever format you take organic, good grades are critical in this course. Get a tutor if you need one. Make sure you do well in whatever remaining pre-reqs you have.

Pharmacy experience will definitely help...just don't work at the expense of good grades. You may also want to consider volunteering in a hospital pharmacy to get a taste of that practice setting too. By being a molecular bio major, you also have unique opportunities to pursue research. You may want to take this route.

Also start thinking about letters of recommendation. These are important too. And, if you are applying to schools that require the PCAT make sure you make plans to study for and take the PCAT.

Personal statements matter a lot, too. You could always present your early college struggles in a good light on your personal statement (especially if you are able to successfully turn them around)...they show perservence, dedication, and the ablility to problem solve and overcome challenges (a profession pharmacy is filled with)

Best of luck, and don't worry too much. Strive to get that GPA above a 3.0, get some experience, and do your best.

 

[vafcarrot]

I suggest "camping" out in your prof's office during their office hours and talking to them about lectures, homework, readings.. anything. Make sure they see you as persistent and eager to learn. This will really help when recommendation time comes around and they can actually write about who YOU are and not just some vague remembrance of that kid in class.

 

[Westcoast_Meow]

I know the most obvious thing to do is to raise the GPA, but in addition to that and scoring well on the PCAT, what other things could I do to make the admissions office look past my GPA? I'm currently looking for a position as a pharmacy technician, but is there anything else that could really help me? 🙁

I'd suggest you to retake the pre-req classes with a grade lower than B/B-. Try your best to excel in those classes to show the ad com that you can improve and do well. They always buy that, as they want to be sure that you have the potential to finish their curriculum and graduate from pharm school before they grant you an admission. In addition, I agree to obtain your bachelor degree before applying. Also write an impressive personal statement, go to the office hours or do well in your pharmacy related service, make people know you well before asking them to write you a LOR. Good luck and don't give up!

 

[gustavo32]

I know someone that was admited to Nova with a couple of F's on her record.She included wrote a letter explaining that she forgot to drop the classes .Moreover,you have an advantage because many students are going into the program with an AA only,having not idea of what is a cal II class.

 

[ashlynnphil413]

they want to know that you are well rounded, that you can do more than one thing at a time and are very motivated. ill tell you one thing that they said stood out on my interview is that i was on a soccer team that went to nationals, played soccer, worked all through school. at some schools your interview is blind they dont have your grades so you have to let your personality shine. another imp. area is work experience. they want to know tha tyouve worked in one enought to see what you have to do the good and bad and that you still want to do it. research pharmacy careers. i got quized on available careers with a pharm d. as well as the avg. salary. ash

 

[Sefira]

Thanks for all your advice! I'll definitely keep this in mind as I prep for pharm school... 🙂

I believe that the only C in pharm prereqs that I've gotten (besides the classes that I retook) are in General Chemistry II and Physics I (the rest were in engineering-related courses). The particular physics class that I took was oriented towards engineers (there was an easier physics class for non-engineers)...do you think it would help to mention that when I apply?

 

[bananaface]

This is going to sound hard hearted, but somebody needs to say this.

If you have a 2.25 overall, you are going to have to boost your prereqs to more than a minimum of a B/B- to make up for it. If your undergraduate GPA itself is barely in good academic standing, having A's and B's in your science prerequisites is not going to cut it. You need to take another year, make sure your prereq's are B+ or higher, and come in with good PCAT scores and recommendations.

I really feel bad for those who are set up to be rejected by the illusion that you can get into school by wanting it really badly. I want to put out a realistic portrayal of the admissions process. It does no one any good to get their hopes up and have them dashed. Pharmacy school is as competitive as medical school. While I wish everyone the best, you are ranked against the other candidates, and the chances of getting in with less than a 3.0 are like those of winning your state's multimillion dollar lotto. Even your chances of getting in with a 3.5 are equivalent to the odds of winning those little scratch off lottey tickets at the grocery store.

There are certainly exceptions for people who had bad grades initially and can identify a reason why their grades have changed, and also have documented those changes by getting a GPA similar to other applicants over a span of at least two years. But, with a cumulative 2.25 GPA it is pretty clear that there was no big recovery. You need to pull up your boot straps and get down to work if this is something that your really want. You can definitely have a shot at admission to pharmacy school if you work to rebuild your GPA. But, as of now, that hasn't happened. Go for it if is it is something your really want. But, don't go for it until you are prepared to explain to an admissions committee why they should choose you over their other 800 applicants.

 

[Glycerin]

This is going to sound hard hearted, but somebody needs to say this.

If you have a 2.25 overall, you are going to have to boost your prereqs to more than a minimum of a B/B- to make up for it.

The OP has an overall 2.67 GPA, which still isn't stellar, but is better than a 2.25. 😉

 

[afrikankoffee]

It's true, wanting isn't what the admissions commitee really cares about. However bad grades before good grades will always be noticed. Don't be in a rush to finish, take your time and perform great. Get some pharmacy experience, heck you can even study and take the pharmacy technician test on your own to get nationally certified to show you mean business. Don't take your PCAT exam until you're confident you'll be at least in the high 80's to 90's.
Your desire has to show, best of luck!

 

[bananaface]

I see that I misread the initial GPA as the cumulative GPA. So, if the GPA was initially 2.25 and is now 2.67... that would equate to a GPA of 3.09 over the past year (if 2 years total were completed), or a GPA of 2.88 over the past two years (if 3 years of school were completed). That is still out of the ballpark for admission to pharmacy school. It's not even a case of bad grades before good grades. It could become one if the good grades start coming. But at present there is really no point in applying.

Here is UC Berkley's idea of what it takes to get into pharmacy school. IMHO I think the requirements are a bit higher now that the number of applications are rising and PharmCAS is increasing the ease of multiple applications. People who would have applied to medical school 5 years ago are applying to pharmacy school because of the relative movements of expected wages.

"Generally, pharmacy schools are looking for students who are able to handle a rigorous course load and who have been able to keep their GPA above a 3.2. Some schools look at a cumulative GPA (all college coursework) and a prepharmacy GPA (only prepharmacy coursework).

Admissions committees look for trends in academic ability. Indication of improvement in your last two years of college work is highly noted. GPAs of entering students range between 3.0 - 4.0. The average GPA of entering classes ranges between 3.2 - 3.5. To be a competitive pharmacy applicant, keep your overall GPA above 3.3."
(from http://career.berkeley.edu/Health/PharmApp.stm )

Applying to schools that only look at the prepharm portion would be adviseable. But, even then the prereq's need to be pretty darn good.

 

[Sefira]

My apologies, I typed in a wrong GPA...it's actually a 2.76, not that much different from 2.67, I know...but it does mean I had a 3.27 last year and not a 3.09...

Bananaface, thanks for your insight on my situation. I also think that the competition for Pharmacy school has increased alot in the past few years, and getting in will be pretty difficult...however I am definitely going to work hard on getting my GPA into the appropriate range (by the way, this current GPA is through two years, so I have two years left to work on it).

The GPA situation is a bitter pill to swallow (terrible pharmacy pun), but I realize that it's the truth, and I agree with you that it'll be very very difficult for me to get in without substantially building up my grades...which is why I am aiming to really shine in other admission criteria to round out my application and give myself a fighting chance. 🙂