Graduated w/ science major with a low gpa. Want to attend Pharmacy school. What should I do?

[John T]

Hello Everyone,

I am a long time visitor to SDN reading about everyone's situations and hoping you guys can help me decide on which path I should take to improve my chances of getting into pharmacy school. A little background of myself, I graduated from UC Irvine in 2013 Fall with a degree in public health sciences. I essentially took the majority of the core pre-reqs for pharmacy school, but I ended up graduating with a low gpa(~2.6 overall) and a lower science gpa. After graduating, I started studying for the PCAT and PCTB to possibly gain experience as a pharm tech. I plan on retaking these this year. At the same time I started taking classes that weren't offerred at UC Irvine such as speech and anatomy and retook other classes at a local cc. I did really well that summer and fall. I started working at the same time (retail since I couldn't find anything at the moment) and volunteering at a local hospital (did this for over a year).

After that fall, I ended up landing a job at pharmaceutical company, where I am still currently working. I wanted to gain work experience and work on my income and at the same time see what biotech was all about and I realized it isn't for me and I truly want to strive towards pharmacy school still. So my question to everyone out there is what direction should I take now if I want to improve my chances to pharmacy school before I apply?

Some of the options I was thinking was either enroll in a post bacc program of some sort to retake the classes I didn't do well during my undergrad or a DIY at a CC? Is there any pros or cons of either? One issue that came to mind was the ability to enroll in the classes I need and obviously $. I am leaning towards post bacc just to show admins the rigorous classes I would be taking and how convenient the classes are at night so I can work during the day.

It would be greatly appreciated if you guys could give me helpful advice or maybe share your post-college low gpa success stories.

Thanks!

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[OldstockJr]

why pharmacy school? in other word, are you sure this is what you want to do?

 

[John T]

why pharmacy school? in other word, are you sure this is what you want to do?

During my undergrad like everyone else, I was starting to pin point what I wanna do as a career. I never enjoyed economics, mathematics, physics. I've always had an interest in life sciences. Then I looked into what career path in sciences. Although it was tough, I enjoyed all my chemistry classes, mainly the o-chem series. I enjoy helping and interacting with people, something I learned while volunteering at the hospital for a few years. So pharmacy popped up. I am more than positive that this is what I want to do.

I am more than committed on whatever time it takes to get into pharmacy school. I want to be well-prepared before I apply. Hope that answers your question on why pharmacy school for me.

 

[jinhk93]

While you may be able to enter a diploma-mill school with your GPA and an ability to get a loan (since that's all these new schools care about), I would suggest reconsidering your choice of career. The fact that you got a 2.6 GPA as an undergraduate indicates that you may not be up to the rigor or challenge of pharmacy school classes. There is a reason schools (the good ones) have a certain standard for GPA and PCAT score; it is to see if you can keep up with the material in pharmacy school and later pass your licensing exam (NAPLEX). You state that perhaps a post bacc program might give you an opportunity to raise your grades, but honestly, if you can't even get A's in undergraduate courses (which are quite frankly ridiculously easy), what makes you think you can do well in the post bacc program? While pharmacy may seem to be an ideal choice right now, I would hate to see you get accepted somewhere and take out a massive loan just to either fail out of school or never pass the NAPLEX. This scenerio would leave you in a pretty terrible situation with nowhere to turn to.

I am not trying to be mean. I am simply suggesting a cautious perspective on your part in considering this career path.

 

[John T]

While you may be able to enter a diploma-mill school with your GPA and an ability to get a loan (since that's all these new schools care about), I would suggest reconsidering your choice of career. The fact that you got a 2.6 GPA as an undergraduate indicates that you may not be up to the rigor or challenge of pharmacy school classes. There is a reason schools (the good ones) have a certain standard for GPA and PCAT score; it is to see if you can keep up with the material in pharmacy school and later pass your licensing exam (NAPLEX). You state that perhaps a post bacc program might give you an opportunity to raise your grades, but honestly, if you can't even get A's in undergraduate courses (which are quite frankly ridiculously easy), what makes you think you can do well in the post bacc program? While pharmacy may seem to be an ideal choice right now, I would hate to see you get accepted somewhere and take out a massive loan just to either fail out of school or never pass the NAPLEX. This scenerio would leave you in a pretty terrible situation with nowhere to turn to.

I am not trying to be mean. I am simply suggesting a cautious perspective on your part in considering this career path.

I was waiting for a response like this soon. And yes I've seen this kind of post before on individuals in situations similar to mine. And i've seen individuals that succeeded. I went through a lot of emotional and physical obstacles during my undergrad. I took a lot of upper division courses. I went to a top-tier school that specialized in the field of biology so every class was extremely competitive. Now that a couple of years have passed, I feel like I am mentally able to do well in these classes through years of maturity.

Also, I never want to live life with "what ifs." What if I tried again and got in and did well in pharm school and passed the NAPLEX. You never know if you never try in life, IMO.

I appreciate your opinion, but I heard and seen it before. But I am simply asking on what path I should take to help my chances of getting in. Thanks.

 

[pms_testosterone]

Some schools do not count "re-takes". Instead, you need to take the next level up of a course. (For example, if you got 55% in organic chem I, you need to take organic chem II and get a decent mark.) Something to keep in mind and potentially contact the schools you're interested in about.

 

[jinhk93]

I was waiting for a response like this soon. And yes I've seen this kind of post before on individuals in situations similar to mine. And i've seen individuals that succeeded. I went through a lot of emotional and physical obstacles during my undergrad. I took a lot of upper division courses. I went to a top-tier school that specialized in the field of biology so every class was extremely competitive. Now that a couple of years have passed, I feel like I am mentally able to do well in these classes through years of maturity.

Also, I never want to live life with "what ifs." What if I tried again and got in and did well in pharm school and passed the NAPLEX. You never know if you never try in life, IMO.

I appreciate your opinion, but I heard and seen it before. But I am simply asking on what path I should take to help my chances of getting in. Thanks.

I was waiting for a response like this soon. And yes I've seen this kind of post before on individuals in situations similar to mine. And i've seen individuals that succeeded. I went through a lot of emotional and physical obstacles during my undergrad. I took a lot of upper division courses. I went to a top-tier school that specialized in the field of biology so every class was extremely competitive. Now that a couple of years have passed, I feel like I am mentally able to do well in these classes through years of maturity.

Also, I never want to live life with "what ifs." What if I tried again and got in and did well in pharm school and passed the NAPLEX. You never know if you never try in life, IMO.

I appreciate your opinion, but I heard and seen it before. But I am simply asking on what path I should take to help my chances of getting in. Thanks.

I understand what you're saying about the "what if's" in life, like what if you do well and everything. But you also have to look at the other side of what if you can't do well and end up in a really bad situation with huge loans and no way to pay them back. But anyway, since you know yourself the best and you seem to have your mind set on the path, I will stop my advice on that topic here.

To actually answer your original question, I would recommend doing the post bacc. If you do well in the science classes, you can show schools that you are up to the challenge of pharmacy school. Also, the PCAT is a great way to offset your GPA, so be sure to get a very high score (like 80s to 90s). And it looks like you have your extra curriculurs set, so just focus on the academics: A's in post bacc and high PCAT. Hope that helps

 

[John T]

Some schools do not count "re-takes". Instead, you need to take the next level up of a course. (For example, if you got 55% in organic chem I, you need to take organic chem II and get a decent mark.) Something to keep in mind and potentially contact the schools you're interested in about.

Yes I have been comtacting schools and telling them my situation. I think a majority of schools average. Thank you

 

[John T]

I understand what you're saying about the "what if's" in life, like what if you do well and everything. But you also have to look at the other side of what if you can't do well and end up in a really bad situation with huge loans and no way to pay them back. But anyway, since you know yourself the best and you seem to have your mind set on the path, I will stop my advice on that topic here.

To actually answer your original question, I would recommend doing the post bacc. If you do well in the science classes, you can show schools that you are up to the challenge of pharmacy school. Also, the PCAT is a great way to offset your GPA, so be sure to get a very high score (like 80s to 90s). And it looks like you have your extra curriculurs set, so just focus on the academics: A's in post bacc and high PCAT. Hope that helps

Once in, I know I will do well because then I'd devote all my time into it and sacrifice everything. Any recommendations for a post bacc program in Cali? And thank you for answering the question. I appreciate it.

 

[jinhk93]

Once in, I know I will do well because then I'd devote all my time into it and sacrifice everything. Any recommendations for a post bacc program in Cali? And thank you for answering the question. I appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I'm not that familiar with post bacc programs, let alone those in California. But I'm sure with just a bit of research you can find a suitable match. Generally, I would recommend a program with high level science courses, fairly cheap costs, and a decent enough reputation and rigor to help boost your academic profile. Sorry about the lack of specific recommendations

 

[John T]

Unfortunately, I'm not that familiar with post bacc programs, let alone those in California. But I'm sure with just a bit of research you can find a suitable match. Generally, I would recommend a program with high level science courses, fairly cheap costs, and a decent enough reputation and rigor to help boost your academic profile. Sorry about the lack of specific recommendations

I've done my research. Jw if you recommend one from another. All post bacc is pretty expensive so that is out the door. Only cheap way is cc but I don't think admins would like me retaking classes at a cc as opposed to a 4 year college. But thank you again for your answer/suggestion.

 

[oogens]

I took a post bacc program for a year at a CSU. my GPA from my BS was about a 2.74. after getting a 3.95 from the post bacc, I brought that above the 3.0 threshhold most schools have as a min.

anyways, I only applied to USC (my boss's alma mater), and UCSF (mom's alma mater) as far as california schools, and didn't get in to either. I did apply widely outside of CA and got in at OSU, Iowa, Utah. I ended up choosing University of Colorado as they offered a good tuition rate, and ease of travel if I need to fly back to California for any family emergencies. I was waitlisted by Michigan, but did not pursue it further as I was not ready to move that far yet.

Honestly I was surprised that I got as much interest as I did. My other data points include involvement with multiple community outreach programs for health and sports, about 3 years experience in a pharmacy as a tech, 3 strong letters of rec (I think, I never read them but the people I asked I knew fairly well), and a 97 composite on the PCAT. I felt I was able to show my weak undergaduate GPA was not representative of me as I managed 3.9 while working full time as a tech and volunteering. I also did the post bacc course because I figured if I couldn't hang with those classes while working, I should look at a career that did not require going back to school.

Anyways, if you're confident you can succeed in the courses, I think it can be a worthwhile endeavor. Definitely don't retake math and science courses at a CC if your awarding institution is a UC, most school will see that as a cop out. They'll want to see math and sci done at a 4 year institution (so, most also don't want online courses).

 

[John T]

I took a post bacc program for a year at a CSU. my GPA from my BS was about a 2.74. after getting a 3.95 from the post bacc, I brought that above the 3.0 threshhold most schools have as a min.

anyways, I only applied to USC (my boss's alma mater), and UCSF (mom's alma mater) as far as california schools, and didn't get in to either. I did apply widely outside of CA and got in at OSU, Iowa, Utah. I ended up choosing University of Colorado as they offered a good tuition rate, and ease of travel if I need to fly back to California for any family emergencies. I was waitlisted by Michigan, but did not pursue it further as I was not ready to move that far yet.

Honestly I was surprised that I got as much interest as I did. My other data points include involvement with multiple community outreach programs for health and sports, about 3 years experience in a pharmacy as a tech, 3 strong letters of rec (I think, I never read them but the people I asked I knew fairly well), and a 97 composite on the PCAT. I felt I was able to show my weak undergaduate GPA was not representative of me as I managed 3.9 while working full time as a tech and volunteering. I also did the post bacc course because I figured if I couldn't hang with those classes while working, I should look at a career that did not require going back to school.

Anyways, if you're confident you can succeed in the courses, I think it can be a worthwhile endeavor. Definitely don't retake math and science courses at a CC if your awarding institution is a UC, most school will see that as a cop out. They'll want to see math and sci done at a 4 year institution (so, most also don't want online courses).

Thank you for your input. It is quite insightful. If you don't mind me asking, where did you do your post bacc at? Csu LA? Or? And did you pay out of pocket or did loans? And do you recommend any specific program? I am eyeing on doing the UCLA post bacc. And what year are you at in pharm school? Sorry for the questions lol.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Hello Everyone,

I am a long time visitor to SDN reading about everyone's situations and hoping you guys can help me decide on which path I should take to improve my chances of getting into pharmacy school. A little background of myself, I graduated from UC Irvine in 2013 Fall with a degree in public health sciences. I essentially took the majority of the core pre-reqs for pharmacy school, but I ended up graduating with a low gpa(~2.6 overall) and a lower science gpa. After graduating, I started studying for the PCAT and PCTB to possibly gain experience as a pharm tech. I plan on retaking these this year. At the same time I started taking classes that weren't offerred at UC Irvine such as speech and anatomy and retook other classes at a local cc. I did really well that summer and fall. I started working at the same time (retail since I couldn't find anything at the moment) and volunteering at a local hospital (did this for over a year).

After that fall, I ended up landing a job at pharmaceutical company, where I am still currently working. I wanted to gain work experience and work on my income and at the same time see what biotech was all about and I realized it isn't for me and I truly want to strive towards pharmacy school still. So my question to everyone out there is what direction should I take now if I want to improve my chances to pharmacy school before I apply?

Some of the options I was thinking was either enroll in a post bacc program of some sort to retake the classes I didn't do well during my undergrad or a DIY at a CC? Is there any pros or cons of either? One issue that came to mind was the ability to enroll in the classes I need and obviously $. I am leaning towards post bacc just to show admins the rigorous classes I would be taking and how convenient the classes are at night so I can work during the day.

It would be greatly appreciated if you guys could give me helpful advice or maybe share your post-college low gpa success stories.

Thanks!

Back when I was vice president of a pre-pharmacy association and kept track of these type of things, you'd be in the lower 5th percentile or so of applicants for the schools I monitored back then.



In all honesty, that's what you need to do; contact a pre-pharmacy group at a local uni and talk to their people.

 

[John T]

Back when I was vice president of a pre-pharmacy association and kept track of these type of things, you'd be in the lower 5th percentile or so of applicants for the schools I monitored back then.



In all honesty, that's what you need to do; contact a pre-pharmacy group at a local uni and talk to their people.

No surprise. And yes that was the first thing I did. And all I received was generic answers.

 

[Dalteparin]

What do you intend to do after you graduate? You mentioned that you work at a pharmaceutical company now; are you interested in research? If you are, a PharmD may not be the right choice. PharmDs often work in clinical trials, but if you're interested in bench research, you're better off with a PhD.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Silent Cool]

Hello Everyone,

I am a long time visitor to SDN reading about everyone's situations and hoping you guys can help me decide on which path I should take to improve my chances of getting into pharmacy school. A little background of myself, I graduated from UC Irvine in 2013 Fall with a degree in public health sciences. I essentially took the majority of the core pre-reqs for pharmacy school, but I ended up graduating with a low gpa(~2.6 overall) and a lower science gpa. After graduating, I started studying for the PCAT and PCTB to possibly gain experience as a pharm tech. I plan on retaking these this year. At the same time I started taking classes that weren't offerred at UC Irvine such as speech and anatomy and retook other classes at a local cc. I did really well that summer and fall. I started working at the same time (retail since I couldn't find anything at the moment) and volunteering at a local hospital (did this for over a year).

After that fall, I ended up landing a job at pharmaceutical company, where I am still currently working. I wanted to gain work experience and work on my income and at the same time see what biotech was all about and I realized it isn't for me and I truly want to strive towards pharmacy school still. So my question to everyone out there is what direction should I take now if I want to improve my chances to pharmacy school before I apply?

Some of the options I was thinking was either enroll in a post bacc program of some sort to retake the classes I didn't do well during my undergrad or a DIY at a CC? Is there any pros or cons of either? One issue that came to mind was the ability to enroll in the classes I need and obviously $. I am leaning towards post bacc just to show admins the rigorous classes I would be taking and how convenient the classes are at night so I can work during the day.

It would be greatly appreciated if you guys could give me helpful advice or maybe share your post-college low gpa success stories.

Thanks!

So let me get this straight. You have a terrible GPA and want to attend pharmacy school and you are wondering what to do?

Well, the answer is simple: attend pharmacy school.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

 

[John T]

So let me get this straight. You have a terrible GPA and want to attend pharmacy school and you are wondering what to do?

Well, the answer is simple: attend pharmacy school.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

I wish it was that easy.

 

[John T]

What do you intend to do after you graduate? You mentioned that you work at a pharmaceutical company now; are you interested in research? If you are, a PharmD may not be the right choice. PharmDs often work in clinical trials, but if you're interested in bench research, you're better off with a PhD.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I intended on working at a retail pharmacy or at the hospital or base. I've looked into it and it somewhat grabs my interest but I enjoy helping people directly. Regardless, I was thinking I'd need to do some sort of post bacc if I wanted to pursue either or. Are you in a PhD program?

 

[Dalteparin]

I intended on working at a retail pharmacy or at the hospital or base. I've looked into it and it somewhat grabs my interest but I enjoy helping people directly. Regardless, I was thinking I'd need to do some sort of post bacc if I wanted to pursue either or. Are you in a PhD program?

Nope, no more school for me. I asked because occasionally we get questions from people who want to do research and think a PharmD will help them achieve that goal. But yeah, post bacc is probably the way to go for you, and knock the PCAT out of the park.

 

[John Domino]

Hello Everyone,

I am a long time visitor to SDN reading about everyone's situations and hoping you guys can help me decide on which path I should take to improve my chances of getting into pharmacy school. A little background of myself, I graduated from UC Irvine in 2013 Fall with a degree in public health sciences. I essentially took the majority of the core pre-reqs for pharmacy school, but I ended up graduating with a low gpa(~2.6 overall) and a lower science gpa. After graduating, I started studying for the PCAT and PCTB to possibly gain experience as a pharm tech. I plan on retaking these this year. At the same time I started taking classes that weren't offerred at UC Irvine such as speech and anatomy and retook other classes at a local cc. I did really well that summer and fall. I started working at the same time (retail since I couldn't find anything at the moment) and volunteering at a local hospital (did this for over a year).

After that fall, I ended up landing a job at pharmaceutical company, where I am still currently working. I wanted to gain work experience and work on my income and at the same time see what biotech was all about and I realized it isn't for me and I truly want to strive towards pharmacy school still. So my question to everyone out there is what direction should I take now if I want to improve my chances to pharmacy school before I apply?

Some of the options I was thinking was either enroll in a post bacc program of some sort to retake the classes I didn't do well during my undergrad or a DIY at a CC? Is there any pros or cons of either? One issue that came to mind was the ability to enroll in the classes I need and obviously $. I am leaning towards post bacc just to show admins the rigorous classes I would be taking and how convenient the classes are at night so I can work during the day.

It would be greatly appreciated if you guys could give me helpful advice or maybe share your post-college low gpa success stories.

Thanks!

Hello! I'm in a sort of a similar situation; I currently have a 2.5 at the end of my 3rd year. I'm going to apply for fall 2017 at Xavier and ulm to see where I'm at. Some advice from my pre pharmacy counselor was to take higher level science courses to show I can handle upper level work and To do extremely well on the pcat to somewhat counter the low gpa although gpa is the most important factor. I'm also hoping to pick up some experience over the summer and be able to gather some strong LOR's. I think with that I'll have a chance; and that might be a good way
For you to improve your chances as well. I'll try to let you know if I make it or not but I think improving gpa thru post bacc is the most important thing!

 

[John T]

Hello! I'm in a sort of a similar situation; I currently have a 2.5 at the end of my 3rd year. I'm going to apply for fall 2017 at Xavier and ulm to see where I'm at. Some advice from my pre pharmacy counselor was to take higher level science courses to show I can handle upper level work and To do extremely well on the pcat to somewhat counter the low gpa although gpa is the most important factor. I'm also hoping to pick up some experience over the summer and be able to gather some strong LOR's. I think with that I'll have a chance; and that might be a good way
For you to improve your chances as well. I'll try to let you know if I make it or not but I think improving gpa thru post bacc is the most important thing!

Hey man. I appreciate you sharing your situation. I did what you did as well. I took upper div classes and did research through that summer I graduated. Are you soley getting LOR from professors? It's been 2 years ish since I graduated so I wonder I would obtain those.

Btw, yeah looks like I'll be going post bacc. I was thinking cc but everyone says not to. I posted this post because of the money issue for the post bacc and wanted to get a confirmation if it will be worth it.

 

[John T]

Hello! I'm in a sort of a similar situation; I currently have a 2.5 at the end of my 3rd year. I'm going to apply for fall 2017 at Xavier and ulm to see where I'm at. Some advice from my pre pharmacy counselor was to take higher level science courses to show I can handle upper level work and To do extremely well on the pcat to somewhat counter the low gpa although gpa is the most important factor. I'm also hoping to pick up some experience over the summer and be able to gather some strong LOR's. I think with that I'll have a chance; and that might be a good way
For you to improve your chances as well. I'll try to let you know if I make it or not but I think improving gpa thru post bacc is the most important thing!

Are you thinking of post bacc after graduating? Where are you going for your undergrad rn?

 

[John Domino]

Are you thinking of post bacc after graduating? Where are you going for your undergrad rn?

Currently at LSU a 4 year university; and I'm trying to stay in state. Yeah I was going to try to get an LOR from a pharmacist if I can; as well as 2 from some higher up science professors. I have none right now but hopefully ill get this pharm tech job for the summer and trying to get 2 good LOR's from my professors during the fall. I still have a year and a half left of undergrad so I would still be able to boost my cum gpa up to possibly 3.1/3.2 (pharmcas cum gpa is watered down cause I have 3 F's on my transcript.) But hopefully ill be able to get in this year or next year; if not I'm not really sure about post bacc (preferably not bc of money) but I guess I will figure it out then.

 

[John T]

Currently at LSU a 4 year university; and I'm trying to stay in state. Yeah I was going to try to get an LOR from a pharmacist if I can; as well as 2 from some higher up science professors. I have none right now but hopefully ill get this pharm tech job for the summer and trying to get 2 good LOR's from my professors during the fall. I still have a year and a half left of undergrad so I would still be able to boost my cum gpa up to possibly 3.1/3.2 (pharmcas cum gpa is watered down cause I have 3 F's on my transcript.) But hopefully ill be able to get in this year or next year; if not I'm not really sure about post bacc (preferably not bc of money) but I guess I will figure it out then.

Gotcha. I am trying to get the pharm tech too to get experience and a LOR. Not sure about GPA because I assume you have taken a lot of classes already so it might not affect it much. But nonetheless gotta get A the rest of the way to show a positive trend. good luck with your studies and finish strong!

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

LOL.... Xavier.

Do they stamp shipping labels on their students at graduation so they'll know which out of state CVS to send them to?

 

[John Domino]

Gotcha. I am trying to get the pharm tech too to get experience and a LOR. Not sure about GPA because I assume you have taken a lot of classes already so it might not affect it much. But nonetheless gotta get A the rest of the way to show a positive trend. good luck with your studies and finish strong!

Thanks! Good luck to you too! I have like 90 hours right now so yeah it's not gonna be a huge increase even then it'll have to be all A's every semester.

 

[khoanguyen1512]

Hi John T,
Here is my advice: do it apply to pharmacy school. If it is something you want, never let anything stop you. How do I know you will get in pharmacy school? I am in the same boat and I got in that is how. I attend CSU LONG BEACH and graduated with Chemistry. I took the PCAT and get 74 composite. My pharmas gpa is 2.77 overall and 2.83 science with only 3 months volunteering at a local pharmacy.I applied to 8 schools, get invited to interview 7, got rejected by 1. Then after interviewing with 5 schools I got accepted to 2 schools, wait listed on 3 and have to decline the last 2. If you need advice on interview or how to prepare for PCAT and pharmas message me . Best of luck and never give up