Help! Low GPA, should I take a W or earn the C? Best case scenario for my apps?

[RX anxiety]

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Hey everybody,
I really need some advice on what to do with the situation that I have placed myself in. I graduated Summer 08 with a low UC GPA of 2.644 without any W's. I was about to apply for Fall of 2009 and got all my LOR's and transcripts sent to PharmCas. I knew that my low gpa would cut all ties to California pharmacy schools so I looked into the out-of-state pharmacy schools. Even so, my gpa was not good enough for many as well. I grew discouraged and lacked motivation to apply because I felt almost so positive that I will not make it anywhere. So I plan on spending my time retaking courses and building my applications for Fall 2010--so I didn't submit my Pharmcas for Fall 2009. But during the period of time I was working on my applications, I had retaken a physics class at a california community college and dropped with my first W during Fall of 08. Now during my Spring 08 semester at a california community college, I finally got into my organic chemistry after petitioning for a week+ and fell behind because of that so I dropped the course, but was a day late from the dropping without a W and got my 2nd W (my careless fault for being unaware of the deadlines at the junior college. My concern is my biochem class. I am retaking it so I could get a better grade from the last time I took it at a UC with a letter grade of C. However, I have calculated my current grade in the class and the highest I could get is a C. Would it be better for me to stick it out and get a C again or should I take another W, which would be my 3rd one?
Also, with my current situation, what should I do with my LORs?I am pretty postive I received good LOR but although I have sent them to PharmCas I never submitted my PharmCas. Should I tell my previous writers that I decided to apply for Fall 2010 instead and ask them to update the letter to what they had written before? And if so, how should I come about that?

I understand what I have gotten myself into in terms of my grades/gpa. I really want to go to pharmacy school but have grown discouraged because of my gpa but I really don't want to give up now.
Please give me ANY advice you guys might have so I can improve my application and to my question above. I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you =]


Extracurricular activities and plans to improve application:
-I volunteered at a pharmacy for 1 1/2 years
-Now working at the pharmacy since December 2008
-Was the president of a club at my UC my senior year (also held another officer position in the same club before that)
-member as a pre-health leader of my UC's health center
-Will be taking the Pharm Tech Board Exam the end of March
-volunteered as a poll worker for the presidental election
-plan on getting a first aid card/ cpr certificate this spring
-plan on retaking all courses that I earned a C in to a better grade.

 

[solzont]

I empathize with you, I had a bad 1st year at a big university. You need to make a change in your life, focus, and get committed...I'm dead serious. It's the only way to get your grades up. Don't settle for B's, drive yourself to master the material and persevere. If Pharmacy is truly your passion, you'll find the patience and courage to start over and do it right the second time. All the extracurricular activities in the world will not float a bad GPA.

 

[RX anxiety]

Thank you for advice. Did you get any W's on your transcript? If so, did they ask you about it during your interviews? I will definitely keep what you have said in mind =]

 

[itsblue2]

I dont think that you should be worried about your withdraws, i had one on my transcript and read of others that have had many on theirs (and still got accepted), i think you should concentrate on doing better in those main classes, esp because your W's are pre req's.

but i agree with solzont, push to get A's!

 

[Storm90]

My GPA is/was awful from undergrad, and I have a few W's on my transcripts. Even though I was discouraged, I never gave up because I knew I could do the work and succeed. You've realized at least that your GPA won't get you into any Cal schools, which is good. I got into a school as an OOS student, so it is possible. If you want any shot at getting accepted anywhere, you need virtually straight A's in any course from here on out. Anything less is simply unacceptable. If you can't do this, you don't need to worry about anything else, because you do need to show a solid trend of good grades and schools take this in to consideration. After this, you need to write the PCAT and do very well on it, continue with your pharmacy experience/work as well as volunteer. Also, your LORs will have to redo their applications for Fall 2010 as PharmCAS doesn't carry anything over. It's a tough road, but you can do it.

 

[RX anxiety]

Thank you for sharing with me you experience on what you did in order to get where you are at. I greatly appreciate both of your advice, itsblue2 and storm90!

 

[stkyrice]

Thank you for sharing with me you experience on what you did in order to get where you are at. I greatly appreciate both of your advice, itsblue2 and storm90!

It sounds like you're on the right track. Retaking everything that you got a C or lower in will definitely help your app immensely, and your participation in the pharmacy club as well as doing the pharm tech license will also help too. If you can swing it, try and do more leadership oriented positions, or work on a community-based project that you start and complete, like maybe doing education in an underrepresented community around health and wellness. It doesn't necessarily have to be pharm-related, but it just shows that you're capable of being in a leadership position.

I was in a similar situation when I finished my undergrad with a 2.6 science GPA. I retook all the prereqs that I got C's or lower and was able to pull off a 3.7 in my postbac, and I've gotten interview invites for UCSF twice. So don't think you can't get into UCSF or similar high-level school because of your undergrad. Hell, if I can do it, ANYONE can do it. 😀