Help Re which path to take before applying to Pharm School

[PharmDad]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello all. My daughter is a senior in high school. I need advice from you experience people. I would like to say that my daughter will make the final decision but I want to know what is the best option for her. I heard that she can complete her pre-reqs at any JC or University before applying for school of out state. We are in CA. and I know that she will be required to obtain a BS/BA before applying. My questions are:

1) Does it matter if she attends a JC or University to finish her pre-reqs.
2) Is it better for her to complete her pre-reqs and apply out of state without a BS/BA or is more beneficial for her to obtain her BA/BS then apply to Pharm School?

Money is a bit of an issue however, if the pros out weighs the cons of her going one route then money will not be an issue. Which leads to me one other question....worst case scenario, if she will have to apply for loans what is the amount that she will owe for her undergrad and pharmacy school (I know tuition is different everywhere but an estimate would be good)? Thank you all very much in advance for your response.

 

[Pojman]

Wow... A young person that does not have to take student loans - that is enough to make most of us a bit jealous.

A typical undergraduate 4 year bachelors program is approximately 30-50k depending on where the student attends school. My freshman-senior years as an undergraduate racked up 35k in loans. That is a drop in the bucket when compared to how much a 4 year pharmacy school will cost.

1. No, it usually does not matter - however you will need to look at the school's website because there are a few rare schools that poo poo CC credits.
2. I would simply recommend to complete the school's prerequisite courses and then apply without a bachelors degree. This is what I did and I was accepted.

 

[PharmDad]

Wow... A young person that does not have to take student loans - that is enough to make most of us a bit jealous.

A typical undergraduate 4 year bachelors program is approximately 30-50k depending on where the student attends school. My freshman-senior years as an undergraduate racked up 35k in loans. That is a drop in the bucket when compared to how much a 4 year pharmacy school will cost.

1. No, it usually does not matter - however you will need to look at the school's website because there are a few rare schools that poo poo CC credits.
2. I would simply recommend to complete the school's prerequisite courses and then apply without a bachelors degree. This is what I did and I was accepted.

Thank you for your response. Let me rephrase that...she will be taking out loans. I believe that she work harder if she has to pay her own way. So we're looking at around $160k when everything is said and done? Will she be able to take out a loan for the whole amount? Again, thank you!

 

[PrepharmUCD]

1) Well JC is cheaper but its important to know what University she will transfer to and check with them to see if they accept the JC credits. Some do and others don't. Its a lot of work so if you want to be sure than just go straight to a 4-year.
2)Pharm schools nowadays are very competitive. Its best that you get a B.S. It makes you more competitive.

 

[rxtech2012]

Agree with previous poster about verifying the univ will accept jc credits(most do). Honestly, if she is going to have to take out loans, she is better off starting at a jc and saving a TON of money then transfer in. I wish I would've done this in the beginning...

 

[AlPacino]

Hello all. My daughter is a senior in high school. I need advice from you experience people. I would like to say that my daughter will make the final decision but I want to know what is the best option for her. I heard that she can complete her pre-reqs at any JC or University before applying for school of out state. We are in CA. and I know that she will be required to obtain a BS/BA before applying. My questions are:

1) Does it matter if she attends a JC or University to finish her pre-reqs.
2) Is it better for her to complete her pre-reqs and apply out of state without a BS/BA or is more beneficial for her to obtain her BA/BS then apply to Pharm School?

Money is a bit of an issue however, if the pros out weighs the cons of her going one route then money will not be an issue. Which leads to me one other question....worst case scenario, if she will have to apply for loans what is the amount that she will owe for her undergrad and pharmacy school (I know tuition is different everywhere but an estimate would be good)? Thank you all very much in advance for your response.

Taking the pre-reqs at a JC will not decrease her chance of getting into a pharmacy program. As long as she gets good grades and does well on the entrance exam, it will not be a problem. It is also more cost efficient this way. I would complete the pre-reqs and then apply to an out-of-state school. Be wary of out-of-state tuition. It will be a bit more but not more then an additional two years of tuition and fees to complete an undergrad.

 

[RN2RPh]

Since your daughter is still in high school, have you thought about 6-year pharmacy program? If she chooses that route then it's guarantee that she won't have to complete a BS/BA. Like other posters already said above, pharmacy is competitive and it's quite difficult for you daughter, a traditional student, to get in any pharmacy school without a BS/BA degree.