@ purpletatman
I am currently a sophomore in high school looking to go into pharmacy and I'm not sure exactly what to do. It's great that you are only a sophomore and looking into a career of pharmacy. Of course you're not sure what you want to do right now, the only way that you can be sure is to gain experience within the field to see if you truly enjoy it.
What classes should I take? You definitely need to finish basics in college such as English, History, Humanities, Calculus, etc. As far as science classes go, Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, etc. However, the more upper level science course you take the better it will be to gain exposure to the science curriculum. ADCOM (admissions committee) for pharm school likes students taking classes such as Human Anatomy & Physiology, Biochemistry and such. Look for Pharmacy schools that you might be interested going to then look up their pre-pharmacy prereqs or seek advising with pharm ADCOM.
What should my GPA be around? Weighted/Unweighted? Pharm school is getting even more competitive each year, so anything above a 3.5 I think should be good but the higher the better of course.
When should I apply for a pre-pharm/pharmacy school? If you have good grades now in high school and take honors classes whenever possible in science, etc. Apply at the beginning to mid senior year to your school of choice.
I've heard about the schools that provide pre-pharm and a pharmacy school... what are some good choices? Yes, for outstanding students from high school you can apply into a program that combines pre-pharm with pharm school. It's like saying you are a pharm student which guarantees your acceptance if you get into that program but have to maintain a set gpa, if not you get kicked out.
Is there any way to finish college faster? Why do you want to finish college so fast? I think while you are young, enjoy your college experience b/c you won't get that back when your older and you have the rest of your life to work. Trust me on this one.
I will have no money going into college.. how can I reduce the costs without using loans? There is always financial aid from the government. Fill out a FAFSA form with your family income, etc. then choose all the schools you want to attend and allow them to have that information. Then when it's complete you go to the school of choice Financial Aid office and they will help you get grants, etc. Also another excellent idea is work in a pharmacy as a pharm tech to gain exposure and experience. This will give you a decent paying job while in school and it's definitely above minimum wage.
Should I go to a local college then apply to a pharmacy school.. but I would rather go to a school that would accept me right out of college... Either way is fine. Of course it's best to go to the one that accepts you directly into the pharm program b/c you will be locked in. However, the local college route would probably have to be your back up choice if you don't get into pharm program right away. Just take the classes and maintain a gpa above 3.5 and perform well on the PCAT >80 percentile. You should be competitive along with pharmacy experience within the field.
