Honest Opinion

[HHHHPPP14]

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I have applied to pharmacy school and have had a couple of interviews already but have not been accepted yet. This is only my third year of undergrad but I can graduate with a BS in Biology. My dilemma is I can stay another year and get a BA in chemistry also. I am sort of confused on what to do. Do I stay a year and get two degrees and then go to pharmacy school or just go next year?

 

[kdbaker17]

I'd stay for the Chem degree. Pharmacy is saturated and biology has meek job prospects as is. If you're only a year out from a Chem degree stay so that you can get it. Chem degrees are much higher in demand.
This is at least what I would personally do. You should definitely reach out to your pre-health committee, advisor, and career development center if your school has that. They would be able to give you the best advice.

 

[HHHHPPP14]

The thing is I just received an acceptance letter to a school. Will it look bad if I decline and reapply next year? I am going to have two degrees and more experience if I reapply again.

 

[kdbaker17]

The thing is I just received an acceptance letter to a school. Will it look bad if I decline and reapply next year? I am going to have two degrees and more experience if I reapply again.

If you get into your top school, or any school you really want to go to. You can see their deferment options and that way you don't have to reapply.
I don't think it will every look bad for you to get a second degree, and reapply. A lot of people go into pharmacy school without any degree and you're be several steps ahead and a distinguished individual.

 

[pms_testosterone]

Try to defer, but it is unlikely to be approved.
Otherwise, if you're pretty sure you want to be a pharmacist, go to pharmacy school. There is no guarantee you'll be accepted if you re-apply next year.

 

[PharmtoCS]

I would stay another year or two to get a degree in computer science, engineering, or finance instead, and skip pharmacy altogether. You would earn as much as a pharmacist can and work in a much less stressful environment without the $200k+ loans and 4 years of additional schooling.

 

[kdbaker17]

I would stay another year or two to get a degree in computer science, engineering, or finance instead, and skip pharmacy altogether. You would earn as much as a pharmacist can and work in a much less stressful environment without the $200k+ loans and 4 years of additional schooling.

Constant recommendations of going into these fields is ridiculous. Maybe it is "ideal" for the future, but a lot of people find CS, engineering, and finance boring and tedious (I know I do). People go into pharmacy because of their love of medical science/biochem NOT because of the economic, finance, etc. side aspects.
I've taken classes in these areas and absolutely hated them. Honestly, they were some of the most soul-draining courses I've ever had. Additionally, my boyfriend graduated with a CS degree and holds a decent job in software engineering but hates what he has to do everyday. Not everyone fits the cookie cutter form for different degrees, and it's annoying to see constant posts about what degrees are profitable.
Let people chase after their dreams, instead of crushing them.
Pharmacy is still growing at a 3% rate, and jobs ARE out there. They won't come easily by the time OP graduates, but if pharmacy is their dream it's worthwhile to relocate, do residency, gain experience, etc. in order to obtain the jobs that are available.

 

[PharmtoCS]

Let people chase after their dreams, instead of crushing them.

They'll likely get crushed anyway 4 years later, except that a lot of them will be $200k+ in debt.

Pharmacy is still growing at a 3% rate

3% growth in jobs over the next 10 years compared to roughly 50% growth in the number of pharmacists.

 

[kdbaker17]

They'll likely get crushed anyway 4 years later, except that a lot of them will be $200k+ in debt.



3% growth in jobs over the next 10 years compared to roughly 50% growth in the number of pharmacists.

I find it funny that's what you took from my post. They didn't ask about job saturation, other career options, etc. It's fine to highlight that there's saturation, but there are a few states that have a huge demand for pharmacists (Louisiana, Alaska, and another state I forgot). There are also quite a few states where demand and supply of pharmacists are in equilibrium. Some schools also offer dual degrees while in pharmacy school. The one I'm going to does. Through their program I can be a PharmD and a PA, MBA, MSPS, or MPH within 4 years. All these jobs have decent growth prospects too. This allows students to have a fallback option if pharmacy jobs aren't immediately available.

In regards to your first quote, a lot of students graduate with way less debt (I know I am, thankfully), and they definitely won't be "crushed" by it. You do have to start making payments upon graduation and your payments a proportionate to what your annual salary is, so if you can't find a pharmacist job and end up making 20K a year they payments would be incredibly small. Eventually the debt will be forgiven as well. Debt is not the end all, be all. I'll happily take on 250K of debt to work in a field I enjoy. A lot of other people feel the same. Just because YOU think this way, doesn't mean everyone else does. By asserting your opinion onto someone who didn't ask for it is, in fact, quite rude.

In your second quote, 3% is the average and doesn't account for the people who are willing to move to get jobs. A few states have demand in equilibrium with supply, as I mentioned above, some states desperately need pharmacists, and only a few states are heavily saturated. These more so skew the 3% avg. Additionally many recent grads refuse to move due to family status, marriage, children, etc. A lot of people can't simply move to the middle of no where and find a job. There are always pharmacy jobs open. Even in my state with two pharmacy schools, who have had HUGE success in placing students in pharmacist jobs who wanted them.

 

[Saito]

I'd stay for the Chem degree. Pharmacy is saturated and biology has meek job prospects as is. If you're only a year out from a Chem degree stay so that you can get it. Chem degrees are much higher in demand.
This is at least what I would personally do. You should definitely reach out to your pre-health committee, advisor, and career development center if your school has that. They would be able to give you the best advice.

Chem degrees are absolutely worthless
I'm starting to really get sick and tired of people here thinking that the grass is greener over with all the other professions when STEM in general is going through a serious decline.
Everyone is feeling the crunch, but to tell someone to waste a year of their life getting a worthless degree is just messed up.
You people need to stop

 

[Trishna28]

I wouldn't get a chemistry degree. Bachelors in both Bio or Chem will only get you a lab tech job. Yes with Chem degree, you would have more job prospects in the lab tech field but believe you me, there is no growth. I know Pharmacy is super saturated as well and I got in at the wrong time but I'm trying to make the best of it. Basic sciences majors are only good to pursue professional schools or to get a PhD. So don't waste your time pursuing another degree in basic sciences. Schools love painting a rosy picture about elusive research opportunities in basic sciences as well, real world is completely the opposite of that. My sister majored in Chemistry, did not really get the opportunities she wanted (all dead end) so she worked for a year as a medical scribe and went to medical school instead. She will graduate next summer. But medicine isn't easy to get into. However, I do not know your situation, If You have the grades and the drive and love science, apply to medical school or dental school, instead.




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[BAILEY007]

They'll likely get crushed anyway 4 years later, except that a lot of them will be $200k+ in debt.



3% growth in jobs over the next 10 years compared to roughly 50% growth in the number of pharmacists.

I have a biology degree. I'm working on my pharmacy degree but I'm going to have less than 100k in loans for both. So suck it. Not every school is expensive. There are still jobs and there are going to be new jobs. With the older population getting bigger, we need more health care workers. The field of pharmacy is changing. It's up to us to prove our worth. Pharmacists have prescribing authorities in Ohio. Canada has pharmacist prescribing medications for minor ailments already. Pharmacists could make a huge impact on the health care system. If you haven't noticed our system is terrible.

 

[Nguyen]

I have a biology degree. I'm working on my pharmacy degree but I'm going to have less than 100k in loans for both. So suck it. Not every school is expensive. There are still jobs and there are going to be new jobs. With the older population getting bigger, we need more health care workers. The field of pharmacy is changing. It's up to us to prove our worth. Pharmacists have prescribing authorities in Ohio. Canada has pharmacist prescribing medications for minor ailments already. Pharmacists could make a huge impact on the health care system. If you haven't noticed our system is terrible.

[emoji23]


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