Honesty, please!

[juliablankets]

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Hello, all! I've been stalking this forum for some time now, first time posting.
My dilemma is that I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I am considering pharmacy because it is interesting. I am considering accounting become I am good at it.
I have failed every chemistry course I have ever taken (except for OChem Lab I, I managed to get a B in it). Gen Chem 1-2 and OChem 1-2 I have all failed (and consequently retook all of them an got C's in all). I am good at math/calc and biology.
I can't tell if I'm just not cut out for chem/pharm or if I just don't put enough effort into it. I feel like I put enough effort into studying. I try my best but it always seems as if whenever I try my hardest, I end up failing.
So, my question is as follows: Does someone like me even have a chance in pharmacy school? I think chemistry is interesting and I like it, but it doesn't come naturally to me like other people I know. Am I maybe not studying enough/correctly? I have always had a full-time job throughout my undergrad. That could be a problem as well.
What do you guys think?

Thanks!

 

[Chase Pharm]

I am kinda in the same dilemma!!! I'm not that good in Math, but I'm not going to let that stop me from being a Pharmacist...If I have to study extra hard, get extra help from my professors after class,then that's what I will do!!!

If you truly want to be a Pharmacist, you should go for it....don't let your insecurities stop you...I think you should weigh the pros and cons of being a Pharmacist or an Accountant and see where your heart truly lies...keep me posted!!!

Good luck!!

 

[Storm90]

As far as failing & redoing the Chem courses, it's great that you redid them, but some schools will combine the grades and take the average (ie. F + C=D) as opposed to taking the better grade. Do you have any experience in pharmacy? Seen what happens in a community/hospital pharmacy and what's expected? Chemistry is not (nor will it ever be) my best subject, but you have to know it to do well in pharmacy. Not to mention biochemistry for that matter. If you truly want to be a pharmacist and are willing to do what it takes to get in, it will happen. I waited nearly 8 years to get an acceptance, and I busted my tail to get it. That included getting A's in my prereqs after repeating the course. I failed a few courses as well, but repeating them and getting A's shows you are capable of overcoming the challenges, and that's something every pharmacy school wants to see.

 

[transzincIIB]

I just think that if you are good at accounting, you could actually relate it with chemistry...chemistry has calculations too but in different form through compounds, molecules or atoms etc unlike accounting some numbers....

I do agree Chemistry can be difficult if you are unfamiliar of what strategy to use. My only advice is familiarity. Don't just read the book once, read it as many as you can until you understand it solely. Don't just do the assigned hw's by the teacher, do the whole hw's and section example for the chapter. By doing this you get a higher probability of having familiar questions from your exam since where can the teacher get their questions anyway, from the book itself. Besides homework, also review your lecture notes and problems covered from your notes. Lastly, know and understand concepts and practice, practice, practice.

I just think that if you understand something, you would like it.

Also complaining will not do you good. Just do the most you can with time management. I hope this would help you.

 

[eightonesix]

Chemistry has always been something to struggle with. Its not like a lot of other subjects and it requires a lot of patience, continual practice, and studying... at least a week prior to tests. If it's something you really want to do, go for it. There will always be obstacles, but they're just there to see how determined you are to get to where you want to be

 

[pharmaspire]

Chemistry is not an easy subject, but you need it to be a pharmacist. Its a matter of finding out how best you study., and then it's just practice practice practice just like transzincIIB said. Familiarity is the key. Once you get familiar with the concepts you should be fine.

 

[atticus27]

If I were in your shoes right now I would cut down my work hours and take out more loan $$$. Also, retaking those chem classes again seems kinda pointless, so I would take upper level Bio classes and make sure that I do REALLY well, no C's.

Then, of course, try your hardest to get a killer PCAT score, good lor's, P.S., extracurriculars, certified pharm experience, get a B.S....etc

I hate chemistry. I would rather stick hot pokers in my eyes than study chemistry, but I did it with painstaking detail anyways cause I wanted A's. If your putting in your best and not seeing results then you probably need to switch something up right?

If you want to be a pharmacist then you can definitly get it done, just keep improving everything you can.

 

[juliablankets]

thanks for the pointers and for not being so harsh on me 😳
i definitely know that i have to cut down my hours and get a plan underway.

 

[WhiteSnows]

If I were in your shoes right now I would cut down my work hours and take out more loan $$$. Also, retaking those chem classes again seems kinda pointless, so I would take upper level Bio classes and make sure that I do REALLY well, no C's.

Then, of course, try your hardest to get a killer PCAT score, good lor's, P.S., extracurriculars, certified pharm experience, get a B.S....etc

I hate chemistry. I would rather stick hot pokers in my eyes than study chemistry, but I did it with painstaking detail anyways cause I wanted A's. If your putting in your best and not seeing results then you probably need to switch something up right?

If you want to be a pharmacist then you can definitly get it done, just keep improving everything you can.

I am not sure how long it takes to finish your plan. It is not impossible to carry your plan, but it will definitely take years and years to improve in Maths and Chemistry. Plus, Pcat is getting much harder every year, it is not easy like you said get a killer score.

 

[bwsalvas]

Chemistry skills are important. I know those of you who work as techs in community may see that your pharmacists aren't using specific chemistry skills on a daily basis. From that perspective you may not feel chemistry is as important as math and biology and whatnot. I can appreciate that perspective.

But I can promise you that on a daily basis you will be using chemistry as a pharmacy student. Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Therapeutics.... heck even kinetics, a math class-- Chemistry.

The applications are not as clear as a stoichiometry problem- but my classmates and I have to apply the chemistry concepts learned from day 1 every day.

 

[tootoo30]

I think if I were in your position, I would complete a degree instead of just the prerequisites to show that your well rounded and you continued to show perserverance even after all those failures and no more C's, A's and B's only 🙂

 

[inquirer89]

Everyone here has given some great tips concerning your worries about chemistry. It's not my best subject either, so I try to take the time to understand and study the material as much as possible.

But one more important piece of advice:

If you haven't already done so, you should really take a look at why you're interested in pharmacy, and do some research on what a pharmacist does. There have been many cases where someone is interested in science and thinks he/she wants to do pharmacy, but doesn't really know about it. Some pharm students drop out when they realize they don't want to pursue it, wasting valuable time, money, and taking someone else's seat. I HIGHLY recommend that you get some experience, whether volunteering or as a pharm tech. That way, you'll know for sure that is what you want to do, and it's great for applications to pharm schools. Do a search on getting experience- there are tons of posts in this forum.

Good luck!

 

[juliablankets]

Everyone here has given some great tips concerning your worries about chemistry. It's not my best subject either, so I try to take the time to understand and study the material as much as possible.

But one more important piece of advice:

If you haven't already done so, you should really take a look at why you're interested in pharmacy, and do some research on what a pharmacist does. There have been many cases where someone is interested in science and thinks he/she wants to do pharmacy, but doesn't really know about it. Some pharm students drop out when they realize they don't want to pursue it, wasting valuable time, money, and taking someone else's seat. I HIGHLY recommend that you get some experience, whether volunteering or as a pharm tech. That way, you'll know for sure that is what you want to do, and it's great for applications to pharm schools. Do a search on getting experience- there are tons of posts in this forum.

Good luck!

I am actually looking into getting accreditation as pharm tech (I'm pretty sure most states require accreditation now anyways, right?). That's a very good point. I'm not really sure why I want to pursue pharmacy (besides the whole money thing and respect). I do not think that I can cut it as a doctor. But I do find pharmacy very interesting. I don't know. I guess that's maybe reason enough...

 

[alenadoma]

I am actually looking into getting accreditation as pharm tech (I'm pretty sure most states require accreditation now anyways, right?). That's a very good point. I'm not really sure why I want to pursue pharmacy (besides the whole money thing and respect). I do not think that I can cut it as a doctor. But I do find pharmacy very interesting. I don't know. I guess that's maybe reason enough...

I hope you want to help people 🙂

 

[juliablankets]

I hope you want to help people 🙂

i guess....lol no, i really do want to help people. especially along the lines of community health and vaccinations.