Hope for a "B" Student - Encouragement Please

[pipersnap]

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I've always been a solid "B" student. I work very hard in school and I always manage to get a B in almost every course. I have lots of EC's, work experience, etc.

Is pharmacy school hopeless because my gpa is barely above a 3.0?

Is there no room in pharmacy school for B students?

 

[Twentytwelve2]

I know someone with under a 3.0 who got into pharmacy school. You can make up for it by having a strong personal statement among other things... and once you land those interview invites, you just have to get them to know that you are serious about pharmacy and likable. 🙂

 

[pharmerbird]

I have a 3.1 science GPA(partially because I failed out of Biology1 my first semester of college) and am applying to pharmacy school this summer.

To make up for my less than stellar GPA I have:
worked in a pharmacy for 2 years
shadowed the VA clinic pharmacy last summer
shadowed the community hospital pharmacy over winter break
joined the environmental club at school (active member) and the pharmacy association in my area(active member)
volunteered at a variety of health related places.
built up a relationship with a professor and pharmacist over the last year to ensure a great LOR.

I am taking the PCAT this summer but dedicate 2 hours a day during weekdays to studying.

Point is there are other ways to buffer your GPA.. you just have to get out there and do them .. Good luck

 

[ACE Rx]

I've always been a solid "B" student. I work very hard in school and I always manage to get a B in almost every course. I have lots of EC's, work experience, etc.

Is pharmacy school hopeless because my gpa is barely above a 3.0?

Is there no room in pharmacy school for B students?

Nope!












Kidding. But really though, be as well-rounded as you can and apply liberally.

 

[297point1]

I could always use more well-rounded 3.0 applicants...do well on the PCAT, and you will be fine.

 

[The Recoverer]

I've always been a solid "B" student. I work very hard in school and I always manage to get a B in almost every course. I have lots of EC's, work experience, etc.

Is pharmacy school hopeless because my gpa is barely above a 3.0?

Is there no room in pharmacy school for B students?

OP, my GPA is a 2.45 and I'm still applying. I've got a lot of experience in pharmacy and good LORs. GPA, although it is a very large part of your application, isn't everything. People may say I'm crazy but hey, you never know until you try! GOOD LUCK!

 

[pipersnap]

It's just that I called some schools and they said they prefer 3.5 or higher. "Our successful applicants are all 3.5 or higher." I don't think I'd ever be able to get a gpa like that, considering I'm working at my absolute best and getting this gpa.
I'm tired of practically being laughed at when I call some of these schools asking if I could apply.

Thank you for your words of encouragement.

 

[Twentytwelve2]

It's just that I called some schools and they said they prefer 3.5 or higher. "Our successful applicants are all 3.5 or higher." I don't think I'd ever be able to get a gpa like that, considering I'm working at my absolute best and getting this gpa.
I'm tired of practically being laughed at when I call some of these schools asking if I could apply.

Thank you for your words of encouragement.

I would say it is true that people with a GPA under 3.0 has a lower admittance rate just by looking at each year's average GPA of accepted students, which is around 3.2-3.6.

However, they do accept an amount of students with low GPA's but they must be very strong in other areas to convince the adcom that they are competitive students.

 

[chrispharm]

Well I had a 2.9 pharmcas gpa, I failed to drop some courses 10 years ago, but my last 60 hours have had a gpa a little higher than 3.5.

I received 7 interview invites and went to 4 of them, I was accepted to all 4 schools I interviewed at.

So there is hope.

 

[Doulos]

Well I had a 2.9 pharmcas gpa, I failed to drop some courses 10 years ago, but my last 60 hours have had a gpa a little higher than 3.5.

I received 7 interview invites and went to 4 of them, I was accepted to all 4 schools I interviewed at.

So there is hope.

I was just going to say that if that GPA is a little low you can always take some extra classes to boost it. If every class for the past few years though it'll be hard to make that average move.

 

[pipersnap]

I can't really "take extra classes to boost it"--that's bad advice for me--because I generally don't get A's in classes no matter how hard I try. I would get B's and that would just reinforce my gpa.

Any other ideas?

 

[readingfiend]

I can't really "take extra classes to boost it"--that's bad advice for me--because I generally don't get A's in classes no matter how hard I try. I would get B's and that would just reinforce my gpa.

Any other ideas?

A "B" is a perfectly respectable grade and I would apply anyway. I also will say that in the year you are trying to get accepted you have to do something so why not take a few more classes. If "You always get B's" Then why not examine some of your techniques you use in studying, how you take tests, how important you view a point earned and other such things. TRY AGAIN to see if you can take some classes with an A.

I would also say that PCAT is a big component of your application. Try to boost your score. Shoot for an 80 if you can get that.

I have just above a 3.00 on my GPA and I was accepted to Pharmacy School at every school I interviewed (5 schools). I did however earn A's in my pharmacy prerequisites. I know plenty of people who had one leg of their pharmacy app that was low and did not meet the NORMAL level but all of them had something that was stellar to compensate.

No one is trying to be arrogant or hurt anyone's feelings or say that you CAN'T get into Pharmacy School. It is a good idea though to see what has worked for others. I wish you well in your application.