How can I get started in pharmacy?

[GottaGet]

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I graduated UCI '06 with BS in Biology. However my gpa was only 2.9 overall. I did badly in bio classes, so i have ruled out med school. now i am thinking about pharm school. i got mostly B's in the chem classes. I am aware that i will need to take a few more classes to get the pre-reqs. I have no previous experience of any kind. how would i go about getting into pharm school?

 

[sle3pyguii]

I graduated UCI '06 with BS in Biology. However my gpa was only 2.9 overall. I did badly in bio classes, so i have ruled out med school. now i am thinking about pharm school. i got mostly B's in the chem classes. I am aware that i will need to take a few more classes to get the pre-reqs. I have no previous experience of any kind. how would i go about getting into pharm school?

Correct me if I interpreted that bold part wrong, but it seems like you want to go to med school and want to go to pharmacy school as a backup. Just because you did bad in a few undergrad classes doesn't mean you won't become a competent doctor. Check out the MD or DO forums.

If you really want to do Pharmacy:

For a 2.9, you're going to want to take a few more science classes to raise it to at least a 3.0. With a BS in biology, you should have most of the pre-reqs finished already. On top of your other pre-reqs, just take some extra upper-divisions. You may also want to retake anything with a C or lower. And you can't forget to take the PCATs. California schools and some others don't require it, but seeing how those schools are usually competitive, you want to cover all your bases.

As for pharmacy experience, you can work as a tech or just volunteer at a pharmacy.

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

you went about your question all wrong, the quickest way to get flamed out in a pharmacy forum is to say you want to become a pharmacist only because medical school is no longer an option... anyway, here's my advice:


1) First and foremost, you can get into medical school with a 2.9, consider going to carribean schools. Someone on this forum got into a carribean medical school ON THE SPOT with a 2.42 GPA!

2) I wouldn't really recommend you trying to go for a career in Pharmacy because there's a huge misconception from all other healthcare professionals that pharmacy school is easy to get into, and once youre in is a complete joke... this is very far from the truth. Just like Medical School, you HAVE to want to become a pharmacist in order to get in and do well! If this is something you're doing to please overbearing parents consider yourself screwed wayyyyyyyyyyyyy ahead of time!

3) Lastly, if you insist on pharmacy school my biggest suggestion to you is to bring up your extracarriculars. Get a job at a pharmacy, volunteer at a hospital, get some healthcare related experience! Also, with your low GPA california isn't a viable option for you, so start studying for the PCAT and do as well as possible!

hope this helps

 

[lebpharm]

2) I wouldn't really recommend you trying to go for a career in Pharmacy because there's a huge misconception from all other healthcare professionals that pharmacy school is easy to get into, and once youre in is a complete joke... this is very far from the truth. Just like Medical School, you HAVE to want to become a pharmacist in order to get in and do well! If this is something you're doing to please overbearing parents consider yourself screwed wayyyyyyyyyyyyy ahead of time!

i second that

 

[medicalCPA]

Someone on this forum once mentioned that pharmacy school is a great backup for med school, and I agree. The bottom line is that ultimately, your patients don't care what your motivation to become a pharmacist is. Just don't be an incompetent pharmacist.

OP, as people have mentioned, if you want to be a physician don't let your GPA hold you back.

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

Someone on this forum once mentioned that pharmacy school is a great backup for med school, and I agree. The bottom line is that ultimately, your patients don't care what your motivation to become a pharmacist is. Just don't be an incompetent pharmacist.

OP, as people have mentioned, if you want to be a physician don't let your GPA hold you back.

a pharmacist who does NOT want to be a pharmacist is ALWAYS going to be a second rate, incompitent pharmacist. This coming from my personal experience and from experiences of my fellow pre-pharmers

 

[collegegirl247]

re-take classes, do well on your pcat

 

[TechNoirShooter]

I have been considering this pharmacy tech program that has opened up in my area.

Try to get into one of those, if one is not offered where you live I've heard you can just take the test and become certified.