How competitive are pharm schools?

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ronmillsey

ronmillsey

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hi guys, im not exactly a genius or something, so im actually rethinking of my career choices, so im down grading from Med to pre-pharm(or something else)
My GPA is currently below a 3.0, but I heard that i wont have a uhge problem geting into pharm schools as long as I can get a solid PCAT score-input is needed thanks happy eid



ok i accidentally pressed the edit button but i didnt edit anything ok bye
 
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ronmillsey said:
hi guys, im not exactly a genius or something, so im actually rethinking of my career choices, so im down grading from Med to pre-pharm(or something else)
My GPA is currently below a 3.0, but I heard that i wont have a uhge problem geting into pharm schools as long as I can get a solid PCAT score-input is needed thanks happy eid



ok i accidentally pressed the edit button but i didnt edit anything ok bye
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Ouch. Not a good way to start off asking for help.

Most pharmacy schools like grades above a 3.0 and the higher you can get the better. You will find it's very similar to what most graduate schools are looking for. If you don't have the GPA then make up for it with a great PCAT (preferably above 80%) and some great experience in the pharmacy profession.

I'd suggest really looking at your reasons for wanting to go to pharmacy school because if the only reason you're doing it is because you couldn't hack it in pre-med, you may want to reconsider.
 
pearljam5a1 said:
Ouch. Not a good way to start off asking for help.

Most pharmacy schools like grades above a 3.0 and the higher you can get the better. You will find it's very similar to what most graduate schools are looking for. If you don't have the GPA then make up for it with a great PCAT (preferably above 80%) and some great experience in the pharmacy profession.

I'd suggest really looking at your reasons for wanting to go to pharmacy school because if the only reason you're doing it is because you couldn't hack it in pre-med, you may want to reconsider.
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Yea cuz I am sure it is just as hard as med. school.
 
The important thing to remember is if you land an interview and they ask "why pharmacy?" you should repeat EXACTLY what you said here. They'll be so impressed that you were once pre-med that your sub-par GPA will be looked at as an achievement and you'll get accepted on the spot!
 
To the OP:

What are you thinking? Easy to get into pharmacy school?😕 I laugh at you. :laugh:
It is extremely difficult to get in to pharmacy school, especially with a sub par GPA. I am currently sitting at a 2.97, and trust me, I can't really apply anywhere. Even if you score high on the PCAT, it doesn't mean you will get into a school. Trust me, I know this one as well. And the fact that you think you can just change from pre-med to pre-pharm because it's "easier" makes me think that you haven't even looked into the profession at all (and it also makes me sick). Do your research before you assume things. Remember: to assume is to make an ass out of u and me.:smack:
 
I think it's easy to some geniuses in here, but it's really stressful to me since I have 3.0 GPA. It takes gut.
 
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.
 
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delano2000 said:
Even with my GPA I honestly don't think it is "easy" for me. I have to work just as hard as the next person.
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I agree with you completely.

My GPA is not as good as yours, but I have a 3.5 overall, a 3.7 in chemistry graduate school, but will still have to work hard to pass.

This isn't easy, it's very difficult and takes hardwork and dedication.
 
LOL

Guys, OP didn't claim pharm school was easy to get into it. He claimed it was easiER to get into, compared to medical school.

And let's face it, medical school admissions is more competitive than pharmacy school admissions by FAR.
 
Yes medical school is much more difficult to get into. My best friend is an orthopedic resident here in Louisville, KY. I have seen what his life was like for the past 8 years. No thanks.

desler said:
LOL

Guys, OP didn't claim pharm school was easy to get into it. He claimed it was easiER to get into, compared to medical school.

And let's face it, medical school admissions is more competitive than pharmacy school admissions by FAR.
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desler said:
LOL

Guys, OP didn't claim pharm school was easy to get into it. He claimed it was easiER to get into, compared to medical school.

And let's face it, medical school admissions is more competitive than pharmacy school admissions by FAR.
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That is a matter of opinion IMO...believe me when I say that it varies with location.
 
delano2000 said:
That is a matter of opinion IMO...believe me when I say that it varies with location.
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It... has nothing to do with opinion. It is fact.

There was nothing stated about acceptance into X med school is harder than Y pharm school. If you take the top rated pharmacy school and compare it to the "lowest ranked" med school, then sure, it's harder to get into the pharm school.

But in general... statistics says it all. Location has nothing to do with this. Medical school IS harder to get into.
 
delano2000 said:
That is a matter of opinion IMO...believe me when I say that it varies with location.
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Mmmm... I think you're in denial. The #1 pharmacy school in the nation, UCSF, has an average GPA of 3.6. That is the average GPA for an average medical school. Not to mention the extracurriculars that are STANDARD (pretty much required) for med school applicants have way more depth than pharmacy schools.

I don't see how it varies with location.
 
desler said:
Mmmm... I think you're in denial. The #1 pharmacy school in the nation, UCSF, has an average GPA of 3.6. That is the average GPA for an average medical school. Not to mention the extracurriculars that are STANDARD (pretty much required) for med school applicants have way more depth than pharmacy schools.

I don't see how it varies with location.
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Hey I can always admit when I am wrong but you would have to proof to me that UCSF is the #1 pharmacy school. As far as I know, rankings are not endorsed.
 
desler said:
Mmmm... I think you're in denial. The #1 pharmacy school in the nation, UCSF, has an average GPA of 3.6. That is the average GPA for an average medical school. Not to mention the extracurriculars that are STANDARD (pretty much required) for med school applicants have way more depth than pharmacy schools.

I don't see how it varies with location.
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OK that part I agree with.
 
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desler said:
LOL

Guys, OP didn't claim pharm school was easy to get into it. He claimed it was easiER to get into, compared to medical school.

And let's face it, medical school admissions is more competitive than pharmacy school admissions by FAR.
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I totally agree that pharmacy schools are easier to gain acceptance than medical schools. I don't have a problem with that.

The problem I have with the OP's comments are how negatively he portrays pharmacy in general. He implies it takes a "genius" to get into medical school. He also implies that being a PharmD is a "step down" from being an MD.

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it's also polite to realize the audience he's seeking to gain advice from, namely current and future pharmacy students. His post almost seems troll-like in its brevity and lack of thought.

I think the OP needs to research pharmacy a little more or do as he originally posted and go with "something else".
 
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i am going to do some research on pharm and reevaluate
 
below 3.0 gpa + a premed dropout = not fit for pharmacy
 
pharmRxn said:
below 3.0 gpa + a premed dropout = not fit for pharmacy
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I don't think so. Here's the reality: the average GPA of pharmacy schools range from 3.1 to 3.6. 3.6 being UCSF. At UIC, the average is 3.4, at Chicago State the average is only 3.2. What this means is that at least 15% to 30% of your typical pharmacy class has a GPA lower than 3.0. And a sizable portion of your class probably was a premed at some point, simply because the prerequisite courses overlap so it's not a huge course overhaul to switch from premed to prepharm.
 
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I'm sorry but that's ******ed to say you are downgrading- in a pharmacy student forum. Lol. No offense taken, but wow some people just don't take any social cues do they? Lol
 
womp said:
I don't think so. Here's the reality: the average GPA of pharmacy schools range from 3.1 to 3.6. 3.6 being UCSF. At UIC, the average is 3.4, at Chicago State the average is only 3.2. What this means is that at least 15% to 30% of your typical pharmacy class has a GPA lower than 3.0. And a sizable portion of your class probably was a premed at some point, simply because the prerequisite courses overlap so it's not a huge course overhaul to switch from premed to prepharm.
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30%!? if you assume the standard deviation is huge like 0.6 and I think that's a stretch. Now 15% I can buy giving a deviation of roughly 0.3, which is close to the estimated standard deviation range = (minimum score to apply~ 2.5-4.0/4) = 0.37

Remember, we are talking about the typical school which by your numbers has a mean GPA of 3.35. Your typical school won't have 30% under 3.0. Feel free to run the z test yourself.

Will a lower tier school have up to 30% under 3.0? Sure I can see that but not your typical one. In cases of top tier school almost no one will have a gpa under 3.0.
 
lastmagus said:
30%!? if you assume the standard deviation is huge like 0.6 and I think that's a stretch. Now 15% I can buy giving a deviation of roughly 0.3, which is close to the estimated standard deviation range = (minimum score to apply~ 2.5-4.0/4) = 0.37

Remember, we are talking about the typical school which by your numbers has a mean GPA of 3.35. Your typical school won't have 30% under 3.0. Feel free to run the z test yourself.

Will a lower tier school have up to 30% under 3.0? Sure I can see that but not your typical one. In cases of top tier school almost no one will have a gpa under 3.0.
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I meant it as a range. The lower tier schools (3.1-3.2) will have around 30% under 3.0, and the higher tier schools will likely have around 15% (make it 10% if you wish). Several medical schools with 3.5 GPA averages still take 10% of their class under 3.0; you can find this information in the annual MSARs which show bar graphs from the 10th to 90th percentile. Med schools with average GPAs of 3.7+ on the other hand generally don't go lower than 3.0-3.2.
 
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To the OP: It seems like if you decide to do pharmacy or stick with medicine you'll need to turn your grades around and do some other things such as ace the standardized tests. If your dream is to be a doctor why not look into DO schools? If you are willing to work hard enough to ace the PCAT as you say, why not ace the MCAT? DO schools allow you to replace your old grades with new ones without averaging them. I believe DO schools also have lower GPA/MCAT scores among there admitted students than MD.

Just a suggestion.
 
saying med school>>pharmacy is like saying math is better than chemistry.

Your comparing two completely different things.

I am guessing from your post that you probably have very limited extracurricular, never done the pcat, have no/little exposure to the pharmacy field which means that unfortunately, with a bad gpa and not much to show in your interview, you probably won't be very successful getting into pharmacy.

But of course, you can always try downgrading again OR you can find something that you are truly interested in.

good luck
 
nonzerosum said:
saying med school>>pharmacy is like saying math is better than chemistry.

Your comparing two completely different things.

I am guessing from your post that you probably have very limited extracurricular, never done the pcat, have no/little exposure to the pharmacy field which means that unfortunately, with a bad gpa and not much to show in your interview, you probably won't be very successful getting into pharmacy.

But of course, you can always try downgrading again OR you can find something that you are truly interested in.

good luck
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Saying that Pre-med and pre-pharm are two different things is not really true. Pre-med and Pre-pharm require the same classes.

To get into medical or pharmacy school you need
Chemistry 1&2
Organic Chem 1&2
Math (Calc preferred)
Gen bio 1 and 2
Anatomy

and to make your app stronger you can take more science classes. However, the mcat is harder than the pcat and its harder to get into MD school. You guys really cant say that pharmacy school and medical school adimissions are on the same level when i comes to how easy it is to get into. As much as I would like them to be on the same page I do beleive that its harder to get into medical school.

Also who says you cant say math is better than chemistry. To some people it is better because they understand math more than they understand chemistry.
 
luke123 said:
Saying that Pre-med and pre-pharm are two different things is not really true. Pre-med and Pre-pharm require the same classes.

To get into medical or pharmacy school you need
Chemistry 1&2
Organic Chem 1&2
Math (Calc preferred)
Gen bio 1 and 2
Anatomy

and to make your app stronger you can take more science classes. However, the mcat is harder than the pcat and its harder to get into MD school. You guys really cant say that pharmacy school and medical school adimissions are on the same level when i comes to how easy it is to get into. As much as I would like them to be on the same page I do beleive that its harder to get into medical school.
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your completely wrong,

pharm and MD have differrent requirements with different adcom that analyze the applicants differently. you cannot say that one is easier than the other objectively. Only on a highly personal level can you say that and seeing how that no one who applied to both and was accepted is here comment. I can firmly stand on my point.

luke123 said:
Also who says you cant say math is better than chemistry. To some people it is better because they understand math more than they understand chemistry.
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Oh Great... another genius....., read my post again Luke. I am not saying math or chemistry is easier. I am saying that from the tone of the OP, he's saying the med school is superior to pharmacy. In a similar comparsion, I am saying a math is not superior to chemistry and viseversa. Ex, a math major changing to a chemistry major would NOT be considered as a downgrade.

Luke, go work on your reading comphrension skills because it's awful
 
@ nonzerosum

You are in denial. Medical school admissions is more competitive than pharm school admissions, period. You're so wrong it's hilarious. Let me put it in terms you might understand: It takes MORE effort to get into medical school than pharmacy school. Yes, you CAN say this objectively by just looking at average GPAs and extracurriculars of the applicant pool.
 
hey guys sorry to barge in,
but i was just wondering what could be a good supplemental extracurricular activity besides being a retail pharmacy tech in order to be a competitive applicant? what do pharmacy schools value in the extracurriculars of an application?
 
nonzerosum said:
your completely wrong,

pharm and MD have differrent requirements with different adcom that analyze the applicants differently. you cannot say that one is easier than the other objectively. Only on a highly personal level can you say that and seeing how that no one who applied to both and was accepted is here comment. I can firmly stand on my point.
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They.... have pretty similar requirements, honestly. Similar prereqs, similar background knowledge (plus points for working with a pharmacist/doctor or in that health care setting), and extra plus points for community service. GPA ... MCAT/PCAT.

The thing is, objectively, med schools have higher average GPAs for their accepted pool, as well as the MCAT is supposed to be much harder than the PCAT. No one is comparing the profession - of course, both have their ups and downs. But comparing the competitiveness of applying to school, you can 100% objectively say that med school is harder than pharm school to get INTO. Now once you're in, I say it's difficult to say if one is harder than the other - THAT's like comparing math to chemistry, and very subjective. But before you're in? There's nothing "highly personal" about it. It's about your grades, your test scores, and your resume. Your essay and interview can be the major push/pull that keeps you in/out, but you need to grades first to be even considered, and comparing pharm and med school applicants, it's clear that (acceptance to) med school is harder and more competitive.

but i was just wondering what could be a good supplemental extracurricular activity besides being a retail pharmacy tech in order to be a competitive applicant? what do pharmacy schools value in the extracurriculars of an application?
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Anything community service related is looked upon favorably. Just pick 2-3 things you enjoy, and stick to it. Don't pick up 10 different activities the year you apply - THAT looks bad. A lot of brownie points if you have a leadership position. Quality over quantity is what passes here.
 
Med school is much harder to get into that pharm school, but it doesn't mean that pharmacy would be a career 'downgrade'.

I suggest you shadow a pharmacist before making this 'downgrade' to see if you really like pharmacy.
 
nonzerosum said:
your completely wrong,

pharm and MD have differrent requirements with different adcom that analyze the applicants differently. you cannot say that one is easier than the other objectively. Only on a highly personal level can you say that and seeing how that no one who applied to both and was accepted is here comment. I can firmly stand on my point.



Oh Great... another genius....., read my post again Luke. I am not saying math or chemistry is easier. I am saying that from the tone of the OP, he's saying the med school is superior to pharmacy. In a similar comparsion, I am saying a math is not superior to chemistry and viseversa. Ex, a math major changing to a chemistry major would NOT be considered as a downgrade.

Luke, go work on your reading comphrension skills because it's awful
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If you really think they have that different of req then you need to check it again they require the same course work in sciences. Also, like everyone else said you are in complete denial because med school is harder to get into period. Get over it.

Secondly all I said was that to some math is easier than chm. Which make math superior to those people. How about you learn to read.

But in all seriousness pharmacy school is easier to get into than medical school.
 
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luke123 said:
But in all seriousness pharmacy school is easier to get into than medical school.
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I think this is bull****! Pharm school is harder to get in. I got accepted to University of Arizona Medical School on my first try. However, I didn't go because I like pharm school better. It took me 2 tries to get into pharm school. The MCAT was easy for me! I got 34 overall. PCAT got 70 first try and no schools accept me. Second try 90 and got accepted.
 
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Not sure there is any empirical data available to determine whether medical school or pharmacy school is easier to get into, so arguing about it is like pissing into the wind.
 
LegitPharmacist said:
I think this is bull****! Pharm school is harder to get in. I got accepted to University of Arizona Medical School on my first try. However, I didn't go because I like pharm school better. It took me 2 tries to get into pharm school. The MCAT was easy for me! I got 34 overall. PCAT got 70 first try and no schools accept me. Second try 90 and got accepted.
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I am going to call BS on you getting a 34 on mcat and a 70 on pcat.
 
Passion4Sci said:
Not sure there is any empirical data available to determine whether medical school or pharmacy school is easier to get into, so arguing about it is like pissing into the wind.
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Pissing into the wind is more difficult than spitting. Mostly because of having to take all the prereqs of drinking liquids.


Edit: Just noticed the OP is banned now. :lame:
 
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