How difficult is pharmacy school to get into?

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surgeon_hopeful

surgeon_hopeful

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Hey,

How difficult is pharmacy school to get into relative to dental and med school? Is it even a little bit easier now or what?
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Well... I think ur post is going to flare up some debate.

There are many amazing dent/med schools that are really hard to get into. However, there are also med schools in the Carribeans that u don't really need much of a high GPA to get in, but just lots of cash.

So in that sense, there will be some prestigious pharm schools that are tough in admission, but some easier.

Go to a school because you enjoy the profession, not because it is easier.... or else u'll spend the rest of ur life wondering what u could of become! (ie, a surgeon in ur case) :thumbup:
 
It's really easy. Pharmacy school is for losers that can't get into a real medical profession.
 
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ForcedEntry said:
It's really easy. Pharmacy school is for losers that can't get into a real medical profession.
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Truth. I got rejected from med school twice then dental school then PA school and finally optometry school. Im settling with pharm now.
 
well I know I have to do what I like, but I'm just curious.

But also, since many people (including a ton of top students) are caught up in the hype and prestige of medicine, is it possible that even though acceptance rates may be similar that pharmacy isn't as hard to do because the people in general aren't as smart? Shoot, I probably shouldn't ask this because now everyone is going to think I'm saying you guys are dumb (WHICH IS NOT WHAT I THINK AT ALL!), but in all honesty, many top students ARE caught up in prestige, so many won't even consider pharmacy. Thus is it at least possible that this reason alone makes pharmacy easier than med school?
 
surgeon_hopeful said:
well I know I have to do what I like, but I'm just curious.

But also, since many people (including a ton of top students) are caught up in the hype and prestige of medicine, is it possible that even though acceptance rates may be similar that pharmacy isn't as hard to do because the people in general aren't as smart? Shoot, I probably shouldn't ask this because now everyone is going to think I'm saying you guys are dumb (WHICH IS NOT WHAT I THINK AT ALL!), but in all honesty, many top students ARE caught up in prestige, so many won't even consider pharmacy. Thus is it at least possible that this reason alone makes pharmacy easier than med school?
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How smart does one need to be just to count pills all day?
 
surgeon_hopeful said:
but in all honesty, many top students ARE caught up in prestige, so many won't even consider pharmacy. Thus is it at least possible that this reason alone makes pharmacy easier than med school?
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I would probably disagree because there are more medical schools than pharmacy schools, right? Shoot, there are two medical schools in my city!
 
HSDropOut said:
Truth. I got rejected from med school twice then dental school then PA school and finally optometry school. Im settling with pharm now.
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Wow HS drop out... so did u end up getting into a pharm school yet?





surgeon_hopeful said:
well I know I have to do what I like, but I'm just curious.

But also, since many people (including a ton of top students) are caught up in the hype and prestige of medicine, is it possible that even though acceptance rates may be similar that pharmacy isn't as hard to do because the people in general aren't as smart? Shoot, I probably shouldn't ask this because now everyone is going to think I'm saying you guys are dumb (WHICH IS NOT WHAT I THINK AT ALL!), but in all honesty, many top students ARE caught up in prestige, so many won't even consider pharmacy. Thus is it at least possible that this reason alone makes pharmacy easier than med school?
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Well surgeon-hopeful. I do believe students with extremely higher GPA (ie 4.0s) will tend to go for med/dent. So I think the accepted class's GPA average in a pharm school is probably lower than med schools. However there is also many many applicants so it's also tough in that sense.

I go to school in Canada and we have the B. Pharm system. So what I see a lot here is that some really smart students will finish their B.Pharm then pursue med..... so if they cant get into med they have pharm to fall back on. Which I think is a great fall-back option....BUT it is a big waste of spot b/c they're competing with ppl that ACTUALLY wants to be a pharmacist (me!)... lol.
 
surgeon_hopeful said:
lol, no seriously. All jokes aside, how hard is it really?
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All you need is a GED and know to count to 20. The ability to speak some rudimentary English is a plus, but simple grunts will suffice. With this, UCSF will take you with open arms. :D
 
At WVU the last year I checked the pharmacy school admission GPA was higher than medicine and dentistry. In fact the dentistry GPA was only 3.4 or so while pharmacy was 3.67. In the grand scheme of things, they are all easy to get into. This isn't like trying to get into grad school at Oxford under Stephen Hawking or studying Linguistics under Chomsky at MIT where getting in means you are special and elite. Thousands and thousands get in annually to all three professions. Whoopity do....
 
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WVUPharm2007 said:
At WVU the last year I checked the pharmacy school admission GPA was higher than medicine and dentistry. In fact the dentistry GPA was only 3.4 or so while pharmacy was 3.67. In the grand scheme of things, they are all easy to get into. This isn't like trying to get into grad school at Oxford under Stephen Hawking or studying Linguistics under Chomsky at MIT where getting in means you are special and elite. Thousands and thousands get in annually to all three professions. Whoopity do....
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:bow: (dont tell the MDs)
 
HSDropOut said:
Duh! I settled for it though :oops:
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Damn really? I've been rejected from the pharm school here in Canada twice but still haven't given up. I have some back-up plans with my B.Sc but I just wouldn't feel right settling....

but who noes. Maybe I'll have no choice but to settle later on :confused:
 
michelle_is_me said:
Damn really? I've been rejected from the pharm school here in Canada twice but still haven't given up. I have some back-up plans with my B.Sc but I just wouldn't feel right settling....

but who noes. Maybe I'll have no choice but to settle later on :confused:
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Relearn pill counting then reapply! ;)
 
michelle_is_me said:
Damn really? I've been rejected from the pharm school here in Canada twice but still haven't given up. I have some back-up plans with my B.Sc but I just wouldn't feel right settling....

but who noes. Maybe I'll have no choice but to settle later on :confused:
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Heya Michelle...serious question:

I know that in Canada, the University system is subsidized by the socialized tax structure. Accordingly, your undergrad degree is "free". Does this also apply for graduate or professional degrees?
 
huh

my undergrad is not free. I go to a public school so it is subsidized... I pay ~5k a yr in tuition.

my friends in the B.Pharm prog pays ~7k a yr in tuition.

I've heard that the med school here is ~15k a yr...but not too sure!


what is the tuition range for a state-funded school in the US?
 
That's weird. I work with a few Canadian programmers. They all got their undergrad for freezie! Only thing they had to pay for was room and board.

For the University of Florida, the tuition is 3K for undergrad and 12K for PharmD, if you are a resident of Florida. If not, undergrad tuition jumps to 18K.
 
For me,

8K undergrad anually at a public school(I hear it's 15K if you're out of state)
13K pharm anually
 
I am a Canadian student and NO, post secondary education is not free here lol. Its absurd to even think that. I paid 5K+ a year for undergraduate and now will be paying 12k / year for pharmacy and I don't live in res. Med school is approximately between 15 - 20 k / year, if not more (not really sure on that one). So, just like U.S. we have to pay very high tuition fees. I don't know which school lets you study for free and all you have to pay for is rent? If you know one, please let me know, I would like to go to one of them.
 
BrownSound said:
I am a Canadian student and NO, post secondary education is not free here lol. Its absurd to even think that. I paid 5K+ a year for undergraduate and now will be paying 12k / year for pharmacy and I don't live in res. Med school is approximately between 15 - 20 k / year, if not more (not really sure on that one). So, just like U.S. we have to pay very high tuition fees. I don't know which school lets you study for free and all you have to pay for is rent? If you know one, please let me know, I would like to go to one of them.
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Hey Brownsound.

I *believe* that canadian govt has more subsidy program though... so for myself, the school and the govt gave me a few bursaries to relief my tuition. Which is nice... but a completely free school would be even nicer haha.

I've heard that univs in Germany are free?
 
michelle_is_me said:
I've heard that univs in Germany are free?
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Yes.

The other side of that coin is, they're free for those who get in. The ones who get in are the ones who were identified back in middle school to be on an academic track, and then had the family wherewithal to go to a school (usually private) that would maintain that academic track. Those who don't cut it academically in middle school are placed in a vocational track.
 
I personally think that things are definitely harder at the medical school level because the competition is so fierce (not sure about dental). To get into a good/decent medical school you really have to be quite spectacular in a number of ways. Medical schools require bachelors degrees and do not accept community college credits, limiting educational accessibility in career changes. The MCAT makes the PCAT look like a children's book; the PCAT is not standardized for pharmacy school admissions, and therefore I can see why. Sure some people fall through the cracks, but what profession weeds every bad person? Not nearly as many people apply to pharmacy school so things aren't as bad, but the numbers are growing though so this will probably change in the upcoming decades. Brilliant people do apply to pharmacy school, but it's not the same cut-throat competition that we face with our diagnosis counterparts. I do not, however, envy a physician's responsibility for diagnosis. It's such imprecise, educated guesswork. I could never handle that kind of stress (both in and out of school).
 
eelo said:
Yes.

The other side of that coin is, they're free for those who get in. The ones who get in are the ones who were identified back in middle school to be on an academic track, and then had the family wherewithal to go to a school (usually private) that would maintain that academic track. Those who don't cut it academically in middle school are placed in a vocational track.
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I heard that they did something like that in Japan as well. I wish it was like that in the US. It's stupid to be in a high school class with a bunch of *****s who don't care and hold the classes back.

Also, knowing early on how important it is to take things seriously would be great. If people knew that things were determined that early on, maybe people would apply themselves a bit more.
 
i personally don't think that pharmacy school is easier to get into..first of all there are more med schools out there...also you can always find medical schools that require lower GPA's and stats compared to other medical schools..similar thing with dental...also pharmacy school's now require more GPA's than they used to
 
oh, I've always heard that some of my family members in vietnam went to or go to germany for school. I always wondered how they could afford it. Maybe they didn't have to pay.
 
Knickerbocker said:
I heard that they did something like that in Japan as well. I wish it was like that in the US. It's stupid to be in a high school class with a bunch of *****s who don't care and hold the classes back.

Also, knowing early on how important it is to take things seriously would be great. If people knew that things were determined that early on, maybe people would apply themselves a bit more.
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Many, many school systems outside of the US are like that. You may think it's better, but be careful what you wish for. Think back real hard and try to remember hat you were like as a 10 or 11 year old. If you're a girl, think gawky (or chubby and thick-waisted), stringy hair, buck teeth, overconfident about some things and timid about others. If you're a boy, think short stature, uncontrollable hair, hands and feet too big for the rest of your body, startng to grow pimples everywhere, and you can't control your willy........ yeah. THAT's the time of life that those kids are being marked for "academic track" or "vocational track." Are you sure you want that? Would you want that for your kids?

Japanese kids are tracked from pre-school. PRESCHOOL. There's massive pressure to get your 4-year-old into the best preschool, so she can get into the bet kindergarten, and from there into the best elementary school, and then high school. It's nuts. Japanese teenagers have the highest suicide rate in the world. You kow what happens to Japanese kids who have trouble in school? They get sent to sumo stables, where they learn to become sumo wrestlers.

Our system isn't perfect, but it allows anyone who wants a chance at higher education to get that chance. It's one of the totally American things that makes so many people want to become Americans.
 
so easy, a caveman can do it!
 
Pharmacy school you would have to say it is easier to get into than medical or dental school. I say dental school could be harder to get into now since there are less available schools. When I say medical school I mean the one's in the US and not the caribbeans that don't even require a MCAT with a gpa as low as 3.0-3.2!

Pharmacy school is still hard, you might make it in with a 3.2 gpa and would help if you have a BS. If you want to be a retail/hospital pharmacist that is fine but if you go into pharmaceutical research (which can take as long as being a Medical Doctor) then there is also prestige in that as some people on this board make all medical doctors out to be. Remember without Pharm researchers/scientist, doctor's can't do anything!
 
Coming from a dental school drop-out, maybe not drop-out..I left early enough that it isn't on my transcript and I got full tuitiont refunded..

Dental school also has alot to do with the particular applicant. They could have great stats, but if they do not have the hand skills, they will struggle. Actually, if I am correct, there is now a carving portion of the DAT, but a good score does not guarantee that the person will have the overall skills.

For somebody with extremely poor hand skills, it's better to find out before rather than after starting dental school. There are many students that excel in the sciences, but cannot apply it in clinic. That is why I would advise any prospective dental student to also do shadow time in a dental lab OR the dental school to see that side of it. Most things that are sent to the lab in the real world are done by the dental student
 
Bugieman said:
oh, I've always heard that some of my family members in vietnam went to or go to germany for school. I always wondered how they could afford it. Maybe they didn't have to pay.
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\

I know many Vietnamese international students who attend my school. I don't know about Germany, but the Vietnamese government subsidizes their tuition and living costs.

To the tangent regarding academic tracking, I don't like it because it creates an institutional assumption that a person can't change for the better during adolescence.
 
leoproductionz said:
plus, that would be very unfair. what if the person could not afford a 4-year university or had certain circumstances?
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financial aid. there is money available. My B.S. degree cost $24k and I live in California....entirely funded by financial aid (loans, grants, etc....) Med school will run you in the 6 digits. I agree, you have to pay eventually. For PharmD, I believe the federal limit is $190k for loans.
 
bigDee said:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5213820&postcount=9
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5032602&postcount=12
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5008531&postcount=4
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=4968651&postcount=3
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I stand corrected, but it's hard to get in nowadays that 90+% of applying students already have fulfilled that basic level. Our premed advisor at our university said it looked really bad to take prerequisites at a community college and was a death sentence for getting into any of the top 10 schools, at least from our standpoint (she wrote books on medical school admissions, so I guess I trust her? She was on some committees I think, too). I think the point is keeping up consistency - if you have the capacity to take a harder classes, you don't falter and take the easy option. Why take organic chemistry at a community college if you're already enrolled at Harvard would be the reasonable analogy. If you have no options, then they can't exactly fault you for not having greater opportunities, but they still judge you based off of what they peceive as your capabilities. It's not fair, but quite frankly the people in society who have resources to educate themselves will always be at an advantage - if they're qualified, it shouldn't matter.
 
fenixtnlfan said:
You do have to have a bachelor's to apply to medical school, so at some point you have to fork out the money.
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My pharmacist mentioned a former pharmacy student who went to medical school without a bachelor's degree. I'm not sure if all medical schools require you to get a BA/BS degree, but it couldn't hurt.
 
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