How do I go about doing this?

[Ttennis31590]

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Hello Everybody,
I am Tim, a 19 year old, second year CC student that is currently majoring in business. I recently (about a year ago) started working in a pharmacy as a tech and I am positive that I want to be a pharmacist. My predicament is that I have very few of the pre-reqs for pharmacy school completed. I am willing to do whatever it takes, I do however feel that I have a much greater chance of achieving my goal if I transferred into a Pre-Pharm program and finished off the pre-reqs there. I currently have a 4.0 GPA and am confident that I can keep it through this next semester and the following semester. I am in the northeast and wish to stay here so I am looking at schools in PA,NY, and NJ. I just need some guidance, if anyone has been in this situation or has a better idea of what I should to do take the next step please reply.. I really am ready to do this and I love this field.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading and hopefully replying.

Thanks,
-Tim

 

[pharm B]

If you want to stay in the NE, your best bet is looking at (and memorizing!) the requirements for each school in which you're interested. It's best to avoid all surprises and prepare early.

The requirements will steer your education over the course of the next few years. There is no universal pre-req list (though pharmapplicants.com has an awesome spread sheet), so you need to figure out exactly what you'll need and in what time frame.

Example: some schools require a year of anatomy and physiology. Some don't.

Good luck! Stick around, search the forums, and welcome to SDN!

 

[Ttennis31590]

Thanks for your input, I have been lurking for about a month now tbh. I mainly am looking at transferring this next year, I really am starting to get fed up with CC and think that its in my best interests that I move on. Really I think the question I am asking is : Would I be able to get into any of these schools as a pre-pharm transfer, basically just having them take my humanities pre-reqs, or even if I have to complete them again, at least taking my CC grades as consideration against HS apps. I was not motivated in high school and have turned a new leaf since college and I really hope this will not greatly hinder my chances at achieving my goal.

 

[atticus27]

By pre-pharm program do you mean transfer to a university? Sure couldn't hurt to finish prereqs at a 4 year, but plenty get accepted with CC credits. If you think a prepharm program is going to set you up for sucess structure wise, I'd be weary. Almost 95% of any academic "advice" I got was erraneous or useless. You need to research the schools you want to apply to on your own, study their website, the Pharmcas website. You'll also pick up a wealth of info on sdn. Keep up the grades, study a little for the pcat, apply early, and you should have no problems regardeless of whatever a "prepharm program" will or will not do for you.

 

[Ttennis31590]

By pre-pharm program do you mean transfer to a university? Sure couldn't hurt to finish prereqs at a 4 year, but plenty get accepted with CC credits. If you think a prepharm program is going to set you up for sucess structure wise, I'd be weary. Almost 95% of any academic "advice" I got was erraneous or useless. You need to research the schools you want to apply to on your own, study their website, the Pharmcas website. You'll also pick up a wealth of info on sdn. Keep up the grades, study a little for the pcat, apply early, and you should have no problems regardeless of whatever a "prepharm program" will or will not do for you.

That is exactly what I was implying. I would like to finish up my pre-reqs at a 4 year because A. I think that CCs get somewhat looked down on in academia. and B. I really am starting to get bogged down by the majority of the people I am classed with at CC. It is hard to find other motivated people that are looking further ahead than the following weekend. (im sure other CC students will understand what I am saying)

 

[pharm B]

That is exactly what I was implying. I would like to finish up my pre-reqs at a 4 year because A. I think that CCs get somewhat looked down on in academia. and B. I really am starting to get bogged down by the majority of the people I am classed with at CC. It is hard to find other motivated people that are looking further ahead than the following weekend. (im sure other CC students will understand what I am saying)

That's the stigma, but if you don't intend on completing a BS or BA, I see no reason to attend university. The class ring you'll wear will be from the pharmacy school you attend, not the place where you spent two years knocking out pre-reqs. It's up to you to decide what kind of price tag you want to deal with.

Personally, I'm going CC because it's affordable and our CC has a great reputation for its academics.

Besides, I get all the free prints I want at the library. University students here pay 10 cents a page.

 

[atticus27]

That is exactly what I was implying. I would like to finish up my pre-reqs at a 4 year because A. I think that CCs get somewhat looked down on in academia. and B. I really am starting to get bogged down by the majority of the people I am classed with at CC. It is hard to find other motivated people that are looking further ahead than the following weekend. (im sure other CC students will understand what I am saying)

I agree, and personally I would transfer out. It's a good experience at a uni as opposed to no experience at "looser" college(as the Community show calls it) haha. In 10 years you will have something cool to look back on and have a connection to a major or private uni and the money will be a drop in the bucket by then. Some people just want to do it cheap and quick at a CC and that's cool too, but I think it's totally worth it.

 

[Ttennis31590]

I also have heard that transferring from CC directly to pharmacy school is a hell of a lot harder than getting in from the inside.

 

[pharm B]

I disagree with that statement. I suppose attending the undergrad of the SOP you want to attend might give you a slight advantage, but it's nowhere near the level you're thinking.

 

[delano2000]

That's the stigma, but if you don't intend on completing a BS or BA, I see no reason to attend university. The class ring you'll wear will be from the pharmacy school you attend, not the place where you spent two years knocking out pre-reqs. It's up to you to decide what kind of price tag you want to deal with.

Personally, I'm going CC because it's affordable and our CC has a great reputation for its academics.

Besides, I get all the free prints I want at the library. University students here pay 10 cents a page.

Hell I have to pay 10 cents per page too at my CC. Up from 5 cents last semester. I guess they were hit hard by the recession.🙄

 

[Ttennis31590]

I guess im gonna have to go talk to councelors at the colleges that I hope to get into. I hope that I can transfer at least some of my credits to my school of choice. I can get some good LOR's probably from the pharmacists I work with, so that will probably help me out too.

If anyone has any more info or has been in a similar situation PLEASE help me out, I really want to do this and im willing to do what it takes.

 

[coldkatanagirl]

Hell I have to pay 10 cents per page too at my CC. Up from 5 cents last semester. I guess they were hit hard by the recession.🙄

You wouldn't happen to be at SAC, would you? Someone I know that goes there was whining about that, but here at NVC it's free...

 

[phathead]

I have been working on a business degree while getting my pre-recs done for the last few years. If you want to finish your business degree you'll probably going to have to plan for an extra year of classes.

I know in order to get into classes like genetics or biochem or microbio (which is required at some schools), there were 2-3 semesters of pre-reqs before you can take them. Just a thought.