How many Pharmacy schools did you apply to?

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PharmDmomma

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While, mapping out my pre-req schedule I have noticed that there is a slight difference with each school on the neccessary pre-requisites.

I would like to apply to four schools to increase my chances of acceptance. However in my quest to fulfill the requirements I have noticed that it will take me longer than 2 years to get it done. So, I would like to know how many schools did you (or are you going to) apply to? In addition was there a big difference in pre-reqs. from school to school?

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I applied to 3. I focused on doing all the pre-req's for the 1st school, the 2nd if I had gone to I would have had to take a class in the summer right before marticulation, and the 3rd (backup) had a fairly short list of pre-req's, although one of the classes was unique to that school and I had to start taking it in january after I got my degree, and am still in it even though i'm not going to the school.

In my 3rd year of college I wasn't even planning on majoring in Bio Sci (I was just Chemistry at that point), and then when I took a good look at USC's bio requirements and what you have to take to get a BS in Bio I added it because I needed basically every class in that major.

Believe me, I shouted a few obscenities over the last few years in regards to pharm school's variation in pre-reqs.
 
I originally applied to 9 schools and only did supplementals for 8 because I realized it would take me a year longer for one of them. The pre-reqs did vary a lot, but since I already had a degree and had taken about half or more of the classes for each school I was able to finish th prereqs in 4 quarters of school. I still have this summer left just in case I need to take anything else. I would advise leaving at least 1 or more quarters as a "buffer" because you might not be able to get in or find the classes you need when you need them.
 
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PharmDmomma said:
While, mapping out my pre-req schedule I have noticed that there is a slight difference with each school on the neccessary pre-requisites.

I would like to apply to four schools to increase my chances of acceptance. However in my quest to fulfill the requirements I have noticed that it will take me longer than 2 years to get it done. So, I would like to know how many schools did you (or are you going to) apply to? In addition was there a big difference in pre-reqs. from school to school?

this topic came up a couple months ago and got a very good response. try doing a search in the pre-pharm forum for more info. btw, i applied to 10.
 
Just 1. But I would definitely recommend applying to more then 1 to increase your chance of getting accepted. In my case I lacked a pharmacist recommendation so I couldn't apply to the other 2 schools I was interested in.
 
4..i only applied out of state to places where I'd be willing to move to if need be..the requirements were pretty much the same for the schools i applied to.
 
i only applied to 2 schools and got into one of them.. :love:
 
I applied to 4 in state schools and got interviews from 3 of them. I think you can increase your chance by applying more pharmacy schools. I was planning to do that if I did not get in this year. :p
 
lol. i applied to 12. I pretty much did all my prereqs for my first choice school then did prereqs for my top 2-4 schools my 3rd year in college. then i just pretty much went onto pharmcas and applied to the other schools that matched up to the prereqs i had. it was a total waste of time and money. i was just scared i wasn't going to get accepted anywhere and so i applied like crazy to increase my chances. i think i wound up wasting like 1500 bucks on application fees, supplemental fees, pharmcas fees, pcat fees. money i didn't have! now i'm in the damn hole and broke as a joke. haha

just do well in your classes so you dont have to worry about applying to too many schools.
 
applied to 1 school
 
I applied to 6 schools, all of them in the Southeast. However, I got interviews at all of them, but was only accepted to the three in my home state of Georgia. Last year before I started applying in the summer, I did a tour of pharmacy schools and found the ones I would like to apply to. It helped me in only applying to the ones that I could see myself attending.
 
4 schools. I almost only applied to 3, but as it turns out, the 4th school is where I'm going.

Personally, I was taking 18 credit hours, which 3 were hardder classes (orgo II, physics II, anatomy), and studing & taking the PCAT. So with supplemental apps, essays, ect. 4 is all I had time to do. Lesson learned from that - APPLY EARLY!!!

Also, make sure you fully research the schools, because some do require strange classes or other weird requests.
For instance, some schoools do not accept C's in pre-req classes, and other schools require classes virtually no undergrade school offers.

Generally, most schools have the same requirements so take these classes first. Many schools also will allow you to take summer classes before matriculation. Hopefully before then, you will know what schools you will have the best shot at, and then you can work on finishing their pre-reqs and forget about the others. This may or may not work because of waithing lists and all that, but the earlier you apply and the stronger applicant you are, the better your chances of getting interviews and feedback in time to register for summer classes. Again, this is a gamble.
 
PharmD4Me said:
4 schools. I almost only applied to 3, but as it turns out, the 4th school is where I'm going.

Personally, I was taking 18 credit hours, which 3 were hardder classes (orgo II, physics II, anatomy), and studing & taking the PCAT. So with supplemental apps, essays, ect. 4 is all I had time to do. Lesson learned from that - APPLY EARLY!!!

Also, make sure you fully research the schools, because some do require strange classes or other weird requests.
For instance, some schoools do not accept C's in pre-req classes, and other schools require classes virtually no undergrade school offers.

Generally, most schools have the same requirements so take these classes first. Many schools also will allow you to take summer classes before matriculation. Hopefully before then, you will know what schools you will have the best shot at, and then you can work on finishing their pre-reqs and forget about the others. This may or may not work because of waithing lists and all that, but the earlier you apply and the stronger applicant you are, the better your chances of getting interviews and feedback in time to register for summer classes. Again, this is a gamble.

So I guess, applying early would only apply to schools that don't want all of your pre-reqs. completed before the Spring of the application period. In my case none of the 4 schools that I am applying to are like that. So I will have to spend three years completing the pre-reqs.
 
PharmDmomma said:
So I guess, applying early would only apply to schools that don't want all of your pre-reqs. completed before the Spring of the application period. In my case none of the 4 schools that I am applying to are like that. So I will have to spend three years completing the pre-reqs.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but it sounds like you're planning not to apply to any pharmacy schools until after completion of the spring term during which you complete the last of your prerequisites.
Schools allow you to apply during the fall semester prior to the start of the spring semester during which you will finish your prerequisites. Then, you simply sent updated transcripts to each of your schools upon the completion of each of the fall & spring semesters.

i.e. if you're finishing the last of your prereqs in Spring 2005, you should apply during the fall of 2004. If finishing up your last prereqs in Spring 2007, you should apply during the fall of 2006. etc.
 
Hey thanks for clearing that up for me. I know my message may not have been clear enough.
 
I applied to 4 schools. Got 2 acceptances, 1 rejection, and the other one is still pending...

I think it's better to do it that way so you can have a choice :thumbup:
 
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