I don't know if I want to be a pharmacist?

[pharmagirl15]

I am a pharmacy student and I got to an accredited 6 year pharmacy program at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at USciences
I am a Pharmacy major.
I don't want to be a pharmacist when I grow up, I have no interest at all but my parents insist that I become a pharmacist.
I am interested in becoming from 1 becoming what I am most interested in to 6 being least.

1)commercial creative director (marketing)
2)dentist
3)optometrist
4)physician assistant
5)psychiatrist
6)nurse anesthetist

What should I do? I don't know if I want to give up my pharmacy track since I am already in the program and my second year in. Should pharmacy be my backup in case I don't get into dentistry school or should I just finish pharmacy and do what I like after I get a financially stable job? Or should I get an MBA after my PharmD, but I don't want to work in pharmaceutical advertisement...at all. BUT my passion to be a creative director for commercial advertisements, I want to create the commercial or market a product by coming up with the idea of what the commercial will entail. I am also very interested in dentistry an I am interested in 7 year dental programs but I don't know if I can get in those right now since I will be a transfer and not coming straight from high school.

However I don't know if I should so readily give up the great program I am in that a lot of people want to be in who don't have the grades for it.I know I can get into advertisement with a PharmD, but I don't want to advertise drugs.I also hate the pharmacy school I am in but would it be stupid to transfer to another pharmacy school I may like, take PCATS, apply when I am already in a pharmD program and even when I don't want to continue pharmacy?

My parents are VERY against me quitting pharmacy and I don't have their support at all.

Please, I need advice fast! I will appreciate it very much.

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful" - Eric Thomas

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[Its Z]

Tell your parents to go to pharmacy school.

Then tell them to mind their own business.

Then pack up your stuff and leave.

Then apply to dental/opt school..

Have a nice life.

 

[rph3664]

Cut your losses now, get your bachelor's in biology or chemistry, and apply to optometry or dental school. Of course, talk to your advisor and finish out the semester.

Why are your parents so gung-ho on you being a pharmacist? Do they want someone to take over their store or something?

p.s. I saw nurse anesthetist on your list. It takes about as long to do that as it does to become an anesthesiologist, because in addition to the BSN, CRNA schools require a certain number of years of nursing experience, and usually in a large ICU or some similar intensity.

 

[eeyore spice]

BUT my passion to be a creative director for commercial advertisements, I want to create the commercial or market a product by coming up with the idea of what the commercial will entail.

You will absolutely not get that job right out of college, after you graduate you will do **** work for $20K and then MAYBE move up a little closer to creative director. Do yourself a favor and see if you can find any job offerings for that in your area.

I am also very interested in dentistry an I am interested in 7 year dental programs but I don't know if I can get in those right now since I will be a transfer and not coming straight from high school.

My parents are VERY against me quitting pharmacy and I don't have their support at all.

Your parents would prefer you be a pharmacist rather than a dentist? They do know dentists earn more, right?

I seriously don't get parents like this. Maybe I was raised differently, idk. Even when I told my parents I wanted to be a writer, they didn't bat an eyelash. Every interest I had they were 100% behind, no matter how difficult it was or how little money it made. And they're far from wealthy, so it's not like they were going to buy me a house and let me inherit a company.

And really, you can get student loans for dental school, so why do you need their support? Go become a successful dentist rather than suffering through pharm school, they'll change their mind when you buy them a new car.

 

[stevephhs016]

I am a pharmacy student and I got to an accredited 6 year pharmacy program at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at USciences

You better be sure, b/c if you go to PCP and you waver, you will drop out. Absolutely serious.

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

Do dentistry or PA.

 

[Momus]

Show them "The sky is falling MEGATHREAD" I am sure their mind changes after that! There is a good reason why that thread is going 18 pages long >_> You'll have hard time getting a job in a city after you graduate.

 

[p-rog]

This is why 0-6 Pharm.D. programs are a bad idea. Most high school students simply don't have a clue.

 

[Farcus]

This is why 0-6 Pharm.D. programs are a bad idea. Most high school students simply don't have a clue.

Ditto.

Hell I thought I wanted to get a MBA and work for a big fortune 500 company after high school. But damn I hate business side of things.

 

[SHC1984]

Ditto.

Hell I thought I wanted to get a MBA and work for a big fortune 500 company after high school. But damn I hate business side of things.

That's actually the route I wish I took...it's better than pharmacy or any healthcare profession for that matter.

 

[p-rog]

That's actually the route I wish I took...it's better than pharmacy or any healthcare profession for that matter.

My brother has an MBA. He makes ~ $45k/year. I imagine the % of people with an MBA that make 6 figures is probably less than 5%.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

p.s. I saw nurse anesthetist on your list. It takes about as long to do that as it does to become an anesthesiologist, because in addition to the BSN, CRNA schools require a certain number of years of nursing experience, and usually in a large ICU or some similar intensity.

This isn't true.

ADN/RN - 2 years
BSN completion program while working as an RN - 2 years
CRNA school - 2 years

Total - 6 years (or so) to be a CRNA

BS/BA degree - 4 years
Medical School - 4 years
Anesthesiology residency - 4 years

Total 12 years to be an anesthesiologist

 

[All4MyDaughter]

My brother has an MBA. He makes ~ $45k/year. I imagine the % of people with an MBA that make 6 figures is probably less than 5%.

Totally agree. The MBA degree gets you very little in terms of marketability and salary. Especially from lower ranked MBA programs.

 

[dudecoolname]

Optometry seems like a viable alternative..

Takes almost exactly the same amount of time to get the degree
They make about the same as pharmacists
Job prospects don't look bad

I'd say go with that

 

[owlegrad]

That's actually the route I wish I took...it's better than pharmacy or any healthcare profession for that matter.

I wonder how many business majors out there wish they had went into healthcare. I mean really which do you think is entering more competitive job market, new MBA grad or new healthcare grad?

I mean I think you would have done fine, you could have got into a good school and probably got a good VP job somewhere after a few years of dedicated labor. But very few MBA's will ever reach a point in their career where they make what we will make day 1 after graduation. Plus pharmacists have a job they can leave at the door, no need to take your work home with you. Considering compensation vs. labor, pharmacists are clearly the winner.

I know you consider pharmacy to be saturated, but what do you think MBA's face? It has to be much, much worse for them.

 

[spacecowgirl]

MBAs are the new bachelor degrees. They are a dime a dozen, much moreso than PharmDs. I don't get how that would be a better outlook.

 

[owlegrad]

MBAs are the new bachelor degrees. They are a dime a dozen, much moreso than PharmDs. I don't get how that would be a better outlook.

Spacecowgirl your next post will make 1000! Use it wisely.

 

[ronkoshy]

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[ronkoshy]

...

 

[bacillus1]

As you're already here at USP, can you just transfer into the PA program next semester? I think it'll be easier than getting a whole bachelor's degree and then applying to professional school? PAs make almost as much as pharmacists, if that's your parents' concern. I saw that's one of the things you want to do.

 

[SHC1984]

I wonder how many business majors out there wish they had went into healthcare. I mean really which do you think is entering more competitive job market, new MBA grad or new healthcare grad?

I mean I think you would have done fine, you could have got into a good school and probably got a good VP job somewhere after a few years of dedicated labor. But very few MBA's will ever reach a point in their career where they make what we will make day 1 after graduation. Plus pharmacists have a job they can leave at the door, no need to take your work home with you. Considering compensation vs. labor, pharmacists are clearly the winner.

I know you consider pharmacy to be saturated, but what do you think MBA's face? It has to be much, much worse for them.

You are right, but I just always thought it would be really cool to work for the Fortune 500 company or become an international sales representative. I think that beats working at Walgreen's pharmacy!

Business people start out making less than pharmacist's but their salaries keep on increasing and will eventually be much more than a pharmacist's. Pharmacist's salaries do not increase much at all....It stays the same pretty much.

 

[pharmschooler]

You are right, but I just always thought it would be really cool to work for the Fortune 500 company or become an international sales representative. I think that beats working at Walgreen's pharmacy!

Business people start out making less than pharmacist's but their salaries keep on increasing and will eventually be much more than a pharmacist's. Pharmacist's salaries do not increase much at all....It stays the same pretty much.

For the vast majority of business majors, this isn't true. If you specialize in finance, you might max out around $80k/year. If you specialized in a different area of business, you'll probably make less.

Most people will never be a CEO; plenty of people out there have MBAs. Just remember, companies only have 1 or 2 people at the very top making large sums and a large number of people below who make comparably very little.

Also, to the original poster:
See if you can take some time off of the program. Could you defer for a year or two in the workforce? I really think working at this stage in your life for a year might give you a better perspective of what you really want as well as what's financially feasible as a career. More than that, if you could defer your schooling, you could come back at the same place you left off.

 

[Dalteparin]

Tell your parents to go to pharmacy school.

Then tell them to mind their own business.

Then pack up your stuff and leave.

Then apply to dental/opt school..

Have a nice life.

This!

If you have no interest at all in pharmacy, it will show in your grades and you'll probably wind up getting expelled sooner or later. Cut your losses and move on. You're an adult; you don't have to do what Mommy and Daddy say anymore.

 

[Hansel]

You should consider starting your own creative advertising/marketing company while securing pharmacist education/license as a back up. You might want to take courses on how to start your company and how to make short movies and business courses like marketing, advertising, mass communication, sound editing, video editing, special effect, etc. Making short movies using iMovie on your favorite celebrity, pet, athlete, and posting on YouTube can be a good practice for making real TV commercial later. They give you free trainings on how to use iMovie at Apple stores. Since MBA or anything cannot guarantee your dream of becoming creative director of marketing, you could achieve this title by having your own marketing firm and naming yourself a creative director. Who knows? your company might fly and you might become rich and famous. If not, you'd be at least a pharmacist. Good luck, and remember....it's not what you know, it's who you know.

 

[pharmagirl15]

SO I am in a 6 year pharmacy school that's pretty high up there in status since it was the first school of pharmacy
But I can't see myself as a pharmacist, maybe a dentist or a tho but I know it's really competitive to get into and my gpa isn't going up from this pharmacy curriculum-AHH

Pros of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I only pay about 12,000 a year for a pharmD since I got a very large scholarship and financial aid at this private school
2)I am in the PharmD program, guaranteed spot, no PCATS, just need to maintain GPA
3)my parents won't disown me
4)it's stable and great pay, great benefits
5)I graduate when I'm 23 making possibly 100,000 plus
6)people kill for my position
7)I want to make my parents proud
8)I'm not failing out of pharmacy, doing better than average 3.4 gpa but that's going down after this year :/
9) Pharmacy offers a lot of different field, I don't have to be stuck behind counters but I don't want to work in a hospital, maybe pharmaceutical marketing but I have no interests in drugs or marketing drugs...
10)graduating from a well recognized school
11)Don't have to transfer (such a hassle) and make new friends

Cons of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I hate it
2)I don't want to be a pharmacist
3)The atmosphere sucks, I am missing out on a college experience obviously since I am at a strict science school
4)not much options but pharmacy or physical therapy but I guess I can do predental here and still keep my scholarship
5)studying things I am not interested in with boring people who just study all the time

What do you think I should do? Stay in pharmacy at USP, transfer to another pharmacy school and take PCATS, or switch majors to predental but stay at the school? or transfer to another school for dentistry? or stay in pharmacy as backup, and take DATS and apply to dental school my 4th year?

Plus, how competitive is it to get into dental school? What is a good gpa or good DATS score to have, do I need to switch my major from pharmacy to predental to apply to dental school? or can i just declare my major as pharmacy? Will that increase my chances in admission? What are some good courses to take for dentistry that schools like to see?

Please if you know the answers to my questions, replies will be appreciated!

 

[type b pharmD]

SO I am in a 6 year pharmacy school that's pretty high up there in status since it was the first school of pharmacy
But I can't see myself as a pharmacist, maybe a dentist or a tho but I know it's really competitive to get into and my gpa isn't going up from this pharmacy curriculum-AHH

Pros of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I only pay about 12,000 a year for a pharmD since I got a very large scholarship and financial aid at this private school
2)I am in the PharmD program, guaranteed spot, no PCATS, just need to maintain GPA
3)my parents won't disown me
4)it's stable and great pay, great benefits
5)I graduate when I'm 23 making possibly 100,000 plus
6)people kill for my position
7)I want to make my parents proud
8)I'm not failing out of pharmacy, doing better than average 3.4 gpa but that's going down after this year :/
9) Pharmacy offers a lot of different field, I don't have to be stuck behind counters but I don't want to work in a hospital, maybe pharmaceutical marketing but I have no interests in drugs or marketing drugs...
10)graduating from a well recognized school
11)Don't have to transfer (such a hassle) and make new friends

Cons of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I hate it
2)I don't want to be a pharmacist
3)The atmosphere sucks, I am missing out on a college experience obviously since I am at a strict science school
4)not much options but pharmacy or physical therapy but I guess I can do predental here and still keep my scholarship
5)studying things I am not interested in with boring people who just study all the time

What do you think I should do? Stay in pharmacy at USP, transfer to another pharmacy school and take PCATS, or switch majors to predental but stay at the school? or transfer to another school for dentistry? or stay in pharmacy as backup, and take DATS and apply to dental school my 4th year?

Plus, how competitive is it to get into dental school? What is a good gpa or good DATS score to have, do I need to switch my major from pharmacy to predental to apply to dental school? or can i just declare my major as pharmacy? Will that increase my chances in admission? What are some good courses to take for dentistry that schools like to see?

Please if you know the answers to my questions, replies will be appreciated!

stay in pharmacy. you can enjoy and *love* ANYTHING in life if you put your mind to it. and like you said .. maybe you dont like the pharmacy settings youve experienced so far.. but there are a LOT of pharmacy settings. have you ever thought about research, nuclear, long term care?

i chose pharmacy because i knew school would be something relatively easy that i would enjoy, and i liked working as a cashier and I enjoy high stress physically active environments. later i discovered that pharmacy can be whatever you want it to be.

just be sure you absolutely hate something before you quit.

 

[owlegrad]

stay in pharmacy. you can enjoy and *love* ANYTHING in life if you put your mind to it. and like you said .. maybe you dont like the pharmacy settings youve experienced so far.. but there are a LOT of pharmacy settings. have you ever thought about research, nuclear, long term care?

i chose pharmacy because i knew school would be something relatively easy that i would enjoy, and i liked working as a cashier and I enjoy high stress physically active environments. later i discovered that pharmacy can be whatever you want it to be.

just be sure you absolutely hate something before you quit.

Can I agree more than 100%? Happiness is a state of mind. You can hate or love anything, that is your choice. Going into another field is not gonna make you happier automatically. If you do think you want to change fields, make sure that you absolutely have a compelling reason to do so. Just thinking that you will be happier in another field...prepare to be disappointed.

Now if you are absolutely sure that dentistry is what you love, than go for it. No duh.

One other thing. Everyone gets nervous about life changing decisions. Don't switch gears just because you are nervous about your choice. That indecision will follow you everywhere. Only make a change if you are absolutely sure it will be an improvement.

 

[Dalteparin]

So let me see if I'm understanding you:

1. You hate drugs.
2. You don't want to research/market drugs.
3. You don't want to work in a hospital.
4. You don't want to work retail.
5. You don't like your classmates.
6. You don't want to be a pharmacist.

I don't see what's so hard about this. Drop out.

 

[Old]

SO I am in a 6 year pharmacy school that's pretty high up there in status since it was the first school of pharmacy
But I can't see myself as a pharmacist, maybe a dentist or a tho but I know it's really competitive to get into and my gpa isn't going up from this pharmacy curriculum-AHH

Pros of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I only pay about 12,000 a year for a pharmD since I got a very large scholarship and financial aid at this private school
2)I am in the PharmD program, guaranteed spot, no PCATS, just need to maintain GPA
3)my parents won't disown me
4)it's stable and great pay, great benefits
5)I graduate when I'm 23 making possibly 100,000 plus
6)people kill for my position
7)I want to make my parents proud
8)I'm not failing out of pharmacy, doing better than average 3.4 gpa but that's going down after this year :/
9) Pharmacy offers a lot of different field, I don't have to be stuck behind counters but I don't want to work in a hospital, maybe pharmaceutical marketing but I have no interests in drugs or marketing drugs...
10)graduating from a well recognized school
11)Don't have to transfer (such a hassle) and make new friends

Cons of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I hate it
2)I don't want to be a pharmacist
3)The atmosphere sucks, I am missing out on a college experience obviously since I am at a strict science school
4)not much options but pharmacy or physical therapy but I guess I can do predental here and still keep my scholarship
5)studying things I am not interested in with boring people who just study all the time

What do you think I should do? Stay in pharmacy at USP, transfer to another pharmacy school and take PCATS, or switch majors to predental but stay at the school? or transfer to another school for dentistry? or stay in pharmacy as backup, and take DATS and apply to dental school my 4th year?

Plus, how competitive is it to get into dental school? What is a good gpa or good DATS score to have, do I need to switch my major from pharmacy to predental to apply to dental school? or can i just declare my major as pharmacy? Will that increase my chances in admission? What are some good courses to take for dentistry that schools like to see?

Please if you know the answers to my questions, replies will be appreciated!

Wow, you sound exactly like our son. He went there one year, had a great qpa but hated it there. We felt like we were leaving him in a prison cell when we saw the dorm room. His complaints were much like yours. He transferred to another university and a completely different major. I really think he is VERY happy now. Perhaps you would be happy at a different college with a real social life on campus. He said there was never anything to do on weekends unless you went to drinking parties off campus which he did not do. he said one weekend they were not allowed to go off campus because of roving gangs near the campus. We were glad he changed his major if that is what he wanted to do. Never any thought of disowning him. There are so many pharmacy schools now and a glut of pharmacists. You will have a tough time getting a job as i think most other upcoming grads will have. No guarentee of the 100000 jobs anymore or of being treated as a professional(at least not by the chains). Additional years of residency with still no promise of the career of your dreams which as you say pharmacy is not. . Switch to something you like- 40 years of doing something you don't like will not be fun.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Drop out now I don't see how you are going to live the rest of your life in a job you really hate. Kind of like in my situation but I switched after the first semester of college. My grandparents/parents wanted me to be a Nurse Anesthetist like my mother who passed away. At first I was going to do that to make them proud but after many hours of volunteering in a nursing setting, I HATED it, it's disgusting, you feel like a bitch and most of all, there is little interaction with drugs and way to much interaction with patients, I switched to a pharmacy path last year and I'm loving it. So IMO do what you love to do, remember it's your life and you decide what to do with it.

 

[Lubeckd]

Drop out now I don't see how you are going to live the rest of your life in a job you really hate. Kind of like in my situation but I switched after the first semester of college. My grandparents/parents wanted me to be a Nurse Anesthetist like my mother who passed away. At first I was going to do that to make them proud but after many hours of volunteering in a nursing setting, I HATED it, it's disgusting, you feel like a bitch and most of all, there is little interaction with drugs and way to much interaction with patients, I switched to a pharmacy path last year and I'm loving it. So IMO do what you love to do, remember it's your life and you decide what to do with it.

it's nice you volunteered in a nurse setting, I was in the nursing program and really disliked it, Im glad I got out. When Im volunteering on the pharmacy setting, I like it a lot more!

 

[Medwell]

Pros of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I only pay about 12,000 a year for a pharmD since I got a very large scholarship and financial aid at this private school

That's not a bad deal, but if it's not something you want, that's irrelevant.

2)I am in the PharmD program, guaranteed spot, no PCATS, just need to maintain GPA

Again, fine, but just because it's convenient doesn't mean it's the right choice.

3)my parents won't disown me

You are an adult, and this shouldn't even have crossed your mind.

4)it's stable and great pay, great benefits
5)I graduate when I'm 23 making possibly 100,000 plus

Haven't you read the surplus/saturation threads?

6)people kill for my position

What other people want shouldn't matter to you. This is 100% about what you want for yourself.

7)I want to make my parents proud

Again, why do you care so much about what your parents will think? You're the one that's going to be going through the schooling and working the job - how does it affect them in any way?

8)I'm not failing out of pharmacy, doing better than average 3.4 gpa but that's going down after this year :/

ok

9) Pharmacy offers a lot of different field, I don't have to be stuck behind counters but I don't want to work in a hospital, maybe pharmaceutical marketing but I have no interests in drugs or marketing drugs...

You're not interested in drugs, retail, or hospitals? How can you possibly believe that pharmacy is the right field for you?

10)graduating from a well recognized school

...just like you'll do if you change your major.

11)Don't have to transfer (such a hassle) and make new friends

You're going to meet a bunch of new people throughout your life - might as well get used to it.

Cons of staying in pharmacy at USP
1)I hate it

This, unlike most of your pros, actually matters! You should probably leave/change your major!

2)I don't want to be a pharmacist

Leave/change your major!

3)The atmosphere sucks, I am missing out on a college experience obviously since I am at a strict science school

Leave/change your major!

4)not much options but pharmacy or physical therapy but I guess I can do predental here and still keep my scholarship

PLEASE change your major![/quote]

5)studying things I am not interested in with boring people who just study all the time

Leave/change your major!

What do you think I should do?

For the love of god, GET OUT!!!!! Again, I don't understand how you could possibly think that being a pharmacist is right for you. Your reasons for pursuing a career in the field, money and making your parents happy (wtf...) are awful. It sounds to me like you'd like dentistry a lot more and you should seriously make the change ASAP. If you'd be happy at your current school as a pre-dent, go ahead and stick around, otherwise transfer.

In case you missed the main point... pharmagirl15, DON'T BECOME A PHARMACIST!

 

[iluvtennis]

I graduated from USP, and had very similar doubts when in school there. Before you choose to leave pharmacy @ USP make sure you are absolutely certain. The 0-6 programs have many advantages but USP is not particularly fond of students who "follow their hearts" or are taking time to "find themselves". If you do take time off make sure you have in writing that they will re-instate you as a full time student in whatever year you are currently in. I know a student who on their 6th year (was a couple years older than me) took time off for family reasons, they claim they were told by the administration that they could re-start after a year with no conditions. However, after one year rolled around they could only re-enter as a 6th year/rotation student if they repeated every course they scored below a C+ in. This for him included all of P&T (was still a 1 year course at the time). Granted there are two sides to every story, and I have a feeling that this particular individual would have had to repeat numerous courses since USP at the time only had a 2.3 GPA standard. Regardless, don't trust whatever they say in person, you have to have it in writing.

Whatever you decide to do with your career is you decision. However, I know USP well enough that I thought I should warn you.

 

[pharmagirl15]

But I don't know if I can even apply to dental school after what pharmacy school has done to my gpa, especially since I am second year, my gpa will go down a lot this year from Organic Chemistry, Anatomy, and Microbiology, I probably can't even get into dental school, I should have went to an easier school to bring my gpa up instead of going to this rigorous pharmacy school.

I actually want to go into commercial advertisement moreover dentistry because I know dentistry is really difficult and competitive. Should I pursue marketing which is totally different route or should I stick with healthcare?

So you guys think the pharmacy job offers are going to decrease in the next 10 years since there is such a great influx of pharmacists? Is the pharmacy job market not so great right now?

I am scared to drop out of pharmacy also because I have a secure spot and I am taking a risk by dropping it, I am unsure of my future success. What if I pursue dentistry and I don't make it or I pursue marketing and fail...I don't want to regret the great pay and job stability I can receive potentially as a pharmacist. I am scared I won't make it in other careers so that's why I am so hesitant to leave my program, I don't want to regret my decision.......I will be taking a huge chance for my happiness and I may not even be happy afterwards if I get into the field I want but factors like coworkers, pay, hours, stress, or simply not getting job satisfaction or the ideal job I want.

As of right now, I am a second year, what should I do? Should I start to apply to other schools? Perhaps another pharmacy school that's easier and more caring (does it matter what pharmacy school you graduate from? ) and/apply to business schools that offer internships and/or apply to state schools? I am not sure.

I like being in a program since it's more secure and I feel like I am going on a direct track, it's easier to be motivated but do you know if I can get into a 7 year dental program now or not?

 

[pharmagirl15]

But I don't know if I can even apply to dental school after what pharmacy school has done to my gpa, especially since I am second year, my gpa will go down a lot this year from Organic Chemistry, Anatomy, and Microbiology, I probably can't even get into dental school, I should have went to an easier school to bring my gpa up instead of going to this rigorous pharmacy school.

I actually want to go into commercial advertisement moreover dentistry because I know dentistry is really difficult and competitive. Should I pursue marketing which is totally different route or should I stick with healthcare?

So you guys think the pharmacy job offers are going to decrease in the next 10 years since there is such a great influx of pharmacists? Is the pharmacy job market not so great right now?

I am scared to drop out of pharmacy also because I have a secure spot and I am taking a risk by dropping it, I am unsure of my future success. What if I pursue dentistry and I don't make it or I pursue marketing and fail...I don't want to regret the great pay and job stability I can receive potentially as a pharmacist. I am scared I won't make it in other careers so that's why I am so hesitant to leave my program, I don't want to regret my decision.......I will be taking a huge chance for my happiness and I may not even be happy afterwards if I get into the field I want but factors like coworkers, pay, hours, stress, or simply not getting job satisfaction or the ideal job I want.

As of right now, I am a second year, what should I do? Should I start to apply to other schools? Perhaps another pharmacy school that's easier and more caring (does it matter what pharmacy school you graduate from? ) and/apply to business schools that offer internships and/or apply to state schools? I am not sure.

I like being in a program since it's more secure and I feel like I am going on a direct track, it's easier to be motivated but do you know if I can get into a 7 year dental program now or not?

 

[Momus]

After reading your numerous posts, it looks like you just need to be an adult and GROW UP!

 

[bacillus1]

But I don't know if I can even apply to dental school after what pharmacy school has done to my gpa, especially since I am second year, my gpa will go down a lot this year from Organic Chemistry, Anatomy, and Microbiology, I probably can't even get into dental school, I should have went to an easier school to bring my gpa up instead of going to this rigorous pharmacy school.

I actually want to go into commercial advertisement moreover dentistry because I know dentistry is really difficult and competitive. Should I pursue marketing which is totally different route or should I stick with healthcare?

So you guys think the pharmacy job offers are going to decrease in the next 10 years since there is such a great influx of pharmacists? Is the pharmacy job market not so great right now?

I am scared to drop out of pharmacy also because I have a secure spot and I am taking a risk by dropping it, I am unsure of my future success. What if I pursue dentistry and I don't make it or I pursue marketing and fail...I don't want to regret the great pay and job stability I can receive potentially as a pharmacist. I am scared I won't make it in other careers so that's why I am so hesitant to leave my program, I don't want to regret my decision.......I will be taking a huge chance for my happiness and I may not even be happy afterwards if I get into the field I want but factors like coworkers, pay, hours, stress, or simply not getting job satisfaction or the ideal job I want.

As of right now, I am a second year, what should I do? Should I start to apply to other schools? Perhaps another pharmacy school that's easier and more caring (does it matter what pharmacy school you graduate from? ) and/apply to business schools that offer internships and/or apply to state schools? I am not sure.

I like being in a program since it's more secure and I feel like I am going on a direct track, it's easier to be motivated but do you know if I can get into a 7 year dental program now or not?

Wait a minute, your class gets a bachelor's degree after your P2 year, so you could apply for dental/PA/whatever school in your P2 year and continue with pharmacy school if you don't get in. People I know in classes of 2011 and 2012 did that, but we don't get a bachelor's degree so they had to do a major. You can imagine it's hard being in the PharmD program and being a biology or pharm/tox major, but they pulled it off. Of course that would entail raising that GPA (if it's as bad as you think it is, some people whine about a 3.3-3.5 and that's not really all that bad.

But if you really hate USP that much, maybe it's worth transferring to a different school. I know I wish I had more of a "college experience".

 

[spacecowgirl]

*most* people don't know if they will be happy, if they are choosing the right career path, if they will make the money they want, have the hours they want, have the work/life balance they want. That is not a problem unique to pharmacy students. It's a gamble anyone takes when they are in college. There are no guarantees, in any field, ever.

I also feel compelled to point out that it's not pharmacy school that has damaged your GPA - those are classes you would be taking anyway as pre-reqs to any healthcare program. Those are hard classes and if you're struggling that much and are that miserable, maybe it's not the path for you.

This is exactly why I think 0-6 programs are a bad idea for the majority of people. Very few people, myself included, knew what they wanted to do at 18. Not to mention, they miss some of the best parts of the college experience.

 

[owlegrad]

*most* people don't know if they will be happy, if they are choosing the right career path, if they will make the money they want, have the hours they want, have the work/life balance they want. That is not a problem unique to pharmacy students. It's a gamble anyone takes when they are in college. There are no guarantees, in any field, ever.

I also feel compelled to point out that it's not pharmacy school that has damaged your GPA - those are classes you would be taking anyway as pre-reqs to any health care program. Those are hard classes and if you're struggling that much and are that miserable, maybe it's not the path for you.

This is exactly why I think 0-6 programs are a bad idea for the majority of people. Very few people, myself included, knew what they wanted to do at 18. Not to mention, they miss some of the best parts of the college experience.

Darn, that is exactly what I was gonna say! It doesn't help the OP of course but I thought it was worth mentioning. How many people know right out of high school what they want to do for the rest of their life (career-wise)?

OP it sounds to me like you are going through a bit of a crisis. It is normal. After I started pharmacy school I was terrified I had made the wrong choice. Frankly I still sometimes have that fear (esp. after pharmacology exams). My advice (and it is good advice, if I do say so myself) is do not leave your program unless you have an overwhelming desire to do something different with your life. I am not talking about a daydream of being an astronaut or a businessman, I mean a solid plan that you are absolutely sure is what you want to do.

IMO, if you leave your program now you will have the same insecurities about any other field you go into. The insecurities you are having come from you, not the field you are in. They are perfectly normal though, so don't beat yourself up about them. Get some pharmacy experience. If you still hate it, then you know you need to do something else. Much more likely you find that it is a pretty decent gig, and that will alleviate some of your fear.

Good Luck!

 

[SHC1984]

But I don't know if I can even apply to dental school after what pharmacy school has done to my gpa, especially since I am second year, my gpa will go down a lot this year from Organic Chemistry, Anatomy, and Microbiology, I probably can't even get into dental school, I should have went to an easier school to bring my gpa up instead of going to this rigorous pharmacy school.

I actually want to go into commercial advertisement moreover dentistry because I know dentistry is really difficult and competitive. Should I pursue marketing which is totally different route or should I stick with healthcare?

So you guys think the pharmacy job offers are going to decrease in the next 10 years since there is such a great influx of pharmacists? Is the pharmacy job market not so great right now?

I am scared to drop out of pharmacy also because I have a secure spot and I am taking a risk by dropping it, I am unsure of my future success. What if I pursue dentistry and I don't make it or I pursue marketing and fail...I don't want to regret the great pay and job stability I can receive potentially as a pharmacist. I am scared I won't make it in other careers so that's why I am so hesitant to leave my program, I don't want to regret my decision.......I will be taking a huge chance for my happiness and I may not even be happy afterwards if I get into the field I want but factors like coworkers, pay, hours, stress, or simply not getting job satisfaction or the ideal job I want.

As of right now, I am a second year, what should I do? Should I start to apply to other schools? Perhaps another pharmacy school that's easier and more caring (does it matter what pharmacy school you graduate from? ) and/apply to business schools that offer internships and/or apply to state schools? I am not sure.

I like being in a program since it's more secure and I feel like I am going on a direct track, it's easier to be motivated but do you know if I can get into a 7 year dental program now or not?

If I can drop out of dental school to go into pharmacy, you can drop pharmacy school and go into dental!

But I think marketing sounds like a better field to go into. I personally wish I did something like that instead of dental or pharm. Good luck!

 

[farmd2010]

23 is a really young age and 6 years fly by fast, believe me I know. If you do switch it has to be a very compelling reason. Your other choices (aside from the creative director field) all relate to healthcare and you will be taking pharmacology courses in all those fields so if you hate drugs completely, I would advise you to not pursue those either.
Dentistry is highly competitive, more so than pharmacy school.

Again, 23 is still very young and you will have a plethora of options when you graduate. I know a few people who went into medical school after graduating and I am sure there are plenty of people who graduated with a degree in pharmacy and decided to pursue something else. Good luck in whatever you do.

 

[quartel]

by the time the OP graduates there will be no jobs and she will be desperate for any pharm job that she hates lol.

 

[pharmagirl15]

Okay so I have decided I am interested in dentistry and I do see myself as a dentist. What necessary means of actions do I need to take to get there from where I am now?

I am at University of Sciences in Philadelphia, PharmD major, a second year but I'm still 18!
I already took a
-whole year of Chemistry
-whole year of Biology
-whole year of math
-one semester of physics
Currently taking
-whole year of Organic Chemistry - not doing so well
-one semester of anatomy -not doing so well
-one semester of microbiology

What courses or prerequisites am I missing?

Do I need to change my major to predental?

Do I need to get a bachelors to apply to dental school or can I apply once I finish all the prerequisite courses needed and take the DATS(not get a bachelors, just 3 years of undergrad)?

If I do need to obtain a bachelors, should I stay at my school(private, well recognized science school that is very very hard, I don't know if I can get a high GPA here being in the PharmD program, my GPA will only decrease, but I'll be in the PharmD program here as backup in case I don't get into dental school)?

Or should I transfer to Rutgers, a state school as a predental major and obtain my bachelors there and try to get a higher GPA there?

How competitive is it is get into dental school?
What stats are considered good or appropriate to get into dental school?
Are extra years of school besides the 4 years of dental school required?
Do I have to do a residency?

Is it better to go to a well recognized private hard science school and get a lower GPA and not transfer and just finish it out here and get a degree here at USP.

or

Is it better to transfer to a cheap state school(Rutgers) for the next 2 years and get a bachelors here and get a higher GPA?

Again, I really appreciate all your responses and all of you have been of significant help! Thank you and I'm looking forward to your responses! ANY information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rph3664]

You're only 18? Pharmgirl, what you might need is to take a year off, or maybe cut back to part time, and think about what you really want to do with your life. Of course, only you can make these decisions.

No way could I have passed classes like that at your age.

 

[spacecowgirl]

Okay so I have decided I am interested in dentistry and I do see myself as a dentist. What necessary means of actions do I need to take to get there from where I am now?

I am at University of Sciences in Philadelphia, PharmD major, a second year but I'm still 18!
I already took a
-whole year of Chemistry
-whole year of Biology
-whole year of math
-one semester of physics
Currently taking
-whole year of Organic Chemistry - not doing so well
-one semester of anatomy -not doing so well
-one semester of microbiology

What courses or prerequisites am I missing?

Do I need to change my major to predental?

Do I need to get a bachelors to apply to dental school or can I apply once I finish all the prerequisite courses needed and take the DATS(not get a bachelors, just 3 years of undergrad)?

If I do need to obtain a bachelors, should I stay at my school(private, well recognized science school that is very very hard, I don't know if I can get a high GPA here being in the PharmD program, my GPA will only decrease, but I'll be in the PharmD program here as backup in case I don't get into dental school)?

Or should I transfer to Rutgers, a state school as a predental major and obtain my bachelors there and try to get a higher GPA there?

How competitive is it is get into dental school?
What stats are considered good or appropriate to get into dental school?
Are extra years of school besides the 4 years of dental school required?
Do I have to do a residency?

Is it better to go to a well recognized private hard science school and get a lower GPA and not transfer and just finish it out here and get a degree here at USP.

or

Is it better to transfer to a cheap state school(Rutgers) for the next 2 years and get a bachelors here and get a higher GPA?

Again, I really appreciate all your responses and all of you have been of significant help! Thank you and I'm looking forward to your responses! ANY information would be greatly appreciated.

tl;dr

But I would imagine that your questions could be better answered

1) in the pre-dent forum
2) by checking with dental schools as to what the pre-reqs are

Pharmacy students and pharmacists likely know very little about dental school requirements.

 

[quartel]

you'll need 2 yrs of sciences, i think you will seen as an exception out of pharm school but I would personally call some schools.

Your DAT scores matter. You'll need at least an overall score of 19 to get in somewhere. That and a half decent GPA but DAT score is really important. With a DAT score or 19 or 20 you'll get into 50% of the dent schools you apply to. And btw, it's very competitive and expensive.

Good luck.

 

[pharmagirl15]

So looking at my scenario, you think I should pick passion over money? even though I'll be giving up a lot of stability. My family all disapprove of me dropping pharmacy and they don't think I'll make it in marketing.I am so confused! People working in pharmacy, do you love it, hate it, or regret it? I don't want to regret what I do in my future but I have so much pressure to do pharmacy right now but I still want to make a lot of money.

 

[pharmagirl15]

Should I just waste 4 years and finish my pharmD and pursue my dream of becoming a creative director(very competitive! need 7 to 10 years of experience) after I graduate pharmacy(I'll be 23) but do you think I will not have enough time.

Or should I switch to marketing right away and go in a one path direction without pharmacy as my backup and work my ass off to make it. Btw my sister is a going to be a doctor so I have a lot of pressure to become a pharmacist. DO you think it is a good idea to drop everything I have worked for pharmacy and my scholarship to pursue something I am passionate about that I will face a lot of failures a long the way and not make as much money as I want to and have my family give me crap for a very long time?


Any input would be great Happy Holidays !!!!

 

[Momrowgal]

Should I just waste 4 years and finish my pharmD and pursue my dream of becoming a creative director(very competitive! need 7 to 10 years of experience) after I graduate pharmacy(I'll be 23) but do you think I will not have enough time.

Or should I switch to marketing right away and go in a one path direction without pharmacy as my backup and work my ass off to make it. Btw my sister is a going to be a doctor so I have a lot of pressure to become a pharmacist. DO you think it is a good idea to drop everything I have worked for pharmacy and my scholarship to pursue something I am passionate about that I will face a lot of failures a long the way and not make as much money as I want to and have my family give me crap for a very long time?


Any input would be great Happy Holidays !!!!

To tell you the truth, neither of these options sounds like a good idea to me. It sounds like you really have no interest in healthcare and are not happy with the more biologically-oriented science courses. However there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get a job as a creative director. Why not split the difference and see if you can figure out something that (1) you have some interest in (2) might have a better chance than advertising of yielding a reasonable income?

Consider that you have made it through 2 years of a rigorous major and there might be a way you can turn your intelligence to your advantage. Otherwise you're just competing with a bunch of other people that can (1) draw (2) make videos (3) call up their uncle in the biz and get a plum internship.

 

[phathead]

For the vast majority of business majors, this isn't true. If you specialize in finance, you might max out around $80k/year. If you specialized in a different area of business, you'll probably make less.

Most people will never be a CEO; plenty of people out there have MBAs. Just remember, companies only have 1 or 2 people at the very top making large sums and a large number of people below who make comparably very little.

Also, to the original poster:
See if you can take some time off of the program. Could you defer for a year or two in the workforce? I really think working at this stage in your life for a year might give you a better perspective of what you really want as well as what's financially feasible as a career. More than that, if you could defer your schooling, you could come back at the same place you left off.

I think that's pretty generous even for finance majors. We were always told that the most profitable business major is econ (specifically international econ), BUT that whole area is on really really shaky ground with the way the conomy is.

The only business BS that you really could end up making a lot of money on would be a T&L major, and only because it's fairly new. Anything else you're going to need a MBA or higher.

And it totally matters where you get your MBA.