If you don't get into a 0-6?

[smsc2009]

Can you go to a CC to take Pre-Pharmacy? How do Pharmacy schools feel about CC? What classes would I take? If the school doesn't have a Pre-Pharmacy program, can I just take sciences or how does that work? Would I only go for 2 years, or how does that work? Could I go to a CC in California and apply on the east coast, or would it be better to go somewhere on the east coast. If I go to a CC I can only go to the 2+4 programs, correct? Can someone please give me some information about this,
Thanks

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[nightcrawleRx]

You can take classes at a CC for pre-pharm BUT the harsh truth is that some schools do frown upon taking classes from a CC as compared to a 4-year university. First, if you have your heart set on certain programs or geographical areas then research the schools. Some schools will even mention this on their admission requirements webpage. For the most part, schools that do not like CC pre-reqs do not want you taking classes like Orgo, Micro, Phys, etc. at CC's. I don't think it's a big deal to take electives outside the sciences at a CC. The reason being is that many adcoms feel the CC sciences won't be as rigorous or challenging as at a 4-year school and they want to be sure you can take on the challenges that Pharmacy school will throw at you. The sad thing is that I know Professors who teach at 4-year schools and also at CC's on the side and they teach the class the same exact way. Not to mention the students taking these classes at CC's are saving loads of money. As far as which program you can apply to…your best bet is most likely 2+4 but you can still try and get in a 0-6 for your third year or P1. Many 0-6's have limited space so some exclude transfer applicants altogether because they have students within the program guaranteed seats. The other option is 3-year accelerated programs. Many, not all, 3-year programs like to see a Bachelor's but that's not to say you couldn't get in without one. Research up on schools, maybe contact them and I'm sure you'll be fine, best of luck.

 

[smsc2009]

You can take classes at a CC for pre-pharm BUT the harsh truth is that some schools do frown upon taking classes from a CC as compared to a 4-year university. First, if you have your heart set on certain programs or geographical areas then research the schools. Some schools will even mention this on their admission requirements webpage. For the most part, schools that do not like CC pre-reqs do not want you taking classes like Orgo, Micro, Phys, etc. at CC’s. I don’t think it’s a big deal to take electives outside the sciences at a CC. The reason being is that many adcoms feel the CC sciences won’t be as rigorous or challenging as at a 4-year school and they want to be sure you can take on the challenges that Pharmacy school will throw at you. The sad thing is that I know Professors who teach at 4-year schools and also at CC’s on the side and they teach the class the same exact way. Not to mention the students taking these classes at CC’s are saving loads of money. As far as which program you can apply to…your best bet is most likely 2+4 but you can still try and get in a 0-6 for your third year or P1. Many 0-6’s have limited space so some exclude transfer applicants altogether because they have students within the program guaranteed seats. The other option is 3-year accelerated programs. Many, not all, 3-year programs like to see a Bachelor’s but that's not to say you couldn’t get in without one. Research up on schools, maybe contact them and I’m sure you’ll be fine, best of luck.

When you say the 2+4 program, do you mean go to CC for two years, THAN apply to a Pharmacy school? Do 4 year universities offer only the 2 year program? Where would I find out about those universities. I may do the first two years here in California, and then apply to Pharmacy schools on the east coast.
Thanks

 

[smsc2009]

I found http://www.csupomona.edu/~jkchan/pre-prof/FileDataHTML/Pre-Professional Advising_Fliers_PharmD.htm

However, I am still a little confused. Is that everything I need? Is that 2 years, or 4 years? After my completion of that I can go into any Pharmacy School, weather it be on the east or west coast, correct? Can somebody please explain that, I would appreciate it,
Thank you

 

[fathom]

I go to CC and have received 4 interviews so far. My school doesn't have "Pre-Pharmacy" so I'm Pre-Med, technically. I looked at all the schools I would possibly consider applying to and take the classes they require which will probably be more than your CC requires to graduate. That's what I did so I'm going to end up with about 90 semester hours, that may sound like a lot for 2 years, but I could practically apply to any pharmacy school. There are very few schools that don't accpet CC credits.

 

[Farmercyst]

I've interviewed twice and have about as many CC credits as I have 4-yr credits. Like prev poster said, be careful with the schools you're applying to. Oregon State, for instance, will not take lower division Microbiology. So trying to get into their program from CC is impossible.

 

[nightcrawleRx]

Ok, this could be long…The 2+4 program would be for students who go to a university that has a College of Pharmacy. They do their pre-reqs the first two years and then they have to re-apply to the professional part of the program which would be years 3-6. I believe they would have priority over other students applying to the program who did their pre-reqs somewhere else but they are not guaranteed anything. At 0-6's the student does the pre-reqs at the school and is guaranteed a seat in the college of pharmacy provided they maintain a certain GPA along with some other requirements. So, the key word here is "guaranteed". This website is a great starting point and you may need it to apply to certain schools:

http://www.pharmcas.org/advisors/admissionsprocess.htm

As for CC, I personally think CC's get a bad rep. I've taken classes at a CC but they weren't sciences. However, I thought both of them were taught extremely well and I didn't get "short-changed" anything in the learning experience. The biggest difference between CC and a 4-year University is the intensity of courses in my opinion, which is why I think COP's look down on them sometimes. If the class meets the pre-req requirement they will most likely accept it but that could play a role on whether or not they accept you or someone who has taken all their pre-reqs at a 4-year school. So, if you take the pre-reqs at a CC you would then apply to the COP's in which you have met their admission requirements. Every college is different, don't ask why. The pre-reqs may take you 2 years or more. If you were in a 2+4 or 0-6 it would be 2 b/c the curriculum is set up so that you have to get it done in 2 years and the classes you need will definitely be offered. At another school you may have to wait for certain classes to be offered or a spot in the class if it fills up. If you play around on PharmCAS you can find requirements for all the COP's and go from there. As far as applying to the east coast, I can't really help there. You'd have to make sure the schools you'd like to apply to will accept the credits, they'll probably want course descriptions. You can email these schools or contact them and ask them specifics…that's their job and it's not too early.
In my experience I have dealt with schools who will specifically tell you they'd rather you take the pre-reqs at a 4-year school. Obviously not every program feels this way and even the ones that do will not totally disregard your application. I also feel that a student in your situation is best fit for a 2+4 or 3-year accelerated. The reason is that unless a lot of kids fail or decide to quit the program at a 0-6, you have no chance of getting admitted. Some of these schools even say on their websites that they do not accept transfers due to lack of seats available. Hopefully this is a little clearer to understand but keep doing research and search the threads b/c there is probably a ton of info on this situation…best of luck.

 

[smsc2009]

Ok, this could be long…The 2+4 program would be for students who go to a university that has a College of Pharmacy. They do their pre-reqs the first two years and then they have to re-apply to the professional part of the program which would be years 3-6. I believe they would have priority over other students applying to the program who did their pre-reqs somewhere else but they are not guaranteed anything. At 0-6's the student does the pre-reqs at the school and is guaranteed a seat in the college of pharmacy provided they maintain a certain GPA along with some other requirements. So, the key word here is "guaranteed". This website is a great starting point and you may need it to apply to certain schools:

http://www.pharmcas.org/advisors/admissionsprocess.htm

As for CC, I personally think CC's get a bad rep. I've taken classes at a CC but they weren't sciences. However, I thought both of them were taught extremely well and I didn't get "short-changed" anything in the learning experience. The biggest difference between CC and a 4-year University is the intensity of courses in my opinion, which is why I think COP's look down on them sometimes. If the class meets the pre-req requirement they will most likely accept it but that could play a role on whether or not they accept you or someone who has taken all their pre-reqs at a 4-year school. So, if you take the pre-reqs at a CC you would then apply to the COP's in which you have met their admission requirements. Every college is different, don't ask why. The pre-reqs may take you 2 years or more. If you were in a 2+4 or 0-6 it would be 2 b/c the curriculum is set up so that you have to get it done in 2 years and the classes you need will definitely be offered. At another school you may have to wait for certain classes to be offered or a spot in the class if it fills up. If you play around on PharmCAS you can find requirements for all the COP's and go from there. As far as applying to the east coast, I can't really help there. You'd have to make sure the schools you'd like to apply to will accept the credits, they'll probably want course descriptions. You can email these schools or contact them and ask them specifics…that's their job and it's not too early.
In my experience I have dealt with schools who will specifically tell you they'd rather you take the pre-reqs at a 4-year school. Obviously not every program feels this way and even the ones that do will not totally disregard your application. I also feel that a student in your situation is best fit for a 2+4 or 3-year accelerated. The reason is that unless a lot of kids fail or decide to quit the program at a 0-6, you have no chance of getting admitted. Some of these schools even say on their websites that they do not accept transfers due to lack of seats available. Hopefully this is a little clearer to understand but keep doing research and search the threads b/c there is probably a ton of info on this situation…best of luck.

Thank you for all of that information. I guess my final question is, just to verify http://www.csupomona.edu/~jkchan/pre...ers_PharmD.htm all of those courses are the pre-reqs I need for Pharmacy School, correct? I can apply to any Pharmacy School as long as it is not a 0-6 program. For instance I could go to CSU - Pomana, and apply to Temple University School of Pharmacy and potentionaly be accepted, right? Also, I don't even plan on starting my pre-reqs for another two years, (I am only a Sophmore in High School) but would voluntering at a Pharmacy help? Can Pharmacists write you a LOR?
Thanks, and sorry for what seems to be repetitive questions

 

[nightcrawleRx]

Every school requires different classes so I can’t answer that, you need to look at school websites. You def will need Chem I+II, both with labs, O-chem I+II with labs, Anatomy, Physiology (some schools combine it and make it A+P, if so you need two semesters of that), at least one semester of Calc, maybe two, same deal goes for physics usually, microbio probably, along with many others like social sciences (Sociology, Psychology, etc.) maybe public speaking, and so on, use the school websites to see exactly what they want. As far as Temple, I don’t know if they are 0-6 or 2+4, I’m not familiar with the program (I think they’re 2+4). If it is a 0-6 and you do pre-reqs elsewhere then I’d say chances are slim to none. I didn't know you were only a soph in high school but if you definitely want pharmacy a 0-6 is a good idea. It's fairly competitive but much easier than getting into a school as a P-1 or first professional year. I went to URI (0-6) as pre-pharm. I had a 3.7gpa in HS, 1300 SAT and a composite of 30 on the ACT but there were people with stats worse and people with better, plus I was out of state, I got into UConn as well (my homestate) but didn't like it as much. If you apply instate you'll have an even better chance. In the end I transferred back home anyways and completed my B.S. and this fall I'll be at MCP-Worcester. Everyone takes a different path; you’ve got to see what works best for you. As far as working at a pharmacy, def do that if you can, even if its only weekends. Yes, a pharmacist can write a LOR and it looks great to have that as opposed to another employer writing a LOR. Don't volunteer, I don't even know if you can do that, but if you're old enough to work now then apply to pharmacies. You'll probably do a lot of register work but eventually you may become a certified tech and you'll learn a lot on the job which will be an immediate advantage over other students as far as admissions and things you’ll learn once you get to the professional part of the program. Here’s another helpful link: http://www.aacp.org/issi/membership/survey_psar.asp?CID=104&TrackID=&TrackID&TrackID=

 

[Farmercyst]

Thank you for all of that information. I guess my final question is, just to verify http://www.csupomona.edu/~jkchan/pre...ers_PharmD.htm all of those courses are the pre-reqs I need for Pharmacy School, correct? I can apply to any Pharmacy School as long as it is not a 0-6 program. For instance I could go to CSU - Pomana, and apply to Temple University School of Pharmacy and potentionaly be accepted, right? Also, I don't even plan on starting my pre-reqs for another two years, (I am only a Sophmore in High School) but would voluntering at a Pharmacy help? Can Pharmacists write you a LOR?
Thanks, and sorry for what seems to be repetitive questions

Yes, as long as you meet the schools prereqs you can submit an application to any COP. But just as the website (http://www.csupomona.edu/~jkchan/pre...ers_PharmD.htm) indicates these are the MINIMUM requirements for most (not all) pharmacy schools. If you look at the list of references at the bottom of the page, all the referenced school sites were CA schools (which actually don't require the PCAT) Other schools don't require all the classes listed on the minimum list (though it is pretty complete for most pharm schools). Some schools require classes beyond the ones listed in "suggested". As mentioned above, look at the schools you want to go to and check their prereqs. Both now and each year before you apply. Speech 103 wasn't required at some schools I was going to apply to, now it is. Another recent addition is more and more schools are requiring A/P where before it was suggested, but not required. As a result I'm taking A/P this semester. Also check articulation. USC takes the A/P course I'm in, but UCSF doesn't. Most schools will have a link to course equivalencies for at least local CC's nearby. Some private schools have ones for major CC's/4-Yr's nationwide. If it's not on their equivalency list it's better to call and find out than to find out it doesn't qualify after you've paid PharmCAS and Supplemental fees.