If you were an Adcom what would matter the most to u in determining success?

[AbsoluteEthanol]

It is.

None of you are accounting for heart. A person can have amazing stats and be a real jerkwad..... and frankly, I don't want that person in my school, I don't want that person around my students, and I don't want that person walking around with a degree from my institution.

Those of you who have what seems like phenomenal stats might want to consider this. Frankly, just about everyone who applies to pharmacy schools is qualified. Adcoms have their own ways to separate the wheat from the chaff, and it's not always GPA and PCAT.

Face it- anyone can come up with any number of excuses for why they didn't do well on the PCAT ("English isn't my first language....") or why their grades are bad ("I had a rough year....") or anything else. Regardless of the reasons, legitimate or not, these really are nothing more than excuses for sub-optimal performance.

I have turned down people with 3.90 GPAs and PCATS over 85, for someone with more 'average' numbers but who showed heart, because that's the person who's never going to embarrass the institution, who's always going to 'do us proud.' Now, as far as quantifying heart, I can't. At this point in your life, either you've got it or you don't; you can't study for it or suddenly become someone you're not.

Good luck to you all.

Allow me to preface my comment by first apologizing, I don't mean to offend you with my post but.......your comment is a load of CRAP, it's bullsh**.

I see a recurring theme here at SDN, people saying that GPA and PCAT aren't everything. That people with 4.0gpa and 99 PCAT get turned down too! Come on, wake up, you're just trying to make yourself feel better about your average or even perhaps below average STATS. Fact of the matter is, we are in the world of academia, where GPA and standardized test scores ARE EVERYTHING. It's the only practical way to quantify your "worthyness."

My uncle is an ADCOM at a prestigious medical school on the east coast and he has told me a million times that numbers are everything to these people, so please don't be fooled guys, your stats are everything and a person with a 4.0 and a 99 pcat will never be turned down, even if their personal statement is crap, even if they couldnt utter a single word at the interview, they will always get the benefit of the doubt.

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[tharper14]

My uncle is an ADCOM at a prestigious medical school on the east coast and he has told me a million times that numbers are everything to these people, so please don't be fooled guys, your stats are everything and a person with a 4.0 and a 99 pcat will never be turned down, even if their personal statement is crap, even if they couldnt utter a single word at the interview, they will always get the benefit of the doubt.

Are you for real? Stats only get you so far. What's the difference between someone who has a 3.5 gpa and 85 on the pcat between a person that has a 4.0 and 99? Not much really... both are equally qualified to go to pharm school and both are likely to succeed. So where do you draw the line? If you're seriously saying you would choose the person who couldn't put a sentence together in an interview but has a 4.0/99 over another person that could communicate brilliantly and has a 3.5/85, then I'm sorry but you are a *****! Thank god you are not on an adcom... the future pharmacists of the world would be completely useless in the workplace because they can't communicate to patients!

 

[eelo]

Allow me to preface my comment by first apologizing, I don't mean to offend you with my post but.......your comment is a load of CRAP, it's bullsh**.

I see a recurring theme here at SDN, people saying that GPA and PCAT aren't everything. That people with 4.0gpa and 99 PCAT get turned down too! Come on, wake up, you're just trying to make yourself feel better about your average or even perhaps below average STATS. Fact of the matter is, we are in the world of academia, where GPA and standardized test scores ARE EVERYTHING. It's the only practical way to quantify your "worthyness."

My uncle is an ADCOM at a prestigious medical school on the east coast and he has told me a million times that numbers are everything to these people, so please don't be fooled guys, your stats are everything and a person with a 4.0 and a 99 pcat will never be turned down, even if their personal statement is crap, even if they couldnt utter a single word at the interview, they will always get the benefit of the doubt.

(smile) Calm down, dear. My application days are long behind me, and I'm now on the other side of the fence.

But okay. It's your story, you tell it the way you want.

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

Are you for real? Stats only get you so far. What's the difference between someone who has a 3.5 gpa and 85 on the pcat between a person that has a 4.0 and 99? Not much really... both are equally qualified to go to pharm school and both are likely to succeed. So where do you draw the line? If you're seriously saying you would choose the person who couldn't put a sentence together in an interview but has a 4.0/99 over another person that could communicate brilliantly and has a 3.5/85, then I'm sorry but you are a *****! Thank god you are not on an adcom... the future pharmacists of the world would be completely useless in the workplace because they can't communicate to patients!

the difference between someone with a 4.0 and 3.5 is absolutely monumental, it's ENORMOUS! it's the difference between graduating with the highest honors VS. graduating only in the top 20% or so... same with the PCAT, 99 vs 85 is an enormous difference! Someone who has a 4.0 GPA shows utmost intelligence, adding a 99 on the PCAT not only goes further to show the applicant's intelligence in sciences, but also verbal communicability.

not every student that applies to get a PharmD wants to go on to work in a clinical setting, some want to work in research, where verbal communication does not play such an integral part of your daily duties. even in clinical settings, a pharmacist with the most knowledge is valued much more than a pharmacist that can communicate effectively, but has outdated/lack of knowledge.

don't mix up pharmacists with medical doctors, our ability to communicate is not nearly as important as it is for MD's.

 

[tharper14]

don't mix up pharmacists with medical doctors, our ability to communicate is not nearly as important as it is for MD's.

You really need to wake up and realize that pharmacy is rapidly moving towards consulting in the future. And I'm not talking about research, I'm talking about the average pharmacist, most of whom work in retail. The pharmacists ability to communicate is EXTREMELY important especially with the automation of pharmacy looming.

And don't go changing your story now... you said you would rather admit someone with a 4.0/99 who cannot utter a single word at the interview and then you said that having a 4.0/99 shows a person's verbal communicability. Well truth of the matter is, it doesn't. Why do you think pharm school's have an interview in the first place? Why not just admit them on gpa and pcat alone? Because communication is just as important for pharmacists as it is for physicians.

 

[Pharmpills]

the difference between someone with a 4.0 and 3.5 is absolutely monumental, it's ENORMOUS! it's the difference between graduating with the highest honors VS. graduating only in the top 20% or so... same with the PCAT, 99 vs 85 is an enormous difference! Someone who has a 4.0 GPA shows utmost intelligence, adding a 99 on the PCAT not only goes further to show the applicant's intelligence in sciences, but also verbal communicability.

not every student that applies to get a PharmD wants to go on to work in a clinical setting, some want to work in research, where verbal communication does not play such an integral part of your daily duties. even in clinical settings, a pharmacist with the most knowledge is valued much more than a pharmacist that can communicate effectively, but has outdated/lack of knowledge.

don't mix up pharmacists with medical doctors, our ability to communicate is not nearly as important as it is for MD's.

Sorry but all ur points can be broken down easily and thats what im about to do.

You said there is a monumental difference between a 4.0 and 3.5, really??? What if the 4.0 did environmental science, general chem, macro/micro econ and a few easy courses at a CC and the 3.5 did Biochem, microbio, anatomy at a higher university. Right there u lost ur case.

Now PCAT u said someone with a 99 vs 85 is an enormous difference is it?? Someone can make 480 in English and score low as in 70's composite and still get a 99 composite u do know that right. While someone with an 85 couldve score great in every area. there again ur case breaks down.

Finally verbal communication is needed to get the job in the first place, u cant be hired without an interview and u need to speak to your bosses properly as well as other workers.

There u go all points broken down. Im not trying to be mean but things arnt as they appear u know.

 

[mrblah]

If you hate working in retail pharmacy, which a lot of people seem to hate, then why are you pursuing pharmacy? Is it because pharmacy is not just about retail? How much you do know about the other aspects of pharmacy?

you hit it on the head. I'm interested in pharmacy, just not on the retail side. Btw, I come from a family of pharmacists, so I have a general idea of what my career choices are. I worked in retail for 10 years as a tech, and I have no motivation to be stuck in that bird cage again, or at least, I need a long break from retail.

 

[Knickerbocker]

My uncle is an ADCOM at a prestigious medical school on the east coast and he has told me a million times that numbers are everything to these people, so please don't be fooled guys, your stats are everything and a person with a 4.0 and a 99 pcat will never be turned down, even if their personal statement is crap, even if they couldnt utter a single word at the interview, they will always get the benefit of the doubt.

I wish that were true.

 

[IWang]

Originally Posted by AbsoluteEthanol
My uncle is an ADCOM at a prestigious medical school on the east coast and he has told me a million times that numbers are everything to these people, so please don't be fooled guys, your stats are everything and a person with a 4.0 and a 99 pcat will never be turned down, even if their personal statement is crap, even if they couldnt utter a single word at the interview, they will always get the benefit of the doubt.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Someone I know that has 99 PCAT 4.0 GPA got turned down from UT last year

 

[Knickerbocker]

Originally Posted by AbsoluteEthanol
My uncle is an ADCOM at a prestigious medical school on the east coast and he has told me a million times that numbers are everything to these people, so please don't be fooled guys, your stats are everything and a person with a 4.0 and a 99 pcat will never be turned down, even if their personal statement is crap, even if they couldnt utter a single word at the interview, they will always get the benefit of the doubt.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Someone I know that has 99 PCAT 4.0 GPA got turned down from UT last year

I'm probably about to follow in their footsteps.

 

[IWang]

I'm probably about to follow in their footsteps.

Some people got outright rejected after their interview (some of my friends ) But you are still in the pool that means they see something they like. I know the wait is agonizing, but you still got a chance. Don't give up yet!

 

[choylifut]

To AbsoluteEthanol:

I normally agree with most of what you've posted here and there. However, the post you mentioned above about stats being the sole indicator of a successful student and perhaps pharmacist is utterly ridiculous.

If communication skills wasn't so important to pharmacy school, why do you think pharmacy schools conduct interviews in the first place? So they can waste both our and their time?

It amazes me that you agree with your uncle, after being admitted to pharmacy school yourself.

 

[Transformer]

Well, when I were in those shoes, it was none of the above (well, we didn't do PCAT back then, but I have never been a fan of standardized test - they require about half a brain cell to do and do not in any way measure real knowledge, nor the skills that would truly matter in the pharmacy).

I place interview far and above anything else, but if you are only talking about stuff you submit on paper here, then I would go with the personal statement. It makes or breaks many people, both the content and the style. Then it is the extracurriculars (not the quantity but the quality, and generally it is good if people highlight why they have done it and what they got out of it either on the answer form or in the statement or in other place on the application as appropriate). Then the work experience, so people have an idea about what they are getting into.

The above applies when you have the luxury to review each package in detail. Otherwise, you weed out by something easy and obvious - which is GPA and/or PCAT. Anybody who doesn't make cut-off gets tossed, anybody who does gets their application package read.

I agree with Hels on what was stated above.

I don't believe pharmacy school thoroughly consider everyone's applications. When 10 or more applicants are competing for the same spot in admissions process, how can one consider thoroughly? Schools must consider by priority of importance. Truth is they first consider GPA and/or PCAT Scores and these stats are considered heavily. Then again, you all knew that.

I believe personal statement and LORs are just as important as GPA.
Personal statement and LORs show how determined, motivated, and passionate an applicant feels about the pharmacy field.

If I was running a pharmacy school, I rather have someone who has average gpa (2.9 -3.3), have lots of pharmacy experience, and is determined to make a difference in the pharmacy field over someone who has superb grades (above 3.4 gpa) yet has little or no pharmacy experience.

 

[Transformer]

To AbsoluteEthanol:

I normally agree with most of what you've posted here and there. However, the post you mentioned above about stats being the sole indicator of a successful student and perhaps pharmacist is utterly ridiculous.

If communication skills wasn't so important to pharmacy school, why do you think pharmacy schools conduct interviews in the first place? So they can waste both our and their time?

It amazes me that you agree with your uncle, after being admitted to pharmacy school yourself.

Stats and numbers aren't sole indicators of a potentially successful student or a potentially good pharmacist.

To applicants like you and I, Stats are good indicator of likelihood if you'll get an interview or if I'll get an interview.

From what I heard, Pharmacy application wasn't what is was twenty years ago or even five to ten years ago.

 

[Transformer]

Allow me to preface my comment by first apologizing, I don't mean to offend you with my post but.......your comment is a load of CRAP, it's bullsh**.

I see a recurring theme here at SDN, people saying that GPA and PCAT aren't everything. That people with 4.0gpa and 99 PCAT get turned down too! Come on, wake up, you're just trying to make yourself feel better about your average or even perhaps below average STATS. Fact of the matter is, we are in the world of academia, where GPA and standardized test scores ARE EVERYTHING. It's the only practical way to quantify your "worthyness."

My uncle is an ADCOM at a prestigious medical school on the east coast and he has told me a million times that numbers are everything to these people, so please don't be fooled guys, your stats are everything and a person with a 4.0 and a 99 pcat will never be turned down, even if their personal statement is crap, even if they couldnt utter a single word at the interview, they will always get the benefit of the doubt.

I don't believe "a person with 4.0 and 99 pcat will NEVER be turned down." What you are saying is "with the consideration of Perfect stats alone equates automatic admissions to every single U.S. pharmacy school." This extreme statement is arrogant and untrue.

Although, I do agree that in the world of academia, Grades and tests mean almost everything to an admissions committee in considering you for an interview or admissions.

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

Sorry but all ur points can be broken down easily and thats what im about to do.

You said there is a monumental difference between a 4.0 and 3.5, really??? What if the 4.0 did environmental science, general chem, macro/micro econ and a few easy courses at a CC and the 3.5 did Biochem, microbio, anatomy at a higher university. Right there u lost ur case.

Now PCAT u said someone with a 99 vs 85 is an enormous difference is it?? Someone can make 480 in English and score low as in 70's composite and still get a 99 composite u do know that right. While someone with an 85 couldve score great in every area. there again ur case breaks down.

Finally verbal communication is needed to get the job in the first place, u cant be hired without an interview and u need to speak to your bosses properly as well as other workers.

There u go all points broken down. Im not trying to be mean but things arnt as they appear u know.

I was referring to someone who has a 4.0 overall, science and has all their pre-reqs done. if you have a 4.0 pre-req and overall GPA then it doesn't matter what your major is because you took the same classes as all of the other applicants.

Your PCAT siatution I obviously did not consider every single possibility, but you know what i was referring to as well, i meant a person who has 99 on every section.

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

To AbsoluteEthanol:

I normally agree with most of what you've posted here and there. However, the post you mentioned above about stats being the sole indicator of a successful student and perhaps pharmacist is utterly ridiculous.

If communication skills wasn't so important to pharmacy school, why do you think pharmacy schools conduct interviews in the first place? So they can waste both our and their time?

It amazes me that you agree with your uncle, after being admitted to pharmacy school yourself.

i didn't say that's what I BELIEVE, i said that's how admissions committees feel.

that's why there's such a thing as a competitive GPA and PCAT and not "competitive communication skills," that's because GPA and PCAT are the most important factors

 

[Hels2007]

i didn't say that's what I BELIEVE, i said that's how admissions committees feel.

That was opinion of one particular person, from one particular institution, and from a different discipline (medical schools have larger number of applicants per spot and have to do more initial weeding). Extrapolation is not always your friend.

Besides, do not confuse the initial process and the final selection. There is a reason admission process takes months and not a week it would take to neatly sort everyone by GPA and PCAT.

 

[monsterbrain]

I had my interview at SIUE yesterday, and part of the agenda included a brief message from the Dean. He said that each of us was one of 180 that received an interview invitation out of 650 applicants. He admitted the adcom KNEW we were smart, talented, and good students, hence the reason for us sitting there. But the purpose of these interviews was to determine who would make good pharmacists.

The interview questions were why do you want to be a pharmacist, what are your character traits, what do you like best/least about pharmacy, what area of pharmacy would you like to work in, etc. There was no discussion on the PCAT and only one question on GPA, which was interestingly "Do you feel GPA is a good indicator of an applicant's future success?" It seemed as if their main goal was to ascertain if you knew what you were getting into and if you had the qualities of a good pharmacist. They were extremely helpful and friendly, and I think it's important to that school that you are sincere. So just my take on what one school believed was most important.

 

[Pharmpills]

What you guys should realize is that NO ADCOM committee are the same. They think the same way as most of u here, some feel GPA is important while some feel PCAT or experience is important. They are people and will vary in their opinions but from what ive seen i can safely say most go on GPA and PCAT and use the rest of the package to decide if ur in. While some would let u get away with a low gpa or pcat with alot of experience, it really depends on the school and the committee bc none are the same.

 

[pharmacia07]

i am big on experience so that's a +++++++++++++++, stupid adcom will based it solely on GPA or last minute waitlist interview and so on..... BY experience I MEAN not only in work but ALSO in school, some student who WERE kick out or drop out of pharmacy school and still get accepted, stupid adcom will accept them and don't know what happen in their past...............so yeah EXPERIENCES is EVERYTHING!!

 

[Garfield3d]

To AbsoluteEthanol:

I normally agree with most of what you've posted here and there. However, the post you mentioned above about stats being the sole indicator of a successful student and perhaps pharmacist is utterly ridiculous.

If communication skills wasn't so important to pharmacy school, why do you think pharmacy schools conduct interviews in the first place? So they can waste both our and their time?

It amazes me that you agree with your uncle, after being admitted to pharmacy school yourself.

I imagine that AbsoluteEthanol is using a little bit of exaggeration when he says that PCAT and GPA are "everything." The fact that every student has to go through an interview process and several exercises beforehand, and that such an app wouldn't be instantly accepted without an interview first, proves that such a thing doesn't happen. However, the title of the thread is "what would matter the most" and the point stands that PCAT and GPA are an gigantic determinant of a person's chances of getting in.

GPA really is a person's body of work. It is something that has to be sustained for 2-4 years (depending on whether you went for a degree) and so it measures things like work ethic, habits, and resilience in addition to academic ability. That pretty much covers what's needed at pharmacy school (well, and any school). Sure, you could get into specific scenarios like doing poorly at first then doing great the last two years. I'm not trying to advocate that GPA is infallible, but rather that it is the greatest determinant used by Adcoms.

I think that many schools, in some respects, do consider at what institution students did their undergraduate work. I imagine that schools would distinguish between, say, a community college from a 4 year school, and a local 4 year school from say... MIT or Washington University. Now, a C from MIT is still really bad; it demonstrates that the student had a breaking point and it was repeatedly hammered at wherever they got their C from. But, I think that a lower GPA (say... 0.2-0.3) at a prestigious institution will see more leeway than similar scores from a community college. Corollary to that, I think it's fair to say that a 4.0 from a "tier 1" school has a much better chance of getting in than a 4.0 from a community college or less well known institution.


The PCAT runs along the same lines of GPA, except it focuses strictly on mental ability (as opposed to things like work ethic). It also gives students a chance to show that even though they may have stumbled on their GPA, that they still have the potential and mental toolkit there for pharmacy. It parallels pre-pharm GPA but since not everyone is going to be taking identical classes, the PCAT is also there to standardize everyone's scores from different institutions.

A person who does well on both GPA and PCAT should deservedly have a significantly better chance than those who do not. This is a school that we're talking about; what worth is someone with great passion but no ability? On the other hand, of course a person's motivations for for pharmacy school are important. A pharmacy school wants to graduate not just skilled persons, but enduring pharmacists who do their job well and really strive to contribute to the profession. But, such performance isn't going to happen if you merely tolerate your job.

If I had to break it down, I would say that GPA isn't all-encompassing. It is, however, the best indicator of success in pharmacy school. The interview is there to show if you can make it out there after pharmacy school.

--Garfield

 

[Transformer]

"what worth is someone with great passion but no ability?"

This is seldom the case.
I believe all applicants have certain level of ability. Low stats does not mean "no ability." To pharmacy schools, low stats means 'you are potentially less likely to perform well in our academic program; hence, less likely to pass the board exam the first around.'


I would like to think many applicants with low stats but have great passion for the field of pharmacy do have great determination and ability to become terrific pharmacists.

Low stats = potential poor academic ability

If you are truly passionate about becoming a pharmacist yet you don't look desirable on your application, don't give up! Use people's rejection of your abilities as fuel to study harder and prove everyone wrong. In the end, you'll appreciate it so much more for having to work so hard for it.

 

[Garfield3d]

"what worth is someone with great passion but no ability?"

This is seldom the case.
I believe all applicants have certain level of ability. Low stats does not mean "no ability." To pharmacy schools, low stats means 'you are potentially less likely to perform well in our academic program; hence, less likely to pass the board exam the first around.'


I would like to think many applicants with low stats but have great passion for the field of pharmacy do have great determination and ability to become terrific pharmacists.

Low stats = potential poor academic ability

If you are truly passionate about becoming a pharmacist yet you don't look desirable on your application, don't give up! Use people's rejection of your abilities as fuel to study harder and prove everyone wrong. In the end, you'll appreciate it so much more for having to work so hard for it.

The applicant pool is a range. You have people who have every good indication of being a good student, and you have apps who really don't have a redeeming value. Anyone that's sending in an application has some desire for pharmacy. My question for someone who has a lot of love for the profession but low stats would be why didn't their passion aid them in their undergraduate work? Because those classes weren't pertinent to pharmacy? Because those classes weren't interesting? I imagine you'll run into the same thing in pharmacy school. There will be classes that are more interesting than others to you, and there will be a class or two that don't seem to be particularly relevant to pharmacy (or as relevant as others). You'll be hitting the same bumps in pharmacy school that you saw in undergrad (likely, worse bumps), and so if you didn't do well in uninteresting or difficult classes in the past, what reason is there to believe things will be different in pharmacy school?

Certainly people can change and get their head back in the game. I'm not saying it's not possible, but if we're talking about single factors that say a lot, I would say GPA says the most. If you have a low GPA, this is something that I imagine you could explain in an interview, and a low GPA doesn't mean you're disqualified from being a good pharmacist. But, it certainly indicates difficulty in an academic environment when you're hit with hard material. It's not an insurmountable issue (far from it), but a lower GPA as opposed to a higher GPA says a lot, and they will read a lot into it.

--Garfield3d

 

[CambioElMundo]

probably because you area horrible speller

That was completely unncessary. We are supposed to be encouraing each other on these forums and that comment did nothing to better the conversation or really further any point for that matter. I'm not sure why you made that response, but I wrote the post at 2 a.m. And so what, I am human, I misspelled a few words, and that is allowed! You got the gist of what I was saying. In fact, I thought your response was rather rude. And I think the real point we are trying to make here is dedicated human beings make good pharmacists, not just numbers or 100% correct grammar.

Aside from that point Pharm Pills, at my High School we were assigned 0.08 extra for each A.P. class and 0.04 for each honors class. If you took all four years of those classes, that is how you would end up with such a GPA because block scheduling added points every 9 weeks. It is just a different system than most. Obviously, there were not many 6.8's, but we did have a few, just to explain that.

I will have to aggree with Aggie, because Hurricane Katrina affected me personally and completely changed my life and college experience.

And, as for the personal statement and those who feel shafted because bs-ers get in, when you really have passion, I guess we can only do our personal best to convey our feelings and hope it reaches those admissions representatives reviewing the applications. Just don't give up because hard work will pay off, and the dreams you have will happen if you work for them. Eventually too, people will show their true colors. You even see this on the forums sometimes. Being truly compassionate and wanting to become a pharmacist is important!

Here is an article from the America Journal of Pharmaceutical Education about a similar topic: http://www.ajpe.org/aj6801/aj680121/aj680121.pdf

 

[jpharm445]

Here is an article from the America Journal of Pharmaceutical Education about a similar topic: http://www.ajpe.org/aj6801/aj680121/aj680121.pdfhttp://www.ajpe.org/aj6801/aj680121/aj680121.pdfhttp://www.ajpe.org/aj6801/aj680121/aj680121.pdf

Thanks for posting that article . Do you have any more such articles on admissions?

 

[Transformer]

The applicant pool is a range. You have people who have every good indication of being a good student, and you have apps who really don't have a redeeming value. Anyone that's sending in an application has some desire for pharmacy. My question for someone who has a lot of love for the profession but low stats would be why didn't their passion aid them in their undergraduate work? Because those classes weren't pertinent to pharmacy? Because those classes weren't interesting? I imagine you'll run into the same thing in pharmacy school. There will be classes that are more interesting than others to you, and there will be a class or two that don't seem to be particularly relevant to pharmacy (or as relevant as others). You'll be hitting the same bumps in pharmacy school that you saw in undergrad (likely, worse bumps), and so if you didn't do well in uninteresting or difficult classes in the past, what reason is there to believe things will be different in pharmacy school?

Certainly people can change and get their head back in the game. I'm not saying it's not possible, but if we're talking about single factors that say a lot, I would say GPA says the most. If you have a low GPA, this is something that I imagine you could explain in an interview, and a low GPA doesn't mean you're disqualified from being a good pharmacist. But, it certainly indicates difficulty in an academic environment when you're hit with hard material. It's not an insurmountable issue (far from it), but a lower GPA as opposed to a higher GPA says a lot, and they will read a lot into it.

--Garfield3d

"My question for someone who has a lot of love for the profession but low stats would be why didn't their passion aid them in their undergraduate work?"

The reality of all is the average student change his or her major two to three times at the college and university level. Many students don't really know what they truly want in a career during college and many won't know until they graduate from college.

For the average student, their passion for pharmacy and their goal to become a pharmacist came later than others. Without a goal, grades usually suffer since not all efforts will be concentrated to doing well academically. Hence, one has to retake lots of classes and ace all of them. Even then, the improved gpa will increase by 0.1 to 0.2 on annually basis since one has already taken lots of classes.

To answer your question, there was no passion for pharmacy during early part of my undergraduate studies. Only when I started to volunteer and work in the pharmacy field did I learned pharmacy was for me and my grades increased dramatically because I knew I had to do whatever it takes to raise my grades in order for an admissions committee to consider me for an interview.


This is all something many people like myself would like to explain but seldom do low stats applicants receive an interview or an opportunity to explain their own experiences except on SDN.

 

[Knickerbocker]

probably because you area[sic] horrible speller

Irony!

 

[Sparda29]

Well, for me, work experience would be the most important, followed by the PCAT, then the GPA.

I would take someone who has 2 years of pharmacy experience, working 20 hours a week and a 2.9 GPA over someone with a 4.0 and no experience.

For the GPAs, I think they should NOT be averaged if you retake classes. What is the point of retaking a class if it is not going to replace the bad grade?

I have 2 Ds, one F, that were replaced by an A, B, and B-. If they are averaged in, my GPA still doesn't rise.

Also, if a candidate had applied the year before and did not get in, I would take the candidate over someone who is applying for the first time.

 

[Knickerbocker]

This question needs to be made more specific, for particular schools. Because I'm seeing an obvious bias for GPA and PCAT in certain schools and a bias for "hardships" in others.