Im an idiot i need help

[pharmaceeforme]

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When I applied to Stony Brook University, i had no clue exactly what i wanted to do yet. I was leading towards chemistry or computer engineering. Now, finishing my second year after this following semester, I have decided I want to do pharmacy. Since Stony Brook has everything except a pharmacy program😡, i have to transfer. Only problem is, LIU registration for 3rd year pharmacy in past the deadline, im too late! LIU is the only school in New York City that accepts transfers. So I have to wait till fall 2010 if I want to transferred into LIU. Since all my pre-requisites for the program are basically done after this following semester, I am left with a year with nothing to do. I blame myself, but I ask you for helps or suggestions. What can I do from here. Is there no way to finish Stony Brook with a Chemistry major or something and go to pharmacy graduate school. I know that sounds stupid but I am just thinking of possibilities. I have a fairly good gpa, 3.6 and I am sure LIU will be a piece of cake after such a competitive school but I have no clue what to do with this empty year if I transfer. After all, a year a lot of time to waste.....😕😕😕

 

[tootoo30]

If your really serious about getting into pharmacy school, I would look into getting some pharmacy experience while you have a break. You can maybe shadow different pharmacists to see what type of pharmacist you would like to be when you grow up LOL meaning maybe a hospital pharmacist, community pharmacist or maybe a nuclear pharmacist.

Just my 0.02 cents 🙂

 

[pharmaceeforme]

I already know what I want, community pharmacist, that's not as important as my initial question, how I can get into a pharmacy school...

 

[generic09]

I think you should slap yourself right now. You know what you want to do which is the hardest thing for most people to figure out. Now, you have a year to prepare for what you want to do so that you can get into school for it. Start preparing and quit robbing yourself.

Here are somethings you could do:

Pharmacy Tech License/Pharmacy Tech Job

Volunteer at a hospital with a pharmacist

Study your ass off for the PCAT

Take some classes/ prerequisites you need for pharmacy school at a local community college to save money and stay focused on your goal

Talk to admissions committee's

Do research

Go to open house and find out what this pharmacy thing is all about

Get counseling for your self destructive mindset(joking but seriously)

Turn this idiocy into genius. Don't rob yourself! 😀

 

[pharmaceeforme]

Thanks for your support lol, how do you get a pharmacy tech license though?
I know it makes sense what you say, but working for a pharmacy is part of the pharmacy program anyway, you cant become a pharmacist without working as a technician before, isn't that how it is? Well I might take an extra semester of college just for the fun of it lol since I have all my prerequisites except physics(which im gonna take in the following semester). How are the pcats? are they extremely hard and what is it comprised of. And how important are they, are they only important for admission or to they show a lot of significance in the long run as well? I appreciate answers for any of these questions and suggestions as well. Thankyou

 

[Okie7123]

Thanks for your support lol, how do you get a pharmacy tech license though?
I know it makes sense what you say, but working for a pharmacy is part of the pharmacy program anyway, you cant become a pharmacist without working as a technician before, isn't that how it is? Well I might take an extra semester of college just for the fun of it lol since I have all my prerequisites except physics(which im gonna take in the following semester). How are the pcats? are they extremely hard and what is it comprised of. And how important are they, are they only important for admission or to they show a lot of significance in the long run as well? I appreciate answers for any of these questions and suggestions as well. Thankyou

First of all. You don't have to work as a technician to get into a Pharm D. program. I worked as an intern for clinical pharmacy with no retail pharmacy experience. It's more about overall pharmacy experience rather than pharmacy technician experience as pharmacy has many facets. Many applicant's think that all there is to do is retail (such as running a CVS or Walgreens, but further experience looks great and deepens your understanding of the depth of the profession). As for the Tech License...if you have decent experience with stoichiometry, all you have to do is study the non-mathematical side of pharm tech's. I studied for 3 hours the night before my test and passed. Finally, pre-requistites the most important of the grades for pharm schoold. Clearly you want good grades but students with majors very different from the sciences have gained entry based on their pre-req grades. Good luck to you!

 

[generic09]

Thanks for your support lol, how do you get a pharmacy tech license though?
I know it makes sense what you say, but working for a pharmacy is part of the pharmacy program anyway, you cant become a pharmacist without working as a technician before, isn't that how it is? Well I might take an extra semester of college just for the fun of it lol since I have all my prerequisites except physics(which im gonna take in the following semester). How are the pcats? are they extremely hard and what is it comprised of. And how important are they, are they only important for admission or to they show a lot of significance in the long run as well? I appreciate answers for any of these questions and suggestions as well. Thankyou

I just think it makes sense to do the pHarmacy Tech thing so you can learn about what Pharmacy is all about. I am taking a class right now. A lot of people don't and just take the exam but I wanted to be thorough about it. The class was 350 and the book was 80 and I found out my job will pay 150 for it so long as I fill out some stupid form which is nice. It's a 12 week class. I am enjoying it so far because the Pharmacist's teaching it are sharing personal stories and really being good about introducing us and preparing us for the field of healthcare. It's also nice to start getting connections in the field. I personally think it's a good idea to do something like this if you have a year to kill. It could also give you a feel and a window into what the Pharmacist's does. It certainly can't. And we get to wear lab coats! How friggin cool is that?

 

[generic09]

First of all. You don't have to work as a technician to get into a Pharm D. program. I worked as an intern for clinical pharmacy with no retail pharmacy experience. It's more about overall pharmacy experience rather than pharmacy technician experience as pharmacy has many facets. Many applicant's think that all there is to do is retail (such as running a CVS or Walgreens, but further experience looks great and deepens your understanding of the depth of the profession). As for the Tech License...if you have decent experience with stoichiometry, all you have to do is study the non-mathematical side of pharm tech's. I studied for 3 hours the night before my test and passed. Finally, pre-requistites the most important of the grades for pharm schoold. Clearly you want good grades but students with majors very different from the sciences have gained entry based on their pre-req grades. Good luck to you!

Are you talking about just getting the state license? I am going to take the PTCB exam which has a lot of math on it.

 

[MIkeNB]

I dont think you understand how competitive pharmacy school is right now. pharm tech and volunteer services are part of your application that they will look at. PCAT is important for admission but it might reflect how well you do in pharm school also (low pcat score means u did not understand the topics very well). By looking at the types of questions you are asking, i think you should do some heavy research about pharmacy.

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

I'm with MikeNB and the others on this one. It seems as if you have already made up your mind that you want to do pharmacy, and you say you already know you want to do community pharmacy, but you have little knowledge of what it takes to get into pharmacy school. Sure Stony Brook may be a tough and competitive school, but so are so many other schools that other applicants will be coming from, so just to say you are doing well there doesn't translate into an automatic easy time on pharm school.

When you first started undergrad you weren't even majoring in a pharmacy-related field, so to just claim now you want to do pharmacy will mean you need to do more homework of the field to show you know have what it takes and know what the profession is about.

 

[Sparda29]

There is no state license for pharmacy technicians in NY. All you gotta do is take the PTCE, but its better to start working at a pharmacy before that.

 

[pharmaceeforme]

Alright everyone, thank you for helping me. I thought about it and agree that a year to waste has a lot of potential. I agree I don't know a whole lot about the pharmacy program and the steps to becoming a pharmacist, thats why I posted this thread in the first place. Please tell me if its possible to enter pharmacy school after 4 years of college or no. Can you major in chemistry or biology or biochem and then enter pharmacy school or will that just be a waste of time?

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

Alright everyone, thank you for helping me. I thought about it and agree that a year to waste has a lot of potential. I agree I don't know a whole lot about the pharmacy program and the steps to becoming a pharmacist, thats why I posted this thread in the first place. Please tell me if its possible to enter pharmacy school after 4 years of college or no. Can you major in chemistry or biology or biochem and then enter pharmacy school or will that just be a waste of time?

One of the great things about applying to pharmacy school is that most schools don't require a degree to enter. You are asking if it is possible to enter pharm school after 4 years of college, but all they require are the pre-req classes that are listed on their website. Once you have these you can apply. Some applicants have degrees while others just get the minimum amout of classe needed, so it depends on you. Having a degree in bio or chem is not a waste of time however.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

Getting a bachelors can help you be more competitive for pharm school admission. However, as said above it is not typically required and your GPA is good so you should be able to get in somewhere. If it's something you want to do, then by all means go finish your degree.

 

[pharmaceeforme]

But what are the real benefits of getting a bachelors degree if you end up in the same place anyway. Other than the benefits of knowledge, don't you end up finishing 2 years later than those who entered pharmacy school without a degree?😕

 

[roytse]

But what are the real benefits of getting a bachelors degree if you end up in the same place anyway. Other than the benefits of knowledge, don't you end up finishing 2 years later than those who entered pharmacy school without a degree?😕

the problem is that pharmacy school admissions are so competitive..
so what can one decide to do if he can't enter pharmacy school after completing all pre-req's..?
he can either get some pharmacy related job experiences, or continue his studies until he gets into somewhere..

 

[pharmaceeforme]

They dont seem so competitive where I live, someone told be the average gpa is 3.2 to get into the pharmacy program which doesn't seem bad at all..?

 

[illtreaturite1]

Honestly, I would not take the year off academically. I would take classes towards finishing your degree, making double sure you have the pre-req's to all schools your are applying to. I would obtain a job in a pharmacy or at least volunteer at a hospital pharmacy or something to show that your are learning about the field.

The traditional route is for someone to take 2 years of undergrad then apply to pharmacy school. If you don't get in after 2 years, you keep working towards your degree and apply again the second. Some schools are now requiring a BS before applying, many don't

Having seen some volunteers come through my hospital and obtain jobs after they gained some experience, this may be a way for you to "enter" the field while going to school. Note that not all pre reqs are equal across the board.

Good luck,

 

[pharmaceeforme]

Honestly, I would not take the year off academically. I would take classes towards finishing your degree, making double sure you have the pre-req's to all schools your are applying to. I would obtain a job in a pharmacy or at least volunteer at a hospital pharmacy or something to show that your are learning about the field.

The traditional route is for someone to take 2 years of undergrad then apply to pharmacy school. If you don't get in after 2 years, you keep working towards your degree and apply again the second. Some schools are now requiring a BS before applying, many don't

Having seen some volunteers come through my hospital and obtain jobs after they gained some experience, this may be a way for you to "enter" the field while going to school. Note that not all pre reqs are equal across the board.

Good luck,

But how is it possible to not waste any time towards my pharmacy degree but still get a bachelors in the college I go now...Im a little confused, please elaborate.

 

[mdsweetie1]

pharmaceeforme- i understand how you feel about wasting time. i recently switched over for premed to prepharmacy and since i'm a sophomore now i feel like I could have been going to pharmacy school after this semester had I known that I wanted to do pharmacy from the beginning. Now I will be in school for the next 3 semesters, completing at least my junior year before the soonest i could possibly enter pharmacy school.

i also don't have that many prereqs to finish and definitely don't need 3 semesters to do so, but you should def take filler classes or take classes you need to finish your bachelors degree should you not get into pharmacy school when you apply. it always helps to take a backup plan and as for the concept of not wasting time- it helps to have a bachelors degree because anything can happen and pharmacy might not work out for whatever reason. even though the prereqs are all that is literally required, it doesn't hurt your application to have a bachelors degree

 

[AngelaCL]

I wouldn't suggest getting your heart set on one school only - as others have said, entrance into pharmacy school is quite competitive. Even if your GPA is much higher than the average, there are people with 3.9+ GPAs that don't get into their top choices. Your PCAT scores, pharmacy experience, volunteer work, recommendation letters, non-prereq classes, interview, leadership experience, etc. may all be considered. I believe I've seen that about 30% of students applying through PharmCAS get accepted to at least one school... and that's not necessarily their top choice school.