In pharmacy school...best course of action?

[desklamp]

I asked around the pre-med forums and was told I should finish my Pharm D before applying. Med schools apparently do not like unfinished degrees.

Here's the thing though.... Pharmacy was never my first choice. Medicine was. However, unforeseen personal things happened during my undergrad that made my GPA extremely unfit for med school apps so I had to revise my life choices while struggling to correct my mistakes (worked and did a one year masters). Right now, I am still in my first year of pharmacy school and so far I have a 4.0, which brings my cumulative GPA up to a still sub-par but maybe reviewable GPA. It costs me $36,000 a year to attend and every additional year will be a huge hit to my finances, so finishing the degree before applying to medical school would make my debt astronomical, not to mention an additional 2 years wasted.

I "tolerate" pharmacy. It is an interesting field, but it does not offer as much autonomy, critical thinking, and focus on diagnostics that being a doctor adds. Sometimes it feels like they are teaching us to be a drug encyclopedia for doctors and patients. I also feel out of place among my peers. I think I am one of 5 people in my class that studies on a regular basis. I feel this way because whenever my classmates ask me what I am doing and I say "going to review my notes" they look at me like I am weird.

Yes, I should have been a trooper in undergrad, sucked it up, and gotten a better GPA. I also probably should not have been practical, and looked at other career options, but instead, kept my focus on medical school. But it's too late to change that now.

Any advice from you more experienced types? Is it best to give it up again in my situation? :/ At this point it seems like medicine is not a feasible route, unless I want to be up to my face in debt, which is extremely depressing to me.

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[hawkeye pierce]

Most schools specify you must finish the program. I'm sure others that don't specifically say it will look down on leaving early. Suck it up, finish your degree then apply.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

Well, these sorts of situations are fairly rare. Even if you talk to someone else who's been in the same position (and I have seen the PharmD ---> MD discussion come up before) you have to remember that what was true for them may not work for you.

So I'll give you my opinions, for whatever they're worth...

Med schools do not like unfinished degrees, but they might be willing to tolerate an in-progress degree if you're not leaving because of grades.

My advice is to apply to med school without dropping out of pharm school. You can't afford to not get into med school after you've dropped out of pharm school, so this way at least you aren't giving up on the option that's already in the bag.

If you have a professor who you have good rapport with, explain their situation and ask if they'd write a letter saying, "Yes, desklamp is a great pharmacy student, but based on his/her interests in healthcare he/she is really much better suited for the role of a physician than pharmacist."

And consider D.O. schools. I know that many people refuse to have anything other than the gold-plated "MD" behind their name, but if you were serious when you spoke about "autonomy, critical thinking, and focus on diagnostics" then the DO/MD distinction should not matter to you at all.

D.O. schools are going to be more forgiving of your grades as well as your change in career choices. They are a very good option for someone in your position. MD schools have a stronger liking for virgins.

 

[PharMed2016]

I asked around the pre-med forums and was told I should finish my Pharm D before applying. Med schools apparently do not like unfinished degrees.

Here's the thing though.... Pharmacy was never my first choice. Medicine was. However, unforeseen personal things happened during my undergrad that made my GPA extremely unfit for med school apps so I had to revise my life choices while struggling to correct my mistakes (worked and did a one year masters). Right now, I am still in my first year of pharmacy school and so far I have a 4.0, which brings my cumulative GPA up to a still sub-par but maybe reviewable GPA. It costs me $36,000 a year to attend and every additional year will be a huge hit to my finances, so finishing the degree before applying to medical school would make my debt astronomical, not to mention an additional 2 years wasted.

I "tolerate" pharmacy. It is an interesting field, but it does not offer as much autonomy, critical thinking, and focus on diagnostics that being a doctor adds. Sometimes it feels like they are teaching us to be a drug encyclopedia for doctors and patients. I also feel out of place among my peers. I think I am one of 5 people in my class that studies on a regular basis. I feel this way because whenever my classmates ask me what I am doing and I say "going to review my notes" they look at me like I am weird.

Yes, I should have been a trooper in undergrad, sucked it up, and gotten a better GPA. I also probably should not have been practical, and looked at other career options, but instead, kept my focus on medical school. But it's too late to change that now.

Any advice from you more experienced types? Is it best to give it up again in my situation? :/ At this point it seems like medicine is not a feasible route, unless I want to be up to my face in debt, which is extremely depressing to me.

Hey desklamp, I think I've encountered your posts a few times on the pharmacy forums. I'm in a similar situation to you and decided to finish my PharmD instead of drop out. What the PharmD will give you is some background in medicine and allow you to build up your credentials for medical school especially if your undergrad is what it is. In addition, there is no guarantee to getting into medical school on your first try so it is a viable backup so that you don't just sit around for a year as you wait for the new application cycle to begin.

I had one person in my class that actually dropped out of school to apply to medical school after her 1st year. Fast forward, she still hasn't gotten into medical school and her earliest chance will be for next application cycle which also happens to be when I will be applying. The difference? I will be finishing pharmacy school (more debt granted) and still have a good chance of getting into medical school the same time she will but with a PharmD. This will make medical school slightly easier for me and allow me to spend more time on the classes that are more difficult and do better. Ultimately, allowing me to secure a competitive residency easier.

***Conversely, one final note. My reasoning for choosing this route were the same as yours but in hindsight (20/20), I should have chosen to finish my BS and go to medical school as the rest of the members in the small program that I attended. Of the 5 people in that program, I'm the only one not in medical school. Oh wells, life is making mistakes and learning from them.

 

[myhandsarecold]

you should just go to the Caribbean if you really dont want to stay where you're at now, either way, it's a lose-lose, or, do it the crazy way and finish the PharmD and try out for med school; I have a PharmD classmate and I personally wouldnt do what he's done, I think I would have just go the easy route and consider SGU, Ross, and the other school there with good residency placement.

 

[hawkeye pierce]

I will tell you as a current pharm. D. who is applied an accepted. They are tough on you in interviews regarding just switching careers. Many schools truly stipulate you must finish your degree. I do agree if you insist on stopping pharmacy now, go carribean.

 

[humbeez]

I disagree with many of the previous posters. I am currently in my last year of pharm school on rotations. During the second semester of our first year a friend of mine actually got accepted to medical school in upstate ny and simply left pharmacy and went to medical school there. Although adcoms might questions why you jumped from career to career, I dont think its worth finishing up 3 more years of pharm school (at 36K a year!!!!), when that's not what you want to do in the long run.

 

[hawkeye pierce]

Its possible at some schools but the odds are very low. Give it a shot if you want but do not drop out till accepted.

 

[Tygacil]

I think theres been some good advice in this thread. I would second finding a close faculty member who can write you a good LOR (as above mentioned, interested in physician side of things, etc etc) and go ahead and apply. Have you taken the MCAT yet?

I was in your shoes as well my P1 year, but I went on to take the MCAT between my P2-P3 year and applied summer between P3-P4 year and just went ahead and graduated. I could have possibly skipped out on one year (IF I got accepted) but I decided that I needed the boost in grades and the PharmD to aid my chances of acceptance. It sounds like you are in a similar boat.

Your best bet would be to take the MCAT this summer (so you can have some time to study) and then apply between your P2-P3 summer and skip your fourth year if accepted, or if not reapply with the PharmD.


For what it's worth anyways, I'm an M1.

-tyg

 

[0919mmk]

I would disagree with the advice re: carrib. I think it's a bad idea from where you stand. Carrib is a big risk, since there is a decent chance that you pay for 1 or 2 years of med school and then drop out (the dropout rate is pretty high).

I agree with the previous poster. If I were you, I'd study for and take the MCAT, see where you stand. If you get a 38, then apply to med school and you're all set. If you get a 16, then stick with what you're doing. It's a pretty good way to gauge where you're at.