Introduction and Pre-pharmacy Preparation Question

[RonC]

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Hello, everyone! I'm new to the forum and had a few questions for anyone out there that may have been, or is in the same situation I'm in with respect to fulfulling the prerequisites for pharm. school. I apologize ahead of time for the length of the posting.

A little history first..... Many moons ago (1996), I completed a degree in Biochemistry. I took all of the necessary coursework that falls under the umbrella of pre-pharmacy. I finished with a fairly respectable overall GPA--3.67. My science GPA was probably in the ball park of 3.4. While doing my undergrad. work, I always wanted to go to pharmacy school, but I was a very timid individual who steered clear of competitive pursuits like these. Following graduation, I ultimately ended up doing IT work for nearly eight years. I even managed to graduate with honors with a degree in Computer Science while working. In December of 2003, I was laid off from my employer after three years of service. This was one of several I've endured over my seven year stint in IT. As a result, I've grown very tired with the level of volatility and the impersonal nature of work associated with IT/technology sector. This last layoff, although tough at first, has been cathartic; my interest in pharmacy has been rekindled. Pharmacy seems to be a good career as it addresses the concerns I had with my IT work (seemingly). I know the hours are long and the personal treatment may not be that great in some cases, but those experiences are ubiquitous to many career paths. Pharmacy, and health care in general, also seem to give one more options as far as where they want to live. Currently, I live in Denver, CO and I'm looking to move to a more rural location-- becoming very overpopulated here.

This brings me to my questions about pharmacy schools with regard to my situation:

1) A lot of schools I've looked at seem to have a statute of limitations on the applicability of your previous coursework, seven years seems to be the typical limit. Personally, I would hate it if I had to take my core sciences all over. Has anyone out there been in the same predicament? What did you do and where did you apply?

2) Does anyone know of any pharm. schools that do not place such time limits on coursework?

3) Are there any pharm. schools out there that would allow one to substitute a few upper division courses in biology and chemistry for the lower division prerequisites in the event they have earned a science degree previously?

4) If I have to take the prereqs. over, would taking them at a CC be OK for someone in my situation who had all of his previous science coursework done at a 4 yr. university?

5) Is age a factor for admission? I'm presently 31 and was hoping to apply in 2005 for the Fall of 2006.

In all likelihood, I think I'm screwed. I'll probably need to take all of my prereqs. over again. If anyone could provide some insight in this area, I'd greatly appreciate it. Oh...one last last thing. Has anyone out there applied to or is attending the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy? I was wondering what your thoughts on the school happen to be?

Thanks for the responses!

-Ron

 

[imperial frog]

4) If I have to take the prereqs. over, would taking them at a CC be OK for someone in my situation who had all of his previous science coursework done at a 4 yr. university?

5) Is age a factor for admission? I'm presently 31 and was hoping to apply in 2005 for the Fall of 2006.

-Ron

Your best bet is to talk to an admissions person regarding the age of the classes, but I wouldn't imagine that you would have to take the basic science courses like Bio, Gen Chem, and Physics 1 & 2. Micro, Organic, and A&P might be another story because they seem more relavent to the pharm classes. I took all my sciences recently but my Calc course was about 10 years old and it was accepted (could not tell you a single thing about calc anymore though).

UF didn't have a problem with any of my sciences from a CC, although I never took them at a University because I was a business major. As far as the age...I'm 38 and starting in the Fall.

 

[RonC]

Imperial frog,

Thanks for the info. It's good to see another person my age entering pharmacy school. I did contact the Univ. of Colorado COP. An admissions contact told me I would need to retake all of my sciences/math exclusively, all other non-science coursework would be exempted. I'm thinking at the worst , I've got a year ahead of me to retake all of these courses, and possibly the PCAT if another school that I wish to apply to requires it. Although it's been sometime since I last had Gen. Chem I&II, Gen. Bio I&II, etc., I'm thinking it should come back fairly quickly. A friend of mine is currently taking Cell Biology and Genetics at a local university and from my conversations with her about the subjects, it appears that much of the material is the same as it was when I had it back in 1995. I'm hoping I can clear the cobwebs on my science knowledge fairly quickly. Thanks again for the response.

-Ron

 

[64microbus]

I found this on the UOP admissions page - FAQ:

21. I finished my prerequisites over five years ago. Will they be accepted?

Yes, the only stipulation is if it has been over seven years since you completed Organic Chemistry or Biology, you must take a refresher course in both of these areas.

So there are schools out there that won't make you take everything again. Hope this helps.

 

[imperial frog]

Imperial frog,

Thanks for the info. It's good to see another person my age entering pharmacy school.
-Ron

Your age!!! You're a young whippersnapper!!!

 

[RonC]

64microbus,

Thanks for the response. I'll check out UOP's program. That's in CA right?

-Ron

 

[RonC]

Imperial frog,

Hey man, you're a 30-something just like me! And at 38....you're far from over the hill. Have some fun over the summer and good luck with your pharmacy endeavors at UF.

 

[jdpharmd?]

I've heard that we have several students who were once in your situation. For some reason, we seem to be a popular school with ex engineers and chemists. I think you would be a competitive applicant. 👍 We have several students who are in their 30's or even 40's.

 

[pharmel]

I can tell you that I took calc, general chemistry I, speech, economics, anatomy & physiology, and a plethora of other undergrad courses and they were all accepted at Midwestern-Glendale. (I graduated in 1996 and some of these classes were taken in 1992-1993.) Call the schools you are interested in and ask!

 

[pharmel]

I also know someone who will be attending Midwestern next year who is 40+. Don't worry about your age!

 

[imperial frog]

I would imagine that the schools have to figure that us (we? I always forget this rule) older students are probably going to avoid the college lifestyle which is a pretty big obstacle to some and concentrate on the studies. My wife, who will kill me if I don't make it through, is a much more intimidating motivator than my parents ever were.

 

[RonC]

Ditto that on the wife thing. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

 

[RonC]

Thank you to all who responded. I truly appreciate it.

 

[dgroulx]

Yeah, my husband is supporting me during school. He cooks, does the laundry and hired a maid, so I can study and get through the program. I don't think he'd be very happy if I flunked out. I'm 46 and will be 50 when I get out. Our retirement plans depend on me working as a pharmacist.

 

[Modnar]

It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who married a slavedriver.