Is there anyone who got in with a gpa less than 3.0, here is my stats! anyone with similar stats ?

[RBmedh]

My overall pharmcas gpa right now is 2.54
and my pharmcas prereq gpa is 1.877

I plan on taking classes again to improve gpa, however because I took so many credits, the difference it will make is minimal.

I have my bachelors
I haven't taken the PCAT yet
I have 3 years of retail and hospital pharm tech experience

Is there anyone who were in a similar situation but overcame?

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[MyRealNameIs]

Wait.... your pharmcas prereq gpa is 1.87?

You don't even qualify to apply because you cannot get below a C on any prereq classes.

People that got into pharm school with low gpa based on the forum posts that I read had high PCAT score of 90+ to counter balance their low gpa. You should take your PCAT and also retake any class below C that is prereq and science classes. Also, the people whose GPA was below 3.0 had high science GPA and/or got all As on their last year.

If you can't even handle the rigors of undergraduate class, what makes you think you can handle pharmacy school which is significantly harder? What changed that will allow you to do it? You will have to be able to answer this question on your application.

 

[darknightzzz]

Wait.... your pharmcas prereq gpa is 1.87?

You don't even qualify to apply because you cannot get below a C on any prereq classes.

People that got into pharm school with low gpa based on the forum posts that I read had high PCAT score of 90+ to counter balance their low gpa. You should take your PCAT and also retake any class below C that is prereq and science classes. Also, the people whose GPA was below 3.0 had high science GPA and/or got all As on their last year.

If you can't even handle the rigors of undergraduate class, what makes you think you can handle pharmacy school which is significantly harder? What changed that will allow you to do it? You will have to be able to answer this question on your application.

psh, pharmacy school has open admission nowadays. dont talk like pharmacy admission is competitive anymore.

you can do it OP.

 

[lvi3569]

my overall and science gpa are both under 3.0 and my pcat is 57 but i got 6 interviews (a few top schools) so no, you dont need a pcat in the 90th percentile. however, you do need to meet the minimum prerequisite gpa (most programs require 2.5 min) or else, they will toss your application out. my advice would be to retake your prerequisite courses (esp the ones you didnt do so well in). i would wait for a year before i apply and try to enhance your gpa (at least raise it to the min). you can take courses at a community college to save money or even enroll in a post baccalaureate program to enhance your grades. the schools want to see how you can improve so as long as you show them that you can get good grades, then you will get a chance. if you really want to get in and willing to work hard, it is possible. i know a very good example of someone who got accepted to uic, one of the top 15 schools, with both cumulative and science/math gpa less than 3 and pcat of 69. she graduated uic pharmacy with a 3.74/4.0; did pgy1 residency and now successfully working as a clinical pharmacist.
if you're struggling with science courses, get a tutor. figure out what youre doing wrong. for example, I realized i was studying incorrectly and now I know what type of learner i am. since then, ive been acing my classes and doing well.
dont give up if this is really what you want and dont let the negativity get to you. it is possible. good luck!

 

[pharmislife]

my overall and science gpa are both under 3.0 and my pcat is 57 but i got 6 interviews (a few top schools) so no, you dont need a pcat in the 90th percentile. however, you do need to meet the minimum prerequisite gpa (most programs require 2.5 min) or else, they will toss your application out. my advice would be to retake your prerequisite courses (esp the ones you didnt do so well in). i would wait for a year before i apply and try to enhance your gpa (at least raise it to the min). you can take courses at a community college to save money or even enroll in a post baccalaureate program to engance your grades. the schools want to see how you can improve so as long as you show them that you can get good grades, then you will get a chance. if you really want to get in and willing to work hard, it is possible. i know a very good example of someone who got accepted to uic, one of the top 15 schools, with both cumulative and science/math gpa less than 3 and pcat of 69. she graduated uic pharmacy with a 3.74/4.0; did pgy1 residency and now successfully working as a clinical pharmacist.
if you're struggling with science courses, get a tutor. figure out what youre doing wrong. for example, I realized i was studying incorrectly and now I know what type of learner i am. since then, ive been acing my classes and doing well.
dont give up if this is really what you want and dont let the negativity get to you. it is possible. good luck!

 

[OldPhotography]

Is your GPA low because you were working too much and taking too many classes or is a matter of the material was too difficult? The experience will certainly help you out. Get a decent score on your PCAT too. With all due respect, just make sure that you're not going in over your head because it's a lot of money to be wasted if you can't keep up with the material.

 

[MyRealNameIs]

my overall and science gpa are both under 3.0 and my pcat is 57 but i got 6 interviews (a few top schools) so no, you dont need a pcat in the 90th percentile. however, you do need to meet the minimum prerequisite gpa (most programs require 2.5 min) or else, they will toss your application out. my advice would be to retake your prerequisite courses (esp the ones you didnt do so well in). i would wait for a year before i apply and try to enhance your gpa (at least raise it to the min). you can take courses at a community college to save money or even enroll in a post baccalaureate program to engance your grades. the schools want to see how you can improve so as long as you show them that you can get good grades, then you will get a chance. if you really want to get in and willing to work hard, it is possible. i know a very good example of someone who got accepted to uic, one of the top 15 schools, with both cumulative and science/math gpa less than 3 and pcat of 69. she graduated uic pharmacy with a 3.74/4.0; did pgy1 residency and now successfully working as a clinical pharmacist.
if you're struggling with science courses, get a tutor. figure out what youre doing wrong. for example, I realized i was studying incorrectly and now I know what type of learner i am. since then, ive been acing my classes and doing well.
dont give up if this is really what you want and dont let the negativity get to you. it is possible. good luck!

Could you share what about your app that made the admission office choose you and your friend over tons of people with 3.5+ gpa with 70+ PCAT and work experience?

 

[lvi3569]

Hi! I was wondering if your friend applied to UIC early decision. Just curious if it increase your chances of getting in

they didnt have the early decision back then when she applied but she said the early decision helps you bc they look at your file first and interview you first if they like you. i believe early decision interviews are conducted in oct or nov vs the regular interviews are conducted beginning in jan.

 

[pharmislife]

they didnt have the early decision back then when she applied but she said the early decision helps you bc they look at your file first and interview you first if they like you. i believe early decision interviews are conducted in oct or nov vs the regular interviews are conducted beginning in jan.

 

[MyRealNameIs]

they didnt have the early decision back then when she applied but she said the early decision helps you bc they look at your file first and interview you first if they like you. i believe early decision interviews are conducted in oct or nov vs the regular interviews are conducted beginning in jan.

You didn't answer my question. I wasn't being sarcastic or anything at all. I think it will be helpful to others if you share what made you shine over others with significantly better statistics.

 

[pharmislife]

my overall and science gpa are both under 3.0 and my pcat is 57 but i got 6 interviews (a few top schools) so no, you dont need a pcat in the 90th percentile. however, you do need to meet the minimum prerequisite gpa (most programs require 2.5 min) or else, they will toss your application out. my advice would be to retake your prerequisite courses (esp the ones you didnt do so well in). i would wait for a year before i apply and try to enhance your gpa (at least raise it to the min). you can take courses at a community college to save money or even enroll in a post baccalaureate program to enhance your grades. the schools want to see how you can improve so as long as you show them that you can get good grades, then you will get a chance. if you really want to get in and willing to work hard, it is possible. i know a very good example of someone who got accepted to uic, one of the top 15 schools, with both cumulative and science/math gpa less than 3 and pcat of 69. she graduated uic pharmacy with a 3.74/4.0; did pgy1 residency and now successfully working as a clinical pharmacist.
if you're struggling with science courses, get a tutor. figure out what youre doing wrong. for example, I realized i was studying incorrectly and now I know what type of learner i am. since then, ive been acing my classes and doing well.
dont give up if this is really what you want and dont let the negativity get to you. it is possible. good luck!

 

[lvi3569]

also, how did you get interviews that early from 6 schools? did you apply for early decision or did you just submit your application early under the regular admissions? because i thought if you apply for early decision, you are only allowed to apply to one school

i got really good advices from my mentor/friend. i think the key was to apply early.
i didnt apply early decision (bc i wanted to have options) but i applied really early (submitted my application sometime end of July)

if the school is your top choice, and youre willing to take some risks, then apply early decision. i honestly dont know if it will increase your chance or not.

 

[lvi3569]

You didn't answer my question. I wasn't being sarcastic or anything at all. I think it will be helpful to others if you share what made you shine over others with significantly better statistics.

i sorta mentioned it in my post above. i re-took some of the prerequisites and got As but i also completed a grad program. My mentor/friend did a post-bacc program to enhance her grades.

 

[Pill_crusher]

my overall and science gpa are both under 3.0 and my pcat is 57 but i got 6 interviews (a few top schools) so no, you dont need a pcat in the 90th percentile. however, you do need to meet the minimum prerequisite gpa (most programs require 2.5 min) or else, they will toss your application out. my advice would be to retake your prerequisite courses (esp the ones you didnt do so well in). i would wait for a year before i apply and try to enhance your gpa (at least raise it to the min). you can take courses at a community college to save money or even enroll in a post baccalaureate program to enhance your grades. the schools want to see how you can improve so as long as you show them that you can get good grades, then you will get a chance. if you really want to get in and willing to work hard, it is possible. i know a very good example of someone who got accepted to uic, one of the top 15 schools, with both cumulative and science/math gpa less than 3 and pcat of 69. she graduated uic pharmacy with a 3.74/4.0; did pgy1 residency and now successfully working as a clinical pharmacist.
if you're struggling with science courses, get a tutor. figure out what youre doing wrong. for example, I realized i was studying incorrectly and now I know what type of learner i am. since then, ive been acing my classes and doing well.
dont give up if this is really what you want and dont let the negativity get to you. it is possible. good luck!

Hi,
I know this thread is old, but I just came across it and saw your stats. Did you get accepted into a school? I have a composite of 62 and overall gpa of 3.2 with a science gpa of 2.8. I received interviews for both of the schools I applied to but already got denied from one and wait listed for the other. So far both schools have told me that my pcat score is too low. But when I called prior to applying to the school, advisors told me my score was great because I had pharmacy experience and I shouldn't bother retaking the test. So I'm extremely confused. I'm going to be pretty bummed if I have to apply for the next cycle.. I'm already planning to retake the pcat soon though.

 

[Hot Pharmacist]

Sing people sing!

 

[Dalteparin]

Read this thread and think very, very hard about what you're getting yourself into: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/you-could-get-in-but.1163470/

 

[dpat12]

I got in. My gpa is a 2.8 and my pcat score was 23 the first time and then the second time i got a 43.

 

[jinhk93]

I got in. My gpa is a 2.8 and my pcat score was 23 the first time and then the second time i got a 43.

*Facepalm*

 

[Dalteparin]

I got in. My gpa is a 2.8 and my pcat score was 23 the first time and then the second time i got a 43.

Really hoping you're a troll.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[dpat12]

No I'm not a troll. I'm being serious. I got accepted into a pharmacy school. I got waitlisted at another one and I got a interview at a 3rd school.

 

[lolasdf-12]

I am graduating soon with a 2.8 gpa, pcat yet to be taken
1.5 year of research experience in Huntington disease, 6 months of mentorship program, and soon to be working in retail pharmacy.
Anyone think I can get into cali school with this?

 

[jinhk93]

I am graduating soon with a 2.8 gpa, pcat yet to be taken
1.5 year of research experience in Huntington disease, 6 months of mentorship program, and soon to be working in retail pharmacy.
Anyone think I can get into cali school with this?

Dalteparin, they're coming in like waves of zombies.... there's just no stopping them....

It's like Oprah is giving out acceptances or something.
"YOU GET A SPOT, YOU GET A SPOT, YOU GET SPOT, YOU ALL GET A SPOT!!"

Screw standards, right? Who needs them anyway...

I give up... let these fools get robbed of their money and eventually fail at life.

 

[PharmtoCS]

Dalteparin, they're coming in like waves of zombies.... there's just no stopping them....

It's like Oprah is giving out acceptances or something.
"YOU GET A SPOT, YOU GET A SPOT, YOU GET SPOT, YOU ALL GET A SPOT!!"

Screw standards, right? Who needs them anyway...

I give up... let these fools get robbed of their money and eventually fail at life.

I remember that someone mentioned on Reddit on how in the populace here willingly signs away a mortgage to participate in the Hunger Games. At least in the fictional version, the populace didn't have to pay an entry fee, nor were they eager to hand out applications to participate in the games.

 

[PharmtoCS]

No I'm not a troll. I'm being serious. I got accepted into a pharmacy school. I got waitlisted at another one and I got a interview at a 3rd school.

Congrats! How much is your tuition?

 

[Pill_crusher]

I got in. My gpa is a 2.8 and my pcat score was 23 the first time and then the second time i got a 43.

Congrats!! I guess it all depends on how competitive the school is then. I thought about what some students said. As harsh as it sounds, If I can't score higher than my first score on the pcat to get accepted then maybe pharmacy school isn't for me...I wouldn't want to be put in the situation where I'm struggling to pass classes. Life would be miserable..

 

[Bossman88]

Dalteparin, they're coming in like waves of zombies.... there's just no stopping them....

It's like Oprah is giving out acceptances or something.
"YOU GET A SPOT, YOU GET A SPOT, YOU GET SPOT, YOU ALL GET A SPOT!!"

Screw standards, right? Who needs them anyway...

I give up... let these fools get robbed of their money and eventually fail at life.

I think you are the troll here. Why will you come on an online forum posting links/comments to discourage others who are trying to make it in life and worse off calling them fools? Just because you didn't experience extenuating circumstances or got in with a high GPA doesn't mean you should look down on others with low GPA's with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with disparate life circumstances.

They are a lot of people out there who got into pharmacy school with no wealth of experience, low GPA's/PCAT and are great pharmacists right now, so don't make it seem like you need to be a 4.0 student to make it in life. Yes, the link you posted gives an idea of what the individuals are getting themselves into, debt etc but let's be pragmatic my friend, it's a 50-50.

If you strengthen your resolve and you are determined then you will make it like any other person. So give them a break and find something better to do with your time than come here and discourage fellow posters and calling them fools.

Learn some ethics!

 

[Bossman88]

I got in. My gpa is a 2.8 and my pcat score was 23 the first time and then the second time i got a 43.

Congrats dude! A great motivation for others. Good luck.

 

[Dalteparin]

I think you are the troll here. Why will you come on an online forum posting links/comments to discourage others who are trying to make it in life and worse off calling them fools? Just because you didn't experience extenuating circumstances or got in with a high GPA doesn't mean you should look down on others with low GPA's with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with disparate life circumstances.

Believe it or not, I actually care about you guys and don't want you to waste $150K+ and several years of your life. I don't want you to get in and flunk out after a year or two or somehow muddle through but be unable to pass boards and wind up with six figures in debt that you'll never be able to pay off. Also, I didn't say anything about anybody's cultural or ethnic backgrounds; you're the one who brought that up.

Listen, I understand that not everybody can get straight A's (I certainly didn't) and I understand that not everybody does well on standardized tests. But when you can't even get 50% on a test of your competency and your GPA is the bare minimum (and that's being charitable), then pharmacy is not for you. I'm sorry. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's something that anybody with a GPA under 3.0 and/or a PCAT under 50% needs to hear. You have other gifts and talents and you can succeed at some career. Pharmacy is not that career. It's also not the end of the world that you tried your best and didn't succeed! I've had some career failures too, but I learned from those mistakes and found out what's a good fit for me and what isn't. As they say, good decisions come from good judgment, which comes from experience, which comes from bad judgment.

 

[jinhk93]

I think you are the troll here. Why will you come on an online forum posting links/comments to discourage others who are trying to make it in life and worse off calling them fools? Just because you didn't experience extenuating circumstances or got in with a high GPA doesn't mean you should look down on others with low GPA's with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with disparate life circumstances.

They are a lot of people out there who got into pharmacy school with no wealth of experience, low GPA's/PCAT and are great pharmacists right now, so don't make it seem like you need to be a 4.0 student to make it in life. Yes, the link you posted gives an idea of what the individuals are getting themselves into, debt etc but let's be pragmatic my friend, it's a 50-50.

If you strengthen your resolve and you are determined then you will make it like any other person. So give them a break and find something better to do with your time than come here and discourage fellow posters and calling them fools.

Learn some ethics!

How am I a troll? As Dalteparin said, I also actually give a crap about these pre-pharmacy students. They are young, naive, and gullible students who are being fed ridiculous statements like "You can do it! Good job! Chase your dreams! You can do whatever you want!" But what they lack is a REALITY CHECK.

I don't know if you yourself understand this either, but we live in the REAL world where there are REAL consequences and realities to face. For example, standardized tests and cut off limits for GPA are in place for a very good reason: to test a student's competancy. So encouraging someone to pursue a career where they can't even make the bare minimum standards is what I would call "being a troll." If I wanted to play in the NBA but I can't even do a basic dribble or pass, would it not be stupid for someone to tell me "Hey, keep going! You can do it!" What if it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to participate in the NBA? Yet I can't even do the basics? Would it not be more "kind" to advise me to choose a different path and not waste my time and money on a useless endeavor?

Today's society is going downhill in many ways, but one of the biggest factors is that people are so freaking afraid to "offend" people and tell things how they are. This whole post-modernism/humanism B.S. is ruining the future generation of soceity's members, and it needs to stop.

Stop thinking that we live in an idealistic world; that **** doesn't exist. Face reality, adapt as necessary, and move on. Don't waste your limited time and resources on false expectations. And stop feeding these people with those false expectations.

Learn some reality.

 

[RBmedh]

Yeah. I agree with more of the harsher comments. It's best that I give up now before it's too late.
Thanks for being straight forward. People who have the grades, time and money should definitely go for it however.

 

[Bossman88]

Believe it or not, I actually care about you guys and don't want you to waste $150K+ and several years of your life. I don't want you to get in and flunk out after a year or two or somehow muddle through but be unable to pass boards and wind up with six figures in debt that you'll never be able to pay off. Also, I didn't say anything about anybody's cultural or ethnic backgrounds; you're the one who brought that up.

Listen, I understand that not everybody can get straight A's (I certainly didn't) and I understand that not everybody does well on standardized tests. But when you can't even get 50% on a test of your competency and your GPA is the bare minimum (and that's being charitable), then pharmacy is not for you. I'm sorry. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's something that anybody with a GPA under 3.0 and/or a PCAT under 50% needs to hear. You have other gifts and talents and you can succeed at some career. Pharmacy is not that career. It's also not the end of the world that you tried your best and didn't succeed! I've had some career failures too, but I learned from those mistakes and found out what's a good fit for me and what isn't. As they say, good decisions come from good judgment, which comes from experience, which comes from bad judgment.

Question is why should you care? Maybe you should care about everyone entering the health field, ranging from pharmacists, dentist and medical doctors. Maybe you should care why they are getting themselves into debt to do what they are passionate about. Maybe you should go to SDN pre-dentistry forum and pre-med forum and tell SDN posters with low GPA's that they should not do what they love because they have low-GPA's or shouldn't do it because they will be left with 150-250k of debt. Absolutely stupid!

If everyone was listening to your advice then they will be no medical doctors or dentists or pharmacist out there just because they went on SDN and some random poster said they "shouldn't do it because they didn't get good GPA's or didn't do well on standardize test or they will have huge amounts of debts" .

I believe we are all adults here and anyone entering a profession will know the repercussions. Well there is a price to pay for everything. If you want to be a doctor and really want to do what you love you will have to pay the price by committing yourself for 7 years and taking huge loans and at the end of the day you will be happy doing what you want to do and sure will pay your loans gradually and living a good life.

Like I said, I'm not speaking for myself just giving advice to the poster who asked for one and not discouraging them or calling them fools. I have a friend who got into pharmacy school specifically 2.5 GPA and a PCAT score of 40 to UMD Baltimore and he graduated with a 3.7 GPA and is a clinical pharmacists now at one of the best hospitals in the U.S (John Hopkins). And guess what, he's happily married with 2 kids now and living a very comfortable life while paying his loans.

So if "loans" is what you moaning about then I believe you shouldn't have chosen pharmacy as a career as well because we all gonna have loans and will pay them gradually.

I know, we know they always going to be people like you who come and discourage, call people fools and laugh at them when they trying to get into their career choice. They always gonna be people like you. My friend who is a clinical pharmacist had to listen to advice from people like you then he will never be were he is right now.

Like I said, it will be better if you find something good to do with your time than bringing negative energy and discouraging others and calling them fools. A word of advice will be appreciated but looking down on others and calling them fools is very unethical.

 

[RBmedh]

Yeah. I agree with more of the harsher comments. It's best that I give up now before it's too late.
Thanks for being straight forward. People who have the grades, time and money should definitely go for it however.

I retook some courses and was much better at it and understood the subject straightaway. I somehow because of my mistakes figured out a way to study.
But this is a profession where you deal with people's lives not on the level which doctors do but still very much part of the healthcare system. Some of the pharmacists although went through similar admission process, I have observed made mistakes of giving out wrong drugs, strength and directions when dispensing. This happened at all of the places I have worked with. This made me realize that grades don't accurately measure whether or not someone will kill or harm a patient by giving wrong medicaiton by being careless. Also a lot of the pharmacists I work with are miserable at their job and always complain about patients. So I think grades isn't the only measure most important thing is whether or not you are passionate about the career. Yes the money is good and it's stable I think that's why many go into the job and get stuck in a career. The measure of a good pharmacist in the end I think is 'passion' if you don't love your job you won't care enough about your patients and end up harming someone in the end.

 

[Dalteparin]

Question is why should you care? Maybe you should care about everyone entering the health field, ranging from pharmacists, dentist and medical doctors. Maybe you should care why they are getting themselves into debt to do what they are passionate about. Maybe you should go to SDN pre-dentistry forum and pre-med forum and tell SDN posters with low GPA's that they should not do what they love because they have low-GPA's or shouldn't do it because they will be left with 150-250k of debt. Absolutely stupid!

If everyone was listening to your advice then they will be no medical doctors or dentists or pharmacist out there just because they went on SDN and some random poster said they "shouldn't do it because they didn't get good GPA's or didn't do well on standardize test or they will have huge amounts of debts" .

I believe we are all adults here and anyone entering a profession will know the repercussions. Well there is a price to pay for everything. If you want to be a doctor and really want to do what you love you will have to pay the price by committing yourself for 7 years and taking huge loans and at the end of the day you will be happy doing what you want to do and sure will pay your loans gradually and living a good life.

Like I said, I'm not speaking for myself just giving advice to the poster who asked for one and not discouraging them or calling them fools. I have a friend who got into pharmacy school specifically 2.5 GPA and a PCAT score of 40 to UMD Baltimore and he graduated with a 3.7 GPA and is a clinical pharmacists now at one of the best hospitals in the U.S (John Hopkins). And guess what, he's happily married with 2 kids now and living a very comfortable life while paying his loans.

So if "loans" is what you moaning about then I believe you shouldn't have chosen pharmacy as a career as well because we all gonna have loans and will pay them gradually.

I know, we know they always going to be people like you who come and discourage, call people fools and laugh at them when they trying to get into their career choice. They always gonna be people like you. My friend who is a clinical pharmacist had to listen to advice from people like you then he will never be were he is right now.

Like I said, it will be better if you find something good to do with your time than bringing negative energy and discouraging others and calling them fools. A word of advice will be appreciated but looking down on others and calling them fools is very unethical.

Why do I care? Because I don't like to see people ruin their lives. And as I said, these people have talents; they should find a career that utilizes those talents rather than waste time and money on something they aren't suited to. For example, when I was young, I wanted to be a singer. Trouble is, I'm completely tone deaf. Practicing did not change that, nor will it ever. A kind music teacher gave me the advice that I'm giving these pre-pharms now: "You have other gifts. It's time to dream a different dream." Yes, it sucked to hear that at the time, but now I'm genuinely thankful to her. If I hadn't given up on something I had no talent for, I might never have found something that I do have a talent for.

I'm not trying to look down on anybody or pick on them. I know it's cheesy, but we all have unique abilities and talents, and understanding what your talents are not is just as important as understanding what they are.

I'm glad things worked out well for your friend. I hope you understand that not everybody is as fortunate. We see posts here every day from people who skated into pharmacy school and are now on the verge of being dismissed due to poor grades or who failed the NAPLEX multiple times and can't get licensed. Now these people cannot make a pharmacist's salary and will never be able to pay their loans off. These large outstanding debts will have a huge negative impact on their future financial stability and their ability to buy a house or start a business or go back to school for a degree that better suits them. I don't want anybody to go through that.

Furthermore, pharmacy is a profession where mistakes kill. Come in with a knowledge deficit, you could kill somebody. I don't want that to happen to a patient, and I don't want anyone to have that on their conscience for the rest of their life.

Being kind doesn't just mean complimenting people and cheering them on. Sometimes being kind means helping people face a difficult truth.

PS - the reason I don't go to the MD/dental forums is that since I'm not an MD or a dentist, I don't know what's required in those careers. I do know what's required in pharmacy. Also, if I went to those forums, I'd have to hang out with doctors and dentists. No thanks.

 

[jinhk93]

Question is why should you care? Maybe you should care about everyone entering the health field, ranging from pharmacists, dentist and medical doctors. Maybe you should care why they are getting themselves into debt to do what they are passionate about. Maybe you should go to SDN pre-dentistry forum and pre-med forum and tell SDN posters with low GPA's that they should not do what they love because they have low-GPA's or shouldn't do it because they will be left with 150-250k of debt. Absolutely stupid!

If everyone was listening to your advice then they will be no medical doctors or dentists or pharmacist out there just because they went on SDN and some random poster said they "shouldn't do it because they didn't get good GPA's or didn't do well on standardize test or they will have huge amounts of debts" .

I believe we are all adults here and anyone entering a profession will know the repercussions. Well there is a price to pay for everything. If you want to be a doctor and really want to do what you love you will have to pay the price by committing yourself for 7 years and taking huge loans and at the end of the day you will be happy doing what you want to do and sure will pay your loans gradually and living a good life.

Like I said, I'm not speaking for myself just giving advice to the poster who asked for one and not discouraging them or calling them fools. I have a friend who got into pharmacy school specifically 2.5 GPA and a PCAT score of 40 to UMD Baltimore and he graduated with a 3.7 GPA and is a clinical pharmacists now at one of the best hospitals in the U.S (John Hopkins). And guess what, he's happily married with 2 kids now and living a very comfortable life while paying his loans.

So if "loans" is what you moaning about then I believe you shouldn't have chosen pharmacy as a career as well because we all gonna have loans and will pay them gradually.

I know, we know they always going to be people like you who come and discourage, call people fools and laugh at them when they trying to get into their career choice. They always gonna be people like you. My friend who is a clinical pharmacist had to listen to advice from people like you then he will never be were he is right now.

Like I said, it will be better if you find something good to do with your time than bringing negative energy and discouraging others and calling them fools. A word of advice will be appreciated but looking down on others and calling them fools is very unethical.

I know you are replying to Dalteparin, but I can't help myself. You REALLY lack common sense. Every single one of your points is invalid.

1) You said, "Question is why should you care? Maybe you should care about everyone entering the health field, ranging from pharmacists, dentist and medical doctors. Maybe you should care why they are getting themselves into debt to do what they are passionate about. Maybe you should go to SDN pre-dentistry forum and pre-med forum and tell SDN posters with low GPA's that they should not do what they love because they have low-GPA's or shouldn't do it because they will be left with 150-250k of debt. Absolutely stupid!"

The reason we care about the pre-pharmacy students and not the pre-dental or pre-medical students is because for some odd reason *cough people-feeding-others-false-expectations cough* only the standards for pharmacy schools are dropping astronomically. There is a reason the admission standards for pre-dental and pre-medical are WAY higher than 95% of pharmacy schools. Pre-dental and pre-medical admissions have consistently stood at around 3-5% for quite some time now with GPA's around 3.7, and will most likely continue to do so. Yet pre-pharmacy admissions, with all the new diploma-mill schools popping up and gullible students falling for the trap, have numbers up to 40% admissions with average GPA's of 2.5. Does this not seem like a problem we should address??

2) You said, "If everyone was listening to your advice then they will be no medical doctors or dentists or pharmacist out there just because they went on SDN and some random poster said they 'shouldn't do it because they didn't get good GPA's or didn't do well on standardize test or they will have huge amounts of debts'"

Really? Are you that ignorant? You know who would become medical doctors or dentists or pharmacists? THOSE WHO CAN MEET THE HIGH STANDARDS. Will that be everyone who applies? Of course not. And it shouldn't be. That's how the whole freaking world functions: only those who can achieve the standards of the job can get the job. How is this so hard to comprehend? Health care careers should remain competitive because they are important jobs dealing with people's lives.

3) You said, "I believe we are all adults here and anyone entering a profession will know the repercussions. Well there is a price to pay for everything. If you want to be a doctor and really want to do what you love you will have to pay the price by committing yourself for 7 years and taking huge loans and at the end of the day you will be happy doing what you want to do and sure will pay your loans gradually and living a good life."

Again, this applies to those who can meet the standards. Obviously, if you are capable of the job, the loans are just aspects of the career that you have to deal with. But if you are NOT capable of the job, then the loans are a huge negative burden that you may not be able to pay back due to your inability to get a job.

4) You said, "Like I said, I'm not speaking for myself just giving advice to the poster who asked for one and not discouraging them or calling them fools. I have a friend who got into pharmacy school specifically 2.5 GPA and a PCAT score of 40 to UMD Baltimore and he graduated with a 3.7 GPA and is a clinical pharmacists now at one of the best hospitals in the U.S (John Hopkins). And guess what, he's happily married with 2 kids now and living a very comfortable life while paying his loans."

First of all, who knows if what you are saying is even true. Anybody can make up stories on the internet to try and prove their point. But even IF what you're saying is true, and your friend had his/her success story, it is an EXCEPTION. Do you understand what that word means? It means it is not the norm. It is rare. It does not happen often. So using an EXCEPTION to encourage others that their success will be NORMAL is completely absurd. Just because Einstein did it, doesn't mean I can.

5) You said, "Like I said, it will be better if you find something good to do with your time than bringing negative energy and discouraging others and calling them fools. A word of advice will be appreciated but looking down on others and calling them fools is very unethical."

Telling people that they should reconsider their career choice and find something else that fits their abilities sounds like pretty good advice to me. What I would call "unethical" is feeding these students with false hopes and encouragements that will only hurt them later on in life. It's almost like parenting: giving your child everything he/she wants is NOT the best way to raise your child. Sometimes, you have to give some tough love and steer them in the right direction, because overall that is what is BETTER for them.

 

[jinhk93]

Why do I care? Because I don't like to see people ruin their lives. And as I said, these people have talents; they should find a career that utilizes those talents rather than waste time and money on something they aren't suited to. For example, when I was young, I wanted to be a singer. Trouble is, I'm completely tone deaf. Practicing did not change that, nor will it ever. A kind music teacher gave me the advice that I'm giving these pre-pharms now: "You have other gifts. It's time to dream a different dream." Yes, it sucked to hear that at the time, but now I'm genuinely thankful to her. If I hadn't given up on something I had no talent for, I might never have found something that I do have a talent for.

I'm not trying to look down on anybody or pick on them. I know it's cheesy, but we all have unique abilities and talents, and understanding what your talents are not is just as important as understanding what they are.

I'm glad things worked out well for your friend. I hope you understand that not everybody is as fortunate. We see posts here every day from people who skated into pharmacy school and are now on the verge of being dismissed due to poor grades or who failed the NAPLEX multiple times and can't get licensed. Now these people cannot make a pharmacist's salary and will never be able to pay their loans off. These large outstanding debts will have a huge negative impact on their future financial stability and their ability to buy a house or start a business or go back to school for a degree that better suits them. I don't want anybody to go through that.

Furthermore, pharmacy is a profession where mistakes kill. Come in with a knowledge deficit, you could kill somebody. I don't want that to happen to a patient, and I don't want anyone to have that on their conscience for the rest of their life.

Being kind doesn't just mean complimenting people and cheering them on. Sometimes being kind means helping people face a difficult truth.

PS - the reason I don't go to the MD/dental forums is that since I'm not an MD or a dentist, I don't know what's required in those careers. I do know what's required in pharmacy. Also, if I went to those forums, I'd have to hang out with doctors and dentists. No thanks.

Oops, seems like we replied at almost the same time and said pretty much the same things. Lol. Sorry to butt in on his reply to you, but I couldn't help it

 

[Bossman88]

@jinhk93 @Dalteparin

I do respect your opinions. But you all gotta know that there are two types of students:

First, students who were not serious during their freshman and sophomore years and had very bad grades as a result of partying and not taking school seriously, sickness, etc and as they reached their junior and senior years they realized themselves, well matured and decided to get into a career of their choice and basically excelled in their upper division science courses but then the damage done during the senior and junior years cannot be changed.

Basically, such students have matured enough to know what they want and are determined and focus to reach their goals. Some come out on top and some don't, like the example I mentioned above which is very true I won't have to lie to substantiate my argument. So basically it's a risk, getting into medical field, dental field, or pharmacy is a risk which you have to be ready to pay the price.

On the other hand, younger and credulous students just get into the field prolly because of excitement and don't know what they are getting into.

I said your advice is unethical because you sounded very harsh and insulting which is not right. When you want to advice someone look at both sides of the coin. There is a probability that you either get a head or a tail but you can't get both so it's a 50-50 per say. Like you said they are always "exceptions" but to be an exception you need to put in some work. Just because someone wasn't serious in their freshman or sophomore year of college doesn't mean they should be castigated or reprimanded for that.

If someone comes here and says they are "passionate" about pharmacy and really willing to work hard and turn their bad grades to good grades, ace the PCAT, volunteer etc why discourage that person? You can't force them to choose not to do it but tell them the pros and cons cuz basically you based your argument just about grades and loans but also you should be mindful that it's a risk, either you get in and excel or you are out. Look at both sides! But at the end of the day, the decision comes down to the individual. They won't do it just because you said they shouldn't.

In my opinion, if you are passionate about your field of interest whether pharmacy or whatever, you have matured enough, improved your grades and converted your struggles into success and you feel like you a competitive candidate, then go for it. On the other hand, if you are doing pharmacy because of the money or because you want to become " a doctor of pharmacy" and improving your grades just to get into the field, then I'll say it's not for you.

 

[jinhk93]

@jinhk93 @Dalteparin

I do respect your opinions. But you all gotta know that there are two types of students:

First, students who were not serious during their freshman and sophomore years and had very bad grades as a result of partying and not taking school seriously, sickness, etc and as they reached their junior and senior years they realized themselves, well matured and decided to get into a career of their choice and basically excelled in their upper division science courses but then the damage done during the senior and junior years cannot be changed.

Basically, such students have matured enough to know what they want and are determined and focus to reach their goals. Some come out on top and some don't, like the example I mentioned above which is very true I won't have to lie to substantiate my argument. So basically it's a risk, getting into medical field, dental field, or pharmacy is a risk which you have to be ready to pay the price.

On the other hand, younger and credulous students just get into the field prolly because of excitement and don't know what they are getting into.

I said your advice is unethical because you sounded very harsh and insulting which is not right. When you want to advice someone look at both sides of the coin. There is a probability that you either get a head or a tail but you can't get both so it's a 50-50 per say. Like you said they are always "exceptions" but to be an exception you need to put in some work. Just because someone wasn't serious in their freshman or sophomore year of college doesn't mean they should be castigated or reprimanded for that.

If someone comes here and says they are "passionate" about pharmacy and really willing to work hard and turn their bad grades to good grades, ace the PCAT, volunteer etc why discourage that person? You can't force them to choose not to do it but tell them the pros and cons cuz basically you based your argument just about grades and loans but also you should be mindful that it's a risk, either you get in and excel or you are out. Look at both sides! But at the end of the day, the decision comes down to the individual. They won't do it just because you said they shouldn't.

In my opinion, if you are passionate about your field of interest whether pharmacy or whatever, you have matured enough, improved your grades and converted your struggles into success and you feel like you a competitive candidate, then go for it. On the other hand, if you are doing pharmacy because of the money or because you want to become " a doctor of pharmacy" and improving your grades just to get into the field, then I'll say it's not for you.

I'll try to make this short, because I still don't think you understand reality or how the world works, and I doubt you ever will.

1) The world does not function like a coin flip, 50-50. That is a very naive and ignorant view (this isn't being harsh, so try not to get your feelings hurt.) If you want to continue thinking that someone's path into pharmacy is just 50-50 based on their decision, then by all means go ahead. I can't really persuade a person out of their own skewed misconception.

2) Do you honestly believe that there's a huge difference between an 18 year old freshman and a 20 year old junior? People don't change that drastically. If someone wasn't mature enough when they were 18 (a full fledged adult), then they're not going to be mature at 20. If (and I mean a big fat IF) there is someone who struggled their freshman and sophomore year of college due to partying, laziness, etc, and later "matured" and started working hard in pursuing their career and succeeded, that person is still a rare EXCEPTION. I don't know how many people you have actually met in your life that have miraculously turned their lives around, but that just doesn't happen often (and I'm talking MAYBE 1 out of 100 cases). And by the looks of not only this thread, but the vast number of other threads where people get F's in a science class, retake, and get a D, or they get a 23% on the PCAT, retake, and get a 43%, most people are just not cut out for pharmacy school, no matter how "passionate" they are. Which leads me to my last point.

3) Passion is crap, so please just stop. You are spewing the same bull that these new money-hungry pharmacy schools are spewing. Passion means nothing at all if you can't make it work. I have all the passion in the world to be the next Michael Jordan, but it doesn't matter how much I try to improve myself, it's not going to happen. Change your passion to fit reality; don't try to change reality to fit your passion. People who have consistently done terrible in undergraduate classes or on the PCAT are NOT going to succeed in pharmacy school, no matter how much passion they have, or how many hours of extracurricular "experience" they gain. Again, if you want to continue to live in your little idealistic world where passion overcomes everything, then by all means, go ahead. But stop giving these gullible students your false view of the world; you are only doing them a disservice.

*Side note - the word "unethical" has nothing to do with being "mean" or "harsh" to people, so stop using it in that manner. Being unethical means being morally wrong. Advising people to face the harsh reality has nothing to do with morals. On the contrary, doing what you are doing and leading people down a dangerous road by persuading them with your false encouragement and hopes could be considered "unethical."

 

[Dalteparin]

Oops, seems like we replied at almost the same time and said pretty much the same things. Lol. Sorry to butt in on his reply to you, but I couldn't help it

 

[jinhk93]

Better Call Saul is a damn good show, btw. I still have to catch up on season 2 though

 

[Dalteparin]

@Bossman88 I agree that some people do have the ability but screw around and tank their GPA; however, if someone repeats the class and still can't get above a C, that tells me that they simply don't have the ability. Again, I know this is not what anybody wants to hear and I'm not trying be harsh or rub their nose in their disappointment. But like @jinhk93 said, passion doesn't mean a thing if you have no ability. Am I passionate about music? Sure! If I could, I'd practice all day long... but because I'm tone deaf, even if I practice 8 hours a day for the rest of my life, I'll never be any be any better than I am now. It sucked to be told that, but you know what would have sucked even more? Wasting years of my life and thousands of dollars on a goal I'd never be able to achieve. It wasn't unethical for that music teacher to tell me I had no talent; what would have been unethical is if she'd told me I could achieve my goal despite an utter lack of talent and then offered me expensive lessons to "help me improve" when she knew that no improvement was possible.

Also, if you are one of those people who screwed around in freshman and sophomore years and tanked their GPA, maybe it'd be a good idea to finish out your bachelor's before applying to pharmacy school just to give the adcom a little reassurance that you've matured. [Not that I would know anything about that... ] If somebody says they're passionate and want to turn things around, I believe them... but if they try again and their best efforts still only get them a C average and 50% or less on the PCAT, that's a sign that their best efforts just aren't going to be good enough. I feel for that person, truly! I've been in that situation and it sucks monkey balls. But dragging it out further isn't kind or helpful, and allowing them to become pharmacists when they can't meet minimum standards is dangerous. What I'd really like to do is buy all these students dinner/drinks and tell them failure isn't the end of the world, and there's something out there that they are good at.

 

[Dalteparin]

Better Call Saul is a damn good show, btw. I still have to catch up on season 2 though

About halfway through season 2 and loving it!

 

[Bossman88]

I'll try to make this short, because I still don't think you understand reality or how the world works, and I doubt you ever will.

1) The world does not function like a coin flip, 50-50. That is a very naive and ignorant view (this isn't being harsh, so try not to get your feelings hurt.) If you want to continue thinking that someone's path into pharmacy is just 50-50 based on their decision, then by all means go ahead. I can't really persuade a person out of their own skewed misconception.

2) Do you honestly believe that there's a huge difference between an 18 year old freshman and a 20 year old junior? People don't change that drastically. If someone wasn't mature enough when they were 18 (a full fledged adult), then they're not going to be mature at 20. If (and I mean a big fat IF) there is someone who struggled their freshman and sophomore year of college due to partying, laziness, etc, and later "matured" and started working hard in pursuing their career and succeeded, that person is still a rare EXCEPTION. I don't know how many people you have actually met in your life that have miraculously turned their lives around, but that just doesn't happen often (and I'm talking MAYBE 1 out of 100 cases). And by the looks of not only this thread, but the vast number of other threads where people get F's in a science class, retake, and get a D, or they get a 23% on the PCAT, retake, and get a 43%, most people are just not cut out for pharmacy school, no matter how "passionate" they are. Which leads me to my last point.

3) Passion is crap, so please just stop. You are spewing the same bull that these new money-hungry pharmacy schools are spewing. Passion means nothing at all if you can't make it work. I have all the passion in the world to be the next Michael Jordan, but it doesn't matter how much I try to improve myself, it's not going to happen. Change your passion to fit reality; don't change reality to fit your passion. People who have consistently done terrible in undergraduate classes or on the PCAT are NOT going to succeed in pharmacy school, no matter how much passion they have, or how many hours of extracurricular "experience" they gain. Again, if you want to continue to live in your little idealistic world where passion overcomes everything, then by all means, go ahead. But stop giving these gullible students your false view of the world; you are only doing them a disservice.

*Side note - the word "unethical" has nothing to do with being "mean" or "harsh" to people, so stop using it in that manner. Being unethical means being morally wrong. Advising people to face the harsh reality has nothing to do with morals. On the contrary, doing what you are doing and leading people down a dangerous road by persuading them with your false encouragement and hopes could be considered "unethical."

Sir or ma'am whoever you are! I do respect your opinion and you should respect others opinion don't sit behind your laptop like a "keyboard warrior" talking about my idealistic world or how the world works or whether I understand or whatever just cuz our arguments are not aligned. So I really don't fr**ken care what you think.

Don't make yourself look stupid here cuz if you are giving advice to fellow posters and calling them "fools" just cuz they are passionate about something, then that's unethical and lack of morals ma'am/sir, thus, the advice is worthless. Cuz like you said " they will keep coming and there is no stopping them".

Seems like you can't read! When I said "passion" I was referring to individuals who are passionate about it and willing to make it work if they screwed up earlier in their collegiate days. Meaning showing consistency in upper level coursework and doing well on the PCAT.

Lastly, I won't waste time and energy trading words on the same subject. You have your own perspective in life and I have mine.
Like I said, if someone is passionate about the field, shown consistency in upper level coursework, excelled on the PCAT and has matured enough then they should go ahead and be ready to burn midnight candles to make it cuz it's gonna be a long road. You can call it "false view" that's your opinion. So give yourself a break.

Have a nice day sir/ma'am!

 

[bulldog1123]

But that's the problem. The people they are referring to haven't shown consistency in their GPA or PCAT. We have posters in just the last few days who are sub 3.0 AND sub 50 PCAT. The majority of them will not do well in Pharm school. It's just a fact. If they can't handle 1000-4000 level science classes, what makes them capable of handled a doctoral program?

 

[Bossman88]

@Bossman88 I agree that some people do have the ability but screw around and tank their GPA; however, if someone repeats the class and still can't get above a C, that tells me that they simply don't have the ability. Again, I know this is not what anybody wants to hear and I'm not trying be harsh or rub their nose in their disappointment. But like @jinhk93 said, passion doesn't mean a thing if you have no ability. Am I passionate about music? Sure! If I could, I'd practice all day long... but because I'm tone deaf, even if I practice 8 hours a day for the rest of my life, I'll never be any be any better than I am now. It sucked to be told that, but you know what would have sucked even more? Wasting years of my life and thousands of dollars on a goal I'd never be able to achieve. It wasn't unethical for that music teacher to tell me I had no talent; what would have been unethical is if she'd told me I could achieve my goal despite an utter lack of talent and then offered me expensive lessons to "help me improve" when she knew that no improvement was possible.

Also, if you are one of those people who screwed around in freshman and sophomore years and tanked their GPA, maybe it'd be a good idea to finish out your bachelor's before applying to pharmacy school just to give the adcom a little reassurance that you've matured. [Not that I would know anything about that... ] If somebody says they're passionate and want to turn things around, I believe them... but if they try again and their best efforts still only get them a C average and 50% or less on the PCAT, that's a sign that their best efforts just aren't going to be good enough. I feel for that person, truly! I've been in that situation and it sucks monkey balls. But dragging it out further isn't kind or helpful, and allowing them to become pharmacists when they can't meet minimum standards is dangerous. What I'd really like to do is buy all these students dinner/drinks and tell them failure isn't the end of the world, and there's something out there that they are good at.

@Dalteparin I agree with you 100%. The people I was referring to are the ones who screwed up and are willing to turn things around by showing consistency in upper level course work and PCAT. I won't endorse anyone who takes a class twice and still has a C then that's a red flag and pharmacy is not something they should consider. My focus was on students who screwed up due to partying, laziness, or other extenuating circumstances which were uncontrollable and willing to turn things around. Seems pretty much like you were generalizing it but thanks for you eloquence!

 

[jinhk93]

Sir or ma'am whoever you are! I do respect your opinion and you should respect others opinion don't sit behind your laptop like a "keyboard warrior" talking about my idealistic world or how the world works or whether I understand or whatever just cuz our arguments are not aligned. So I really don't fr**ken care what you think.

Don't make yourself look stupid here cuz if you are giving advice to fellow posters and calling them "fools" just cuz they are passionate about something, then that's unethical and lack of morals ma'am/sir, thus, the advice is worthless. Cuz like you said " they will keep coming and there is no stopping them".

Seems like you can't read! When I said "passion" I was referring to individuals who are passionate about it and willing to make it work if they screwed up earlier in their collegiate days. Meaning showing consistency in upper level coursework and doing well on the PCAT.

Lastly, I won't waste time and energy trading words on the same subject. You have your own perspective in life and I have mine.
Like I said, if someone is passionate about the field, shown consistency in upper level coursework, excelled on the PCAT and has matured enough then they should go ahead and be ready to burn midnight candles to make it cuz it's gonna be a long road. You can call it "false view" that's your opinion. So give yourself a break.

Have a nice day sir/ma'am!

Again, you keep talking about the most ideal and rare scenario, where someone changes things around and everything goes well in accordance to their passion. And again, what I am saying is that that is NOT the case we are seeing with people on this forum, who are (at the end of everything) the people we are talking about. People on this forum have said THEMSELVES that they have repeatedly retaken classes or the PCAT and yet still failed to meet the basic standard. It is to THESE people that I am saying we should give sound advice, though it may sound "harsh" at first, and it is to THESE people that we should not feed false hope. They have demonstrated themselves that even given the opportunity of a "redo," they failed to do well. Clearly, we should tell these people to not waste their money/time on something they will eventually fail at anyway. Just because they get into a school doesn't mean they will do well, and will only end up with loans to pay back.

 

[PChase]

I applied to 8 schools, got 4 interviews, Auburn, Samford, NEOMED, and Mercer and accepted to Mercer and NEOMED. I have a cumulative GPA of 2.504. I don't remember what my science GPA was but suffice it to say it wasn't great. But I retook organic 1 and 2 and A&P 1 and 2 with 3 A's and one B+. I scored 95 on the PCAT and I have 9 years of tech experience.
For what it's worth, Auburn and Samford told me when they see a pattern like that (retaking classes after D's or WD's and low GPA and high PCAT) it indicates to them that the student isn't applying himself and may not take a graduate program seriously. And had I been admitted 7 years ago when I first tried they would be right. That's what you'll need to overcome though. They recommended I take more upper level science. I was ready to start a Chemical Engineering Bachelor's this summer if I didn't get in. Samford told me that would go farther than retaking things I'd already taken.

 

[jinhk93]

But that's the problem. The people they are referring to haven't shown consistency in their GPA or PCAT. We have posters in just the last few days who are sub 3.0 AND sub 50 PCAT. The majority of them will not do well in Pharm school. It's just a fact. If they can't handle 1000-4000 level science classes, what makes them capable of handled a doctoral program?

Thank you. Finally someone who has logic and understands what we are trying to say

 

[lvi3569]

yes i did. top 10 in the nation and my #1 choice!
Dont be bummed. Just reapply. try applying to more than 2 (at least 8-9). and apply early!! i applied as soon as the application cycle opens. Getting an interview is halfway through the battle.
Good luck!

Hi,
I know this thread is old, but I just came across it and saw your stats. Did you get accepted into a school? I have a composite of 62 and overall gpa of 3.2 with a science gpa of 2.8. I received interviews for both of the schools I applied to but already got denied from one and wait listed for the other. So far both schools have told me that my pcat score is too low. But when I called prior to applying to the school, advisors told me my score was great because I had pharmacy experience and I shouldn't bother retaking the test. So I'm extremely confused. I'm going to be pretty bummed if I have to apply for the next cycle.. I'm already planning to retake the pcat soon though.

 

[khoanguyen1512]

To the OP and anyone who want to know, my stats are :
2.77 overall GPA and 2.83 science GPA
74 composite PCAT score 90 plus math and science subject score
3 month volunteering at a local retail pharmacy
BS in chemistry
Here is my situation with pharmacy schools:
8 schools applied
1 school reject (public with 15k/year tuition) and 7 schools invited to interview (1 pre-candidates, 6 accredited schools)
5 interviewed, have to decline the other 2 schools because i got accepted
2 accepted, 2 waitlisted, and 1 still waiting for answers.
The school I got accepted is University of Wyoming ( public 4 year, around 15k/year residence, 34k/year nonresidence, avg GPA accepted was 3.5) [all stats are from pharmcas]
SO HERE IS MY TAKE ON LOW GPA STUDENT WHO WANT TO GO PHARMACY SCHOOL:
1st. Find out what being a pharmacist really is. Talk to a friend who is a pharmacy student or ask around to talk with a pharmacist about what it really mean being a pharmacist. However dont just talk to one person and follow that person ideology. Talk to as many as you can to find what pharmacist can do and ask yourself this question: CAN I DO IT FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS? If you answer YES then go to next step. If you answer NO then find out what you like and do it.
2nd. If you said YES i want to be a pharmacist, depending on your timeline, volunteer in the pharmacy setting, evaluate yourself on how will you survive in pharmacy school. It is a BIG investment of 150K to 200K (avg 30K/year). That is someone salary that you are borrowing for school. It is not an easy decision so DO NOT make light of it. Start preparing for PCAT with at least 2 month ahead, preparing your personal statement and your interview ahead of time. Pharmacy schools start from 8am to 3 pm so try to study from 8 to 3 and see if you can handle the stress. Take a test in pharmacy technician if you have time.
3rd. Pick the right schools. If I have 2.77 GPA, i am not picking the top 10 schools where my chance to get in is near impossible. Do your research on the pharmacy schools before you pick the ones you want to go to. DO NOT PICK SCHOOL BECAUSE IT IS CHEAP. Pick the school that fit your study style. This is when SDN will help you, go read discussion regarding schools in here and it will give you more information on your school selection. What I did is make an excel sheets and calculate the total tution fee from last year taking in consideration other thing such as public/private, 3years/4years, accredited/pre-candidate/candidate, and semester/quarter/block style. I then pick the one I feel really good to fit in and apply to those.
4th. Once your PCAT, pharmcas GPA come in, sit down and make another decision. CAN I SURVIVE AND EXCEL IN PHARMACY? Ask your family, ask your friends and ask yourself. If you said YES then go apply, if you said NO then look for other healthcare related profession.
I am going to pharmacy school in August and I really want to encourage people to go to pharmacy school, but at the same time I want to make sure the people who get into the schools will go through and not give up halfway. So anyone have questions, dont hesitate to contact me and I would love to help you all.
Thank you for reading.

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

yes i did. top 10 in the nation and my #1 choice!
Dont be bummed. Just reapply. try applying to more than 2 (at least 8-9). and apply early!! i applied as soon as the application cycle opens. Getting an interview is halfway through the battle.
Good luck!

Pharmacy schools don't have rankings. There is no such thing as top ten pharmacy school. Just some arbitrary list spit out by US NEWS and gobbled up by gullible students.