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.
