Is this for me?

[877259]

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I recently separated from the Air Force after 8 years of service and am serving part-time in the AF reserve while completing my pre-reqs for pharmacy school. I currently have 2 A's and 3 B's which is below where I would like to be since I have one particular school in mind that I'm hoping to get into. My spouse is currently a PY3 and says that I should have no issue getting accepted due to the fact that I'm a veteran and have decent grades but I want an unbiased opinion. I never did really well in school and I honestly thought I was just stupid but turns out I have ADHD. Since I've been treated many aspects of my life have improved and it's why I decided to take on going back to school. I'm not involved in extra-curriculars at my school, I'm 26 and the maturity gap is even more pronounced than I thought it would be. Being that I only have two semesters before I apply, what are my chances of getting accepted considering my current trajectory? What are some tips for getting involved as a non-traditional student?

 

[Dr. Pill]

What are your chances of getting accepted if your GPA is compiled of A’s and B’s? 100%

 

[dannnielleeee]

I was in a similar situation as you; separated last year after 7 years in the Navy, have good current grades but have some F's on my record due to not being able to complete the classes because of deployment. Also, because of moving around a lot, I don't have any consistent extracurriculars. I think the military experience helps make up for that though, because you get leadership and diversity experience that way and as long as you explain how the military helped develop you as a person in your personal statement, there shouldn't be an issue.

I started working at a retail pharmacy while I was still active, and for another year after I separated. Given your military experience, I would think that working in a pharmacy or doing a lot of consistent pharmacist shadowing would be more beneficial.

I've also done a few hours here and there volunteering since getting out, but it's not a focus in my application. Again, I think the military experience mostly covers that aspect as well, in the eyes of most ADCOMs.

You'll definitely get in somewhere, and if you keep up those A's and B's and do well on the PCAT, you'll probably be able to go pretty much wherever you want.

Overall, my GPA is below a 3.0 but there's a very pronounced upward trend once I started my science pre-reqs, and I've been accepted to one school so far, and got interview invites for three other top 10 schools.

 

[BC_89]

I recently separated from the Air Force after 8 years of service and am serving part-time in the AF reserve while completing my pre-reqs for pharmacy school. I currently have 2 A's and 3 B's which is below where I would like to be since I have one particular school in mind that I'm hoping to get into. My spouse is currently a PY3 and says that I should have no issue getting accepted due to the fact that I'm a veteran and have decent grades but I want an unbiased opinion. I never did really well in school and I honestly thought I was just stupid but turns out I have ADHD. Since I've been treated many aspects of my life have improved and it's why I decided to take on going back to school. I'm not involved in extra-curriculars at my school, I'm 26 and the maturity gap is even more pronounced than I thought it would be. Being that I only have two semesters before I apply, what are my chances of getting accepted considering my current trajectory? What are some tips for getting involved as a non-traditional student?

Do not worry on extra-curriculars. Currently active duty myself (E-5) and work as a pharmacy specialist for army. The real main point of those extra-curriculars is how one can cope with multi-tasking (among other factors). With your current reserve slot and military experience you bring discipline and maturity to the table with life experiences. Maintain your grades and really all that stands in your way is the PCAT (which unfortunately is not as competitive for schools as it should be). Id recommend part time work in a pharmacy if possible to fully understand what your investing in.

May I ask if your currently utilizing your GI bill (post 9-11)? I’d highly recommend saving it for pharmacy school seeing that’ll be of at least 120k+ worth of value for yourself...keep in mind (as I’m sure you know) should you get accepted to pharmacy school within 3 years of active duty you qualify for in -state tuition in all 50 states. You made the statement you will apply in a couple of semesters which tells me you’ve already used some of your TA benefits or your just doing pre-reqs in its entirety.

Your off to a great start academically. Be aware of saturation but at least on your end loans won’t be an issue (a blessed thing in this time and in this field).

 

[NextStepTutor_4]

Hey @premedvet - thank you for your service and congrats on returning to school and doing so well! Since you know where you want to go to pharmacy school, that definitely makes things easier when you apply (and in terms of pre-reqs). To echo what others have said, have you had any pharmacy experience, or thought about working as a pharmacy tech? That's probably one of the best ways to get pharmacy experience - and honestly, help you figure out if you love it or if it's not for you. Besides that, do as well as you can in your classes and start to identify and maintain good relationships with references who can write letters of rec on your behalf. You shouldn't feel obligated to join a pre-health or pre-pharm group on campus, but sometimes pre-health offices and/or clubs can be troves of resources, information, and support.

If this school requires the PCAT, doing really well might make you an irresistible applicant to this pharmacy program, and now's not a bad time to start planning for it and making sure you've taken the relevant courses that will help you in the science sections. Once you start to apply, then you will begin putting together a personal statement, and it's not a bad idea to start early and get as many eyes on it as you can. I've also found it really helpful in the past to do mock interviews before the real thing.

If anything, your experience and age are going to be your assets as an applicant.

 

[Corytrade]

Did 4 years in AF, got out and went to school. I only had pharmacy volunteer hours when I applied, and extracurriculars at my junior college. I got accepted without a bachelor's on my second time applying to just one school (similar to you). See if you can get pharmacy volunteer hours on base, that's what I did. You should get an interview no problem.