Low GPA possible?

[HopefulPharma]

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Hello Everyone,

I haven't searched through this forum to find the answer that I am looking for, so maybe someone can help me here.

I completed my BSME in 2004 and I have 5 years of engineering experience, EIT, LEED AP certification, and a PE license under my belt.

However, at this point in my life I am no longer passionate about engineering career and I want to switch to phamarcist. My only problem is my undergrad GPA is 2.4, but I still haven't taken any prerequisite classes for pharmacist program.

My questions for you guys are:

1. If I ace all those prerequisite classes, do you think I have any chances to get in pharmacist school?

2. Do pharmacist schools only look at overall GPA or average GPA for science and math classes?

3. What my PCAT score has to be a better candidate?

4. Can I take the prerequisite classes at a local community college?

5. Can I take one or two prerequisite classes per semester if I am working full time?

6. What prep class you would recommend to prepare for the PCAT?

7. Is it possible to repeat classes that I had Cs from a University at a community college?

 

[Passion4Sci]

You've got an uphill battle ahead of you.

Welcome to SDN and let me see how I can do with these questions here:

1. By "all of these classes" I presume you mean your Pre-Reqs, and yes, straight As in all of those classes will certainly make you a strong contender in conjunction with PCAT, ECs, etc.

2. The short answer is both. PharmCAS, the system by which we apply for pharmacy school, asks you to input ALL of your college-level coursework. From this, there will be a PharmCAS GPA generated. Most likely, the Pharm school adcoms will look at all of your GPAs, but will certainly weight the science/math courses at a much higher scale (Organic Chemistry being, probably, the first looked at class). This may differ from pharm school to pharm school.

3. There's no real answer to that, but you can be assured that a 70-80 PCAT is a strong score and very competitive. I'd shoot for as high as you can get, though...

4. Yes you can. I think most, if not all, pharmacy schools recognize the value of CC classes for people who are changing careers or are otherwise re-entry students/non-traditional students.

5. I really do not recommend that. At all. Pharmacy schools will want to see that you can handle a heavy science courseload and maintain a strong GPA, especially at a CC. If you compound only one or two classes of pre-reqs a semester with a low GPA that you currently have AND on top of it all, it's at a CC, you're really putting yourself in between a rock and a hard place.

6. IMO, you do not need a prep class for the PCAT. All of your pre-requisite classes should serve as a prep class for the PCAT. However, if you really want to take one, I hear the Kaplan is fantastic, albeit expensive ($1,500?)

7. Yes and no... I asked this same question to 3 people; the CC counselor, the admissions secretary who handles pre-req verification at the pharm school I applied to, and a current UCSF pharmacy student. The general consensus was that you could take the class again, yes, and if you get an A, it'll show up. BUT it will not replace the C, as far as I can tell, unless you get into a school with "academic forgiveness", which I believe (correct me if I am wrong please) will actually completely replace the C with the new A in terms of calculating your PharmCAS GPA.

Hope I can help!

Hello Everyone,

I haven't searched through this forum to find the answer that I am looking for, so maybe someone can help me here.

I completed my BSME in 2004 and I have 5 years of engineering experience, EIT, LEED AP certification, and a PE license under my belt.

However, at this point in my life I am no longer passionate about engineering career and I want to switch to phamarcist. My only problem is my undergrad GPA is 2.4, but I still haven't taken any prerequisite classes for pharmacist program.

My questions for you guys are:

1. If I ace all those prerequisite classes, do you think I have any chances to get in pharmacist school?

2. Do pharmacist schools only look at overall GPA or average GPA for science and math classes?

3. What my PCAT score has to be a better candidate?

4. Can I take the prerequisite classes at a local community college?

5. Can I take one or two prerequisite classes per semester if I am working full time?

6. What prep class you would recommend to prepare for the PCAT?

7. Is it possible to repeat classes that I have Cs from a University at a community college?

 

[diastole]

You are a candidate for academic forgiveness at University of Southern Nevada. The way it works is that you have to take all of their prereqs within the last five years from when you apply and they don't count any of your grades older than five years. They still give you credit for your degree. In your case that means that you can replace your old GPA with a brand new one from your recent work. The catch is that you have to get mostly all As. I believe their average GPA is a 3.7. For this next cycle, they are requiring the PCAT for the first time so the average GPA might drop a bit but it means now you have to get a good score on the PCAT too.

You can retake any class at a CC. I had to retake classes where I got an A because my grades were too old. You don't need to take a prep course for the PCAT if you learn the material well in your classes.

My answers are specific to USN. I think there are some schools out there that will only count your highest grade but most schools average them. Some schools mostly look at your prereq GPA. Some schools prefer classes be taken at a university. It is best to call the schools that you might be interested in and find out. You can get into pharmacy school despite your GPA but you might have to hunt around for schools that have special ways of calculating GPA to minimize your past.

 

[HopefulPharma]

Guys,

Thanks for the help. However, it is really hard for me to decide whether to quit my engineering job completely and be a full time student at CC because my job really pays my bills. On the other hand, I don't know how can I take 3 prerequisite classes in one semester if I am working full time as an engineer? This is mind boggling. Has anyone here faced the same situation? Please share your stories.

 

[MRSA Sucks]

Hi.

Do you have any pharmacy experience? I ask because I'm just wondering why you want to switch to pharmacy? I see many people who are tired of their computer science and engineering jobs and want to automatically switch to pharmacy. Well, I'll ask you what I ask them: what makes you think you will like pharmacy? You could hate it as much as your engineering job, if not more. Just something to think about. Of course, if you had some pharmacy experience and like the profession, then you shouldn't worry about these questions and go for it!

It just bothers me (and this isn't necessarily directed to the OP) that so many people think pharmacy is an escape route. It bugs me when people say stuff along the lines of:

"Oh, if I can't get into med school I'll just do pharmacy"

"I hate my job, I think I want to do pharmacy. Counting pills and making 6 figures sure sounds good!"

sigh

 

[HopefulPharma]

Hi.

Do you have any pharmacy experience? I ask because I'm just wondering why you want to switch to pharmacy? I see many people who are tired of their computer science and engineering jobs and want to automatically switch to pharmacy. Well, I'll ask you what I ask them: what makes you think you will like pharmacy? You could hate it as much as your engineering job, if not more. Just something to think about. Of course, if you had some pharmacy experience and like the profession, then you shouldn't worry about these questions and go for it!

It just bothers me (and this isn't necessarily directed to the OP) that so many people think pharmacy is an escape route. It bugs me when people say stuff along the lines of:

"Oh, if I can't get into med school I'll just do pharmacy"

"I hate my job, I think I want to do pharmacy. Counting pills and making 6 figures sure sounds good!"

sigh

I did have pharmacy experience when I was in college. I interned at Longs Drugs for 1.5 months and I took my Pharmacy Technician state exam and passed. However, I never got a chance to use the license because I landed my first engineering job when I graduated.

 

[UAMShopeful]

My overall GPA is 2.9 and I just got accepted. I had a 95 on the PCAT, 4 years of pharm tech experience and a very small amount of volunteering. I have no doubt that my PCAT score played a big part in my acceptance. Also, I didnt take a prep class I just got some Kaplan books to study.

Hope that helps

 

[tprice108]

I don't know where you went to college to get your engineering degree, but IMO if you finished the degree and obtained your PE then you can accomplish a lot. A lot of non-engineering students don't realize that most engineering students just try to survive and not get 4.0s b/c those are very hard to come by. So while some may look down on you here, your classes were not easy.

I started Chemical engineering and did 2 years and switched over to pharmacy. Like you, my GPA was lower in engineering (mine at a major engineering institution) but once I switched over to the pre-req courses, I had no road blocks and was able to pull that gpa up quite a bit.

So, my advice to you is to decide if this is what you really want to do. The only way to do this is to volunteer in a pharmacy, work in a pharmacy, or get some other type of beneficial experience under your belt to let them know you really are interested. After that, I would get that gpa up to around a 3.0 if you can through the pre-req courses. Score well on the pcat and apply to many universities (I'd say 4/5).

 

[thephoenician88]

Hello Everyone,

I haven't searched through this forum to find the answer that I am looking for, so maybe someone can help me here.

I completed my BSME in 2004 and I have 5 years of engineering experience, EIT, LEED AP certification, and a PE license under my belt.

However, at this point in my life I am no longer passionate about engineering career and I want to switch to phamarcist. My only problem is my undergrad GPA is 2.4, but I still haven't taken any prerequisite classes for pharmacist program.

My questions for you guys are:

1. If I ace all those prerequisite classes, do you think I have any chances to get in pharmacist school?

This shouldn't be an "if." You SHOULD ace all your pre-reqs to show that yes, you are indeed capable of doing well and being competitive.

2. Do pharmacist schools only look at overall GPA or average GPA for science and math classes?

They look at both, but place a higher emphasis on your average for sci/math over just overall. An A in chem I with a 3.5 gpa is better than an A in Art (but a C in chem) with a 3.5 gpa (i explain this in my blog)

3. What my PCAT score has to be a better candidate?

75+ is competitive,because of undergrad gpa, i'd say aim for 80+

4. Can I take the prerequisite classes at a local community college?

you can but....

5. Can I take one or two prerequisite classes per semester if I am working full time?

gauge this for yourself...will you ace the prereqs if you work fulltime?

6. What prep class you would recommend to prepare for the PCAT?

your pre-reqs

7. Is it possible to repeat classes that I had Cs from a University at a community college?

continuing from earlier, if you got C's in a univ, i would aim for better grades in a univ rather than community.

whew

 

[JURGIS]

Guys,

Thanks for the help. However, it is really hard for me to decide whether to quit my engineering job completely and be a full time student at CC because my job really pays my bills. On the other hand, I don't know how can I take 3 prerequisite classes in one semester if I am working full time as an engineer? This is mind boggling. Has anyone here faced the same situation? Please share your stories.

I was in a similar situation a few years ago. I went to college straight out of high school for 3 years and left with a 2.1 GPA (unfortunately many were science classes). I took a few years off, worked and then went back to school while working full time to get my BS in Management and Accounting. Then I decided I wanted to be a pharmacist. I worked full time and started by taking two classes per semester for the first year. The second year I bumped up to 3 a semester and the final year of my prereqs I did a 15 hours one semester and 17 the other, all while working full time.

I'll say that it's not easy. Work/life balance gets thrown way out of balance when it becomes work/school/life instead. I got basically all A's (except for 2 Bs) and got a 98% on the PCAT. My final GPA was brought up to a 3.4 when all was said and done (not a super competitive GPA but passable in combination with a solid PCAT score, great LORs and lots of volunteer and leadership experience).

My advice is take it one step at a time. I know you're dying to get to the finish line but right now, just take the first step. Enroll at a CC for 1 or 2 night classes, keep working to pay the bills and see how things go.

I'd also agree with one of the previous posters that an engineering degree, a PE and a career in engineering means that you have the work ethic and intelligence to do pre-pharm and pharm school. Good luck to you!

 

[charfdorn]

Hello Everyone,

I haven't searched through this forum to find the answer that I am looking for, so maybe someone can help me here.

I completed my BSME in 2004 and I have 5 years of engineering experience, EIT, LEED AP certification, and a PE license under my belt.

However, at this point in my life I am no longer passionate about engineering career and I want to switch to phamarcist. My only problem is my undergrad GPA is 2.4, but I still haven't taken any prerequisite classes for pharmacist program.

My questions for you guys are:

1. If I ace all those prerequisite classes, do you think I have any chances to get in pharmacist school?

2.4 x 128 + 4.0 x 48 comes out to a 2.84 GPA. I don't know how many credits you had in your degree or how many more you need, but those have to be close. You need to apply to schools with academic forgiveness. The 4.0 over the last two years will help, but 2.84 is pretty low.

2. Do pharmacist schools only look at overall GPA or average GPA for science and math classes?

Both, with science weighted higher.

3. What my PCAT score has to be a better candidate?

With those stats, it better be higher than 90.

4. Can I take the prerequisite classes at a local community college?

5. Can I take one or two prerequisite classes per semester if I am working full time?

Yes. This is what I did. It took me four three regular semesters and one summer to get the prereqs to go with my BA in English. I took between 9 and 14 credits each semester (14 only once). I needed to work full-time while I was in school so this was my only option.

6. What prep class you would recommend to prepare for the PCAT?

7. Is it possible to repeat classes that I had Cs from a University at a community college?

Yes, and you probably will need to in order to raise that GPA. The only problem is that the Cs from Univ. will still count in your GPA. You're going to have to clear 200 credits to get your GPA high enough, unless you apply to an academic forgiveness school. That looks like your best choice.

 

[bluesickle]

Guys,

Thanks for the help. However, it is really hard for me to decide whether to quit my engineering job completely and be a full time student at CC because my job really pays my bills. On the other hand, I don't know how can I take 3 prerequisite classes in one semester if I am working full time as an engineer? This is mind boggling. Has anyone here faced the same situation? Please share your stories.

When I was working full-time, I was only able to take 2 courses per semester. As a matter of fact, it felt like I was taking 4 courses per semester because each course had a lab that directly followed the grueling lecture. My schedule was 8am-10pm Monday through Thursday and then 8am-5pm (work only) on Friday for awhile before I knocked most of the pre-requisites out of the way. If you have bills to pay, just take it easy and don't rush through the pre-requisites because you're going to need to bring your GPA up to something close to a 3.0. If you can't, I would recommend USN like diastole suggested.

BTW, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your engineering classes are counted toward the science GPA. It goes under "Other Sciences" so your science GPA is going to take a huge hit. If admissions doesn't look further than your GPA, they won't know why your science GPA is so low -- which could result in less interviews.

You can PM me if you want some advice.

 

[victorious1]

Guys,

Thanks for the help. However, it is really hard for me to decide whether to quit my engineering job completely and be a full time student at CC because my job really pays my bills. On the other hand, I don't know how can I take 3 prerequisite classes in one semester if I am working full time as an engineer? This is mind boggling. Has anyone here faced the same situation? Please share your stories.

I was in a similar situation. I had by BSCS and was working as a programmer for over 4 years before realizing that I will have to find a career which is more stable so that I won't have to worry about getting laid-off after working 20yrs of my life. I quit work completely and took on approximately 14-18 credit hours of prereqs. (biology, chemistry, etc.) during regular semesters and summer courses (approx 14). After a year, I applied to pharmacy school and have been accepted to a school in CA starting fall of 2009.

It has been hard financially, but I worked part-time as a pharmacy technician at a retail store to pay the bills and also to cover the phamacy experience requirement as most schools use as criteria when reviewing apps. Schools will take into consideration your accumulative GPA and put more weight on the pharmacy prereq courses so as long as you get mostly A's, you should be able to get in.

Please feel free to message me if you have any add'l questions. 🙂

Good luck!!!