Minimum GPA

[PharmDstudent]

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How common do you think it is for students to get into pharmacy school with the minimum GPA or close to the minimum? It seems to me that students with low GPAs would have a hard time in pharmacy school.

I get very little sleep the night before an exam, or when I write a paper. I know people study differently, but how smart, organized, dedicated, and motivated do you have to be?
Losing sleep to study is my form of dedication!

 

[ageldred]

How common do you think it is for students to get into pharmacy school with the minimum GPA or close to the minimum?

Probably not that common. Unless it's like 3.25 or something.

It seems to me that students with low GPAs would have a hard time in pharmacy school.

Maybe yes, maybe no. The person with a 2.9 who worked full time in undergrad and took pre reqs at the same time probably has a pretty strong work ethic. On the flipside if someone partied all the time and was very smart they could maybe get a 2.9 with ease. Most schools have pretty low attrition rates, they probably wouldn't admit people they didn't think could finish. Someone's gotta be last in the class.....and they'll still be a pharmd!

I get very little sleep the night before an exam, or when I write a paper. I know people study differently, but how smart, organized, dedicated, and motivated do you have to be?
Losing sleep to study is my form of dedication!

Combining all three into what works best for you. I have to have my sleep, especially the night before a test. I have to zone out about an hour before the test so my brain doesn't go on overload. But that works for me....others do what works for them.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Maybe yes, maybe no. The person with a 2.9 who worked full time in undergrad and took pre reqs at the same time probably has a pretty strong work ethic. On the flipside if someone partied all the time and was very smart they could maybe get a 2.9 with ease. Most schools have pretty low attrition rates, they probably wouldn't admit people they didn't think could finish. Someone's gotta be last in the class.....and they'll still be a pharmd!

Thanks for your response.
I know of a student who thinks that it's ok to have the minimum GPA, because it's allowed. With that said, I think they have close to the minimum GPA, 2.5-2.9, and expect to do well in pharmacy school 😱. If they had a degree, maybe I'd be less judgmental, but that's not the case.

My argument was: even though that GPA is technically acceptable, you still have to know the material. How can they know the material well enough if they've done the bare minimum? I know "C = PharmD", but is that really what we need within the profession?

 

[pinkyrx]

I know of a student who thinks that it's ok to have the minimum GPA, because it's allowed. With that said, I think they have close to the minimum GPA, 2.5-2.9, and expect to do well in pharmacy school 😱.

I don't know the specific person you are talking about, but I can tell you that I know for a fact that in general, GPA is just a number. It's not a good representation of how smart someone is or how well they will do in pharmacy school. I personally had a very low undergrad GPA... it may have even been the lowest of all the incoming P1's that year. Now that I'm getting ready to graduate pharmacy school, I'm in the top 5-10% of the class. I don't say that to brag about my grades, but just to let you know that you shouldn't automatically assume that someone is going to do poorly in pharmacy school because of a low GPA.

Like the previous poster said, there are a lot of things to consider when looking at a GPA... did the student work full-time? did they have a personal situation that kept them from being able to give school 110%? For me personally, I worked way too much and honestly just wasn't that concerned about my GPA. If you're not planning to go to professional school (I wasn't at the time) chances are GPA isn't that big of a deal to most people. Understanding the material and being able to retain it and apply it in the real world is much more important than getting all A's and B's.

Obviously, sometimes GPA can be indicative of poor performance in pharmacy school, but it's not always that way. I think some schools have set lower minimum GPA requirements because they know that there are some well qualified candidates out there that don't have the great GPA but may excel in all the other areas considered by the admissions committee. (LORs, PCAT, pharmacy experience, interview etc etc)

Anyway, thats just my 2 cents... I guess I'm a little touchy about this subject because my crappy GPA almost kept me out of pharmacy school! I personally think that too much emphasis is placed on GPA and I'm glad that many schools nowadays look at the entire package rather than just a stupid number. 🙂 👍

 

[ageldred]

Thanks for your response.
I know of a student who thinks that it's ok to have the minimum GPA, because it's allowed. With that said, I think they have close to the minimum GPA, 2.5-2.9, and expect to do well in pharmacy school 😱. If they had a degree, maybe I'd be less judgmental, but that's not the case.

My argument was: even though that GPA is technically acceptable, you still have to know the material. How can they know the material well enough if they've done the bare minimum? I know "C = PharmD", but is that really what we need within the profession?

Ah well maybe that's what's irking you about the situation. Not the grades so much, but the fact that they are only striving for the minimum? That would probably irritate me too. There are classes I worked my butt off and earned a C (Ochem I), and others I was plain lazy and skated by and got a C, so it all depends. But Im not one to start off a semester saying "I'm shooting for a 2.5 because that's the minimum to get in."

But whatever, if that person tries to get in and has a lax attitude about the profession I imagine it will come across in their supplementals and their interview. Unless this is a close friend who you're trying to get them motivated, I wouldn't worry about this person too much. If they get in, they'll find out the minimum in pharmacy school is MUCH different than the minimum in undergrad!

 

[xiphoid2010]

How common do you think it is for students to get into pharmacy school with the minimum GPA or close to the minimum? It seems to me that students with low GPAs would have a hard time in pharmacy school.

I get very little sleep the night before an exam, or when I write a paper. I know people study differently, but how smart, organized, dedicated, and motivated do you have to be?
Losing sleep to study is my form of dedication!

It's getting harder and harder to get into pharmacy school for several reasons.

GPA does matter quite a bit. The average GPA going into my class of 2010 is 3.67. Average PCAT was over 92 (or was it 94?) percentile. Most had pharmacy experience, and most have a 4 year degree. For the class of 2011, Ohio State pharmacy school made 4 year degree mandatory.

There simply isn't enough opening for all the applicants. So the standards get tightened, and tuition gets hiked. That's just the way it is.

There is still some room for consideration, but not far from the average. But keep in mind that some school is more lax. So apply to several schools, ranging from your top choice to "easy" ones.

 

[PharmDstudent]

apply to several schools, ranging from your top choice to "easy" ones.

I'm already in pharmacy school 😀, and I only had to apply to one school, which just so happened to be my top choice.

This thread is about someone else.