my dilemma

[ztechrx]

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hi everyone im new at this forum and really like it here you guys are all awesome 👍

here's my story... i've moved around quite a bit and sort of fell into a "bad crowd" in the last couple of years of highschool. i was always an honor roll student until my senior year where i had about 60 absences. but i guess that was mostly cause i moved from california to missouri [or misery]. i graduated from a Magnet high school here and my major was chemistry, received a $50k scholarship from university of dallas for a very high national german test score but decided not to attend.

now that im in my 20s i finally realized that i need to get back on track and finish up my education. i currently work as a pharm tech at walgreens and have considered pharmacy as a profession for quite some time but was never serious enough to apply myself.

what would be my best option for applying to pharm college... applying as a freshman at a 0+6 school or trying to take all pre reqs at a cc or u and applying as a transfer student at a 2+4 college? not knowing what my hs gpa is anymore since i graduated in 2000 and had to spend about 2 weeks straight making up for all the absences and missed assignments in order to graduate would probably mean that it was either 2.0 or 2.5, and i never took the ACT or SATs. i have taken a few general ed courses at a cc in the past couple of years and my overall gpa is around 2.5 [that being due to me sleeping thru most of the classes and didnt even bother to buy the text books] everyone reading this now is probably rolling their eyes and thinking i have no chance in pharm school. but im finally ready to comit to studying and getting back on track. if anyone is able to help and shine some light on this id highly appreciate it. i really want to get into pharmacy school and would like some advice and/or tips from pharm D's and current students.
Thank you very much hope to get some replies soon.😳

 

[Julianne]

Hey there, z -

Don't have a whole lot of time to respond at the moment (research paper and finals are upon me), but wanted to let you know that we have quite a bit in common: After attending a magnet program in 9th and 10th grades then going on to a public school afterwards, I was bored to tears and started skipping school (A LOT) to hang out with a less-than-desirable group of people. My GPA fell from a 4 to around a 2, and I was told by the school administrators that I would not be allowed to graduate on time because of the number of absences I had accrued. I said to hell with it, dropped out, got married, and entered the work force... I did go back to a different HS a couple of years later and made up the credits I needed to graduate, but never took my education any farther than that. I began working for Walgreens in 2000 (when I was 25) and took my first semester of college classes in the summer of 2004. That same year I also took the ACT and the PCAT...

I decided to go the CC route, since I work full time and have children at home. So far, I've not regretted that decision in the least. My suggestion to you would be to retake the few general classes that you didn't do so well in first, ace those, and then move on to more serious subjects. That way, you can show the adcoms that you were able to buckle down and get your priorities straightened out. Since I don't have any experience with the 0+6 programs, I don't know if applying to those would require a different kind of "strategy" - maybe someone else can offer some opinions on that issue.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that you're not alone out there! Look forward to hearing from others on this subject, too. By the way, you're welcome to PM me anytime you'd like.

<Burying my nose in the books once again>

 

[ztechrx]

Hey Julianne thank you for the response... have fun studying! 🙂

 

[howsoonisnow]

🙂 I too fell into a similar situation. Did really well until junior year in high school, then decided I was above the whole education thing.
I worked a bunch of low paying jobs, and even took some college courses without ever focusing in any specific direction.

After working for years as a pharmacy tech at Walgreens, I started working in a hospital pharmacy. It was there that I discovered the many opportunities for career paths available in the profession.

I have almost completed prerequisites for the 2 + 4 schools, and applied for early decision fall '07.

I just got accepted to Midwestern in Glendale, AZ. Their program is year round and under three years. (I will graduate June '10) I started in '04 going to school only part time, and I will still be finished after only 6 years.

I needed time to grow up and focus myself before taking on something like this. You took your time, now you can do it too. I recommend the 2 + 4 or 2 + 3 schools. They generally don't concern themselves with high-school GPA or transcripts.

Good luck to you!

 

[sdn1977]

I'm not the best one to give you advice here since I've been out of school too long. But, I'd refer you to the pre-pharma FAQs...I think they have info on the 0+6 schools, which I'm guessing you wouldn't qualify for since you have some (albeit not so hot) college credits.

But...don't let that deter you!!!!! As others have said....there are other options available AND you are a great candidate. You may not think so...but you have the ability and have had some life experience which brings maturity & perspective to the field and appear to want to pursue it out of your own desire - not someone elses. These are all attractive qualities to pharmacy schools & employers (as well as being a colleague of mine....😀 )

You just have to be sure, in your heart, this is what you want to do. It would be a shame to decide you really didn't want it that badly & find again you got bored & restless. That prevents you from moving on and someone else from the opportunity to be admitted.

Good luck to you & be sure to come back if you want more help with anything else! Other, more recent graduates will probably be able to give you a better perspective on your current chances with individual schools.

 

[abt04]

I'm not the best one to give you advice here since I've been out of school too long. But, I'd refer you to the pre-pharma FAQs...I think they have info on the 0+6 schools, which I'm guessing you wouldn't qualify for since you have some (albeit not so hot) college credits.

But...don't let that deter you!!!!! As others have said....there are other options available AND you are a great candidate. You may not think so...but you have the ability and have had some life experience which brings maturity & perspective to the field and appear to want to pursue it out of your own desire - not someone elses. These are all attractive qualities to pharmacy schools & employers (as well as being a colleague of mine....😀 )

You just have to be sure, in your heart, this is what you want to do. It would be a shame to decide you really didn't want it that badly & find again you got bored & restless. That prevents you from moving on and someone else from the opportunity to be admitted.

Good luck to you & be sure to come back if you want more help with anything else! Other, more recent graduates will probably be able to give you a better perspective on your current chances with individual schools.

i just want to say its great that after a few years, you decided to get what you want. believe me, i know how hard it gets to figure out what to do with your life. but as for the 6 year programs, those only apply to fresh out of highschool kids so your best bet is to take the pre-reqs at a community college and apply to pharm school, or to finish at a university and get your degree which will make u more competitive when you apply for pharm school or if you realize that pharm isnt what you wanted, then u have a degree under your belt which can open more doors to different opportunities.

 

[ztechrx]

Thank you all for the great input!

Pharmacy is definitely something that i want to do. I guess I got discouraged my last year in high school when I had to correct my German teacher's grammar mistakes and was given an automatic A+ and told that I don't have to come to class anymore 🙁
Like most people i then lost interest in pursuing any higher education and took up low paying jobs. I knew that it would not get me anywhere but I guess it was a maturing experience. I figured that the 2+4 programs would be better for me since I have been out of high school for quite some time but needed an opinion from someone who is more experienced in this field...
You guys have a lot of helpful information on ths forum and I'm very glad that I found it.

Another question that I have is that I see most people have mixed opinions on taking pre reqs at a cc and university, so would it be better for me to take them at a uni instead of a cc to make me a better candidate when i apply? and does Glendale only offer the 3 year program in arizona? I read over their website for a minute but could not see any info about their chicago campus... does anyone know if they have the same program there?

Thanks again and sorry for the long post.