My friend got accepted with sub 3.0 gpa.

[victorious1]

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UCSF doesn't even require >3.0 GPA... If that's the #1 school of pharmacy in the country and they don't require >3.0, who does?

The reason why UCSF is not making GPA it's sole criteria when accepting students is because people w/ high GPAs do not necessarily have what it takes to be a good pharmacist. You have to have good people skills, experience, passion, etc. They look at the whole package. 🙂 So...eventhough some people may have a few bad semesters, there's still hope....

 

[Sparda29]

Stop trying to bring your objective rationale into this thread.

Listen, if they ****ed around for a year, their GPA is gonna be trashed. So be it if they get into pharmacy school. If they are not fit, they will fail out. Just give them the opportunity not to fail out.

All that matters is the NAPLEX scores.

 

[UAMShopeful]

The reason why UCSF is not making GPA it's sole criteria when accepting students is because people w/ high GPAs doesn't necessarily have what it takes to be a good pharmacist. You have to have good people skills, experience, passion, etc. They look at the whole package. 🙂 So...eventhough of people may have a few bad semesters, there's still hope....

Exactly. I know people that have 4.0 GPA's but can't tie their own shoelaces without forgetting what they're doing. Just because someone's GPA is 2.5 or 4.0 that does not necessarily mean that those persons are "stupid" or "smart", respectively. Also, Admin Committees know this fact and that is why there are no schools with a 3.7 GPA minimum.

 

[islander01]

The point of this thread was someone who has a subpar GPA gets some hope from other people who got into pharm school with a similar GPA. After about 30 posts later, the thread has now becomes people with subpar GPA are stupid and unfit for pharmacy. Even if those people got into pharmacy, they won't survive anyways, so why bother applying.

Guess what, you people with a overpar GPA are still waiting to get in. If you are one of those people, this thread is NOT for you. Go to other threads and brag about your greatness.

For people who are genuinely interested in seeking an answer to this thread, I was one of those people with a subpar GPA who got into pharm school. On top of that, I survived my first year of pharmacy school and got a job already as an intern. So, there is no need to worry about your grade. You can't change the past, so you need to work on the present. Here are couple suggestion of changes you can make. 1) Maybe repeating those science classes that you think you did bad. 2) Get a decent PCAT score (overall: >85 with bio, chem, and math >85 each). 3) Write an awesome personal statement. 4) And finally, get some pharmacy experience.

 

[Isoprop]

The point of this thread was someone who has a subpar GPA gets some hope from other people who got into pharm school with a similar GPA. After about 30 posts later, the thread has now becomes people with subpar GPA are stupid and unfit for pharmacy. Even if those people got into pharmacy, they won't survive anyways, so why bother applying.

Guess what, you people with a overpar GPA are still waiting to get in. If you are one of those people, this thread is NOT for you. Go to other threads and brag about your greatness.

For people who are genuinely interested in seeking an answer to this thread, I was one of those people with a subpar GPA who got into pharm school. On top of that, I survived my first year of pharmacy school and got a job already as an intern. So, there is no need to worry about your grade. You can't change the past, so you need to work on the present. Here are couple suggestion of changes you can make. 1) Maybe repeating those science classes that you think you did bad. 2) Get a decent PCAT score (overall: >85 with bio, chem, and math >85 each). 3) Write an awesome personal statement. 4) And finally, get some pharmacy experience.

May I ask where else you applied?

 

[Thumper17]

the way i see it, if therapeutics doesn't stop them, naplex will

Tests with passage rates of 93% nationally are not exactly huge obstacles to overcome......

 

[Jetninjin]

Tests with passage rates of 93% nationally are not exactly huge obstacles to overcome......

For now.

I was reading today in medpagetoday about how there have been such a rash of lethal pharmacy errors that there is a nationwide push to tighten standards for tech licensing. Mark my words, pharmacists will not be far behind - there is even one that did not notice an error a tech made and was sentenced to jail time after a kid died as a result. You read that right - the pharmacist was sentenced to jail. The tech, who actually made the error, is still working as a tech.

As far as health care goes, the Feds have never met a player they didn't want to regulate the heck out of, in the name of "we've got to DO SOMETHING!!!!!" Pharmacists will be next, and I'd bet tighter NAPLEX standards at the *very* least will play a role. Frankly, my bet is that it's scrapped for a Federal test.

 

[SHC1984]

Exactly. I know people that have 4.0 GPA's but can't tie their own shoelaces without forgetting what they're doing. Just because someone's GPA is 2.5 or 4.0 that does not necessarily mean that those persons are "stupid" or "smart", respectively. Also, Admin Committees know this fact and that is why there are no schools with a 3.7 GPA minimum.

It doesn't show "stupid or "smart", but it does show "hardworking" and "lazy". Even if a person just goes to class and NOT study at all they can still pull a B. Getting a GPA of a 3.0-3.2 already requires very little effort to be honest, a person just needs to attend all classes and stay awake, which isn't too hard at all. LOL...So a GPA below a 3.0 most likely means the student is so lazy they can't even make it to class.
The last time I checked "lazy" is NOT good for pharmacy school. 🙁

 

[pharmerinthedel]

It doesn't show "stupid or "smart", but it does show "hardworking" and "lazy". Even if a person just goes to class and NOT study at all they can still pull a B. Getting a GPA of a 3.0-3.2 already requires very little effort to be honest, a person just needs to attend all classes and stay awake, which isn't too hard at all. LOL...So a GPA below a 3.0 most likely means the student is so lazy they can't even make it to class.
The last time I checked "lazy" is NOT good for pharmacy school. 🙁

Wow! That is an incredibly ignorant statement. A GPA is number that is used by adcoms - along with other numbers, such as PCAT scores, and a personal history - to decide which students "have what it takes" to both meet the demands of pharmacy school and eventually become good pharmacists.

As a health professional you must surely realize that jumping to conclusions and making rash generalizations about the health of individuals based only on numbers such as their blood pressure, pulse, temperature, etc... without knowing their medical history is foolhardy and dangerous. Stating that someone with a sub 3.0 GPA is most likely lazy without knowing that individual's personal history is absurd.

 

[Passion4Sci]

JFC, this is a necro from hell isn't it...

 

[matt48]

Tests with passage rates of 93% nationally are not exactly huge obstacles to overcome......

Dont forget the people who get admitted to pharmacy schools are not the normal C average students.

 

[apteryx]

as long as the necromancer's here, can you bring back the 1998 yankees?

...but you can keep chuck knoblauch.

 

[CynicalIntern]

It doesn't show "stupid or "smart", but it does show "hardworking" and "lazy". Even if a person just goes to class and NOT study at all they can still pull a B. Getting a GPA of a 3.0-3.2 already requires very little effort to be honest, a person just needs to attend all classes and stay awake, which isn't too hard at all. LOL...So a GPA below a 3.0 most likely means the student is so lazy they can't even make it to class.
The last time I checked "lazy" is NOT good for pharmacy school. 🙁

Not necessarily true. My GPA was something like a 2.97, and I'll fully recognize that it's because I didn't prioritize my classes ahead of everything. But it's not because I was lazy and playing video games all day long instead of studying, it's because I was skipping class and study sessions to go to work and cover the shifts of everyone else who was too busy studying to work the shifts that they were scheduled. Was this the brightest thing I could have done? Absolutely not, but it hardly qualifies me as lazy. And it got me into the same pharmacy class that you did, so that has to mean something.

as long as the necromancer's here, can you bring back the 1998 yankees?

And the 1998 Braves? That was the greatest world series that never happened.

 

[Sparda29]

Dont forget the people who get admitted to pharmacy schools are not the normal C average students.

But most become C average after they get in.

 

[jackal head]

It doesn't show "stupid or "smart", but it does show "hardworking" and "lazy". Even if a person just goes to class and NOT study at all they can still pull a B. Getting a GPA of a 3.0-3.2 already requires very little effort to be honest, a person just needs to attend all classes and stay awake, which isn't too hard at all. LOL...So a GPA below a 3.0 most likely means the student is so lazy they can't even make it to class.
The last time I checked "lazy" is NOT good for pharmacy school. 🙁

E X A C T L Y

Low gpa usually means you're lazy, do you think Adcoms will give you the benefit of the doubt? Not unless you have some strong evidence to convince them otherwise (high PCAT, finding cure for cancer, etc)

Conversely having a high gpa does not mean ANYTHING except it shows you actually tried.

 

[jackal head]

Stating that someone with a sub 3.0 GPA is most likely lazy without knowing that individual's personal history is absurd.

not absurd at all, there's a reason why a 3.0 is a minimum at many schools

 

[delano2000]

Wow, a lot of controversy in this thread.

 

[infinitiiz]

Common now .. GPA is just one, character is also another .. that's why some 3.9 students got rejected and that 2.9 guy got in ..

 

[Passion4Sci]

There were times when my term GPA was a 3.4 and I considered that to be the ultimate in slacking off. I can't really fathom going <3.0 and if I did, I would probably consider not trying to get a doctorate. But hey, that's OK in Pharmacy, we give everyone a chance to count by 5s!

 

[SHC1984]

There were times when my term GPA was a 3.4 and I considered that to be the ultimate in slacking off. I can't really fathom going <3.0 and if I did, I would probably consider not trying to get a doctorate. But hey, that's OK in Pharmacy, we give everyone a chance to count by 5s!

Nah, there are just too many schools and not enough people with above 3.0 GPA to go around. When all the 3.0 students are accepted they start taking the 2.0 too. 🙄

 

[pharmtechgirl26]

There were times when my term GPA was a 3.4 and I considered that to be the ultimate in slacking off. I can't really fathom going <3.0 and if I did, I would probably consider not trying to get a doctorate. But hey, that's OK in Pharmacy, we give everyone a chance to count by 5s!

Wow you really think you're hot s*** don't ya? gpa is not the most important thing that pharmacy schools look at. I should know I was accepted to 4 pharmacy schools last year and my grades were not the best. Try to consider that maybe there were extenuating circumstances why someone would not be doing well in school. Why not try to have a little understanding for others, and be happy that these pharmacy schools saw somthing great in someone with a low gpa. Chances are, you are going to get into pharmacy school this year, but just because you do, doesn't mean you have to put others down who weren't as good as you. Once you get to pharmacy school, they will talk to you about competition. There's no room for it in pharmacy school, and no point. You have to learn to support others and work well with others. I think you might have a hard time with that.

Now to all those who don't have the best of grades, and know pharmacy is their passion...all you have to do is have confidence and know a lot about the field. the interview can make or break you. and once you get in, you can survive. the slate is wiped clean, and it doesn't even matter what your gpa was in undergrad. I've already had a few quizzes and a test, and I feel really good about where I'm at right now. It's possible to get in with a low gpa and do well. don't listen to the jerks that think they're better than everyone else. everyone has their own unique set of strengths.

 

[SHC1984]

Wow you really think you're hot s*** don't ya? gpa is not the most important thing that pharmacy schools look at. I should know I was accepted to 4 pharmacy schools last year and my grades were not the best. Try to consider that maybe there were extenuating circumstances why someone would not be doing well in school. Why not try to have a little understanding for others, and be happy that these pharmacy schools saw somthing great in someone with a low gpa. Chances are, you are going to get into pharmacy school this year, but just because you do, doesn't mean you have to put others down who weren't as good as you. Once you get to pharmacy school, they will talk to you about competition. There's no room for it in pharmacy school, and no point. You have to learn to support others and work well with others. I think you might have a hard time with that.

Now to all those who don't have the best of grades, and know pharmacy is their passion...all you have to do is have confidence and know a lot about the field. the interview can make or break you. and once you get in, you can survive. the slate is wiped clean, and it doesn't even matter what your gpa was in undergrad. I've already had a few quizzes and a test, and I feel really good about where I'm at right now. It's possible to get in with a low gpa and do well. don't listen to the jerks that think they're better than everyone else. everyone has their own unique set of strengths.

We never say there is anything wrong with someone with a low GPA. We never say they were stupid. We never insulted them. All we said was people with low GPA do not value studying for exams, they don't care about going to class. They like to party and relax at home.

There is NOTHING wrong with partying or relaxing at home. Hell I wish I can party all day. There is nothing wrong with that. We are not judging, just stating at fact. Just look at Paris Hilton, she parties everyday and don't give a **** about education and she has more money than most people will ever had. Again not judging just stating a fact. 😎

 

[pharmacy85]

I got into Nova with my 2.9 and was asked to interview at UF and 3 year school in Arizona (never attended either interview as top choice was Nova and found out I got accepted in October).

I did however had a 2 year gpa of 3.7, worked 2+ years in a pharmacy, tell them I was working on my bachelor's in psychology, and scored 89 on PCAT with science and math being in the 90's.

I am currently 3rd year pharmacy with a 3.5 average, havent made a C in the past 5 years of school. I'd also like to add that I have a 3.5 by choice, it doesnt effect anything once you are already in, I just aim to not make any C's. I have been able to party and such as much as I please. Now that I am going to be pursuing another career after pharmacy, I started making straight A's.

It is possible. In fact, I think they preferred me over the 4.0 applicant because I was able to show I overcame tough times and fought for better grades.

 

[pharmtechgirl26]

We never say there is anything wrong with someone with a low GPA. We never say they were stupid. We never insulted them. All we said was people with low GPA do not value studying for exams, they don't care about going to class. They like to party and relax at home.

There is NOTHING wrong with partying or relaxing at home. Hell I wish I can party all day. There is nothing wrong with that. We are not judging, just stating at fact. Just look at Paris Hilton, she parties everyday and don't give a **** about education and she has more money than most people will ever had. Again not judging just stating a fact. 😎

That's NOT a fact! What you just said IS a judgment about someone with a low gpa. I always went to class and studied for exams, but I also did other things too. I've been working since I was fifteen, and I completely support myself. Just b/c someone has a low gpa don't assume they don't value their education. Maybe they just had other things going on in their lives like supporting a family, trying to afford the place they live in, etc.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I didn't say there was anything wrong with a <3.0 GPA necessarily. I said that if I had a sub-3.0 GPA I would not expect to pursue a doctorate degree and be successful in such an endeavor. And in many fields, that's actually a reality. If you're a poor student (for whatever reason) then the highest echelon of academia is out of your reach... Simple as that.

I'm not 6'7" and I can't run continuously for 2 1/2 hours, so I'm not trying out for the NBA. That is simply outside of my scope of capability and I acknowledge this. So why does a student with a 2.6 GPA expect s/he should be admitted to pharmacy school to become a Doctor of Pharmacy? There is a serious problem in America with people with horrible time management skills, with poor priority placement (unprotected sex yielding children during soph. year of college, for example) and overall a dearth of academic desire who just want a six-figure salary, and schools like CNCP that take everyone with a damn heartbeat because they can pay the tuition is ridiculous.

 

[xxxhotstuffxxx]

All we said was people with low GPA do not value studying for exams, they don't care about going to class. They like to party and relax at home.

Please tell me this is a level or some sort of sarcasm.....cause if it isn't, you're one big bag of douche.

 

[SHC1984]

Please tell me this is a level or some sort of sarcasm.....cause if it isn't, you're one big bag of douche.

You can say whatever you want uglystuff, but that doesn't change this fact. And you are a ******* is you don't understand this fact. 🙄

 

[Thumper17]

You can say whatever you want uglystuff, but that doesn't change this fact. And you are a ******* is you don't understand this fact. 🙄

Really?

How about people who are learning disabled? Chronically ill? Responsible for the income/support of their parents, their wife, and their children at the same time?

I work with a pharmacist who never got the best of grades but was studying for a pharmacy exam WHILE HIS WIFE WAS IN LABOR because his professor would not move his exam back a day. He is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable pharmacists I have ever worked with, so I am glad pharmacy school adcoms are not as quick to judge as you!

 

[SHC1984]

Really?

How about people who are learning disabled? Chronically ill? Responsible for the income/support of their parents, their wives, and their children at the same time?

I work with a pharmacist who never got the best of grades but was studying for a pharmacy exam WHILE HIS WIFE WAS IN LABOR because his professor would not move his exam back a day. He is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable pharmacists I have ever worked with, so I am glad pharmacy school adcoms are not as quick to judge as you!

Your question is answered by Passion in the ^ post. "with poor priority placement (unprotected sex yielding children during soph. year of college, for example) and overall a dearth of academic desire who just want a six-figure salary, and schools like CNCP that take everyone with a damn heartbeat because they can pay the tuition is ridiculous."

I can't say it any better than him....obviously giving birth is going to interrupt your studies...but it was BY CHOICE. Don't have kids until the time is right!

 

[Thumper17]

Your ignorance is staggering.

 

[xxxhotstuffxxx]

You can say whatever you want uglystuff, but that doesn't change this fact. And you are a ******* is you don't understand this fact. 🙄

lol what you say really is fact. ty for enlightening me.

 

[SHC1984]

Your ignorance is staggering.

I am ignorant b/c I think a person should actually WAIT for the right time to have kids. I think having children requires something called responsibility and people should wait until they are ready to have children. OMG, you are right!!! how could I!!! 😱








🙄

 

[CynicalIntern]

We never say there is anything wrong with someone with a low GPA. We never say they were stupid. We never insulted them. All we said was people with low GPA do not value studying for exams, they don't care about going to class. They like to party and relax at home.

My GPA was substandard because I decided it would be more beneficial to me working in a pharmacy full time to understand what I'm getting into than to learn photosynthesis 6 times in the classes that I didn't deem important. I promise that working full time is not the same as "partying and relaxing at home." And I know that you know that for a fact, because you spent a good month moaning about how "doing 180 with just me and my pharmacist all day is soooooo hard." For the record, at my Walgreens my pharmacist and I would do 280 on weekends by ourselves. On weekdays, 450 was standard for a regularly staffed store.

Tell me, which one of us is "hardworking" and which one of us is "lazy," or for that matter, which one of us did more "relaxing at home," and I'll tell you how I can make overarching generalizations about people without understanding the need to leave room for extenuating circumstances as well.

 

[Carboxide]

My GPA was substandard because I decided it would be more beneficial to me working in a pharmacy full time to understand what I'm getting into than to learn photosynthesis 6 times in the classes that I didn't deem important. I promise that working full time is not the same as "partying and relaxing at home." And I know that you know that for a fact, because you spent a good month moaning about how "doing 180 with just me and my pharmacist all day is soooooo hard." For the record, at my Walgreens my pharmacist and I would do 280 on weekends by ourselves. On weekdays, 450 was standard for a regularly staffed store.

Tell me, which one of us is "hardworking" and which one of us is "lazy," or for that matter, which one of us did more "relaxing at home," and I'll tell you how I can make overarching generalizations about people without understanding the need to leave room for extenuating circumstances as well.

While you may not be lazy, your priorities are definitely way off. Sorry, but studying for classes that are crucial to understanding basic concepts in pharmacy school ARE important - more important than working full time. There's a reason students take out loans to go to school - because they PRIORITIZE their studies. If you worked full time, it's because you chose to not take out loans, and that's a personal issue - and your fault for having a low GPA.

For some reason, our society has evolved so that it is socially acceptable to be stupid and/or lazy and still expect to succeed. Sorry, but there's a reason pharmacy is a DOCTORATE LEVEL DEGREE. It's because it is not for everyone. If I was the dean of an SOP, I'd automatically disqualify anyone with a GPA of under 3.0, unless the classes were from many (at least 6) years ago. It's just not acceptable to earn less than a B and expect to be a doctor of pharmacy.

 

[CynicalIntern]

While you may not be lazy, your priorities are definitely way off. Sorry, but studying for classes that are crucial to understanding basic concepts in pharmacy school ARE important - more important than working full time. There's a reason students take out loans to go to school - because they PRIORITIZE their studies. If you worked full time, it's because you chose to not take out loans, and that's a personal issue - and your fault for having a low GPA.

It must be nice to live in this fantasy world where your student loans cover both your tuition and your living expenses. I certainly didn't live there.

Regardless, I acknowledged above that it probably wasn't the best of ideas to bypass studying for classes (or in some cases, going to classes) in favor of going to work, but I learned a hell of a lot more working in the pharmacy than I would have in class. Telling me about basic fundamentals that are necessary for pharmacy school would be a valid point...Were it not for the PCAT. But my PCAT score reflected that I understood the concepts needed for me, and fortunately my SOP ADCOM had a better understanding of what makes a good applicant than what so many people here do.

And it's not as if I got accepted into a school that is in it's pre-accreditation phase. I'm at a very respected university, and you can find all over these forums people who are in top 20 pharmacy schools who had pretty absymal GPAs. I'll fully acknowledge that the vast majority of sub 3.0 GPAs don't deserve to gain acceptance, but there are ALWAYS exceptions.

Edit: Since it wasn't entirely clear. You're calling people with below 3.0 GPAs stupid and lazy. You acknowledged I wasn't lazy, and I made it clear that I wasn't stupid. I have no problem acknowledging that every single person with below a 3.0 GPA is a substandard applicant, and should probably understand that, at best, they're waitlist material. BUT, there are a smattering of them who can (and should) get into pharmacy school, can do well in pharmacy school, and will be a good pharmacist.

 

[Thumper17]

I am ignorant b/c I think a person should actually WAIT for the right time to have kids. I think having children requires something called responsibility and people should wait until they are ready to have children. OMG, you are right!!! how could I!!! 😱








🙄

You are ignorant because you judge people you do not know with a broad, sweeping generalizations.

What if I told you this individual was 40 at this time going BACK to get his pharmD after already being an RPh? Clearly the 3 kids he had with his WIFE were unplanned and lapses in judgement. His GPA was not the best during his undergrad, and he wanted to go back to get his PharmD to stay current in his profession. He did this while working full time and raising a family. He is the furthest thing from lazy I can possibly imagine, and I hope there is someone just like him in your pharmacy school class so that he can help you through!

 

[xxxhotstuffxxx]

+1 for Thumper17 and CynicalIntern

 

[Carboxide]

It must be nice to live in this fantasy world where your student loans cover both your tuition and your living expenses. I certainly didn't live there.

Regardless, I acknowledged above that it probably wasn't the best of ideas to bypass studying for classes (or in some cases, going to classes) in favor of going to work, but I learned a hell of a lot more working in the pharmacy than I would have in class. Telling me about basic fundamentals that are necessary for pharmacy school would be a valid point...Were it not for the PCAT. But my PCAT score reflected that I understood the concepts needed for me, and fortunately my SOP ADCOM had a better understanding of what makes a good applicant than what so many people here do.

And it's not as if I got accepted into a school that is in it's pre-accreditation phase. I'm at a very respected university, and you can find all over these forums people who are in top 20 pharmacy schools who had pretty absymal GPAs. I'll fully acknowledge that the vast majority of sub 3.0 GPAs don't deserve to gain acceptance, but there are ALWAYS exceptions.

Edit: Since it wasn't entirely clear. You're calling people with below 3.0 GPAs stupid and lazy. You acknowledged I wasn't lazy, and I made it clear that I wasn't stupid. I have no problem acknowledging that every single person with below a 3.0 GPA is a substandard applicant, and should probably understand that, at best, they're waitlist material. BUT, there are a smattering of them who can (and should) get into pharmacy school, can do well in pharmacy school, and will be a good pharmacist.

I fully agree with all you've said there. That's exactly how I feel, just more eloquently stated. However, others in this thread seem to think that GPA isn't important and that it is acceptable to maintain a C average. What I'm trying to convey is that a C is NOT acceptable, and if that is what you can do (and the BEST you can do) then you simply aren't pharmacy school material. If it's NOT the best you can do, then why aren't you trying harder?

As for what you said about loans, there are private loans for a reason. Also, there's a difference between working full time and working part time. Many people have part-time jobs in college; very few work full time.

 

[SHC1984]

It must be nice to live in this fantasy world where your student loans cover both your tuition and your living expenses. I certainly didn't live there.
.

R you kidding? They always OVER estimate on living expenses in finaid. My finaid offer was 49K and my tuition was 29K. That's 20K to live on for 9 months. And thats not including Grad Plus Loans! I would have taken out 60K or 70K this year if I wanted to...of course that would be foolish, but the option was there.

 

[CynicalIntern]

R you kidding? They always OVER estimate on living expenses in finaid. My finaid offer was 49K and my tuition was 29K. That's 20K to live on for 9 months. And thats not including Grad Plus Loans! I would have taken out 60K or 70K this year if I wanted to...of course that would be foolish, but the option was there.

You're talking about graduate school. I'm talking about undergrad.

 

[SHC1984]

You're talking about graduate school. I'm talking about undergrad.

I choose to go to a public university for undergrad, so my tuition was very cheap(therefore not a big deal). I guess for people that choose to attend a private school there is a huge problem. Again thats by choice, I had the choice to attend my public college or Wake Forest, and I picked my public no name school so I can come out with no debt...

 

[SHC1984]

You are ignorant because you judge people you do not know with a broad, sweeping generalizations.

What if I told you this individual was 40 at this time going BACK to get his pharmD after already being an RPh? Clearly the 3 kids he had with his WIFE were unplanned and lapses in judgement. His GPA was not the best during his undergrad, and he wanted to go back to get his PharmD to stay current in his profession. He did this while working full time and raising a family. He is the furthest thing from lazy I can possibly imagine, and I hope there is someone just like him in your pharmacy school class so that he can help you through!

Is he in retail? if so there is no need to go back....My retail pharmacist got her BS and became a pharmacist at 21 with no debt. Her pay is just as high as everyone else with a PharmD. 😎

 

[CynicalIntern]

I choose to go to a public university for undergrad, so my tuition was very cheap(therefore not a big deal). I guess for people that choose to attend a private school there is a huge problem. Again thats by choice, I had the choice to attend my public college or Wake Forest, and I picked my public no name school so I can come out with no debt...

I did go to a public school. My student loans entirely covered my tuition and no more. So in order to pay for my rent, utilities, car, insurance, cell phone bill, maintenence, food, and other living expenses, I had to work. I was entirely self-reliant through my undergrad, and didn't rely on mom and dad to pay for me, and I'm damn proud of it.

Regardless, my financial situation was not the reason I worked full time. My love for pharmacy work was the reason I worked full time. And while I made the mistake of being unable to say no to "can you work more shifts," therefore leading to an inability to properly study for exams, it's not indicative of me being lazy, dumb, or spending all of my time "partying and relaxing at home." And you better believe this is what made the difference between my application and someone with a 3.4 and 70 PCAT who may not have gotten in, because my Personal Statement kicked all sorts of ass, and I would put my letters of reference up against anybody in this forum.

I also refer anybody here to Phathead at www.iwanttobeapharmacist.blogspot.com He just put up his transcript, because he's applying right now with a pretty similar gpa to mine. And not only is he a more qualified candidate that at least 75% of first years (and I include myself in that number), he also probably knows more right now than most people at the end of their first year.

 

[pharm B]

I think we've made the point that it is possible for someone with a below-average GPA to be admitted to pharmacy school. The overwhelming point made seems to be that you must have a legitimate reason for doing poorly.

That point's been made on this forum quite a few times. Let's not resort to attacking each other personally on a tangent.

 

[desmoulins45179]

I choose to go to a public university for undergrad, so my tuition was very cheap(therefore not a big deal). I guess for people that choose to attend a private school there is a huge problem. Again thats by choice, I had the choice to attend my public college or Wake Forest, and I picked my public no name school so I can come out with no debt...

I went to my state school and still came out with ~18,000 in debt because loans didn't cover all of it. Part of this was because I dormed but even if I did not it would still be considerable. Also, I was not financially independent so other people can have a lot more expenses than I did. (I did not pay car payments, any type of insurance, etc.) It also sucks for people who can only get ubsibsidized loans since you start paying interest right away. (this is true for undergrads where you don't get a lot of sunsidized money asgrad students.) It adds up. After you graduate, one of their payment plans makes you pay nearly double the original amount due to interest.

Point is, even at a state university with cheap tuition, it can still add up and loans do not cover all of it so others do rack up a large expense. Maybe you or I did not have to work as an undergrad to provide for ourselves but others might have. What loans did not cover, my dad and I split (he paid for one semester and I paid for the other). THe only reason I was able to pay for 4 semesters of undergrad was because I had a decent size savings account due to social security. Since most people do not have that, it would be very difficult to pay.

 

[Thumper17]

Is he in retail? if so there is no need to go back....My retail pharmacist got her BS and became a pharmacist at 21 with no debt. Her pay is just as high as everyone else with a PharmD. 😎

No, he is a hospital pharmacist. Also, some people would say there are more reasons to excel in pharmacy than just paygrade 👍

 

[Argentium]

You are ignorant because you judge people you do not know with a broad, sweeping generalizations.

What if I told you this individual was 40 at this time going BACK to get his pharmD after already being an RPh? Clearly the 3 kids he had with his WIFE were unplanned and lapses in judgement. His GPA was not the best during his undergrad, and he wanted to go back to get his PharmD to stay current in his profession. He did this while working full time and raising a family. He is the furthest thing from lazy I can possibly imagine, and I hope there is someone just like him in your pharmacy school class so that he can help you through!

You're starting to make up situations where the situation wouldn't be true - you said it yourself, what OP said was a generalization, so why are you making up specific cases where it wouldn't be true? Fact is, most pharmacy students aren't 40 year olds with a wife, 3 kids, and an RPh.

What OP said was correct. A 3.0 is substandard and shows that you had other priorities other than studying (partying, work, whatever it is). It really is not difficult to get a B average. As a student, your priority is studying.

 

[Passion4Sci]

What OP said was correct. A 3.0 is substandard and shows that you had other priorities other than studying (partying, work, whatever it is). It really is not difficult to get a B average. As a student, your priority is studying.

I agree with you. The sad fact of the matter is, it seems like you and I are in the minority.

Everyone is paying the piper right now for their transgressions in undergraduate school by getting bad grades and, like all good Americans, now are holding their hands out waiting for six-fig salary to come to them.

 

[sprinkle0420]

I can just imagine a certain someone in this thread becoming a pharmacist having to deal with counseling patients, making sure to tell them in a "holier than thou" tone about their lack of prioritizations of their lives when he he/she has to dispense meds such a librium, somvastatin, methergine, etc...

 

[CynicalIntern]

I can just imagine a certain someone in this thread becoming a pharmacist having to deal with counseling patients, making sure to tell them in a "holier than thou" tone about their lack of prioritizations of their lives when he he/she has to dispense meds such a librium, somvastatin, methergine, etc...

This Somvastatin you speak of...A combination of Zocor and Soma? This could be a breakthrough in fibromyalgia treatment.😉