Need Advice/Help Please!

[Superflyjsc]

Hi, so heres the situation.
Q-1: Im doing my pre-pharm requirements right now and by next summer I should be able to have completed all my required classes for pharmacy school admissions. However, since ill have my science requirements finished by next summer, I wont be able to apply and start pharmacy school the following fall. Unfortunatly I will have to wait a year before I can enroll into a pharmacy school.
My question is, I really hate the idea of waiting a whole year to start the program and I am worried the year lag will affect my chances for acceptance. So, with that free year, is there anything you guys would recommend me to do to continually make myself a competative applicant for the next year admissions besides continuingly working at a retail pharmacy or hospital environment for more experience?
I really dont know any other way to spend my time during that year off besides just working.

Q-2: PCATS! From my experiences so far, most pharmacy schools dont require them. What exactly is the point of PCATS then? I know that 1 of the schools im particularly interested in, Rutgers School of Pharmacy, do require it tho. Im wondering if i should just not even apply to rutgers just to avoid taking the PCATS alltogether.

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[illusions]

If I got this right, u said you would be completed with all your pre reqs by next summer? Therefore, you can/should apply in the Fall and you would have ur pre reqs completed right before matriculation pending acceptance. But if you do wait, I think it would be best to take higher level science courses that would help u in pharmacy school.

And about the PCATS, well I think that s just up to you. If I was only applying to 1 school that required them...depending on how much I wanted to attend that school....I probably wouldn't take it. I haven't taken it yet...but most people say it s not very difficult.

 

[rxforlife2004]

There are a lot of things you can do to prepare you well during 1 year besides just working at your pharmacy setting. As an example, take some upper division classes in human physiology or biochemistry. The more you know, the less struggling you would have to do during pharm school. Also, you can take some speech classes to improve communicational skills.

As of PCATs, you need to look at the schools you want to apply. majority of schools in EastCoast will require PCAT Scores. In California, they don't. Instead, competitive schools will look at BS degree holders, GPA, volunteer...and so on.

Best regards,

 

[Superflyjsc]

If i did take some upper lvl science classes such as Biochemistry during my year wait, would I have to repeat that class again at Pharmacy school even if i got a good grade in that class?

 

[dgroulx]

I had to repeat biochem and micro. I was told that undergrad biochem is not the same as pharmacy biochem because of the cllinical correlations portion. The only people they exempted from micro had a BS in microbiology.

 

[MALA]

Just a question, if you had to take any 2 classes in the summer sessions- which classes do you think wouldn't be too bad:

Chem 1
Chem 2
OC 1
OC 2
Microbiology
Physics 1
Physics 2

Any suggestions on what you think is easier or more digestable? (not that any of these are easy).

 

[jemc2000]

I am taking Chem II and Biology I this summer as I am in Chem I now.

 

[EarlyEditionDude]

Originally posted by MALA
Just a question, if you had to take any 2 classes in the summer sessions- which classes do you think wouldn't be too bad:

Chem 1
Chem 2
OC 1
OC 2
Microbiology
Physics 1
Physics 2

Any suggestions on what you think is easier or more digestable? (not that any of these are easy).

I would go for the OC series. Get the hard stuff out of the way, first, then you can enjoy your senior year!

 

[MALA]

I like the sound of that EarlyEdition- can I take Ochem before I finish Chem 1 & 2?

 

[jemc2000]

At the community college I go to, you have to be done with Chem I & II before taking OChem. At USF you have to be done with Chem I & II and Bio I & II before taking OChem.

 

[moobymaster]

Depends on the school. I split up my classes between two community colleges because of scheduling conflicts and one of them allowed Organic after Chem 1 but the other required Chem 2 as well.

I took Physics I and II in the summer and it was pretty easy. I don't know if I would recommend Organic in the summer, because most likely you are going to get a rushed and shortened class which might hurt you later. Physics was shortened but I don't believe I'm going to have to calculate the trajectory of a pill falling off a counter top any time soon in pharm school.

 

[illusions]

I would take organics over the summer. It will probably be a long summer....but just think it will be all over in a short period; plus you can just concentrate on that class so that helps....don't know if you can take it before chem 1 and 2 though

 

[moobymaster]

Organics in a short summer session? That's going to be a lot of material crammed into 6 weeks. Otherwise you're talking about taking Org 1 the first long summer and then 2 the following summer which leaves a whole year for you to forget the stuff you need for the second class.