need some advice

[psycho-matic]

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Hey guys. I want to get admitted to pharmacy school very badly. I will graduate in May with my biology degree. I'm concerned because I will have about a 2.9 gpa when I graduate. I have a transcript with 5 or 6 C's, and a couple of D's and F's.

A few years ago I was involved in a very turbulent relationship with my now-ex fiance; we ended up having a child together. During that time (over three semesters) I found it very hard to focus on school, explaining much of the bad grades I made. I ended up having to drop out of school because I was overhwelmed with everything and in a lot of debt. The semester I withdrew (Spring 06) has all W's on the transcript. Overhwhelmed with debt and other troubles, I decided to try truck driving and ended up doing that for a year. During this time I really figured out who I was, matured a great deal, and I decided to return to college in August 2007. Since then I have done much better in school, however, I have had to work 40 to 50 hours a week while attending school full time. I got a C in mammalogy and organic 1, along with A's and B's in my other classes. The following semester I got a C in vert phys and also a D in organic 2. I can graduate with the D but I realize I will have to take organic 2 over again for pharmacy school.

Making matters worse, I live in a small town, with limited pharmacy options. I have tried for the past year to get hired or volunteer at a pharmacy to no avail.

I am going to study my butt off to do well on the PCAT this January.

When I graduate in May, my plan is to get a management position at a certain trucking company in Dallas, and retake organic 1 and 2 at night next year at a community college.

I know I've read on here where others in my situation got in. I am just wondering what you guys think of my chances, and if my plan sounds good for retaking organic 1 and 2. Do you think its possible to work some of the things I've been through into my personal satement? I'm just really feeling down right now and I do hope I have a chance if I continue to work hard.

I also live in Arkansas, where the state pharmacy school bases admissions almost entirely on GPA, so my chances are pretty low here. I will have to focus on out of state schools. Maybe after becoming a Texas resident, my chances will be improved of getting into a state school there. Any advice or encouragement you guys have would be appreciated. Thanks,

Ryan

 

[psycho-matic]

Is there nothing any of you can say about my situation?

 

[IrishOats]

Graduating with a degree will be an advantage, but a downside is that it will be hard to raise your GPA very much at all with having that many credits under your belt already. However, be sure to retake the pre-reqs that you need to (like the Organic 2), and an upward trend in grades will help. You should be fine taking night classes at a community college, just make sure to stay caught up with the material and don't fall behind.
Try as hard as you can to get any pharmacy experience at all, or even volunteer at a hospital for just a few hours a week if that's all you have time for, so that you can get a really good recommendation from a pharmacist or other health professional. Getting a great letter from a pharmacist should help a lot.
Definitely investigate some out-of-state schools, and try to totally ace the PCAT if you can...a high PCAT score can boost your application. It might also be worthwhile to contact schools you are interested in and get advice on anything else you can do to make your application more competitive for each school.
Hope this helps.

 

[Voxls1]

Is there nothing any of you can say about my situation?

Put in some time, do some research and explore YOUR options. See what programs/universities are close to you, figure out what you need to do to retake classes and become well versed in what the Pcat calls for. Your GPA is pretty low, so I would get that up before you do anything else. Also, Texas schools are extremely competitive so unless you bring something fantastic to the table I wouldn't hold my breath. Getting your grades up would be a step in the right direction.

 

[ruth265]

also it would be a good idea to have plan B.

 

[psycho-matic]

also it would be a good idea to have plan B.

plan b = career in trucking management/logistics, pilot, or graduate study in lingusitics/arabic.

 

[psycho-matic]

Well, it appears the pharmacy manager at a hospital an hour away is interested in hiring me to work on an as needed basis on the weekends. I believe this is good news!

 

[Ross434]

Well, it appears the pharmacy manager at a hospital an hour away is interested in hiring me to work on an as needed basis on the weekends. I believe this is good news!

congratulations! everything starts with a first step!

 

[Hels2007]

I'd say if you got your GPA aboe 3.0 and have all good grades outside that difficult time of your life, then you have a good shot. Pharmacy adcomms are suckers for good "sob stories".

My alma mater used to have a scholarship especially for people who are/have faced very difficult circumstances, and the chair of the scholarship committee always complained that there are not enough good stories so they money went unawarded. 🙂

 

[psycho-matic]

I'd say if you got your GPA aboe 3.0 and have all good grades outside that difficult time of your life, then you have a good shot. Pharmacy adcomms are suckers for good "sob stories".

My alma mater used to have a scholarship especially for people who are/have faced very difficult circumstances, and the chair of the scholarship committee always complained that there are not enough good stories so they money went unawarded. 🙂

Lol, well that is a thought.

The pharmacy manager at the hospital seemed very intersted in working with me. Since I already work full time with another job during the week, he is going to work me on an as needed basis on the weekends, rather than having me work regular shifts on the weekend. He said he realized my school was most important and doesn't want to take away from my focus on that. He said it could always lead to a full time opporunity, which would be awesome. I'm a bit nervous though, this will all be new to me. One thing he did ask, if i get accepted to pharmacy school in Little Rock, is that I stay as an intern for at least a couple of years, if he is going to invest the time to train me...basically a gentleman's agreement. Is that normal for this sort of situation?

 

[psycho-matic]

My alma mater used to have a scholarship especially for people who are/have faced very difficult circumstances, and the chair of the scholarship committee always complained that there are not enough good stories so they money went unawarded. 🙂

And if I may ask, which pharmacy school did you attend?🙂 When I do apply, I plan to apply to at least 15 to 20...a lot I know, but I want to make sure I get in. Of course, UAMS in Little Rock would be awesome, tuition here is 8,000 a year.

 

[kbv]

And if I may ask, which pharmacy school did you attend?🙂 When I do apply, I plan to apply to at least 15 to 20...a lot I know, but I want to make sure I get in. Of course, UAMS in Little Rock would be awesome, tuition here is 8,000 a year.

if you plan to expand your options, you may consider MCPHS. they offer 0-6 program in Boston Campus & 0-5 program in Worcester/Manchester.
the 0-6 accepts transfer students (those already complete the 1st 2 years or those who have prior B.A/B.S). the 0-5 is accelerated and requires the applicants already complete the 2 years or a B.A/B.S.
of course it's up to the school to decide which courses you have been taking to get the credits.

the good thing is: (hint: look at the numbers)
http://prod.campuscruiser.com/PageServlet?pg=home_annboard&tg=AnnBoard-detail&annId=335932&cx=22.301

the bad thing is: starting your P1, it's about 3.4-4.6X the tuition you mentioned, and will cont. to raise at least 5-10% each upcoming year.
http://www.mcphs.edu/about_mcphs/of...dent_financial_services/tuition_and_fees.html

The tuitions are different depending on the programs. Accelerated is always higher than traditional.

Wish you all the best,

 

[psycho-matic]

if you plan to expand your options, you may consider MCPHS. they offer 0-6 program in Boston Campus & 0-5 program in Worcester/Manchester.
the 0-6 accepts transfer students (those already complete the 1st 2 years or those who have prior B.A/B.S). the 0-5 is accelerated and requires the applicants already complete the 2 years or a B.A/B.S.
of course it's up to the school to decide which courses you have been taking to get the credits.

the good thing is: (hint: look at the numbers)
http://prod.campuscruiser.com/PageServlet?pg=home_annboard&tg=AnnBoard-detail&annId=335932&cx=22.301

the bad thing is: starting your P1, it's about 3.4-4.6X the tuition you mentioned, and will cont. to raise at least 5-10% each upcoming year.
http://www.mcphs.edu/about_mcphs/of...dent_financial_services/tuition_and_fees.html

The tuitions are different depending on the programs. Accelerated is always higher than traditional.

Wish you all the best,

Thanks for the info. I do appreciate it.