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[achin328]

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Hello everyone,
My girlfriend had referred me to this site because I am planning to pursue a pharmacy degree, and I could definitely use some advice. I am currently pursuing a chemistry degree while minoring in biology in my current college. My past experience with school(high school) was a disaster, I had taken off some time off before college for financial reasons and I've finally cleaned up and I am doing about a 3.5 GPA, which I feel is very low compared to a lot of people on this site. I am also planning to take on research projects with some professors at my college. I was told that it would be best to just get my bachelors in chemistry and biology before applying just because the competition is insane and getting kicked out of the program is a common thing. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

 

[Passion4Sci]

Hey and welcome.

First off, the big misinformation I can see in your post is that people get kicked out of the programs regularly - I don't really think that happens as much as outsiders would like you to believe. If anything, pharmacy schools go out of their way to ensure that their students continue paying their ridiculous tuition for as long as possible, and of course, pad the NAPLEX pass rates (Which they can't do if they don't finish, obviously).

In terms of what you're doing, so far so good, there's nothin' at all wrong with a 3.5 and if you can hold that for the remainder of your college degree, you'll be primo. Toss in some research like you're planning to and some ECs like pharmacy experience, or even ANY volunteering (soup kitchen, whatever, just do it for a long period of time) and you'll be set.

I'm a proponent of finishing your 4-year degree, especially any time after 2009. True, the majority of schools do not REQUIRE the BA/BS out and out, but a lot of schools (randomly sampled from their websites) are reporting 50%+ of each incoming class with 4-year degrees and that number's got a positive slope, not a negative one. Your best bet for longevity will be to get your degree. And, hell, if pharmacy doesn't work out, you won't need to backtrace and finish your degree if you need to do something else (CLS, whatever). No one wants to think about that especially at your age (YOUNG AND DUMB) but, it happens, and this forum is living proof of that (People being enchanted with Career X, getting a degree, then realizing ~4 years later that hey, I hate this [insert job here]).

Having a Plan B backing up Plan A is way better than having to make Plan B on the fly. Having your g/f take Ocella or Depo provera or whatever proactively is way better than rushing out to Wag's to snag some Levonorgestrel, right?

Just my 6 pence!

Hello everyone,
My girlfriend had referred me to this site because I am planning to pursue a pharmacy degree, and I could definitely use some advice. I am currently pursuing a chemistry degree while minoring in biology in my current college. My past experience with school(high school) was a disaster, I had taken off some time off before college for financial reasons and I've finally cleaned up and I am doing about a 3.5 GPA, which I feel is very low compared to a lot of people on this site. I am also planning to take on research projects with some professors at my college. I was told that it would be best to just get my bachelors in chemistry and biology before applying just because the competition is insane and getting kicked out of the program is a common thing. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

 

[achin328]

Thanks a lot for the reply, after a lot of what I have read up on that was pretty reassuring. 😀

 

[docss26]

Hello everyone,
My girlfriend had referred me to this site because I am planning to pursue a pharmacy degree, and I could definitely use some advice. I am currently pursuing a chemistry degree while minoring in biology in my current college. My past experience with school(high school) was a disaster, I had taken off some time off before college for financial reasons and I've finally cleaned up and I am doing about a 3.5 GPA, which I feel is very low compared to a lot of people on this site. I am also planning to take on research projects with some professors at my college. I was told that it would be best to just get my bachelors in chemistry and biology before applying just because the competition is insane and getting kicked out of the program is a common thing. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

You will be encouraged when you browse these forums a bit further. I thought I did not stand a chance either, but there are plenty of students here with GPAs belows yours and have gotten accepted somewhere. I am one of those students! If you lack in one area make sure to compensate by being outstanding in another area. In my case, I participated in multiple research initiatives with a professor, executive board of 3 university organizations, extensive pharmacy and voluntary experience.

I went to interviews meeting students with great pcat and gpa scores, but lacked social skills and experience in dealing with patients. With that said, don't worry! You have a good amount of time, so just prepare. Best of luck to you.