Newbie ... My Story!

[pharmdman913]

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Hello everyone,

I have been lurking on this site for quite some time now and have decided to finally take the plunge and become a member. This is my first post so I apologize if I bore anyone with my sob story but any feedback will be greatly appreciated. With that said HERE I GO...

I am 31 years old and my company just went chapter 11 due to the economic recession I lost EVERYTHING (Truck repo, foreclosure, and my company as well as my self dignity). I am at a lost for words but none the less, am a fighter so I'm remaining strong. I decided to go back to school and pursue Pharmacy and met with an advisor however my dilemma is as follows:

1) When I attended college back in 1994- 1996 and was a non degree seeking student I suffered a tragic car accident which left me disabled for 9 months. Between therapy and me trying to recoup my grades began to sink and eventually I was forced to withdraw from school all together. I received several F's and W's but I was young and unsure what degree I wanted to pursue. I only received 18 credits 🙁. My question to you is what happens if I do well in all my pre reqs and retake the classes I failed will I start fresh with a new GPA or will the ADCOM's add my grades from 14 years ago with my current grades and then figure out my cum GPA or since it was so long ago will they only count my current grades?

2) I am currently on medication for GAD and was wondering if that will prevent me from being a pharmacist. I just want to be absolutely certain that I won't waste any time with my pre reqs I need to take to get into Pharm school. Is there a certain law that exempts one on medication from being a pharmacist? If there is I need to figure out a way to get off these pills soon.

3) I lost everything and for once in my life I am absolutely terrified but I know I can hack it. I am 100% certain being a pharmacist is what I want my everyday career to be. Do you guys think I should throw away my dream bc I am so emotionally wrecked right now? How will I afford it? 6 years of school seems like a milestone. HELPPPPP!!!

So sorry for the over drawn story but I needed to vent to someone so thanks a heap everyone and I'm glad to be a part of your network.

B

 

[Matrix187]

Any medication you take is irrelevent as to whether or not you can be a pharmacist.

 

[TheMatrix92683]

I dont think the medication you are taking would prevent you from becoming a pharmacist. If you truly want to become a pharmacist, then you should go for it. If you go back to school and do well especially with your prereqs, then the grades you got in the past would not be a barrier to you getting excepted. Your life experience should enable you to write a pretty good personal statement. In addition to school, try to volunteer and gain pharmacy experience. With that, you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[pharmdman913]

Thanks again Matrixes! You both made me feel a hell of a lot more optimistic. Is it true Pharmcas won't look at grades older then 5 years? I was just told that and wanted to verifly that with the experts (YOU!) LOL Also, my company had a partnership with The Make A Wish Foundation and I am still an active wish granter. Does that count as volunteer work?

 

[OKgirl]

Also, my company had a partnership with The Make A Wish Foundation and I am still an active wish granter. Does that count as volunteer work?

Yes.

 

[mrblah]

edit

 

[pharmdman913]

Congrats Mr Blah and I appreciate the support from all of you.

 

[pharmdman913]

Oh by the way does anyone know if Nova accepts the forgiveness policy?

 

[PharmDeez]

Keep in mind the sacrifices you will have to make. Going back to school to be a pharmacist will probably be economically burdening.

You will lose 5-6 (minimum) years of opportunity costs while going to school and in the meanwhile accruing living expenses. Furthermore tuition for pharmacy school is not cheap and can easily cost in the 100K. I dont want to be discouraging, sure its possible to be a pharmacist if you want to, but you will be making economical sacrifices.

It seems like you are experienced in the business world and I'm sure there are other lucrative careers, perhaps you thought of? Dont get me wrong tho, you are still relatively young and it will probably pay off in the long run, but it is something you might want to think about, or perhaps you already have.

 

[IrishRxMan]

Don't think that just because you are 31 you are too old. We have several people in their mid 40's and even a couple in their 50's. As for the credits you have from at least 12 years ago, I don't think they will look at those if you retake the liberal arts you took back then to satisfy the pre-reqs. You are a completely different person now from what you were back then. When you do go to a university, I would recommend seeking out their counseling office to help work through any feelings of inadequacy from your company having to file chapter 11. You don't want to go into your interview or writing your personal statement with that still hanging out there. Plus, it will be a major example of how you can show how you learned from a very difficult time. Also, it doesn't matter what meds you are on when it comes to being a pharmacist. If anything, we understand more than anyone not in the medical field the importance of medications. Good luck, you can do it! (think Rob Schneider in The Waterboy 😉 )

 

[tootoo30]

First of all I commend you for bouncing back so easily, I would still be at home crying about my loses...I know I know LOL, but I think if you focus and put alot of effort into your prerequisites, you will do fine. If you want you can look into schools that have a forgiveness policy, or the schools that take the highest grade received, there are many options so don't give up!

HTH

 

[pharmdman913]

WOW! Thanks so much for all the words of encouragement from all of you. I really appreciate it and am glad to be a part of your community. We are all here to pick each other up and support each other and that is truly amazing.
Irish Waterboy HAHAHA! You actually made me laugh and tootoo trust me I was balling my eyes out a week ago.

 

[JoJo1972]

Hello everyone.

I spent hours reading the board last night about FSOP application interview and acceptance. I found it very informative and very encouraging. I read the first post of this thread and felt it best to post here rather than start a new thread.

My story is very long but I will do my best to keep it brief. I am 36 years old so a lot has brought me to this point. When I was young I was very unfocused. I just wanted to do as I pleased. I just didn't see what was really going on with my life. I moved out of my home when I was 17. I got married at 18. I worked at Eckerd's drug store after high school. Then I got pregnant and had my first kid at 19. My husband was 6 years older and wanted kids before he got too old to be able to do anything with them. What a joke that was, but young and dumb I believed him. I wanted to become a tech, but after my son was born I didn't want to be away from him. My life had changed forever.

I was a Mom and I had two more children and I worked various job. I've worked in pharmacies, grocery stores, hardware stores, restaurants, night clubs, day cares,offices and I've even worked as a locksmith. In 2002 after 12 years of marriage I filed for divorce.

I had to start over. I met a man in 2003 that I really didn't think of much more than a friend. He was funny and loving, and very dedicated to his family. Then slowly he became a part of my family. My kids loved him and I couldn't stand to be away from him.

I decided I needed a career and I was going to go to college and take the pharm tech program. I knew I wasn't required to take the program, but thought it was the best option for me. My wonderful man was not 100 % behind me on this. He was concerned he felt it would put a burden on our finances. I assured him it would not and I would not let him change my mind. In 2005 I became a Certified Pharm Tech. In 2006 I got hired as a tech and I married my family man. In 2007 I became tired of the shift I was working 2-8 m-f. Sounds great for some but I wanted more time with my family. I remained part-time on call with the pharmacy and went back to my 8-5 office job.

Now I have always wanted to be a pharmacist, but was not confident enough in myself. I've been encouraged by several pharmacist and my spouse that if I want it, I need to go for it. Aug 25 2008 I start school at my community college. I have 3 yrs of classes I will need to take, and possibly more if I broaden my scope of possible Pharm schools.

I know you are all wondering what about the kids I'm so attached to. Well my oldest is a Jr. the middle one is a freshman, and my baby is 9. She will be a Jr. when I hopefully finish school. I need a life after kids, and money to live it. I just really wish I could have achieved this goal before I had them. I would have been able to do so much for them. Guess I'll just have to spoil the grandkids.

Feik-San Antonio and Irma Lerma Rangel-Kingsville are my top choices in order. I have looked at the prereqs for the other schools in TX, but transferring from a community college is a little more confusing with the other schools. I may see things more clearly later.

Well I did my best to keep it short and still clear. Hope you made it to the end of my post.

 

[pharmdman913]

JOJO I completely understand your story and must say you are definitely in the right place. When I first lurked upon this site I didn't think much of joining I just wanted a few of my unanswered questions resolved and solidified. Having said that, The more I am a part of this forum, the more I realize the sincerity and professionalism from all our members here and am so proud to be a part of SDN. I only hope I can give back a fraction of what SDN has given me. After losing my company, house, and car I was in the depths of despair with no motivation and completely LOST. This site has given me the courage to Start school again which I start tomorrow at a CC and the motivation to start fresh with no distractions. I've learned to never let anyone stand in your way of what you desire (Thanks 311fighters, the matrixes, mr blah hehe) or you are NEVER too old to start over ( Thanks tootoo, and Irishrxman). I say follow your dreams and seize the opportunity that is in front of you bc we might be getting older but that just means we are getting wiser. Good luck JOJO! As irishrxman told me like the scene from The Waterboy YOU CAN DO IT! 😀

 

[tootoo30]

Hey JoJo and welcome to SDN! You will find there are all types of people on this forum that's willing to help you along to your on road to becoming a pharmacist. There is even a pharmacist on her that graduated when she was 50, so don't think your too old to go back to school. I too made the decision to raise my son and had all kinds of jobs along the way, too many to name LOL, but stay focused and just keep your goal in mind and you will do fine. I'm 31 and hoping to get in pharmacy school next August, so I will be 32 when I start.
Just so you know that time with your kids will probably be non-existent while your studying, so don't get depressed just think of the end result and you will be fine. Let me know if I can be of any assistance during your journey.

 

[Gitana]

To the OP:

Look at the bright side: It's next to impossible to bring up a GPA after 120 credits, but 18 credits shouldn't be so bad. Yes, those old credits will probably be in your application, but most likely the adcoms will see them for what they are, the product of a young, confused mind. As long as you can prove that you can get the grades now, that's what matters.

And if you think you're too old, I'm 43 and applying for 2009.

Good luck!