Out of my league?

[reverb508]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi there everyone. This is my first post here and I am happy to be a member of this online community. However, there is one thing that makes me different from most of you.

I am not a Pre-Pharmacy student.

As of right now I am a libral arts major whose aspiration until just a few months ago was to become a journalist. Obviously, I've had a change of heart.

After much deliberation and many "Oh my God, What am I going to do with my life!" moments, my Biology professor suggested I look into the medical field. Anyway, to make a long story short, I am considering enrolling in MCPHS-Boston or URI's Pharmacy program.

Just so you don't think I am doing this on a whim, I'll give you my reasoning:

First of all, I love the feeling I get when I give someone valuable advice. It makes me feel important. That sounds a little self serving but it's true. To know that you made a genuine difference in someones life is a rewarding on so many levels. I also have a passion for the sciences (I have even come to accept the math they involve). Biology and Chemistry were my favorite classes in High School. Besides that, I work at a nursing home and see first hand the deterioration of health that old age inflicts. To be a component in the aid and service of these people means a lot to me. It seems as though Pharmacy is perfect fit for me.

My problem is, am I qualified? I've never been terribly mathmatically inclined and much of my High School years were spent goofing off which is reflected in my transcript.

Luckily, I snapped out of it in college and am now toting a solid 3.7 gpa. I am a sophomore and have since left my poor study habits and general disinterest school work behind. However, that 2.4 from High School is still looming in the background. My question is, how much weight does that H.S. gpa carry when being evaluated for acceptance?

Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
-Brian

 

[DoctorCoke]

High school means nada now, you are a university student, and you will be judged as one. After reading your post, it seems to me that you have some worthwile material to add to your personal statement when the time comes.

Make sure you pace yourself appropriately when taking your pre-reqs, they're important, so you have to insure that you demonstrate your ability to do well. Other than that, good luck with it all.

 

[utpharmdude]

Go for it! as of right now, you are on the right track. Highschool will have NO effect now. It's all about your college GPA. And what you wrote is a perfect start for your personal statement!

 

[Snowcat]

Not many pharmacy schools require high school transcripts. Actually, I don't think any pharmacy schools require them. You should be good to go! 🙂

 

[twester]

Two years ago, I jumped from pre-nursing to pre-pharmacy and felt pretty much the same way - "out of my league". I've just been accepted to pharmacy school. The point is, that even though you might feel like this will be more than you can handle, you'll never know for sure if you don't take the risk.

Just start taking the classes, take it one semester at a time, ask for help when you need it (with those math classes, maybe?) and keep your eyes on the prize.

Troy

Oh yeah, I pretty much failed my senior year of high school. I only graduated because they didn't want me to come back - ever. It never came up during the process.

 

[imperial frog]

My problem is, am I qualified? I've never been terribly mathmatically inclined and much of my High School years were spent goofing off which is reflected in my transcript.

Luckily, I snapped out of it in college and am now toting a solid 3.7 gpa. I am a sophomore and have since left my poor study habits and general disinterest school work behind. However, that 2.4 from High School is still looming in the background. My question is, how much weight does that H.S. gpa carry when being evaluated for acceptance?

Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
-Brian

I don't know what my highchool gpa is but it's probably somewhere around a 1.something. I got kicked out of school in the 10th grade and never returned. Somehow I got into college without even having a GED or taking the SAT/ACT. Pharmschools never even asked about highschool.

 

[Rx_of_Music]

I decided half way through my Music Performance Degree to pursue Pharmacy and just tacked the prerequisites onto my music degree. I will complete my bachelors and pre-pharmacy curriculum with 154 hours. Only 30 extra hours than my bachelors required. Depending on what school you apply too (and figure out where you want to go now so you can get started on what they require) there will be a lot of overlap with you other degree. Best wishes!

 

[reverb508]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone. You made me feel like I might actually have a shot at this.

 

[eeyore spice]

My BA is in Communications with a double major in Sociology. I worked for 3 years in the field before realising I loved pharmacy. As long as you like the math and science enough to do well in it, you shouldn't have a problem. Good luck, you're not the first to change your career completely!

 

[chudson]

My BA is in Communications with a double major in Sociology. I worked for 3 years in the field before realising I loved pharmacy. As long as you like the math and science enough to do well in it, you shouldn't have a problem. Good luck, you're not the first to change your career completely!

Whoo! After reading this thread, I (who pulled the f-up move in college and obtained a psych b.a. with a 2.9 gpa) feel so much better!

 

[Rxbound]

BA in French Language and Culture 2002, GPA 3.1, Pharmacy school: UAMS Class of 2010.
It can be done. Variety is the spice of life.

 

[itsjoe08]

Two years ago, I jumped from pre-nursing to pre-pharmacy and felt pretty much the same way - "out of my league". I've just been accepted to pharmacy school. The point is, that even though you might feel like this will be more than you can handle, you'll never know for sure if you don't take the risk.

Just start taking the classes, take it one semester at a time, ask for help when you need it (with those math classes, maybe?) and keep your eyes on the prize.

Troy

Oh yeah, I pretty much failed my senior year of high school. I only graduated because they didn't want me to come back - ever. It never came up during the process.

😱 i feel like i was reading about myself. i started college 2 years ago as a prenursing major and i also made the switch to prepharm. i have about 2 years left before im done with my degree and with all my prereqs. i too felt way out of my league when i started but everything has been going well so far =]

 

[gatheringhoney]

I was a music major....BM and MM in french horn performance....and I worked in arts non-profits for four years before returning to school to fulfill pre-reqs. How's that for being different? 😉

When I decided I wanted to become a pharmacist, I was very concerned about whether an admissions committee would take me seriously....music degrees and all, but what I discovered was my background simply helped me to stand out as a well-rounded candidate. It didn't hinder me in any way at any of the schools I applied to, and as a matter of fact, several schools told me being different moved my application to the top of the stack.

 

[RxRob]

I think you'll be one of those (and definitely most likely by the time you apply) that will have to get a B.A. or B.S. first. The occurrence of acceptance with just pre-requisites is getting very low unless you do your undergrad work at a private school that also has a pharmacy school. I agree that diversity in background helps, especially when interviewing and doing the essays.

As far as the math, even though the PCAT has Calculus on it, I was SHOCKED at how many P1's had such a hard time with rates and basic proportions in the pharm calc class and lab, so, apparently it's not a big deal. Having said that though, even if you decided early in life that you didn't like math and it has bled into your current psyche, you will definitely need to be in deep touch with your logical side for the duration of the curriculum. A fantastic short-term memory probably doesn't hurt either lol...

 

[Poland]

Reverb, I really know how you feel. The common idea is that it takes an A+ mind from high school right from the start to compete in pharmacy, medical school, etc. This is simply not true (and I believe there are alot of others who understand this now, too). Take for instance that my high school years were also very low. I had D averages in other classes but yet enjoyed Honor's English. I even transferred into homeschool since the high school atmosphere was bringing every part of me down. Some people just do not do well in high school.

For a while I felt like Social Work was the area for me professionally. This desire actually lead me to Pharmacy, really! Through my troubles as a high school student I started to realize the power of pharmacy. I have had high blood pressure from scar tissue since 12 and it's been regulated by one medicine for years. There became a couple of reasons like these that set forth my curiousity about the way our drugs work. My first job happened to be as a cashier in a pharmacy and one of my true desires was realized.

Now I am in Pre-Pharmacy courses, and I too am hoping that our high school grades won't come back to bite us. Overall I am not too worried about it, though. It's not a criminal record or something.

So I say... find the advisor for Pre-Pharmacy or Pre-Health at your school. Keep an eye out for pharmacy jobs, maybe? Even a cashier job or a position like that in the drug store would give you a heads up on your level of interest. If you haven't taken any Biology courses or major Math courses then find the first way of getting your foot in the door. Regular biology is generally a class with no pre-reqs, and even a pre-req Math would give some definition to your opinions on right/wrong for you.

To me it sounds like you have struck an interest with the field. Personal experience is always better than regularly going through the motions. By the way, I started at the lowest Math and I am pleased to say that in the Fall semester I will be caught up. Great accomplishment I think.

 

[Poland]

I think you'll be one of those (and definitely most likely by the time you apply) that will have to get a B.A. or B.S. first. The occurrence of acceptance with just pre-requisites is getting very low unless you do your undergrad work at a private school that also has a pharmacy school. I agree that diversity in background helps, especially when interviewing and doing the essays.

P.S. RxRob: I myself have realized some of this and spoken to the Biology/Chemistry advisor on these majors. He basically put it right out to me saying that following the Pre-Pharmacy requirements were actually going to set me back on a B.S. in Chemistry or Biology. This has me a little sick since there is the possibility of acceptance without a B.S. degree - I am not applying to the top pharmacy schools. So naturally I want to fufill the pre-reqs and not divert on another course that takes four years or more.

What do you guys suggest to this? I suppose I will fufill the pre-reqs and apply, then if I am not accepted I will go on and increase my number of schools while adding more classes towards a B.S. in Chemistry.

😱 Lots of planning

 

[RxRob]

P.S. RxRob: I myself have realized some of this and spoken to the Biology/Chemistry advisor on these majors. He basically put it right out to me saying that following the Pre-Pharmacy requirements were actually going to set me back on a B.S. in Chemistry or Biology. This has me a little sick since there is the possibility of acceptance without a B.S. degree - I am not applying to the top pharmacy schools. So naturally I want to fufill the pre-reqs and not divert on another course that takes four years or more.

What do you guys suggest to this? I suppose I will fufill the pre-reqs and apply, then if I am not accepted I will go on and increase my number of schools while adding more classes towards a B.S. in Chemistry.

😱 Lots of planning

Actually what I'm implying is that if you have a lot of credits towards a liberal arts degree or whatever you get for journalisming that you should finish that along with whatever will help you do well on the PCAT. Having a degree most often gets you out of a lot of the pre-req's... look it up for the school you're applying to, pre-req's are for non-grad applicants. You'll definitely have to have the science though either way, 8-12 creds of bio and 16 of chem.

 

[evilolive]

High school means nada now, you are a university student, and you will be judged as one. After reading your post, it seems to me that you have some worthwile material to add to your personal statement when the time comes.

I was asked by the University of Michigan Ann Arbor to supply my high school transcript, SAT, and AP scores.