Pharmacy Program at Virginia Tech?

[bumbleboo12]

I am about to finish my first year at community college, and plan to transfer to Virginia Tech to get my Bachelor's in Biology. I noticed that VT offers a pharmacy option program. Has anyone ever done this at VT and then transferred to a Pharmacy School? I have heard conflicting information on whether or not to receive my Bachelor's before attending the PharmD program. Also, what else could you suggest for me to in order to have the advantage when applying to pharmacy school. Where should I volenteer? How do I do an internship at a Pharmacy? Any info would be greatly appreciated.


Kim

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[eelo]

I am about to finish my first year at community college, and plan to transfer to Virginia Tech to get my Bachelor's in Biology. I noticed that VT offers a pharmacy option program. Has anyone ever done this at VT and then transferred to a Pharmacy School? I have heard conflicting information on whether or not to receive my Bachelor's before attending the PharmD program. Also, what else could you suggest for me to in order to have the advantage when applying to pharmacy school. Where should I volenteer? How do I do an internship at a Pharmacy? Any info would be greatly appreciated.


Kim

Are you sure it's VT and not VCU? Tech mght offer a good pre-pharm program that will transfer easily to VCU, but VCU is the only public college/university in Virginia that offers pharmacy. It's also posible that the Tech program makes for easy tranfer into the privates (Shenandoah, U of Appalachia, Hampton).

Really, if you're doing well at the community college and plan to tranfser into a 4-year school with the ultimate goal of going to pharmacy school, why not transfer into VCU and skip Tech altogether?

You really should speak to someone at your preferred school. If you're a VA resident, VCU is a great option for you, and it's possible that you could go directly from the CC into the pharm program at VCU.

 

[bumbleboo12]

yeah im sure Tech offers a pharmacy option, jusr not the PharmD. The VT website even says it is specifically designed to transfer to VCU. IF I transferred straight from My commmunity college to VCU, how many years would I have to complete at VCU? how many would I have to complete if I got my Bachelor's at VT first? By the way thank you for your info

 

[bumbleboo12]

also, my CC does not offer some of the pre req. courses i need, such as microbiology an immunology. How do i go about completing these courses before I enter the MCV program at VCU?

Thanks,
Kim

 

[eelo]

also, my CC does not offer some of the pre req. courses i need, such as microbiology an immunology. How do i go about completing these courses before I enter the MCV program at VCU?

Thanks,
Kim

You really need to get information straight from VCU. I would talk to someone at the CC about making sure that you're taking the right courses with intent to transfer. The VA community college system is very, very strong in terms of transferrability to 4-year schools, especially state chools, but you absolutely HAVR to be taking the transfer program courses, and the people at the CC need to know that your plans are to transfer to (whichever) school.

I would also talk to someone at VCU to verify that your coursework plan is on track with what they want/expect. Their website was pretty informative, and I believe the people at the school were pretty helpful when it came to answering specific questions for my daughter (she's going to a different school, tho).

I believe that once you're within a certain number of credit hours, you can apply for admission to the pharmD program at VCU. Now, you'll probably need to have a certain amount of upper-level classes that you can't get at the CC (are you at TCC or NoVA, maybe?). This might comprise most of what would be your junior year, so you'll have to find a place to take those classes. Since your ultimate goal is VCU, why not try to get into VCU right from the CC?

First, talk to the guidance folks at the CC, and let them kow your goal, and have them help you map out a schedule. Then, talk to someone at VCU and find out if the schedule works for the, and see what they recommend.

 

[eelo]

Also-- have you checked out the information available at the VCU webite? I clipped this:

All applicants for Fall 2008 admission to VCU's Doctor of Pharmacy degree program must apply on-line through the national application service PharmCAS, at www.pharmcas.org. In addition, we require three letters of reference to be submitted to PharmCAS. We recommend that you submit your application materials as early as possible, provided you have completed at least one year of college course work. It is not necessary to have completed all prerequisite course work or to have taken the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) before submitting your application. However, you must complete all prerequisite courses and take the PCAT before entering our program.

If you go to the website (start at www.vcu.edu), get their pre-req info before you talk to the guidance people at you CC. Then after you've spoken to guidance and gotten a long-term schedule planned, talk to the people at VCU to make sure the schedule meets the necessary criteria. It will probably be good for you to get your foot in the door and get your name known, too.

Since you're going to need a minimum of 90 hours to be admitted to the PharmD program, you'll have to plan on at least two more years of undergrad work. You can probably get most of the first 60 hours through the CC, but you'll need to check to be sure. The remaining 30 hours will be what you'll need to take at Tech or at VCU. Again, this is where I recommend skipping Tech and going straight to VCU; you can be assured that the VCU credits will transfer and be acceptable. Admittedly, the Tech credits will probably transfer over too, but why add an extra school? Plus, going to VCU for those undergrad credits may give you an edge, and you may get a chance to meet some of the students and professors in the PharmD program.

 

[bumbleboo12]

ok I see what your saying. I go to TCC right now. Because only 60 of my credits will transfer, I should just earn the other 30 from VCU? Do I apply to VCU first and then after earning the last 30 credits I need, do I apply to MCV? Also how would you recommend I get experience? I worked in a pharmacy when I was 16 as a cashier, however I stocked prescriptions and worked right below the pharmacy, do you think this would count? Thank you agian for all your help.

 

[eelo]

ok I see what your saying. I go to TCC right now. Because only 60 of my credits will transfer, I should just earn the other 30 from VCU? Do I apply to VCU first and then after earning the last 30 credits I need, do I apply to MCV? Also how would you recommend I get experience? I worked in a pharmacy when I was 16 as a cashier, however I stocked prescriptions and worked right below the pharmacy, do you think this would count? Thank you agian for all your help.

1. You need to be absolutely sure that the 60 credits you're counting on transferring will actually transfer. I know they're supposed to, but sometimes a course gets mis-labeled, or the one you need may not be available so you take one that sounds similar, or whatever.... and bam, you're out three, six, or more credits.

2. Familiarize yourself with the VCU website. I think you can apply once you've completed at least 60 hours, and are on track to have another 30 completed before classes start for the PharmD program. For example, someoone could apply now having completed 60 hours, and by the time VCU does its admission review and makes selections, Fall semester will be over (another 15 credits), the student would be enrolled in Spring semester (another 15 credits), and would still have the summer session next year to fill in any gaps before clases start in Fall 2008.

3. Get hired at a pharmacy. The local Walgreens (specifically, the one by Home Depot near the VB campus) has been extremely gracious about hiring my daughter (she's the prospective PharmD) for short-term employmet. They hired her just for the summer, knowing she was moving out of state for school, and still they've trained her in the store and are even letting her work two weeks in the pharmacy before she moves. You've got over a year before you'd be leaving for school; that's so far in the future (and realistically, it's still a little tenuous) you don't even have to mention it on your application.

4. You can do the on-line application at Walgreens.com and put in for up to five stores, I think. Then go into each store and introduce yourself. Other local pharmacies have similar programs; try every Eckerd and Rite-Aid you see. The Walgreens on Holland Rd is a 24-hour store, and that's the closest 24-hour pharmacy to the new Emergency Room on Princess Anne, so I' sure business is picking up for them with referrals from there. If you're able to work some of the more 'undesireable" hours, you could find yourself in a pretty good situation.

Good luck---- ;-)