Pharmacy school entry with Low GPA

[Nubianssense]

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[gators14]

not all schools look at the overall GPA. For example. FLorida only looks at the pre req GPA. So all is not lost at all.......Look for shcools that only consider prereq GPA....or you could taake a few courses to raise that overall PGA over 3.0....

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

You are looking to apply for Fall 2008 right? I would agree with the above poster if that is the case, as long as you get a good PCAT and have good prereq GPA.

 

[atteb]

.

 

[Familyties]

There are schools that have a minimum GPA requirement of a 2.5 so you can definitely apply to those, but many schools have a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0.

I have a OGPA of 2.8, and a SGPA of 2.7, so if you want, send me a private message and I'll be glad to share with you my experience and, hopefully, help you feel optimistic

hi im in the same situation as you is there any hope?

 

[mike36]

The school I applied to (UT Austin) has a minimum GPA requirement of 2.8. I'd say you have a chance if you do excellent on the PCAT, get really good letters of recommendation, and write a solid personal statement. It's also a good idea to get plenty of pharmacy experience.

They should be understanding if you explain, either in your personal statement or in your interview, that you didn't originally plan on Pharmacy School. Then explain what made you decide to apply for it. Good Luck!

 

[fatevsdestiny]

UCSF also has minimum gpa of 2.8!

 

[Dr.Biassi]

Everybody is right here. You should go for it and get a good PCAT scores. I will recommend you also to go for the Postbaccalaureate and get better GPA to increase your chances of getting into pharmacy school. As said there are always exceptions to the rules. People with less than 3.00 GPA are getting accepted to pharmacy schools.

 

[345Titration345]

is it the same post-bacc program people do for med schools?

 

[helster]

I think you should take the PCAT and see how you do...sometimes u can get in with a weak gpa and a strong PCAT plus u have work experience. Maybe take some classes over? Good luck

 

[CHARMO]

There are schools that have a minimum GPA requirement of a 2.5 so you can definitely apply to those, but many schools have a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0.

I have a OGPA of 2.8, and a SGPA of 2.7, so if you want, send me a private message and I'll be glad to share with you my experience and, hopefully, help you feel optimistic

Hi atteb,

I saw ur posting and I'm interesting in ur story since I have a low GPA and I'm very much interested in pharmacy school. I hoping u can give me some info like the schools u applied to and other things u used to compliment ur GPA inorder to boost ur chances of getting in
thanks

 

[CHARMO]

Hi atteb,

I saw ur posting and I'm interesting in ur story since I have a low GPA and I'm very much interested in pharmacy school. I hoping u can give me some info like the schools u applied to and other things u used to compliment ur GPA inorder to boost ur chances of getting in
thanks

 

[atteb]

.

 

[chem123]

atteb what schools did you get into...or interviewed at, b/c i'm sort of the opposite my gpa isnt that bad but my PCAT is horrible...

 

[atteb]

.

 

[comet81]

Does anyone know of a school that let in students with a 2.8 GPA. I've done pretty well for with me pre reqs but I slipped up on my liberal arts course. I'm a senior and I considered going to a post bac program to increase my chances to get into the pharmD school. I also work at a pharmacy right now. what should be my next approach PS I havent taken the PCATs but I plan on taking it. After working at the pharmacy I realized I had a strong interest in pharmacy and unforunately I did not figure that out until my the end of my senior year but luckily since I'm a Biology major. I'm soo frustrated someone please help me out???

Post Bac program or should I take a stab at applying???

I have a low stat but I got accepted into two schools. I also got invited by most schools for their interviews. The tip is to apply very early , around early September.

 

[CHARMO]

I have a low stat but I got accepted into two schools. I also got invited by most schools for their interviews. The tip is to apply very early , around early September.

comet81,
If you don't mind me asking, what schools did you get accepted to???

 

[comet81]

comet81,
If you don't mind me asking, what schools did you get accepted to???

Midwestern CCP, LECOM Bradenton....

 

[ApplicantPharmD]

I have a low stat but I got accepted into two schools. I also got invited by most schools for their interviews. The tip is to apply very early , around early September.

Do you mind sharing your stats? ive low stats too...im gonna apply for fall 2008...
Thanks

 

[FutureGaPharm]

Hi atteb,

I saw ur posting and I'm interesting in ur story since I have a low GPA and I'm very much interested in pharmacy school. I hoping u can give me some info like the schools u applied to and other things u used to compliment ur GPA inorder to boost ur chances of getting in
thanks

Why don't we all start the 3.0 and below club to show that hope is out there for people in our situation.

 

[Bhavesh]

I know there's no easy answer to this, and it really depends on the school, but what sort of PCAT balances out a 2.8?

85+?

and which schools do you people (with sub 3.0's) go to? I know it's tough to get good grades at better ranked (and larger) schools.

otherwise, if you're applying for fall '08, I'd recommend that you register for summer classes (to boost up your gpa as much as possible before you apply), take the june PCAT (and rock it), and apply as soon as you get the scores (which are 6-8 weeks after the test). Start looking for people you can ask for recommendations, or ask some of your current professors.

 

[dragonqueen209]

I had a low gpa but I got into UCSF. When I applied, I only had a 3.13, after my acceptance, it was raised to a 3.23 so dont' be discouraged!

 

[Quiksilver]

Most people forget that there is more to an application then just grades. Extra cirricular activities count, pharm experience, a very well versed personal statement, and of course high PCAT. You could take a prep course for the PCAT, like Kaplan. It helped enormously for me, i started in high 70 percentiles in their diagnostic and i ended up getting a 93 composite on the real deal with strong science and math scores (85th percentile and up). I also took the summer exam (and you should too because it a month after the semester ends = more quality study time). Finish the application early, get the transcripts and LOR sent to pharmcas even earlier (because those 2 things take pharmcas forever and a day to receive and process it.)

Good luck

 

[cystapharm]

(because those 2 things take pharmcas forever and a day to receive and process it.)

its funny how you said that!

 

[islander01]

i am applying for fall 08 too. I am thinking that i might just apply to some low end schools, and did well enough to transfer to better schools. Do you think it is a good idea?

Stats: 83 percentile for pcat, 2.8 for overall and science. i currently worked as a pharm clerk, and i just got my tech certificate. i volunteered in a pharmacy for 2 years and did other community service stuff. i know that my extracurricular activities are okay, but my grades are what bogged me down. i heard that some schools just look at the number and cut off half of the people? is that true? I mean like if the "cutoff" for that year is a 3.0, they will jsut cut off those with less than 3.0 without reading their other parts of the app? I surely hope it is not true.

 

[Hope14]

oh man guys....all of this is just so upsetting, im in a really similar situation as some of you if not WORSE...... ...I dont know what to do anymore. I havent taken the PCAT yet but my gpa is not anywhere near a 3.0. Im trying really hard to do well this semester so I can boost up my gpa but *sigh*, I have no idea anymore.......

 

[hiroki]

Hey ... don't go around giving up just yet ...

Like everyone's been saying, just put in a lot of effort into the other areas that these colleges look at, like pharmacy experience, volunteer work, and the pcat.

Don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you guys are, with my 2.333. I have 3 semesters left, so not all is lost, but what happened with me was bad study ethic.

If that's your case, it's up to you to change that. I just started competing with the med school kids who absolutely have to get A's, studied with them, etc. But remember, you've gotta change the way you act and study.

As for pharmacy experience, reach out to your local hospital. Or take the pharmacy tech exam [I took it, and it's not that difficult] and then get a job.

There's plenty of volunteer work to be done. I go to http://www.volunteermatch.org/ to find work.

And finally, there's the PCAT. If you had to change your study ethic, like I did, studying for this should feel no different.

The whole competition thing with the pre-meds does wonders for me ...

Hope this helps.

 

[Hope14]

Hey ... don't go around giving up just yet ...

Like everyone's been saying, just put in a lot of effort into the other areas that these colleges look at, like pharmacy experience, volunteer work, and the pcat.

Don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you guys are, with my 2.333. I have 3 semesters left, so not all is lost, but what happened with me was bad study ethic.

If that's your case, it's up to you to change that. I just started competing with the med school kids who absolutely have to get A's, studied with them, etc. But remember, you've gotta change the way you act and study.

As for pharmacy experience, reach out to your local hospital. Or take the pharmacy tech exam [I took it, and it's not that difficult] and then get a job.

There's plenty of volunteer work to be done. I go to http://www.volunteermatch.org/ to find work.

And finally, there's the PCAT. If you had to change your study ethic, like I did, studying for this should feel no different.

The whole competition thing with the pre-meds does wonders for me ...

Hope this helps.

hey...thanks a lot! I guess most of us in our position need a lot of confidence boosting let alone getting stuff togethor...goodluck!!!

 

[LowGPAHighPCAT]

CHARMO,

I applied early, spent over a month on my personal statement, studied for the PCAT over a month in advance, almost everyday (3 hrs a day), and (I THINK) I got good letters of reference.

I have no pharmacy experience. However, I have done very little shadowing. I think the things that stood out for me were PCAT scores and my post-Bac biomedical research experience.

Hope that helps.

Hey atteb, did you actually get into pharmacy school? If so, how well did you do on the PCAT? I'm in the same boat as some of these people - although I'm actually waiting to hear back on whether or not I got into my school. I had a low GPA but a good PCAT score (95) and great letters of recommendation.

 

[atteb]

.

 

[LowGPAHighPCAT]

Yes. I'll be attending Shenandoah University this Fall. I got 88% on the PCAT. I hope you hear the good news soon!

Thanks, and congrats on your acceptance.

 

[CHARMO]

Hey atteb, did you actually get into pharmacy school? If so, how well did you do on the PCAT? I'm in the same boat as some of these people - although I'm actually waiting to hear back on whether or not I got into my school. I had a low GPA but a good PCAT score (95) and great letters of recommendation.

Hi LowGPAHighPCAT,

I was wondering if you could give me some tips on how you studied for your pcat. U see my gpa is not that great and after taking the pcat twice, i still was not able to get a good score
thanks

 

[LowGPAHighPCAT]

Hi LowGPAHighPCAT,

I was wondering if you could give me some tips on how you studied for your pcat. U see my gpa is not that great and after taking the pcat twice, i still was not able to get a good score
thanks

I actually used Kaplan - but not the Kaplan PCAT. I used a kaplan mcat study guide. This (in my opinion) actually overprepared me and gave me a more thorough understanding of what I needed to know. This way, when the test asked questions that weren't simply a matter of memorization but more deductive or reasoning in nature, I was able to come up with the answer quickly. I actually would have done better but I mistimed the math section and was unable to complete it. I wound up with a 55 for that section which just killed my score. Had I not mistimed it, I probably would have scored a 98 or 99. My other scores were all in the 90's including two 99's (verbal reasoning and bio). Bottom line - study for it like you would study for an mcat and you'll crush that test... Hope this is helpful - good luck!!!

 

[Hope14]

I know alot of schools have different pre-reqs but for some schools, there are just a few too many, can we still apply and take like the left one or two pre-reqs in the following semester ...for example if we're applying for fall '08, taking pre-reqa in fall '07 AND take the rest one or two later in spring '08...will they still consider the app as long as they know we'll complete their required pre-reqs before we enter the school ?

sorry if this question is in the wrong thread, i also have a low gpa so just trying to figure things out... thanks

 

[eelo]

I know alot of schools have different pre-reqs but for some schools, there are just a few too many, can we still apply and take like the left one or two pre-reqs in the following semester ...for example if we're applying for fall '08, taking pre-reqa in fall '07 AND take the rest one or two later in spring '08...will they still consider the app as long as they know we'll complete their required pre-reqs before we enter the school ?

sorry if this question is in the wrong thread, i also have a low gpa so just trying to figure things out... thanks

Okay..... I'm pretty sure you've been told this before, but I'll say it again just because.

You really need to look at the AACP website and read the individual pre-reqs and other requirements for each individual school at which you plan to apply. Some of them may say that the pre-reqs need to be completed before applying, and some say the pre-reqs need to be completed prior to matriculation, meaning that as long as you're done by the time school starts, you're okay.

This might be beneficial to you in choosing which school(s) you apply to.

 

[pharmdusn]

There are schools that have a minimum GPA requirement of a 2.5 so you can definitely apply to those, but many schools have a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0.

I have a OGPA of 2.8, and a SGPA of 2.7, so if you want, send me a private message and I'll be glad to share with you my experience and, hopefully, help you feel optimistic

Hi I am also appying to Pharm sch. Could you email me at [email protected] to share your experience. Thanks

 

[Hope14]

getting straight A's one semester or close to that, how much can the gpa rise? approx...?

 

[LowGPAHighPCAT]

getting straight A's one semester or close to that, how much can the gpa rise? approx...?

Depends on how many hours you've taken. However, it's not difficult to figure out using the following formula:

(number of grade points earned + number of additional grade points that you expect to earn)/(number of hours attempted + number of additional hours that you plan to attend).

Example:
If you have earned 90 grade points and have attempted 30 hours, then your GPA is 90/30 = 3.0.

If you are planning on taking 4 classes next semester at 3 hours per class, and you plan on getting A's in all those classes, then your new GPA is (90 + (12*4)) / (30 + 12) = 138/42 ~ 3.29.

 

[brasilia01]

Okay everyone, I've got questions.

I have been waitlisted at both Midwestern Campus' and my GPA sucks, and my PCAT is ok. My OGPA is 2.95, SGPA 2.87 and my PCAT scores were

79% Overall
85% Quant.
83% Biol
76% Chem
67&62% Verb & Reading and comp.
Writing Score 4
50 hrs of shadowing in comm. pharmacy

I realize I may not get in this year, and I am trying to figure out what I can do to imporve my chances for this next application year. I am going to apply to a Post Bacc. program at CAL State LA, but I am worried that this won't help my GPA right when I apply since I will be applying early. Should I do this program anyway, hoping they will take this into consideration. I am also going to take the tech exam, and apply to be a tech in CA, but that will take some time since I can't register to take the test till June. What should I do guys??I just want to get in, and I am hoping I'll get in from the waitlist so I don't have to go through the headache of reapplying. Thanks for your comments and Help!

 

[stylerprodigy]

After two years of college of about 54 credits I ended up with a 1.69. I changed majors and schools and I got straight As six semesters straight after that with around 16 credits average each semester, now my GPA is a 3.09. I regret starting out as an engineer or else I could have been magna cum lade with a molecular biology major.

 

[UCIGUY]

I figure that the only two things that really got me into pharm school was my PCAT score and my tech job. My overall GPA is around 2.8, but my composite of 91 on the PCAT really helped out. So I would say, if your gpa is on the low side, you might need something really good to balance it out. But there is hope!!

 

[Hope14]

I figure that the only two things that really got me into pharm school was my PCAT score and my tech job. My overall GPA is around 2.8, but my composite of 91 on the PCAT really helped out. So I would say, if your gpa is on the low side, you might need something really good to balance it out. But there is hope!!

which pharm schools did you get into? if you dont mind sharing

 

[LowGPAHighPCAT]

Okay everyone, I've got questions.

I have been waitlisted at both Midwestern Campus' and my GPA sucks, and my PCAT is ok. My OGPA is 2.95, SGPA 2.87 and my PCAT scores were

79% Overall
85% Quant.
83% Biol
76% Chem
67&62% Verb & Reading and comp.
Writing Score 4
50 hrs of shadowing in comm. pharmacy

I realize I may not get in this year, and I am trying to figure out what I can do to imporve my chances for this next application year. I am going to apply to a Post Bacc. program at CAL State LA, but I am worried that this won't help my GPA right when I apply since I will be applying early. Should I do this program anyway, hoping they will take this into consideration. I am also going to take the tech exam, and apply to be a tech in CA, but that will take some time since I can't register to take the test till June. What should I do guys??I just want to get in, and I am hoping I'll get in from the waitlist so I don't have to go through the headache of reapplying. Thanks for your comments and Help!

Well you can't improve your GPA - trust me, I know from experience. My GPA is substantially lower than 3.0 but I'm in the hunt for acceptance at a good school. Several things have saved me. First, my GPA trends sharply upward. Over my last 60 or so hours of classwork, I have about 3.75 GPA which includes classes like molecular bio, physical chem I & II, undergrad & grad level biochems, human physiology, etc. Second, I have a lot of pharmacy experience, which the adcoms love. Finally, and I think most importantly, I smoked the PCAT. I got a 95 composite and all but 1 of my individual scores were in the 90's.

My advice is to get some experience and do very well on the PCAT - at least 90%. I'm not sure what your GPA curve looks like, but if it trends upward, that will help. Good Luck!

 

[skyblue2302]

I am in a similar situation to a lot of people. I graduated in Dec. 2005 with my BS in Biology... I've been trying to get into pharmacy school but my grades just weren't good enough. At the moment, my overall is 3.03 and my sci is about 2.67. My pcats (which I took 3 TIMES) has been the same each time (~50%). I refuse to take the PCAT again, because I do not want to do badly AGAIN... however, I am looking into schools that don't require the pcat. I've applied to some schools over the last 2 years and have gotten rejected... I applied to LECOM for this year and since I applied pretty late, I'm assuming I am getting rejected. I just applied to LECOM's post bac program for this fall and am HOPING i get in. I need to find other schools that have the same post bac program as LECOM. Most schools I found only have post bac programs for currently working pharmacists.. I have contacted a few schools for next year and I'm getting different answers as to what I can do.. one school has told me to just retake my sci courses over summer and apply and they will take the 2nd grade over the first. IDK how many other schools allow this so I'm hesitant to just go with this option. Another school told me to apply to their MPH program because most of their students go on to Pharm D. Though I'm in the process of applying for the MPH program, I have no idea what I should be doing. HELP ME, PLEASE!!

 

[CHARMO]

I figure that the only two things that really got me into pharm school was my PCAT score and my tech job. My overall GPA is around 2.8, but my composite of 91 on the PCAT really helped out. So I would say, if your gpa is on the low side, you might need something really good to balance it out. But there is hope!!

I'll like to know how u studied for ur pcat coz i'll be taking it for the 3rd time this june and need some study tips

 

[StringTheorist]

i have a prepharm GPA of 2.99 and an overall of 3.47, and a high PCAT, and i got an interview for UF soon. so theres always hope

 

[UCIGUY]

Out of the 12 schools i applied to, I got into Midwestern CCP and Nova. Waitlisted over at Midwestern CPG.

For the PCAT, I brought the Baron's PCAT prep book and studied it for about a month. Also praying for good luck helps too

 

[MeHungryRx]

i have a prepharm GPA of 2.99 and an overall of 3.47, and a high PCAT, and i got an interview for UF soon. so theres always hope

I was curious as to which classes you guys use when figuring out your prepharm GPA, I know pharmcas does overall gpa, sci gpa, and math gpa. Thanks.

 

[StringTheorist]

i used the prereqsfor UFs pharm school, so thats bio,chem, orgo, physics, anatomy and physiology, and math. and B+ counts as 3.3, not 3.5... same for all other + grades

 

[Smilescali]

i used the prereqsfor UFs pharm school, so thats bio,chem, orgo, physics, anatomy and physiology, and math. and B+ counts as 3.3, not 3.5... same for all other + grades

Love your screen name......are you a physics major?