pharmacy school questions?

[AlXguy]

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well, i'm a pre-med but i'm open towards other fields in health too. And pharmacy is one of them. So How does one go to pharmacy school? Is it the same process as to med school, 4 yrs undergrad and then pharm school? And what about the requirements? I would appreciate the help, Thanks.

 

[Knickerbocker]

"Open towards" as in really wanting to do pharmacy, or "open towards" as in wanting a fallback plan?

Being a doctor and being a pharmacist are two very different things.

 

[ForcedEntry]

well, i'm a pre-med but i'm open towards other fields in health too. And pharmacy is one of them. So How does one go to pharmacy school? Is it the same process as to med school, 4 yrs undergrad and then pharm school? And what about the requirements? I would appreciate the help, Thanks.

I will be nice and point you to the holy grail of these forums...HERE

 

[AlXguy]

"Open towards" as in really wanting to do pharmacy, or "open towards" as in wanting a fallback plan?

Being a doctor and being a pharmacist are two very different things.

Well, I would say a fallback plan. But i'm only a freshman, and who knows? I might get interested in pharmacy.

 

[Knickerbocker]

Well, I would say a fallback plan. But i'm only a freshman, and who knows? I might get interested in pharmacy.

If it's a fallback plan, you really shouldn't apply to pharmacy school. First, you won't be happy with it. Second, schools will be able to tell that you aren't sincere. Recently, representatives from a nearby pharmacy school came to my university to talk to those interested about getting in. They explicitly stated that they didn't want to be a backup plan for those who don't get into medical school.

I'd recommend volunteering/shadowing to see what doctors and pharmacists do and then make up your mind. Odds are that you'll prefer one over the other.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

well, i'm a pre-med but i'm open towards other fields in health too. And pharmacy is one of them. So How does one go to pharmacy school? Is it the same process as to med school, 4 yrs undergrad and then pharm school? And what about the requirements? I would appreciate the help, Thanks.

I agree you should look into the profession by shadowing a hospital and retail pharmacist and see what you think. If you can find a compounding pharmacist that might also be an interesting side of pharmacy for you to see. Honestly there is nothing wrong with having a backup plan sometimes we do not get what we want but find happiness in something else. It is true you may feel regret down the road but it is your choice. If you want to apply to pharmacy as a backup then go for it, do not let people make you feel bad. Pharmacy schools takes kids off the waitlist all the time as their "backup" students.

There is nothing wrong with being a backup students either once you are in the program no one cares if you were first or last accepted.
Your career is only part of your life, personally I think there are several jobs that I could do happily for the rest of my life, pharmacy just seemed like the best fit overall for the way I want to live and interact with people.

Of course pharmacy schools are going to say that they do not want to be a backup plan, who wants to be a backup plan? Who cares if they do not want to be a backup plan though, it is your job through the interview, through essays and showing interest by volunteering and shadowing that you are interested in the career. Pharmacy school was my backup plan if I did not end up liking engineering and guess what I hated engineering and I am very happy I had a backup plan and could not be happier with my choice to pursue pharmacy school and i am excited to start Pharmacy school in a couple weeks. Schools can not always tell if you are using pharmacy as your backup, so it is up to you to make sure it is something you will be happy with by looking into the profession.

Sorry for the long post I just wanted to make sure you do not feel bad for having pharmacy as a backup idea incase you change your mind about medicine. Sure, often people use pharmacy as a fallback and might be miserable one day with it but it is not my place to judge them especially on an online forum. I do not know your passions so I just say look into the career and decide what is right for you. Nothing wrong with planning, people who have a problem with it, take their opinion with a grain of salt.

 

[AlXguy]

I agree you should look into the profession by shadowing a hospital and retail pharmacist and see what you think. If you can find a compounding pharmacist that might also be an interesting side of pharmacy for you to see. Honestly there is nothing wrong with having a backup plan sometimes we do not get what we want but find happiness in something else. It is true you may feel regret down the road but it is your choice. If you want to apply to pharmacy as a backup then go for it, do not let people make you feel bad. Pharmacy schools takes kids off the waitlist all the time as their "backup" students.

There is nothing wrong with being a backup students either once you are in the program no one cares if you were first or last accepted.
Your career is only part of your life, personally I think there are several jobs that I could do happily for the rest of my life, pharmacy just seemed like the best fit overall for the way I want to live and interact with people.

Of course pharmacy schools are going to say that they do not want to be a backup plan, who wants to be a backup plan? Who cares if they do not want to be a backup plan though, it is your job through the interview, through essays and showing interest by volunteering and shadowing that you are interested in the career. Pharmacy school was my backup plan if I did not end up liking engineering and guess what I hated engineering and I am very happy I had a backup plan and could not be happier with my choice to pursue pharmacy school and i am excited to start Pharmacy school in a couple weeks. Schools can not always tell if you are using pharmacy as your backup, so it is up to you to make sure it is something you will be happy with by looking into the profession.

Sorry for the long post I just wanted to make sure you do not feel bad for having pharmacy as a backup idea incase you change your mind about medicine. Sure, often people use pharmacy as a fallback and might be miserable one day with it but it is not my place to judge them especially on an online forum. I do not know your passions so I just say look into the career and decide what is right for you. Nothing wrong with planning, people who have a problem with it, take their opinion with a grain of salt.

thanks for the advise.

 

[Knickerbocker]

Sorry for the long post I just wanted to make sure you do not feel bad for having pharmacy as a backup idea incase you change your mind about medicine.

There is nothing wrong with that scenario at all. The "fallback" I'm referring to is people who get rejected from medical school, but applied to pharmacy school as a fallback purely for the salary. If someone really liked both and applied to one as a fallback, I don't think that anyone would complain.

 

[AlXguy]

so back to my original post,"How does one go to pharmacy school? Is it the same process as to med school, 4 yrs undergrad and then pharm school? And what about the requirements?"

thanks.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

so back to my original post,"How does one go to pharmacy school? Is it the same process as to med school, 4 yrs undergrad and then pharm school? And what about the requirements?"

thanks.

A great source for anything I leave out here is the FAQ section of the prereq thread.

For the most part these days , 4 years of undergrad, obtaining a degree is a good way to go before you apply to a pharmacy school but it i possible to get all the coursework done in 2 years or 3 years. $ years of undergrad or a BS degree is not required at most schools but more and more students are applying with BS degrees these days. The application process is very similar, you take a test called PCAT, but not all schools require it. Similar science prereqs and then you apply to most schools through a central application service called Pharmcas. The process of applying is very similar. Check out the FAQ thread for specifics on schools and www.aacp.org for statistics and all that good stuff. Keep the questions coming if you are confused about anything and if want a quicker response search around.

 

[AlXguy]

A great source for anything I leave out here is the FAQ section of the prereq thread.

For the most part these days , 4 years of undergrad, obtaining a degree is a good way to go before you apply to a pharmacy school but it i possible to get all the coursework done in 2 years or 3 years. $ years of undergrad or a BS degree is not required at most schools but more and more students are applying with BS degrees these days. The application process is very similar, you take a test called PCAT, but not all schools require it. Similar science prereqs and then you apply to most schools through a central application service called Pharmcas. The process of applying is very similar. Check out the FAQ thread for specifics on schools and www.aacp.org for statistics and all that good stuff. Keep the questions coming if you are confused about anything and if want a quicker response search around.

Just one more question. Do i need to go to a school that also has a pharmacy school or can i just go to any university? thanks...and next time, I'll try to use the search function😀.

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

Just one more question. Do i need to go to a school that also has a pharmacy school or can i just go to any university? thanks...and next time, I'll try to use the search function😀.

No you do not need to go to a school with a pharmacy school, many people feel they have an advantage applying within their own school but when applying to state schools all students that are residents of that state have the upper hand to out of staters. Many students choose to do their first 2 years at a communtiy college/take a few upper division classes at a 4 year school and then apply. Do whatever works best for you and allows you to keep a solid GPA while getting pharmacy volunteer and work experience.

 

[Utterdevotion]

Just one more question. Do i need to go to a school that also has a pharmacy school or can i just go to any university? thanks...and next time, I'll try to use the search function😀.

You can do your pre-reqs at any school. Some undergrad schools have connections to their pharmacy school, giving you a certain advantage over others. You just have to be mindful of your pre-reqs since different schools have different requirements.

 

[Utterdevotion]

No you do not need to go to a school with a pharmacy school, many people feel they have an advantage applying within their own school but when applying to state schools all students that are residents of that state have the upper hand to out of staters. Many students choose to do their first 2 years at a communtiy college/take a few upper division classes at a 4 year school and then apply. Do whatever works best for you and allows you to keep a solid GPA while getting pharmacy volunteer and work experience.

The in-state status is true, but I know for University of Baltimore, MD students don't have an advantage over out of state. So when you look at UMB stats, there's less in-state students than other public pharm schools.

Also, if you already attend a university, and are thinking of taking a few community college classes to save money, be mindful of the transfer credit policies.

 

[AlXguy]

The in-state status is true, but I know for University of Baltimore, MD students don't have an advantage over out of state. So when you look at UMB stats, there's less in-state students than other public pharm schools.

Also, if you already attend a university, and are thinking of taking a few community college classes to save money, be mindful of the transfer credit policies.

lol, i'm a freshman.