To chemguy79,
My GPA is 3.79 as of today. I am in the business school getting two majors that take a total of 5 years to complete. Pharmacy schools also ask for a liberal arts or social science education (which corresponds to a second year of education for the ones who do not have a bachelors degree). I would say that the ones who take the easy route are the ones who complete their pre-requirements at the community college. The education is poor and does not have a goal (eg, my university offers a liberal arts education combined with religious studies for personal and spiritual formation).
Now, take into consideration that after fiver years of undergraduate I need two more years to complete my prerequisites, plus four years of pharmacy school--Are we on the same page now? Usually, pharmacists have bad writing skills, and this is in part because they complete their general/basic education in a community college.
Adding to the previous arguments, my school costs $35,000 a year (as of 2012), now multiply that by 7 (total years in school including pharmacy pre-requirements), and I am not including inflation or school yearly tuition increase. This is the cost of a world-class education.
The classes pharmacy schools require (biology, chemistry, biochemistry) are general classes in that specific subject. They are basic classes to give one an understanding of the sciences. The real classes come in pharmacy school, where they are pharmacy-related and relevant for the professional world.
You named GPA as trying to infer that because I would like to take the minimum pre-requisites I must have a low GPA. That is a baseless judgement.
Persuasive enough?
let me know what you think.
No, it isn't.
Note: I mention Pharmacy school GPA in my previous post. Given the increased supply of pharmacy school students, I believe that pharmacy GPA will play a larger role in the application process. I'll come back to this point eventually.
I mention nothing about undergraduate GPA which is what started your post; I doubt that prospective pharmacist employers will care much about your undergraduate GPA. Pharmacy schools will give it credence, but if you take fewer pre-requisites than other applicants, they will have less information from which to base your potential for success in the program.
For the record: I did not imply nor did I state that you are interested in taking fewer pre-requisites as a way to enhance your GPA. That argument is
baseless.
As for "writing skills," I feel that these are important to the application process. However, you seem to base quite a bit on the importance of these skills. I think that verbal communication trumps one's writing skills when it comes to patient contact. I also think that you are rather myopic to state that pharmacists have poor writing skills and said comment is in poor taste on your part.
The second paragraph that I bolded contains flawed logic. Pharmacy schools are expecting you to come in with a solid skill set in the sciences. In addition, I contend that the more classes in the sciences that one takes prior to attending the program, the stronger their background will be for the program.
Furthermore, if you read the threads for pharmacy school students, you will see that your comments about the practicality of the material in the program varies wildly. There are numerous P3's on the board who have made comments about how the material is not practical to their ability to practice as a pharmacist. Furthermore, the content covered in Pharmacy school assumes a fair bit of prior knowledge ... Prior knowledge that you will NOT have taking the bare minimum pre-requisites.
Personally, I would cringe at students taking medicinal chemistry after having had only 1 semester of Organic Chemistry. The class discusses reaction mechanisms, functional groups, acidity and basicity ... Concepts that you will not be familiar with to the extent that I'd feel comfortable with. Furthermore, if you believe that the material changes from undergraduate to pharmacy school, you are sadly mistaken. Having seen the material previously will likely improve your retention and understanding of the material.
This understanding will contribute to having a stronger GPA in Pharmacy school. Given the increasing competitiveness of the industry, I don't know why you would want to be short-sighted about starting the program sooner rather than later when it could jeopardize your performance in the program. For myself, I would want to go to the best possible school instead of attending a school with the fewest pre-requisites ... Especially if you're a student who is attending a school that costs 35K/year at a school that offers a "world-class education."
Food for thought ...
