Post Rejection Advise

[anewton]

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So I was rejected from the schools I applyied to. What should my next move be. I already have bachelors degree so another one is out of the question.

My PCAT score was in the forties I plan on taking it again both June and August.

I also I have some Cs that I am retaking during summer before I move on to the rest of my courses. I will finish all my prereqs in the Fall. I only have cal 1 and A&P 1.

What other steps should I take so I can be accepted the next time. I plan on applying to Southwestern Oklahoma'a spring semester.

Thanks

 

[KingOfDoctors]

consider another career?? What's ur cGPA?

 

[byork]

applied*

 

[KingOfDoctors]

Advice*

 

[Nupe954]

consider another career?? What's ur cGPA?

If you are willing to work for it then I would say keep pursuing pharmacy. You have another full year ahead so keep studying for the PCAT (by the way I would cancel the aug date and take Oct just to give yourself a rest). If your GPA isn't too hot I would research masters program that would complement a PharmD (i.e MBA,MS, MPH,MHA) that way you could bump your GPA up and show schools you can handle graduate level coursework.

 

[anewton]

Im not sure what my GPA is I have a bachelors in marketing and finished with a 2.7.

I'm taking my sciences at another school and I have 2.5.

If you are denied once does it hurt your chances if you boost your gpa but not take more upper level courses.

 

[KingOfDoctors]

yea...so unless u improve ur cumulative GPA (i.e. your science GPA) to at least 3.0+ and at least 70+ percentile u have pretty much no chance of getting into any pharmacy school

 

[anewton]

I believe that is do-able. Thanks for the help. Do you know how admissions people judge your application if you aren't done with your prereqs

 

[KingOfDoctors]

u will be at a disadvantage compared to the ppl that have done all pre-reqs

 

[Nupe954]

KOD is right, you will be looked at secondary compared to those who have already completed prereqs. Dont lose hope if you really want it you will have to work for it.

 

[rxellie]

i thought you had to have the pre-reqs done before....hmm....
with that low of a GPA you have to have a stellar PCAT score...

 

[byork]

Your GPA is too low.

Supposing you get into pharmacy school, do you believe you will be able to succeed academically? A 2.5 in science classes suggests you do not have the scientific aptitude.

I hate to be one of those nay sayers, but I'm being brutally honest. If you can bring yourself up to a 3.0, then you have a shot... But is it about having a shot? Do you want to go to a pharmacist who couldn't pull off a 3.0 yourself?

 

[rxlea]

i thought you had to have the pre-reqs done before....hmm....
with that low of a GPA you have to have a stellar PCAT score...

You have to finish them before you matriculate, not before you apply.

OP, You need to get an 80+ on the PCAT and you need to bring up your GPA some more. Another thing: you NEED pharmacy experience. A 2.7/2.5 isn't going to get you an interview without something else that is compelling about your application. Figure out what you're doing wrong. Try this upcoming cycle and make your PS awesome. If you don't get in again or cannot improve your application in the above mentioned ways, you might want to consider another career. Be realistic.

 

[Nupe954]

Yea two cycles of not getting in anywhere is disappointing but also serves as a reality check.

And a 2.7-2.9 gpa is below average but if you have something to speak to as why maybe you dont have a stellar GPA that could help (working full time or whatever your case maybe).Your PCAT score (75+) should offset your gpa if you cant get it up

 

[LAmonroe]

one thing you could also do is look at different schools since they could have different requirements for admission.

as far as the PCAT score goes, you dont HAVE to have a super high score....but it does help. I'm starting school in the fall and i applied with a 3.3 and a 65 PCAT score.

If pharmacy is really what you wanna do, dont give up! keep trying! 🙂

 

[wsupharmacy]

Your GPA is too low.

Supposing you get into pharmacy school, do you believe you will be able to succeed academically? A 2.5 in science classes suggests you do not have the scientific aptitude.

I hate to be one of those nay sayers, but I'm being brutally honest. If you can bring yourself up to a 3.0, then you have a shot... But is it about having a shot? Do you want to go to a pharmacist who couldn't pull off a 3.0 yourself?

Well! Being a good pharmacist is not all about GPA though. I think if he really sets his mind to pharmacy, he can do it even with low undegrad GPA.

 

[RXsocal]

Look....you didn't do so hot in your undergrad. Your PCAT score can only go up. Since you have so many units already weighing you down, the best chance right now is to study FREAKING hard for the PCAT and score in the 90s. You might take 2 years to bring your GPA up to a 3.0. Instead....if you burn half a year studying the PCAT religiously, good things can happen! Then apply to candidate schools....or LECOM erie since they like high PCAT scores.

 

[winterlily05]

one thing you could also do is look at different schools since they could have different requirements for admission.

as far as the PCAT score goes, you dont HAVE to have a super high score....but it does help. I'm starting school in the fall and i applied with a 3.3 and a 65 PCAT score.

If pharmacy is really what you wanna do, dont give up! keep trying! 🙂

I agree, don't let a low GPA/PCAT score hold you back. You already know that your trouble spot is your GPA- spend the next year taking classes to raise it up. I graduated from undergrad with a 3.1, did not really know what field I want to go after. However, once I decided on Pharmacy, I spent summer/fall re-taking/taking a bunch of classes to raise my GPA. Also, try to get pharmacy experience (volunteering, shadowing, etc)...it could only help you.

I applied with a 3.3 GPA and 62 PCAT, and got accepted, so you can absolutely get accepted with a not so stellar GPA and PCAT score!

 

[Carboxide]

I agree, don't let a low GPA/PCAT score hold you back. You already know that your trouble spot is your GPA- spend the next year taking classes to raise it up. I graduated from undergrad with a 3.1, did not really know what field I want to go after. However, once I decided on Pharmacy, I spent summer/fall re-taking/taking a bunch of classes to raise my GPA. Also, try to get pharmacy experience (volunteering, shadowing, etc)...it could only help you.

I applied with a 3.3 GPA and 62 PCAT, and got accepted, so you can absolutely get accepted with a not so stellar GPA and PCAT score!

Uh, you DO realize his PCAT was in the 40's and his GPA is abysmal, right?

OP: you need serious work on all parts of your application. Make sure you get your personal statement reviewed by a trusted professional, as well...your grammar is poor as well, and you absolutely cannot have a poor PS with your abysmal stats.

You need to raise the GPA to a MINIMUM of a high 2.X, hopefully into a 3.0 range, and a PCAT in the 80th percentile or better, ESPECIALLY if you don't hit the 3.0 mark.

 

[Passion4Sci]

A 40th percentile PCAT isn't even above the bare minimum requirements for virtually every school...

 

[LAmonroe]

winterlilly, i saw in your sig that you got accepted to ULM! same here..were u taking classes this semester?

 

[Thumper17]

I agree with the others who have said go CRAZY studying for the pcat. if you can get a 85+ you have a decent shot.

Also, I highly recommend getting a job as a tech and busting your ass @ work for a year or two. I think it is the #1 thing you can do aside from PCAT/GPA to help your chances. It shows you are dedicated to the field and will increase your knowledge base more than you know, provide steller LORs (and personal statement topics!), and allow you to see what the profession is all about. Personally, I think it was the factor that pushed me over the hump and my GPA was not that unlike yours before I got this whole pharmacy idea into my head.🙄

 

[winterlily05]

winterlilly, i saw in your sig that you got accepted to ULM! same here..were u taking classes this semester?

Yes, I saw that you are going to Monroe too! Thanks to Monroe's crazy pre-reqs requirements, I have been taking classes since graduation of last year. I also have to take summer classes too 🙁 But it's OK, I just have to do what I have to do!

Carboxide, I do realize that OP's stats are not very good, however, if he/she puts all effort and motiviation into improving the application, then there is at least shot of getting accepted. I am not saying to apply with a 2.7, but my point is that one doesn't need a 3.5+ to be accepted. And I agree with you- at least a 3.0 GPA. The most important thing is to have a very well-rounded application. OP needs to make up the poor GPA with fabulous PCAT, good letters of recommendation, and a killer personal statement.

 

[diastole]

I don't know. I see more and more people getting accepted with a sub 3.0 GPA. You can't have a low PCAT and low GPA though unless there is something stellar about you in another area. Right now it looks like the easier thing to improve is the PCAT. I've seen people who worked really hard raise it 40 points but the OP would have to really follow through. The GPA will be much harder to raise significantly because of all the units. I'd say study like mad for the PCAT, get As on the remaining prereqs, try to get some pharmacy experience, and apply to newer schools.

 

[Carboxide]

Yes, I saw that you are going to Monroe too! Thanks to Monroe's crazy pre-reqs requirements, I have been taking classes since graduation of last year. I also have to take summer classes too 🙁 But it's OK, I just have to do what I have to do!

Carboxide, I do realize that OP's stats are not very good, however, if he/she puts all effort and motiviation into improving the application, then there is at least shot of getting accepted. I am not saying to apply with a 2.7, but my point is that one doesn't need a 3.5+ to be accepted. And I agree with you- at least a 3.0 GPA. The most important thing is to have a very well-rounded application. OP needs to make up the poor GPA with fabulous PCAT, good letters of recommendation, and a killer personal statement.

Right. But your previous post basically said, "Who cares if you have a low PCAT/GPA? It's fine! You can get in anyways!" And you can't.

I always tell people that there are 4 things about an application: GPA, PCAT, LORs/PS and resume. ONE can be weak. But if you have two or more that are weak, you need to fix at least one before you're a serious applicant. When the weak two are both academic (GPA/PCAT), you can guarantee that the application has no chance.

Weak, to me, means under 3.0 GPA and under 70 PCAT, or any subsection under 50.

If your GPA contains a lot of retakes and several semesters of <3.0 GPA, that 70 PCAT might not be enough - which is why I said above that he needs to shoot for 80+.

 

[LAmonroe]

Yes, I saw that you are going to Monroe too! Thanks to Monroe's crazy pre-reqs requirements, I have been taking classes since graduation of last year. I also have to take summer classes too 🙁 But it's OK, I just have to do what I have to do!

SHEESH 🙁 yea they added an extra year of pre-req's a few years back..supposedly, the students that were starting pharmacy school with the 2 year pre-reqs werent doing to hot on the naplex. i see why they added some of the science classes... however, idk how taking another year of physics AND lab as well as a couple of other pointless classes is helping 😡

but HEY! at least we made it in! 😀

 

[winterlily05]

Right. But your previous post basically said, "Who cares if you have a low PCAT/GPA? It's fine! You can get in anyways!" And you can't.

I always tell people that there are 4 things about an application: GPA, PCAT, LORs/PS and resume. ONE can be weak. But if you have two or more that are weak, you need to fix at least one before you're a serious applicant. When the weak two are both academic (GPA/PCAT), you can guarantee that the application has no chance.

Weak, to me, means under 3.0 GPA and under 70 PCAT, or any subsection under 50.

If your GPA contains a lot of retakes and several semesters of <3.0 GPA, that 70 PCAT might not be enough - which is why I said above that he needs to shoot for 80+.

If you re-read my first post, you will realize that nowhere in there did I say "who cares" if OP had a low GPA, and that he/she would get in anyway. If that is the case, I would not be busting my butt the past year taking so many classes to raise my GPA. I, however, did not want the OP to get discouraged because of his/her GPA/PCAT. That is why I encouraged the OP to take classes and do whatever it takes to make him/her a more competitive applicant. Prior to applying, I also thought that one must have 3.5+ GPA/ 80+ PCAT to get acceptance into a pharmacy school. However, one must realize that every school is different. If you have not so good GPA/PCAT, do your research on pharmacy schools and improve yourself as an applicant- don't give up hope.

 

[winterlily05]

SHEESH 🙁 yea they added an extra year of pre-req's a few years back..supposedly, the students that were starting pharmacy school with the 2 year pre-reqs werent doing to hot on the naplex. i see why they added some of the science classes... however, idk how taking another year of physics AND lab as well as a couple of other pointless classes is helping 😡

but HEY! at least we made it in! 😀

I understand the Science classes, but why do we need Public Speaking AND Business Communication? And also Fine Arts? 🙄 They might as well say take every class that your undergraduate has to offer.

 

[sgoods]

I hear ya, monroe and winterlily...thanks to Monroe's very extensive pre-reqs, my classes spilled over into intersession/summer...so this past Friday, I got to wake up, go take an A&P2 lab practical at Delgado, and then go graduate from UNO!!! What an odd day. But it's all good it just feels good to have gotten in...and it is nice to meet some other people going there in the fall! 😀

 

[winterlily05]

I hear ya, monroe and winterlily...thanks to Monroe's very extensive pre-reqs, my classes spilled over into intersession/summer...so this past Friday, I got to wake up, go take an A&P2 lab practical at Delgado, and then go graduate from UNO!!! What an odd day. But it's all good it just feels good to have gotten in...and it is nice to meet some other people going there in the fall! 😀

Congrats on graduation and getting accepted into Pharm. school! I'm looking forward to meeting you both.

Sorry for the off-topic, folks!

 

[freshnewkicks]

I keep reading that if you have a low GPA it is best to retake the classes you received lower grades in. Does it look okay to take classes at a local junior college to help raise your GPA? I have also heard that it is beneficial to do a postbac program. Im not sure how those work but is it acceptable just to take some graduate level course that are not part of a specific program?- or would that be a waste?

 

[Project2015]

Does it look okay to take classes at a local junior college to help raise your GPA?

Absolutely not. Have you not read any of the stuff here?

Maybe not absolutely but some people looking at your transcript will figure out that you can't handle university level courses and thus will not be a fit for (a decent, non-diploma mill) professional school.

The evaluation process goes beyond the GPA and includes character. It doesn't look too good if you avoid tackling the root of the problem and finding an easy way out.