Postponing your application for improvement?

[Chill Pill]

After this semester I will have taken all the core requirements, but I'll need to finish my bachelors. I'll graduate spring 2009 if I keep my planned schedule, so naturally I could apply for pharmacy school during fall 2008.

However, If I take an extra year in undergrad I will have worked as a tech, have more volunteer hours, have a chance to build a better relationship with professors for LOR's, and be able to take more upper division classes to prove I can handle the course load of a professional school. I am interested in taking the year long sequence of biochemistry, but that's about it for academics. If I did all of this I'd graduate spring 2010.

I know I've said an extra year in school is lost income. So SDN, would you spend time and money on a risky application you are not satisfied with just because you want to get your PharmD as soon as possible? My arguments convince me otherwise, but I'd like to hear the other opinions.

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[fenixtnlfan]

I think it depends on your application. How's your GPA, PCAT, volunteering, leadership now? I would suggest applying anyways to a few schools, and if you don't get in take that extra year.

 

[Chill Pill]

I haven't taken the PCAT yet. My overall GPA is 3.77, pre-req is 3.54.

I am taking a pharmacy tech course right now, I'll be finished with it in October (they require something like 150 hours of externship).

I've been aiding an autistic child for 2 years now, and I am going to start volunteering at a dog shelter.

 

[uncinmyheart]

I haven't taken the PCAT yet. My overall GPA is 3.77, pre-req is 3.54.

I am taking a pharmacy tech course right now, I'll be finished with it in October (they require something like 150 hours of externship).

I've been aiding an autistic child for 2 years now, and I am going to start volunteering at a dog shelter.

i think your stats are pretty competitive and you have a good chance of being accepted. Take the PCAT and apply to pharmacy school, and see what happens. If you don't get in, you can go ahead and take that extra year to strengthen your application and reapply the following year. But go ahead and apply; who knows, you could get accepted! Good luck!

 

[FLPharm2Be]

I see no real good reason to not at least give the application a shot. You never know what will happen, when I decided to pursue pharmacy, I originally planned to apply for the Fall 09 year to a bunch of schools. But when I reviewed the prereqs again, I realized that with a few schedule changes I could apply to my top schools a year earlier, so I did. It turned out for the best bc I was accepted to my top choice school. Allow the schools to make the decision on whether you are ready for acceptance, don't make that decision for them.

 

[inquirer89]

Definitely apply this year to some of your top choice schools. If you don't get accepted this time around, then reapply next year....I've heard that schools like re-applicants.

 

[keepingthehope]

You should definitely take the time to get to know your professors and get better recs and take some more challenging classes, but definitely finish your degree.

 

[Chill Pill]

I feel like my pre-req grades could be better. My university does not allow me to repeat a course while I'm in undergrad. Once I graduate I can take/retake any class I want through my school's Extended Education program. This tuition is much higher--around $600 a class. I would be satisfied with my application if I retook 2 - 3 classes, and during that time I'd be working as a tech full time and working in the lab with my professor who'd provide the LOR.

Should I risk taking a PCAT on short notice and a rushed LOR to apply a year earlier (not to mention the pre-req grades)?

Also, could someone please tell me how much you've payed for your application cycle? This can actually make the difference in my decision since money is tight. If it's not so bad I'll follow your advice about applying now then reapply--if I need to--after working as a tech/get to know professor/better grades.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

Well, it's only April so you have lots of time still for the PCAT and LOR.

I spent a lot on apps because I applied to schools far away mostly. The travel costs for the interview were the real killers. For apps it depends on the school, but probably $60 to $120 per school. The PharmCAS schools get you because you have to pay the pharmcas fee and then a supplemental fee.

 

[Elvin]

If I was you I would apply to your top 3 schools. That would cost around 500 dollars in applications assuming all of them go through pharmcas. Depending on which schools give you an interview, you probably spend on average around 400 to 500 bucks per interview. So at most you would be spending 2000 dollars assuming that you went to all three interviews, but I would suggest taking the Pcat in June or August and applying this year, because your money situation is not likely to get better in the next year and going to school an extra year will only put you in more dept. If you do decent on the Pcat and apply early, you will be able to get into a school.