Pre-Med switching to Pre-Pharm: Question

[sportsguy8]

Hey guys,

I am a third year student at a great top 20 academic university (planning on staying 5 years). I have been a pre-med student but I have always been considering Pharmacy and actually may switch to pre-pharm. I have decent academic numbers, a 3.42 overall GPA and 3.50 science GPA. I am in a Sports Medicine Internship Program as a student athletic trainer at a major Div 1 athletic school which i am very passionate about, also giving me very good clinical hands-on patient experience (>1500 hours).

This internship, plus another job I have to give me extra cash, is keeping me very busy and I am worried that I may not get much, if not any pharmacy experience if I decide to apply to Pharmacy schools. Will this matter/be taken into bad consideration by schools? Is it too late to turn back now? Also, I was a two year varsity Div 1 athlete at this school prior to my internship which I feel like will help me out. Let me know, thanks guys!

P.S. What is a solid GPA to be competitive for pharmacy school?

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[kcwang]

Hey guys,

I am a third year student at a great top 20 academic university (planning on staying 5 years). I have been a pre-med student but I have always been considering Pharmacy and actually may switch to pre-pharm. I have decent academic numbers, a 3.42 overall GPA and 3.50 science GPA. I am in a Sports Medicine Internship Program as a student athletic trainer at a major Div 1 athletic school which i am very passionate about, also giving me very good clinical hands-on patient experience (>1500 hours).

This internship, plus another job I have to give me extra cash, is keeping me very busy and I am worried that I may not get much, if not any pharmacy experience if I decide to apply to Pharmacy schools. Will this matter/be taken into bad consideration by schools? Is it too late to turn back now? Also, I was a two year varsity Div 1 athlete at this school prior to my internship which I feel like will help me out. Let me know, thanks guys!

P.S. What is a solid GPA to be competitive for pharmacy school?

Your GPA is fine. Some schools require related pharmacy experience, and it is not too late to start now. An applicant with pharmacy experiences will certainly look better than another with no experience. Besides that, I would say your other work and internship experiences sound great and would look great on your application.

 

[hsb1104]

What's making you want to switch to pharmacy? Especially since you seem to like sports medicine?

 

[sportsguy8]

Well I am definitely interested in both pharmacy and sports medicine, so I would not mind either, but I just feel like pharmacy might be a better route for me, due to a less stressful work environment in the future, which is a definite plus for me. And I may not get into medical schools of my choice.

 

[ACE Rx]

Well I am definitely interested in both pharmacy and sports medicine, so I would not mind either, but I just feel like pharmacy might be a better route for me, due to a less stressful work environment in the future, which is a definite plus for me. And I may not get into medical schools of my choice.

Well, make sure you really want to do pharmacy for the rest of your life. Pharmacy is definitely stressful during and after you graduate. Maybe not as stressful as some other healthcare professions but is still stressful compared to normal careers.

Medical schools should offer the same education no matter where you go and those step 1 scores are what matter the most. Maybe if you got into the Caribbean schools then I would worry some.

 

[sportsguy8]

Thank you, i will definitely consider this long and hard! Also, I reside in CA. Will I be competitive for CA schools where I will plan on applying?

 

[Rx MPLS]

If you are interested in sports medicine, perhaps consider physical therapy, as well. Some PT clinics work almost exclusively with athletes or weekend warriors. I've also never met a PT who didn't love their job. I wish I could say the same for pharmacists (some do, of course, but not all)!

 

[sportsguy8]

I actually work directly with two physical therapists in my training room, but I feel like physical therapy just is not for me. I just feel like working as a pharmacist will something I will enjoy for the rest of my life. I just need some advice on what I need to do for acceptance to CA schools, ie USC, UCSD, etc. Thanks guys for everything thus far!

 

[dahwsi]

I absolutely love when people say they support Pharmacy and want to see it grow, but as others have said here, just be sure it actually is what you want to do. As I'm sure you know, shadow, become a tech, stand inside a Wal-Mart and look at the Pharmacy and the way it runs for a few hours (or hospital, whatever sub-field you are into). ALOT of individuals want to do Pharmacy for the wrong reasons and end up hating it first or second year through. Just some friendly words of advice, Pharmacy is not for everyone

 

[sportsguy8]

Bump. Will my stats be competitive for California (in state) schools for me?

 

[tommyVoltage]

Bump. Will my stats be competitive for California (in state) schools for me?

Well you're a little late to get everything organized. Most Cali schools applications are closing in 3 weeks.

 

[sportsguy8]

Well you're a little late to get everything organized. Most Cali schools applications are closing in 3 weeks.

I am talking about after graduation, and applying next year probably.

 

[owlegrad]

Your stats are competitive.

 

[sportsguy8]

my goal is USC or ucsd? Is that within reach for me?