Pre-Pharmacy HELP!

[elizabeth7394]

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I am starting college in the fall and am scared to death of all the science classes, the thought of organic chemistry makes me sick. Anyone attending pre-pharmacy is the classes really hard and does it seem like forever being in school. i think i might be a little over my head but am questioning if pharmacy is worth it or change to dentistry??? would graduating from pharmacy be faster as oposed to dental school??

 

[ALLNuclear]

If you want fast, be a nurse. It's the quickest, most in demand education offering the most money.

That being said: Do you want to be a pharmacist or a dentist? When you picture yourself 10 years from now, are you scraping teeth or counting pills (no one yell at me for this)? Trying to decide based on what is fastest is the first problem.

When faced with something that you think is above you, too tough, or beyond your mental capabilities, you have two choices: pass or fail. You can decide to go into this, buy extra books, use supplemental materials, take the time to study and really learn what you think is hard... or you can not fulfill your dream of being a pharmacist.

If you decide you want to be a pharmacist for sure and the anxiety still gets to you, do what I do sometimes: imagine yourself getting that white coat, earning your degree... imagine the confidence you'll have as a practicing pharmacist, and fake that confidence now. You'll need it to get through organic chem.

If you don't get a mini high from thinking about earning your coat, also rethink this field.

Everything has a cheat guide, even organic. You CAN do this if you decide that you will.

 

[Farcus]

dude if you hate ochem why are you in any health related science? Just about any require working or sufficient organic chemistry. I can't fathom how a pharmacist would not understand organic chemistry. If there is such a pharmacist i'll be sure to stay the hell out of his way.

 

[ester]

I feared science and math classes (still do with the math) before I started but then I just dove in and starting taking them and giving it my all. I ended up LOVING organic chemistry. It has been my favorite series so far. I admit that I was at times the only person in the class to feel this way, but I think if you take the time to actually learn the material and come in with a good attitude you can go a long way.

Good luck!

 

[kismet]

I am starting college in the fall and am scared to death of all the science classes, the thought of organic chemistry makes me sick. Anyone attending pre-pharmacy is the classes really hard and does it seem like forever being in school. i think i might be a little over my head but am questioning if pharmacy is worth it or change to dentistry??? would graduating from pharmacy be faster as oposed to dental school??

If you're just starting college, you need to give it a chance. There were tons of kids in my classes that wanted to go into dentistry, while I was there for pharmacy, so the pre-professional requirements are probably pretty similar. I would encourage you to just go into your classes with a positive attitude, see how you like them, and spend some time volunteering/interning in pharmacy and dentistry sites (my school set up internships every quarter for students.. check out what your school offers). Getting experience in the sites is the only way to figure out what YOU should do.

Personally, there were pre-pharm classes I loved, and pre-pharm classes I hated. But I LOVE being IN the pharmacy, so I'll suffer through whatever I have to do to get that PharmD. You're not going to like EVERY class you have to take.. accept it now, and decide to do your best anyway. 🙂

 

[Antimony51]

Having some bit of anxiety about a class like organic chemistry can be a good motivator for you to do extra studying. However, remember to approach the course with a good attitude even if it is not your favorite. If you are struggling, pair up with someone in the class who is doing well. Also, most professors are willing to work with you if you go to them during their office hours. This also may be a good time to build a connection with a professor who could help you in the future.

 

[Farcus]

I feared science and math classes (still do with the math) before I started but then I just dove in and starting taking them and giving it my all. I ended up LOVING organic chemistry. It has been my favorite series so far. I admit that I was at times the only person in the class to feel this way, but I think if you take the time to actually learn the material and come in with a good attitude you can go a long way.

Good luck!

Ditto, a positive outlook is a must and a yen for that A/A+. I dropped my first Ochem I because I wasn't really feeling the class even though I wasn't doing too badly and next semester I made up my mind to learn this like it was the back of my hand. I end up acing every test except the final which was 2 points from an A. If this is your first intro to college you probably don't know what you want yet so search around but if you made up your mind stick to it with a positive outlook.

 

[sle3pyguii]

The classes are fine, as long as you study. The studying techniques you used in high school may not work for college.

Don't worry too much about Organic. It's a class you'll have to study a lot for, but that's basically all upper-division classes. Organic is generally just a class to weed out people. You may need some knowledge of the basic principles of Organic Chemistry after you get into Pharmacy school, but that should be it...I think.

If you aren't sure about what to do, shadow or work in both feels. You can work in a dental office or a pharmacy. You can become a pharm tech so that you can be paid while you gain experience or just volunteer at a hospital pharmacy. Not sure about what dental students do.

As for time to graduation: they both require 4 years of schooling, with the exception of 3-year pharmacy programs.

 

[mrblah]

I am starting college in the fall and am scared to death of all the science classes, the thought of organic chemistry makes me sick. Anyone attending pre-pharmacy is the classes really hard and does it seem like forever being in school. i think i might be a little over my head but am questioning if pharmacy is worth it or change to dentistry??? would graduating from pharmacy be faster as oposed to dental school??

So you are choosing which profession to go into because you want to graduate faster? You are also aware that Ochem is pretty much required for any health related field. If you are scared of the pre-pharm curriculum or think its too time consuming, don't be suprised that pre-dental curriculum is pretty much the same thing as pre-pharm. I think you need to really sit down and think about what you want to do. If you think Ochem will make you sick, wait til you get to biochem.

Anyways, on a more positive note, you are your worst enemy. I had to trick myself to love ochem 1 to get a A, but when ochem 2 came around, I said to myself "who am I kidding" but in the end it worked.... lol. Your undergrad years will fly right by that I guarantee you. Just put your head down, focus, and remember what your goals are.

 

[aznkukuboi]

I loved my ochem teacher, but hated the subject. Got two B- and was happy.

Pharm ... dent... all these grad schools take about the same time. But I think dental school is much harder than pharmacy school. But the tradeoff is how much money you'll make out of school.

 

[SexyPlexi]

dude if you hate ochem why are you in any health related science? Just about any require working or sufficient organic chemistry. I can't fathom how a pharmacist would not understand organic chemistry. If there is such a pharmacist i'll be sure to stay the hell out of his way.

My guess is that she has no idea if she hates ochem...I am taking it in the fall and I don't even know if I will love it the way I think I will. She is an incoming freshman!!

Girl, I did the SAME thing...only I took the easy road and got my business degree. Guess what? Now I'm 26 with a business degree and I am going back for 5 more years (from now! 1 year under my belt...) because I am now doing what I wanted to do in the first place!! If this is what you think you want...then just dive in and take maybe 1 science class this fall...say gen chem 1. Dip your toe in. The more you learn, the more you will know what is right for you and if you can do this. My guess is that you can, if you want to. It DOES take hard work and it isn't easy...but it is definitely not impossible. See all the other people in these classes? If they can do it, why not you? Plus...dentist and pharmacist (and most other health professions for that matter) require the same prereqs at the beginning...so you don't have to know today which one you will pursue...go take some classes and explore all the fields! And have some fun in college!! Just not so much that you skip class! Rule #1 - Don't skip class!! 🙂 You can do it!