Pre-Pharmacy School Plans

[gundamwing]

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I'm new to this forum. I want to formulate a plan on the whole pharmacy school requirements. The forum has a lot of helpful information but I'm nowhere near the level or status of a lot of the prepharmacy applicants/students here.
I have 3 years of pharmacy technician experience and still working as a pharmacy technician.
I have microbiology, organic chemistry, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology classes left to take.
I'm planning to take the PCAT on august 21 2010, no LOR , no personal essay.
My cumulative GPA is about 2.5.
I have a sociology degree from UC Irvine but want to pursue pharmacy degree instead.

So my concern is that should I bother to pursue pharmacy or no?

 

[Chinese Bandit]

I don't think you should ask other students on career choices, you should ask yourself that question or maybe your family. If you want to pursue it, then do it. You've been working in a pharmacy and you've seen what pharmacist do. Do you see yourself as a pharmacist? Just my opinion.

 

[Griffisu]

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[HmoobRX]

I'm new to this forum. I want to formulate a plan on the whole pharmacy school requirements. The forum has a lot of helpful information but I'm nowhere near the level or status of a lot of the prepharmacy applicants/students here.
I have 3 years of pharmacy technician experience and still working as a pharmacy technician.
I have microbiology, organic chemistry, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology classes left to take.
I'm planning to take the PCAT on august 21 2010, no LOR , no personal essay.
My cumulative GPA is about 2.5.
I have a sociology degree from UC Irvine but want to pursue pharmacy degree instead.

So my concern is that should I bother to pursue pharmacy or no?

Hi Gundamwing, I believe Chinese Bandit made a very good point. Can you see yourself doing what pharmacist do? Keep in mind that the field of pharmacy is very broad so you may want to explore other aspects of pharmacy besides retail.

However, I totally know how you feel. I am applying for the 2011 cycle and I'm now in my mid-20's but I've known since high school that I wanted to be a pharmacist. It's just taking me a little longer to get there. I went to a very big university too and also got a sociology degree because the science was weighing me down. I did not want to keep taking science classes and damaging my chances of ever getting into pharmacy school. After graduation I enrolled in a smaller university and got a second bachelors in the sciences. Might I add that I made only 2 B's in completing 30 hours of science courses but this did not help me all that much since my cumulative GPA was barely a 2.8. I applied that year but did not get a single interview. I will also add that my PCAT was not so competitive but was just average.

Anyway it's been 2 years since then and I finally felt that I needed to do something because I can't see myself as anything less than a future pharmacist. I am now currently working on a Masters degree from a school that has a pharmacy program and hopefully, networking and the performance from my Masters will help me get in for 2011.

Sorry for the long story, but my point is, to keep trying if you really feel that this is your passion. I read this quote and I really liked it, hope you'll use it as encouragement too. "Try and fail but don't fail to try." I'm sure eventually trying will give you the results you seek.

 

[SCCpharm]

I think your question is if you can get into pharmacy school with your stats. A 2.5GPA is really low and it will be difficult for you to get into pharmacy school if you continue with a 2.5GPA.

But, it is possible. You need to turn things around and start getting A's and score well on the PCAT. Take the PCAT when you are ready and feel that you will get a high score. If you start getting an upward trend, you will have a chance at pharmacy school. Remember, to also to apply to a lot of schools.

I graduated with a non-pharmacy Bachelors degree with a ~2.6GPA. I decided I wanted to do pharmacy. I went back to a community college and got all A's on the pre-pharm preq's. I got an Associate in Science at the community college and a ~3.9GPA. I got accepted to my top 2 schools.

 

[gundamwing]

I thank you all for your posts. I will definitely keep my head up and try. I glanced through the pharmcas website and found its list of of pharmacy schools. I found 25 potential schools whose minimium gpa of their pool of applicants from previous years to be 2.5 and up. I havent researched each school individually but the GPA requirements definitely brings me hope that I can do pharmacy.

I want to prove to my professors, counselors, and myself that I can become pharmacist.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Like the rest of us... a soft science major who decided $35,000 a year was just not enough to cut it.

Unlike the rest of us, you somehow managed a sub B average GPA in one of the easiest possible fields on the planet.

I applaud your stick-to-it-tiveness but... wow. What's your sGPA/pre-requisite GPA thus far sans the humanities stuff?