Pre-Pharmacy Student-athlete

[chelseav1]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to provide some guidance or give input on what I should do. I took the PCAT Sept 8 (94 composite), have a GPA of above 3.55, and am a student-athlete at my university. With being a student-athlete, I have not been able to have an opportunity to thoroughly shadow or work as a pharmacy technician so I am lacking in the experience category. Will the lack of experience hurt my chances of being accepted to schools?

Also, would a letter of recommendation from my coach be beneficial? I know they usually recommend professors, supervisors, etc.

If it helps, I am planning to apply to CU-Denver, Midwestern at Glendale, Pacific Univ Oregon, and possibly a couple others that I haven't definitely decided yet.

Thank you.

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[deleted462159]

Don't know about those particular schools. But a good recommendation is a good recommendation. If your coach can speak to your work ethics, integrity, perseverance, etc. that's far better than a professor you've met once. It'd help to do some shadowing or work in a pharmacy - if not to demonstrate your vast experience, at least so you know what you're getting yourself into.

 

[Irrelevantium]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone would be able to provide some guidance or give input on what I should do. I took the PCAT Sept 8 (94 composite), have a GPA of above 3.55, and am a student-athlete at my university. With being a student-athlete, I have not been able to have an opportunity to thoroughly shadow or work as a pharmacy technician so I am lacking in the experience category. Will the lack of experience hurt my chances of being accepted to schools?

Also, would a letter of recommendation from my coach be beneficial? I know they usually recommend professors, supervisors, etc.

If it helps, I am planning to apply to CU-Denver, Midwestern at Glendale, Pacific Univ Oregon, and possibly a couple others that I haven't definitely decided yet.

Thank you.

I can tell you that I know current students enrolled in the Denver pharmacy program that had never even stepped foot into a pharmacy before starting there. They understand how difficult it is to get experience in a pharmacy, and I’m sure they will be even more understanding of you because you are a student athlete.

You can absolutely use your coach as a reference as long as they can speak to your work ethic (which in sports is a definite yes).

The only thing I would be worried about is making sure in your personal statement that you clearly state exactly why you want to go into pharmacy, especially considering the general population has a misconception of what a pharmacist does, and that you have never had pharmacy experience. Demonstrating knowledge of the different fields of pharmacy and talking about what experiences made you want to go into this field will help you get an interview if you have never had experience before.

I’ve applied to this school and gotten an interview, so hopefully we get to be future classmates!!