prereq schedule from HELL for the journalism grad! Need comments!

[elleNY]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi all. I wanted to thank anyone who answered my post from several days ago. To fill everyone in - I graduated with my BA in December and will now be taking the prereqs to get in to pharm school at a different, cheaper CUNY school. I neglected to mention in the past that my BA gpa was 2.67 (B-), due to working the night shift three days midweek and serious personal issues (re: abusive live in boyfriend and alcoholic parent)... I am planning to ACE my science classes (I'm sure you've heard that before lol) and begin my journey towards becoming a pharmacist. This is the tentative schedule that I have mocked up and would love suggestions, alternatives, criticisms, et cetera..

I have all the social science/liberal arts reqs, and I also took a statistics class in which I got a B. I am planning on getting a pharmtech job 1-2 days a week, volunteering 1 day a week at a soup kitchen (been doing it since I was a child with my mom) for the next two years, and will continue to work 30 hours a week night shifts to pay Manhattan rent. Two thousand dollars for a closet..help..LOL

Please no one yell at me about being lazy as per doing SDN searches -- it's 4:55am, I haven't slept, and have spent the past 10+ hours looking through old and new SDN posts... I need SLEEP..

This summer:
Session I: Pre-Calculus
Session II: Calc

Fall: Chem I, Bio I, Microecon (or may do Microecon in prior summer online)
Spring: Chem II, Bio II

Summer:
Session I: Physics I
Session II: Physics II

Fall: Org Chem I, Anat & Phys I
Spring: Org Chem II, Anat & Phys II

Summer:
Session I: Microbiology
Session: Biochem
APPLY!
I am not sure if this is the best combination of classes, nor am I sure if I will find a school that will offer them at the right timing.
Also am unsure as to the best time to take my PCAT but will do further research on the board in that regard. Thanks for your time, insight, and suggestions!

Schools I am considering, but am open to suggestions: Buffalo, Touro NY, Liu, Nova, Lecom-B

xo
Elle

 

[AdamSanders]

I think that during your second year you will probably be taking organic chemistry, and not inorganic. If that will fulfill the prereqs for the schools you are applying to it looks like a workable schedule. With the low gpa just make sure you ace all of your classes, and actually try to learn and retain the material. Also, don't forget that most of the classes will have labs. Good luck!

 

[speciald]

Can't answer the schedule question but UB's prereq's are changing and Physics II is not req'd for Fall 2011 entering class and beyond. Just thought I'd mention in case the other schools don't require it either.

 

[cdhoward]

Like another poster mentioned, you will need to be taking Organic Chemistry. You'll need 16 semester hours of Chemistry - 8 Inorganic & 8 Organic. There's nothing wrong with taking the intro to chemistry class if you need a refresher, but it will not be recognized by pharmacy schools as fulfilling their prereqs.

Also, you will need to check with the schools you wish to apply. They may not allow science courses to be completed the summer before matriculation. Some schools don't allow any course work to be completed in that last summer.

 

[aboveliquidice]

Like another poster mentioned, you will need to be taking Organic Chemistry. You'll need 16 semester hours of Chemistry - 8 Inorganic & 8 Organic. There's nothing wrong with taking the intro to chemistry class if you need a refresher, but it will not be recognized by pharmacy schools as fulfilling their prereqs.

Also, you will need to check with the schools you wish to apply. They may not allow science courses to be completed the summer before matriculation. Some schools don't allow any course work to be completed in that last summer.

Quoted for truth - Add in Organic and your schedule looks good. GPA in your situation is everything (right now). Do very well in your coursework.

Good

 

[Passion4Sci]

Don't forget about Public Speaking!

 

[elleNY]

eesh.. Please substitute ORGANIC for the second series of chem courses...that *is* what I mean't, but my brain wasn't operating full throttle at 5am lol ;-) Im not planning on taking intro first.. is this is a mistake?
Also - I'm pretty sure I can opt out of the public speaking being that my major was communications and media studies concentration journalism..that means I had communication classes up the wazoo... for lack of a better word!

xo
Elle

 

[diastole]

Are you planning on applying after you finish all of your prereqs? You can apply before you finish them as long as they are planned but make sure that your schools allow them to be finished in the summer before you start. Otherwise you are going to have to wait another year.

 

[elleNY]

This is still really a learning process for me...I'm abstaining from asking too many questions outright because newbies can get yelled at for that or so I've seen...Im still confused about when to apply..so I could apply exactly at what point? Also...if I still have a bunch of classes left to take when I apply..couldn't that hurt me because they haven't had a chance to see a chunk of my grades, AND because I wont have enough aced science classes to significantly raise my GPA until after all are completed? Let me know your opinion, thanks!

ALSO.. should I take PCAT in the winter after I've finished up org chem or take it before that?

elle

 

[Passion4Sci]

This is still really a learning process for me...I'm abstaining from asking too many questions outright because newbies can get yelled at for that or so I've seen...Im still confused about when to apply..so I could apply exactly at what point? Also...if I still have a bunch of classes left to take when I apply..couldn't that hurt me because they haven't had a chance to see a chunk of my grades, AND because I wont have enough aced science classes to significantly raise my GPA until after all are completed? Let me know your opinion, thanks!

ALSO.. should I take PCAT in the winter after I've finished up org chem or take it before that?

elle

If I was in your position, I'd wait to apply until you could show, via transcript, the science grades. Applying with a bunch of IPs,if your sGPA is not competitive, may very well work against you. That said, if you apply and aren't accepted, all you lose out on is the money for the process, so I guess there's no harm there - Not like it can "ding" you for future applications, right?

But, that said, I would wait until my science classes are mostly finished and I have my A's/B's verified. I'd also not take the PCAT until after you've had Orgo, because there are a few questions on the PCAT that you simply cannot "guess" if you've had no introduction whatsoever to the subject matter.

 

[diastole]

This is still really a learning process for me...I'm abstaining from asking too many questions outright because newbies can get yelled at for that or so I've seen...Im still confused about when to apply..so I could apply exactly at what point? Also...if I still have a bunch of classes left to take when I apply..couldn't that hurt me because they haven't had a chance to see a chunk of my grades, AND because I wont have enough aced science classes to significantly raise my GPA until after all are completed? Let me know your opinion, thanks!

ALSO.. should I take PCAT in the winter after I've finished up org chem or take it before that?

elle

You could apply during the fall when you are taking organic chemistry but you might not get in. You will lose out on the money but you can call the schools and ask them why you didn't get in and most will tell you how to improve your application. Plus you might get in and save yourself a year. If money is really tight or you really don't think you are going to get in, just play it safe and apply after you have taken all the prereqs.

If you apply early, the best time to take the PCAT is October of the semester that you are taking Organic Chemistry but you will have to learn some of the chemistry on your own. You will only get one shot at your PCAT before the scores go out to the schools. If you decide to wait, winter is a good time. You can retake in June if you don't like your scores.

 

[fhx06]

I would take Microeconomics the summer prior because both Chem 1 and Bio 1 generally have labs that go with it. It varies between universities and programs, but Bio 1 lab was more work than what I thought a 1-credit course required: weekly labs, weekly quizzes, large amounts of memorizing, 2 lab reports with full citations, data write-ups, 2 cumulative practical exams, and just a whole lot of headaches.

Chem 1 was not as bad at the universities I attended wasn't too bad; a lot of concepts to grasp but nothing extremely complicated. Lab was straight-forward: read, know what to do, understand the reactions, try not to spill acid/base on yourself.

I'm not sure if you plan on taking any other courses along with the science backbone courses you are taking right now, but it looks like you have your game plan well organized. Working hard now to show that you mean business will be a good sign come applications time, and you can write something about it on your personal statements or supplemental applications.

So... best of luck, work hard, and don't give up.

 

[elleNY]

Thanks for all of your advice and encouragement ;-)

xo
Elle

 

[ffpickle]

Don't work so much or volunteer. Adcoms are notorious for being number ******. Just do well in your courses. As you originally stated it, your plan is a 3 yr plan (i.e. 3 yrs of pre-req), not a 2 yr plan, so you might as well write the PCAT once you have all the pre-reqs under your belt (after 2 yrs), and then apply at the same time. Then that year (Year 3 of pre-reqs), while schools review your app, you can pick up courses you need.

 

[thephoenician88]

Summer:
Session I: Microbiology
Session: Biochem

.......those are similar, but biochem takes up a lot of time. I'm surprised it's even offered during the summer.

 

[ffpickle]

Biochem and Microbio are completely different.

 

[fhx06]

Biochem and Microbio are completely different.

Yeah really not all that similar... except they both share "bio" in their name. Biochemistry goes into the chemical properties of biological processes (enzyme mechanisms, proteins, etc.) and microbio deals with microorganisms, cell science, diseases.

 

[rycetrix]

Yeah really not all that similar... except they both share "bio" in their name. Biochemistry goes into the chemical properties of biological processes (enzyme mechanisms, proteins, etc.) and microbio deals with microorganisms, cell science, diseases.

In my microbio class, we had to re-learn the TCA cycle, glycolysis, and electron transport chain pathways that we learned in biochem on top of looking into microorganisms and diseases and such. This may be attributed to the fact that the study of microorganisms led to the discovery of today's knowledge of metabolism.

 

[charfdorn]

This summer:
Session I: Pre-Calculus
Session II: Calc

Fall: Chem I, Bio I, Microecon (or may do Microecon in prior summer online)
Spring: Chem II, Bio II

Summer:
Session I: Physics I
Session II: Physics II

Fall: Org Chem I, Anat & Phys I
Spring: Org Chem II, Anat & Phys II

Summer:
Session I: Microbiology
Session: Biochem
APPLY!
I am not sure if this is the best combination of classes, nor am I sure if I will find a school that will offer them at the right timing.
Also am unsure as to the best time to take my PCAT but will do further research on the board in that regard. Thanks for your time, insight, and suggestions!

Schools I am considering, but am open to suggestions: Buffalo, Touro NY, Liu, Nova, Lecom-B

xo
Elle

The only concern I see is that taking Microbio and Biochem in the summer looks like you're trying to get easy grades in tough subjects. I know the schedule mandates this, but I could see an adcom looking poorly on that.

Do you PCAT after Org I. You need it to do well, and the Chem score is the most important.

Take economics in the summer. It's an easy class anyway.

Have you thought about moving? Maybe to an area with a pharmacy program and much cheaper rent? That might sound silly, but if you can save a bunch of money on rent you can spend it on tuition later, and you may be able to gain in-state status, too.

 

[elleNY]

To one of the posters who said it was three years of prereqs - it's actually two years, with two summer classes per each summer.

Concerning trying to take micro and biochem in the summer for it to be easier - I guess they might assume that but really I've just been trying to fit it all in in that timing. Should I take one of the other courses in the summer instead, if so, which?

Finally, is there a consensus I shouldn't take microecon with chem and bio, and take it over the summer with precalc and calc?

Thanks again
Elle

 

[Duc888]

Believe it or not, microeconomics is my hardest class this semester, and I am taking Chem I, Calculus, A&P I, and Microbiology along with it. It can depend greatly on the professor and the type of tests given.

Maybe "hardest" is not the best word, but it is the class I will have to work hardest in to maintain an A, so use that "ratemyprofessor" website wisely when you are registering 😀

 

[thephoenician88]

Biochem and Microbio are completely different.

overlap in metabolism
overlap in study of dna/plasmids
overlap in study virus replication

yes they have different objectives, but there is some overlap which would prove helpful to the op. What i was pointing out was that both courses are full loads and would be hard tom complete together.

 

[Sparda29]

overlap in metabolism
overlap in study of dna/plasmids
overlap in study virus replication

yes they have different objectives, but there is some overlap which would prove helpful to the op. What i was pointing out was that both courses are full loads and would be hard tom complete together.

Microbiology doesn't study virus replication. That's virology.

 

[aboveliquidice]

Microbiology doesn't study virus replication. That's virology.

Depends where you take it son - Microbio at UF DOES cover viral replication.

 

[fhx06]

Depends where you take it son - Microbio at UF DOES cover viral replication.

Yup. Even if it is the basic concepts of viral genetics, it is covered and tested on.

 

[touchedarling]

The only concern I see is that taking Microbio and Biochem in the summer looks like you're trying to get easy grades in tough subjects. I know the schedule mandates this, but I could see an adcom looking poorly on that.

Do you PCAT after Org I. You need it to do well, and the Chem score is the most important.

Take economics in the summer. It's an easy class anyway.

Have you thought about moving? Maybe to an area with a pharmacy program and much cheaper rent? That might sound silly, but if you can save a bunch of money on rent you can spend it on tuition later, and you may be able to gain in-state status, too.

Microbio should be manageable during the summer. I took it as a six-week course and had no problems. The school I took it at also covered viral replication and viruses in detail. I would not suggest taking Biochem over the summer.

I would try to minimize the number of science courses taken over the summer for two reasons. First, with your work schedule it might be much more difficult to manage work and school. Summer courses are much more accelerated and there is very little room for error. Second, some schools don't view taking core science classes over the summer very favorably because they are under the impression that the quality of education you receive and the amount of information you retain is lower than if you had taken the class during the normal semester.

My suggestion is to find cheaper rent and reduce the number of hours of work. You will run into the same predicament you were in during college except your classes will be a lot harder because not only will you be taking multiple science classes but each one comes with a lab which can be really draining and time-consuming. Also, I have noticed that people who come from humanities backgrounds tend to struggle more in science classes in the beginning because they think differently and apply different reasoning when solving problems. If you are bright you will pick up the material just fine and adapt. If not, there is always podiatry school.

 

[elleNY]

ahhh yesss..the sweet smell of feet ;-)

 

[charfdorn]

Concerning trying to take micro and biochem in the summer for it to be easier - I guess they might assume that but really I've just been trying to fit it all in in that timing. Should I take one of the other courses in the summer instead, if so, which?

Thanks again
Elle

That's the trouble, isn't it? You'll need organic to take biochem, and probably bio to take microbio... I would just make sure that your personal statement makes it clear why you did what you did. Also, are you planning to apply for the school year immediately after that summer, or are you taking a year off to apply? Because if you have that empty year, you can move one or both of those classes to the fall in which you apply and list them as pending classes on PharmCAS.

 

[bacillus1]

Physics is doable with orgo and anatomy. Will save you a summer.

 

[elleNY]

Grr. I can't decide when it would be good to apply ..Preferably, I would like to finish up prereqs and segway right in to pharmacy school..I'm really confused about the process of when exactly you apply.. This means I would have to take October PCAT (around when Im taking orgo and a&P 1) in my second fall semester..and apply after that? Thus the school would not be able to see only four of the grades, which wouldn't be as bad as I thought. Does this make more sense?

Also..I have decided I will take microecon and precalc over the summer...and taking chem, bio, and calc I all together in the fall...is this futile? Calc I teacher got stellar reviews, which is why I think it might be worth it to take it with him as opposed to unknown teacher over summer.. good idea or???

xo
Elle

 

[charfdorn]

Grr. I can't decide when it would be good to apply ..Preferably, I would like to finish up prereqs and segway right in to pharmacy school..I'm really confused about the process of when exactly you apply.. This means I would have to take October PCAT (around when Im taking orgo and a&P 1) in my second fall semester..and apply after that? Thus the school would not be able to see only four of the grades, which wouldn't be as bad as I thought. Does this make more sense?

That sounds right. Although anyone with a fall deadline won't have your fall grades, either - six classes missing. This could hurt your chances because your "biggies" aren't done yet.

Also..I have decided I will take microecon and precalc over the summer...and taking chem, bio, and calc I all together in the fall...is this futile? Calc I teacher got stellar reviews, which is why I think it might be worth it to take it with him as opposed to unknown teacher over summer.. good idea or???

xo
Elle

I think that's workable. Precalc will give you an idea of how calc will be for you. There are two kinds of people - those who get calculus, and those who don't. If you get it, it isn't hard. If you don't, good luck. With all those courses being I's, though, you should be OK, as long as you don't have a problem with that many credits all at once.

Keep us updated on your progress!

 

[elleNY]

Charfdorn -- I love you. I mean it ;-) Thank you for being so generous with your wisdom.. Taking the precalc *first* because I haven't touched calc since HS and knowing me in high school, I'm sure I didn't pay enough attention !

I think six grades missing is a lot..but I also don't want to waste a third year, considering I am already doing all of this postbac...Could I apply without the six grades, and if rejected, then reapply the following year with all the grades in.. what do you think of this?

I could take a year to find myself in Europe.. how does that look to adcoms? lol 😛

xo
Elle

 

[charfdorn]

Charfdorn -- I love you. I mean it ;-) Thank you for being so generous with your wisdom.. Taking the precalc *first* because I haven't touched calc since HS and knowing me in high school, I'm sure I didn't pay enough attention !

We have similar backgrounds, so I know this is doable. I have a BA in English and I was just accepted to the University of Colorado for the fall term.

I think six grades missing is a lot..but I also don't want to waste a third year, considering I am already doing all of this postbac...Could I apply without the six grades, and if rejected, then reapply the following year with all the grades in.. what do you think of this?

xo
Elle

Six missing grades is a lot, true. This is exactly what you should do. It may look favorable, in fact, that you are going to keep going without a break. I ended up waiting a year because my wife and I had a baby last summer and I wanted a year to spend with him before I don't see them ever again. Of course, in that year, CU added a year of pre-reqs. I had plenty of electives from my BA, but I ended up taking Biochem in the fall while applying. That wasn't terrible. Where you're going to hit problems is preparing for the PCAT at the same time you're taking all those upper level sciences.

Please keep us updated on how it goes!

 

[elleNY]

Won't the courses help me learn what's on the pcat, along with maybe a kaplans or something?

 

[charfdorn]

Won't the courses help me learn what's on the pcat, along with maybe a kaplans or something?

Yes! But you will need OChem I and Microbiology to do well on the PCAT, and you will want to do well on the PCAT with all those courses in progress or pending. So you will need to probably do some extracurricular reading. The Kaplan book will give you a good idea of what you need to study.

 

[UES Girl]

Won't the courses help me learn what's on the pcat, along with maybe a kaplans or something?

Kaplan won't actually teach you Ochem, if you haven't taken it. They don't actually teach you anything, they cram-review things at the full blown speed and teach you test taking strategies, not the material itself, so don't count on that.

 

[charfdorn]

Kaplan won't actually teach you Ochem, if you haven't taken it. They don't actually teach you anything, they cram-review things at the full blown speed and teach you test taking strategies, not the material itself, so don't count on that.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Kaplan will show you what you still need to learn, but it won't teach you. So take the practice tests and then go learn the subjects that you don't understand. Or read ahead in your Orgo book to the end of the semester as soon as you have the syllabus.

 

[ValeRx]

Your classes look in order but that schedule isn't from hell. 1-2 science courses and nothing else is easy. Due to the fact you've already got all your other stuff such as English, humanities/history, etc out of the way you've got it on easy mode.

Try 3 sciences, 3 labs + one other non-science pre-req and you've got my schedule for the whole year. Not very enjoyable.

 

[aspiringpharmd]

ELLE: I am also a recent BA graduate, I will be starting my pre reqs this upcoming june semester 😀

Good Luck 😀

 

[elleNY]

So we are in the same boat.. If you browse through all posts you'll see how many people in prepharm actually dislike the humanities/social science/english/history aspect of prereqs.. For me, these subjects are essential to being a well rounded individual and, some of them were quite fascinating. That being said, I imagine the science classes we are about to embark on will be fascinating, but more labor intensive. Yikes 🙂
Also - Im trying to get exempt from the Speech/Public Speaking requirement because, as a Comm major, I have a list of at LEAST 10 courses in which I did: public speaking, speeches, presentations, press releases, news conferences, interviews, et cetera...I'm quite the extrovert but think that taking a Speech class would be superfluous at this point.
My favorite classes were actually Psychology and Sociology related.. Due to my alma mater's religious affiliation (Jesuit..mind you I'm a Jew lol), I had to take a certain amount of Philosophy and Religious classes..very abstract if you ask me..But at least I have it done with, and studied the QU'RAN to boot!

Elle

 

[aspiringpharmd]

Sorry for the late reply, I havent been on this site in ages. I am actually looking forward to the Science based courses. I pratically didn't take any science based classes, besides biology. You were saying, you were trying to get exempted from a speech class? If you already took it, its more than likely you dont have to take it again. I was told by my advisor that social sciences don't have an expire date, unlike math and science. Ugh, I would hate to take Speech over again 😉 Hopefully, summer classes are going great for you!! 🙂😀😳

 

[aspiringpharmd]

Sorry for the late reply, I havent been on this site in ages. I am actually looking forward to the Science based courses. I pratically didn't take any science based classes, besides biology. You were saying, you were trying to get exempted from a speech class? If you already took it, its more than likely you dont have to take it again. I was told by my advisor that social sciences don't have an expire date, unlike math and science. Ugh, I would hate to take Speech over again 😉 Hopefully, summer classes are going great for you!! 🙂😀😳

 

[OChemist]

woah, I thought you were doing this in a 1 year time, I wass about to say 😱.
I hope you luck, it's those summer classes that are hard, people are putting out 60's in ochem in the summer. I dont think they offer biochem at summer though.