Prerequisites for Pharmacy School - CC or 4-year school?

[ranum]

Hey everyone!

So glad I found this website. Hopefully I can get some good feedback from you all.

Obviously, I'm putting up a post because I'm shooting for pharmacy school. I'll have to start from the very beginning pretty much, but I'm willing to put for that effort because it'll def. be worth it.

I'll have to take all of my prerequisites but I'd like to figure out the best way to do so. I currently live in Brooklyn, NY so there's a lot of schools around here that offer the courses. The million dollar question is...4-year school or a community college? I know this question has been discussed quite a bit, but the discussions have surrounded medical school hopefuls...but what do pharmacy admissions committees think?

Since I already have a business degree (got my BS in '07) it looks like I'll have to do some form of a Post-Bacc program. Columbia and NYU Pre-Health programs have caught my eye, but I realize that there's a bunch of community colleges in the city that offer similar programs.

Columbia and NYU are probably much more expensive and difficult, but I feel that the brilliant people on those campuses and the resources at my disposal can have a strong and positive effect on me. Plus schools like those always have great connections. Recommendation letters from Columbia/NYU professors are definitely a good thing...

On the flipside, community colleges are waaaay cheaper and that could help at the end. Because I'll be in NYC I don't doubt that I'll run in to some great people and resources as well. Definitely doesn't have the brand name, however.

By the way, my top 3 choices for Pharm schools are LIU, St. Johns, and UF(esp. because my parents live there and I can get free rent, hehe).

So what do you all think? Anybody go to any of these schools right now? Anyone close to admissions officers there? Any pharmacy hopefuls doing a postbacc right now? Any insights will be appreciated.

Thanks everyone =)

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[Passion4Sci]

It depends on who you ask, but it looks to me like it's a wash between CC and 4 year. The proof in the pudding is grades.

A student from a 4 year with a 2.8 sGPA, 65 PCAT and mediocre ECs will not compete with someone who has a 3.7 sGPA, 85 PCAT and mediocre ECs from a CC.

If you perform well, you will not face prejudice for having your pre-requisites done at a CC. Pharm. schools recognize that, for non-traditional students (Which make up a large portion of Pharmacy students), the CC offers unmatched value and are, by and large, equivalent to 4 year schools in quality. You will be graded on a vast rubric and your GPA will be looked at, however it will not be looked at necessarily where you got the GPA. Some schools say they require CC students to have a higher overall GPA, but I think that should be a given anyway, as "the popular opinion" is that CCs are inferior. However, especially in this economy, they are a boon to society.

Med school and pharm school are apples to oranges and cannot be compared, so take that out of your mind ASAP.

There are many students at your top 3 choices that are laureates of CCs.

I can't contribute anything else as I am on the west coast and know nothing specifically about the schools you've listed besides from the SDNers who are here that I know.

 

[RealUnreaL]

I had the same problem before ,just like you do now.
People are going to CC first why?
because it is cheaper because they are working, because it is more easy.
Well , if you want to apply to pharm school , your grades has to be great. and if you are CC your grades has to be perfect.
Why?
because pharm. schools are not stupid. They accept students who is applying for 6 years programs. Becayse when they apply to 6 years program , they will also make money from them. lets say, I am the admission officer , and you applied to pharmd program. I looked at your resume and you went to CC , you took all the pre-courses at CC.
an other student applied to my school and he didn't take the pre-courses yet.
your GPA is 4.0 (out of 4) but the other students GPA is 2.0
I am sorry but I will not take you in . I will take the other person who is GPA is 2.0
because I will make more money than you.
So yes this is sad. but we have to face it, This is how it is.
that's why most of the pharm schools don't really care about students who is coming from CC.
Yes, ofcourse , students can get accepted to pharm programs from CC but it is very rear.
if you want your seat garanteed , you will have to pay some more and go for 6 years pharm schools.
but if you want to take that risk and say, well I am very smart, I will go to CC first and finish up there , then apply to pharm school. of course you can.
but you are also taking risks . you may not get accepted the school you want to be in.
So according to me, I would go for 6 years pharm schools, no questions ask.
because I don't want to take that strees in my life or don't want to take the risk, if I can get accepted or not?
by the way , been a doctor, if you would say, we are giving you a new brain , you don't need to do anything else.and you will be a doctor, do you want it?
answer = no
I like to live my life ,socialy or other ways.
in this fall, I am applying to USP , I was in CC, but I gave up on it.
best of luck

 

[jasonbourne]

Hey everyone!

So glad I found this website. Hopefully I can get some good feedback from you all.

Obviously, I'm putting up a post because I'm shooting for pharmacy school. I'll have to start from the very beginning pretty much, but I'm willing to put for that effort because it'll def. be worth it.

I'll have to take all of my prerequisites but I'd like to figure out the best way to do so. I currently live in Brooklyn, NY so there's a lot of schools around here that offer the courses. The million dollar question is...4-year school or a community college? I know this question has been discussed quite a bit, but the discussions have surrounded medical school hopefuls...but what do pharmacy admissions committees think?

Since I already have a business degree (got my BS in '07) it looks like I'll have to do some form of a Post-Bacc program. Columbia and NYU Pre-Health programs have caught my eye, but I realize that there's a bunch of community colleges in the city that offer similar programs.

Columbia and NYU are probably much more expensive and difficult, but I feel that the brilliant people on those campuses and the resources at my disposal can have a strong and positive effect on me. Plus schools like those always have great connections. Recommendation letters from Columbia/NYU professors are definitely a good thing...

On the flipside, community colleges are waaaay cheaper and that could help at the end. Because I'll be in NYC I don't doubt that I'll run in to some great people and resources as well. Definitely doesn't have the brand name, however.

By the way, my top 3 choices for Pharm schools are LIU, St. Johns, and UF(esp. because my parents live there and I can get free rent, hehe).

So what do you all think? Anybody go to any of these schools right now? Anyone close to admissions officers there? Any pharmacy hopefuls doing a postbacc right now? Any insights will be appreciated.

Thanks everyone =)

Dude it doesnt matter. Just get the grades and the pcat score and you will get into a pharmacy school. Community college saves more money. I attended a CC and i can tell you i saved tons of money. I took every single class at a CC and still got acceptances to almost all schools. I agree that some schools may be biased but it is not enough for you to get rejected if you do good.

 

[IrishHammer]

Hey everyone!

So glad I found this website. Hopefully I can get some good feedback from you all.

Obviously, I'm putting up a post because I'm shooting for pharmacy school. I'll have to start from the very beginning pretty much, but I'm willing to put for that effort because it'll def. be worth it.

I'll have to take all of my prerequisites but I'd like to figure out the best way to do so. I currently live in Brooklyn, NY so there's a lot of schools around here that offer the courses. The million dollar question is...4-year school or a community college? I know this question has been discussed quite a bit, but the discussions have surrounded medical school hopefuls...but what do pharmacy admissions committees think?

Since I already have a business degree (got my BS in '07) it looks like I'll have to do some form of a Post-Bacc program. Columbia and NYU Pre-Health programs have caught my eye, but I realize that there's a bunch of community colleges in the city that offer similar programs.

Columbia and NYU are probably much more expensive and difficult, but I feel that the brilliant people on those campuses and the resources at my disposal can have a strong and positive effect on me. Plus schools like those always have great connections. Recommendation letters from Columbia/NYU professors are definitely a good thing...

On the flipside, community colleges are waaaay cheaper and that could help at the end. Because I'll be in NYC I don't doubt that I'll run in to some great people and resources as well. Definitely doesn't have the brand name, however.

By the way, my top 3 choices for Pharm schools are LIU, St. Johns, and UF(esp. because my parents live there and I can get free rent, hehe).

So what do you all think? Anybody go to any of these schools right now? Anyone close to admissions officers there? Any pharmacy hopefuls doing a postbacc right now? Any insights will be appreciated.

Thanks everyone =)

If you go on to get your Bachelor's, it won't matter to any Pharmacy school that you took your first two years at a CC. If you're just taking the pre-reqs and applying, some schools may care, but to be blunt, the "brand name" stigma is bull**** dreamt up by the snooty higher-ups of academia, and any school that thinks that way isn't thinking clearly.

Here's a thought experiement. Which will help you out in your studies more-the fact that your school is "renowned and prestigious", or being at a school where you can easily find any of your professors and bend their ear at length about material you're having difficulty with? My Organic Chemistry professor gives all of his students his home phone number to call if they run into any confusing material while studying. I'm still waiting to have someone tell me that their professor from a 4-year does the same.

I got into St. John Fisher straight out of Erie Community College (no BA/BSc, just the pre-reqs). So it's possible. In my opinion, from my experience at a CC (and from having seen scores on the exact same tests, taken by students at both ECC and at UB), it's not an inferior education by any means, it is just a cheaper means of attaining your education, in an environment that is far more conducive to learning.. I would advise starting at CC, you're going to need to save every penny you can for when you see your tuition bill at pharmacy school.

 

[AStudentDoctor]

Personally, I am taking summer courses at my local CC while working as a Pharmacy Tech. It allows me job experience, and to knock out a few pesky courses in order to take less hours (12-15) when I attend my state school during the fall and spring semesters.

If you want to see how I'm planning on doing it check out my old post:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=629768

 

[trailrider400]

I did 4 years at a community college and finished up my last year at a university to earn my bachelors. 'Perfect' community college grades aren't necessary as someone stated above but you really do need to make sure you are working hard for A's. I got B's in the majority of my science classes at a community college. This was a mistake and I'm just extremely lucky this 1 year I was a little distracted didn't ruin my shot at pharmacy school (I still had a 3.55 gpa so not terrible). Anyways the point I'm trying to make here is a comm college is fine and you don't have to be perfect but you really need to keep your science (and cumulative gpa for that matter) higher at a community college than a University. Also I think a comm college may hurt you more when you are applying out of state. The cc I went to is 20 minutes away from the pharmacy school I was accepted to and actually has a very good reputation as far as cc's go. Whereas if I applied in Hawaii they would have never heard of the cc and have no clue if its even a mediocre cc. I also think its more important to have a high pcat score when you went to a cc. Thats something that needs to be weighed in. Scoring high on the pcat is the best way of showing the adcoms that what you learned at the cc is equivalent to what someone else earned at a university. My friend went to cc and never attended a university. He scored a 94 on the pcat. Its obvious that he learned a thing or two and his 94 pcat showed that his 3.8 cc gpa was probably reliable.

 

[Carboxide]

I think the REAL answer depends on where you want to go. If you are applying to UMich, Madison or other highly competitive schools, then YES - it matters. If you are mostly applying to candidate and pre-candidate schools, or 'easier' schools to get into, then no - it does not matter so much, as long as you do very well.