Question about the speech class

[ilikecomputer]

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Hi,
Would the schools that require speech class accept you if you don't take the speech class but have high science/ math GPA? Is speech class big part of the pre-requisites requirement? I get nervous when i give out speeches in front of a big crowd... Do you have to complete ALL the pre-requisites to gain admission? or i should just apply to the ones that dont require speech....

 

[hokierx]

you should probably take it, considering you will have to do a lot of interviews, not to mention actually talk to strangers when you're a pharmacist. and isnt it an easy A, anyways?

 

[Neutralized]

every school that I dealt with absolutely required all of their prereqs with no exceptions. you could just apply to schools that don't require it, but the class really isn't that big of a deal. honestly it sounds like you would benefit from it, being able to speak in front of people is a really good skill to have.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

If it's a pre-req for a school then you have to take it. You won't be exempt from it. If you really are that nervous about giving speeches, I suggest you take the class as you will likely be giving lots of presentations throughout your pharmacy school years. The class will help you get more comfortable. Most people get really nervous before speeches, you just have to learn how to work through it.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

Some schools allow you to take Interpersonal Communications instead of speech.

If you do take a speech class, most likely you will be giving speeches in front of a relatively small group of people (20-25). Almost everyone is slightly nervous when speaking in front of people to some degree. Just remember that after the speech, most likely you'll have done better than you thought you did. And if it helps keep you calmer, you can always imagine the audience in their underwear. ;-) It doesn't help me, but apparently it works for some people!

 

[themulya]

If it's a pre requisite, you have to take it. Before you can be admitted you have to take all prerequisite classes. You can always ask the school if you have a real reason as why you cannot take it. But if your only excuse is that you don't want to speak in front of others, I doubt thats gonna fly. I would definitely not limit the schools you apply to for a simple class such as speech. Things like location and cost are things you should consider when applying to schools.

In my speech class, there was a person who at the start could not say a word in front of the class. The teacher worked with the student, helped here overcome her fear, at by the end of our class she was a better speaker than me. Who knows, maybe a speech class might actually help you out.

 

[bluesickle]

I took a class called "communication in the professional world" during undergrad but I took a public speech class anyway because I didn't want the schools questioning me and asking me for the syllabus.

Just take the class ... you'll realize you're not the only one who can't speak in front of a crowd, which you'll find comforting.

 

[ilikecomputer]

thanks for all the replies. What is the Interpersonal Communications class one poster mentioned? thanks. and pharm school clsases require you to give out a lot presentations and speeches??

 

[bluesickle]

thanks for all the replies. What is the Interpersonal Communications class one poster mentioned? thanks. and pharm school clsases require you to give out a lot presentations and speeches??

I would strongly recommend not taking interpersonal communication because many schools specifically say they will not take this class as a substitute for public speaking. From my understanding, there will be a lot of group activities and that includes presentations. You really should think twice before jumping into pharmacy as it really isn't for everyone.

 

[kizlam]

.

 

[Hels2007]

Yep, you are facing a couple presentations a year at least in the first three years of pharmacy school and then on average one a month during the last year. Besides, if you are afraid to speak up, how do you expect to work as a pharmacist? Confine yourself to mail order? Better conquer your fears now before it completely takes over you. 🙂 Really, most people either are friendly towards you or don't even listen to what you say, so you have no reason to be afraid/worried of public speaking whatsoever.

 

[ilikecomputer]

well i have no problem talking to people, but i just get really nervous when i give out presentations in front of a crowd. I keep on shallow and shallow, which makes myself look dumb and shy, and i get more nervous. I usually get really bad grade on my presentations or i usually just " ditch" the class on that day and take the F...... I mumble a lot when i talk, people don't usually understand me the first time.

 

[kizlam]

.

 

[ilikecomputer]

can i go through pharm school without very good communication skill? you can graduate with a 2.0 gpa in pharm school right? So as long as i do very well on my exams, the presentation wont hurt as much?

 

[homeslice]

can i go through pharm school without very good communication skill? you can graduate with a 2.0 gpa in pharm school right? So as long as i do very well on my exams, the presentation wont hurt as much?

Maybe it's just me, but this kind of thinking is a little ridiculous.

 

[stkyrice]

can i go through pharm school without very good communication skill? you can graduate with a 2.0 gpa in pharm school right? So as long as i do very well on my exams, the presentation wont hurt as much?

Uh, I hope you're being sarcastic. If you make it to the interview round of pharmacy school apps, you'll probably get drilled by the interviewers about various situations and be forced to think on your feet. If you can't handle that, then you'll have a pretty hard time getting into pharm school.

Grades aren't everything in getting into pharm. Most schools would rather have someone who didn't do as well science wise but has the experience in public speaking to do public presentations with confidence, then someone who has high grades but is scared to give the presentations.

 

[ilikecomputer]

well i understand that, but my English is kinda hard to understand. Would that be a problem during the interview? I know that there are doctors/ pharmacists don't speak very well English. How did they go through the interviews process and schools??

 

[Jammerdez1]

well i have no problem talking to people, but i just get really nervous when i give out presentations in front of a crowd. I keep on shallow and shallow, which makes myself look dumb and shy, and i get more nervous. I usually get really bad grade on my presentations or i usually just " ditch" the class on that day and take the F...... I mumble a lot when i talk, people don't usually understand me the first time.

This is the whole point of a public speaking class. Let me break down the class I took for you.

The first "presentation" we gave was our third class meeting. We simply had to talk about ourselves for 1 minute. Some people went up and were overly excited, most others were pretty shy and just talked about their major and what they do for fun.

The next meeting, the teacher handed each of us a piece of paper that had the good and bad qualities of our speech (did you project your voice, make eye-contact, read off a piece of paper, sound rehearsed, fiddle with your feet/hands/hair, mumble, talk about something interesting, show confidence, etc.) along with our grade (everyone automatically got an A just for going up and talking).

Next the teacher paired us up according to people's abilities (ie- someone with a strong quality was paired up with someone who was weak in the same ability and vice versa). We then went out on our own and practiced the things we were weak on according to her instructions (practice saying these tongue twister out loud to your partner, hold your feet/hands still as you talk to your partner, etc.). After a couple sessions of this we did another speech (informational... ie- teach the class about something for 3 minutes).

The routine continued, but switching partners after each presentation. Overall you give 3 real speeches plus 2 informal "talk about yourself" speeches. It's an easy "A" as long as you show up. The teachers realize most everyone there is afraid (or at least anxious) of giving speeches in front of classes, which is why the classes are generally no more than 10-20 people. You get to choose your own topics, everyone is encouraging and no matter how bad you screw up, noone will laugh since they're too afraid the same thing will happen to them. It's a huge help and will be one of the most useful non-academic skills you will use. Trust us on this. It's not worth throwing away grades, school options, and (eventually) job opportunities, all because you couldn't talk in front of 10-20 people for a few minutes. If you can talk in front of 1 or 2 friends, you can do this!

 

[ajh88]

well i have no problem talking to people, but i just get really nervous when i give out presentations in front of a crowd. I keep on shallow and shallow, which makes myself look dumb and shy, and i get more nervous. I usually get really bad grade on my presentations or i usually just " ditch" the class on that day and take the F...... I mumble a lot when i talk, people don't usually understand me the first time.

I think you might find a speech class beneficial. If you are very nervous, you might look for one in a summer session. I took mine over summer and there were only about 12 people in it - it made things much less nerve-wracking.

I've only had to do a couple of presentations so far through my first 2 years - however, I believe that on 4th year rotations, presentations may be more common. For example, at the hospital where I worked, every student on a rotation had to do one journal club presentation and one "other" presentation during their time there.

Good luck!

 

[ilikecomputer]

Do you guys have any classmates that don't speak perfect English?

 

[aboveliquidice]

Hi,
Would the schools that require speech class accept you if you don't take the speech class but have high science/ math GPA?

No

 

[bluesickle]

well i understand that, but my English is kinda hard to understand. Would that be a problem during the interview? I know that there are doctors/ pharmacists don't speak very well English. How did they go through the interviews process and schools??

One of the biggest reasons why someone gets rejected after an interview to any professional program is because of their poor communication skills. Even if you somehow get past the interviews, if pharmacy school (and the profession) isn't for you, you're going to be one of those people who drop out in the first few weeks of class because pharmacy school is nothing you imagined it to be. You sound like you're looking for a program that teaches students to learn passively and if that's the case, pharmacy school or any of the other professional schools may not be for you.

 

[thephoenician88]

Hi,
Would the schools that require speech class accept you if you don't take the speech class but have high science/ math GPA? Is speech class big part of the pre-requisites requirement? I get nervous when i give out speeches in front of a big crowd... Do you have to complete ALL the pre-requisites to gain admission? or i should just apply to the ones that dont require speech....

yea well this is part of life as a pharmacist.

 

[Hels2007]

one of the biggest reasons why someone gets rejected after an interview to any professional program is because of their poor communication skills. Even if you somehow get past the interviews, if pharmacy school (and the profession) isn't for you, you're going to be one of those people who drop out in the first few weeks of class because pharmacy school is nothing you imagined it to be. You sound like you're looking for a program that teaches students to learn passively and if that's the case, pharmacy school or any of the other professional schools may not be for you.

+1

 

[Hels2007]

Do you guys have any classmates that don't speak perfect English?

There are enough pharmacy students and pharmacists with accents, which doesn't stop them from being great communicators, and yes, great public speakers. Your problem is not your accent, your problem is all in your head, and speech class would help you cure it. Do it sooner rather than later so that you may benefit more from it.

How do you think you are going to get through the admission interview? What if you are interviewed by a panel rather than one person? Not to mention I can see very easily whether or not one is a good speaker just by speaking to them. Either they project confidence and self-assurance and self-awareness - or they don't.

It's all the same skills, speaking to one person, five people, five hundred people, or one TV camera. Trust me on this one.

 

[atticus27]

OP, don't avoid the inevitable. Take the public speaking class and work on turning your weaknesses into strengths.

This thread got my wondering when Creighton Distance students do presentations?

 

[Hels2007]

OP, don't avoid the inevitable. Take the public speaking class and work on turning your weaknesses into strengths.

This thread got my wondering when Creighton Distance students do presentations?

On rotations, at least... during school, maybe they tape themselves and send that in? Or when they do come to campus?

BTW the most disappointing thing about presenting is when nobody shows up. Once I was scheduled to speak on a Friday afternoon, and it turned out to be a gorgeous day, one of the last ones in October, so out of about 30-40 expected attendees, only about 7-8 showed up. That's probably the hardest speech/presentation I have ever given, so difficult it was to get over the disappointment, swallow, and pretent like nothing has happened.

 

[ilikecomputer]

Thanks for all the replies. Few more questions about the program, do you have to maintain certain GPA to stay in pharm school or to graduate? From your past experiences, have you seen any Pharm students who are not good at communication? like average or below average? thanks.

 

[trailrider400]

If you feel your communication is a problem which you clearly do you should work on getting it handled instead of hiding from it which is going to get you absolutely no where. Read books on how to talk to people and most of all step outside your comfort zone. And heres something you might not have realized 90% of people hate talking in front of large groups of people (< yeah i made that up but you get the point) and EVERYONE is at least a little nervous giving speeches. Some are just really good at hiding it. Stop being scared and take speech!!!

 

[Hels2007]

Thanks for all the replies. Few more questions about the program, do you have to maintain certain GPA to stay in pharm school or to graduate?

Yes. Depends on the school what it is, and more importantly, how hard you will have to work to get that minimum GPA.

From your past experiences, have you seen any Pharm students who are not good at communication? like average or below average? thanks.

Pharmacy students? No. Few are stellar presenters, but everyone is at least OK. Acceptable. I have seen some lousy pharmacists who were poor communicators, but none of them were young/recent US pharmacy school grads.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

To the OP, it sounds like you need to get more confident in your speaking abilities, especially in English. You'll most likely need to talk to people in a pharmacy career. Actually, most careers, for that matter. If you're really that nervous about your English, improve it.

Join a club. If you speak mostly a foreign language at home and with friends, find friends that only speak English. Practice, practice, practice.

At my work, we had a girl come in who spoke not much English at all. After several years, it's hard to believe I ever had a major problem not understanding her. She still has an accent, and she's still kind of quiet. And every once in awhile, we have a communication error, although this is usually over cultural things (we had a very interesting conversation the other day talking about the difference between Chinese and American burial practices...). But she fits in fine with us conversationally, and if she wanted to do a career speaking with native English speakers all day, she could have one with no problem now.