Questions about "pre-reqs"....?

[Paulz]

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I was just wondering a lot of Pharm schools have a list of 20 or so pre-req classes that you need to take or whatever. You know, Bio 1/2, Chem 1/2, OChem 1/2, ect.

Two questions:

1-For the pre-reqs like "Speech" and "Advanced Statistics", ones that are non/science related, will you need to take that specific class or will taking a similar or equal one be fine. I mean I don't even think my school offers a good amount of some of the pre-reqs that some of the schools want.

2-How badly will messing up on the pre-reqs be if you are an overall good candidate? I have read they want "at least a C in all the pre-reqs" but if you have a solid GPA, a good PCAT, good EC, volunteering, clinical experience, how much will a C- matter?

 

[medicalCPA]

1-For the pre-reqs like "Speech" and "Advanced Statistics", ones that are non/science related, will you need to take that specific class or will taking a similar or equal one be fine. I mean I don't even think my school offers a good amount of some of the pre-reqs that some of the schools want.

What I would advise you is to speak to the admissions office of the school you are interested in. If your school offers a similar course, ask if they will accept your school's course. For example, one of the schools I was applying to requires a Public Speaking course. My school did not offer such a course; it offered Oral Communication instead. I emailed the pharmacy school with the description of Oral Comm from our catalog, and the admissions office agreed to accept my school's course. If the school you are looking at does not agree to this, then you might have to take the pre-reqs elsewhere, or apply to a different school.

2-How badly will messing up on the pre-reqs be if you are an overall good candidate? I have read they want "at least a C in all the pre-reqs" but if you have a solid GPA, a good PCAT, good EC, volunteering, clinical experience, how much will a C- matter?

I believe that this will depend on the school you are applying to. All I can tell you is that if you are worried about your chances at a particular school, email them, attach a list of the courses you have taken and your grades in those courses and ask if you should apply there. I did this before I decided on the four schools I finally applied to. It is better to hear directly from the school than from strangers in an online forum.

 

[UES Girl]

I was just wondering a lot of Pharm schools have a list of 20 or so pre-req classes that you need to take or whatever. You know, Bio 1/2, Chem 1/2, OChem 1/2, ect.

Two questions:

1-For the pre-reqs like "Speech" and "Advanced Statistics", ones that are non/science related, will you need to take that specific class or will taking a similar or equal one be fine. I mean I don't even think my school offers a good amount of some of the pre-reqs that some of the schools want.

2-How badly will messing up on the pre-reqs be if you are an overall good candidate? I have read they want "at least a C in all the pre-reqs" but if you have a solid GPA, a good PCAT, good EC, volunteering, clinical experience, how much will a C- matter?

1) Specific classes matter - some schools only accept specific classes. For example a lot of people take intro speech communication thinking it's going to pass for public speaking and it doesn't . Those two are not the same thing. You have to either contact the schools and find out exactly about each specific class or use assist website to figure out if the classes taught at your school are acceptable. No one on here is going to be able to give ou concrete advise - because we don't know which classes you are talking about or which schools you are applying to. For this question - you have do do your own homework and research if you want a specific answer.

2) C- is a pretty bad grade. I mean people usually get in even with F's but then they retake the class and usually ace it. If you take the class get a C- and do not do anything about it - it looks pretty bad.

 

[Paulz]

So anything lower than a C should be re-taken?


What if you have a solid GPA and EC but one pre-req has been PASS/FAILED? How do you think that will be looked at?

 

[medicalCPA]

So anything lower than a C should be re-taken?


What if you have a solid GPA and EC but one pre-req has been PASS/FAILED? How do you think that will be looked at?

I took a departmental exam for Gen Chem I & II, and PharmCAS regarded it as pass/fail. I still found four schools to apply to. Once again, you should TALK TO THE SCHOOL.

 

[OrllY]

C-, C+ usually transfer as a C....
but check with where you are applying to first...

 

[kismet]

2-How badly will messing up on the pre-reqs be if you are an overall good candidate? I have read they want "at least a C in all the pre-reqs" but if you have a solid GPA, a good PCAT, good EC, volunteering, clinical experience, how much will a C- matter?

You'll want to check directly with the schools you're applying to. There are two scenarios: 1) you need a C "average" in all your courses, in which case, you can let a C- slide because you'll have other grades to average it out; 2) you need "at least" a C in all courses, in which case, C- is not good enough.

I retook a couple classes which I got a C- in because the schools I applied to said that a C- basically "didn't count" as completing the prerequisite. It sucked, because my college doesn't really "allow" you to retake courses unless you get a D+ or worse and there was a LOT of administrative red tape to go through.