Questions....

[tbase16]

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Hi everyone,

I am a student going to study my pre-pharmacy course at College Of Dupage to save some money if i get accepted to Pharmacy school. I had some questions and hopefully someone can answer them please. First, i was just pondering if students that go to community colleges for their pre-pharmacy work will get treated different that someone that went to a 4 year university for a bachelors? Next, if that you do not get into pharmacy school anywhere what do you do since you took pre pharmacy courses? Can you go to college somewhere to get more classes in or what happens there? Sorry if these are stupid questions it just has been my dream to be a pharmacist and want to know everyway how to help myself to get into Pharmacy school. So please let me know!!👍

Thanks,
Tyler!!

 

[Skrumpy]

Hi everyone,

I am a student going to study my pre-pharmacy course at College Of Dupage to save some money if i get accepted to Pharmacy school. I had some questions and hopefully someone can answer them please. First, i was just pondering if students that go to community colleges for their pre-pharmacy work will get treated different that someone that went to a 4 year university for a bachelors? Next, if that you do not get into pharmacy school anywhere what do you do since you took pre pharmacy courses? Can you go to college somewhere to get more classes in or what happens there? Sorry if these are stupid questions it just has been my dream to be a pharmacist and want to know everyway how to help myself to get into Pharmacy school. So please let me know!!👍

Thanks,
Tyler!!

I personally know someone that did only 2 years of pre-pharm prereqs all at a community college (CC) and got into a top ranked pharmacy school. He never got his bachelors degree. So it is definitely possible to do this. Do 4 year universities look down upon CCs? IMHO yes as I believe people are inherently biased against CCs for several reasons. That being said that doesn't mean I would simply do my prereqs and then expect to get in. This guy had a ton of ECs, and a lot of pharmacy experience (both retail and hospital) and I'm sure interviewed well, had a stellar GPA (with heavy course load), etc.

I personally did 2 years at a CC and then xferred to a 4 year to finish my BS. Most colleges now (at least the good ones) are nearly making it a requirement for you to have a degree prior to matriculation. Depending on what school(s) you are looking at your mileage may vary.

 

[tbase16]

I personally know someone that did only 2 years of pre-pharm prereqs all at a community college (CC) and got into a top ranked pharmacy school. He never got his bachelors degree. So it is definitely possible to do this. Do 4 year universities look down upon CCs? IMHO yes as I believe people are inherently biased against CCs for several reasons. That being said that doesn't mean I would simply do my prereqs and then expect to get in. This guy had a ton of ECs, and a lot of pharmacy experience (both retail and hospital) and I'm sure interviewed well, had a stellar GPA (with heavy course load), etc.

I personally did 2 years at a CC and then xferred to a 4 year to finish my BS. Most colleges now (at least the good ones) are nearly making it a requirement for you to have a degree prior to matriculation. Depending on what school(s) you are looking at your mileage may vary.

Thank you for your advice! I applied for some Pharmacy job shadowing programs and some pharmacy technican jobs at walgreens and CVS. Do you think that is a good thing to do? I plan on doing anything i can to get into pharmacy school. Is there anything else that i should be aware of since i am new to this and just getting into pharmacy?

 

[JohnFe]

Thank you for your advice! I applied for some Pharmacy job shadowing programs and some pharmacy technican jobs at walgreens and CVS. Do you think that is a good thing to do? I plan on doing anything i can to get into pharmacy school. Is there anything else that i should be aware of since i am new to this and just getting into pharmacy?

Leadership experience through clubs and organizations.
Additional course load if you are still going to stay in CC.
Volunteering to show some humanitarianism.

 

[tbase16]

Leadership experience through clubs and organizations.
Additional course load if you are still going to stay in CC.
Volunteering to show some humanitarianism.

That sounds good I do not believe that the college of dupage has a club for pharmacy so if not next year when I enroll there I was going to ask to start a club. Would that look good on my application? Also, what are some good sources that anyone knows about the PCAT and to get a good score. (Besides Kaplan). And what is a good PCAT score ?!

 

[Skrumpy]

Thank you for your advice! I applied for some Pharmacy job shadowing programs and some pharmacy technican jobs at walgreens and CVS. Do you think that is a good thing to do? I plan on doing anything i can to get into pharmacy school. Is there anything else that i should be aware of since i am new to this and just getting into pharmacy?

Yes pharmacy experience is good as it will better allow you to explain the question "why pharmacy?" Also as was mentioned, volunteering, leadership, etc all looks good. See if there are any positions open for student government, perhaps maybe start a club up yourself, there are plenty of things you can do to really beef up your application and make yourself look good.

 

[tbase16]

What is student government? and what is considered additional course load? Can i take some credit classes over the summer or something? Thanks in advance.

 

[Skrumpy]

What is student government? and what is considered additional course load? Can i take some credit classes over the summer or something? Thanks in advance.

Student senate, a leadership role (president/officer of a club/society) etc are all considered student government. A heavy course load just means taking more classes than the minimum required to be considered full time. For example, at my University it is 13 credits/semester to be considered full-time, but they recommend you take ~17+ if you want to graduate in 4 years.

 

[tbase16]

Okay, thank you so much. I had another question if anyone know the % acceptance rates of any of the following school and how many students applied?!

-Chicago State University School of Pharmacy
-Midwestern University Downers Grove IL
-Concordia University Wisconsin
-University of Illinois-Chicago

 

[Skrumpy]

Okay, thank you so much. I had another question if anyone know the % acceptance rates of any of the following school and how many students applied?!

-Chicago State University School of Pharmacy
-Midwestern University Downers Grove IL
-Concordia University Wisconsin
-University of Illinois-Chicago

Nope.. but most schools post that sort of information on their website. I was accepted to Concordia but declined their offer. Looked like a good school, though.

 

[tbase16]

If you don't mind me asking why did you decline and what kind of application did you have?

 

[Skrumpy]

If you don't mind me asking why did you decline and what kind of application did you have?

I declined for several reasons.. mainly because I don't really want to move out of state (I live in MN) and relocating would have been a huge hassle (having to sell my place, move away from friends and family, etc). Also with the current (and future) of pharmacy as it is I wanted to give myself the best possible chance in the market upon graduating. This means going to a school that is known for graduating high quality applicants. As Concordia is a newer school they haven't yet graduated their first class and thus the word is still out on how these students will fare against students from other institutions. While I was impressed with the facilities I don't believe it is worth the risk. This is especially so given that I believe I have a good chance at getting into my first choice (the U of M) which is ranked #3 and is one of the leaders in advancing the profession. Had the market been what it was 5 years ago this probably would not have factored in as much to my decision, but as such this is not the case. If you would like my stats I'd be happy to PM them to you (simply message me).

 

[88888888]

Okay, thank you so much. I had another question if anyone know the % acceptance rates of any of the following school and how many students applied?!

-Chicago State University School of Pharmacy
-Midwestern University Downers Grove IL
-Concordia University Wisconsin
-University of Illinois-Chicago

Go on their pharmcas school pages, they have all the stats you want. Average gpa, # interviewed, accepted, spots etc..

 

[KasHfg]

Hi everyone,

I am a student going to study my pre-pharmacy course at College Of Dupage to save some money if i get accepted to Pharmacy school. I had some questions and hopefully someone can answer them please. First, i was just pondering if students that go to community colleges for their pre-pharmacy work will get treated different that someone that went to a 4 year university for a bachelors? Next, if that you do not get into pharmacy school anywhere what do you do since you took pre pharmacy courses? Can you go to college somewhere to get more classes in or what happens there? Sorry if these are stupid questions it just has been my dream to be a pharmacist and want to know everyway how to help myself to get into Pharmacy school. So please let me know!!👍

Thanks,
Tyler!!

I think that you are just fine going to College of Dupage... You just need to make sure to have high GPA.
I completed my prerequisites at Harper College (3.87 GPA), do not have BS, never worked in a pharmacy, I did some research and I am currently working in research company (chemistry research, but not medical related)... applied to Midwestern and UIC and got accepted to both.

 

[tbase16]

How long ago was this? I have heard more colleges are only accepting students with a bachelors...? Also, if you dont mind would you message me your stats so i can get a good gage on what and how to achieve it? Those are two of my top schools i wish to get enrolled in. Thanks in advance.

 

[KasHfg]

How long ago was this? I have heard more colleges are only accepting students with a bachelors...? Also, if you dont mind would you message me your stats so i can get a good gage on what and how to achieve it? Those are two of my top schools i wish to get enrolled in. Thanks in advance.

I sent you a message....

It was this year! Schools in Chicago area do not require bachelors just yet. They do mention however that 70% of accepted students have it. I do not...

 

[Skrumpy]

How long ago was this? I have heard more colleges are only accepting students with a bachelors...? Also, if you dont mind would you message me your stats so i can get a good gage on what and how to achieve it? Those are two of my top schools i wish to get enrolled in. Thanks in advance.

In looking at new schools I've seen a range from 50% to 70%. In more established (higher ranked schools) I've seen a range from 90% to 100% of the entering class with a bachelors degree. So it really depends on the school. I think if they all had their choice they would prefer everyone to have a degree. Not all of the schools out there can afford to be that picky however.

 

[KasHfg]

Okay, thank you so much. I had another question if anyone know the % acceptance rates of any of the following school and how many students applied?!

-Chicago State University School of Pharmacy
-Midwestern University Downers Grove IL
-Concordia University Wisconsin
-University of Illinois-Chicago

Check out the link below. There you can find average GPA's, and application
to enrollment ratio...
http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/Documents/Table 8.pdf