Raising a low and stubborn GPA!!

[Yaz95]

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Hello all. This is my first post here but I have been reading posts on SDN for about a year now. I just wanted to say that its been an excellent resource to me and how nice it is to see everyone helping each other out by giving opinions, advice, and answering questions. For those of you that have been accepted to a pharmacy institution, congrats and for those applying soon, good luck!

That aside, I basically need help raising my GPA. My overall is 2.7 and my science is 2.5. I know what you're thinking (ouch 🙁 ). This June I graduated and received a BS in Biology. I also have 6 months pharmacy experience, research experience and am very passionate about the field. I do not know how to raise my GPA however. After talking to friends, looking SDN, talking to a pharmacy school counselor, and researching online I have come down to two routes:
Route 1: Go to a CC for a year and take almost all the prereqs over again and other extra classes to raise my GPA.

Route2: Due to the fact that my overall GPA was 2.7 and science was 2.5 after taking 211 units at my old university, I'm afraid that taking only 12 courses at CC (which will come to 48 units) will not be enough and thus can only pull it up so far (maybe to a 3.0, if that). I know that If I do really well with my pre-reqs at a CC it will look beautiful but if my overall GPA and science GPA are not where they should be then it would be a waste of time. Therefore, some have told me to get a MS in Biology. This will take 6 months to a year longer than Route 1 but those extra classes may be needed to raise my GPA. It will also show that I can handle taking challenging courses at the university level (Which I didn't really show at my old university). I know not many people take route 2 to get into pharmacy school (although with med school it is quite popular). However, my situation is a unique one and others like me would give up and begin to look in other fields.

I really do not know which route to take and I have to make a decision pretty quick. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time guys! 🙂

 

[Phrm Girl 24]

Hello all. This is my first post here but I have been reading posts on SDN for about a year now. I just wanted to say that its been an excellent resource to me and how nice it is to see everyone helping each other out by giving opinions, advice, and answering questions. For those of you that have been accepted to a pharmacy institution, congrats and for those applying soon, good luck!

That aside, I basically need help raising my GPA. My overall is 2.7 and my science is 2.5. I know what you're thinking (ouch 🙁 ). This June I graduated and received a BS in Biology. I also have 6 months pharmacy experience, research experience and am very passionate about the field. I do not know how to raise my GPA however. After talking to friends, looking SDN, talking to a pharmacy school counselor, and researching online I have come down to two routes:
Route 1: Go to a CC for a year and take almost all the prereqs over again and other extra classes to raise my GPA.

Route2: Due to the fact that my overall GPA was 2.7 and science was 2.5 after taking 211 units at my old university, I'm afraid that taking only 12 courses at CC (which will come to 48 units) will not be enough and thus can only pull it up so far (maybe to a 3.0, if that). I know that If I do really well with my pre-reqs at a CC it will look beautiful but if my overall GPA and science GPA are not where they should be then it would be a waste of time. Therefore, some have told me to get a MS in Biology. This will take 6 months to a year longer than Route 1 but those extra classes may be needed to raise my GPA. It will also show that I can handle taking challenging courses at the university level (Which I didn't really show at my old university). I know not many people take route 2 to get into pharmacy school (although with med school it is quite popular). However, my situation is a unique one and others like me would give up and begin to look in other fields.

I really do not know which route to take and I have to make a decision pretty quick. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time guys! 🙂

I would go with route 2, I think a MS degree with excellent grades would look alot better than going to a CC!

 

[steveysmith54]

Did u take the pcat already? maybe if u really do well on it u won't need to do either. But, I've seen people do options 1 and 2 and succeed. So, it's up to you.

The CC route is cheaper and you can proly work. However the masters does look better but it's probably harder academically, cost more, etc.

 

[Hels2007]

Would you be able to place into a master's program with a GPA like yours? I thought most programs require 3.0 or more? If you were accepted, though, it would look better. If I receive a transcript from someone repeating their courses from a completed bachelor's degree in a community college, I will think something is fishy. And you never want an admissions officer to feel something is fishy. Because if there are 10 times more applicants than there are spots, you don't want to waste too much time on a dubious candidate's application when there are plenty of better ones around. But it is still better than not doing anything - and handled properly (disclosed in the personal statement) it may help you rather than hinder you. It's all up to you.

 

[bananaface]

Completing a MS with a good GPA shows that you can do well in a rigorous graduate program. But, it will do little to help you prepare for pharmacy school in terms of content. And, it won't raise your prerequisite GPA, which many schools look at when evaluating candidates. If it were me, I wouldn't spend 1.5 to 2 years on it. I would prefer to retake prereqs and do well in them.

 

[no-see-um]

I agree with the previous post - that you should re-take SOME of your pre-reqs. I think that pre-reqs are the major focus of admissions committees.

Show an effort to ameliorate your academic status in that area - and succeed. Any astute adcom would understand how much this means to you in trying to overcome your weaknesses. And any respectable one would find that not only redeeming but acceptable, and that's where you would want to go, anyways.

 

[glenncat]

I am in a similar situation. My undergrad GPA was a 2.66. I attended a school for Medical Technology obtaining a GPA of a 3.3. The problem is PHARMcas does not calculate these grades. For the past year I have been taking classes at a CC. I retook my general chemistries and took a few other pre-req's like statistics and econ that I did not take previously. Currently I have a 2.85 overall GPA, with ~3.0 pre-req. If I don't get in I will continue to take classes at a CC until my overall GPA is at a 3.0. I looked at MS programs but they are just too expensive and time consuming for me. These programs don't spark an interest in me either. Pharmacy is my goal and the CC route is the only logical choice for me.

Some more background about myself. I have 3 years of healthcare experience working as a medical technologist. This summer I volunteered in a VA pharmacy. My PCAT was 86. This is my first year applying and hopefully I will get accepted.

I hope this gives you some insight into someone else's brain in a similar boat as you!

 

[eloweareeye]

I have almost the exact same story as you! Graduated this past Winter w/a BS in Psychobiology. Had around a 2.7 overall, 2.5 science. Volunteered at a pharmacy for five years, am now working as a clinical lab tech at a hospital... I've been thinking about taking classes over at a state instead of a community though- have you thought about going that route? I don't know if CCs look as good on apps.

 

[rxgales]

A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly, "I am devoted to studying your martial system. How long will it take me to master it." The teacher's reply was casual, "Ten years." Impatiently, the student answered, "But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?" The teacher thought for a moment, "20 years."

 

[MeHungryRx]

A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly, "I am devoted to studying your martial system. How long will it take me to master it." The teacher's reply was casual, "Ten years." Impatiently, the student answered, "But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?" The teacher thought for a moment, "20 years."

Don't work harder...work smarter.👍

or work harder and smarter. 🙄

 

[binghamkid]

I have almost the exact same story as you! Graduated this past Winter w/a BS in Psychobiology. Had around a 2.7 overall, 2.5 science. Volunteered at a pharmacy for five years, am now working as a clinical lab tech at a hospital... I've been thinking about taking classes over at a state instead of a community though- have you thought about going that route? I don't know if CCs look as good on apps.

No matter what you do, you will be strengthening your application. Remember, you can't change the past. The schools know that. If you choose to boost your GPA by taking extra classes, then that's how you've chosen to improve your application. Where you have the classes isn't as important as whether you do really well in your classes. If you had a 2.5 science GPA, maybe focus on taking additional science classes which demonstrate not only a competency in basic science, but also advanced classes which demonstrate an ability to handle graduate-level courses. The pharmacy curriculum is a graduate-level curriculum. You need to prove you can handle it. If you demonstrate that, they will be more willing to overlook the lower GPA if you have a strong application overall =)

 

[lee0539]

Us low GPA ucla students need to band together and protest to change the curve... too many pre-health students and stingy professors.

 

[anh80]

Us low GPA ucla students need to band together and protest to change the curve... too many pre-health students and stingy professors.

we have that at our school too...stingy professors, small curves, and a whole lots of post-grad + professional students in our classes, makes gettting A's a pain in the a*s!!