Returning to school ten years after graduation

[GeologyPharmD]

Is anyone doing/thinking of doing this? Here is a little background: I am a 30 year old graduate of a B.S. Geology program (1 year started into the M.S. program). Graduated with a 3.51 gpa, ~3.7 science/math gpa, 3.85 M.S. GPA, worked at the university for 1 year teaching GEY 101, followed by 5 years working for a university based Information Science research team (homeland security and privacy redaction software). Our department was shut down due to government budget cuts, at which time I took over my family specialty-retail business which I own and operate (budget, buying, scheduling, HR....), doing so for the last 3 years full time.

On to the Pharmacy part: I have always loved science and had interest in Pharmacy for number of years but was restricted by certain life choices. I am a little more free now and have options, but am slightly restricted by age (or at least I feel) and length of time away from academia.

My biggest questions is, has anyone crossed this bridge before? I am not doubting my ability to work hard and I don't have any kids, but that might happen during my tenure as a student. I have been in contact with my top 4 schools and it looks like most of my previous schooling will not be eligible for credit due to it being over ten years old. On the flip side, going back in and retaking these courses will give me a chance to really boost my GPA as I should do better than my previous attempts.

Thoughts? I appreciate anything you have for me.

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[Passion4Sci]

I am a non-trad career changer (from military to pharm) as are a very large and surprising number of students in my class, and here on SDN.

You will definitely need to re-take all your classes. Their expiration date is between 6 and 9 years from the schools I've actively looked at bar UCSF, which apparently has no expiration date, but like you said, you should crush them now and it'll be a good chance to right some wrongs.

In other words, this bridge is well-trodden by those of us that realized our current career paths are simply not for us/not lucrative enough/suck and we're here to help.

 

[Project2015]

Their expiration date is between 6 and 9 years from the schools I've actively looked at, but like you said, you should crush them now and it'll be a good chance to right some wrongs.

I thought you looked at UCSF and they don't have an expiration date for prerequisites. So it's likely other schools could have similar policies (e.g., not caring at all, exceptions if you're continuously using the science, and so forth).

 

[Passion4Sci]

I thought you looked at UCSF and they don't have an expiration date for prerequisites. So it's likely other schools could have similar policies (e.g., not caring at all, exceptions if you're continuously using the science, and so forth).

Are you certain? If so, then I apologize and will add that to my post.

 

[GeologyPharmD]

I am a non-trad career changer (from military to pharm) as are a very large and surprising number of students in my class, and here on SDN.

You will definitely need to re-take all your classes. Their expiration date is between 6 and 9 years from the schools I've actively looked at bar UCSF, which apparently has no expiration date, but like you said, you should crush them now and it'll be a good chance to right some wrongs.

In other words, this bridge is well-trodden by those of us that realized our current career paths are simply not for us/not lucrative enough/suck and we're here to help.

May I ask how far along you are? Thanks for the words of encouragement

 

[UES Girl]

May I ask how far along you are? Thanks for the words of encouragement

If you are worried about feeling out if place due to age, this should be the last of your worries. The average age in our class when I was starting was 24-25, not that far from 30, and majority of people were extremely mature. We did have a few 21 year olds in our class but quite a few people were past 30 and had graduate degrees, so you will not feel out of place at all.

 

[lmaonadestand]

I'm sure a good amount of students are ~30 years old, although most will be ~24 as many students are now entering with BS/BA degrees rather than just the 2 years of pre-requisites. I think it was last year that UTexas had one applicant who had a BS degree AND and MD, and applied to the PharmD program. Why would someone with an MD go for PharmD? Who knows? Funny, though. Wonder if he'll go for a JD, then a PhD in something. All to become an astronaut. An astronaut Olympic gold medalist. Then race touring cars the rest of his life.

 

[UES Girl]

I'm sure a good amount of students are ~30 years old, although most will be ~24 as many students are now entering with BS/BA degrees rather than just the 2 years of pre-requisites. I think it was last year that UTexas had one applicant who had a BS degree AND and MD, and applied to the PharmD program. Why would someone with an MD go for PharmD? Who knows? Funny, though. Wonder if he'll go for a JD, then a PhD in something. All to become an astronaut. An astronaut Olympic gold medalist. Then race touring cars the rest of his life.

On the subject, we have one student who is going to be doing JD after she just graduated from pharm.D but she is amazing, so I am not suprised. My mom also said there is a patient at her office who was on top of other accomplishments an olympic gold medalist representig another country and he applied to med school for 3 consecutive years and did not get in.

 

[SVB99]

I am a non-trad career changer (from military to pharm) as are a very large and surprising number of students in my class, and here on SDN.

You will definitely need to re-take all your classes. Their expiration date is between 6 and 9 years from the schools I've actively looked at bar UCSF, which apparently has no expiration date, but like you said, you should crush them now and it'll be a good chance to right some wrongs.

In other words, this bridge is well-trodden by those of us that realized our current career paths are simply not for us/not lucrative enough/suck and we're here to help.

I second this idea. Many schools will not explicitly tell you that the courses have an 'expiration date', but you'd be surprised how that could be held against you. A number of schools made me aware of this AFTER I had been informed that I wasn't going to be granted an interview.

If I were you, I would at least consider retaking a few courses to show them that you can handle the coursework.

 

[NaOH]

Another pseudo non-trad here. Just turned 30 and will be starting in the fall. Even with having to retake classes, coming in with very solid numbers and a degree will make a big difference. Additionally, I feel admissions committees tend to like older applicants, people who have been out in the 'real' world - I would imagine most of this type tend to be more serious about getting the most out of their education.

As far as retaking classes, I know at least in the case of UAMS, the 'expiration date' really only applied to the math and science prereqs, which I wound up taking over. The 'fluff' - freshman english, history, etc. they had no problem with taking 10 year-old grades for. Worth checking on, it would definitely speed things up.

To echo what others have said, it can - and is - done all the time. Just get in there and give it hell.

 

[Notecard]

The average age of our entering class was 27, you are much more traditional than you think.

You will definitely have to retake sciences but maybe not elective courses. Email schools you are interested in to find out for sure, make sure you get a clear answer for science and elective classes. I know at our school the only limit is on biology and chemistry classes which is 7 years.

I think you should start this summer by shadowing a pharmacist for a bit. If you still find it appealing then start knocking out pre-reqs this fall Make sure to keep your eyes open for volunteer opportunities and LOR candidates.

 

[deleted289008]

There's a 51 year old mom in my entering class at UCSF

 

[pharm B]

You're never too old, and you especially aren't. For what it's worth, it was kind of nice being a cross-over student from another career. You'd be surprised how useful your life skills can be when interacting with young students, especially those who have not had a real full-time job.

 

[GeologyPharmD]

You're never too old, and you especially aren't. For what it's worth, it was kind of nice being a cross-over student from another career. You'd be surprised how useful your life skills can be when interacting with young students, especially those who have not had a real full-time job.

I was actually kind of hoping for the 'life skills' credit I have done a lot for the ripe old age of thirty, lol.

Thank you everyone.

I have another question if anyone has experience/time: Is it best to do the pre-reqs at the school that you most want to attend? I really want to go to Purdue, and they have what seems to have a more strenuous pre-pharmacy curriculum, so it seems to me that I would be at a disadvantage going anywhere else. Do you think that is true?

 

[UES Girl]

There's a 51 year old mom in my entering class at UCSF

Wow, that is soooooooo cool, that's older than my mom, can't wait to meet this extraordinary lady.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I was actually kind of hoping for the 'life skills' credit I have done a lot for the ripe old age of thirty, lol.

Thank you everyone.

I have another question if anyone has experience/time: Is it best to do the pre-reqs at the school that you most want to attend? I really want to go to Purdue, and they have what seems to have a more strenuous pre-pharmacy curriculum, so it seems to me that I would be at a disadvantage going anywhere else. Do you think that is true?

I think it depends a lot on the school. You could ask Purdue for their admissions statistics (how many % of matriculants were Purdue undergraduates) and see if they'll provide it to you. It can't hurt going to the undergraduate where you'd like to go to pharmacy school but no one has definitive answers about it.

 

[GeologyPharmD]

I think it depends a lot on the school. You could ask Purdue for their admissions statistics (how many % of matriculants were Purdue undergraduates) and see if they'll provide it to you. It can't hurt going to the undergraduate where you'd like to go to pharmacy school but no one has definitive answers about it.

When I checked Pharmcas stats, and from what others say, it seems like they do prefer their pre-pharmacy students. 70% of matriculants are Indiana residents, so they do prefer that at least. Fingers crossed on being able to gain in-state tuition My primary reason for Purdue is that my family is there.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[chemnerd99]

Check with the school. My BS was from 1991, MS from 93 and PhD from 99 and nothing had to be retaken. Only needed the biology stuff I missed before. Only applied to one school (Auburn) at the last minute and got in.

 

[Elisaveth]

I have an advanced degree as well, as do a number of other pharm school applicants. There was a guy in my bio class who had a JD and an MPP who is trying to get into pharmacy school.

 

[UMterps]

i went back after turning 24 and had to take/re-take 1 year of pre-req coursework. i asked the admissions officers at the schools i wanted to apply if it was required or if it would help my application. i also asked questions on if they had applicants from particular colleges, how many, how those students performed, etc. The could not give me specifics but ultimately alluded to noticing students coming from a select few universities performing well while others seemed to struggle. It really depends how intimate the school is between the professors and admissions offices to really get a feel for what they think. also, while having a different background generally won't help you in pharmacy school, it should help differentiate you once you finish.