If you are a high school student considering pharmacy school there are basically three options -
If you go to a 0-6 program, you have to be 100% sure that Pharmacy is for you. You don't have to reapply, but you do have to keep your GPA up or you'll have to transfer.
If you go to a 2+4 or 3+4 program, you have to take the PCAT and keep your GPA up, but at least if you break your contract for your Pharmacy seat, you can finish your Bachelor's there.
Applying to a Pharmacy School with a Bachelor's degree does have an upside. Had I not gone this route, I am 100% sure that I would never have gotten to study abroad, do research in molecular genetics and then genomics, explore other health care careers, or minor in anything. You'll have to take the PCATs, do an interview, and keep your GPA up, but you'll do that anyway with a dual admit seat.
I started my college career with a dual admit contract. While many of my friends were able to take full advantage of it, long story short, my seat is no longer waiting for me (no hard feelings though, I got into Pharmacy School anyway). Signing a dual admit contract for 3 or even 2 years of undergrad does not allow much room for dips in your GPA. Organic chem is very difficult (the first time around, at least) and Biochem and Cell Molec are both senior level courses you'll be taking in basically you're sophomore year. Make sure you get a curriculum sheet from each school with the sequence of courses you'll take. Juggling Physics with lab, Microbiology with lab, Organic II with Lab, and Medical Terminology all in your fifth semester in college is not for the faint of heart.
No matter what, be careful to read the terms of whatever contract you sign. Some calculate based on overall GPA, some by pre-req GPA, some by science GPA. Some require a specific PCAT score or a standard deviation or two from last year's mean. You may have to take courses over the summer to meet your timeframe, and retakes may be treated differently. Some schools will offer you scholarships but they only cover the undergrad years. Also, some schools don't consider you a grad student (very important, gets you much bigger loan limits) until later years. Some schools have housing, but only for undergrads.
Make sure to read all the fine print from admissions, financial aid and housing. I also would not be surprised if schools during the next admissions cycle start requiring a B.S. and not just 60-90 pre-req credits. Rumors are going around that once one or two big schools require it, all the others will follow suit.
Good luck with your numerous future applications. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a list of all the 0-6, dual admit, and transfer only schools anymore.
