Senior in high school

[equitymd25]

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This is my first time posing at SDN so I want to introduce myself. I am a senior in high school and my goal is to major in Pharmacy. In Washington, there's the School of Pharmacy at University of Washington and another pharmacy school at Washington State University.

I'm deciding upon two choices:

1. I want to go to Seattle University (a private four-year university) and get a Bachelors degree in Chemistry. Then I want to apply for pharmacy school; most likely an out of state university will accept me because the school at University of Washington has an acceptance rate of 8%. However, with this method, it's going to take me about 8 years to get the Pharm.D. degree, which is extensively long.

2. I plan to attend University of Washington and earn all the prerequisites for pharmacy school in 2 years. Then apply to pharmacy school. What troubles me about this is I might not get accepted into any pharmacy schools because colleges might judge that 2 years of education is not good enough. 🙁

I am really looking forward to hear advices from everyone on how I should continue on to be a pharmacist in general. Thanks in advance.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

Go to the school you want to go to. You can do your pre-reqs in 2-3 years at either school, then apply to pharm school. Or you can pursue a chem degree at either school and then apply.

Keep in mind that getting into pharm school anywhere is competitive. I don't know how University of Washington ranks in relative competitiveness to other schools, but you will have to work to get in no matter where you apply.

It is possible to get accepted to pharm school with only your pre-reqs done and no bachelors. Some schools specifically state they prefer bachelors, but most don't. It doesn't seem that anyone knows if having a bachelors is an advantage to admission or not.

 

[sle3pyguii]

Why don't you just go to UDubb and get your BA/BS there? Why do you want to take a 2 year path?


UDubb's percentage may be low because of the fact that they favor in-states.

 

[SCCpharm]

My biggest regret is not going straight to pharmacy right out of high school. Thus, I would recommend to you that you do 2 years of undergrad work, fulfilling the pharmacy pre-reqs. Then you apply to a 3 or 4-year pharmacy school. So you'll be done in 5 or 6 years. So option #2 is what I recommend.

As long as you work on getting a good GPA (3.6 to 4.0) for those two years of pre-req work, I believe you will be accepted to pharmacy schools. Even if you don't get accepted into a pharmacy school, you can always work towards your bachelors degree the following year.

Think of it this way. For each additional year you spend in school, you lose $100,000 (assuming $100,000 is your salary as a pharmacist when you graduate), since you will be in school instead of working that year. (Not to mention the expenses you will be incurring from tuition and living expenses).

 

[equitymd25]

Thanks everyone so much for your input, I really appreciate it!

SCCpharm - Can I really earn the prerequisite credits in 2 years, and then continue to a Bachelor's degree if I don't get admission to the school of pharmacy?

 

[azPharmD2B]

Yes you can assuming you had a challening courseload in high school. UW's pre-pharmacy website lists all the pre-reqs as well as a recommended course selection for each semester. Personally, I would plan on getting it all done in 3 years. Things happen and you dont want to overwhelm yourself starting out. Read the FAQ for more general info as well. Start volunteering, getting pharmacy experience, join clubs/groups, do tutoring, etc etc. Getting into pharmacy school isnt all about GPA/PCAT or where you did your pre-reqs.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

I think it is more common to finish the pre-reqs in three years. Some people can do it in two if they really push, but you have to start taking two labs the first semester which is can be a lot to take on. Plus, you'll have to take some semesters with three labs but that can depend on what schools you are applying to. If you don't get into pharm school right away, the pre-reqs you took are easily used to get a bachelors in some science field.

 

[equitymd25]

If say I earn the prerequisite credits in two or three years and not get admission to the pharmacy school that I want, what options do I have?

Would it be a good choice if I earn the prerequisite credits in 4 years and graduate with a bachelors degree before continuing on to pharmacy school? That's the program that Seattle University, a private four-year university in Washington has. Would that be too long since it would take 8 years to get the Pharm.D.?

 

[steveysmith54]

go to a 6 year school. Saves money, time, energy.

 

[equitymd25]

Are 6 year programs preferable over the typical 2 or 3 years of undergraduate study and then the 4 year school of pharmacy?

 

[azPharmD2B]

I'm not sure why you want to go to this private school so badly, what do they offer in a 4 year degree that WSU or UW don't? Well, besides tuition that's 3 times as expensive. Heck, you can do most/all of your pre-reqs at a community college and transfer to the university to finish a degree.

Just go to UW as a freshman working towards a BS in Chem or Biochem and make sure you do pre-pharmacy pre-reqs first. If for some reason you don't get accepted, just keep working on it, reapply the following year. Everything pre-pharm will go towards just about any BS degree, so even if you change your mind you wont have taken anything you didn't need to anyway.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

A six year program means you would have a much easier chance of getting into pharm school; basically you are guaranteed a spot if you meet a few conditions (such as GPA). Going the two year route and then applying will cause you to be competing against a lot of people. It might be worth applying to some six year programs or at least researching them. It's not worth getting a bachelors before pharm school unless say you don't get accepted right away. However, a bachelors can be useful if you decide to make a career change later. Taking eight years is not taking too long; you'll be alive for many more decades after that. By the way, if you go to that private school you are not required to stay the full four years. You can apply to pharm after two. Same as with any school.

I still say pick the school you want to go to. But in this decision you must consider things like cost/debt, how far away from your parents, and the overall feel you get for the school. Some people prefer a smaller private school because it is smaller. I prefer the big state school. Go with what you want, but make an informed decision. IMO, CC don't have the same atmosphere or perks as a university. They only have cost going for them.

 

[candita505]

If you're dead set on going to this four-year private school and getting your Bachelors, there are some pharmacy schools that offer accelerated programs and will allow you to get your Pharm.D in 3 years (or a little less for some schools like MCPHS-Worcester). It's another option, but you'll have to realize that your options will be narrowed, as there are only a handful of schools that offer accelerated programs. That's the path I'm looking at now, as I got my BS and then decided I wanted to go to pharmacy school.

But if you know that you want to be a pharmacist, why bother with the Bachelors? As some people suggested (and I agree), it's faster and more efficient (and ultimately cheaper) to go to a 6-year program or follow the 2+4 route (or even the 2+3 if you can find a good accelerated program and you have all their pre-reqs). I regret not doing pharmacy school right out of high school. If you know you want to be a pharmacist, your BS might be useless.

But hey, if you don't know for sure, there's no harm in pursuing your Bachelors and then deciding to go to school later. It just may be a little more difficult to find schools that you want to go to and that will accept you.