Should I get a Master's Degree?

[Marisol]

Guess the title is pretty self-explanatory, but I was wondering if I should get a Master's if my undergrad work is pretty abysmal? I have a BS in Biology and currently my GPA isn't as high as I'd like it to be. I was hoping to get a Master's to straighten things out and perhaps up my chances or show the schools that I'm interested in that I can pull my act together.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

-Marisol 🙁

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[RxWildcat]

What is your undergrad GPA? Unless its REALLY low, I wouldn't go for a masters unless you have already applied and been rejected and all the schools you are interested in.

 

[bacillus1]

A masters? Wow, you're truly dedicated to the profession of pharmacy.
But as long as your GPA is over a 2.5, I'm sure you can get accepted somewhere, probably in one of the new startup pharmacy schools that keep opening up.
People like you (people with a BS and people who even have an MS before going to pharmacy school) make me glad that I went the direct-entry route.

 

[RxWildcat]

I would do the masters with a 2.5 undergrad GPA

 

[RobertZimmerman]

If you haven't actually applied with what you have you should. In the meantime I suppose you could work towards a Masters (or finish your undergrad if you haven't yet). The best thing would have been to knock out the pre-reqs early (about 2 yrs) and apply every year since then.

 

[AbsoluteEthanol]

i think it depends on just how "abysmal" your GPA is. If it's around 2.5, I'd do my best on the PCAT and try applying very broadly. i think a masters degree in Chemistry or biochemistry would be very beneficial for you, not even because it will help you get into pharmacy school, but because ONCE you're in and you're taking 5-10 different chemistry courses per year, you will have a huge advantage over your classmates who probably don't even have a bachelor's degree.

 

[goinkhead]

im about to get my masters in biology. if i could do it over again, i wouldnt go through a graduate program.

my advice would be to improve your the pre-pharmacy gpa by retaking courses. this is how you can show the schools that you can pull your act together.

IMO, a masters doesnt mean anything to the adcoms if your pre-pharm gpa isnt up to par.



goodluck!

Guess the title is pretty self-explanatory, but I was wondering if I should get a Master's if my undergrad work is pretty abysmal? I have a BS in Biology and currently my GPA isn't as high as I'd like it to be. I was hoping to get a Master's to straighten things out and perhaps up my chances or show the schools that I'm interested in that I can pull my act together.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

-Marisol 🙁

 

[Marisol]

That's the thing, my overall GPA is 2.45 🙁. My last 60 units is 2.7, so a Master's may be a good option? Or should I just take the prereqs and do extremely well with those?

Thanks for all the input guys! <3

-Marisol

 

[omnione]

That's the thing, my overall GPA is 2.45 🙁. My last 60 units is 2.7, so a Master's may be a good option? Or should I just take the prereqs and do extremely well with those?

Thanks for all the input guys! <3

-Marisol

Yeah, that is abysmal. My rule of thumb is that sub-3.0 GPAs are too difficult to overcome in regularity. Of course, there are plenty of success stories but the stats probably would show that 3.0 is the true minimum needed to be competitive.

Do note that some universities won't let you out of the masters program until you finish it. That could mean that you'd have to wait a couple of years or more to get into pharmacy school. Alternatively, you could go the "at-large" Masters route if your school offers one. There, you aren't in a degree seeking program and you take Masters-level classes. That probably would be your best route if the sole purpose for going into grad school is to start with a fresh GPA to impress pharmacy schools. I guess the main problem with this route is that you don't have an easy route for a research position as many degree-seeking Masters students get a good shot at those. But that's not a big deal though.

 

[Sparda29]

I'm thinking about it, because it can be accomplished in one year after undergrad. But, would I need it? For 2009, the primary thing for me would be to ace the PCAT and write a better essay.

I can get LOR's from 3 pharmacists with no problem, and I have quite a few Bio professors that can help me out as well.

 

[Marisol]

Yeah, that is abysmal. My rule of thumb is that sub-3.0 GPAs are too difficult to overcome in regularity. Of course, there are plenty of success stories but the stats probably would show that 3.0 is the true minimum needed to be competitive.

Do note that some universities won't let you out of the masters program until you finish it. That could mean that you'd have to wait a couple of years or more to get into pharmacy school. Alternatively, you could go the "at-large" Masters route if your school offers one. There, you aren't in a degree seeking program and you take Masters-level classes. That probably would be your best route if the sole purpose for going into grad school is to start with a fresh GPA to impress pharmacy schools. I guess the main problem with this route is that you don't have an easy route for a research position as many degree-seeking Masters students get a good shot at those. But that's not a big deal though.

I don't mind putting the extra effort to getting the Master's, even at the expense of 2 years. The goal I have right now is to get into a Pharmacy school. I know my grades are not reflective of that passion, and I know it looks like Mt. Everest from my vantage point, but I truly believe that I can do this. I just need to find a path, a rope, anything really... anything that I can latch on to try and pull myself to the top.

<3 Marisol

 

[eggroll]

I have the same situation as the original poster. I have applied to countless pharm. schools for Fall '08, and I got rejected by plenty of them. I was fortunate to get interviewed at four schools. But now I'm placed on two waiting lists and I'm not sure how my placement will be changing over the months. I've taken the GRE today planning to apply for the master's programs at four schools in TX. I have two concerns:
One: What do I if not admitted? What do I do for the fall? I have volunteered over 200 hours at the hospital pharmacy. Should I look for a part-time at a retail?

Two: If I do get admitted to the master's, I would have to re-locate. Then by the time I reapply for pharm school and possibly get in one of them, I would have to relocate again. Would this be a good factor for the adcoms to look at? I was reading this thread, and someone mentioned that they might not let me go when I go elsewhere if admitted to pharm school.

How to better my application for pharm school this round? What else besides doing better on PCAT. I'm so confused about what to do next.

 

[PharmD316]

Im in the same boat ...trying to boost my GPA considering a MS degree...my boyfriend keeps bugging me about it but i feel like what I need to do is retake prereqs ... I'm scared also to get into a MS program and then get accepted into Pharm school... 😕

 

[kattster]

If I were in your exact shoes, this is what I WOULD DO. I would probably take a year and enroll as a full-time student somewhere, CC or even better a 4-year university. You need to prove to the admissions committee that you are able to handle a rigorous courseload. I would take 4-5 classes a quarter/semester including more advanced science courses as well as re-take certain pre-reqs such as o-chem if you did especially poorly, and ace everything. I'm talking 4.0, anything lower and it's not as impressive, plus you're trying to raise your gpa FAST. The good thing about this is if you do well in your courses, you can ask a prof. or two for a fabulous LOR. I would also try to get involved on campus, fit in some cool volunteer work to beef up extracurriculars and, of course, rock the PCAT(highly doable).

A Master's degree or some other type of post-bac program would greatly improve your app. also but only if you do really well there. I personally don't think YOU NEED to take 2, more likely 3 or 4 years out to enroll in a Master's program if what you really want to do is go to pharmacy school. Take one year to work on that gpa, then apply. If you don't get in that year, keep working on that gpa, and apply again.

As my friend put it quite nicely.

try = possible fail, no try = absolute fail

However, what was the reason for the low grades throughout undergrad? I think you will have to diagnose the reason for that to ensure that it doesn't happen again. This is definintely an uphill battle and depending on the other aspects of your application, even if you get closer to 3.0 gpa, nothing is guaranteed but I think if you really really want to be a pharmacist, there's no harm done by applying in a year and trying.

A lot of pharm. schools out there value an upward trend in grades and if you can do extremely well from here on out, I think YOU CAN make up for that low gpa. 👍

 

[mrblah]

you guys should apply for a masters because you want to, not because you think it will help you to get into pharmacy school. Like people have mentioned, its all about your undergrad gpa. If your gpa is horrid, then look into schools that have academic forgiveness, or replace grades, and start by enrolling in jc/cc to retake them.

A friend of mine applied to USC pharmacy school, got rejected. Applied to UCLA for a masters, dropped out a year later, applied again to USC pharm school, and got accepted. Weird, huh.

Eggroll: you got interviews last cycle, right? then apply again. Second time is a charm.

 

[ffpickle]

If I were in your exact shoes, this is what I WOULD DO. I would probably take a year and enroll as a full-time student somewhere, CC or even better a 4-year university. You need to prove to the admissions committee that you are able to handle a rigorous courseload. I would take 4-5 classes a quarter/semester including more advanced science courses as well as re-take certain pre-reqs such as o-chem if you did especially poorly, and ace everything. I'm talking 4.0, anything lower and it's not as impressive, plus you're trying to raise your gpa FAST. The good thing about this is if you do well in your courses, you can ask a prof. or two for a fabulous LOR. I would also try to get involved on campus, fit in some cool volunteer work to beef up extracurriculars and, of course, rock the PCAT(highly doable).

A Master's degree or some other type of post-bac program would greatly improve your app. also but only if you do really well there. I personally don't think YOU NEED to take 2, more likely 3 or 4 years out to enroll in a Master's program if what you really want to do is go to pharmacy school. Take one year to work on that gpa, then apply. If you don't get in that year, keep working on that gpa, and apply again.

As my friend put it quite nicely.

try = possible fail, no try = absolute fail

However, what was the reason for the low grades throughout undergrad? I think you will have to diagnose the reason for that to ensure that it doesn't happen again. This is definintely an uphill battle and depending on the other aspects of your application, even if you get closer to 3.0 gpa, nothing is guaranteed but I think if you really really want to be a pharmacist, there's no harm done by applying in a year and trying.

A lot of pharm. schools out there value an upward trend in grades and if you can do extremely well from here on out, I think YOU CAN make up for that low gpa. 👍

i second that

 

[ffpickle]

if one does decide to do a master's, then which is best?

ms-thesis based, ms-course based (ex. ms in biomedical sciences), ms-project+courses, or something completely diff like an mba or mpa

 

[laimyours]

If your goal is pharmacy school then I would retake classes to boost my GPA. Getting your masters seems like you're looking into another career. I've only known one pharmacist with a Master's and she decided on pharmacy school while getting her PhD in Chemistry. She got into UCSF and USC, but she had a great GPA and was teaching Chemistry Lab at UCLA. I think along with a masters you need a good GPA and experience. If your GPA remains the same with a Masters I don't see it giving you any more of an edge as retaking courses.

 

[Boop2002]

So i was in the same dilema as you. Now after pondering, i decided that my particular situation a masters was the best option. After speaking to adcoms from where i was rejected. Most agreed that it was best not to retake courses, but rather show that i can go above and beyond. So thus taking higher level courses. Well if i was going to do that, might as well do a masters. Most masters program are pretty competitive thou. So the trick is to rock the GRE's and get a good personal statement. Very rarely will you be allowed to do a masters with just course work, its actually frowned upon on not to do a thesis.

Do understand that a master's is not going to be easier that undergrad. The courses are more demanding in terms of study time and complex material. Also, you have to balance being a TA, doing your experiments, course work, and being broke!!! Yet you'll be way more prepared to dominate pharmacy school when your done. Like i have noticed, i think the hardest part is getting into pharmacy school.

In the end retaking gets you nothing, if i am putting my money toward something i better get a degree out of it. Plus if you look to the future, having a Masters might make you better qualified for higher positions when the pharmacy rush ends!!

Just my two cents

 

[IrishRxMan]

Just out of curiosity, was there something in your life that was making it difficult to study like work or family problems? If that's the case, you may have to work less and take out more in financial aid just to clear things off your plate so you can put in the time necessary to do well in your classes. If it's family issues, do whatever you can to deal with them over the rest of the summer and find a way to move them off your plate when it comes time to study. I had troubles studying my micro/immuno class this last semester and ended up having to remediate it because I got a D. It ended up being a great experience, even though it was bad academically, because I learned a lot about myself and how I needed to fine tune my study habits. I cleared everything off my plate that was causing me to not want to study and focused just on the material in front of me. I feel that I now know the material as well as the ace students in the class and we just reviewed the material from a whole semester in two weeks.

 

[ruth265]

I completely agree with Boop2002; if you start retaking classes you don't know if you will get into pharmacy school. even though pharmacy is a great career, not getting into pharmacy school is not the end of the world. there are many excellent careers out there and I think getting MS in biochem or chem is not necessary . Get MS in something that you can always use, for instance nursing. there is a new doctoral degree that recently opended up, Doctor of Nursing Practive. In a few years all Nurse Practitioners would have to get their Doctor of Nursing Practice; They are like physicians. Some earn more than pharmacists. It can be one option for you. Get MS in something that you will enjoy and you can always use, so you can feel safe. Be in charge of your life.

So i was in the same dilema as you. Now after pondering, i decided that my particular situation a masters was the best option. After speaking to adcoms from where i was rejected. Most agreed that it was best not to retake courses, but rather show that i can go above and beyond. So thus taking higher level courses. Well if i was going to do that, might as well do a masters. Most masters program are pretty competitive thou. So the trick is to rock the GRE's and get a good personal statement. Very rarely will you be allowed to do a masters with just course work, its actually frowned upon on not to do a thesis.

Do understand that a master's is not going to be easier that undergrad. The courses are more demanding in terms of study time and complex material. Also, you have to balance being a TA, doing your experiments, course work, and being broke!!! Yet you'll be way more prepared to dominate pharmacy school when your done. Like i have noticed, i think the hardest part is getting into pharmacy school.

In the end retaking gets you nothing, if i am putting my money toward something i better get a degree out of it. Plus if you look to the future, having a Masters might make you better qualified for higher positions when the pharmacy rush ends!!

Just my two cents