Geez you guys, don't tell me you really didn't know what the guy meant.
Keledar,
If you want to pursue pharmacy in the US then there are a few steps you will have to take independent of your major in Iraq:
-move to US. Sounds easy but from what I hear getting out of Iraq is not that easy and US immigration procedures are a drag. You will have to have a legal status to be able to go to school or work.
-You have to be a permanent resident or a citizent to be able to get loans to finance your school (tuition is anywhere between $5,000 to even $35,000 a year for a 3 or 4-year school)
- you'll have to fulfill the science and general education prerequisites at a recognized higher learning facility in the US to be able to apply to a pharmacy school. This can be done both at a 4-year university or a community college. Community college is usually much cheaper and easier to get into. Keep in mind some universities has "no second bachelor" rule which means that if you have a bachelor (or equivalent) degree from a different university (or country) they won't accept you to pursue a second bachelor degree. In that case you should look into community colleges.
- I'd recommend starting off with some general education classes first to improve your command of English. Science classes are hard, let alone studied in a foreign language. Make sure you feel comfortable with both written and spoken English before you take chemistry or biology.
- Most pharmacy schools require 2 semester of Chemistry, 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry, Calculus, 2 semesters of Biology. Some schools require Anatomy, Physiology, Physics, Microbiolgy etc. All these will require prerequisites. It may be hard to figure out how the American higher education system works at first so I'd recommend you meet with a counselor at a cmmunity college/university to discuss your situation and plan the schedule.
-you will need your transcripts from Iraq evaluated by an evaluating service recommended by the school/s of your choice. WES (
www.wes.org) seems to be recognized by most. While you're still in Iraq try to get the documentation together, getting it done from abroad can be tricky and time-consuming. You may be able to use some of the courses to fulfill your prerequisites but probably not the core science ones.
-research the schools of pharmacy (there are links in the stickies on top of the forum) to get a better idea what pursuing this carrier will entail.
Now, if you are graduating a pharmacy school in Iraq your path may be a bit different but I doubt you'll be able to skip getting your prerequisites here.
There is really much more to it than I wrote. You should definitely do some more research. Anyway, good luck to you.
