Taking pre-reqs at another college for Pharmacy

[aspiringpharmacist19]

Hi! So I'm trying to fulfill my pre-reqs both at my home college and another college that fall under CUNY so the courses are equivalent and they transfer to my home college easily. I was wondering if it looks down upon to fulfill pre-reqs at another college, if that other college may be a community college. Thanks

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[FlexiblePharm]

I think the more picky schools look down slightly on it if you don't crush the courses at CC. Of course, it should be the same basic information as a state university with less of the weirdness that elite universities and LACs throw in to weed out students. Middling if not failing performance in these courses will open you up to questions about your ability to manage time or succeed in the pharmacy curriculum.

 

[ldiot]

Hi! So I'm trying to fulfill my pre-reqs both at my home college and another college that fall under CUNY so the courses are equivalent and they transfer to my home college easily. I was wondering if it looks down upon to fulfill pre-reqs at another college, if that other college may be a community college. Thanks

Some schools look down on it but it's still better to get an A at community college than a B or C at university. When you get all A's at community college and then get a 30 on the PCAT is when you have a problem.

I personally took organic and biochem at a tough university with C's and am doing WAY better than the people in my class who sat in community college taking joke classes getting easy A's. But as far as your application goes it's probably hard for them to count any A against you.

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

Some schools look down on it but it's still better to get an A at community college than a B or C at university. When you get all A's at community college and then get a 30 on the PCAT is when you have a problem.

I personally took organic and biochem at a tough university with C's and am doing WAY better than the people in my class who sat in community college taking joke classes getting easy A's. But as far as your application goes it's probably hard for them to count any A against you.

Pharm School is a joke. A ton of my classmates are people who were getting C's in their pre-reqs at a community college. They have no problem being able to pass their classes here.

This is what happens when a school loses any incentive to penalize incompetence. Grad schools get their money from research grants, so they lose their money's worth when they allow incompetent students to progress into research. They kick these incompetent students out using the qualifying exam.

On the other hand, pharmacy is dependent on the cash they get from student loans, so they don't win if they kick people out midway. As long as they keep them on the roster for four years, the university gets their cash flowing in.

Pharmacy school no longer has the prestige that it did 10 years ago. People think its a big deal that they got in. And they think it's a big deal that they're able to pass or get relatively high grades in pharmacy school. It was true 10 years, but not anymore.

 

[ldiot]

Pharm School is a joke. A ton of my classmates are people who were getting C's in their pre-reqs at a community college. They have no problem being able to pass their classes here.

This is what happens when a school loses any incentive to penalize incompetence. Grad schools get their money from research grants, so they lose their money's worth when they allow incompetent students to progress into research. They kick these incompetent students out using the qualifying exam.

On the other hand, pharmacy is dependent on the cash they get from student loans, so they don't win if they kick people out midway. As long as they keep them on the roster for four years, the university gets their cash flowing in.

Pharmacy school no longer has the prestige that it did 10 years ago. People think its a big deal that they got in. And they think it's a big deal that they're able to pass or get relatively high grades in pharmacy school. It was true 10 years, but not anymore.

I'd say 15% of my class has failed out already in P1 year (must fail 2+ classes to repeat the entire year) and some students are still allowed to come to class even though they will be remediating over the summer (since they only failed one class they can just retake that class in summer) so I'm guessing when it's said and done 20%+ will have to remediate at last one class and many will have to repeat the year/leave/get kicked out

I'll admit that my class isn't exactly full of geniuses but I'll give the school credit if you don't pass you don't pass, period. Basically a school that accepts some sub-par students but doesn't alter the program to accommodate for them lol.

 

[oogens]

I'd say 15% of my class has failed out already in P1 year (must fail 2+ classes to repeat the entire year) and some students are still allowed to come to class even though they will be remediating over the summer (since they only failed one class they can just retake that class in summer) so I'm guessing when it's said and done 20%+ will have to remediate at last one class and many will have to repeat the year/leave/get kicked out

I'll admit that my class isn't exactly full of geniuses but I'll give the school credit if you don't pass you don't pass, period. Basically a school that accepts some sub-par students but doesn't alter the program to accommodate for them lol.

I mean, the school does get another year of tuition that way...

To the op, non math/sci pre reqs can be done at a junior college. Math/sci should be done at a 4 year, most schools require that

 

[Pharmd = Phake Doctor]

I'd say 15% of my class has failed out already in P1 year (must fail 2+ classes to repeat the entire year) and some students are still allowed to come to class even though they will be remediating over the summer (since they only failed one class they can just retake that class in summer) so I'm guessing when it's said and done 20%+ will have to remediate at last one class and many will have to repeat the year/leave/get kicked out

I'll admit that my class isn't exactly full of geniuses but I'll give the school credit if you don't pass you don't pass, period. Basically a school that accepts some sub-par students but doesn't alter the program to accommodate for them lol.

Yeah, there are some people facing dismissal hearings after their first semester.... but 15-20% is too much. I think this speaks more about your classmates than it does my school. Our deans will be on people's butts the minute they get a fail on a test. They will work them like a horse to make them capable of passing exams, not the other way around. No waiting until the end of the semester to fix that mess. I go to a cheap public school, so our faculty has a vested interest in keeping students on their toes.

Do you go to a private or public school? I don't know how a school with 80% retention rate can stay accredited.

 

[ldiot]

Yeah, there are some people facing dismissal hearings after their first semester.... but 15-20% is too much. I think this speaks more about your classmates than it does my school. Our deans will be on people's butts the minute they get a fail on a test. They will work them like a horse to make them capable of passing exams, not the other way around. No waiting until the end of the semester to fix that mess. I go to a cheap public school, so our faculty has a vested interest in keeping students on their toes.

Do you go to a private or public school? I don't know how a school with 80% retention rate can stay accredited.

It's public. I think the official number of students who don't graduate is 8%. The number that actually graduate on time is obviously far less. I think if you fail a test you get an email but I've never been in that boat. There's also tutoring available for everyone. School has had a 100% NAPLEX pass rate for several years in a row if that even means anything. Also 80%+ of people applying for residency get one this year. It's a good school, just a high margin of subpar students who get in due to partner undergrad schools and very strong in-state bias.