This or That?

[RxQueen12]

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I'm just curious as to whether all of you think it is better to major in Biomedical Sciences or Biochemistry as an undergraduate prior to Pharmacy School? Please let me know what you think. I am currently enrolled as a Biomedical Sciences student, but it seems like a Biochem program may be more relevant to pharmacy. Thanks a bunch! 🙂

 

[Passion4Sci]

I'm just curious as to whether all of you think it is better to major in Biomedical Sciences or Biochemistry as an undergraduate prior to Pharmacy School? Please let me know what you think. I am currently enrolled as a Biomedical Sciences student, but it seems like a Biochem program may be more relevant to pharmacy. Thanks a bunch! 🙂

Both are perfectly fine! Choose whichever one suits YOU best. I am going to pharmacy school with an undergraduate history in Psychology.

 

[pharm B]

Could you tell us the differences in the two degrees? It sounds like you're starting out ahead of the game once you get in, since you'll have already taken biochem and other difficult courses.

 

[Haleyzx]

I'm just curious as to whether all of you think it is better to major in Biomedical Sciences or Biochemistry as an undergraduate prior to Pharmacy School? Please let me know what you think. I am currently enrolled as a Biomedical Sciences student, but it seems like a Biochem program may be more relevant to pharmacy. Thanks a bunch! 🙂

personally i would just choose whichever degree that fulfills most of the pre reqs.

 

[RxQueen12]

WEll, the problem is that both of them fill the pre-reqs, but one focuses mostly on Biology and the other Chemisty. I'm just wondering which would prove to be more useful for Pharmacy school. I've changed my mind in the past couple years about where I wanted to go with my education so I've gotten all of my gen eds and some other random classes, but now I'm working on all of my bio and chem classes. So I'm really just trying to decide if more chemistry or if more biology classes are going to be more beneficial for my education as a graduate. I don't really like or dislike either of them, I'm just really looking for whats going to be more useful. Thanks for any input, I really appreciate it.

 

[RxQueen12]

This is the course layout for Biomed:
http://www.wmich.edu/bios/academics/undergraduate/requirements.html#biomed

& This is the course layout for Biochem:
http://www.wmich.edu/chemistry/biochemistrymajor.htm

 

[Passion4Sci]

Just glancing through, it looks like both "cognate requirements" satisfy most pre-pharmacy stuff, like ORgo, Calculus, and Physics. Biochem will obviously offer you a deeper understanding of chemistry (advanced orgo + spectroscopy for ex.) and the Biomedical Sci will offeryou a deeper understanding of biological organisms and their details (systematic botany, entomology, invertebrate zoology...)

Just from looking at those two links, I'd go w/ Biochemistry.

 

[delano2000]

personally i would just choose whichever degree that fulfills most of the pre reqs.

Does it even matter much if you have a degree to apply?

 

[RxQueen12]

Does it even matter much if you have a degree to apply?

It doesn't really matter what degree you have, but it's more of a preparedness type thing. I just want to be ready for Pharmacy school and the more I learn now, the less I have to worry about later.

 

[delano2000]

It doesn't really matter what degree you have, but it's more of a preparedness type thing. I just want to be ready for Pharmacy school and the more I learn now, the less I have to worry about later.

OK. I wont even have a freakin' degree by the time Pharm school starts next year 🙂xf🙂 and I go to a CC. It would be nice though.

 

[RxQueen12]

OK. I wont even have a freakin' degree by the time Pharm school starts next year 🙂xf🙂 and I go to a CC. It would be nice though.

Me either. I'm half way through getting a Bachelors degree though so I might as well just finish it since I still need a lot of the pharm pre-reqs. Darn indecisiveness. 👎

 

[delano2000]

Me either. I'm half way through getting a Bachelors degree though so I might as well just finish it since I still need a lot of the pharm pre-reqs. Darn indecisiveness. 👎

Yea that will hold you back. I pretty much knew I wanted to pursue pharmacy once I graduated HS so I have been working towards that since then.

 

[RxQueen12]

Yea that will hold you back. I pretty much knew I wanted to pursue pharmacy once I graduated HS so I have been working towards that since then.

Seems like it, but in a way it kind of makes me more well-rounded since I've done a lot. At any rate, I just can't wait to be done with my Bachelors and get into Pharm school.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I have not one, but two degrees in two different disciplines in Psychology and they're not worth the paper they're printed on.

Sad but true.

 

[delano2000]

I have not one, but two degrees in two different disciplines in Psychology and they're not worth the paper they're printed on.

Sad but true.

Funny choice of words but so true. I did (doing) my pre-reqs at a CC so I wouldn't go into debt so early. Overall, I am pleased with how everything worked out.

 

[Passion4Sci]

The Army paid back all of my loans (SLRP yay) so I am debt free from the horrible choices of undergraduate degrees. Actually, had I not completely been disenchanted w/ Psychology, I guess they would've served a purpose.

 

[delano2000]

Oh I forgot you were in the army. Well that is good it worked out in your favor but some folks will already have 40k+ in loans before they even get into pharmacy school.

 

[Haleyzx]

Seems like it, but in a way it kind of makes me more well-rounded since I've done a lot. At any rate, I just can't wait to be done with my Bachelors and get into Pharm school.

i can't wait to get out 🙁 although i am just a p1 😱

 

[Passion4Sci]

Oh I forgot you were in the army. Well that is good it worked out in your favor but some folks will already have 40k+ in loans before they even get into pharmacy school.

How can you forget I was in the Army? My avatar is a picture of me petting a camel, next to two Iraqis, carrying an M4.

Not exactly a picture taken in Los Angeles (well, the M4 might fit there).

 

[delano2000]

How can you forget I was in the Army? My avatar is a picture of me petting a camel, next to two Iraqis, carrying an M4.

Not exactly a picture taken in Los Angeles (well, the M4 might fit there).

In my defense your avatar is too small and for all I know, that camel could be in the bay area. 😛

Oh, those were Iraqis? I figured you travel a lot.

 

[pharm B]

Based on what I've read elsewhere on SDN, it seems like taking advanced chemistry courses gives you a definite advantage going into pharmacy schoo.

But, in a thread similar to this, a pharmacy student pointed out that taking P Chem wasn't worth it if you weren't enamored with chemistry in the first place.

I'm glad I'm just doing the pre-reqs. I'll take my knocks from harder chem courses once in pharmacy school instead of in both pharm school and undergrad.

 

[delano2000]

Based on what I've read elsewhere on SDN, it seems like taking advanced chemistry courses gives you a definite advantage going into pharmacy schoo.

But, in a thread similar to this, a pharmacy student pointed out that taking P Chem wasn't worth it if you weren't enamored with chemistry in the first place.

I'm glad I'm just doing the pre-reqs. I'll take my knocks from harder chem courses once in pharmacy school instead of in both pharm school and undergrad.

👍 I hear that. It has its pros and cons but I will just stick with the basics and once I get into pharmacy I can deal with the other ones.

 

[RxQueen12]

I would try to get in with just pre-reqs, but since I'm already half way done with my Bachelor's anyway I might as well just finish. Besides, pretty much the rest of my classes are the pre-reqs.

I've decided I'm just going to continue with Biomedical Science as a major and minor in Chem and Business Communication (I want to open my own pharmacy one day). 😳

 

[JamesL1585]

I would try to get in with just pre-reqs, but since I'm already half way done with my Bachelor's anyway I might as well just finish. Besides, pretty much the rest of my classes are the pre-reqs.

I've decided I'm just going to continue with Biomedical Science as a major and minor in Chem and Business Communication (I want to open my own pharmacy one day). 😳

You can't go wrong with having a degree... even at new schools of pharmacy, >50% have degrees now. It only betters your chances. Having a degree compensates for any questions in GPA and low PCAT scores. So, keep at it and you won't regret it.

Some pharmacy student actually have a bit of an ego because they have a degree and one of their classmates don't... I've seen it happen! Haha kinda silly but, it happens... I hope you won't be like that!!

 

[RxQueen12]

You can't go wrong with having a degree... even at new schools of pharmacy, >50% have degrees now. It only betters your chances. Having a degree compensates for any questions in GPA and low PCAT scores. So, keep at it and you won't regret it.

Some pharmacy student actually have a bit of an ego because they have a degree and one of their classmates don't... I've seen it happen! Haha kinda silly but, it happens... I hope you won't be like that!!

No, I'm not that kind of person, I try to stay as humble as possible. 🙄 But yeah, I can definatly see how having a degree will help my chances of getting accepted into pharmacy school. I've actually never thought I'd just try to get my pre-reqs done, I need as many positive things as possible to help me out. I did really crappy my first year of college and I'm actually going to have to get academic forgiveness to go back to the University and not have the worst GPA ever. I've been at CC's in the meantime working on pre-reqs and gen eds and whatnot. I actually just decided to get into pharmacy the beginning of this year after changing my major three times. Computer Science --> Radiography --> Dietetics; blah! But I'm quite certain that Pharmacy is what I really want to do now, so that's keeping me motivated. 🙂

 

[JamesL1585]

No, I'm not that kind of person, I try to stay as humble as possible. 🙄 But yeah, I can definatly see how having a degree will help my chances of getting accepted into pharmacy school. I've actually never thought I'd just try to get my pre-reqs done, I need as many positive things as possible to help me out. I did really crappy my first year of college and I'm actually going to have to get academic forgiveness to go back to the University and not have the worst GPA ever. I've been at CC's in the meantime working on pre-reqs and gen eds and whatnot. I actually just decided to get into pharmacy the beginning of this year after changing my major three times. Computer Science --> Radiography --> Dietetics; blah! But I'm quite certain that Pharmacy is what I really want to do now, so that's keeping me motivated. 🙂

Cool if you haven't, get into working at a pharmacy. Volunteering is good too, but I suggest working... and also if you volunteer at a hospice specifically that will improve your application tremendously... but keep in mind these are only suggestions. I actually interview students with faculty so these are things Ive picked up on that can tremendously be factors and get interviewers into head nodding 🙂

 

[RxQueen12]

Cool if you haven't, get into working at a pharmacy. Volunteering is good too, but I suggest working... and also if you volunteer at a hospice specifically that will improve your application tremendously... but keep in mind these are only suggestions. I actually interview students with faculty so these are things Ive picked up on that can tremendously be factors and get interviewers into head nodding 🙂

I've been working at a hospital as a Phlebotomist since April 2008. I'm trying to get in at a pharmacy ASAP. I have another post about a question I have about the Pharm Tech licensure. "Is it possible?". 😕 I also plan on doing volunteer work and doing some more extra-curricular stuff because I haven't done any volunteer work or extra-curriculars since high school. I've pretty much just worked (full-time, until currently) and gone to school (full-time).