this really is about my friend...not me!

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Doc Henry

blowin' in the wind
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I'm a pre med student but I have a question about pre pharm for a friend...

My friend got kicked out of an Early Acceptance pharmacy program to our undergrads pharmacy school because her GPA dropped too low.

Now she has to actually apply rather than just going straight into the program and I don't really think she has a chance but I figured I'd ask you guys.

Her overall GPA is a 3.19 and she has worked as a pharmacy tech for 2 yrs. No volunteering and she is only applying to Pacific and OSU so she isn't taking the PCAT.

Does she have a chance?

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First, tell your "friend" that she doesn't need volunteer experience (volunteering in pharmacy, that is) since she's already a pharm. tech. She should have some other volunteer experience somewhere else (quality experience, not switching from one place to other).

Secondly, if she's only applying to 2 schools, then I'd say her chances are low, especially with that GPA. It's an inverse relationship: the lower your GPA, the more schools you should be applying to. There's a chart around this forum somewhere where you can generalize it saying (and it's just from my observation) that you get an interview for ABOUT every 4 schools you apply to (for the average applicant).

I know Pacific doesn't take PCAT so it's even harder to get into with somewhat low GPA (can be done, but still hard). OSU does, though, but I don't know anything about that school.

To make it simple, I'd say apply to more schools. Money shouldn't be an issue. Make sacrifices now, you get paid in the long run later.
 
Ohio State is a competitive school as it (a) is very very prestigious (b) only accepts ~121 seats (quite small compared to its large scale of facility) (c) requires a Bachelor before entrance and thus overral gpa of that bachelor will be looked at and (d) OSU students traditionally get preference as they will complete a BS in pharmaceutical science offered by OSU and apply to the same University again.
So those four factors yield one thing for people who want this school badly: high gpa and high pcat first, then we'll talk :rolleyes: . There is no essay during the interview, only the interview with 2 professors counts. Therefore, gpa, pcat and other extra-curricular things will count more. To be honest, with your friend's gpa, I am not very positive she'll stand a chance with OSU. BTW, I get accepted to OSU with a 4.0gpa and turned down their offer to attend a school in Texas, that's why I know about them. I still regret a bit as their prestige is so so good. Anyway, if application fee is not a problem for your friend, she could go ahead and try the luck.
 
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I think he is talking about Oregon State?.... I heard people getting kicked out of EAP and getting accepted through regular admission. But you'll have to work hard cause you already got kicked out once basically, so no slacking and make yourself more competitive through grades so you'll receive a look.

Since she has experience that is a plus, but now she basically got to prove if she can handle the rigor of a pharmacy program since she demostrated she couldnt even handle pre-pharm workload. So she got some explaining to do on her PS, which needs to be very good.
 
First, tell your "friend" that she doesn't need volunteer experience (volunteering in pharmacy, that is) since she's already a pharm. tech. She should have some other volunteer experience somewhere else (quality experience, not switching from one place to other).

Secondly, if she's only applying to 2 schools, then I'd say her chances are low, especially with that GPA. It's an inverse relationship: the lower your GPA, the more schools you should be applying to. There's a chart around this forum somewhere where you can generalize it saying (and it's just from my observation) that you get an interview for ABOUT every 4 schools you apply to (for the average applicant).

I know Pacific doesn't take PCAT so it's even harder to get into with somewhat low GPA (can be done, but still hard). OSU does, though, but I don't know anything about that school.

To make it simple, I'd say apply to more schools. Money shouldn't be an issue. Make sacrifices now, you get paid in the long run later.

Ooops...I should have clarified OSU- Oregon State University
 
Sorry... so then I don't know anything about the school. But pretty much with that noncompetitive gpa, it's quite tough anyway
 
this is gonna kill you guys....I just found out that this friend of mine works for a pharmacist who is very very close (as in I think the used to hook up) with one of the people in charge of admissions at a certain pharmacy school. So basically her boss gets one wild card every year. Last year she got a guy in with a 2.85 GPA!!! So i think my friend will get lucky... If I were her I wouldn't count on it...and frankly being a hard working pre med student it pisses me off, but oh well!
 
You cant get hooked up... at best... you get a your name is mentioned and you get a good "recommendation"
 
You cant get hooked up... at best... you get a your name is mentioned and you get a good "recommendation"

Well I don't know about that since I now know someone first hand who actually got in with such low stats...he works with my friend and their boss told him that she would get him in. Apparently she gets one wildcard admission per year. I'd like to believe its not true, but I watched it happen so I think it might be for real
 
You are naive if you do not think certain connections can get you in somewhere.
 
Its not nearly as bad as medical or law school - but yes, who you know can definitely help. Case in point - of the 11 technicians I work with that applied to UF (Im not included - didnt submit pharmcas - long story) only one didnt get in. Gpas were around 3.4 with PCATS in the high 70's... one was a 93. The one person who didn't get in had a 3.7 gpa - 82 PCAT - but a bad rep at work...

2 members of our Pharmacist staff are on the ADCOM... it sure helped them...

~above~
 
Exactly......we are humans, it is really hard not to have some bias towards those you know.
 
Are you calling me naive?... I worked for the admission office at OSU for 2 years... I know they give you a "special" mark if you got some "ties"..... Even though this is for general admissions and not specifically pharmacy. What I am implying is that I dont think whatever connection you have with the ADCOM that they will just let anybody in without some standard. I am sure that person that got in via "wild card" was a decent canidate, might not be the best but that person "input" was good enough.
 
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