transfering to pharmD

[Hoosiers15]

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I am a high school junior interested in the pharmD programs. I plan on attending Indiana University Bloomington on a scholarship and don't really want to go to butler(closest pharmacy school) and be in major debt. Plus i don't really like the small college feel. What I am wondering is if I go to IU, how do I go about getting into a pharmD school? Would I do my prereqs at IU for two years and then apply to a pharmD school? If this is the case, then would it make it harder to get in? I just want to know what my best options are to getting in. Thank you guys for all your help.

 

[HoosierChemist]

Hey. I go to IU. Butler has a stringent list of requirements for pre-pharmacy. If you look a little further to the north, you will notice that Purdue also has a pharmacy school which is one of the best pharmacy schools in the nation. However, its admissions are quite rigorous.

At IU, there is a prescribed list of courses that will transfer directly to Purdue. If all the classes fall into the right time schedule, you can do two years of pre-pharm at IU, and then get accepted at Purdue, if you meet all the qualifications and are what they are looking for in a good student. Also, most of the pre-reqs are the same at other universities (I applied to University of Cincinnati and University of Illinois and have no problems).

Start getting pharmacy experience in now...the schools really push it!

 

[Hoosiers15]

Awesome. Thank you for all the advice. What options are there out there for a 17 year old to get experience in pharmacy? My mom is a nurse practitioner and she knows a pharmD and I'm gonna shadow her for a day some time next week, but what else can I do other than shadow? Thanks again for all the help, I'm so glad I found this forum.

 

[AngelaCL]

Butler only takes 3-12 (the number differs depending on who I talk to) transfer students a year. You have to get in at least the 75th percentile for every section of the PCAT, and your GPA has to be quite high. That's all they consider.

Purdue's requirements are much easier - approximately 1/3 Indiana students (meaning students who go to universities in Indiana besides Purdue, like IU, Ball State, etc) get into Purdue. I think in state the GPA requirement is 3.0, and you do not have to take the PCAT. They put quite a bit more emphasis on leadership, letters of recommendation, pharmacy experience, etc. than Butler. Purdue is also cheaper and it's huge. They do look down on retaking classes and I believe you can only get 2 Cs in your prereqs, maximum - so do not slack off freshman year, it will hurt you!

I went to Purdue University for undergraduate (psychobiology) and will be attending Butler this fall as a prepharmacy transfer student. Purdue has a great pharmacy program, but personally I don't like Lafayette and prefer a small-school and the general atmosphere of Butler. I think Butler will be a better fit for me.

I recommend volunteering in a hospital or clinic when you turn 18, and try ot get a job as a pharmacy technician. I don't know if pharmacists will let you shadow - my boss doesn't let people because of HIPAA regulations.

When you get to school, get to know at least one science/math professor really well, because you will need them to write you a letter of recommendation later. Your classes at IU will have 100s of kids, so go to office hours! I never took this advice but I wish I had - you will never get to know the professors if you don't go to office hours or do research or something.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask/PM me!

 

[ButlerPharm.D.]

Butler does have very strict requirements for students who do not complete their pre-pharmacy education there, as AngelaCL has said Butler usually accepts a very small number of transfer students each year. If anyone has any questions about Butler feel free to send me a PM, I'd be glad to answer your questions/share some of my experiences with you. Butler has the third highest first-time NAPLEX pass rate in the nationhttp://www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/bulletins/schoolpassrates.pdf and the highest first-time pass rate on the MPJEhttp://www.nabp.net/ftpfiles/bulletins/MPJEresults.pdf.
If money is your major concern I would simply apply there and see what kind of financial aid package they will put together for you. When I applied to pharmacy school I applied to 6 schools and of those Butler actually gave me the most money. It's just something to think about but as other posters have said, where you decide to go is a very individualized decision.
Give Butler a try!
Best of luck!