ugh, can a school do this?

[coral407]

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So I have an interview for school coming up. After I already accepted the interview offer and booked my plane ticket & flight (can't get a refund) I got an email just now from the school telling me that I have to retake two of my courses because I took them 6 years ago and the limit is 5. Can a school do this? After they give you an interview offer tell weeks after that you need to take this specific classes when they clearly see what class I am already planning to take on pharmcas. I work full time and I'm already taking 3 courses in the spring so I neither have the time or money to retake the two classes especially if it is just for one school where I'm not sure I will get accepted. What do I email her back with? I think I got to calm down a little because I'm so upset, they should check the stuff before sending out offers and having student pay for tickets etc. I know I should have checked too but this is just really unprofessional 🙁

 

[sUrface]

Well looks like they just did

 

[deleted205891]

Take the 2 courses in the summer?

 

[alenadoma]

So I have an interview for school coming up. After I already accepted the interview offer and booked my plane ticket & flight (can't get a refund) I got an email just now from the school telling me that I have to retake two of my courses because I took them 6 years ago and the limit is 5. Can a school do this? After they give you an interview offer tell weeks after that you need to take this specific classes when they clearly see what class I am already planning to take on pharmcas. I work full time and I'm already taking 3 courses in the spring so I neither have the time or money to retake the two classes especially if it is just for one school where I'm not sure I will get accepted. What do I email her back with? I think I got to calm down a little because I'm so upset, they should check the stuff before sending out offers and having student pay for tickets etc. I know I should have checked too but this is just really unprofessional 🙁

Sure they can. It's the same thing as interviewing a candidate before they have completed all required prerequisites. If you are accepted, your acceptance is contingent upon your finishing those required courses. Kind of annoying, but maybe you could take those courses this summer?

 

[MethNcal]

I say thats a terrible thing to have srung on you like that! you'd think that have been the first thing they'd look for be for handing out interviews. I say if thats a school you could do without on the list of schools your applying I'd dump them and focus on everyone else

 

[297point1]

I got an email just now from the school telling me that I have to retake two of my courses because I took them 6 years ago and the limit is 5. Can a school do this?

Absolutely. Any offer of admission is conditional of the completion of all pre-requisite classes before matriculation.

After they give you an interview offer tell weeks after that you need to take this specific classes when they clearly see what class I am already planning to take on pharmcas.

I can't speak for any other AdComs, but I pay no attention to what classes you are planning on taking in PharmCAS. (I once planned on being an astronaut.) I look at what you have taken and where the pre-req gaps lie. Once we receive the fall semester update so long as an applicant has six or fewer classes to complete, they are eligible to interview. If accepted, they are informed what classes they have to complete prior to the start of P1 year. I leave it up to the student to figure out when/where to take the missing classes. This is not kindergarten- we do not hold your hand.

I know I should have checked too but this is just really unprofessional 🙁

Unprofessional? This is your job, not the AdComs. As you know, a pharmacist has to do a lot of checking and double-checking every single day...you should probably start making a habit of it.

 

[luckyphooey]

This was why I was so paranoid about making sure all my classes fell within the 5 years window. On a side note, for anyone applying, make sure to follow the school's pre-reqs religiously. I had to take an Econ class at night because my school wanted MICRO econ but I had taken MACRO. Schools are anal about their pre-reqs because they can come under a lot of trouble if they let someone slipped through without satisfying them.

 

[docss26]

That is horrible. I'd be really upset. That is very irresponsible of the school to do something like that.

 

[Forrest Gump]

So I have an interview for school coming up. After I already accepted the interview offer and booked my plane ticket & flight (can't get a refund) I got an email just now from the school telling me that I have to retake two of my courses because I took them 6 years ago and the limit is 5. Can a school do this? After they give you an interview offer tell weeks after that you need to take this specific classes when they clearly see what class I am already planning to take on pharmcas. I work full time and I'm already taking 3 courses in the spring so I neither have the time or money to retake the two classes especially if it is just for one school where I'm not sure I will get accepted. What do I email her back with? I think I got to calm down a little because I'm so upset, they should check the stuff before sending out offers and having student pay for tickets etc. I know I should have checked too but this is just really unprofessional 🙁

Yes it's a hassle but if you still want them to consider you then you need to make a plan! Are the courses available online and will they accept distance learning credits? I just got approved to take my last pre req from www.mountainstate.edu You can sign up anytime and they give you four months to complete each course. Just take a deep breath and figure out a solution - it's better than worrying about what is fair or not because that is counter productive...Good luck!

 

[diastole]

Even if you can't attend this school, you might want to consider attending the interview anyway for the practice. The trip is already paid for and the extra practice will help you for future interviews.

 

[coral407]

thanks for the replies. I'm going to cancel the interview. Maybe try my hardest to get some money back. I could go for practice but I would be missing my first week of school and I don't want to do that if I won't be attending the school. Hopefully the two other interviews I have will go good.

 

[busyizzy]

It's really not the fault of the school .... MANY people are taking prereqs or plan to finish them at a later date (spring/summer) while applying. What schools actually sit down and tell you, "hey, you're missing x, y and z classes" before handing out interview invites? Cuz none of the schools I applied to did this. I know for a fact UCSF doesn't mention ANYTHING about prereqs, and I think (from the threads I read from last year) they tell you AT the interview if you're missing prereqs and which ones if you are. Does that make them "unprofessional?"

It's the applicant's responsibility to read about all the details - and if they're not sure, to ASK - including if there's a timeframe to take the classes, when to finish prereqs by, if there are any substitutions okay, and if they have the needed prereqs.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Why didn't someone hold my hand and tell me what to do?

The United States of Entitlement strikes again.

 

[Vogelsang]

Don't cancel your interview. Check to see if there is a provision in the course requirements that would allow them to accept old courses. One school told me during the interview that 6 of the pre-reqs I've completed were too old. However, if subsequent academic or work experiences relate directly to the courses, then they would accept them. I spoke with the admissions coordinator during the interview, and she waived the requirement after I was accepted, several months later.

 

[pharm B]

Yeah, I'm sorry but this is an adult application process. It is your responsibility, and yours alone, to ensure that your classes meet all requirements.

Chalk this up as a learning experience and don't lay the blame on the school.

 

[rxlea]

Why didn't someone hold my hand and tell me what to do?

The United States of Entitlement strikes again.

...complete with poor grammar. What is this world coming to?

 

[phathead]

Have you met the guy who blamed PharmCAS for the mistyping he did in his personal statement?

 

[busyizzy]

Have you met the guy who blamed PharmCAS for the mistyping he did in his personal statement?

Along the same lines as the one who whined about how unfair PharmCAS' GPA scale is - when his school only had +s and no -s, and counted +s as x.5 (example, B+ = 3.5).

 

[SCP08]

I'm really uncomfortable with the number of personal attacks I see on these forums.

Sure, the OP should have called the pharmacy school before application to reaffirm that her pre-reqs could be applied, but she didn't. I'm sure she's learned her lesson from this experience. No need to call her a child or blame American culture for her mistake.

 

[RxGrL]

Yes they can. As a matter of fact, I went through an interview and then later was told that I had to repeat a couple of classes since 4 quarter hours is not equivalent to 3 semester hours. I just went ahead and repeated those courses. No biggie. You can always take them during the summer if you don't have time during the spring. Good Luck!

 

[Pharm2love]

I'd say it's the 2 people's faults. But their faults don't hurt 'em, and your faults do hurt you applicant. So, lesson learn.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I'm really uncomfortable with the number of personal attacks I see on these forums.

Sure, the OP should have called the pharmacy school before application to reaffirm that her pre-reqs could be applied, but she didn't. I'm sure she's learned her lesson from this experience. No need to call her a child or blame American culture for her mistake.

Well, one thing to make a mistake, but entirely another thing to whine on a forum about it being unfair or whatever. It reeks of a lack of personal responsibility.

 

[coral407]

I'm really uncomfortable with the number of personal attacks I see on these forums.

Sure, the OP should have called the pharmacy school before application to reaffirm that her pre-reqs could be applied, but she didn't. I'm sure she's learned her lesson from this experience. No need to call her a child or blame American culture for her mistake.

thank you. I just found out about this, was emotional because I wasted $500 and needed to vent. It's one thing if you tell me not blame the school but the personal attacks are kind of low, not sure if people are doing that to make themselves feel better. People shouldn't be so quick to judge others, especially if they are going to be entering into a profession where they are going to be dealing with others from many different backgrounds&cultures (like the comment about what the world is coming since my grammar is bad, and english is actually my second language).

Anyways I cancelled the interview and learned a lesson. Hopefully others will read this and make sure they have all the classes they need before deciding on a school.

 

[cascones92]

I am just curious as to why you canceled the interview. Is it a school you wouldn't consider attending anyway if you got accepted or are you very confident in your chances of getting in the other schools. I know it is a pain to squeeze things in but I would not want to leave any stones unturned while going through the process of trying to get accepted into Pharmacy School. When it is all said and done as long as you are happy with how things work, I say who cares I just hope you don't regret canceling the interview at the end of this process. Good luck with your other two interviews.

 

[Sparda29]

Yeah, I'm sorry but this is an adult application process. It is your responsibility, and yours alone, to ensure that your classes meet all requirements.

Chalk this up as a learning experience and don't lay the blame on the school.

I'm not sure if the OP actually knew before hand what the limit was on how long ago they could have taken a prerequisite class. In this case it actually is pretty much bull****, you're telling me that if I decide to pursue another degree after I finish my Pharm D that I have to retake some courses because it would have been 7-8 years since I last took them?

I consider that BS and just another way for colleges to make money.

 

[coral407]

I canceled it because I really don't have money to retake the classes and the school was one of my last choices anyways. Plus I would be missing the first week of school and an organic chemistry lab and it would probably drop my grade and it's just not worth it. Hopefully it wasn't a mistake but I got another interview offer yesterday so now I have three other interviews to attend at schools/cities that I really like. My PharmCAS was sent out right before the holidays so I'm confident that I have a good chance to get more interviews.

 

[PonderingChoice]

...

 

[globalruns]

Well, they can because they are the admissions committee and they will probably cite something somewhere where they hold the applicant's duty to fulfill xyz requirements. BUT, they did offer you an interview, so if you rank this school over another in terms of eventual tuition cost over 4 years, then the travel cost is small beans in the long run. Some pharm schools say that you have to take all requirements within a certain time frame, but that if you are currently working in a pharmacy-science related field or you are taking science related courses that you are waived from this. Can you search online their website for this? it would prob be under pre-reqs. Or, nicely ask them via phone about what you could do in your situation? Anyways, yea what a bummer.

 

[busyizzy]

I'm not sure if the OP actually knew before hand what the limit was on how long ago they could have taken a prerequisite class. In this case it actually is pretty much bull****, you're telling me that if I decide to pursue another degree after I finish my Pharm D that I have to retake some courses because it would have been 7-8 years since I last took them?

I consider that BS and just another way for colleges to make money.

Think of it this way. Why DO schools have prerequisites for their admissions? It's to ensure you have the basic knowledge so they can build upon that during your classes there, whether at pharm school, med school or whatever. If it's been 7-8 years since you've taken those classes, chances are, you're not exercising basic chemistry, o chem and bio everyday. Chances are, you've probably forgotten a lot of it. If you've forgotten much of what they taught you in the prereqs, then it really doesn't help that you've taken those prereqs however many years ago, cuz you won't be able to recall much of it during pharm school.

Besides, a lot of schools I've looked into have the must apply within x years of taking prereqs UNLESS your job is involved in bio/chem OR you have taken upper level classes in bio/chem/o chem. For example, if you took basic bio 7 years ago, but you're taking advanced graduate level bio classes right now - it's assumed you have retained basic bio enough to perform in the advanced class. Now, I bet some schools don't have these exceptions, and if that's the case, well, then yeah, that sucks but it is what it is.

I have a friend who still has to finish her BS, and she walked 2 years ago. If she doesn't finish her BS by spring 2011, her freshmen credits will expire, and she will need to retake her freshmen classes. Yeah, it sucks, but schools have policies that need to be followed.

 

[pharm B]

I'm not sure if the OP actually knew before hand what the limit was on how long ago they could have taken a prerequisite class. In this case it actually is pretty much bull****, you're telling me that if I decide to pursue another degree after I finish my Pharm D that I have to retake some courses because it would have been 7-8 years since I last took them?

I consider that BS and just another way for colleges to make money.

No, that's not what I'm telling you. Your PharmD qualifies you way more than some ancient science courses ever could. If you pursue another degree after your doctorate, I have a pretty strong feeling no school will tell you that you have to retake Chem I.

 

[Hizzo23]

thank you. I just found out about this, was emotional because I wasted $500 and needed to vent. It's one thing if you tell me not blame the school but the personal attacks are kind of low, not sure if people are doing that to make themselves feel better. People shouldn't be so quick to judge others, especially if they are going to be entering into a profession where they are going to be dealing with others from many different backgrounds&cultures (like the comment about what the world is coming since my grammar is bad, and english is actually my second language).

Anyways I cancelled the interview and learned a lesson. Hopefully others will read this and make sure they have all the classes they need before deciding on a school.

I think that people on here are just haters. I used to post on here but I stopped because everyone is so negative. Passion is one of them. He thinks he's Mr. "know it all" and finds it necessary to post and respond to every post on here. Just my observation from browsing through this forum from time to time. 😀

 

[tungsten87]

I think that people on here are just haters. I used to post on here but I stopped because everyone is so negative. Passion is one of them. He thinks he's Mr. "know it all" and finds it necessary to post and respond to every post on here. Just my observation from browsing through this forum from time to time. 😀

🙄

it's difficult NOT to be pessimistic with all the idiotic threads that pop up in here. it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure they are COMPLETELY qualified to apply to a school before doing so.

 

[phathead]

🙄

it's difficult NOT to be pessimistic with all the idiotic threads that pop up in here. it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure they are COMPLETELY qualified to apply to a school before doing so.

I agree with that.

It is a crappy situation? Sure it is, but its something you should have been aware of.

 

[MrMeowphers]

i dont understand why the OP doesnt just take the 2 classes in the summer...

as I recall, some pharmacy programs have time-limits on the courses you take.

Some are 5 years, and some are 7 years, heck... some are 10 years.

Where there is a will there is a way....

So you're going to wait another whole year before applying again!?

Don't miss opportunities...

A lot of people these days feel "entitled" to things, which is kind of sad...

Here is my side rant:

I know many students back when I was in school who would constantly talk about which schools they will go to, how much money they will make, where they'll live, etc. I know at least a handful of people who simply did not take a job because they feel they deserve 80K right out of undergraduate WITH NO EXPERIENCE! This is crazy

It's nice to day dream right? Then the real world comes and tells you that a bachelors degree in science is meaningless in the real-world. You have to go ALL the way (e.g. MD, DDS, DO, PharmD, DVM, PhD, etc.) in order to work in a meaningful job with good pay. Look at all the pay-scales, as scientists, on average we make less with a 4 year degree then business or engineering majors.

 

[UES Girl]

On a personal level I would say I feel terrible for OP. I know application process is excruciatingly expensive and you need all the money you can get for the move and for the initial expenses. My heart goes out to him/her, especially given how much money he is out.

On the professional level I would say, such negligence is unacceptable. It was definitely your responsibility to check and make sure your pre-reqs are satisfactory in terms of units and time frame. Same goes for the different thread in which a guy is missing 5 pre-reqs. I'm kind of astonished how you can apply to a school and not be 100 % confident that every single one of your pre-req courses if fine.

I submitted supps for 12 schools last year and I had an entire notebook, with sections dedicated to each school - what my was standing on pre-reqs, all my notes about conversations with conselor at each school and etc.

This is a perfect time to start becoming extraordinarily organized if you are not already, because pharmacy school will force you to be if you are not.

 

[BuBbLiEbOo]

You said your prereqs were taken 6 years ago. Do you mean 6 years after you completed your degree, or 6 years from the date you received the grades?