What are my choices?(HS Student)

[Her0Her0]

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I'm going to become a junior in high school after summer is over and I have been set on becoming a pharmacist since 8th grade. I need to start making up my mind on where I want to go as well as what I need to get accomplished.

So far I know I want to go to college right after high school and that I want to go somewhere nearby family so that would be most of SoCal and a bit of NorCal. My question is should I take the pre-req and go to pharmacy school, get my bachelor's and go, or enroll in a program like USC's TAP. As well as where to go a four year college or just get pre-reqs at a cc? I'm unsure about if my stats are good enough to get into any good colleges.

So far I have a mid 3 avg. It ranges from 3.3 to 3.8, but probably be a 3.3 to 3.6 later =/. I'm planning to be in tennis for 2 years, Health Academy for 4, ROP Pharm Tech my senior year to get my certificate, and was in 1 club last year. I will also be certified for CPR. For AP courses I will have taken Euro, Lang/Comp, Lit, Calc A/B, and (Chem or Bio still can't decide). A also tried taking SAT II for Math II and well I took it comepletly unprepared and scored a 510 which I will retake. What should I be aiming for on SAT I and SAT II's?

I also got a C- for the second semester in AP Euro and I think I remember somewhere that colleges won't count it for A-G since C is the lowest. Is this true and will I have to make it up in summer school?

So when I'm ready to apply where should I apply to and when should I start doing what? Keep in mind that my mom isn't paying for any of my schooling because she only makes 18,000 a year and our household is 3 kids and a single mother. Which is why I plan on working as a pharmtech after highschool while in college if I can.

Here are all the questions if you don't feel like looking for them.
1. Should I take the pre-req and go to pharmacy school, get my bachelor's and go, or enroll in a program like USC's TAP. As well as where to go a four year college or just get pre-reqs at a cc?
2. Where should I go after HS?
3. Are my stats good enough to get into any UC's or somewhere else?
4. Do I need to retake another history class?
5. What am I aiming for on SAT I and SAT II's?
6. When I'm ready to apply where should I apply to and when should I start doing what?
7. If you could could you post a guideline of what I need to do?
8. What should I expect to be paying at UCSD, Western, Loma Linda Univ., USC.
9. How far will financial aid,calgrant,ect take me

 

[tydt]

Its good that you are thinking ahead, but you're too young to be worrying about what to do 2-3 years from now. Just concentrate on doing well on the SAT or ACT. Taking AP Chem and Bio is strongly recommended. Getting a job as a pharmacy tech is a really good idea, but you might want to consider volunteering as a tech first to build your resume.

 

[koercive]

you may have better luck in a hs forum about stats nowadays. i graduated from hs in 2004.

I had a similar gpa as you. 3.4 unweighted/3.7 weighted uc gpa
680verbal/740math/720 writing and 7 AP tests (3.86 average score/5)

I got into uci, ucdavis, ucsb / all the cal states. I also got into UOP TAP program. I attended uc irvine, majored in psychology, took prereqs (75% at uci, 25% at cc), got into usc pharm school.

talk to your counselor about the C-.

At this point, if you make it into any college anywhere, the grades there will matter. Your high school grades are irrelevant once you hit college. Do well in college and pre-reqs for pharmacy school and that will get you in.

If you are looking to get in out of high school, look into USC and UOP's programs. 5-7 years at a private school can be costly though. It is pretty competitive, but if you get in, you are guaranteed admission into their pharmacy schools by maintaining certain gpa requirements.

To save money, some people don't take SATIIs/AP tests and just attend a CC for 2 years. Then they transfer to a public university at a UC to finish up a bachelor's degree before pursuing pharmacy school (this would be the most cost effective approach).

Definitely apply for FAFSA, as they will provide grants that you don't need to pay back to pay for tuition and housing. For low income students, there may be very little cost out of pocket for undergrad. for grad school, it will be all loans that you will need to pay back.

Most students start applying for pharmacy schools during their senior year of undergrad. If you go the undergrad route, do well in your undergrad classes, get involved on campus (pre-pharm club, etc.), get pharm experience, etc.

these pdfs will answer clarify things more for you:
pre-reqs by school: http://www.aacp.org/resources/acade...nts/0910_PharmacyPre-RequisiteInformation.pdf
tuition chart by school: http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/Documents/PSARTable11.pdf
some more info about each pharm school: http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/Documents/SchoolAdmissionReqs.pdf


PHARMCAS page for each pharmacy school: http://www.pharmcas.org/collegesschools/directoryalphastate.htm


FOR SPECIFIC pre-reqs for pharmacy schools at USC and UOP, google "course equivalences" USC and "course equivalences" UOP
for ucsf, go to assist.org and enter your undergrad school then ucsf pharmacy school

 

[Her0Her0]

If I decided to go the undergrad route and get my bachelors. Would I be able to go to a 4 year and get the pre req's done and then apply to a pharm school and if I don't get accepted just continue getting my bach or would there be problems doing that? Another question I have is if I went to do my undergrad at the same school Iplan on going to pharm school at would I have a better chance of getting in?

 

[koercive]

If I decided to go the undergrad route and get my bachelors. Would I be able to go to a 4 year and get the pre req's done and then apply to a pharm school and if I don't get accepted just continue getting my bach or would there be problems doing that? Another question I have is if I went to do my undergrad at the same school Iplan on going to pharm school at would I have a better chance of getting in?

Nowadays, no. You will need to get a bachelor's for most pharmacy schools before applying (unlike a few yrs ago)


I'm almost certain that's a No for most california schools.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

If I decided to go the undergrad route and get my bachelors. Would I be able to go to a 4 year and get the pre req's done and then apply to a pharm school and if I don't get accepted just continue getting my bach or would there be problems doing that? Another question I have is if I went to do my undergrad at the same school Iplan on going to pharm school at would I have a better chance of getting in?

I'll be attending the University of Washington in the fall, and several of my classmates went here for undergrad, applied during their junior year, and got in. They were planning on getting their BS if they didn't get in. They all had good stats.

However, I've heard CA schools are different. For instance, I don't think a lot of them require PCATs (double-check me on their websites; I'm repeating things I've heard on SDN).

I don't think you have to go to the same school for both undergrad and grad. Just make sure you take the right pre-reqs. Verify with the pharmacy schools themselves. I'd even get a transcript review a year or so before you plan to apply.

 

[inquirer89]

Cali schools basically do require the bachelor's degree since they are so competitive (no PCAT = more reliance on grades) but you may still have luck with other schools outside California if you want to get in after 2 or 3 years of prereqs. Check out my blog below which details how I got in accepted as a sophomore.