what should i do here?

[mRNA]

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i applied to pharm schools last yr and didnt get accepted, probably because my pcat score wasnt high enough. i only took the pcat once though. i know i could do much better if i prepared for it from now until january. my question though is that i haven't applied yet this year and if i do apply now, will they reject me immediately because my pcat from last yr was too low or will they wait until i take it again? Or, should I wait until I take the pcat in january to even apply?

without studying at all for the pcat (bad idea for me), these were my scores:

verbal 58%
bio 55%
reading 37%
quant 12% (that sucked)
chem 23%
compos 31%

these scores arent very good, but like i said i didnt study. If I studied from now until january, I know I could do much better. Do you suggest applying now or waiting until then after my score goes up (hopefully)?

thanks

thanks, any help is appreciated.

 

[acetyl]

I know most schools won't let you apply with a January PCAT score because most have application deadlines of January 1. Some schools do let you submit your application and take the January test, but those schools are in the minority as far as I know.

You have some work to do to improve your score, and the only person who can tell you what to do is you. If you want a PharmD degree, you're going to need to do much better on that test. It's one of the big hoops you have to jump through to gain admission.

 

[mRNA]

hmm. thanks for the advice. i actually went back to my old profession, which i don't care for until i can get in to a pharmacy program. so now i guess the motivation for me is that if i study really hard i can get out of what im doing now and do something better. i'll have to find out if the schools i want to apply to allow the january pcat. i'm kind of afraid to wait until next year because i'm afraid the profs i had will forget me and wont be able to write a letter of recommendation. i wish pharmcas could have saved that stuff from last year.

 

[ethyl]

Have you considered any schools that don't consider the PCAT? Such as some of the non-pharmcas schools?

 

[mRNA]

That's a thought too. I think what I'm gonna do is first apply to any schools that dont require the pcat and dont require loc's. I think Southern Nevada was one, maybe the only one. Then after I take the pcat if I do well enough, I'll wait until next year and apply to wherever I want with loc's and pcat scores. I guess I could ask people to write letters again though for this year. I just dont want to keep asking people in case I do bad on the pcat and have to ask them again next year.

 

[sdn1977]

I'm just curious...on your other threads, it appears you've taken the OAT & the MCAT as well in the last year and apparently you weren't accepted (or decided not to apply..???) there either.

Are you sure pharmacy is where you want to be? I can appreciate your wanting to get out of where you are now...but, we can tell pretty quickly & not just from test scores, those applicants who don't really want to be IN a profession, but rather, are running FROM a profession.

Don't get me wrong....I love being a pharmacist. But..its not for everyone & since you've already been in one job you don't like, perhaps taking a bit of time to find a career you really find want to be in would help reduce stress & expense.

Good luck!

 

[mRNA]

How do you know if you'll like something or not? I've never been a pharmacist, optometrist, physican, or circus clown. I've worked in a pharmacy and I shadowed an optometrist and both seemed good but how do you really know without actually being a pharmacist or optometrist or even circus clown. Actually a circus clown might be the most enjoyable, but I don't live near the circus 🙂

Pharmacy is appealing for a number or reasons though. One, you don't have to invest money to start a practice. Also, you don't have to build a practice like you would being a doctor. I really liked biology and chemistry and I figured that pharmacy would also let me utilize these. Plus there are a lot of different opportunities besides working in retail pharmacy. That's the only one I've experienced. Don't go by my previous threads though. I often say things that people shouldn't listen to 🙂

 

[sdn1977]

How do you know if you'll like something or not? I've never been a pharmacist, optometrist, physican, or circus clown. I've worked in a pharmacy and I shadowed an optometrist and both seemed good but how do you really know without actually being a pharmacist or optometrist or even circus clown. Actually a circus clown might be the most enjoyable, but I don't live near the circus 🙂

Thats my point exactly! You don't know. And, given that you don't...take the time to see if you do well on the PCAT. Then..you can pursue the LORs again. In that time, you can keep working a pharmacy, shadowing the optomtrist, improving your gpa, doing some volunteer or other ECs that could boost your application - which could work towards any of the health profession applications.

That would also give you some time to think about what you want to do. Those of us who love our jobs don't have any trouble encouraging you. But..if you read these threads, there are plenty who either hate the job, are just silently miserable, have adjusted to the negatives, feel deceived and all other emotions in between.

All of these choices are expensive in not just your money, but also your time....and time you never get back. Your life is too short to make a hasty decision based on the few schools who might take your January PCAT or not..

Those are just my opinions & are worth nothing more than the bandwith they consumed - so take them or not.

But...if you were my child....I'd say...wait...take the exam, apply next year, think about if that is what you want - it is easy to get caught up in the emotion/enthusiasm of the application process.

Good luck!

 

[LaoSaint]

Keep trying and dont give up