what should i do?

[2208]

i need help with deciding whether or not to retake some courses over again next semester.

i got mostly Bs in all my GEN ED

cal A-
precal A
cell & mole B
organic c- then retake and got a B
Organic I lab b-
organic II lab b
bio 1 a-
bio 2 b-
chem 1 and 2 b
physic 1 and 2 c
a&p 1 and 2 A

i'm planning on to take my pcat in august and submit my application to pharmcas in september. i have 3 month of retail experience and 3 month of hospital experience. however, if i do retake some classes next fall, then i wont be able to graduate with a BS in bio next spring. i'm not sure if this is true, but i was told by admission officers at pharmacy schools that having a BS does not give you any advantage. if so, should i focus on retaking courses? As of right now i have a cum gpa of 3.1 but my science is only a 2.9 any advices will be appreciated

thank you!!

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[Pharmpills]

i need help with deciding whether or not to retake some courses over again next semester.

i got mostly Bs in all my GEN ED

cal A-
precal A
cell & mole B
organic c- then retake and got a B
Organic I lab b-
organic II lab b
bio 1 a-
bio 2 b-
chem 1 and 2 b
physic 1 and 2 c
a&p 1 and 2 A

i'm planning on to take my pcat in august and submit my application to pharmcas in september. i have 3 month of retail experience and 3 month of hospital experience. however, if i do retake some classes next fall, then i wont be able to graduate with a BS in bio next spring. i'm not sure if this is true, but i was told by admission officers at pharmacy schools that having a BS does not give you any advantage. if so, should i focus on retaking courses? As of right now i have a cum gpa of 3.1 but my science is only a 2.9 any advices will be appreciated

thank you!!

I would just take easy science classes to boost ur science GPA and also ur cum. gpa. I would not repeat anything unless u got below a C bc if u retake physics then getting an A is hard and both that C and A will be calculated together (learned that the hard way) and that would be the best outcome plus that A in physics will be extremely hard to get but if u take something easier then u can get an A to make up for it. Try to mix ur upper division courses for bio degree with some easy classes to get ur gpa up more. goodluck haha i feel ur my clone but a year behind me bc we have almost the same stats but my science is lower unfortunately.

 

[MissCPharmD]

woww you're totally a clone of me too! almost...

It depends what pharm schools you're applying to about the degree advantage. I'm in MI and one school HIGHLY (as in you better do it) recommends getting your degree while the other 2 don't factor it in at all.

my recommendation is to contact the schools you are applying to and find out if it's better to retake low grades (because some schools do take the more recent grade - whether or not it's better - but it should be better), OR if it is better to take upper level and do well in those. Again, in MI our 3 schools completely differ in that area too so you really should contact your top schools and see what they would rather you do to be most successful. I have grades almost exactly like yours and when I contacted my top school I was told to not retake anything because they average grades, but to take upper level courses. She also gave me some courses in particular to take, so you could see if they will do the same with you

 

[2208]

well i just found out that if i retake a class that i got a C in, the C will be replaced and on my transcript it will only show a R and my new grade. does that mean pharmcas wont take the average then?

 

[tharper14]

Pharmcas will still average no matter what your school does.

 

[2208]

how can they calculate it, if it only shows a R and my new grade? also does all school look at your science gpa or are there some that only looks at your culm gpa? i'm really confused right now, because i'm worried that if i submit my application in september and what they reject me before seeing my fall grades?

 

[Drug Doc]

i think there may be some confusion as to what your counselor or whomever told you about placing an R on your transcript. unless your school has a completely different policy than most schools (which is totally possible in which case you can disregard my comment) grades are never removed from a transcript. when i encountered my first c- i was also told that my grade would be replaced, but i don't think they meant it literally. what they actually did was place an R next to my original grade and not factor that into my gpa, but the grade was still on my transcript. also, not only should you not bother retaking any of your classes (looks like you are good as is) but i also don't think you are allowed to retake any courses unless you get a c- or lower anyways (unless you take them at another college). if i were you i would just continue taking courses to complete my degree, and since you seem determined to raise your gpa just make sure you kick butt in your classes.

one more thing, i wouldn't let the "a degree won't give you any advantage" sink in too much because with the competition increasing every year, that is becoming less and less true.

 

[2208]

i think there may be some confusion as to what your counselor or whomever told you about placing an R on your transcript. unless your school has a completely different policy than most schools (which is totally possible in which case you can disregard my comment) grades are never removed from a transcript. when i encountered my first c- i was also told that my grade would be replaced, but i don't think they meant it literally. what they actually did was place an R next to my original grade and not factor that into my gpa, but the grade was still on my transcript. also, not only should you not bother retaking any of your classes (looks like you are good as is) but i also don't think you are allowed to retake any courses unless you get a c- or lower anyways (unless you take them at another college). if i were you i would just continue taking courses to complete my degree, and since you seem determined to raise your gpa just make sure you kick butt in your classes.

one more thing, i wouldn't let the "a degree won't give you any advantage" sink in too much because with the competition increasing every year, that is becoming less and less true.

actually at my school, they do let you retake any classes that you receive a C in.

i think that my only chance to get accepted into a pharmacy school next year is probably getting a >90% on my pcat, which i doubt it would happen =.= i'm currently taking microbiology over the summer and i studied soooo much for my last exam and got a 80 on it T_T this is sooo discouraging

 

[PrepharmKID]

I think the rule is, you can retake "lower" division courses no matter what the grade. But upper division courses have to be D or F, or obviously W to retake. Check with your school though. You'd get better info than from us....

 

[l3abyt43]

Several pharmacy schools I've contacted prefer students to have a degree. As a matter of fact, some require their students to have a degree prior to being admitted.

 

[2208]

Several pharmacy schools I've contacted prefer students to have a degree. As a matter of fact, some require their students to have a degree prior to being admitted.

i been calling several schools that i'm interested in and none of them seem to prefer their students to have a degree. which schools did you call?