What to do after school?

[calico2015]

Hi everyone,

I am currently a first year majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences. My main goal after school is to go to Pharmacy school to get a Pharm. D. but I am having difficulty in my freshman year of college. I don't want to sound like I am making excuses but college has been a really tough transition for me being away from home and my GPA is at a 2.8 at the moment. I know I have plenty of time ahead of me, but I am at risk of possibly having to retake two of my classes, which I understand PharmCAS will see.

I was wondering what I would be able to do after my undergraduate with a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences if I don't make it into pharmacy school? I am beginning to feel discouraged but I am determined to make it all work, but I was just wondering what would happen if worse comes to worst.

Thank you all!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[smercer]

If you feel the courses are tough, maybe you should look at a Bio or Chem degree. They are just as good for Pharm. School. Then if you do not get in or choose to not go to Pharm School, you are not stuck with a worthless degree.

 

[Doulos]

You can also go with a psychology degree with a minor in bio or chem while being sure to hit all your prereqs. Psychology classes are easier. A bit more writing, but definitely easier. They help prop up the GPA....unless you don't like to write or just don't get psyc or something.

 

[mustang sally]

1) Work for a pharm company
2) Work for an academic research lab
3) Go to grad school
4) Do any of the other random assortment of jobs that B.S degree holders do

These days most college degrees seem to serve the purpose of putting you on a level playing field with everyone else, without really preparing you for a job. My recommendation to people in my own family is to find a job you want to do first, then figure out the necessary education/training to get that job...rather than spending 80k to get a liberal arts degree or something.

 

[ExpressMaiL]

Hi everyone,

I am currently a first year majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences. My main goal after school is to go to Pharmacy school to get a Pharm. D. but I am having difficulty in my freshman year of college. I don't want to sound like I am making excuses but college has been a really tough transition for me being away from home and my GPA is at a 2.8 at the moment. I know I have plenty of time ahead of me, but I am at risk of possibly having to retake two of my classes, which I understand PharmCAS will see.

I was wondering what I would be able to do after my undergraduate with a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences if I don't make it into pharmacy school? I am beginning to feel discouraged but I am determined to make it all work, but I was just wondering what would happen if worse comes to worst.

Thank you all!

Do your best, give it your all and don't have any regrets. Cliche, sure... but you have to put in 100% effort and be real with yourself.

By the way- sometimes failure can be the greatest thing to befall an individual. It's not until you're in the absolute lowest point of your life... in despair and absolute hopelessness, that you will learn the most valuable lessons. Most importantly, you will learn a lot about yourself.

Don't perseverate on failure and be a downer. If and when that situation happens, other opportunities will reveal themselves. A no bull-**** assessment of not getting into pharmacy school really isn't the WORST thing that can happen to you. Just my opinion.

 

[Guitarmacy]

You can also go with a psychology degree with a minor in bio or chem while being sure to hit all your prereqs. Psychology classes are easier. A bit more writing, but definitely easier. They help prop up the GPA....unless you don't like to write or just don't get psyc or something.

I would advise against getting a Psychology degree. I am just about to get mine and I've known for a good 1 or 2 years how little value a bachelor's in Psychology has. Might as well have a degree in Philosophy...

I'm with smercer on this one. Get a degree that has value by itself or is a good stepping stone to an MS or PhD if you decide against a PharmD. Bio or Chem is the answer.

If you're having trouble right now and you just aren't feeling school, I would take a semester off instead of putting my GPA at further risk.

 

[bacillus1]

One of my good friends graduated with a pharm sci degree. Took him a few months to find a job. He currently works in quality control for a pharmaceutical company, night shift because he could not find any day shift positions. You would most likely start out as a contractor (no benefits).

 

[Rx MPLS]

If you are looking to change majors, I've always felt a CLS (Clinical Lab Sciences) degree offered a great preparation for pharmacy school. The classes required cover the prerequisites you typically need, and it's a degree that prepares you directly for a good job if pharmacy isn't something you wind up doing. Additionally, it seems that some of what is covered in the program could be useful to you as a pharmacist. You might look to see if your school offers a program...

I would also discourage majoring in psychology. Most psych majors I've met work in hair salons, customer service, and other various areas outside of psychology. While the degree may be helpful in your personal life, it might not be that useful in the situation of a job hunt.