What to do with remaining year?

[YiYaoYue]

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I finished all my prereqs for pharmacy school, didn't get in this year. Hopefully a full year with 15+ units per quarter and straight A's will help my application this year to get in next year in addition to research experience. Since my prereqs are done I'm debating between two routes:

1.) Keep going to school full time taking some upper divs and maybe retake a few bad grades from the past. Also continue volunteering 4 hours a week (currently have about 200 hours of volunteer work done).

2.) Get Tech license and work part time and go part time school taking fewer classes (10 units maybe?).

Now I don't really have the option to do full time school and full time tech work since that would be very difficult (not sure if anyone does that) since I also have research commitment that will be taking up a lot of hours by itself. I'm wondering just how much better tech experience would help my application? I don't even think I will have time to get tech license (live in CA) and want to spend summer on PCAT study. And if I get one next fall I'll probably already have sent in all my applications by August (applying early like advised), so I don't even know if I can put it in my application that will be a tech next year. Any advice?

 

[IrishRxMan]

I finished all my prereqs for pharmacy school, didn't get in this year. Hopefully a full year with 15+ units per quarter and straight A's will help my application this year to get in next year in addition to research experience. Since my prereqs are done I'm debating between two routes:

1.) Keep going to school full time taking some upper divs and maybe retake a few bad grades from the past. Also continue volunteering 4 hours a week (currently have about 200 hours of volunteer work done).

2.) Get Tech license and work part time and go part time school taking fewer classes (10 units maybe?).

Now I don't really have the option to do full time school and full time tech work since that would be very difficult (not sure if anyone does that) since I also have research commitment that will be taking up a lot of hours by itself. I'm wondering just how much better tech experience would help my application? I don't even think I will have time to get tech license (live in CA) and want to spend summer on PCAT study. And if I get one next fall I'll probably already have sent in all my applications by August (applying early like advised), so I don't even know if I can put it in my application that will be a tech next year. Any advice?

I would say go for the upper division classes as this will show you are still working towards a degree. I would contact the schools you applied to and see if they will tell you what kept you from being accepted and what you need to do to correct the issue(s). Most schools should be accommodating about this, especially since most have already ended the semester for summer break.

 

[Tygacil]

My advice would be to take some upper division science classes, do well, keep up the volunteer work, and work in a pharmacy. Yeah it sounds like a lot, but you can do it. Just work one day a week in the pharmacy. It doesn't have to be full time, just enough to where you can say you have experience when asked about it. Not sure how things work in CA, but in TN all you have to do is get a job and register with the state, taking the CPhT test isn't mandatory (yet), plus most of the pharmacies around town love to hire on future pharmacy students.

-tig

 

[YiYaoYue]

yea sorry I forgot to mention I already have a B.S. in biology. I might work towards maybe a B.A. in biochemistry as well.

I asked someone and they told me it took them several months to get a tech license to work in CA. I also think it would be hard to find someone hiring for a tech to work like 12 hours a week? I'll probably try and ask the pharmacy director where I volunteer if he has an opening for me to work one day a week first to see if there is a spot available in case I do decide to go that route. From what I hear it will still cost me few hundred to get the books to study a bit on what I need to know and then take the test to get licensed. Right now my concentration is on getting straight A's this quarter and do well on the PCAT. I don't want to worry about tech license till fall.