What's weird about you?

[SobeGekko]

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Since there are so many threads about 'what are my chances,' many of which from those still in undergrad, I thought it would be nice to here from some the non-traditional students, applicants, pharmacists who have done other things prior to pharm school.

I'll start with a short bit about myself. Applying to pharm school this fall. Completed MD 2004, and half of a family med residency and realized I disliked much of the uncertainty involved in diagnosing conditions. I missed calculations and more directly applying medical science to problems. Hence, I'm hoping to do clinical pharmacy work and put my medical background to good use.

Hope to read some good stories.

 

[eddie269]

Wow, that's crazy Sobe. So you can really be called a Doctor now when/if you become a pharmacist despite that heated debate. 😀

Anyways, graduated with BA in Economics in 2004. Spent the last 1.5 yrs in undergrad doing pre-pharmacy. Didn't get into pharmacy school after I graduated so I decided to work in the finance field with my degree. HATED IT! Corporate America is GREEDY and unethical and all they care about is PROFITS! Gladly quit work in 12/2005 to go back to school to boost my gpa and get more pharmacy experience.

It's been one ROUGH and depressing year in 2006 but with a few interviews coming up this month, hopefully all this hard work will FINALLY pay off.

 

[Pharm47]

Graduated with a BA in Bio in 2004. Wanted to become a winemaker (o-chem galore), so moved to Napa Valley for '04 harvest. Liked picking grapes and tasting wine, didn't like the Napa culture. Rather than apply to UC-Davis for Viticulture and Enology, moved to Portland, got a "real" job, got married, and bought a house. Love my husband, love my house, not too jazzed about corporate America. Starting volunteering in an ED in late 2005, took Physics. Started job shadowing pharmacists early 2006. Now volunteering in hospital pharmacy, taking A&P, and waiting to hear from pharmacy schools. That's my story.

 

[the_labrat]

I think I might have you all beat. I was just about to graduate with a degree in 2-D animation when Disney shut its doors and moved all their TV work to Asia

My mom was always a pharm tech, but I thought it would be cool to take what she did a step farther, plus I love applied math.

 

[pharmd4me@510]

I graduated with an A.A.S in Electronics Science in '99 and worked for a few years as a technician. I didn't like it so I quit my job and enrolled myself in nail school (typical Vietnamese thing). I passed the board and got my Manicusrist license but couldn't find a job after spending a few months looking for a job. I gave up and started to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a doctor. I switched over to pharmacy after realizing medical school would be too physically demanding for me (I'm a paraplegic). I'm 100% sure pharmacy is it! I already turned in my apps for 08. I'm just anxiously waiting for the letters of interview and, hopefully, an acceptance.That's my story

 

[PolarBear21]

"whats weird about you"

I like the smell of used band aids.. (my own that is..)

..

OK, sorry I just couldn't resist. I actually don't belong on this thread, I'm so cookie cutter it hurts, its nice you guys have things that set you apart, I'm personally hoping there's enough room for one more cookie in the jar, but do you guys think you have a certain advantage having outside of college experience? I'm thinking I"m not getting in this year and I'm probably going to have to work for a year or so.

 

[SobeGekko]

but do you guys think you have a certain advantage having outside of college experience?

I can't speak for adcoms' opinions, but I think if you've experience beyond straight schooling right up until pharm school, you can obtain a more well rounded perspective on life and why a certain career path fits you well.

I went to med school straight out of college and as most med students are, I was a bit naive about what I was getting myself into. But now that I'm a bit older, I have a better grasp of what is important to me in a career and outside of a career. Now that I'm married and a parent and know what it's like to work in a health profession, I have a much richer perspective than I had when applying to med school.

It's not that you can't know what career is right for you at 22, but many people don't figure it out until they're a bit older. In the case of pricey graduate school, I think it makes sense to be very sure before you embark.

For those going straight from undergrad into pharm school, I think the best and perhaps only way to know that you're doing it for the right reasons is to get up close to the lives of pharmacists through experience so you have a realistic picture of their work lives.

 

[moi]

I was born and raised in Nigeria and moved to the US in 2001 to attend college. By my junior year I'd .realized I hated my major (Computer Science), but since I had no clue what I did want to do, I figured I'd just finish up 🙂

Graduated in May '05 and started working. Hated my job, but still figured I'd just keep plodding along. Then, got laid off in October '05. That changed my whole perspective and led to some soul-searching.

I decided to go to Pharm school and started working on my prereqa in Spring '06. I'll start applying as soon as I'm done with the PCAT in a week. (I'm only applying to schools that have late application deadlines)

 

[PhArMafReKan]

I was born and raised in Nigeria and moved to the US in 2001 to attend college. By my junior year I'd .realized I hated my major (Computer Science), but since I had no clue what I did want to do, I figured I'd just finish up 🙂

Graduated in May '05 and started working. Hated my job, but still figured I'd just keep plodding along. Then, got laid off in October '05. That changed my whole perspective and led to some soul-searching.

I decided to go to Pharm school and started working on my prereqa in Spring '06. I'll start applying as soon as I'm done with the PCAT in a week. (I'm only applying to schools that have late application deadlines)

What part of Naija are you from?

 

[ageldred]

I wish I was weirder 😉 I went to college not knowing what I wanted to do with my life so I majored in Finance. I was always told you can do a lot with a business degree, blah blah blah, and the classes were interesting to me. (I'm a nerd, I'm interested in everything!) I graduated in 2003 and got a job in management at Walgreens. While working there, I learned about pharmacy and decided to pursue pharmacy. I quit my job, moved back in with my mom (yea.....fun) and now I'm applying for 2007. I am applying to a lot of schools this year, so I hope I get in. We shall see! I like seeing threads like this, it shows everyone's personality.

 

[ajh88]

I'm not all that exciting - been a science nerd since I was about 7 (wearing my Beaker "Lab Geek" shirt right now). When I was an undergrad, thought I'd grow up to be a virus hunter a la Nancy and Jerry Jax and Ebola and all that good stuff. Got my Bachelor's degree in Biology in 1997 (in 3 1/2 undergrad years) - but didn't get accepted to grad school. 😳 Got a job in a research lab to gain some experience, thinking I would apply again the next year.

One year turned to three, I got married, had a baby and grad school went by the wayside. Moved from an academic research lab to an industry (for-profit) company - way better $$$, but after 5 years, I knew I don't want to be a lab jockey forever. The Ph.D levels are the ones getting the promotions - and pursuing a Ph.D stopped being a goal of mine a long time ago (way too many disenchanted post-docs in my academic lab). So, now that my story is already way too long - I decided about a year ago to start working towards pharm school. Its funny because I have always been interested in pharmacy, but as an undergrad didn't really think I could do it because I thought you had to be GREAT at chemistry, which really scared me. Nine years later, with some practical experience and re-visiting chemistry when studying for the PCAT, it doesn't seem so bad.

 

[ipinjoy]

Wow. I love hearing stories from people's background!

As for me, as a high school student I was torn between pharmacy and computer science. I was even accepted to UOP's pre-pharm 6 yr program. However, I was more determined to work on video games and animated films so I declined my acceptance and got a degree in Computer Science. Since then, Ive programmed for two Playstation games, developed online insurance rates and did tech support for two animated films. After awhiles I kind of started feeling that staying in a cubicle over 10 hours a day wasnt for me and decided to leave the industry to re-evaluate my career goals. I ended up going to a pharmacy open house at UCSF without any expectations and was blown away by the possibilities. Now I am here, hope to get in somewhere this year. Good luck everyone!

 

[moi]

What part of Naija are you from?

I'm Ibo - from Nnewi, in Anambra State. Grew up in Enugu.

You?