what's your honest take on this??

[tprice108]

In the fall, I will be a junior at clemson university doing chemical engineering. I would like to change majors to pre-pharm and transfer, but only if I could make it with my situation.
This is the situation: The first year, I went to a tech. college and received a 3.5 taking difficult classes as calc. I and II. This was good, but I transferred to clemson the next year and received 2.68 taking even more difficult classes (calc III and IV, organic I and II, biochem., engineering classes). Thankfully, I got nothing lower than a B in my pre-reqs for pharmacy, and it leaves my total gpa at 3.11. I have a pre-req or two to go, so it could potentially raise or lower the gpa.

Heres my questions: Could I be a candidate for pharmacy if my gpa stays the same?
Did the tech. college void me from being a candidate?
Will me scoring a 4 on AP chemistry play a role (good or bad)?
could i take summer school classes at a tech. college to make the process go faster?

Thanks, and much appreciated.

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[bacillus1]

Yeah you can get your prereqs wherever, community college or real college. A 4 on AP chem is fine as long as the pharmacy school you want to go to takes AP credits and takes that score. Also BE AWARE: some schools won't take transfer science credits if they're more than 5 years old; I don't know if that applies to your AP chem, but I'm just letting you know. Yeah you can take summer classes if you want.

GPA-wise, I'm sure you'll get accepted somewhere with a 3.11. You may not be able to get into the best pharmacy schools, but you'll probably find a school that'll take you (especially with all the new schools just opening).

Could you finish your chem. engineering degree while completing your prereqs? I think that would be the best option, not because it looks better for pharmacy schools, but because you have another degree under your belt, and who knows, it may become useful down the road in helping you get a good job.

 

[RxWildcat]

Heres my questions: Could I be a candidate for pharmacy if my gpa stays the same?
Did the tech. college void me from being a candidate?
Will me scoring a 4 on AP chemistry play a role (good or bad)?
could i take summer school classes at a tech. college to make the process go faster?

Thanks, and much appreciated.

Is 3.11 your cumulative GPA overall or science only? Is isn't a super-stellar GPA but it should be enough to be competitive. As far as the AP chem, I think that can fulfill a gen. chem requirement but I'm not certain on that so you'll probably want someone else's input there. There are several debates over community colleges vs. 4-year college courses, but overall it really shouldn't matter much from the viewpoint of an adcom. I'm a big fan of summer classes, the main downside is the extra tuition.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

As long as that tech college is accredited than you are fine. I know some of them are not so just make sure. Your GPA is okay. Having extracurriculars and pharm experience will help you out. Now for the AP score, not all pharm schools accept AP credit as a pre-req, but if they do than that score is probably good enough.

 

[bklyngirl]

Yeah you can get your prereqs wherever, community college or real college. A 4 on AP chem is fine as long as the pharmacy school you want to go to takes AP credits and takes that score. Also BE AWARE: some schools won't take transfer science credits if they're more than 5 years old; I don't know if that applies to your AP chem, but I'm just letting you know. Yeah you can take summer classes if you want.

GPA-wise, I'm sure you'll get accepted somewhere with a 3.11. You may not be able to get into the best pharmacy schools, but you'll probably find a school that'll take you (especially with all the new schools just opening).

Could you finish your chem. engineering degree while completing your prereqs? I think that would be the best option, not because it looks better for pharmacy schools, but because you have another degree under your belt, and who knows, it may become useful down the road in helping you get a good job.

I am not a community college student - but there are many FINE community colleges and ALL community colleges are REAL colleges!!! Although some pharmacy schools would prefer courses completed at 4 year colleges, there are many pharmacy schools that will accept either. For one - Albany College of Pharmacy, which has one of the highest NAPLEX passing rates. Their drop out rate may be a bit high, but that is not the result of community college students entering the professional phase, but the result of their 0-6 program (students entering directly from high school), which I hear that they plan on doing away with.

There are many students on this forum who work extremely hard in community college, and your statement is insulting and cruel!!! The same when comparing pharmacy programs. What is good for one person may not be good for another - and vice versa. In the end, the pharmD degree holds equal weight!
Are you a pharmacy student that started in a 0-6 program? If so, then your admissions process and experience was a lot different than the admissions process for the professional program. It is a lot easier to get into a 0-6 program, acceptance rates over 50% (whether it be LIU, USP, Albany,etc.) HOWEVER, there are many 3.1 GPA applicants that get into highly regarded professional programs - which only shows that admissions decisions are based on much more than a number.
What you consider to be the best pharmacy schools are YOUR OPINION. In the end, a pharmD degree is a pharmD degree!!!
As far as getting a 4 on AP Chemistry and receiving credit - that may apply when entering a 0-6 program, but high school stuff is usually not considered when entering a professional program.

Take note that many adjunct faculty teach at a variety of schools. For instance, my aunt is an adjunct english professor that teaches classes at NYU, City University at Hunter and Columbia College. Same course, same material, different colleges. So a student at Hunter is paying $170 per credit for her class, compared to the student at Columbia paying over $800 per credit for the exact same course material. SAME EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
Don't let prestige fool you.

 

[UTPharm]

How is insulting to say that her less then stellar GPA would probably get her into one of the less competitive schools or a newer UNACCREDITED one? It's the truth. Get over it.

I am not a community college student - but there are many FINE community colleges and ALL community colleges are REAL colleges!!! Although some pharmacy schools would prefer courses completed at 4 year colleges, there are many pharmacy schools that will accept either. For one - Albany College of Pharmacy, which has one of the highest NAPLEX passing rates. Their drop out rate may be a bit high, but that is not the result of community college students entering the professional phase, but the result of their 0-6 program (students entering directly from high school), which I hear that they plan on doing away with.

There are many students on this forum who work extremely hard in community college, and your statement is insulting and cruel!!! The same when comparing pharmacy programs. What is good for one person may not be good for another - and vice versa. In the end, the pharmD degree holds equal weight!
Are you a pharmacy student that started in a 0-6 program? If so, then your admissions process and experience was a lot different than the admissions process for the professional program. It is a lot easier to get into a 0-6 program, acceptance rates over 50% (whether it be LIU, USP, Albany,etc.) HOWEVER, there are many 3.1 GPA applicants that get into highly regarded professional programs - which only shows that admissions decisions are based on much more than a number.
What you consider to be the best pharmacy schools are YOUR OPINION. In the end, a pharmD degree is a pharmD degree!!!
As far as getting a 4 on AP Chemistry and receiving credit - that may apply when entering a 0-6 program, but high school stuff is usually not considered when entering a professional program.

Take note that many adjunct faculty teach at a variety of schools. For instance, my aunt is an adjunct english professor that teaches classes at NYU, City University at Hunter and Columbia College. Same course, same material, different colleges. So a student at Hunter is paying $170 per credit for her class, compared to the student at Columbia paying over $800 per credit for the exact same course material. SAME EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
Don't let prestige fool you.

 

[bklyngirl]

How is insulting to say that her less then stellar GPA would probably get her into one of the less competitive schools or a newer UNACCREDITED one? It's the truth. Get over it.

No, it's insulting to say, in other words, that a community college is not real college. Some people need to get off their high horses!

 

[IrishRxMan]

How is insulting to say that her less then stellar GPA would probably get her into one of the less competitive schools or a newer UNACCREDITED one? It's the truth. Get over it.

Just because they are not accredited yet doesn't always mean they are not a good school. Some of the schools out there that have a new school that popped up somewhat close have a negative view towards them, almost looking down their noses at them, because the new school is competing for the same applicants. I go to a school that is going into it's third year of existence. With the dean we have, I am not fearful in the least that we will earn our full accreditation when our first class sits for the NAPLEX. We are far ahead of schedule on where we should be and there really is nothing more that can be done until the first class sits for their boards. I think all that was being said is, GPA is not the only thing that gets you into a school. There is a whole host of other things the adcoms look at in choosing a student for acceptance.

 

[UTPharm]

Believe me, at Toledo, there is not ONE person that ever WANTED to go to NEOUCOM or Cinci, or LECOMP, unless they DID not get accepted to Toledo's pharmD program. Not looking down on it. Just from what i have seen. Also, people got accepted to those schools that did not even get an interview at UT.

Just because they are not accredited yet doesn't always mean they are not a good school. Some of the schools out there that have a new school that popped up somewhat close have a negative view towards them, almost looking down their noses at them, because the new school is competing for the same applicants. I go to a school that is going into it's third year of existence. With the dean we have, I am not fearful in the least that we will earn our full accreditation when our first class sits for the NAPLEX. We are far ahead of schedule on where we should be and there really is nothing more that can be done until the first class sits for their boards. I think all that was being said is, GPA is not the only thing that gets you into a school. There is a whole host of other things the adcoms look at in choosing a student for acceptance.

 

[UTPharm]

and i believe some of Cinci and LECOMP are both accredited.

Ive heard LECOMP is a very good school, tho.

 

[RxWildcat]

Believe me, at Toledo, there is not ONE person that ever WANTED to go to NEOUCOM or Cinci, or LECOMP, unless they DID not get accepted to Toledo's pharmD program. Not looking down on it. Just from what i have seen. Also, people got accepted to those schools that did not even get an interview at UT.

UT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Everyone else

 

[bklyngirl]

Believe me, at Toledo, there is not ONE person that ever WANTED to go to NEOUCOM or Cinci, or LECOMP, unless they DID not get accepted to Toledo's pharmD program. Not looking down on it. Just from what i have seen. Also, people got accepted to those schools that did not even get an interview at UT.

I believe you are a grade schooler in disguise!

 

[superconduct]

In the fall, I will be a junior at clemson university doing chemical engineering. I would like to change majors to pre-pharm and transfer, but only if I could make it with my situation.
This is the situation: The first year, I went to a tech. college and received a 3.5 taking difficult classes as calc. I and II. This was good, but I transferred to clemson the next year and received 2.68 taking even more difficult classes (calc III and IV, organic I and II, biochem., engineering classes). Thankfully, I got nothing lower than a B in my pre-reqs for pharmacy, and it leaves my total gpa at 3.11. I have a pre-req or two to go, so it could potentially raise or lower the gpa.

Heres my questions: Could I be a candidate for pharmacy if my gpa stays the same?
Did the tech. college void me from being a candidate?
Will me scoring a 4 on AP chemistry play a role (good or bad)?
could i take summer school classes at a tech. college to make the process go faster?

Thanks, and much appreciated.

why don't you finish your chemical engineering degree. you almost done right? It will even look better with chemical engineering degree. Those are hardest classes ever. My friend get his chemical engineering degree from UH (houston) and he got accepted into pharmacy schools outside of state. A gpa of 2.8-3.0 with a chemical engineering degree and pcat around 65-75 should get you in. that is my friend's stat (gpa ~2.9, PCAT 70, good volunteering...)

 

[UTPharm]

lol, not trying to be a douche. its just what i've seen from my personal experiences.

I believe you are a grade schooler in disguise!

 

[tprice108]

why don't you finish your chemical engineering degree. you almost done right? It will even look better with chemical engineering degree. Those are hardest classes ever. My friend get his chemical engineering degree from UH (houston) and he got accepted into pharmacy schools outside of state. A gpa of 2.8-3.0 with a chemical engineering degree and pcat around 65-75 should get you in. that is my friend's stat (gpa ~2.9, PCAT 70, good volunteering...)

yea, thats the problem. I'm starting to do bad in my engineering classes, i think in the end i could finish it with a lower gpa, but the question is will all that money be worth it, when i can transfer right away to a pharmacy school after i do a few pre-reqs. it will build a lot of debt, and i'm not too fond of that. thanks for all your replies by the way....

 

[bananaface]

IHeres my questions: Could I be a candidate for pharmacy if my gpa stays the same?
Did the tech. college void me from being a candidate?
Will me scoring a 4 on AP chemistry play a role (good or bad)?
could i take summer school classes at a tech. college to make the process go faster?

1) You could be a candidate at some schools. Your GPA is not competitive though, so you would need to excel in other areas of your application.

2) not at most schools. only a few are particular about you doing your prereqs at a 4 year school.

3) doubtful

4) Yes, you could retake courses that are prereqs where your current grade is less than a B. You could also take extra classes to raise your cumulative GPA. If you were to go full time for another year and do well your application would be much stronger.

Based on your GPA if you are currently applying you should focus nationally, not just on a certain geographical area. Look at the AACP stats on incoming students and apply places you are more likely to get into.

 

[collegegirl247]

I think the good news it that you did not receive a 2.68 by taking easy classes- those were some really hard classes
I still think that you have a chance

take some classes at a CC to get your gpa up and it wont cost much

 

[jyw003]

I think the good news it that you did not receive a 2.68 by taking easy classes- those were some really hard classes
I still think that you have a chance

take some classes at a CC to get your gpa up and it wont cost much

bingo....

 

[tprice108]

thats good news to hear the good news....thanks.

 

[bacillus1]

I am surprised there is no price on my head yet due to my poor word choice.

What I mean by a "real" college is a 4-year college. You can't get a bachelor's degree in a community college, can you? So that's what I meant by a real college, a college that grants bachelors' degrees...I consider community colleges as sort of "preparatory colleges". You can take classes there, but an associate's degree won't get you too far in life (unless you're the governor of Delaware, but that's one of those rare exceptions).

 

[cdpiano27]

Community colleges have nursing schools, correct? And people get $40-50K a year after graduating there, which is better than many bachelors degree graduates. So I do not necessarily agree with that statement about an associate "not getting you far in life." Many people would love to have that nursing job.

I do not think anything higher or lower of community colleges. They serve a purpose of

1. taking the lower division courses at a much lower cost which is very good!
I did this, and saved a lot of money since I could stay with my parents and credit hours are much cheaper.

2. In a university, unless you are attended a fancy liberal arts school such as Tufts, Dartmouth, etc., those classes will be taught in a very big lecture hall and guess what? You will be learning the material by yourself. Maybe the competition could be harder (and that also depends upon the quality of the four-year school AND the professor), but it does not necessarily mean you will learn the material any better or any worse. It is up to YOU no matter where you go to school.

These are basic classes (o-chem, general chem, basic physics, basic calculus I), NOT advanced research, or upper division graduate-level classes. Hey, you could even buy a few books and study aids, and teach those classes to yourself well, and DO WELL ON THE PCAT without ever going to class if you know how to teach yourself.

After all, if you went into actuarial science, you would have to learn the equivalent of very difficult classes ALL BY YOURSELF AFTER WORK to prepare for the actuarial exams. And guess what? Many people who finish their college with an undergraduate in math, statistics, finance, or economics (which is the common entry-level degree for this profession), pass the first 1-3 actuarial exams go work as an actuary in the insurance companies, they fail one of the more difficult, upper-level exams more than twice, and that is the end of their career as an actuary. These exams only have about a 30-45% passing rate as well.

So remember, THIS IS ABOUT SELF-STUDY, nothing else. You cannot rely on anyone to hold your hand for you anymore. Self-discpline and motivation are the two biggest factors.

By the way, chemical engineering is one of the hardest majors. An entry-level, PhD graduate in chemical engineering in the pharmaceutical (yes they work there) or chemical, or OIL COMPANY (think Exxon Mobil!) makes about the same as a PHarmD. Did you ever think of going to graduate school for Chem Engineering and getting a PhD in that? I think someone on this board had around a 3.1 from UVA in Chemical Engineering and a very high PCAT (97-99), and got into VCU pharmacy school.

 

[bklyngirl]

I am surprised there is no price on my head yet due to my poor word choice.

What I mean by a "real" college is a 4-year college. You can't get a bachelor's degree in a community college, can you? So that's what I meant by a real college, a college that grants bachelors' degrees...I consider community colleges as sort of "preparatory colleges". You can take classes there, but an associate's degree won't get you too far in life (unless you're the governor of Delaware, but that's one of those rare exceptions).

The thread posted by cdpiano27 is so true and extremely informative.
I have a few friends who recently received bachelors degrees from 4 year universities/colleges and had a hard time gaining employment - and when they did either their starting salaries were quite low or they had to take on work not related to what they studied. There are many NYC police, fire and sanitation workers who graduated with 4 year degrees, many previously unemployed business majors.
However, my neighbor received her associates degree in nursing from a community college last year (took her 2 years to complete.) She was hired immediately after passing the nursing exam, starting salary $75,000 (night/weekend differential included.) She works 3 twelve hour shifts per week. She can easily add on an extra day a week and make over the $100,000 mark if she wants to, as the hospital is always short-staffed and overtime is always available. The bottom line is that she has absolutely NO EDUCATIONAL DEBT, as she was able to manage paying her cc tuition in full as she went along.
In the end, it's not where you go to get your education, but what you choose to do with it.
tprice108's candidacy for pharmacy is very good, as he has nothing below a B in pharmacy prerequisites. A chemical engineering track is highly challenging, and adcoms should note the difficulty in his courses when taking his GPA into account. Not many of us have even ventured near Calc III and IV, have you?

 

[Jaded03]

Okay, I read a few posts and people are blowing this way out of proportion. I'll make a few statements now so that the original post is answered.

1. Community college are real colleges and its coursework do carry leverage. Now to put them on equal footing with a 4-year university or college...can't happen.

2. When it comes to completing coursework for ANY professional school, community college will consider your achievements in this course as "satisfactory or proficient." GENERALLY, this is because the teaching staff is primarily non-PhD and the course material is somewhat generalized to encompass a more diverse student body, education-wise.

3. Completing a 4-year university to a professional school has more clout. 4-year university courses are designed to have much more intellectual substance because they select their student body to have a certain level of proficiency and are simply much more competitive within the classroom.

4. Professional schools believe 4-year university science is generally necessary for preparation for a pre-health program and all others are not.

It has no bearing on your abilities or aptitude, it's just the way it works for admissions. It doesn't matter how hard your JC class was or how easy your 4-year college class when it comes to your transcript submission.