When is the perfect time?

[asianbunny]

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So I stumbled upon this forum at a perfect time. I'm stuck in a big hole right now because I have no idea when to start Pharmcas. Starting in January, I will be taking Anatomy II, Chem II, English II, and Psychology. Then starting Fall of 2012, I will be taking the MAJOR pre-reqs required for pharm school: Bio I, Orgo I, Physics w/ Calculus II. Spring of 2013 would just be Bio II, and Orgo II and some electives, of course.

My question is: When is the perfect and best time to start Pharmcas? I know it will open june 2012, but is it necessary for me to start that soon since it will close again in december? ALSO, when should i start studying for my PCAT? I'm planning on buying the PCAT, Dr. Collins and Pearsons Practice PCAT tests.

 

[Notecard]

Start considering LOR writers now. Begin pharmCAS June of the year before you want to apply.

So if you are applying for 2014 start June 2013.

 

[asianbunny]

Start considering LOR writers now. Begin pharmCAS June of the year before you want to apply.

So if you are applying for 2014 start June 2013.

Thank you!

 

[PharmD for Me]

I would start your PharmCAS as early as you can. Take your time, proof read it, have someone else proof read the entire thing, etc. It takes up to six weeks to process it, plus you need to get transcripts and LORs submitted.

I would also take the PCAT over the summer. You'll have more time to study and if you don't do as well as you hoped, you'll have plenty of time to retake it. The downside it that you'll actually have to study over the summer and you may not be in study mode.

Everyone studies differently for the PCAT. Some people just wing it, some people study a few weeks ahead of time, and some people take Kaplan courses. My best advice would be to take the practice exams on the Pearson website. Your test-taking strategies really do matter, so taking a practice exam is one of the most beneficial things you can do. Timing is everything!

PS - if you get the Kaplan book to study from... their calculus and organic chem sections suck. Just saying. I also found tons of errors in the book when I used it, but overall I thought it was beneficial.

 

[Nelcovp]

So I stumbled upon this forum at a perfect time. I'm stuck in a big hole right now because I have no idea when to start Pharmcas. Starting in January, I will be taking Anatomy II, Chem II, English II, and Psychology. Then starting Fall of 2012, I will be taking the MAJOR pre-reqs required for pharm school: Bio I, Orgo I, Physics w/ Calculus II. Spring of 2013 would just be Bio II, and Orgo II and some electives, of course.

ALSO, when should i start studying for my PCAT? I'm planning on buying the PCAT, Dr. Collins and Pearsons Practice PCAT tests.

My two cents.... drop the English II and take Bio I in the spring. With anat II, chm II, and bio I, you will have 3 heavy tested areas still fresh. Save the non-pcat classes til later. Plan on taking the PCAT as late as you can before the fall semester starts. Prepare for that test all summer long. You will have to get into bio II and some micro yourself. Same with orgo, but if you just learn nomenclature and the basic functional groups it will get you through. I created a biology study list for myself and knowing everything on that list got me the 90% percentile in biology. I'd be happy to email it to you if you'd like.

 

[xtsukiyox]

My two cents.... drop the English II and take Bio I in the spring. With anat II, chm II, and bio I, you will have 3 heavy tested areas still fresh. Save the non-pcat classes til later.

Solid advice. 👍

Plan on taking the PCAT as late as you can before the fall semester starts. Prepare for that test all summer long.

This would be in July.

 

[asianbunny]

My two cents.... drop the English II and take Bio I in the spring. With anat II, chm II, and bio I, you will have 3 heavy tested areas still fresh. Save the non-pcat classes til later. Plan on taking the PCAT as late as you can before the fall semester starts. Prepare for that test all summer long. You will have to get into bio II and some micro yourself. Same with orgo, but if you just learn nomenclature and the basic functional groups it will get you through. I created a biology study list for myself and knowing everything on that list got me the 90% percentile in biology. I'd be happy to email it to you if you'd like.

I would LOVE it if you would email the study list to me. 😀 I would think that taking the PCAT you would need solid understanding on orgo I first. I will definitely try and fit bio I into my spring semester. Thanks so much!