When Should I Start Looking For Schools?

[bottlecap1990]

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I am a high school senior who will be graduating in june 2009. My grades are not good enough so therefore I can not apply to the 0-6 pharmacy program. I plan on completing the prerequisites at a local community college and then transfer to a pharmacy school. My question is that when should I be making a list of school I would like to apply to?. Also how long does it usually take to complete the prerequisites? ( I heard that it is between 2-3 years since every pharmacy school has different requirements). I will be taking a placement test next month and I am terrified that I will not do well in it and I will be put into lower level courses(non college course) which will affect my chances of completing the prerequisites in just 2-3 years. Anybody has any advice for me?


thank you.

 

[avuong]

Hi OP,
take what you can when you can. Dont fret if you're placed below 100s. It will prepare you, and be better for you in the long run than just jumping into Calc 100s.
There is no rush to finish pharmacy school either. Lots of people enter in their late 20s and 30s. You will have the rest of your life to work, so you better enjoy your time now in youth.
Use college and/or university to explore your interests. You may find you like something else more than pharmacy like: anthropology, political science, european history, economics, english literature, pediatric medicine, law, accounting, nursing, marketing, civil engineering, urban planning and development, psychology, sociology, gender studies, and so many more options. Please do not rush into something just because your parents or your friends tell you to. Do it because you like it and can see yourself doing that for the rest of your life.
Job shadowing would also be extremely helpful to you.
Best of Luck!

 

[fenixtnlfan]

Good advice from avuong. Just do what you have to do, and if that includes taking lower level courses than do it. You'll get there eventually. It's not imperative you determine where you want to apply right now, but it would probably be helpful to have an idea so you can plan what pre-reqs you need to complete. Once you are ready to apply, you can finalize your list. Most of the pre-reqs between pharmacy schools are the same. A good thing to do would be get with an advisor and plan out when you will take each course. You don't have to follow it exactly, but it's helpful so you have a game plan. I think 3 years is more reasonable to get your pre-reqs done in as there are quite a few to complete. Very few people can get them done in two years, and usually they have some college credit from high school they can use. It's better to spread it out and do well, rather than cram it all in and do poorly just for the sake of time.