Which schools are relatively easy to get into?

[newslang]

I have been lurking on this forum for a while now and I have noticed that threads attempting to find how to do anything the easy way are often frowned upon by people who don't ever get around to answering the question that was asked in the OP. I understand that no pharmacy school is easy to get into and it will take a huge amount of work to get accepted. At the same time I know some schools must have lower total applicant:acceptance ratios and relatively lower standards for applicants. The process of figuring this out is turning out to be somewhat overwhelming for me.

Two questions I have are: Are there any schools known to have overall lower standards? Which schools accept and do not look too harshly at students who have done their pre-reqs at community college?

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[Swanchick84]

It's hard to answer that question without offending anyone.

If I told you X pharmacy school is easy to get into, students at X pharmacy school might get offended.

Your best bet would be to pick up one of those pharmacy admissions book and look up the ratios of students accepted to those that applied.

 

[PolarBear21]

Keep in mind lots of pharm schools are on rolling admissions and its TONS easier to get into X pharmacy school if they are rolling admissions if you apply early. At least thats what I think.

 

[newslang]

It's hard to answer that question without offending anyone.

If i've learned anything about the internet it's that it's one place where most people don't seem to worry about offending others

 

[PharmMnM]

Definitely don't apply in California or 3 year programs.

 

[misstofu]

Definitely don't apply in California or 3 year programs.

why not? i thought CA schools are good Schools one example is UCSF

 

[terse]

why not? i thought CA schools are good Schools one example is UCSF

they are and they're most likely more difficult to get into due to high competition. i assume schools that don't require the pcat, 3 year programs, and schools in desirable geographic locations (CA, NY, FL, etc) will have more applicants, thus more competition.

seriously, i've never heard of anyone from here wanting to go to school in the middle of nebraska.

 

[ethyl]

Surf aacp and pharmcas websites to find which schools had the lowest number of applicants.

 

[Mentis]

seriously, i've never heard of anyone from here wanting to go to school in the middle of nebraska.

I do *cough* Creighton. But I doubt that has much bearing on its difficulty of entrance.

 

[DrEaMeRcHiCk]

they are and they're most likely more difficult to get into due to high competition. i assume schools that don't require the pcat, 3 year programs, and schools in desirable geographic locations (CA, NY, FL, etc) will have more applicants, thus more competition.

seriously, i've never heard of anyone from here wanting to go to school in the middle of nebraska.

I agree with the comment about the california schools, even touro has seen a lot of applicants and it took in its first class...2 years ago I think? Correct me if I'm wrong...even at my school I've seen a huge increase in the amount of people interested in pharmacy. From what I have noticed, the interest has practically doubled meaning more applicants, more competition, higher standards. I think this is happening everywhere else too. How are the east coast/midwest schools in terms of applicants? Has there been a huge jump too?

 

[MCVPharm]

I agree with the comment about the california schools, even touro has seen a lot of applicants and it took in its first class...2 years ago I think? Correct me if I'm wrong...even at my school I've seen a huge increase in the amount of people interested in pharmacy. From what I have noticed, the interest has practically doubled meaning more applicants, more competition, higher standards. I think this is happening everywhere else too. How are the east coast/midwest schools in terms of applicants? Has there been a huge jump too?

I dont know about midwest, but there has been definately a huge jump in east coast. Its starting to get tougher everywhere actually. In-state universities are harder to get into compare to private schools, since they accept more in-state students. U can look at pharmcas and see stats for different schools.

 

[PharmdSter07]

www.findlay.edu is a new school. iT'S very easy to get accepted if you apply early. I don't go to this school but a lot of my friends who had GPA 3.1-3.3 got in this school.

 

[honeykrown]

I believe the jump is due to the difficulty in getting into med schools and the expenses of med schools being too high.(tho there are more med schools than pharm). This is not to say that Pharm school is easy but consider the time u spend in schools and the money, pple think its better to settle for pharm since it is still in the health field.

 

[Pharm47]

I believe the jump is due to the difficulty in getting into med schools and the expenses of med schools being too high.(tho there are more med schools than pharm). This is not to say that Pharm school is easy but consider the time u spend in schools and the money, pple think its better to settle for pharm since it is still in the health field.

You're about to get flamed...

Many people (myself included) are not "settling" for pharmacy. I never had any interest in medicine, thus I did not choose pharmacy because "it is still in the health field," I'm choosing pharmacy because it is the career I want.

 

[agentdna]

You're about to get flamed...

Many people (myself included) are not "settling" for pharmacy. I never had any interest in medicine, thus I did not choose pharmacy because "it is still in the health field," I'm choosing pharmacy because it is the career I want.

Actually, around my circle of friends, what honeyknown said is kinda true. Lots of my friends have never even set foot into a pharmacy, yet they just picked pharm after weighing out between pharm and med and see that med is more time-consuming and much harder to get in. Some others used to be pre-med have now switched to pharm, seeing the MCAT barrier and the competitiveness considering their GPAs are less than 3.5. Of course, I'm not saying everyone going for pharmacy right now simply "settled" for it but from what I see, it's not an uncommon case nowadays.

 

[terse]

Actually, around my circle of friends, what honeyknown said is kinda true. Lots of my friends have never even set foot into a pharmacy, yet they just picked pharm after weighing out between pharm and med and see that med is more time-consuming and much harder to get in. Some others used to be pre-med have now switched to pharm, seeing the MCAT barrier and the competitiveness considering their GPAs are less than 3.5. Of course, I'm not saying everyone going for pharmacy right now simply "settled" for it but from what I see, it's not an uncommon case nowadays.

i see more of a switch from med-school to PA (physician assistant) school nowadays actually. 2 years for a PA program, with earning potential of 150K depending on specialty, so why not right?

 

[agentdna]

i see more of a switch from med-school to PA (physician assistant) school nowadays actually. 2 years for a PA program, with earning potential of 150K depending on specialty, so why not right?

Makes sense, but problem is, some peeps I know see it as kinda degrading to switch from pre-med to PA, like you can't be doctor so you have to become their assistant, so they just rather turn completely to pharm. I guess it must have something to do with "pride" and what not and I'm not exactly sure how this logic works because I never even considered med to begin with but that's what many people around me do. Or like a handful of my female friends, just go into nursing and marry a doctor so you can enjoy the wealth from the profession and respect from others without having to go through the stress and pain to become one. Yikes!

 

[cdpiano27]

And I wonder if those type of marriages really work? First of all the husband will never be home and always at the hospital, and second of all, if the marriage is truly for the money, and nothing else, I doubt that can hold together.

If I were a doctor, I would be very careful right now if I was looking to marry someone who knew that fact.

 

[GatorRxGirl]

You're about to get flamed...

Many people (myself included) are not "settling" for pharmacy. I never had any interest in medicine, thus I did not choose pharmacy because "it is still in the health field," I'm choosing pharmacy because it is the career I want.

True dat, double true.

 

[DHG]

Cosmetology school.

 

[MeHungryRx]

Cosmetology school.

you would be surprised... at a JC I went to, the Cosmetology program was fairly hard to get into.

 

[DHG]

Is Sally Struthers still taking applications for her TV-VCR repair/Paralegal/Animal Care Specialist school...

[object width="425" height="350"][param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/watch?v=7RKQRVn4NAs"][/param][param name="wmode" value="transparent"][/param][embed src="http://youtube.com/watch?v=7RKQRVn4NAs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"][/embed]

hmm... wonder why the code didn't work.... Hmmm...well THAT didn't work... try this:

oOOOoOoOOoOoOOoOoOOO

 

[xcvbvcfgh]

www.findlay.edu is a new school. iT'S very easy to get accepted if you apply early. I don't go to this school but a lot of my friends who had GPA 3.1-3.3 got in this school.

What other schools are like Findlay and is easy to get into if you just apply early? I notice Finlay do not require the PCAT nor use the pharmcas system. I'd like to know what schools out there is just like Findlay. Thanks.

 

[Hels2007]

seriously, i've never heard of anyone from here wanting to go to school in the middle of nebraska.

Because there are no schools in the middle of Nebraska. Both are on the very eastern edge. It's all purely personal preference. I wouldn't live in California if they paid me my weight in diamonds - annually.

 

[ApplicantPharmD]

where can we find the pre-reqs required for university of findlay....

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Easy? Try a private schools in a sparsely populated area.

Also, don't think community college prepharm will hold you back. I did 2 years at a community college.

 

[binghamkid]

Actually, around my circle of friends, what honeyknown said is kinda true. Lots of my friends have never even set foot into a pharmacy, yet they just picked pharm after weighing out between pharm and med and see that med is more time-consuming and much harder to get in. Some others used to be pre-med have now switched to pharm, seeing the MCAT barrier and the competitiveness considering their GPAs are less than 3.5. Of course, I'm not saying everyone going for pharmacy right now simply "settled" for it but from what I see, it's not an uncommon case nowadays.

It doesn't really make a difference if people switch from pre-med to pharmacy. As long as they make that commitment to the change and embrace their new-found profession, I could really care less whether they were an 'original' or not.

I'm one of those people *ahem* and I have my own reasons for switching. It's insulting to us to automatically assume that the reason we switched to pharmacy was because we weren't good enough for medicine. Many people indeed have never stepped foot in a pharmacy; some of the people I know were pre-pharm all the way and they still haven't stepped foot in a pharmacy. There's no reason to discriminate among professionals. We're all on the same side.

As for the previous posters comment about med school costs being too high: Pharmacy school costs aren't much lower, and we get fewer scholarships/grants than the medical schools do. I think the amount of debt we carry is significant enough as it is. They're both respectable professions; some of us just decided one wasn't the one for us.

 

[rxgales]

there is nothing as hard...it's all in the mind...i don't like the california school although i am applying only to CA because i have too much pride for outside schools

 

[Caverject]

I have been lurking on this forum for a while now and I have noticed that threads attempting to find how to do anything the easy way are often frowned upon by people who don't ever get around to answering the question that was asked in the OP. I understand that no pharmacy school is easy to get into and it will take a huge amount of work to get accepted. At the same time I know some schools must have lower total applicant:acceptance ratios and relatively lower standards for applicants. The process of figuring this out is turning out to be somewhat overwhelming for me.

Two questions I have are: Are there any schools known to have overall lower standards? Which schools accept and do not look too harshly at students who have done their pre-reqs at community college?

You should ask your question in our new mentor forum! We have a pharmacy admission specialist!

 

[omnione]

You should ask your question in our new mentor forum! We have a pharmacy admission specialist!

Are you being sarcastic?

 

[binghamkid]

there is nothing as hard...it's all in the mind...i don't like the california school although i am applying only to CA because i have too much pride for outside schools

Pride for what? I'm confused. There are lots of excellent institutions outside of California.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I have to much pride to go anywhere other than West Virginia. But that's just because I'm from here and there is an us vs. the world chip on our shoulder type of attitude we all have. Maybe it's the same way in California?

 

[fmbzp5]

I believe the jump is due to the difficulty in getting into med schools and the expenses of med schools being too high.(tho there are more med schools than pharm). This is not to say that Pharm school is easy but consider the time u spend in schools and the money, pple think its better to settle for pharm since it is still in the health field.

The increase in applications happens to be following right along with the increase in pay. Just like how the amount of applications for medical school went down in the past just as engineering applicants went up for the pay. As much as people wish healthcare professionals were selfless altusitic individuals, one doesn't have to look far to find uncompassionate self serving people. If the pay wen down to 70K a year, the amount of new applicants would drop significantly.

 

[evilolive]

It's also paradoxical in the way that the easier ones to get into are the schools with more applicants (because everyone is thinking the same thing), making it harder to get into.

 

[Caverject]

Are you being sarcastic?

slightly... but I'm curious to see what this supposed specialist would have to say on this topic! I just wish they changed the forum name to something more appropriate

 

[uga2007]

I have to much pride to go anywhere other than West Virginia. But that's just because I'm from here and there is an us vs. the world chip on our shoulder type of attitude we all have. Maybe it's the same way in California?

Pride...hell I am just to lazy to go anywhere other than UGA. Moving an hour and a half up the road is bad enough

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

I have been lurking on this forum for a while now and I have noticed that threads attempting to find how to do anything the easy way are often frowned upon by people who don't ever get around to answering the question that was asked in the OP. I understand that no pharmacy school is easy to get into and it will take a huge amount of work to get accepted. At the same time I know some schools must have lower total applicant:acceptance ratios and relatively lower standards for applicants. The process of figuring this out is turning out to be somewhat overwhelming for me.

Two questions I have are: Are there any schools known to have overall lower standards? Which schools accept and do not look too harshly at students who have done their pre-reqs at community college?

I got accepted to 3 schools and I did my prereqs at a community college, saved a lot of money taking classes there, leaves money for booze and women.
Lower standards? All the patients want to go the hospital employing the pharmacist who barely scraped by and made it in and out under the radar. I am sorry but if you have a poopy application then fix it/make it better then apply instead of looking for a second tier option.

 

[Utterdevotion]

I hope not to offend anyone today...

As many others have said, there are is no "easy" school. But some schools are easier to get into than others based on:

1. Geographic location: If you're in a not so populated area.
2. New schools: Newer schools usually have less requirements, and maybe less strict about those requirements.
3. Rolling admission: With rolling admission, the earlier you send in that application, the higher chance you have of getting accepted.
4. Type of school: Private are usually easier to get into than public.

But! More importantly:
1. Start your applications early.
2. Write a good personal statement. Don't hurry it, take your time!
3. Make time to do extracurriculars, community service activities.
4. Also make time to gain health care related experience, especially in the pharmacy if you can.
5. Get to know your pharmacists and professors for a good LOR
6. Don't procrastinate on studying for your PCATs. It is not the type of test you can cram the night before on.
7. Maintain a good GPA obviously
8. Be yourself.

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

I hope not to offend anyone today...

As many others have said, there are is no "easy" school. But some schools are easier to get into than others based on:

1. Geographic location: If you're in a not so populated area.
2. New schools: Newer schools usually have less requirements, and maybe less strict about those requirements.
3. Rolling admission: With rolling admission, the earlier you send in that application, the higher chance you have of getting accepted.
4. Type of school: Private are usually easier to get into than public.

But! More importantly:
1. Start your applications early.
2. Write a good personal statement. Don't hurry it, take your time!
3. Make time to do extracurriculars, community service activities.
4. Also make time to gain health care related experience, especially in the pharmacy if you can.
5. Get to know your pharmacists and professors for a good LOR
6. Don't procrastinate on studying for your PCATs. It is not the type of test you can cram the night before on.
7. Maintain a good GPA obviously
8. Be yourself.

Good post! Some schools are easier based on those things but if you have a sh*tty application and GPA then all the schools are super hard.

 

[binghamkid]

I hope not to offend anyone today...

As many others have said, there are is no "easy" school. But some schools are easier to get into than others based on:

1. Geographic location: If you're in a not so populated area.
2. New schools: Newer schools usually have less requirements, and maybe less strict about those requirements.
3. Rolling admission: With rolling admission, the earlier you send in that application, the higher chance you have of getting accepted.
4. Type of school: Private are usually easier to get into than public.

But! More importantly:
1. Start your applications early.
2. Write a good personal statement. Don't hurry it, take your time!
3. Make time to do extracurriculars, community service activities.
4. Also make time to gain health care related experience, especially in the pharmacy if you can.
5. Get to know your pharmacists and professors for a good LOR
6. Don't procrastinate on studying for your PCATs. It is not the type of test you can cram the night before on.
7. Maintain a good GPA obviously
8. Be yourself.

That's a really nice post there =D *wink* Quality writing from quality people

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

That's a really nice post there =D *wink* Quality writing from quality people

Would the quality of the writing be any less if the writer was a prick..........?

 

[binghamkid]

Would the quality of the writing be any less if the writer was a prick..........?

Of course not, but given that it's an inside joke directed at UD personally, it shouldn't be taken all that seriously =)

 

[xcvbvcfgh]

www.findlay.edu is a new school. iT'S very easy to get accepted if you apply early. I don't go to this school but a lot of my friends who had GPA 3.1-3.3 got in this school.

All right, I'll try this again. Name all schools that have rolling admissions and is easy to get into. For instance, the guy above mentions that findlay is easy to get into if you just apply early. I'm considering it, but what others is easiest to get into because they are on rolling admissions? I'd like to know all the schools that operate on a rolling admissions basis.

I'd like to know schools that weigh the PCAT scores heaviest than GPA, LOR, or essays because I think I did well on the June PCAT. My GPA is 3.5 overall, and 3.2 science. Also, I have from one college six "Withdraws" on my transcript. Those withdraws are business courses at the time I was working on my accounting degree. I never had to withdraw from any science courses and still maintain a 3.2 overall science GPA.

Thanks.

 

[aboveliquidice]

All right, I'll try this again. Name all schools that have rolling admissions and is easy to get into. For instance, the guy above mentions that findlay is easy to get into if you just apply early. I'm considering it, but what others is easiest to get into because they are on rolling admissions? I'd like to know all the schools that operate on a rolling admissions basis.

I'd like to know schools that weigh the PCAT scores heaviest than GPA, LOR, or essays because I think I did well on the June PCAT. My GPA is 3.5 overall, and 3.2 science. Also, I have from one college six "Withdraws" on my transcript. Those withdraws are business courses at the time I was working on my accounting degree. I never had to withdraw from any science courses and still maintain a 3.2 overall science GPA.

Thanks.

The search function has all the answers that you seek... You are not the first - nor will you be the last to ask this question - but trust me when I tell you they are out there to be found...

~above~

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I disagree with #8. "Be Yourself" is the worst advice ever for anything.

 

[Ray1234]

I disagree with #8. "Be Yourself" is the worst advice ever for anything.

I agree with WUVp07. very true.

 

[xcvbvcfgh]

bump

 

[binghamkid]

None. There is no such thing as an easy school to get into. If you find one, you let me know =P I'll be sure to let everyone know so they can apply there.

 

[confettiflyer]

New schools (those who just achieved pre-candidate and candidate status) tend to be easier to get into statistics-wise. However, these schools quickly ratchet up .3. to .5 on the average GPA scale in my opinion (from what I've seen).

UH Hilo shows an average GPA of 3.1 for its first incoming class (Fall '07, source: PharmCAS), but you are sure to see that GPA rise to the mid-3's (barring any disasters). I would expect the same for Sullivan University, Jefferson, and California Northstate which all have ACPE applications pending and are looking to enroll their inaugural class for Fall 2008.

I read somewhere that USN's early GPA's were high 2's (2.7-2.9), and just a few years later...is now somewhere around 3.7? Pacific University, also a relatively new university, is seeing its GPA's rise also.

With that said, people DO get rejected from pre-candidate/candidate schools, make no mistake about it. No school is "easy" to get into, just "easier" relative to the fully accredited/established programs, at least temporarily.

 

[evilolive]

I don't even think schools should post an average GPA of applicants that get in because it's a useless measure and only one part of one's application.