- Joined
- May 25, 2016
- Messages
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- 6
Hi all,
I wanted to share my story with any future applicants to show that even in the most unfavorable scenario, it is possible to get admission offers. Last cycle I was a nervous wreck and I scoured these forums for any insight into my chances. I was certain that it was impossible for me to even get an interview. Being a reserved person, I am embarrassed to share this even anonymously (haha) because I know how pathetic my stats were. But I hope this can serve as anecdotal inspiration to keep working towards your goal even if you doubt yourself, cause I sure as hell did.
My background:
My undergrad GPA was around 2.12. I switched majors several times in college and never found my passion. Several of these majors were in the engineering field, thus many of my F's and D's were in high-level math and science coursework. But toward the end I had lost motivation entirely and was performing poorly on just about everything. I didn't like any of my classes, I was always absent, and I felt very disconnected from school.
I ended up graduating in 5 years with a bachelors degree in biology. I worked serving jobs for a couple years, and then got a job in a retail pharmacy as a tech. It was during this time that I came to love pharmacy and decided to apply. While working full-time, I re-took many of the math & science pre-reqs I had done poorly in...about a year's worth of classes... at my local community college. I got mostly A's and a few B's on these (my post-grad GPA was 3.6), but with how many credits I had already taken it didn't even put a dent in my cGPA.
About a year before I applied, I had a personal situation arise that left me and my family devastated. Without going into too much detail, I did not handle the stress properly and made an extremely poor decision that led to me being charged with a misdemeanor. The judge granted me deferred judgment and 12 months probation. It was my first criminal offense and I was so angry with myself that I could let something like that happen.
As you can imagine, at this point it seemed almost a joke to want to apply. I was already worried about my poor GPA, but a recent criminal charge on top of that? I read EVERY possible post and discussion and I believed I was doomed. The only redeeming factors of my application were my work experience (3+ years as a tech at the time I applied) and my PCAT score (98th percentile). I also believe I had a solid personal statement. Between that and the section to explain my criminal record, I was extremely trite about my past failures and the lessons I had learned. In my application I also focused on the many valuable experiences I had gained from being a tech.
I applied to 6 schools and got interview offers from 4. I was offered admission from every school I interviewed at, including my first choice. So... it is possible. Not everyone's situation is the same, but I just wanted to share my story for anyone possibly freaking out... whatever you do, please don't give up just like that. I wish all of you the best of luck with applications!
I wanted to share my story with any future applicants to show that even in the most unfavorable scenario, it is possible to get admission offers. Last cycle I was a nervous wreck and I scoured these forums for any insight into my chances. I was certain that it was impossible for me to even get an interview. Being a reserved person, I am embarrassed to share this even anonymously (haha) because I know how pathetic my stats were. But I hope this can serve as anecdotal inspiration to keep working towards your goal even if you doubt yourself, cause I sure as hell did.
My background:
My undergrad GPA was around 2.12. I switched majors several times in college and never found my passion. Several of these majors were in the engineering field, thus many of my F's and D's were in high-level math and science coursework. But toward the end I had lost motivation entirely and was performing poorly on just about everything. I didn't like any of my classes, I was always absent, and I felt very disconnected from school.
I ended up graduating in 5 years with a bachelors degree in biology. I worked serving jobs for a couple years, and then got a job in a retail pharmacy as a tech. It was during this time that I came to love pharmacy and decided to apply. While working full-time, I re-took many of the math & science pre-reqs I had done poorly in...about a year's worth of classes... at my local community college. I got mostly A's and a few B's on these (my post-grad GPA was 3.6), but with how many credits I had already taken it didn't even put a dent in my cGPA.
About a year before I applied, I had a personal situation arise that left me and my family devastated. Without going into too much detail, I did not handle the stress properly and made an extremely poor decision that led to me being charged with a misdemeanor. The judge granted me deferred judgment and 12 months probation. It was my first criminal offense and I was so angry with myself that I could let something like that happen.
As you can imagine, at this point it seemed almost a joke to want to apply. I was already worried about my poor GPA, but a recent criminal charge on top of that? I read EVERY possible post and discussion and I believed I was doomed. The only redeeming factors of my application were my work experience (3+ years as a tech at the time I applied) and my PCAT score (98th percentile). I also believe I had a solid personal statement. Between that and the section to explain my criminal record, I was extremely trite about my past failures and the lessons I had learned. In my application I also focused on the many valuable experiences I had gained from being a tech.
I applied to 6 schools and got interview offers from 4. I was offered admission from every school I interviewed at, including my first choice. So... it is possible. Not everyone's situation is the same, but I just wanted to share my story for anyone possibly freaking out... whatever you do, please don't give up just like that. I wish all of you the best of luck with applications!