Any Suggestions for School Choice?

[Junior9999]

Hello,

I am a graduate student with biological sciences major. I want to apply to pharmacy school in this cycle. I just finished my pcat last week (Sept 07). I have 3.7 gpa and 77 composite pcat raw score (decent scores in Biology, Chemistry and Quantitative). I have between 80 and 100 volunteer hrs in pharmacy and emergency department and others community volunteer hours as well. I might have weak Letters of references and no research experience in school. Letters of references are coming late as well and probably ready in November or end of October.
I would like to know where I stand in the applications and which schools I should apply with my status. Also, how different is pcat raw score and actual pcat score coming out in 5 weeks? I am living in California and I don't mind traveling out of state, but I prefer any California schools with less weight on references.

Please give me any suggestions and I would really appreciate with ur help.
Thank you.

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[DOOM N GLOOM]

Hello,

I am a graduate student with biological sciences major. I want to apply to pharmacy school in this cycle. I just finished my pcat last week (Sept 07). I have 3.7 gpa and 77 composite pcat raw score (decent scores in Biology, Chemistry and Quantitative). I have between 80 and 100 volunteer hrs in pharmacy and emergency department and others community volunteer hours as well. I might have weak Letters of references and no research experience in school. Letters of references are coming late as well and probably ready in November or end of October.
I would like to know where I stand in the applications and which schools I should apply with my status. Also, how different is pcat raw score and actual pcat score coming out in 5 weeks? I am living in California and I don't mind traveling out of state, but I prefer any California schools with less weight on references.

Please give me any suggestions and I would really appreciate with ur help.
Thank you.

How about DeVry University College of Engineering?

Low cost, good job outlook, keeps you in CA. What more could you want?

 

[BC_89]

Hello,

I am a graduate student with biological sciences major. I want to apply to pharmacy school in this cycle. I just finished my pcat last week (Sept 07). I have 3.7 gpa and 77 composite pcat raw score (decent scores in Biology, Chemistry and Quantitative). I have between 80 and 100 volunteer hrs in pharmacy and emergency department and others community volunteer hours as well. I might have weak Letters of references and no research experience in school. Letters of references are coming late as well and probably ready in November or end of October.
I would like to know where I stand in the applications and which schools I should apply with my status. Also, how different is pcat raw score and actual pcat score coming out in 5 weeks? I am living in California and I don't mind traveling out of state, but I prefer any California schools with less weight on references.

Please give me any suggestions and I would really appreciate with ur help.
Thank you.

Your overqualified..look into MD/DO, RRT, PA, etc etc. if your not sure what I mean just browse the forum.

If your really set on this all you do is apply to the CHEAPEST and FULLY ACCREDITED institution.

 

[Junior9999]

Your overqualified..look into MD/DO, RRT, PA, etc etc. if your not sure what I mean just browse the forum.

If your really set on this all you do is apply to the CHEAPEST and FULLY ACCREDITED institution.

Thanks for ur suggestion! I already looked into other programs. Especially with medical schools, I already tried mcat, and I have no option to wait for another year to get into medical school. This is the last decision I made for my career choice. I read other posts about jobs saturation for pharmacy graduates. I know how it is and I have been there after my bachelor degree. Anyway, it is always better with Phd under your belt with big loans rather than others with no degree at all.

 

[Junior9999]

How about DeVry University College of Engineering?

Low cost, good job outlook, keeps you in CA. What more could you want?

Thank you. I love medical field though.

 

[PharmtoCS]

If you do decide to go into pharmacy do consider it a one way ticket out of California due to the extreme saturation in the state. Even if you do get into a school in California (mostly overpriced anyway) you will most definitely have to move out of state to the Midwest or South to find a job.

 

[Junior9999]

If you do decide to go into pharmacy do consider it a one way ticket out of California due to the extreme saturation in the state. Even if you do get into a school in California (mostly overpriced anyway) you will most definitely have to move out of state to the Midwest or South to find a job.

Thanks for ur suggestion! I would move out anyway. Just wanna know some opinions about some schools admissions and where people have been applying to get in with average status.

 

[Saisri_PharmStdnt]

This is the forum for the Pharmacy school-specific threads.. Maybe you can get ideas of where some are applying

 

[Peterpiper1]

Got to medical school man, what are you doing?

 

[Junior9999]

This is the forum for the Pharmacy school-specific threads.. Maybe you can get ideas of where some are applying

Thanks. I really appreciate it.

 

[Timbo]

Thanks for ur suggestion! I already looked into other programs. Especially with medical schools, I already tried mcat, and I have no option to wait for another year to get into medical school. This is the last decision I made for my career choice. I read other posts about jobs saturation for pharmacy graduates. I know how it is and I have been there after my bachelor degree. Anyway, it is always better with Phd under your belt with big loans rather than others with no degree at all.

What do you mean you know how it is and have been there after your bachelor degree? By "Phd" do you mean PharmD? If so then having a PharmD is NOT better than having only a bachelors. Being $40k in debt after getting a bachelor's is not the same as being $200k in debt and unemployed after pharmacy school. Because 1) it is 5x more debt, 2) you wasted 4 years of your life and 3) when you can't find a pharmacist job and you try to apply to Starbucks they won't hire you because you're overqualified now.

 

[DOOM N GLOOM]

What do you mean you know how it is and have been there after your bachelor degree? Being $40k in debt after getting a bachelor's is not the same as being $200k in debt and unemployed after pharmacy school. Because 1) it is 5x more debt, 2) you wasted 4 years of your life and 3) when you can't find a pharmacist job and you try to apply to Starbucks they won't hire you because you're overqualified now.

Also PharmD is not a PhD. There are much less career options with a PharmD vs PhD.

 

[Melazine]

Pick the schools with job security. Wait. There is none. Then just pick the ones with higher NAPLEX passing rate.

 

[BC_89]

Saturation aside (although as surreal as death or taxes):

My suggestion(s) still stands as factual:

1) Full Accreditation
2) Cheapest Tuition (In-state or in-state cost rate)
3) High NAPLEX pass rate

If a close equivalency cannot be found from 1-3 then don’t go at all.

 

[sozetone]

How about DeVry University College of Engineering?

Low cost, good job outlook, keeps you in CA. What more could you want?

dude, you always have a good one.....lmao

 

[sozetone]

Thanks for ur suggestion! I already looked into other programs. Especially with medical schools, I already tried mcat, and I have no option to wait for another year to get into medical school. This is the last decision I made for my career choice. I read other posts about jobs saturation for pharmacy graduates. I know how it is and I have been there after my bachelor degree. Anyway, it is always better with Phd under your belt with big loans rather than others with no degree at all.

What kind of logic is this? Debt is Debt bro. and 200K with no job is worse than 40K with no job. This is simple economics. Not related to your degree at all.

 

[874700]

What do you mean you know how it is and have been there after your bachelor degree? By "Phd" do you mean PharmD? If so then having a PharmD is NOT better than having only a bachelors. Being $40k in debt after getting a bachelor's is not the same as being $200k in debt and unemployed after pharmacy school. Because 1) it is 5x more debt, 2) you wasted 4 years of your life and 3) when you can't find a pharmacist job and you try to apply to Starbucks they won't hire you because you're overqualified now.

Do you mean that even if you have 4 years of pharmacy experience, you wont find a job???

 

[BC_89]

it is always better with Phd under your belt with big loans rather than others with no degree at all.

I see where you are coming from, but you need to visualize what the market is coming from.

It is never better with a PhD under your belt with big loans (in this case PharmD) than “other” debt (assuming your implying small) with no degree at all.

Saturation with low wages vs high loans and part time hours is what your waging your degree against. Besides, it’s not just loans, it’s 4 more years of opportunity cost + investments you’ll be missing out on. With a ~ 4.0% interest on your loans (higher if private), your 200k+ will easily balloon closer to 300k+ when it’s all said and done...

Don’t forget mortgage payments on a 150k+ house + PMI + property taxes, health insurance, 33% tax if you believe in a six figure salary, and 401k + mutual fund contributions AND most importantly....life emergencies....such as hours being cut or let go...

Point being, higher degree doesn’t imply better financial lifestyle. With any career, have a contingency plan...

 

[BC_89]

Do you mean that even if you have 4 years of pharmacy experience, you wont find a job???

You could have 8 years and possibly not find a job

 

[874700]

You could have 8 years and possibly not find a job

I think you can still find a job if you are willing to move out of the state.

 

[GravityBeetle]

I think you can still find a job if you are willing to move out of the state.

That may be true currently. It depends which state and where you are willing to live for possibly the rest of your life. Are you willing to live in a small farm town away from all your friends and family forever? Also at this rate, even the positions in small undesirable places will soon be full too. This is because there are almost 15,000 new graduating pharmacists per year but only 1740 new positions opening every year (Pharmacists : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Pharmacist surplus is skyrocketing higher and higher every year, so there's a good chance 4 years from now you won't find a job even if you are willing to move.

 

[BC_89]

I think you can still find a job if you are willing to move out of the state.

Many still can, but you’ll need a contingency plan. I did the following to put myself ahead of the crowd when I originally started working as a tech quiet a few years back:

1) Plans to Graduate debt free (post 9-11 GI bill)

2) Prior Service Military (experience working with the same system the VA utilizes with familiarity with federal rules and how formulary - nonformulary system(s) work)

3) Willing to work in all 50 states (ie Yakutat Alaska) with experience dealing in pharmacy’s in multiple different clinics and regions

4) Speak a second language (myself, Polynesian language extending my experience working overseas in American Samoa as well as heavily populated regions where language is spoken : Utah, Alaska, California, Oregon, Hawaii).

5) Emergency Savings (currently roughly 35k) with liquidation options in my invested mutual funds which of course I plan to never touch.

Simply to go through school with a willingness to move without alleviating student debt is what many are currently doing. Find a contingency plan and hit your loans hard before having a “life” upon graduation (work for IHS or commission in the armed services) and your chances increase tremendously. I wish you well.