How competitive am I?

[Ti_SH]

Hey everyone!

I'm currently planning to apply to pharmacy school next year, but I dont have much information regarding what makes an individual competitive (I was pre-med and just recently decided to apply to pharmacy).

My PCAT (July 2016) results

Chemistry: 99
Biology: 97
Quantitative: 62
Reading comprehension: 65
Composite: 95

I'm currently worried about my QR and RC percentile marks because they seem pretty low, although my composite is pretty high. Does that make a difference?

My GPA: 3.72 (but hopefully my fourth year will make it around 3.8).
My extracurriculars:
I have a ton of volunteering experiences for the past four years, I'm on a board of a non-profit organization, exec of a couple school clubs, organized two major charity campaigns, I've done research for 4 years, one of the years was a full time internship in a lab, and the other 3 was in a hospital and school, I have a couple publications submitted, and a couple conference papers as well (not too sure how relevant this is for pharmacy). I have no experience working at a pharmacy and I'm scared this might affect my chances of getting in?

I'm applying to UofT and Waterloo.

What do you guys think?

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[RxAddyCt]

If I were you I would take the MCAT and apply MD/DO school. Your GPA/PCAT speaks for itself on top of all your ECs. I wouldn't waste it for pharmacy school since nowadays all you need is a 2.5 GPA and 20s on the PCAT to be accepted somewhere.

Edit: To answer your question. Yes, you are a very competitive applicant. You will definitely get into pharmacy school.

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[Ti_SH]

If I were you I would take the MCAT and apply MD/DO school. Your GPA/PCAT speaks for itself on top of all your ECs. I wouldn't waste it for pharmacy school since nowadays all you need is a 2.5 GPA and 20s on the PCAT to be accepted somewhere.

Edit: To answer your question. Yes, you are a very competitive applicant. You will definitely get into pharmacy school.

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Not too sure what DO school is haha. I actually wrote the MCAT in June and got discouraged from my results. I got 90+ percentile in all the sections except critical analysis and reasoning skills, which I scored a 30% ( I know, terrible). I'm actually not even applying to pharmacy school this year but next because I'm writing the MCAT again next summer and applying to both med and pharmacy.

Also, my GPA isn't exactly high enough for med haha I'm pretty sure medschools prefer those with a GPA of 3.85+

 

[Dr_eyelien]

If I were you I would take the MCAT and apply MD/DO school. Your GPA/PCAT speaks for itself on top of all your ECs. I wouldn't waste it for pharmacy school since nowadays all you need is a 2.5 GPA and 20s on the PCAT to be accepted somewhere.

Edit: To answer your question. Yes, you are a very competitive applicant. You will definitely get into pharmacy school.

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Um, seriously? What schools are these? Cuz the ones I'm applying are hella competitive. Or so I've "heard" from other people.

 

[RxAddyCt]

Not too sure what DO school is haha. I actually wrote the MCAT in June and got discouraged from my results. I got 90+ percentile in all the sections except critical analysis and reasoning skills, which I scored a 30% ( I know, terrible). I'm actually not even applying to pharmacy school this year but next because I'm writing the MCAT again next summer and applying to both med and pharmacy.

Also, my GPA isn't exactly high enough for med haha I'm pretty sure medschools prefer those with a GPA of 3.85+

DO = Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. It's the alternative of an MD degree which allows an individual to sit for the boards and practice as a licensed physician in the United States.


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[RxAddyCt]

Um, seriously? What schools are these? Cuz the ones I'm applying are hella competitive. Or so I've "heard" from other people.

Pretty much all the diploma mill schools. Ask your friends that scored low on the PCAT to tell you what schools sent them e-mails to apply to their schools despite having a low PCAT.


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[Dr_eyelien]

Pretty much all the diploma mill schools. Ask your friends that scored low on the PCAT to tell you what schools sent them e-mails to apply to their schools despite having a low PCAT.


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Hm, so how would schools know how to get in contact with that student? :/ btw, the few ppl I know either got a 77% and up or had to reapply 2 more times. Yikes!

 

[PharmtoCS]

I'm guessing that the OP is based in Canada based on the schools which she is applying, which may have different overall admission standards.

It's very easy to get into a pharmacy school in the U.S. if you're not picky about quality or ranking. Their are plenty of schools that are desperate to fill their seats, so they will accept just about anybody as long as you're willing to pay an arm and leg for tuition.

 

[pms_testosterone]

Hey, some of you may be confusing this student. You need AT LEAST a 3.3 to be competitive for Canadian pharm schools.

@Ti_SH As long as you have pharmacy experience (volunteer or paid) and a rationale for why you want to be a pharmacist, you're a good candidate for Waterloo.

Edit: With the pharmacy experience, it doesn't have to be a lot. Just contact as many pharmacies as necessary and find one to volunteer in for a few days.

 

[Melazine]

I graduated from pharmacy school this year, when I applied, I did not have a GPA that was close to 3.3. There are so many pharmacy schools out there now you can pretty much get into one without worrying about your qualification. However, it's not that easy to find jobs afterward school, and we are seeing a drop in salary. Just ask any newly graduated pharmacist instead of reading those misdirecting articles about the raising demand in pharmacy.

These might help:

• https://newrepublic.com/article/119634/pharmacy-school-crisis-why-good-jobs-are-drying
• http://www.pharmacytimes.com/contri.../who-benefits-from-the-pharmacy-school-bubble

Doctor might be a better choice

 

[Ti_SH]

I graduated from pharmacy school this year, when I applied, I did not have a GPA that was close to 3.3. There are so many pharmacy schools out there now you can pretty much get into one without worrying about your qualification. However, it's not that easy to find jobs afterward school, and we are seeing a drop in salary. Just ask any newly graduated pharmacist instead of reading those misdirecting articles about the raising demand in pharmacy.

These might help:

• https://newrepublic.com/article/119634/pharmacy-school-crisis-why-good-jobs-are-drying
• http://www.pharmacytimes.com/contri.../who-benefits-from-the-pharmacy-school-bubble

Doctor might be a better choice

There are only two major pharmacy schools in Canada, Ontario, which is where I reside. Thus, I believe Pharmacy school in Canada is a lot more competitive than the States, where there are as I believe, a surplus of pharmacy schools.

I'm curious if the article applies to Canada or possibly just solely to the States.

 

[Anna33]

Hey guys! So would an 82-83% average be competitive for Waterloo pharmacy?

 

[big_pharma]

I graduated from pharmacy school this year, when I applied, I did not have a GPA that was close to 3.3. There are so many pharmacy schools out there now you can pretty much get into one without worrying about your qualification. However, it's not that easy to find jobs afterward school, and we are seeing a drop in salary. Just ask any newly graduated pharmacist instead of reading those misdirecting articles about the raising demand in pharmacy.

These might help:

• https://newrepublic.com/article/119634/pharmacy-school-crisis-why-good-jobs-are-drying
• http://www.pharmacytimes.com/contri.../who-benefits-from-the-pharmacy-school-bubble

Doctor might be a better choice

The first link was a great read, albeit depressing...thanks for posting.

 

[pms_testosterone]

Hey guys! So would an 82-83% average be competitive for Waterloo pharmacy?

Yes, as long as you have worked or volunteered in a pharmacy.

 

[aar44]

The first link was a great read, albeit depressing...thanks for posting.

Its the same for law students as well. I wouldn't worry...I just saw one of my friends who I met at Novartis just landed an full time role with them in their rotational program. I know the growth for pharmacist isn't good since its 3% but I am sure in the future there will be plenty of opportunities.

 

[Anna33]

Thanks @pms_testosterone ! Would volunteering at a pharmacy for about 2 months suffice? Also, do you know what the entering class averages were in past years?

 

[pms_testosterone]

@Anna33 yes, 2 months would be fine.

I don't know the entering class averages, but if you look at past threads on this site, you'll see that people with exactly 75% have gotten admitted.