I concede, help me my fellow pharmers.

[SummerPharmer]

To be direct. UCB undergrad alumni in 4 months. Major: Social Science: Projected cum GPA upon graduation w/o pre-reqs: 3.3-3.4.

ECs: Pre-Pharm Society, 250 hours clinical hospital volunteering, social fraternity.

I'll be graduating in June and will be returning home to the local community college to finish nearly all my pre-reqs.

Plan of action:

Summer 09': Speech, Physio
Fall 09': Bio, Gen Chem, Org Chem, + Labs
Spring 10'': Bio II, Gen Chem II, Org Chem II, + Labs
Summer 10': Study & Take PCAT, Applying to 15 Schools (which have already been decided based on GPA, diversity, location, political & religious leanings, cost, program length, out of state acceptance rate, etc), Take Econ & Microbio
Fall 10': Molecular Bio + Biochem @ local CSU, physics @ CC
Spring 11': physics II (*marks completion of pre-reqs)

btw, I've dabbled in the physics, bio, and chem series and am completely confident in doing well at the CC level. So my cum gpa should rise an approx 0.1- 0.2. Oh btw, I switched from law to pharm really late, which explains the lack of pre-reqs. I'm also working on securing a pharm tech job once I move home and should be able to obtain a good LOR from there.

So I've been scanning these forums daily for more than a year and am living vicariously through numerous members and this is the plan I have deduced from all your helpful posts. However, with 1.5 years to go until application time, I need your help to make sure I'm being as proactive as possible because life is too short to spend another year applying.

So here are my questions:
1) What kind of EC's do I need to buff up my application?
2) What's the minimum PCAT score I need to look convincing?
3) I chose not to have physics and a few others done by the time of application, how much will this hurt me?
4) I chose only to have physio, micro, chem, & bio done at time of application as I thought these would be best at preparing me for the PCAT and are the most related to pharmacy....how do you view this decision and are these finished courses adequate in making me appear at least some what competitive?
5) If you were me, and you had to guarantee a chance at interviews somewhere, ANYWHERE, what would you do?

So I'm going to be living at home for at least 2 years and I can already tell the small town will be stealing my soul away. There, I concede my lifelong penchant and stubbornness for disregarding anyone's advice. BECAUSE I OF COURSE, KNOW EVERYTHING! Please advise and help a guy out.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[iambic]

Since you haven't taken any/enough pre-req science courses it's really hard to evaluate your chances for an interview.

I am sure someone else on here will take the time though to thoroughly answer each individual concern you have.

To be direct. UCB undergrad alumni in 4 months. Major: Social Science: Projected cum GPA upon graduation w/o pre-reqs: 3.3-3.4.

ECs: Pre-Pharm Society, 250 hours clinical hospital volunteering, social fraternity.

I'll be graduating in June and will be returning home to the local community college to finish nearly all my pre-reqs.

Plan of action:

Summer 09': Microbio, Physio
Fall 09': Bio, Gen Chem, Org Chem, + Labs
Spring 10'': Bio II, Gen Chem II, Org Chem II, + Labs
Summer 10': Study & Take PCAT, Applying to 15 Schools (which have already been decided based on GPA, diversity, location, political & religious leanings, cost, program length, out of state acceptance rate, etc), Take Econ & Speech
Fall 10': Molecular Bio + Biochem @ local CSU, physics @ CC
Spring 11': physics II (*marks completion of pre-reqs)

btw, I've dabbled in the physics, bio, and chem series and am completely confident in doing well at the CC level. So my cum gpa should rise an approx 0.1- 0.2. Oh btw, I switched from law to pharm really late, which explains the lack of pre-reqs. I'm also working on securing a pharm tech job once I move home and should be able to obtain a good LOR from there.

So I've been scanning these forums daily for more than a year and am living vicariously through numerous members and this is the plan I have deduced from all your helpful posts. However, with 1.5 years to go until application time, I need your help to make sure I'm being as proactive as possible because life is too short to spend another year applying.

So here are my questions:
1) What kind of EC's do I need to buff up my application?
2) What's the minimum PCAT score I need to look convincing?
3) I chose not to have physics and a few others done by the time of application, how much will this hurt me?
4) I chose only to have physio, micro, chem, & bio done at time of application as I thought these would be best at preparing me for the PCAT and are the most related to pharmacy....how do you view this decision and are these finished courses adequate in making me appear at least some what competitive?
5) If you were me, and you had to guarantee a chance at interviews somewhere, ANYWHERE, what would you do?

So I'm going to be living at home for at least 2 years and I can already tell the small town will be stealing my soul away. There, I concede my lifelong penchant and stubbornness for disregarding anyone's advice. BECAUSE I OF COURSE, KNOW EVERYTHING! Please advise and help a guy out.

 

[alenadoma]

So here are my questions:
1) What kind of EC's do I need to buff up my application?
2) What’s the minimum PCAT score I need to look convincing?
3) I chose not to have physics and a few others done by the time of application, how much will this hurt me?
4) I chose only to have physio, micro, chem, & bio done at time of application as I thought these would be best at preparing me for the PCAT and are the most related to pharmacy....how do you view this decision and are these finished courses adequate in making me appear at least some what competitive?
5) If you were me, and you had to guarantee a chance at interviews somewhere, ANYWHERE, what would you do?

So I'm going to be living at home for at least 2 years and I can already tell the small town will be stealing my soul away. There, I concede my lifelong penchant and stubbornness for disregarding anyone's advice. BECAUSE I OF COURSE, KNOW EVERYTHING! Please advise and help a guy out.

1. Good ECs include volunteering (anywhere, really), shadowing pharmacists, tutoring, any type of nonpaid pharmacy experience, joining school organizations, leadership positions are looked upon especially favorably.
2. A strong PCAT is I would say > 80. The lower your GPA, the higher your PCAT should be to balance it out.
3. I don't think not having Physics and a few other pre-reqs will hurt you. I think the most important pre-reqs to have are gen chem. and organic, calculus, basic biology.
4. If you successfully finish those courses with As or high Bs then yes, it would make you more competitive. If you get Cs and Ds in the courses then it would hurt you. Just try to do your best in any courses you decide to take. The higher the GPA the more competitive you are.
5. I'm not really sure what you're asking here. If I wanted a guaranteed interview I would try to get my GPA as high as I could, and get my PCAT score will into the 80s. Volunteer, get a pharm tech job, get great letters of recommendation and get an early start on your personal statement.

If you're really committed then you can do it, stay positive! And good luck!!

 

[Kirbypuff]

Good advice given so far.

I would research the specific schools you want to apply to. Make sure they don't require pre-reqs to be completed in a 4 year institution. Pick the schools first, then cater your activities around what they require.

Good luck dude!

 

[diastole]

5. There are no guarantees about getting an interview but your chances go up if you apply early to rolling admission schools. Also, newer schools generally have a little less competition because people prefer to go to schools that are already accredited.

 

[Transcend]

Are you allowed to take Orgo with Gen Chem? Just curious because I believe at most schools, the Gen Chem sequence is a prerequisite for Orgo.

 

[inquirer89]

It's also the same with Microbio...you won't be able to take without completing Bio I and Bio II first.

 

[SummerPharmer]

Hey, thanks for all the advice thus far.

In regards to your comments, I'm hoping I've done adequate research on my schools so far and the only stipulations I've seen are that biochem has to be completed at a four year university. For the most part, I'm assuming a majority of pharm schools would accept coursework completed entirely at the CC level. Also, I'm definitely applying and submitting within 30 days of Pharmcas opening next year and I already have several differently theme Personal Statements ready to go. I'm hoping a hybrid of them all will bring home the bread. Lastly, I'm sure most schools do insist on the sequential progression of gen to organic chem, but I have actually already completed general chem at the university level early on in my academic career. I'm retaking it because I didn't finish the whole genchem+orgchem+biochem series and I'm missing the necessary labs to get credit. So I decided what's the harm in repeating all of it again and getting some good prep for the PCAT. Anyhow, here's my list of schools I've narrowed it down to and if you guys see any disparities in my school choice and my plan of action, please feel free to flag me down.

UCSD
UCSF
UOP
USC
Western
Hilo
Buffalo
Nova
Pacific U
U of Washington
U of Michigan
U of Maryland
U of Minnesota
LECOM
Massachusetts Worcester
Midwestern

Yeah, it'll be expensive and time consuming, but I'm playing this as if its life or death.

Oh and to rephrase the last question, I meant to really say, what's there to do to ensure I look back at this time period between now and applications and to say that I have no regrets because I did EVERYTHING I could have with the time and resources available.

thanks again everybody.

 

[sanrevelle]

is it possible to take an extra year at cal to do some of the prereqs? i took an extra year, and it sure did help. it might look better if you took some more science at cal, being a so-called hard school.

 

[Kirbypuff]

Hey, thanks for all the advice thus far.

In regards to your comments, I'm hoping I've done adequate research on my schools so far and the only stipulations I've seen are that biochem has to be completed at a four year university. For the most part, I'm assuming a majority of pharm schools would accept coursework completed entirely at the CC level. Also, I'm definitely applying and submitting within 30 days of Pharmcas opening next year and I already have several differently theme Personal Statements ready to go. I'm hoping a hybrid of them all will bring home the bread. Lastly, I'm sure most schools do insist on the sequential progression of gen to organic chem, but I have actually already completed general chem at the university level early on in my academic career. I'm retaking it because I didn't finish the whole genchem+orgchem+biochem series and I'm missing the necessary labs to get credit. So I decided what's the harm in repeating all of it again and getting some good prep for the PCAT. Anyhow, here's my list of schools I've narrowed it down to and if you guys see any disparities in my school choice and my plan of action, please feel free to flag me down.

UCSD
UCSF
UOP
USC
Western
Hilo
Buffalo
Nova
Pacific U
U of Washington
U of Michigan
U of Minnesota
LECOM
Massachusetts Worcester
Midwestern

Yeah, it'll be expensive and time consuming, but I'm playing this as if its life or death.

Oh and to rephrase the last question, I meant to really say, what's there to do to ensure I look back at this time period between now and applications and to say that I have no regrets because I did EVERYTHING I could have with the time and resources available.

thanks again everybody.

I love your spirit. I definitely think you'll get in somewhere. To improve your chances though, you might want to substitute some of the more competitive schools with less competitive schools. Like Buffalo for example... improved grades may get you waitlisted, but due to the overwhelming number of applicants, they have no room for anything else but the "unblemished" candidates. Also, unless you live in California, I would shy away from those California schools. Waste of money (both on tuition and app fees). LECOM & Massachusetts are a bit competitive too. I would replace at least half of your tough schools with pre-candidate/candidate status schools. Apply to a few of the tough ones, but definitely add some less competitive schools on that list. The majority of your list looks like schools someone with 3.8 GPA and a 85+ PCAT would apply to.

**Remember, the more prerequisites required = less competitive the school is, because fewer applicants qualify!**

 

[alenadoma]

Hey, thanks for all the advice thus far.

In regards to your comments, I'm hoping I've done adequate research on my schools so far and the only stipulations I've seen are that biochem has to be completed at a four year university. For the most part, I'm assuming a majority of pharm schools would accept coursework completed entirely at the CC level. Also, I'm definitely applying and submitting within 30 days of Pharmcas opening next year and I already have several differently theme Personal Statements ready to go. I'm hoping a hybrid of them all will bring home the bread. Lastly, I'm sure most schools do insist on the sequential progression of gen to organic chem, but I have actually already completed general chem at the university level early on in my academic career. I'm retaking it because I didn't finish the whole genchem+orgchem+biochem series and I'm missing the necessary labs to get credit. So I decided what's the harm in repeating all of it again and getting some good prep for the PCAT. Anyhow, here's my list of schools I've narrowed it down to and if you guys see any disparities in my school choice and my plan of action, please feel free to flag me down.

UCSD
UCSF
UOP
USC
Western
Hilo
Buffalo
Nova
Pacific U
U of Washington
U of Michigan
U of Minnesota
LECOM
Massachusetts Worcester
Midwestern

Yeah, it'll be expensive and time consuming, but I'm playing this as if its life or death.

Oh and to rephrase the last question, I meant to really say, what's there to do to ensure I look back at this time period between now and applications and to say that I have no regrets because I did EVERYTHING I could have with the time and resources available.

thanks again everybody.

I definitely agree with Kirby. UCSF, UCSD are really, really tough to get into. Unless you are in Cali, I'm not sure I would apply. Also, I hear their supplementals are pretty rough! U of Michigan is definitely a good choice. I think from all the schools I applied to, they have the most objective approach to looking at applicants. There are 2 LECOM's - Erie and Bradenton. Erie is a 3 three program while Bradenton is 4. And Buffalo is tough..it's the only school that I applied to out of 9 that hasn't offered me an interview. Anyways, I love your determination. You'll get there!!

 

[AdamSanders]

Make sure you go on the PharmCAS school pages for all of the schools to check the prereqs for each individual school. I am pretty sure Michigan requires Genetics, and some other schools have weird courses (like Temple). Like others have said, you might want to drop some of the more select schools for some that you are more likely to get into. Hope that helps a little.
Adam

 

[eightonesix]

What about taking ecn/speech with one of the other sciences to balance out your workload? I'm sure that most definitely would help.

 

[SummerPharmer]

Hey once more…I’m definitely diggin’ and appreciating all the advice everyone has been throwing at me.

So concerning your questions and comments….

I definitely can take another year here at cal, but there are some monetary barriers in my way and I have many many reasons to come home. One being the extremely old age of my Labrador, I left her for college when she was 10 (human yrs), and I’m sincerely concerned about not getting to spend enough time with her before the inevitable happens. But yeah, I completely agree, another year here would definitely look good on my apps, but it’s just not in the cards.

I’m also a cali-resident, all my life….so I’m definitely applying to all the cali schools even if it’s a long shot. I’m also really big on this life is too short thing so I’m applying to the majority of three-year programs even if it’ll require a driver rather than a four-iron. & I guess what strayed me away form pre-candidate/candidate schools would be the lack of federal loans, but now that I’m thinking about it, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem since all these programs have providers ready and waiting to loan out some money. So yeah, I’ll definitely add a few schools like Northstate to my list and will eventually weed out some of the more competitive schools if they’re absurdly out of range once I have my science GPA tallied in May 10’.

And lastly, I’ve been aware that some of the schools will have some weird courses that’ll be required, like some requiring both anatomy and physio, or one over the other, or genetics, etc…, but luckily I have an open spring and summer schedule before a hopeful matriculation to complete those courses. So if I do apply to those schools, I’ll be sure to have scheduled all the necessary pre-reqs pertaining to those programs. Oh & I forgot to list U of Maryland on that previous list, so that’s 16 I guess.

BTW, would anyone have any program recommendations that are kind to out of state residents that doesn’t possess some sort of weeding system for kids under a 3.8? I guess I’m looking for more of a holistic reviewing school. And I’m attempting to set 15 schools as the absolute max I should apply to considering the amount of time, effort, and money that each school will require. I’m also attempting to stay in the pharmcas system if possible unless the school has some extremely enticing features. I’m not going to hide it, I’m quite a liberal, I’m stoked on beaches and big cities, and would love to attend a school where I wouldn’t have to hide my politically righteous personality. I’m also not too big on religion, so that’ll rule out some schools. And in that regard, I was wondering what filtering or categorization mechanism everyone else used when deciding on what schools to apply to?

oh and I didn’t realize I had reworked my schedule a few weeks ago to accommodate for some sequential issues. My first summer (09’) actually consists of speech and physio while my next summer will consist of micro and econ. Thanks for the heads up!

But yeah, mucho gracias once more everybody, you have all been such a great help and I can only begin to imagine the many thanks I’ll be having to scream once this all works out.

 

[evilolive]

You should apply to UNC Chapel Hill and University of Michigan; they actually take a decent number of out of state students (22% and ~30-40% respectively?). We always have a healthy trickle from Cal, UCLA, and UCSD in our pharmacy school every year. My list was pretty similar to yours a couple years ago, though I applied to UWisconsin Madison and minus the private schools you listed other than USC. You should shoot for the high 90s for the PCATs which isn't terribly difficult to do and write some fantastic essays - do that and you should be golden.