In my junior year and thinking of pursuing med school over pharmacy?

[Dreamer999]

I am currently in my junior year of undergraduate school and in a bit of a dilemma. I am supposed to be studying for the pcat and applying to pharmacy school in the summer. But I am thinking about changing paths and pursing medical school. I worked at retail and hated it and just don't see myself happy as a pharmacist in the long run. I only pursed pharmacy because my parent was a pharmacist and frankly because I didn't know what else to do in the health field. When you choose a career you have to be passionate about it. I feel that may have contributed to my lack of motivation in the grade department. I had over a 4.0 gpa in high school. However, I fully slacked off in uni. Pharm schools are more "friendly" in the admissions department when it comes to grades...

I know pursing med school will be the harder and cost draining path. I am aware I will have to change my curriculum and take a few extra classes. I am aware I will most likely have to take the SMP. My gpa is not competitive. I know it's not a joke and that my mindset along with my study habits need to change at an accelerated pace. I do not have much volunteering or shadowing experience compared to my competitors and am currently in the process of contacting hospitals.

I also know that if I just stick to pharmacy everything might be so much easier and that I could make a good living from it.

But...I just think if I can successfully get into medical school; I would be super proud of myself and accomplish something I never thought was possible. These past few days i've been researching more about it, and I can't stop thinking about this new possibility.

I know this situation is not ideal and I just don't know what to do. Any advice??

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[Gurby]

 

[citius.altius.fortius]

As someone who went to the Peace Corps after undergrad and changed career paths to be a physician and not a teacher, I completely understand the dilemma. Rest assured that there isn't one single path to get you there. Take your time with the decision by getting as much shadowing and hospital experience as possible. Talk to your university's pre-med advisor about the pros and cons of a post-bacc vs SMP. Regardless if you choose pharm or medicine, you'll be making a huge investment in time and money, so ensure that it's the future career that you can't live without. Wishing you all the best!

 

[ciestar]

Retail is exactly why I bailed on pharmacy too.

You need to start by shadowing physicians to figure out if this is what you want to do forever.

 

[Dr. Basketball]

Good for you!!

I was in that same situation. I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist, worked in retail for 3 years right out of high school and got accepted to pharmacy school but turned it down. I wake up every day thankful for that decision. Nothing wrong with pharmacy if that´s your thing, but for sure do something that fulfills you.

You´re still a junior so you have some time. I guess it depends on what your science and cumulative gpa are. You also still need to take the mcat. In my non expert opinion, I would say for sure get in some shadowing and volunteering as soon as possible. Take it from someone who has done one, I would not be too quick to jump into an SMP. Remember that there are a lot of schools that take an upward trend into account. I would say do your research and see what gpa and mcat you end up with and then see what your options are.

Either way, congrats on your decision! Best of luck!

 

[Dreamer999]

Good for you!!

I was in that same situation. I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist, worked in retail for 3 years right out of high school and got accepted to pharmacy school but turned it down. I wake up every day thankful for that decision. Nothing wrong with pharmacy if that´s your thing, but for sure do something that fulfills you.

You´re still a junior so you have some time. I guess it depends on what your science and cumulative gpa are. You also still need to take the mcat. In my non expert opinion, I would say for sure get in some shadowing and volunteering as soon as possible. Take it from someone who has done one, I would not be too quick to jump into an SMP. Remember that there are a lot of schools that take an upward trend into account. I would say do your research and see what gpa and mcat you end up with and then see what your options are.

Either way, congrats on your decision! Best of luck!

Thank you for the encouragement! I feel l that in order to truly showcase an upward trend I may have to apply to med schools during senior year. This may also allow me to get more shadowing and hospital volunteering experience and give me time to study for the MCAT. Do you think this may serve as a better route rather than rushing and submitting subpar grades the summer of junior year?

 

[Dr. Basketball]

Thank you for the encouragement! I feel l that in order to truly showcase an upward trend I may have to apply to med schools during senior year. This may also allow me to get more shadowing and hospital volunteering experience and give me time to study for the MCAT. Do you think this may serve as a better route rather than rushing and submitting subpar grades the summer of junior year?

No worries! You got this!

In my opinion, for your situation, I do think it is the best route to go. Again, this is anecdotal, but the first time I took the MCAT I rushed it and did not do well. I think it is a great plan to get more experiences in and take the time to prep so that you can rock the MCAT. If you can get above the 3.0 mark(obviously the higher above that mark the better) with an excellent MCAT score and some good experiences that fit the missions of the schools you are applying to, I think you will have a good shot if you apply broadly. I say 3.0 because that is the cutoff for a good number of schools when it comes to sending out a secondary application.

But yeah, for sure don´t feel rushed to apply this summer. There is no shame in giving yourself some time. I am just as happy now getting into med school in my late twenties as I would have been getting in in my early twenties. Med school isn´t going anywhere

 

[Goro]

Retail is exactly why I bailed on pharmacy too.

You need to start by shadowing physicians to figure out if this is what you want to do forever.

And volunteer with patients.

EDIT: OP, you have to be able to explain why you're running TO Medicine, not merely AWAY from Pharmacy.

 

[SpartanDOnoharm]

Pharmacy is not necessarily the easier route in regards to coursework. Pharmacy classes can be just as difficult as medical school classes. Medical school is definitely the longer path and much more difficult (especially now) to get into. I will say that with the influx of pharmacy schools it has become quite competitive for landing pharmacist jobs especially in more desireable cities. If you want to be a hospital pharmacist you essentially need a residency where 10 years ago you wouldn’t.

Take your time. Figure out what you want out of life. It’s okay to take a gap year or two. Do some shadowing because you may decide on a completely different field.

 

[golfman7]

Sound exactly like me... didn’t love the idea of being a pharmacist and wasn’t sure what else to do. I think you should go for medicine if that interests you. It’s extremely competitive though and DO/MD programs look for a lot from applicants these days and high GPA won’t get you much interest. I am doing engineering now and don’t regret it and am glad that I went for medicine after not liking pharmacy career path.

 

[Blanky]

And volunteer with patients.

EDIT: OP, you have to be able to explain why you're running TO Medicine, not merely AWAY from Pharmacy.

Yea we can all agree to get away from pharm for your happinesses sake.
Now decide IF you even like medicine. Maybe you like dental, engineering, podiatry, nursing, or any other profession.

 

[alprazoslam]

If you like talking to people do med school lol pharm school doesn’t sound worth the investment

 

[drfeelgood]

I was in the same situation like you. Lots of Pharmacists in my family. Studied for the PCAT, then a friend who was heading off to Columbia Univ. Dental told me to take the MCAT because I was doing so well in undergrad. (a small state school) Got into Western U-COMP in 1998. Never looked back at Pharmacy. I still love drugs, Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics. Ended up in Anesthesiology.... welp sort of an Operating Room Pharmacist..... Mix my own drugs everyday. Heart rate too fast, I got a drug for that. Bradycardia... got something for that too! Anatomy was my weakest subject in Med School, but I've developed a love for Ultrasound Guided Nerve Blocks. That being said, I have family members who are retail PharmDs and love what they do... Im the OR PharmD in my family!!! LOL

 

[OrgoWizard]

I think you totally should go for it!

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[TragicalDrFaust]

I did the same thing during my junior year once I saw how slow projected job growth for pharmacists was compared to PAs and physicians (source: BLS). There's definitely a PharmD bubble. I'm still in the middle of the gap year I had to tack on for med school ECs but I have no regrets. Grade recovery is tricky though. Some people go for a post bac. I'm personally planning on applying to PA schools if no mainland med schools or DO schools will take me.

 

[Medic741]

I am currently in my junior year of undergraduate school and in a bit of a dilemma. I am supposed to be studying for the pcat and applying to pharmacy school in the summer. But I am thinking about changing paths and pursing medical school. I worked at retail and hated it and just don't see myself happy as a pharmacist in the long run. I only pursed pharmacy because my parent was a pharmacist and frankly because I didn't know what else to do in the health field. When you choose a career you have to be passionate about it. I feel that may have contributed to my lack of motivation in the grade department. I had over a 4.0 gpa in high school. However, I fully slacked off in uni. Pharm schools are more "friendly" in the admissions department when it comes to grades...

I know pursing med school will be the harder and cost draining path. I am aware I will have to change my curriculum and take a few extra classes. I am aware I will most likely have to take the SMP. My gpa is not competitive. I know it's not a joke and that my mindset along with my study habits need to change at an accelerated pace. I do not have much volunteering or shadowing experience compared to my competitors and am currently in the process of contacting hospitals.

I also know that if I just stick to pharmacy everything might be so much easier and that I could make a good living from it.

But...I just think if I can successfully get into medical school; I would be super proud of myself and accomplish something I never thought was possible. These past few days i've been researching more about it, and I can't stop thinking about this new possibility.

I know this situation is not ideal and I just don't know what to do. Any advice??

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