Pharmacy School Vs. Undergraduate

[PharmD 2021]

Hello,

Can anyone discuss the difficulty of pharmacy school compared to the difficulty of 300 - 499 courses for those who had bachelors before going to pharmacy school. How did you feel trnasfering from undergrade school to pharmacy school? I know in pharmacy school you have to take more than 14 credits a semester, but what can you say about the difficulty of the materials being taught and how can you manage your time while studying, working, and doing an internship?

Thank you for sharing.

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[Sugoi Travis]

I'm assuming 300-499 courses is referencing the upper division classes but IMO the difficulty was pretty much equal when it came to understanding concepts. The difference is that you have a considerably higher volume of material being thrown at you so if you aren't on top of lectures from day 1 of class, you will fall behind incredibly fast.

 

[RxEvileye]

I would add that depending on background and experience, some concepts will be new and harder to grasp. Things like pharmacokinetics, thinking “therapeutically” for the different diseases and treatments, and counseling or other “soft” skills are things I have seen more people struggle with.

Generally it is similar to upper-division difficulty but more like the common phrase “drinking from a fire hose”. You will likely have to modify how you are used to studying in undergrad.

 

[Sine Cura]

If you went to a legitimate undergrad institution (not some rando no-name private school) and studied a real major, pharmacy school should not be an issue if you are any good

 

[kansasgal]

I’m currently a P2. I completed my Bachelor’s in Biology before pharmacy school and I feel like it goes one of two ways for most people. One it’s a easier because everything you are studying is related to pharmacy in some way (Nothing awful like physics) or two it gets really hard because not everything in pharmacy is black or white there are a lot of grey areas. Overall I’ve found it about the same and sometimes easier but I also think working actually helps with it being easier. Definitely had to change how I study because 1st semester was a struggle to transition.

 

[PharmD 2021]

I’m currently a P2. I completed my Bachelor’s in Biology before pharmacy school and I feel like it goes one of two ways for most people. One it’s a easier because everything you are studying is related to pharmacy in some way (Nothing awful like physics) or two it gets really hard because not everything in pharmacy is black or white there are a lot of grey areas. Overall I’ve found it about the same and sometimes easier but I also think working actually helps with it being easier. Definitely had to change how I study because 1st semester was a struggle to transition.

Thank you for sharing.