[hyunwoo_luver]

when people usually shadow a pharmacist, for experience in the pharmacy (graduate school says it recommends that i get experience), how many hours do people do so?

[jaesuuung]

I'm currently in the pre-pharmacy program at UIUC but don't know what I should major in. It seems so hard -__________-;;

[Sakuya]

I'm currently in the pre-pharmacy program at UIUC but don't know what I should major in. It seems so hard -__________-;;

Do your best maybe when you'll see your results you'll have more confidence... We all went through difficult exams/courses !

[I_broke_a_nail!]

Hi guys, I'm going to be a junior in high school but I wanted to know if there are any requirements for pharmacy school? I specifically wanted to get into a 6-year program at Rutgers or St. Johns because it's near. I don't want to go to Long Island University, but I'll still be applying.

Anyways, if anyone has gotten into the program at Rutgers or St. Johns, can you tell me where you live(d), GPA (out of 100), your SAT score, and extracurricular activities/volunteer work? Oh, and if you got a scholarship please do tell me, and about your experience there. Is it really that hard as people say it is? Thank you.

Why don't you want to go to Long Island University? I feel a bit insulted (I go to LIU) --- Comparably, the rate LIU pharm students pass the licensing exam (including the compounding part --- which is difficult) is more than that of a St. John's student. This could be a biased rumor --- but even several St. John's student told me they heard the same. As for Rutgers, they're good --- I must say, I really wanted to go to Rutgers.

Ok I applied to LIU, St. John's, and Rutgers. I got into all three of them.

- My high school gpa was roughly 91/100
- My SAT score (combination of taking it twice with the best scores sent to college) was around 2100/2400.
- My SAT 2 scores for Math 1 was 800 (woot!!) and Math 2 was around 690 (I don't remember exactly--wasn't proud of it) Chemistry was a little above 700.
- Extracurricular activities/volunteer work -- I was on the handball team for a year. And besides that, nothing. I volunteered at a tutoring center for a year. Then I was hired and I worked 2 years, getting paid -- but since it was off the books, it was described as "volunteer" work.

- St. John's gave me a 50% of tuition scholarship/grant. Rutger's gave me a 75% of tuition scholarship/grant. LIU gave me 75% of tuition scholarship/grant. I went to LIU because it was closer to home and I would have to dorm for both St. Johns and Rutgers because I would hate the long commute.

I don't want to go around promoting LIU ... but I'll tell you the truth
( - ) CONS
- They've been increasing the tuition every year.
- All other departments (besides the health sciences like nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, etc) are SO unorganized.
- Even when you GET into LIU, that doesn't mean you will get into the actual pharmacy program. You would be listed as a pre-pharmacy student with hopes of getting into the professional phase. But they require a long application process that contains the PCAT exam, interviews, recommendation, essays, and of course, your academic career in the first 2 years. I must say that the interview actually matters!!
- You might think its hard to get kick out of the program once you get into the profession phase --- but people HAVE gotten kicked out. Don't be another statistic.

( + ) PRO
- Tons of classes to prep you for compounding.
- Not all the pharmacy professors are bad. There are few sour apples but a vast majority of them is excellent.
- I think they're really organized in the pharmacy department. They tell you things far in advance, and if you miss a deadline, that's your fault.
- Since they funnel out people through the long application process between 2nd and 3rd year, the people in your class are bound to be the people that deserve to get in--meaning, most of them are smart and not complete idiots. =)

[manipd]

hi just wondering how exactly do you get certified as a pharmacy technician? or even a pharmacy clerk?

also there's an independent pharmacy where i live, would it be odd to go up to the owner and ask if i could volunteer? o___o ive been there several times to get my meds so she at least knows what my face looks like. lol.


then there's the option of volunteering at a hospital but i reviewed their site and it's like useless stuff like maintaining the gift shop...seeing as how i won't be accepted to the hospital's pharmacy itself i think its better to a)volunteer at the independent pharmacy or b)go after a pharmacy tech/clerk license.


any advice would be appreciated >___< ty in advance.

[thehazyfiasco]

hi just wondering how exactly do you get certified as a pharmacy technician? or even a pharmacy clerk?

also there's an independent pharmacy where i live, would it be odd to go up to the owner and ask if i could volunteer? o___o ive been there several times to get my meds so she at least knows what my face looks like. lol.


then there's the option of volunteering at a hospital but i reviewed their site and it's like useless stuff like maintaining the gift shop...seeing as how i won't be accepted to the hospital's pharmacy itself i think its better to a)volunteer at the independent pharmacy or b)go after a pharmacy tech/clerk license.


any advice would be appreciated >___< ty in advance.

You can google PTCB for the exam and certification information to become a tech.

From my experience, independent pharmacies were a bit more weary of having volunteers because of insurance issues but I've had some friends that were just okay'd on the spot. It depends a lot so definitely go ahead and ask.

Hospitals are jam packed with people wanting to volunteer so you have to really work your way up depending on where you live/how populated it is. If it's a last option, I suggest taking any position offered, even the gift shop, and slowly work your way up into the pharmacy. Getting your foot through the door is the biggest obstacle.

[skim072]

hi~
i'm currently a junior in at a UC [one of the university of california schools] and am having the hardest time trying to figure out what's best for me with regards to pharmacy. I still need to take the general biology series, along with everything biology related [micro, molecular, biochem, anatomy...] i'm planning on taking a year off after i graduate then applying... but i'm not so sure if that's a smart move. I want to get into pharmacy school the fastest way i can. i've heard of things like going to a state for graduate school then transferring to a pharmacy school.... will that take longer than going to a pharmacy school right after undergrad?

i want to go to a school in the east coast.
are their pre-reqs pretty much all the same?
which pharmacy schools are best for a career as a compounder in the east coast?

thanks a bunch to those who reply!! =D
PM's are always super helpful too!!

[thehazyfiasco]

I want to get into pharmacy school the fastest way i can. i've heard of things like going to a state for graduate school then transferring to a pharmacy school.... will that take longer than going to a pharmacy school right after undergrad?

i want to go to a school in the east coast.
are their pre-reqs pretty much all the same?
which pharmacy schools are best for a career as a compounder in the east coast?

There's no such thing as transferring into pharmacy school. You apply just like any other graduate school and go through the whole process before you're accepted and officially matriculate into their program.

And yeah, anything longer than two years of undergrad will take longer. The general path (minimum) is 2 years of undergrad fulfilling all the pre-reqs and then 4 years of pharmacy school, generally called the 2+4 route. There's also the 6+0 route which is going into pharmacy school straight out of high school, incorporating the 2 years of pre-reqs into its program.

A grad school degree isn't necessary if that's what you're asking. As pharmacy school gets more competitive, applicants with an undergrad degree are more favorable but that's about it, which generally equals to a 4+4 route. A degree is not necessary, just a slight advantage if you're lacking in other departments such as volunteering and experience.

http://www.pharmapplicants.com/school_of_p...seful_links.php

That site has all the pre-reqs for every school laid out in a chart so you can compare what you need for each east and west coast.

[aznjeff07]

anyone here actually doing a residency right now?

[MeiNing]

Hey guys,

I was wondering, is age a factor in applying? My 21 year old sister is starting pharm school this year at the University of Washington, and she's the youngest in her class. I'd be 19 when applying (skipped 2 years), so that's a little young.

[aznjeff07]

i'm a p2 and 21 so you're not young

[Angel_luvusa]

Would someone mind sharing their college background and when they got into pharm school? Like how many years undergrad did you do, when did you apply, how many times did you take the PCAT and such..

I'm starting to get both really pissed off and discouraged about pharmacy school. I'm a sophomore right now, and I had planned to apply to pharm school this year, but after I couldn't take classes in the summer I decided it'd be pointless to apply (only science credit i have is gen. chem 1)..

Anyways, last week I had an appointment with my advisor last week and she flat out told me this. "you're so young (i'm 18) that most pharmacy schools won't even look at you because of your age. You need to get a degree first and then apply." All of this sounds like bullsh-- to me.. =/

Any advice or opinions are greatly appreciated. thank you.

[MeiNing]

^ Hi, I'm not in pharmacy yet but my sister just got in. She was doing architecture before she changed her mind. She then took the two years of prereqs, so she applied in junior year when she was 21 and got in (she had some AP credits I think). She took the PCAT once... not sure what her score was, but I'll ask her later. She didn't get her bachelors degree, just did the prereqs. She had also been working at Target's pharmacy for about a year at the time when applying, so I think that helped a lot. (She had a lot of connections to UW pharmacy school through her pharmacist). I know quite a few people who've gotten into pharmacy school without degrees, but I'm not sure if that's just the University of Washington.

[fobchik06]

hey guys! i have a question for those who are already in pharm school, did u take one year of biochemistry? or just one quarter? I know some schools just require 1 quarter of biochem but do you think it'll look better if I took one year of biochem?

pleez help :[[

[ooqwinster87oo]

^ I took two quarters of biochem and one course of molecular bio, which some schools accept as an equivalence of a biochem course. I guess, in total, i took one year of biochem.

in terms of how many you should take, i suggest you look over all the prereq courses of ALL the schools you want to apply. if any of them requires a full year, then you have to take it. Biochem is an intensive subject that requires you to do a lof of memorization and it is very time consuming, and that can hurt a lof people.

to answer your other question, it'll only look good if you do well in the course. My advice is dont jeopardize your GPA because you think taking a biochem series will look good on your transcript, unless biochem is your forte.

[ooqwinster87oo]

Would someone mind sharing their college background and when they got into pharm school? Like how many years undergrad did you do, when did you apply, how many times did you take the PCAT and such..

I'm starting to get both really pissed off and discouraged about pharmacy school. I'm a sophomore right now, and I had planned to apply to pharm school this year, but after I couldn't take classes in the summer I decided it'd be pointless to apply (only science credit i have is gen. chem 1)..

Anyways, last week I had an appointment with my advisor last week and she flat out told me this. "you're so young (i'm 18) that most pharmacy schools won't even look at you because of your age. You need to get a degree first and then apply." All of this sounds like bullsh-- to me.. =/

Any advice or opinions are greatly appreciated. thank you.

I did my undergrad at UCLA and graduated with a Bio degree. I'm currently a P1 at LLU. I only applied to four California schools last year, so I didnt take the PCAT.

Dont be so discouraged. Applying to pharmacy school is a daunting task, but it can be achieved if you do some planning. I only decided on pharmacy school at the end of my sec year of college. the major of my prereqs were done within the last two years of college, including summer. if you see that you can't get all the prereq courses in before matriculation into the program, you can always take a year off to complete and apply. Some schools don't require you to have your BS/BA degree before entering into the program, but you have to look on the school website to double check.

The minimum age in my c/o 2013 is 24, but that doesnt mean that there someone as young as you are cant get in. I've never heard age is a factor for consideration, but the degree might. Call the schools if you have to to find what are the requirements. Sometimes, undergrad advisors are unfamiliar with graduate programs so they may not be able to answer all your questions to your satisfaction. If that's the case, go somewhere else to find your answers.

i hope that helps!
you can always pm if you have any other questions. I'll try my best to help.

[I_broke_a_nail!]

anyone here actually doing a residency right now?

No, but recently, I went to a Dean's hour with these two speakers trying to promote residency based on their experience.
And let me tell you, they made everyone want to steer away from the idea of residency.

They didn't seem to like it.
They weren't enthusiastic
And in the hospital they're doing their residency, there is little/no difference between them and the staff pharmacist.

They tried to explain the concept of midyear and... the interview process.
It sounds crazy, literally crazy. I'm really like the idea of "higher knowledge" in pharmacy and stuff, but they REALLY should've picked better speakers. D=


But they did say that in half a year of residency, they feel that they learned twice the amount than what they learn in 4 years of professional pharmacy schooling. Crazy.


Industry sounds SO good. The speaker was amazing for that. He cracked a lot of jokes. He seemed lively and happy. He loves the fact that in the industry side of pharmacy, though there's a lot of politics in the working environment, he is ranked with people with md and phd .... c r a z y


Anyways, what year are you in aznjeff?
I'm a 4th year student and I have a therapeutics exam on Thursday.
You could probably tell that I'm crying my eyes out now. T___T
I can't watch my Grey's Anatomy ... and How I Met Your Mother ... I'm saddened
I am so stressed. lololol aghhhh

[bohemianheart.]

Hi, I have a couple questions. I've always wanted to be a pharmacist since I was like seven, always been my dream and my parents of course. = ) I am a freshman at a community college, I will be getting an Associates degree in Science (Pre-Med), after finishing all the courses needed for the associates degree, I am transferring to a four year college at The University of Kansas to pursue Pharmacy. At the community college that I go to now, they don't have a pre-pharmacy and only pre-med so I went with pre-med, is that alright even if I am going for pharmacy? I am still taking the required classes for Pharmacy students/school, since I got the whole required courses to take in order to make the whole transfer. Then after the community college, will I be taking the PCAT? Also, when do you do internship, do you do it after the PCAT? And right now, I am volunteering at a Catholic Volunteering Center, which I basically just help the elderly, but I mostly do the receptionist and errands, is that still good as for volunteering? And over the summer I will be volunteering at a local hospital. I know at the end of community college, I will be getting at least 99 credit hours, as told by my advisor. Still I am just worried what is the average or grade that a Pharmacist get?

- - sorry about my lame questions, I just hope I will make it to the end. I want to make my parents proud, since they are only counting on me. = (

[chiluvskk]

^ I'm a little big confused about your post but i'll try my best to answer your question (though im supposed to studying lol arrhhh. Firstly it doesn't matter whether you are pre-med or pre-pharm there really is no such thing, nor does it matter what major you are as long as you take the pre-reqs for pharm school. Secondly, you don't transfer into pharmacy school so I was a bit confused about when you said transfer to U of K to pursue pharmacy. Did you mean transfer there to finish your BA and then apply to pharmacy school or did you mean apply to pharm school there (idk if they have pharm school there just clearing up your post) after 2 years of CC?

If you want to apply to pharm school directly after 2 years of prereq at CC then yes you have to take the PCAT sometime before the summer you apply. it's ok if you take it during the application period but your scores might be delayed. The average gpa for pharm school is around 3.5 - 3.6 I believe, you can check each individual school website for sure. Actually you can get all your questions answered by going to each pharm school's website. It lists the gpa, what classes you need to take, and the min. units you need to apply.

Volunteering there is fine, though it's better if you can get something more directly involved with pharmacy.



goodluck. back to my studying now T_T

[kuku]

I'm a pharmacy student and I've done over 100 hours of internship. You just find the place and get the job.