Hello! So my ultimate goal is to earn a PharmD and become a pharmacist but in terms of schools, I’m not totally sure what to do. I was accepted into UOP’s pre-pharmacy program (and i’m being offered 20k in scholarships) but I also applied to UC San Diego, Davis, LA and Irvine since my teacher says they have medical schools that I can later apply to. Also applied to USC and their TAP program, but the reality is that these schools are hard to get into and to be frank, gambling losses made my EFC really high and I will probably make me unable to reasonably afford going to these colleges. Is there any way that I can take a community college route, where I do most of my pre-reqs and then transfer later on to earn my degree at a UC and THEN go into a graduate school or should I try to go directly and deal with the high EFC my first year (since my second year, my income will drop). Sorry if this is all very confusing. Thank you for your help!
What are your high school stats?
Did you apply to U Toledo, Ohio Nothern, Duquesne?
If you can get financial aid in CA it might make sense to start at CC and then UC and then apply to 4 year pharmD programs instate.
But I would research number of prerequisite credits needed, whether they can be taken at CC, instate tuition costs for PharmD, NAPLEX pass rates and admission process at each school (do they have an early Assurance program where some of the seats in the program are reserved?).
The PharmCAS website can be helpful to look up program requirements of each pharmacy school.
The number of prerequisite credits and costs can vary a lot between schools.
https://www.aacp.org/resource/pharmacy-school-admission-requirements
This website has lots of information too
My stats are;
3.9 unweighted GPA
4.1 weighted GPA
AP Classes & Scores;
Sophomore: World History (5)
Junior: Chemistry (4), English Language (4), Calculus AB (4)
Senior: US Government, Environmental Science, Calculus BC
Extra Curriculars;
- 4 years in Key Club w/ 100+ hours of community service (Member)
- 3 years in Recycling Club
- 2 years in French Club (Treasurer)
*I’ve also been playing in my high school’s Wind Ensemble for all 4 years
Awards;
- 1st Place in school-wide Cesar Chavez Essay Contest (Junior year)
- AP Scholar with Honor (Junior year)
- French Language Excellence Award (Awarded Freshman, Sophomore and Junior year)
Also not sure if this is important, but I am a first generation student and Mexican
I did not apply to those schools and only really applied to schools in California since my Chem teacher told me what schools I should apply to (since her brother is currently a pharmacist working at Kaiser). Also I know that my first year of college there’s a good chance I won’t get financial aid but second year I will most likely receive financial aid since my AGI would go back to normal. Should I still look into school out of state?
Since you are first generation and URM, I would apply to University of Pittsburgh and University of Toledo. They might give you lots of merit.
What were your SAT or ACT scores?
If you got enough merit to cover tuition, a student loan, summer job earnings and a parent contribution might cover the rest.
My SAT scores are pretty bad ~1260 but my ACT scores are alot better ~30 & 31 but a 32 if superscored.
The 31 ACT might be enough for merit at U Toledo.
How much will the instate schools cost?
Most pharmacy schools in CA will require 3-4 years of pre-pharmacy, right?
For instate I am looking at about 30k~ my first year but around 18k~ every year after that. But yeah, you need 3-4 years of pre-pharmacy or earning a bachelor in a science and then it’s pharmacy school.
My dd is Mex-Am and is currently in the pharm program at UCSF.
Her route was Davis to UCSF.
If you qualify for a Calgrant, please take advantage of those schools, with undergrad science programs, because the pharm schools will be VERY expensive and there will be VERY LIMITED grad school funding.
Plus, the grad schools are very competitive. If you PM me, I will tell you why I think she got into all of her pharm schools.
Apply to the UC’s and see what kinds of offers they can make to you as an instate resident. If you can apply to some privates in California that will give you funding, go for it. (I’m thinking USC, Santa Clara, etc.)
Have you visited UOP? Please go visit before you commit. It is very expensive, and the location can be an issue for some students.
Look at the cost at UOP for all 6 years and how long the scholarship is good for.