<p>Aw so intent is the defining deviance then. Any individual who goes thru the professional program and decides to pursue a different career a few years later would essentially be committing the same act. I guess for everyone to not “hate” me I should have suppressed these thoughts until I completed pharmacy school.</p>
<p>I’ve seen a few folks try their hands at practicing for a few years before changing their minds. There’s a difference between changing your mind and conscientiously taking advantage of a program.</p>
<p>MCAT PS scores were lower by nearly a full point among the specialized health science applicants. The MCAT BS scores were also lower. Could this be a factor? The total MCAT scores were at least 2 points lower than the other groups. Could this also play a factor? The GPA’s look scrambled in the middle so this is up in the air. </p>
<p>I also believe the MCAT scores are playing a factor since among the accepted individuals the specialized health students had lower MCATS. While the GPA’s were scrambled. Either way the average MCATs for the accepted specialized health sciences would be competitive for for the University of Oklahoma’s allopathic med school and very competitive for Oklahoma State Universities Osteopathic med school.</p>
<p>Hey bluedevilmike, how did those individuals fare in their applications? Were they applying to allopathic, osteopathic medical school or both?</p>
<p>I think the best way for you to be convinced is to simply contact the office of admissions yourself with your question.</p>
<p>I asked the University of Oklahoma’s medical school adviser this question, and she told me that they would be confused about whether I wanted to be a pharmacist or a doctor. She also told me to go after any major I wanted at the same time even if it was under water basket weaving. Then again she also told me that I could become an EMT by taking a “few” classes over one summer. She also went on to tell me how EMT can just work whenever they want even if its for one shift a week. I later went on to tell the pre-med adviser at Oklahoma State University about some of her advice ,and he started laughing. So I am a little worried about taking her information very seriously.</p>
<p>I emailed the aamc about the percentage of applicants grouped under the specialized health sciences who were pharmacists. I doubt I will get a response, but if I do I will share the information on this thread. In addition, I’ll ask specially about Doctor of Pharmacy degree students. I guess my assumption that any degree counts in the same manner is not expressed the same way across the board since I have not found a solid credible majority going either direction.</p>
<p>If you have information about this subject I would appreciate it if you shared the information. If you want to tell me about my “unethical” views then go ahead. I guess pursuing something I would like to do besides med-school is a crime to some.</p>
<p>When I was a pharmacy student at UCSF, one of my roommates was a medical student who was a Pharm D. He went directly from pharmacy school to medical school. He was a very very smart guy even by UCSF standards. Also a number of pharmacy students in my class were admitted to medical school during our first year. They all had been pre-med and had bachelor degrees.</p>
<p>As for my thoughts, I think having a Pharm D. may get you a second look by the med school admissions dept. That may well be what it takes to set yourself apart from the thousands of sound alike, look alike applicants. However academically, I don’t think it’s the best path to scoring well on all parts of the MCAT. Pharmacy school is too one dimensional, focusing on chemistry/biochemistry, and weaker elsewhere. Also the only pharmacy schools that I’m aware of that will take undergraduates today are the second tier programs. The top pharmacy schools won’t look at you without a four year degree anymore. It’s just too competitive. The second tier pharmacy schools are six year programs (five if year-around) that will not provide a solid enough academic foundation to score well on the MCAT even with study courses. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>My advice is to get an excellent four year education at your state’s university, In your case Oklahoma, not Oklahoma State. Complete a non-science major such as Public Health that will be synergistic with med school prerequisites to catch the med school admissions attention, learn Spanish if you’re not already bilingual, take advantage of study abroad in a third world country with a medical or public health focus, and study your tail off to pull off a minimum 3.5 gpa. With that foundation, the MCAT shouldn’t be a problem. Apply to medical and pharmacy schools at the same time. Pharmacy school can be a back up at that point.</p>
<p>This is probably not the answer you were looking for, but if you want to be a doctor, you pretty much have to go all in from the beginning. A four year degree is a safer path to med school.</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing your opinion</p>