I don't want to be a pharmacist anymore.

College Search & Selection
1

Hello,
I am currently a freshman (year 1) in a 6 year pharmacy program school but haven’t started school yet. (graduated high school in 2015)

I have always wanted to pursue a law related career. However, after a long talk with my dad during my sophomore year of high school, he has told me that doing the same thing everyday even if it is the job you love will make you end up being bored so it is best if you pursue a profession that pays a lot of money. So that is why I have not bothered to apply to anywhere else except 6 year pharmacy schools despite what I wanted to do. Fast forward to now and I have ended up in a decent 6 year pharmacy program, but I have no passion to start. I don’t want to be a pharmacist.

-Is it possible to transfer after the first 2 years (out of 6 years) to an ivy league college (Or rank 1~30 colleges)(Generally Asian parent approved colleges)?
-Will I be able to receive decent amount of grants and scholarships?
-Which major should I apply as?
-Were there other people that have done this?

Thanks you so much… I just don’t want to live with this big load of regret…

2

I think you should take a gap year and reapply.

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Will I be able to receive decent amount of grants and scholarships?
<<

Harder to get scholarships as a transfer.

3

I can’t take a gap year. That’s totally out of the question.

4

My D is considering a pharmacy major and has had her doubts and peaks and valleys, plus is quite possibly interested in getting a law degree as well. If getting the pharmacy or a related science/technology degree (switching out of pharmacy is a lot easier than switching into it) is affordable to you, then I would highly recommend that you consider that as a possible undergrad major on your way to law school. I know several people with PharmD/JD combinations and they all have incredibly interesting, diverse (from each other) and excellent paying jobs. It can be an expensive road to go on, but as an attorney myself I sees tons of new grads from law school struggle to find a niche because their undergrad degree only suited their getting into law school and gave them no ancillary skills in finance, healthcare, technology or other non-legal fields that need a lot of attorneys who understand those substantive areas, legal minds who can work with, talk the talk and support the scientists, econ guys and accountants, doctors, engineers, etc,

And no, I am not talking about patent law attorneys, which always seems to pop into people’s heads when they see the science/law combos, but litigators, contract attorneys, regulatory compliance, association law, government regulators and my favorite, expert witnesses and professors. Awesome jobs and careers.

I think there is enormous value in combining a technical undergrad or masters (PharmD is only one year longer, though quite possibly more expensive) degree with a law degree is really the only way I would recommend someone go to law school knowing how saturated the new attorney job pool is. Not all people who go to pharmacy school end up being traditional pharmacists, if there is such a thing now, and pharmacist attorneys do extremely well both in job satisfaction and other more objective, numerical measures of success. Just a thought to consider.

5

Can u articulate OBJECTIVELY why gap year is totally out of the question?

A gap year would seem to be a more rational option than wasting considerable time, money, personal satisfaction pursuing a field in which u have zero interest.

Better to say “no” at the alter than go through with a loveless marriage.

6

You absolutely know you won’t like being a pharmacist despite not having started at school yet? You do know you can major in anything as an UG for law. Chances of transferring into a “top 30” school are slight. Some of them don’t accept any transfers and in many/most cases transfer admission is lower %age than freshman. If they meet need for FA then you will get that. Forget about merit aid as a transfer.

7

I’m assuming that your parents won’t agree to a gap year which is why you say its out of the question. Is that right?

Where are you going to school now? Do they have other majors? Is it possible to just switch into arts and sciences and major in what you want without transferring?

8

Possible but very unlikely

Possible but extremely unlikely

This is up to you to figure out. If you have to ask strangers on the internet this question you really need a gap year.

Also, have you read about the law school grad unemployment rate?

9

I’m a lawyer and I agree 100% with @Skates76. Pharmacy would be a great foundation before starting law school and for a wide variety of legal jobs. It would also be a strong foundation for many other graduate degree programs besides law. Note that if you are interested in patent law, you could become a patent officer/agent and work in a patent law firm even without going to law school.

I would also add that since you’re just starting your major, you have plenty of time to look at other majors at the university you are currently attending. It would be a lot easier to just change majors at the same place than to change universities. Yet you don’t have any idea what other major you would want to pursue – and you ask, “What major should I apply as?” There is absolutely no need for a different major if you are aiming for law school, and also no need for a different university. Just do well where you are, as your grades will be important when applying to any graduate degree program.

Is the real issue that you are doubting your choice of university? Since you can name the universities you are interested in attending (Ivy/top 30/Asian approved), but you can’t come up with any other majors – and you also don’t seem to have looked into changing majors where you are – I think you’re just having some second thoughts about your university. Brush those aside for now.

Many freshmen feel insecure about lots of things when they first start college. Just trust that everything will be fine, and make the most of your current situation. Since you don’t have clear direction for where to head other than where you are currently heading, you’d probably feel as much doubt and insecurity if you did manage to change majors and/or universities. Another student on another thread went through all the trouble to switch universities, and as a sophomore he has just started at a new place, and already he is whining about how much he dislikes it and wants to return to his former university. Doubts and insecurity will follow a person everywhere.

No major will doom you to a career you don’t like. In the real world, degrees apply very flexibly to many jobs, and many people change careers more than once. Engineering majors become investment bankers, fashion majors become salespeople, Spanish majors become real estate brokers, biology majors make documentary films, and anyone and everyone becomes a lawyer if they want to. And some very special and well-funded college drop-outs become billionaires. Don’t worry about all that right now.

Sounds like you got into a good program and you have the skills to be there and succeed, so that is where you should direct your energy right now. I bet if you go to career services and ask, or just do research online, you will find out many of the interesting careers that pharmacy majors from your university have had, aside from being a pharmacist at the local pharmacy. The links below will give you some ideas that make the most use of the degree, but they are just a start:

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/health-medical/pharmacy-major.htm

http://www.allaboutcareers.com/campaigns/what-can-i-do-with-a-pharmacy-degree

https://pharmacyschool.usc.edu/programs/pharmd/pharmdprogram/career/

Keep in mind that there are countless lawyers out there wondering what to do with a law degree besides practice law – and there are articles, books and consultants all helping them find other careers. I currently write for a living with my law degree, and make use of my legal background by writing about legal topics.

10

What scholarship did you get from NEU (which is where I think you’re going)?

Is that award for pharm ONLY? Or can it be used for anything?

Assuming that you got a good-sized award from your undergrad as an incoming freshman, it is HIGHLY doubtful that you will get anywhere close to that amount as a transfer…certainly not to a “better” school.

And the ivies don’t give merit at all.

Transferring to an Ivy isn’t likely, except for maybe Cornell. Don’t know how generous Cornell is with transfers, but have your parents run the NPC and see.

Your parents may feel that they don’t want to pay more than what they’re paying at your current undergrad. What are they SAYING??? What “non-merit scholarship” money did you get from NEU?? If you ONLY got merit scholarship “free money” from NEU, then you might not qualify for much/any “free money” elsewhere.

You need to talk to your parents. I’m guessing that a “gap year” is out of the question because your parents won’t “allow it”, but they may be thinking that you can transfer somewhere and still get the great merit…they need to be told that isn’t true. Big merit is for incoming frosh only.

11

Your only two choices are starting, seeing how you like it, making do: you may discover you love your first year classes, can imagine doing a Pharm/law degree later on (much more in demand than straight law)
OR
Taking a gap year.

It’s dubious you can transfer to a top 30 school and extremely unlikely you’ll get as much aid as you do now.
Either you reapply as a freshman (with no guarantees you’ll be admitted to a top 30university/LAC) or you stick it out and figure out what is enjoyable to you.

Note that regardless of future major, not all classes will be enjoyable. :smiley:

12

What DO you want to do? Let’s start there. For law you can major in anything. Grades and LSAT scores are
paramount.

Pharmacy is science multiplied in taking college courses–chemistry, physics, biology etc. Know that the study of pharmacy isn’t what you do on a regular basis in real life. In real life you take care of people and run a business as the bottom line. You can work community retail/hospital/research. The study is what allows you the expertise to allow that to happen.

If you are interested in science and decide that pharmacy is not what you want to ultimately pursue I’m sure that the courses you take will be easily transferable into another science/health field.

Law is demanding in a different way. It requires critical thinking, good writing skills and people skills.You can major in anything to get there. You need a degree first but it can be in the arts/business/science fields. Gotta have grades and scores to get into a good school. Science and Law together are a dynamite combo but takes a lot of years and study.

Your dad is wrong on one important point. Doing what you love is not boring. It does help a LOT if it also supports you and a family in the end.
But EVERY job has boring aspects . Boring is GOOD most times.
You think the brain surgeon says “oh, the next 14 hours in surgery are gonna be great!?”
Think a lawyer says “Yeah, this weird case with a 10 hour deposition with a criminal client is just how I wanted to spend the day?”
Think a pharmacist says “I can’t wait to look up all the drug interactions that may kill my client?”
Uh no.