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ok lkf725, i am an average high school senior and i applied to St johns university in queens and i chose an undecided major but now i realized that i want to major in pharmacy so i was wondering if you knew what i should do because i dont know if my grades are good enough for their pharmacy school or if im allowed to major in pharmacy since i got accepted. thanks!
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<p>Well, at the college fair in my school, they said that the SAT composite score (Reading + Math) for pharm in st. john's is 1200.....I don't remember if this was the average score or an entrance requirement........please confirm with the admissions department...</p>
<p>St. John's doesn't start evaluating pharm applications until February 1....an admission counselor told me that.........so if you want to apply for that program, you have time...........</p>
<p>The best thing for you to do would be to call St. John's and explain your situation to them..........then ask them if you can apply to the pharmacy school even though you've already been accepted as an undecided major.....</p>
<p>Also, if that doesn't work out, you can still apply to Long Island University........their application deadline is in February..........and they also have a 0-6 pharmacy program.........The pharmacy school is in Brooklyn, NY....not too far from St. John's....</p>
<p>Oooo, I'm sorry that I missed that question. I think avik224 gave good advice to call St. John's since the application deadline has not yet passed. Honestly, a 0+6 program would be hard to pass up.</p>
<p>By the way, I'm curious about the pre-pharmacy major thing. Some say their major in college was Pre-Pharmacy, but is that possible? I mean... isn't Pre-Pharmacy like a guideline to go by for pharmacy school? I've heard people argue that it is and that it isn't a major. What's your take on it? If Pre-Pharmacy is not considered a major, then I'll head towards Chemistry because I'm thinking about getting my bachelor's degree before applying to pharmacy schools so my chances slightly increase.</p>
<p>Basically it can be your major, but you don't get a degree in Pre-Pharmacy like you would in chemistry. You can major in anything you want to as long as you take the pre-reqs for pharmacy. My major is pre-pharmacy because I don't want to attend undergrad school for 5 years unless it will majorly help me and I have no interest in getting a degree other than pharmacy</p>
<p>How many years of undergrad are you doing, okgirl? Also, lkf or anyone else who can answer my question... how many years of undergrad do you recommend before heading off to pharmacy school? Two? Three? Four? More than four?</p>
<p>I would recommend the shortest time filling the pharmacy prerequisites as possible, unless you have a real desire to get a degree in something else. You can get in right out of high school at some colleges - the most secure option. Just as fast, but less secure, is completing your prerequisite classes in about two years and then doing the 4 years of pharmacy school. I really don't know that it is any admissions advantage to get a bachelors degree in chem or some other area - maybe ask that question at a few pharm schools. Regarding the "prepharm" major: what is that except a prescribed set of classes that is required for pharmacy school admission? You can do them in two years. Is the "prepharm" major an actual 4 year degree?</p>
<p>I don't think the Pre-Pharmacy has to be a four year thing. I guess it solely depends on the college. Some might have it at two, and some might have it at four. Two years possibly if you take classes during the summer maybe. I'm not sure myself. If I get accepted to UGA, I'll look further into their system in April. If not, I'll have to get myself familiar with Georgia State's Pre-Pharmacy plan.</p>
<p>I'm currently a pharmacy student at the University of Michigan, so if you all have any questions, PM me and I will do the best I can to tell you what it's like so far!</p>
<p>My prereqs will only take me 1.5 years b/c of concurrent enrollment. It really just depends on how many credits are required to enter the pharmacy school of your choice.</p>
<p>As far as getting a degree before applying to pharm school, you should take to a pharm admissions person and ask them about the stats of most of their students that get in. At my school, few people actually get a degree first, but at another college, maybe most people will have one. I think it just really depends on how many people apply for the program compared to how many get in.</p>
<p>I'm really not an expert on the subject b/c i'm still a few months away from graduating HS. I have done tons of research on pharmacy programs and I asked people lots of questions, but I still may not be completely correct.</p>
<p>Do you have to major in Pharmacy... or is it possible to major in something else, say microbiology, and then go into pharmacy. My problem is I want to go to med school, but I know this is very hard to accomplish, so i was considering pharm as a back up- and microbiology is the major I am going to declare.</p>
<p>Isn't it just easier just to get into a 0-6 program?? </p>
<p>basically just go right after high school even if you want to be a doctor or want this as a back up because after 6 years you could apply for medical school and by then you'll have completed many of the classes they require for 7 year med programs. So maybe you'll have to wait 1-2 years longer to get your med degree or something [I haven't really looked into medical school] but if you want to get out of that half way through, you'll still have pharmacy to fall back on. Just get started in pharmacy right away, it's the easiest [and least time consuming] path in my opinion. </p>
<p>btw Patel, I'm planning on going to Rutgers this fall</p>
<p>I know pharmacists who have gone on to medical school, some immediately after graduation and some after working for a few years. And the pharmacy degree would be a good back-up. </p>
<p>There really is no reason at all to get a bachelors degree before applying to pharmacy, unless it just takes you four years to get in.</p>
<p>I don't think pharmacy classes will be applicable to medical school. Sometimes classes in the pharmacy school are separate from those in the colleges of arts and sciences (different course numbers and syllabi), so don't assume that pharmacy biochem = premed biochem.</p>
<p>I would disagree with the point of not getting a bachelors. Increasingly, there are forces to bring the profession's overall standing towards equal footing with its medicine and dental counterparts (the debate rages on in terms of whether or not this is a good idea, let alone feasible). Most schools view a bachelors favorably; schools value the breadth of your education and values you are able to extract from it rather than considering it just a means to an end for admissions. If you view admissions trends at most schools, with every passing year the number of students with bachelors increases barring few exceptions. The education one gets from a bachelors ideally shapes who you are and allows you to bring with you some new perspective from your studies into the profession.</p>
<p>I also agree with lkf that most pharmacy classes will not be applicable to medical school and that it's usually not a good idea just to use pharmacy as a stepping stone. It's a waste of money as well as time, unless your goal was to ultimately combine the two degrees in some unusual manner.</p>
<p>Well, I'm not really up on admissions, but I think the reasons we are seeing more degreed pharmacy students include:
1. It takes people several tries to gain admission and they get a bachelors degree by default.
2. People who have a degree and are unable to translate that into meaningful employment turn to pharmacy as a practical career.</p>
<p>It may vary by region, but in my neck of the woods, having a prior degree doesn't help with employment. (I don't know if it affects admissions, but most students here don't have prior degrees). As long as you have your license to hang on the wall, you are good to go.</p>
<p>Well the thing is with 0-6 programs is that you miss out on a normal collegiate experience. I guess it depends on your priorities. There are people who are very young in my program, but I wonder - why? It's like skipping 3 grades just because you can, but should you? I don't see why people should sell themselves short on an education and collegiate lifestyle. When one works, there will always be more money to be made until one retires. I also acknowledge the flipside of the coin, that being young and poor should things not work out is equally unpleasant. However, you only get to be young once. The question is how to minimize regrets, if there are any to be had at all.</p>
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Well the thing is with 0-6 programs is that you miss out on a normal collegiate experience.
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I completely disagree with this. Majoring in pharmacy is no different than studying engineering or nursing or teaching or any liberal arts major. You are still on campus with all of the other students. You will probably become friends with other pharmacy students, but everybody tends to gravitate towards other people who have similar experience and classes, whether it is pharmacy or philosophy, english or engineering.</p>
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the 0-6 programs are great IF you KNOW thats what you want to do.
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I also disagree with this statement. Your first two years will have general classes such as biology, chemistry, math and electives in the humanities and social sciences. It is much, much, much easier to enter the pharmacy program and change to a liberal arts major than the other way around. You can change your mind - nobody will force you to stay in pharmacy if you don't like it. Similarly, entering a 0+6 program may allow you to sample pharmacy to see if you even like it.</p>
<p>And finally, if you opt for the 2+3 program and don't get in after 2 years, you will totally regret passing on the gift 0+6 program.</p>