pharmacy major help

College Majors
61

<p>Yes, I did. I practiced primarily tort law: personal injury and medical malpractice. My ability to read and understand the medical records, research the medical aspects of a case, and understand the medications, reactions, and properties came in quite handy. The medical negligence cases were always my favorites. </p>

<p>Please don't get me wrong. I value my pharmacy degree and don't regret it. I just think the 'powers that be' are going overboard with what really is needed to practice everyday pharmacy, both retail and hospital--and making it unnecessarily expensive and time-consuming.</p>

<p>For instance, I never took calculus. It wasn't required or even suggested. I never once ran into any calculations that I wasn't able to handle or for which I needed calculus either in school or in practice (pharmacy or law). Perhaps if I'd gone into research . . . .but that's a whole different focus.</p>

62

<p>hello
im a sophmore in high school and my parents are trying to get me interested in pharamcology
i was just wondering what good pharamcology schools there are in the New England area
thanks</p>

63

<p>Here is the list of pharmacy schools:
=<a href="http://www.aacp.org/issi/membership/schools.asp?action=view&TRACKID=&wh=A&CID=593&DID=4224%5DAACP%5B/url"&gt;http://www.aacp.org/issi/membership/schools.asp?action=view&TRACKID=&wh=A&CID=593&DID=4224]AACP[/url&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p>

64

<p>Okay..here is my situation...</p>

<p>I am interest in pharmacy, but I am not sure. I want to have a solid foundation for my education. A school offered me to do a 2-4 program, will that limit my chances....what if I want to change major...also, I am considering another school...Washington University in St. Louis, they don't have a pharmacy school...so what would I need to do... I'm so confused...would I need to major in Biology or Chemistry..i prefer Biology...</p>

<p>Based on what I read....tell me if this is correct....
I would need to go to Washington University for 2 years...and then try to get into an graduate school.....???
Will I miss out on the "undergraduate experience". I'm still not sure about being a pharmacist...is it bad to not get a bachelor's degree..and just get a master....</p>

65

<p>you don't have to be a science major, as long as you've completed all the pre-requisites for pharm school beforehand will be fine. If you're not sure about your career, it's best to just get a bachelors and explore what's there.</p>

66

<p>I know several friends who got into top medical schools and pharmacy as sociology, theater, and music majors. They really don't care as long as you perform well.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Based on what I read....tell me if this is correct....
I would need to go to Washington University for 2 years...and then try to get into an graduate school.....???
Will I miss out on the "undergraduate experience". I'm still not sure about being a pharmacist...is it bad to not get a bachelor's degree..and just get a master....

[/quote]

It also depends on what schools you're applying for. Most top schools won't let students in after two years (with a few exceptions). A lot of people end up applying after they have finished their bachelors to graduate programs. You won't be missing anything by going to pharmacy school early. WUSTL is an excellent institution and you should enjoy all that it has to offer. Who knows, don't pidgeon hole yourself into pharmacy either - explore everything and come back at the end of 4 years and decide if this is what you truly want to do. You deserve to give yourself that chance to decide.</p>

67

<p>
[quote]
It also depends on what schools you're applying for. Most top schools won't let students in after two years (with a few exceptions).

[/quote]

This is patently wrong. Here is a great summary of admission requirements and curricula of various pharmacy schools. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.aacp.org/Docs/MainNavigation/InstitutionalData/6871_School_Narratives_PSAR.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.aacp.org/Docs/MainNavigation/InstitutionalData/6871_School_Narratives_PSAR.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I think you can see that a student will get a pretty average college experience during freshman and sophomore years as a "prepharmacy" major, even if it is followed by three or four years of pharmacy school. Lots of students who are NOT pharmacy students will be taking math, chem, bio, english, econ, etc.</p>

<p>By all means, get a bachelors degree before pharmacy school if you want to, but it is not necessary. Furthermore, I believe that there will be plenty of time over the first two years of general classes to decide if pharmacy is really what you want to do. If not, you can go in another direction with no loss of time. But more importantly, if you DO want to do pharmacy, you will have all of the requirements in and you will have two extra years of income rather than two extra years of tuition.</p>

68

<p>My DD is pre-pharmacy and went to an open house at her university's pharmacy school. DD expressed to one of the professor's that she might be interested n some kind of research, but she wasn't sure. The professor strongly recommended that she get a bachelor's degree. She told her that if she got her PharmD without a bachelor's and someday wanted to change professions or go into research, she would have problems without the bachelor's. I guess if you're 100% sure you will love pharmacy, no problem. If you're not sure, it seems like it would be a good idea to get a bachelor's, too.</p>

69

<p>If you want to get a PhD in a pharmaceutical subject following your PharmD degree, I believe you would need a relevant bachelors degree which might include a pharmacy degree. For example:
University</a> of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy: PhD Program
If, however, you want to get a PhD in a non-pharmaceutical science such as molecular biology or chemistry, you will probably need a BS in that science.
Interested</a> in Applying? | University of Pittsburgh Department of Chemistry</p>

<p>I have to agree, if your goal is a PhD in a natural science, you should get a 4 year BS degree. But this makes me wonder, if that is the goal, why even bother to get the PharmD at all? 4 years for a BS + 4 more years for a PharmD + 4 to 6 years for a PhD = Waaay too many years of school to me! :eek:</p>

70

<p>
[quote]
This is patently wrong. Here is a great summary of admission requirements and curricula of various pharmacy schools. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.aacp.org/Docs/MainNavigat...tives_PSAR.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.aacp.org/Docs/MainNavigat...tives_PSAR.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I think you can see that a student will get a pretty average college experience during freshman and sophomore years as a "prepharmacy" major, even if it is followed by three or four years of pharmacy school. Lots of students who are NOT pharmacy students will be taking math, chem, bio, english, econ, etc.</p>

<p>By all means, get a bachelors degree before pharmacy school if you want to, but it is not necessary. Furthermore, I believe that there will be plenty of time over the first two years of general classes to decide if pharmacy is really what you want to do. If not, you can go in another direction with no loss of time. But more importantly, if you DO want to do pharmacy, you will have all of the requirements in and you will have two extra years of income rather than two extra years of tuition.

[/quote]

Perhaps I should have rephrased what I wanted to say - it's in your favor to get a bachelors. Most of the top pharmacy schools have over 70 to 80% (and climbing with each year) of entering doctoral students having attained their bachelors.
For example, UCSF:
About</a> the Students and Applicants
01.63% no degree
00.81% Associate's degree
97.56% Bachelor's degree
09.76% Graduate degree</p>

<p>At the University of Michigan it's approximately 80%, with most students that do not have a bachelors being fed directly from the cut-throat undergraduate program.</p>

<p>UCSD:
UCSD</a> - The Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
Profile of Applicants Interviewed for the Class of 2011 | Top Description of Criteria Number
Number of applications received 1278
Number of applicants invited to interview for the class of 30 students 225
Average overall grade point average (GPA) 3.66
Number of individuals holding or planning to receive a B.A., B.S., or Masters Degree at the time of interview or prior to matriculation 225 (100%) </p>

<p>Profile of Applicants Interviewed for the Class of 2010 | Top Description of Criteria Number
Number of applications received 1078
Number of applicants invited to interview for the class of 60 students 226
Average overall grade point average (GPA) 3.67
Number of individuals holding or planning to receive a B.A., B.S., or Masters Degree at the time of interview or prior to matriculation 226 (100%) </p>

<p>Profile of Applicants Interviewed for the Class of 2009 | Top Description of Criteria Number
Number of applications received 1058
Number of applicants invited to interview for the class of 60 students 229
Average overall grade point average (GPA) 3.67
Number of individuals holding or planning to receive a B.A., B.S., or Masters Degree at the time of interview or prior to matriculation 229 (100%)</p>

<p>USC</a> Pharmacy - Pharm.D. Program - Admission - FAQs
USC school of pharmacy:
Is a bachelor's degree required?
No, but because admission to the program is very competitive, we highly recommend having a bachelor's degree. The majority of our applicants hold this degree.</p>

<p>University</a> of the Pacific Pharmacy Admission Website
UOP school of pharmacy:
2. Is a Bachelor's Degree required for admission? </p>

<p>No, only the pre-pharmacy requirements are absolutely necessary. However a degree can make an applicant more competitive for admission, and in recent years a strong majority of our successful applicants have had degrees. Many others have junior standing and have completed upper division math/ science preparatory courses. Recommended electives include anatomy, genetics, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, analytical chemistry and physical chemistry. </p>

<p>While not all schools are this stringent, I'm just citing these to prove my point of a growing trend: you have to be quite stellar to get in after only two years of prepharmacy coursework. There are many students who are far older and are switching careers; it is they - and their experience - that provide the catalyst for admission. As a collegiate undergrad, having only two years will not be as beneficial and it is in one's favor in terms of admissions to get a bachelors. I can name a handful of schools off the top of my head that give you "points" in their admissions formula for having a degree.</p>

71

<p>Bump for the pharmacy curious!</p>

72

<p>I got accepted to University of Georgia, and I will be doing my pre-pharm requisites there. I plan on finishing it in two years and hopefully getting accepted to pharmacy school. Are there any suggestions on when I should take which courses? I plan on taking Chemistry I, PreCalculus, social science course, and something else. How many classes/credits per semester is recommended? I am currently taking my second level of college English while in high school, so I won't have to worry about English next year at UGA.</p>

73

<p>Finishing ALL prerequisites in 2 years is difficult, especially if that means cramming in the core organic and inorganic chemistries, biology, and physics courses with supplemental classes (perhaps public speaking, economics, and microbiology type requirements). You should email UGA's pharmacy school admissions to see what they look for in applicants or other schools you will be potentially interested in. Most pharmacy schools do not accept students so early, but it never hurts to try. Can you learn and retain all that information to do well enough on the PCAT in two years while obtaining good grades and extra curriculars? Just know that the odds are against you.</p>

74

<p>I agree that it would be hard to do, pharma. I'm aiming for two to four years now, but the less the merrier. How many years are/did you do/doing for pre-pharmacy?</p>

75

<p>I completed the full 4 years of undergraduate schooling and did research in psychology and biology, studied abroad in the swiss alps of France, and took summer school classes on the side. I just finished up my first year of pharmacy school, but I'm happy I'm not an undergrad anymore. I applied to 10 pharmacy schools back then, which was far, far, too many. Trying to take classes to apply to all of them was a nightmare - it's impossible because there is no standardized curriculum. For example, look at USC's requirements:
USC</a> Pharmacy - Pharm.D. Program - Admission - Pre-pharmacy Course Requirements</p>

<p>Prerequisites Semesters/Quarters
Calculus (for science majors only) 1/2
Statistics 1/1
General Chemistry with lab (for science majors only) 2/3
Organic Chemistry with lab (for science majors only) variable 2/3
Physics with lab (for science majors only) 2/3
General Biology (for science majors only) 2/3
Microbiology with lab 1/1
Mammalian Physiology with lab 1/1
Molecular Biology 1/1
Biochemistry 1/1
English Composition 2/3
Interpersonal Communication 1/1
Psychology or Sociology 1/1
Economics 1/1<br>
*Additional Social and Behavioral Sciences 2/3
*Additional Humanities 2/3
*Applies only to applicants who will not be earning a Baccalaureate (BA or BS) degree.</p>

<p>This is just for one school. I had to take public speaking, specifically microeconomics (I have no idea why), and genetics for other schools.</p>