<p>A close friend of mine is almost done with his undergraduate studies (pre-pharm track) and will be seeking pharmacy schools. Unfortunately, his GPA is an abysmal 2.0-something and he has not taken the PCATs yet--but judging from his academic record it does not look very promising. I'm very concerned for him, because he has lost a lot of confidence in himself (and his parents have lost confidence in him as well). Most of his science course grades are Cs, Ds, and Fs with about 2 Bs. I feel completely terrible for him at this point. It is late in his undergraduate career and it seems like he will not be admitted to his only, prospective choice, Temple School of Pharmacy. What is a student to do in this situation? I advised him to talk to his advisor and a specific health professions advisor if his school had it (a public university in Maryland).</p>
<p>Does anyone know of any pharmacy schools that he may have a shot at? I would appreciate any insight or experiences that anyone can bring. Thank you for reading this long post and I hope to translate this advice to him as well.</p>
<p>Oh, I'm sorry for your friend KRabble88. I know somebody who applied to like 8 pharmacy schools and cannot get admitted with a 3.5! Although maybe there are tiers of pharmacy schools, I'm not sure about that. </p>
<p>Science doesn't seem to be your friend's forte, so probably your friend doesn't really like science too much. And pharmacy school has a ton of science. What attracted him to pharmacy in the first place?</p>
<p>Maybe you friend should see a college or career counselor to find what areas he would be interested in. It is possible that whatever appealed to him about pharmacy could be applied to another career that is less science oriented.</p>
<p>For him, pharmacy seems to be a substantial interest, and although I do not know the extent of his seriousness for pharmacy studies, he must appreciate it more than anything. The biggest problem is probably the fact that his GPA is sub-2.5, which will not work particularly well when applying to strong grad schools if pharmacy school does not work out. Does anyone have any suggestions for a course of action that he may take? Thanks</p>
<p>Well, he has only two years invested in undergrad, so he has time to change majors. Why does he like pharmacy? Does he want his own business? Does he see himself couseling patients on their meds? Is the hospital environment appealing to him? Is it just the money?</p>
<p>I had a friend in college who was dying to go to medical school but did not have the grades for it. After graduation she worked for a year in a lab while taking college classes at night, this time earning As. The next year, on the strength of her work recommendations, new grades and new MCAT scores, she was admitted to medical school. Whether or not your friend should consider something like this would depend on his innate ability ( is he capable of doing better than he's been doing in science classes? Why did he perform so poorly in the first place?) , long term motivation, and the wisdom of pursuing this dream versus finding another one. Hopefully, your friend will take your advice and contact his advisors or career counselor.</p>
<p>lkf725, unfortunately he will have finished his 4th year of undergrad this spring and will need to take classes this summer, fall of 2006, and spring of 2007 in order to graduate with a degree. I'm not sure why pharmacy appeals to him so much, but I can assure you that he is not the type that would torture himself so just for the money.</p>
<p>roshke, frankly I think the reason why he had performed so poorly academically is mostly because of his lack of focus. He did not do particularly well in high school (or at least the classes he took did not challenge him, thus did not establish an academic foundation). He has poor study habits--ie. not going to class, etc. He will most likely need a wake-up call before his nose hits the grindstone. Thanks for the advice and any more comments, suggestions, or insight would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Along the lines of roshke's suggestion, maybe your friend could work as a pharmacy technician while taking one or two classes. Several of the techs where I work did go on to finish their degrees in pharmacy and other disciplines. Although his degree would be pretty much going to waste, as a degree is not needed to be a pharmacy tech.</p>
<p>If you friend is finishing his undergrad, what will his degree be? Maybe he should find a job and work for awhile before undertaking any further education. I think he probably needs some time to sort things out.</p>
<p>Would anyone here like to know that their pharmacist - who is dispensing potentially life-affecting chemicals - got mostly "C's, D's and F's" in science courses? Maybe phamaceutical sales might be a path....</p>
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<p>He has poor study habits--ie. not going to class, etc. He will most likely need a wake-up call before his nose hits the grindstone.<<</p>
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<p>The prospect of NOT getting into pharmacy school is not enough of a wake up call?? If you won't work for your dream, then you either need to grow up or get another dream.</p>
<p>I would suggest pharmacy tech and pharmaceutical sales as possible career paths, as other posters have suggested.</p>
<p>Sounds like this lack of focus and organization is a persistent thing for your friend, going all the way back to HS and maybe before. Any chance there's undiagnosed learning disabilities or ADD involved? Emotional problems? If that's the case, no amount of extra time will make a difference until he addresses the root cause of his problems. Sounds to me like he might be well advised to seek psychological counseling for these issues. It's not too late to address, if this is the case.</p>
<p>I don't know if I could go as far to say that he has any serious learning disabilities, but I did not mean to seem as though he is incapable of learning. This semester, he is doing much better--all A's (lit/psych classes) and one C (orgo). Perhaps he is improving, but let me just state that he had failed about 3 science classes and is retaking them (ie. second time around with orgo and getting a C this time). His grades look much better this semester, but they are non-science classes, and he seems to be a dollar short and a day late to speak so frankly.</p>
<p>I appreciate the helpful suggestions, but let's leave the unnecessary comments (ie. "Would anyone here like to know that their pharmacist - who is dispensing potentially life-affecting chemicals - got mostly "C's, D's and F's" in science courses?") void from this thread. It is neither the time nor place to be bringing negative comments like that here.</p>
<p>I will have to explain potential options for him, because as of now, it looks like a career as a pharmacist is not going to happen.</p>
<p>No offense KRabble88, but all you can do as a friend is to be supportive. He alone will have to decide what path to follow.</p>
<p>I think it is important to discover what exactly he liked about pharmacy. Since he probably won't get into any pharmacy schools, maybe some other careers would have those same qualities that made pharmacy appeal to him in the first place.</p>
<p>If he enjoys the counseling and patient contact aspect, maybe he could even go on to get a masters degree in counseling.</p>
<p>If he wanted to own his own business, he could still buy a pharmacy and be the manager. You just have to have a pharmacist on the premesis during business hours. He may like to find management opportunities in a big retail store or in pharmaceutical sales or in medical insurance companies.</p>
<p>He could find work as a pharmacy tech, but a degree is not required and the hourly wage would probably be unsatisfactory.</p>
<p>You are a good friend to try to help, but the time has come for your friend to help himself.</p>