Are my grades good enough to apply to pharmacy school?

Question: I'm a Sophmore and I was planning on taking my PCAT this upcoming October 2011 and applying for pharmacy school. However I have doubts that my overall grades are not good enough to get me accepted. I have repeated 2 courses and recieved a B in both, I was wondering if I would be better off waiting until next summer to apply, yet I do not wish to waste a year floating around in ungrad only taking a few classes here and there if unneceassary. What should I do? Should I just take the risk and apply this year or should I wait it off another year?



Answer: What is your overall GPA and your math/science GPA? Those are two significant factors in determining your chances. What are your grades in the following courses:

Calculus
Bio
Gen Chem
Orgo

The above are the "core" classes that are very predictive of success and any committee will hope to see success from their applicants. With that info, I might be able to better assist you. Since you have already retaken a couple of the classes that you struggled with and completed then with a satisfactory grade, I'm guessing that applying this year would be plausible. Much will be determined by where you want to apply.

Good luck.

Question about the interview process

Question: Could you provide some insight into how the interview process works? Some schools say individual interviews conducted with faculty, some don't describe their process, some say that interviews are conducted with faculty, students, and/or by a committee of both. Will information usually accompany the offer to interview or does this vary by institution? Thanks so much for your incredibly helpful site.

Answer: I am aware of a multitude of different types of pharmacy school interviews. Initially, you should try to find out if it is open or closed file (for more information, you can review previous blog posts on this topic). In most cases, I have found that someone in the admissions office would be more than willing to assist and answer these types of questions. Trust me, a lot of people ask and you should not hesitate to call if you have questions.

You are correct that the way an interview is handled is very institution specific. At one school you might have a couple of interviews with staff and students and at another you you might only interview with an admissions director. Some interviews have a written component. In the end, ask the school for as much information as you need. If you are looking for specific school information and can't seem to get the answers you are looking for, perhaps we can help if we know where you are interviewing.

If you are interested in becoming a pharmacy technician,
here is a great place to start.


Good luck.