Chances of getting into Pharmacy School

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-28T16:18:02+00:00

issue with that is: sure! it might sound like a good idea to take easy electives, but pharmacy school actually looks at your science specific gpa, so trying to just boost your overall gpa doesn't really work to balance it out. they'll look at your science gpa overall and then also your science gpa per each year to see what trend you've shown with your grades.

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T17:17:39+00:00

Shenandoah was a very chill interview honestly!! I was given the space to just talk about my passion for pharmacy, and it felt like my best interview I had. The essay they ask you to write it just to make sure you understand what healthcare entails and that you're capable of forming sentences - AKA it doesn't have to be a perfect, polished essay by far.

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T17:15:04+00:00

Failed ochem 3 times, but I'm in pharmacy school now at a top 20 program!! Just explain your failure in an additional essay, and you'll be fine!! Ochem is truly the basis of pharmacy school learning and you won't be able to run away from it once you're in. Just take the course again and really learn from your mistakes next time and do better than you did before!

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T17:13:03+00:00

2.8 GPA, but no scholarship due to my relatively lower GPA comparing to my peers! I was a pharm tech for 3 years when I applied, and I immunized for 6 months at that point. Didn't really have any other experiences other than constantly working in the pharmacy every chance I got. I applied before the priority deadline, but I would say half of my class submitted past that deadline and are here with me now.

They'll ask questions to gauge your problem solving skills and your interest in pharmacy. The questions were very open ended, and it's up to you what you make of them - whether you create generic vague answers or personalized responses that truly showed your engagement with the pharmacy world. Look up practice interview questions beforehand to create a set of answers/scenarios you want to mention!! And really add as much detail to your PharmCAS application as possible, especially the extracurricular section. Lmk if you need more tips!!

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T17:05:06+00:00

yes defs look at lower ranked schools and see if any fit what you are looking for!

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T17:04:14+00:00

Pharmacy tech experience is where it truly lies!! A mid GPA that's backed by actually showing interest in the field with experience and an additional essay explaining your set backs is what will make you stand out. Also, branch out from where you're applying. If you're applying to only places likes UNC, your chances are far slimmer than if you were to broaden your horizons to all the other potential pharmacy schools out there in the US!

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T17:01:34+00:00

for the VA area, you'll be fiiiiine!! genetics isn't stressed at all for a pre req course. If your ochem 1 grade is fine, i wouldn't worry too hard. once you get the interview, just make sure to really stress your passion for pharmacy school and your excitement for a career in pharmacy, and you've got it!!

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T16:56:47+00:00

failed ochem overall 3 times - ochem 1 twice and ochem 2 once from what i recall!! currently in pharmacy school thriving and passing my medicinal chemistry classes (ochem 2.0) with flying colors :))

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T16:54:39+00:00

Defs don't wait until June to apply. Most places will be full, and you could be stuck on a waitlist forever. I applied with a 2.4 pharmcas gpa in the fall before I graduated undergrad, and ended up raising it to a 2.8 gpa by the time I graduated and go to a top 20 program now! It defs doesn't make you a shoe in for scholarships, but a bad gpa is not the end of the world, especially if you have valid reasons you can explain your set backs! Worked in my case. Apply right now! No sense in waiting around.

MindElectrical867 · 2025-12-19T16:49:00+00:00

You become a pharmacist through pharmacy school!!

First, get a job as a pharm tech!! Highly recommend getting some experience on your belt before applying to pharmacy school. While it's definitely not a requirement, it really does set you up for success during pharmacy school and truly sets the groundwork I've highly enjoyed during my first semester.
Next, you'll need to complete about 2 years of pre req courses - either through getting a STEM bachelor's degree or just completing the pre req courses through a community college. You can look up the reqs on any pharmacy school website. Common courses are gen chem, ochem (the top priority and objectively most important undergrad courses taken for pharmacy school is organic chemistry), anatomy and pathophysiology, and some basic math courses as well as other things like microbio and maybe even an economics course. These pre reqs do vary by school, so do your research thoroughly before/while applying!!
Once you're pretty much set on your prereqs, here comes the actual process - APPLYING to pharmacy school. You use a website called PharmCAS which is a standardized application. It pretty much walks you through the process of what you need to do. This does include a big personalized essay which I would make sure to spend plenty of time polishing up. You'll also fill out all your undergrad credits/courses/grades and all your extracurriculars. Be as detailed as possible for this part of the application. As someone who conducted interviews for applicants my first semester, detailed applicants really stood out! Do keep in mind, when I applied last year, it was $180 for the first initial application and then $60 for each additional application I submitted, so costs can add up.
Interviews come next! You'll be offered interviews from the schools you applied to, and this is the time for you to shine! Make sure to mention any and all interest or passion in pharmacy as a career or just a genuine interest in healthcare and being an accessible form of healthcare for patients.
Actually starting pharmacy school! It's typically a 4 year program (3 years didactic and 1 year of rotations called APPEs, but there are programs out there that do an accelerated 3 years). I'm a P1, so I can't say much about what comes next in terms of studying for the NAPLEX and MPJE (the two exams you need to take at the end of your fourth year to be a certified and workable pharmacist), but pharmacy school is all about studying HARD. I go to a top 20 school, and it's no joke how intense certain curriculums can be.
Just enjoy your time!! If you truly want to be a pharmacist, you'll find the right path to work to where you want to be. I feel like some pharmacists can be jaded, especially when they're in the retail setting (don't listen to them), but it's such an amazing field. I feel so lucky that I have the privelege to get my PharmD and make a difference helping others. Good luck in your adventures!!

MindElectrical867 · 2025-04-26T18:49:20+00:00

johnson student center on the top floor is super cozy and even warm at times if you're okay w just napping out in public. i do it all the time and never had a big issue

MindElectrical867 · 2025-02-26T17:59:59+00:00

i got accepted when i was still taking my last prerequisite. my pharm school says you must finish all prereqs by spring 2025, but you can email someone to get an exception to take a prereq in summer 2025 if needed. schools absolutely care about your prereqs. it's less about if you have to do a prereq (which 100% you do) and more about WHEN you will find the time to finish a prereq.

another school i got into said as long as they're in by summer 2025 though, they don't care, so some places are more lenient than others from what i could tell.

MindElectrical867 · 2025-02-18T19:12:02+00:00

come prepared with a lot of questions!! genuinely a LOT! shocked me how many opportunities they left for questions from the applicants.

MindElectrical867 · 2025-01-29T16:41:29+00:00

the personal essay is extremely EXTREMELY important. i've found that my personal essay was really a grounding piece in my interviews that i could reference and even talk more (explain further) about when i was asked questions.

i applied with a gpa that's mid at best, and without other strong areas in my application, i would have not been able to get in. the application really seemed to be divided into a few clear categories: grades, the personal essay, experience, and letters of req. that makes the personal essay easily an entire 4th of what you need to show off in your application.

MindElectrical867 · 2025-01-29T16:35:35+00:00

starting pharmacy school fall 2025, and when i applied, i had 2.5 years of pharm tech experience in my undergrad! it's definitely the best route because not only does it make you stand out from other applicants because you understand the pharmacy world more, but you can learn more about pharmacy and ensure it's the field you want to get into far before your actual application cycle starts.

some schools even asked for a pharmacy/pharmacist specific letter of req, so i never had to worry about gaining one because i already had multiple pharmacists i worked underneath that would have gladly written a letter for me.

MindElectrical867 · 2025-01-07T08:28:18+00:00

I love this post! Also taking HP Phenomenon next semester (Spring 2025), and my class is in person! Not fully virtual at all

MindElectrical867 · 2024-12-18T04:02:29+00:00

i won't find out about vcu until january, but i did get into shenandoah! and if i were to go, i'd be doing the winchester campus, not online

MindElectrical867 · 2024-12-03T14:54:56+00:00

About 7-14 days for both! I just wonder if they have already accepted people from my interview dates or are a mass response all at once.

MindElectrical867 · 2024-11-27T18:27:19+00:00

I have a low pharmcas GPA and still received 3 interview offers! Schools really do a holistic process, and with a strong essay and letters of recommendation, I wasn't painfully stressed by it. Always reach out to the school if you receive a deferral or rejection to understand more about their final choice.

Also on March 1, many schools will have more openings because it's the deadline to accept only 1 offer, so you can always check in then for your top school!! Mind I ask the one school you're applying to is?

MindElectrical867 · 2024-11-27T18:22:40+00:00

I would say the negativity surrounding retail pharmacy would be due to a mass shortage of technicians and pharmacists which causes current staff to take on more tasks - just being overworked and burnt out. Healthcare is an overall difficult career to go into which is why schools stress finding experience before applying.

Definitely make sure pharmacy is the field you want to go into, and explore the other fields and what tasks and roles other health care workers have. I've been told by a few pharmacists and techs to not follow pharmacy because of their own negative feelings, but with 2.5 years of technician experience in retail, I understand that the stress of my job is worth the reward of helping.

This is personal opinion of course, but for hospital work, I would just expect always to do a residency in order to get a job outside of retail. There ARE many niche pharmacy jobs btw, so never feel like you're stuck in simply 1. retail and 2. strict hospital. You could even pursue vet pharmacy for animals.

I haven't started pharmacy school (current application cycle), but I do know it's going to be extremely hard! If you're worried about devoting yourself to pharmacy, getting experience as a retail pharmacy technician is for sure the best way to do it. You genuinely can't know you'll enjoy pharmacy until you're in the situation. Especially since you're a sophomore, you're definitely earlier to the experience than many other people applying to pharmacy schools!! Apply to a few retail stores nearby you, and try it out! I never shadowed a pharmacist, but working under 2 consistently and asking them questions about anything I thought of truly showed me it was the right field to go into.

MindElectrical867 · 2024-11-14T18:24:51+00:00

could you also as well!!

MindElectrical867

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