Pharmacy students/pharmacists?

Question

Im curious what the hardest classes you are taking are, im guessing Chemistry for the most of you. Are classes hard once you get accepted in the school, ive heard the hardest part is getting accepted and after that the classes arent nearly that bad.

For the people that got accepted, what was your gpa? Im trying to keep mine as high as I can, around a 3.5 sometimes I have to drop classes that I have a borderline B in because im afriad ill get a B in it and my univerisity wont let you retake a class if you got a B in it. so if I drop it I retake it and I can get an A easier because I already took the class and did well.

Anyways im really curious about the people who already got in, if you had done anything special to help you get in. I have heard its good to work at a pharmacy as a tech, but I simply cant do it right now, with Chemistry I have like the hardest chem teacher ever, I study way more then I should have to for his class...

You didn't clarify if you were a current pharmacist, going to pharmacy school or in the process?

I am from the USA, Kentucky to be exact, so it sucks that there is only one school in the state. Im over half way through with pre-pharmacy, I would be further along but I had to work for awhile while going to school and trying to manage a social life..to an extent anyways.

I dont struggle to make A's in most classes, I did for a bit when I had to work 24 hours a week, plus I commute to school, was driving a total of like 12 hours a week to work and school exc. Since I quit work to focus on school I have only been driving about 6-7 hours a week.

But anyways I had heard from a # of people that prepharmacy and getting accepted was the hardest part, but most of these I have only heard from people that know pharmacist, so I figured id see if any were on here to tell m their experience.

Answer 1

dont kidd yourself!
Pharmacy is probably one of the hardest subjects (after medicine etc) that you could possibly take at college.

Think about this realisticly!
if you have to drop classes because your not getting a's then whats to say your capable of passing even your first year of college? Chemistry on the other hand, is probably one of the subjects that makes most sense! it has rules there are only certain ways that different atoms interact!

i dont know where your from sp maybe education sysytem is easier, but i would suggest you give this much thought.
From what i can tell your unbder alot of pressure alraedy.
ARE YOU PREPARED TO SUBJECT YOURSELF TO ANOTHER 4 YEARS OF THIS (irish college years).
and remember it does matter what your final grade is in college, so just passing wont do you any favours

Answer 2

The pharmacy classes are somewhat difficult, but they are not impossible. They make sure that almost everyone gets at least a C. There are a number of classes at my school that no one has ever failed since the inception of the PharmD program in the mid 80s.
I don't know what makes the admissions committee accept one person over another. Yes, PCAT and GPA are important; they will get you an interview, but that is it. They look at everything. They do not like to see a lot of dropped classes though. It looks bad.
Go to www.studentdoctor.net

Answer 3

Pharmacy in Canada is five years. The curriculum is full, extensive, heavy and exhausting; but people pass and graduate. One out of every three will not make it past the finish line and those are kids who finished high school in the ninety percentile. If you work hard you will pass. After graduation and getting a license you are subject to peer review anytime to make sure of continued competency.
I have been a pharmacist for many years and do practice clinical pharmacy now. I love what am doing and I am paid very well so I am happy with the effort and for what I got and still get for it in return.
Hope that helps.
I read what you added later. There is only one school of pharmacy in Ontario and it is in Toronto so some students go to Boston or Alberta to get in pharmacy. If you don't struggle to get A then you will pass and graduate. In the U.S. the curriculum is similar to ours up North and the degree is Pharm. D. I envy you.

Answer 4

oh man, i have so much to tell you!!! ok, first let me answer your questions. i just started my 3rd year of pharmacy school at university of cincinnati, which should be an option for you since you are in ky, after uk of course. my undergrad gpa was 3.68. my hardest pre-pharm class was gen chm, but it wasn't really hard, i just don't like general chemistry at all. personally, i do agree with what other people have told you, pre-pharmacy and getting accepted were slightly more difficult then the actual pharmacy program, at least at uc, but i would not argue with someone who felt differently. i have also heard that uk-pharm is more difficult than uc-pharm. what is really whacked is that at most medical professional schools (med, pharm, dent, etc.) the admission committee and their final decisions on who gets accepted makes absolutely no sense. i know people who have a 3.7 and don't get in when captain retardo has a 3.0 and gets in. it sucks but it's how it is. in the end the avg gpa for admission is usually between 3.5 and 3.6 for both uc and uk. in addition to gpa, they will specifically be looking at physics and o. chem grades (don't know why), your pcat score, your essays, and your interview. moving on... what concerns me is that you are dropping classes. i don't know where you go to school now but if those dropped classes show on your transcript, you will not get into any professional school, seriously, however i know at some schools the dropped class disappears from your transcript if you successfully take the class again. you need to look into this. what concerns me next is that you have not worked in a pharmacy. on uc's pharm website they specifically question any potential applicant's desire to pursue a career in pharmacy if they have not even worked in a pharmacy. they are going to pick the applicant with a 3.5 who works before someone who has a 3.5 and does not work. i don't mean to sound harsh, i'm just letting you know how it is. go to the link below for the q&a page for uc. see if uk has one like this too. you have to know that only around 1 in 5 (20%) of applicants actually get accepted to pharmacy school and that no other time has the competitiveness been higher than right now, thus you must stand out in some way, any way on your application and or your interview. you asked if i did anything special to get in. it's not going to be one thing that will get you in. you need to be an intelligent, well-rounded person who has a professional application with well-written essays. and if you earn an interview, you have to look and act professional (this is the one time in the acedemic world that being shy and nerdy will not pay off). good luck and if you want any more info let me know...

Answer 5

the hardest class for me was structure/activites relationships.

If you are struggling with General Chemistry, you might want to either get on the stick or seek other career options. You still have organic chemistry before you can even apply. Then you have biochemistry, the aforementioned SAR, pharmacokinetics, etc.