Hannah
Is it possible to get into a pharmacy school after a rough start in college ?
I've struggled with depression and kinda dented my gpa. I was wondering if it was possible to get into a pharmacy school if I retook classes and did well in them and also scored well on the Pcat #pharmacy
4 answers
Caroline V
Caroline’s Answer
Of course you can. You will need to do the enterence test which would than determine which classes you will be placed in.
Dianna Slater
Dianna’s Answer
Hello Future Pharmacists! :)
Of course! And depending on the PharmD program you apply to, they make take your best grade, your most recent grade, or an average of your grades. The amount of weight placed on the PCAT and your grades will differ between schools.
Of course grades and admission test scores matter, but those aren't the only factors for admission.
Are you participating in extracurricular activities? Do you have experience in Pharmacy? Do you have any professors, work supervisors, community service supervisors, etc., that can write you glowing letters of recommendation? Admissions committees may also consider the amount of experience you have in the world of pharmacy.
Although more competitive programs may put more weight on grades and PCAT scores because of the high number of applications they receive, and they can't possibly review each one in detail, your grades don't have to be perfect to get in to pharmacy school.
So don't be discouraged! PharmD programs often will look at the whole package.
Focus on your career goals and take the time to really learn the material relevant to your field, and you'll get there. The path to your end goal may not be the one you envisioned, but there's more than one path.
All the Best!
Dianna Slater, PharmD
Dinah Tadros
Dinah’s Answer
Anthony Petrello
Anthony’s Answer
In short, yes. To my understanding, right now (2022), there are significantly more seats in pharmacy school than those wanting to attend. For that reason, it is very likely you can still get into a pharmacy school with a “dented GPA.”
Additionally, pharmacy schools do not solely look at your GPA. Many students in pharmacy school do not have the most stellar undergrad GPA. However, they strengthen their application through other means such as participating in organizations, volunteering and working. Scoring well on the PCAT is another excellent way to boost your application. The truth is that being a good pharmacist has little to do with grades and more to do with your ability to interact with patients and other healthcare professionals and your ability to problem-solve. Pharmacy schools know this. Although grades are important, they are far from the only thing making and breaking someone on pharmacy school admittance.
I would suggest preparing to answer for some of your earlier struggles in undergrad if you attend pharmacy school interviews. Once you’re on interviews, I would not stress your grades too much. However, I would take the time to prepare a professional, realistic, justifiable response you are willing to share with the interviewers.
I would focus on making sure most of your grades are Bs and try to retake any classes for which you received less than a C, and then try and strengthen your application by the steps mentioned above.
Best of luck,
Anthony