r/PrePharmacy

I am going into my second year of prerequisites, and will apply to pharmacy schools in a few months!

I finished first year with 86% cumulative average. If I try hard enough I might be able to get it up to 89% but that is unlikely(tho I don’t think it’ll go down either)

I have over 3000+ hours of working as a pharmacy assistant. I have around a year of hospital volunteering, but that’s as far as my extracurricular goes.

My dream school is University of Waterloo, but I am also applying to UofT. A bonus question I have is; has anyone from Canada applied for a pharmD program in the US? If so, which one and what prerequisites did you have?

It would be greatly appreciated if I could have some insight:D

I’m a Chemistry major and apparently my major fulfills a lot of prerequisite of my city’s Pharmacy Schools. I also got into my college’s Pre Health Program, is getting into Pharmacy School post bachelor’s still a thing? Or do you have to always start fresh outta high school.

I plan on applying for fall 2027. Right now I have a gpa of 3.5 but I have to retake Orgo 1 and still have to take Orgo 2 and will finish with my bachelors in biology. I currently work at Walgreens as a pharmacy tech, currently working on getting immunization certified. I have worked there for 2 years and by the time pharmacy school comes it’ll be 3 years. I run track in college as well (don’t know if that’ll help any). I should be getting really good letter of rec from pharmacist and my head pharmacy tech. Do you think I need to get any research or any other extra circulars in? I plan to apply to u of M, Wayne state, UNC, Arkansas, and SIUE.

So I have a low gpa around a 2.78 right now. I don’t have retail pharm experience or a technician license. I do work in a doctor’s office and have 100+ clinical volunteering hours in a hospital. I do possibly have the work experience for it, however I’m worried my gpa will hold me back.

I know most people hate this question but what are my chances of being admitted?

My CGPA is between 2.0 and 2.5 (had some things happened which I’ll explain in the application), while my Science/Prereq GPA is a 3.4. I’m mostly worried that my cumulative GPA will stop me from being admitted.

I have a bachelor degree.
I’ve been a tech for 9 years (with IV/hospital experience, behavioral health experience, and of course retail)

Also the school I’m going for is where I went during undergrad.

I’m looking to apply to UGA and Howard. They don’t seem to have a certain time limit of a class/credit ‘expiring’.

I have the opportunity to do a career change and am debating between pharmacy vs nursing. I hear/read the cons of both all the time, but I’m interested in hearing pros for pharmacy? If i go this route, i plan to do PGY1 and 2!

I’m a high school senior, so i’m not yet committed to any colleges. I’m planning on doing a pre-pharmacy program and than continuing to get my doctorate. I likely will also do a few years of residency, as I want to work in a hospital setting. Anyways, i’m very intrested in the research aspect of pharmacology and i’m wondering if there’s any specific ways which I can get more involved in it. I know there are combined Phd programs but i’m not sure I could handle that much work. I’m likely going to go to college in NY, and i’m not sure if any specific universities are more research based. Would love an honest opinion, if i’m being unreasonable especially.

Hey everyone, I'm a rising junior in Virginia and my goal is to get into a Pharmacy 0-6 program. I've been doing a lot of research, but I'd love some outside perspectives on my application and a realistic college list.

I'm planning to apply to programs like:

• VCU
• Shenandoah University
• Duquesne
• St. John's University
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS)
• Ohio State University
• Rutgers ernest mario
• UVA
• UCONN
• UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

My plan is to either go the 0-6 route or do a traditional undergrad pre-pharm track and apply to a pharmacy school later.

Here’s my profile. Please be honest and let me know what my strengths and weaknesses are.

Demographics:

• Race: Black/African American (F)
• Residence: Virginia
• Type of School: Large, competitive public high school
• Hooks: URM

Academics:

• GPA: My HS GPA is 4.013 (Weighted). My HS actual GPA is not listed on this transcript, but my weighted is 4.013.
• Rank: Top 25% (75th percentile). I know this is a weak point for such a competitive program, but I'm hoping to bring it up!
• Class Load (Junior Year):
  • AP Biology
  • AP English Language
  • APUSH (AP US History)
  • Algebra 2
  • Anatomy & Physiology (or AP Environmental Science - I haven't decided yet)
  • Symphonic Band
  • AP Psychology

High School Transcript Summary (So Far):

• Freshman Year:
  • English 9 (A)
  • World History/Geo I (B+ - Weighted)
  • Algebra I (B+ - Weighted)
  • Adv Biology I (A - Weighted)
  • French II (A)
  • HPE I (A)
  • Concert Band (A)
• Sophomore Year (Current):
  • Adv English 10 (A - Weighted)
  • AP World History (A - Weighted)
  • Geometry (A)
  • Chemistry I (A)
  • French III (A)
  • HPE II (A)
  • Marching Band (A - .5 credit)

Testing:

• I haven't taken the SAT/ACT yet, but I'm planning to take them in the fall. What score should I be aiming for to be competitive for these 0-6 programs?

Extracurriculars:

• This is where I need the most help. What should I be doing this summer and junior year?
• Band: Marching Band and Concert Band. I've been dedicated to this, but I know I need more pharmacy/medical-related activities.
• Planning: I'm looking for pharmacy-related volunteer opportunities, shadowing, or a job as a pharmacy technician. Any advice on how to land these? But I do have a research opportunity with vcu prof its going pretty well.
• School Clubs: I haven't joined many yet. Should I focus on HOSA, Science National Honor Society, etc.?

I was accepted to an accelerated 3 year program but the 2024 NAPLEX first time taking pass rate is 66.7% and the MPJE is 66.7%. A little concerned of the pass rates so I’m thinking of not doing this program and pivoting to something completely different

update: the 2025 passing rate is 80.4%, and MPJE is 80%

I plan to apply to pharmacy school this upcoming cycle. I have a bachelor’s degree in Public Health with a 3.17 GPA, was a microbiology teaching assistant, and have worked as a certified pharmacy technician for two years. What are my chances of getting accepted, and what can I do to make my application stronger before I apply?

soooo ill keep it short, i am a 21 year old certified pharmacy technician who became certified in april of this year, I have been in pharmacy the last 2 years going on three in august, I have a passion for the field , I want to become a pharmacist one day but have no idea how to go about it as I went to college and got a bachelors in business administration and management and graduated back in december 2025. I have been told I can complete the pre-reqs needed first before applying for any school but can anyone shed light on the route to take ? I know pharmacy school is expensive as I have been told by many pharmacists but its something I really can see myself doing career wise. what can I do to pursue this ? advice is appreciated please. Any tuition help suggestions or places i can do my pre-reqs also is appreciated, I have did research but its confusing.

Going to take admission in a pharmacy college .

Actually wanted to pursue d pharmacy saw some carrier like I can open my own medical store ,can do MR job as well .is this the right thinking or am I going wrong .

Give me some suggestions please

Planning to apply for the 2027 cycle, I have a good GPA but basically no experience at all. I was lucky enough to get 3 letter of recs from professors, but that’s about it. I’m planning to apply to UofA, Midwestern, UofF, and Creighton, but I feel like I need to more. Any suggestions on what to do?

Hello everyone.
I’d like to ask for pharmacy students here if it’s possible to work full time while at pharmD program? I plan on taking online/hybrid pathway program just to keep my job :(
I can’t quit bc no one would support me financially.

TYIA for all the responses!

Hey everyone! I am currently doing my prerequisites and am doing well through 3 semesters with them. They dont seem easy and they dont seem hard but I was wondering are there any older people who decided to pursue pharmacy at a later age like me. What are your experiences? I dont think I could do such intense schooling in my 20's as I was wild lol... any drawbacks at getting a late start in this profession?

Hello! I’m an incoming senior in college planning to apply to pharmacy schools in California next summer (2027) ( also from California)

I started off college super rough so it tanked my GPA and it’s been a pain trying to raise it. I’m finally at a borderline 2.9 and plan to be at a 3.0 by the time I graduate ( fall 27). I know it’s kind of low academically and that it will probably be lower on PHARMCAS since they average retakes and stuff. I plan on retaking a few lower grade courses to see if it would help.

I do have a lot of extracurriculars
Research: using HPLC on pharmaceutical analysis from drugs from third world countries, I also plan on being on it till I graduate and already received an award for it by first time being on the project
Internship/research: with my OCHEM professor analyzing the absorbance of herbs on topical oils using IR. Also helping with his small business making natural products. We also are going to be using HPLC to look at proteins
Work full time at Amazon as well as on campus at our nursing college: doing tours , proctoring TEAS , helping giving nursing students supplies and such. ( I am financially independent so I have no choice)
I have interned/volunteered at a pharmacy: checking expiration dates on meds , shadowed pharm techs and a pharmacist
Social media manager for my pharmacy club , also got promoted to Vice president which I will be until I graduate

I also plan on getting my tech license by the end of this year to gain more experience and build my knowledge in the field. I’m very passionate about chemistry and science and how it applies to people and I’ve been very doubtful about myself.

I would love to hear anyone’s experience about pharmacy school about acceptances and such as well as advice as what would help me become a stronger applicant! Also for essays and personal statements!

I'm wondering whether it would be better to apply priority or regular for this upcoming cycle. At the moment the only pharmacy school I'm considering applying to is Texas A&M, which requires all material in by October for priority, and by February for Regular.

The biggest factor for me would be recommendation letters and extracurriculars. I am hopefully planning on getting a job in pharmacy and beginning research with a professor this semester, and these are things I would like to put on my application. Additionally, from these two things I would like to get at least one recommendation letter out of it, either from the pharmacist or the professor for which I'm doing research with.

The problem is that all of these things require more than the three months from when the semester starts to when the application is due.

If I were to submit priority, I would have to settle for generic rec letters from my professors from last semester, and go without having those additional extracurriculars (and would likely submit late December).

I'm wondering if it's worth sacrificing these things for the priority application as there are more seats available.

For additional context, I'm entering my sophmore year of college this semester and plan on only finishing prerequisites before entering. Also, I've been in contact with the professor I want to do research with since october in my freshman year.

Edit: Also, since TAMU has two campuses I'm hoping that if I apply early I'll be able to get the one I want. But that obviously doesn't matter if I can't get into the school in the first place.

Hi, I have about 11% vision and I’m considering studying Pharmacy in Germany, with the goal of working in research or the pharmaceutical industry rather than a public pharmacy.

Is this realistic? Any experience or advice?

How is everyone paying for school? My estimated tuition is around 79k a year and i’m almost capped at my aid. I’m waiting to get my full financial aid package but i believe fasfa said around 20k and ive received two scholarships totaling around 10k per year. I’m very worried my credit score is extremely low because of previous school loans as I already have my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I have my mom as a co-signer but her credit MIGHT be in the 600s , mine is around 533-560 depending on the app. I’m worried about being denied without and with a co-signer. What private loans take bad credit????

THIS IS NOT A SPACE TO CRITICIZE MY SCHOOL CHOICE, INTREST IN PHARMACY OR FINANCIAL SITUATION.

edit: everyone is too comfortable behind this app as if I won’t beat your ass in REAL LIFE , STOP COMMENTING BS ON MY POST !! IF YOU ARENT COMMENTING A LIST A PRIVATE LOANS OR SCHOLARSHIP/GRANT OPPORTUNITIES DONT TYPE SHIT.

THX

Hey all, utterly clueless and wondering if you all could help me out here with some advice.

A little about me: I’m a graduate with a BS in Computer Science. I’ve worked for several months in a software development job and decided it’s not for me.

Two questions:

1. I’m considering going pre pharmacy because going medical does sound like good and practical knowledge to have, I like the idea of doing work that tangibly helps others, and I hear that working as a pharmacist is meaningful and gives you a good work/life balance. I’ve heard though that pharmacy is not a field to get into unless you’re extremely passionate about it, is this true and if so what would be good alternatives?
2. I’ve looked into online pre pharm degrees/programs because I’d rather not relocate from where I am and I’ve been considering South College’s online AS in Health Science (Pre-Pharm) because of its accreditation and incredibly cheap tuition, but after doing some research some people make it sound like I’d be signing on with the devil himself. Are there better, similarly-priced alternatives or am I worrying too much about this?

Thank you all for reading, any guidance you can offer will be greatly appreciated