Choosing to become a pharmacist or a pharmacist’s technician is the first step you can take to make sure that you will have a fun and exciting career. While counting pills and filling prescriptions might now sound very interesting, consider the many benefits that come with this profession. On a daily basis you will meet many new people. And all of these people will each have different needs and different personalities. In addition you’ll also be helping people every single day. Now, if that’s not exciting, what is?
Getting into pharmacy school can also be as exciting as you want it to be! Students generally need to study for four years in an undergraduate program before applying to the pharmacy school of their choice. During the undergraduate years, you will be able to choose whichever major most interests you. In addition to the major of course, certain science and interpersonal courses are required. But you can still focus on something such as business admin., a creative arts program, or another area of interest. While you’ll still be preparing yourself for pharmacy school, you’ll also be able to learn about something else that you love! And some of these courses, such as business admin. can also greatly help you in your career as a pharmacist.
Each pharmacy school will have different courses that are prerequisites for that particular school. Because of this you will need to do all your research and make sure that you fully understand what each eligible school requires. However generally speaking, the prerequisite undergraduate courses are often very similar, even for different schools. The most common of these courses required by pharmacy schools are: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Biology, English, Public Speaking, Calculus, Economics, and electives in Humanities as well as Social and Behavioral Science.
In addition to the different school courses that you will be required to take, there are also other things that you can do to increase your chances of being accepted into pharmacy school. These are things that may not be required but will definitely look great on your application! Starting as early as your sophomore year, you can begin talking to pharmacists and learning about the world of pharmacy. Not only will this educate you in the real-life world of pharmacy work but it will also give you an idea of who you want to write your recommendation letters. Not only pharmacists, but also people such as your professors or your dean can also write these recommendation letters. During your sophomore year you should also begin to learn as much as you can about different pharmacy schools. Attending open houses, visiting the websites of different pharmacy schools, and speaking to admissions offices will be a great help when it comes time to apply to pharmacy school!
During your junior year, you should focus on completing your courses and becoming directly involved in the world of pharmacy work. Firstly, make sure that you will have completed all of your prerequisite courses by the September of the year you wish to begin pharmacy school. Next, find a pharmacy setting that you would like to begin working in. This can be a pharmacy, a hospital, a medical center, or another pharmacy setting. In addition to doing these things you should also be collecting pharmacy school applications. These applications will fill you in as to when specific deadlines are and what a particular school will require of you before you apply. It is also during your junior year that you can begin requesting the letters of recommendation that you thought about the year before.
Of course, your senior year will be a time to put most of your focus on getting into pharmacy school. This is the time that you should start handing in your pharmacy school applications. Once the different pharmacy schools have received your application, they may also conduct interviews. The senior year is the perfect time to start talking to current and former students of the school so that you can better prepare yourself for these interviews. The important thing is not to get nervous. This is simply the time to express your love of all things pharmacy! This way, pharmacy schools will know that they are not only accepting someone who’s well educated, but also someone who is passionate about the field!
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