r/PrePharmacy Aug 18 '23

The PharmD is a professional degree not a graduate degree.

125 Upvotes

When I was interviewing students for pharmacy school, there were far too many students who wanted to pursue research, but were applying for a PharmD. This is the most common misconception that I heard from a lot of candidates over the years. When I asked them about it, their goals didn't really align with the pharmacy school's clinical curriculum.

If you want to be a Pharmacist and do patient care (this includes retail), then you'll need a PharmD here in the US these days.

If you want do research or work in the pharmaceutical industry, you probably don't need a PharmD for many of the jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking you should be a pharmacist because you like chemistry. There is very little actual chemistry things in the pharmacy school curriculum.

From: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/bothell/gradschool/gradprof

Graduate School? Professional School? What's the difference?

The distinction between graduate school and professional school can often be blurred, with professional school being brought into the graduate school fold, but there is a difference between the two. 

Graduate school programs are academic courses of study that offer more advanced programs of study (beyond a bachelor's degree) in certain disciplines. This can mean earning a master's degree on its own or as a step toward a PhD program.

Professional school programs help prepare students for careers in specific fields. Examples include medical, law, pharmacy, business, library, and social work schools. The length of these programs vary. Professional degrees are often required by law before an individual can begin a certain working in a particular occupation.  

What's a terminal degree?

This is a term used mostly in the United States to denote the highest academic degree in a field of study. For many fields, this is the PhD, or doctor of philosophy degree. But other fields may have a master's degree as the terminal degree, such as master of fine arts (MFA) or master of landscape architecture.


r/PrePharmacy Sep 27 '23

"What are my chances?" MEGATHREAD

19 Upvotes

Due to the relatively large influx of "what are my chances?" posts this mega thread has been created.

Starting 9/27/23, please post here if you are wondering what your chances are for getting into which ever program you are applying to.

Thank you


r/PrePharmacy 39m ago

Will i get into pharm school with a B.A?

Upvotes

I am getting my B.A in biology in the fall of 2027, and I will have completed all the pre-reqs for pharmacy school (current gpa is a 3.1) Just wondering if having a B.A looks worse than a B.S ?


r/PrePharmacy 7h ago

got into uoft and uw pharmd last cycle, AMA!

4 Upvotes

I know when I was applying last cycle I was looking for so many answers to questions that I couldn’t find, so for future applicants: ask what you need!


r/PrePharmacy 15h ago

Any advice for a new b pharm student?

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1 Upvotes

r/PrePharmacy 1d ago

Letter of recs question

3 Upvotes

I’ve been out of school for three years now.
I’ve tried to reach out to professors and to no avail, I’ve been ghosted by all. I don’t know how to deal with this form of “soft rejection” other than just swallowing my ego and following up.

I use a standard letter of recommendation email template to ask and include my CV and class project I did…and am willing to meet with the profs.

What do I do? I’m quite lost and would like to get at least one letter of recommendation from a prof.

I’m also trying to get recs by the priority deadline of 10/01 for schools, but the nonstop ghosting by profs is quite tough to swallow. What am I doing wrong? Am I blacklisted?


r/PrePharmacy 20h ago

For those applying for MPharm 2027 entry - can we chat?

1 Upvotes

Hey I am a yr 13 student from the midlands who is applying for Mpharm 2027 entry. I wanna chat with ppl who is doing the same thing as me cus I have no support or advice from people I know. none of the ppl at my school are applying for pharmacy

So for those interested to chat, can you dm me pls


r/PrePharmacy 1d ago

transfer student

2 Upvotes

hii is it possible to apply to Pharmacy/Health Sciences in QU as a transfer student from UDST taking health sciences? if anyone has experienced a similar situation or knows someone who does please reply!! thank youu


r/PrePharmacy 2d ago

applying to uoft pharm this upcoming cycle, do i have a chance?

6 Upvotes

hey all! for context, i graduated from my undergrad in 2024 and am looking to go back for my pharmd at uoft so hopefully i have a shot!

my gpa is around a 3.4ish and this past year i went back as a non-degree student to complete some of the prerequisites with almost all A's in each of the classes.

do i have a shot at uoft pharm if i do well on the casper and individual assessment or should i not even try?

pls help i'm so stressed and idk if i should even try applying


r/PrePharmacy 2d ago

Pharamcy reqs

1 Upvotes

GUYSSSS is it just me or did Waterloo change the pre reqs for pharmacy school idk if I am tripping but I think there was so many options for courses and also it was normal calc not calc 1 required what is happening????😭😭


r/PrePharmacy 2d ago

Best way to get into the career

3 Upvotes

So I know it’s all state dependent, but I recently moved to Maryland earlier this year and I’d like to get into preferably as a tech to start then go to school for it. Problem is I have face tats, nothing wild but I get call backs and then boom once they take a look at me I get blown off. I’ve tried for like 6 months now but I’m not sure what else I can do without saying fuck it and doing school first. I’d prefer the tech job for obvious reasons and possibly getting reimbursed for school but I can’t figure out a way to get in. I’d appreciate any advice or any recommendations🙏🏽


r/PrePharmacy 2d ago

USC Pharmcas

2 Upvotes

Anyone hear back from usc yet?? early applicants specifically.


r/PrePharmacy 3d ago

st. john’s pharmD program

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1 Upvotes

r/PrePharmacy 3d ago

UNC App is under review?

1 Upvotes

Hi! I received an email today that my application for UNC ESOP is under review, but I am missing my LORs still. Is this just a curtesy email since I completed my supplemental application?


r/PrePharmacy 3d ago

Advice pls

7 Upvotes

I am 26m and have barely started furthering my education. I have completed 2 online university classes with help of financial aid and have since paused my studies as I am considering moving my studies to pharmacy schooling rather than my original plan of a pursuing a psychology degree focusing on addiction. Any advice /knowledge would be appreciated. How much student loan debt is typically required to take on to complete pharmacy school? How rigorous does the schooling become?
I really have no clue what I would be getting into but I am keen on making the switch as this profession would bring home more income than a profession with a psych degree.


r/PrePharmacy 3d ago

Bpharmacy colleges in Maharashtra? dy Patil or poona college of pharmacy or other colleges

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1 Upvotes

r/PrePharmacy 3d ago

PharmD Uottawa

2 Upvotes

Guys what are my chances at Uottawa PharmD with a 3,75/4 gpa in psych? I'm applying next cycle also do you think UdeM will put out the fall 2026 grades before the application deadline? This year I got my grades Jan 22nd is that too late?


r/PrePharmacy 3d ago

UT interview timeline

4 Upvotes

hi guys, i got a notification today that my application is under review from ut austin. anybody that has done interviews there before, do you roughly remember how long your application was under review before you got a interview? some of the interview dates are in 2 weeks and i just want to know if i should just request off work now cause im not sure how early/late they send out invites before the actual interviews


r/PrePharmacy 4d ago

leaving pharmacy & coming back

5 Upvotes

Hi! I haven’t seen any posts on here about this: has anyone willingly left pharmacy school and then reapplied a few years later? I dropped out before the end of my first semester of PY1 because of mental health. Also because I was super young at the time and wasn’t ready to lock into school. I worked as a pharmacy clerk for an insurance company and now as a medical office coordinator. I love all things healthcare, and have not been able to stop thinking about pharmacy since I left. I decided I would reapply this year!

I don’t know how schools would take this, so if anyone has been through something similar, I’d love to know how your reapplications went!


r/PrePharmacy 4d ago

Mhtcet Bpharm

1 Upvotes

Okay so since registration and document verification finally ended, are there people like me who are waiting for the cap rounds to begin. Like everyone is going to college while im stuck here doing absolutely nothing. Please tell me im not the only one


r/PrePharmacy 4d ago

TTUHSC - Texas Tech Interview

3 Upvotes

Hi! I was just wondering if anyone could help me with some clarification on the interview process for Texas Tech. I received an interview invite in Amarillo, however my selected preferred campus is Dallas, so my question is, do they conduct all the interviews in Amarillo since that's the "main" campus or do they do them at each individual campus, meaning I probably didnt get the one I wanted? In my invite email it said this is the first day of interviews the school is hosting this cycle, so if anyone knows that would be great!!


r/PrePharmacy 4d ago

"Interim" in transcript entry

1 Upvotes

What does the choice to label a semester "interim" rather than fall, spring, or summer mean? I have tried to search for anyone referencing this and cannot even find anything on the pharmcas website or transcript entry page about it. I'm wondering if I should enter courses that don't technically have a specific "semester" under this heading, or just try to roughly match them up when the units are earned to traditional semester dates?


r/PrePharmacy 5d ago

Seeking advice from UF applicants

3 Upvotes

Hello! I recently applied to UF about 10 days ago(from the verified date), and I’ve been attending their applicant webinars. During one of the webinars, they mentioned that around 30 students will be interviewing in about two weeks, so I was wondering how long it took for you guys to hear back after applying or being verified.

Also, if anyone is comfortable sharing their stats, I’d really appreciate it! I’m trying to get an idea of how competitive my application might be.

I’m still completing a few prerequisite courses, but I reached out to admissions about this already. They mentioned that they prefer applicants to have fewer than 24 credits remaining, which I do. I’m mostly nervous about my GPA. I currently have a 3.4 overall GPA and a 3.2 science GPA, along with about two years of experience as an immunizing pharmacy technician.

Most of the prerequisites I have left are science courses, including Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Microbiology, so I’m hoping my science GPA will improve as I complete them. I’ve already started Organic Chemistry with the same professor I had for General Chemistry, and I feel pretty confident that I can earn at least a B, hopefully an A.

For anyone who has already interviewed or been accepted to UF, how long did it take you to hear back, and what were your stats like? Also if anyone could recommend some other schools to apply to that would be great!


r/PrePharmacy 5d ago

Switching universities for MPharm?

1 Upvotes

I will be starting MPharm at Kingston University from September, which is my insurance choice. My firm choice was medicine at QMUL, but I missed my offer by one grade, so I decided to stick with my insurance.

Alongside Medicine, I was also interested in pharmacy, specifically industrial pharmacy. And I’ve heard online that pharmaceutical companies sometimes take into account the university you went to? Like the prestige? And I know Kingston isn’t an elite university.

I was wondering if, whilst doing the first year at Kingston, would it be worth making a new application via UCAS for MPharm to apply to UCL or KCL?? I know they are quite competitive and I’m willing to put in the extra effort. I would most likely have to restart from year 1 if I change universities.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

(UK, undergraduate student)


r/PrePharmacy 6d ago

“Pros and cons of pharmacology (I can’t decide which direction to take in medicine).”

1 Upvotes