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Mature/older Students Into Pharmacy School?


akumar39

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This is more of a stupid question that is not really a deal breaker, but I am very curious and your contribution can help.  

 

From experience, is it common seeing mature/older students in pharmacy school? I have heard of great inspirational stories from those in med school and dentistry about how there are many older students that enter the school at a later age or how the average age is increasing. 

I am asking because, truthfully, pharm wasn't my #1 option although I have started with wanting to do pharmacy as a kid from family influence. But I wanted to look more into med/dent based on my volunteering experience, grades and influence of them on me in my later years. But I am starting to get worried now about my shot at getting into both schools as I am already going to be 2 years out of school as I have to reapply this coming cycle again. I am thinking about applying to pharmacy now with them as I feel some satisfaction now about giving everything my shot. However I feel dismayed because of how much time I wasted and could've got out to pharm school after 2nd or 3rd year, so it feels like a set back to me - not career wise but time wise. I am getting conscious about my age now especially because I could be classes with students out of 2nd year under grad. 

 

I am wondering if age thing this is just as normal as other professional schools or I will be a major stand out and have hard time making friends in the class. Again, this is not really a deal breaker, so dont think that this will decide my future lol. I just would like to expect every thing. 

 

Thanks. 

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Great question Akumar39. 

 

There can be quite a mix of students in Pharmacy school. It really depends on the program being offered. For example, the UBC PharmD program often has people that already have an undergraduate degree! This program is entered after 2nd year (at best), however, everyone travels their own path. 

 

It can be stressful and self-defeating when you consider your age, where you could be (if everything was perfect), and the ages of others that are in the program you are interested in (usually we focus on the younger ages). Remember that this is YOUR life journey. You may not be the youngest in the class, but you also probably aren't the lowest on life experience either :)  We (N.America) tend to measure success on superficial or comparative things, such as salary, age, job; these are not really what measures success. Who you are, your experience, skills, heart, etc. etc., those are where success can come from. Sure, there might be a few MD's who are 23-25 (youngest you could be), however they have to get the life experience that you already have! 

 

There is always a trade-off. You are doing well for yourself. Love your successes, learn from your defeats, compare yourself to your old self (not others).  

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Great question Akumar39. 

 

There can be quite a mix of students in Pharmacy school. It really depends on the program being offered. For example, the UBC PharmD program often has people that already have an undergraduate degree! This program is entered after 2nd year (at best), however, everyone travels their own path. 

 

It can be stressful and self-defeating when you consider your age, where you could be (if everything was perfect), and the ages of others that are in the program you are interested in (usually we focus on the younger ages). Remember that this is YOUR life journey. You may not be the youngest in the class, but you also probably aren't the lowest on life experience either :)  We (N.America) tend to measure success on superficial or comparative things, such as salary, age, job; these are not really what measures success. Who you are, your experience, skills, heart, etc. etc., those are where success can come from. Sure, there might be a few MD's who are 23-25 (youngest you could be), however they have to get the life experience that you already have! 

 

There is always a trade-off. You are doing well for yourself. Love your successes, learn from your defeats, compare yourself to your old self (not others).  

Love this. Some times you need to hear it from some one else to make sure you arent going nuts lol. 

Thanks for your time commenting :) 

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Love this. Some times you need to hear it from some one else to make sure you arent going nuts lol. 

Thanks for your time commenting :)

 

Thank you. Hahaha I had to hear it quite a lot and read it in multiple places to see it. 

 

You are more than welcome! Make sure to post more here if you ever want to ask questions or express your thoughts. Many people go through similar struggles yet carry the same desire to play a role in the healthcare field. :) 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I think your question is very founded and not stupid at all! I agree that we tend to see more of the inspirational journeys of "mature" students entering med and dent, but I still think the same type of stories would apply to pharm as well. In my class, we have a few "mature" students; I would say 5-10 on around 160. These include people with postgrad degrees (mostly Master's, one PhD), parents, and an MD. Your life experience as a "mature" student would definitely come into play in your rotations - I'd argue even in community pharmacy - as it would in medical or dent rotations.

 

A prof once talked to us about her entire schooling (postdocs and more) and showed us her professional timeline. Despite spending maybe 15+ years in undergrad and beyond, she expects her career to go on for a total of at least 25+ years. So if ever you may feel like you've started a bit later than the rest, don't forget that, just like them, you have a whole (and long, maybe not as much as the youngsters who start off, but still well worthy) career ahead of you. Best of luck!

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I'm a non-traditional/considered mature student given my experiences and age comparatively.  I have BSc and MSc and plenty of pharmacy experience prior to even considering pharmacy.  I applied for med 5 times across my undergrad and after I graduated and I can say the experiences of not being accepted help a lot into putting in careful application for pharmacy.  You may not be the "top of the healthcare hierarchy" but it's no longer about that in patient-centered care. 

 

In my books, experience trumps everything.  What one applicant lacks in life experiences may be balanced out by grades and vice versa.  That's why professional schools care about well-roundedness over everything else. 

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