Pharmacy then Medicine

[uw111]

Hey guys,

 

I have recently been accepted into Pharmacy. And I really want to be a doctor. I have a GPA of 78.6% after 5 yrs of undergrad. And my MCAT was 14 8 10 R. I know VR.....

 

I am conflicted, because I really want to do medicine, and I was thinking of applying to Medicine after finishing 2 years of pharmacy. As my understanding is that Pharmacy is an undergrad degree. I already have the notes for the next 2 years, as I know lots of people studying there right now. I know Pharmacy is hard, and its hard to get good grades. I know I can do well, and improve my marks to be 85% plus minus 2%. Retake my MCAT and focus on VR and then apply again and of course be prepared to answer why I want to switch over to medicine.

 

But is there anyone here who has done this already or know anyone who has done this. Or am I just making castles in the sky? and should apply outside Canada such as Australia and the Caribbean?

 

Or may be even think of getting a Masters to apply to Canadian Schools again. I only have one problem with a Masters, if of course does not mean an automatic admission into medical school provided MCAT requirements are met along with decent reference letters.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

[xi88]

Is pharmacy only 2 years? I thought it was 4 as well. If it is 4, you might have trouble applying in the middle of the program because although it is technically UG, it is professional program. You should look into that.

 

Applying outside Canada has 1 major problem. It will be extremely difficult to come back to Canada to practice. Check out the other forums for threads on this topic.

 

I'm not sure how your GPA transfers over to a 4.0 scale, but it doesnt seem too low, and your MCAT is not too bad either (its higher than mine ). Personally, I'd just keep trying for med. I have some friends who were in similar positions as you, and they worked full time for a year at a clinic, applied again, and got in.

[Jamer]

What pharmacy school did you get into? I could help more if it was U of A

 

I can tell you from talking to pharmacy students who are in it to become a pharmacist, your collegues will not like you for your decision. Using their program as a starting point for something you deem more important to you trivializes their program and some of them will potentially ostracize you if you make it too clear why you're in pharmacy.

 

That said, why did you do just ok in undergrad? Pharmacy is a very demanding program, especially in the later years, and unless you only did poorly because of a lack of effort, I wouldn't assume you'd be able to boost your grades through it.

 

If you really want med, you need to improve your grades, and pharmacy isn't the easiest way to do that. If you think you'd legitimately enjoy being a pharmacist, though, I say go for it.

[Halcyon]

Depends what province you are in and, also, convert your grades % to whatever GPA scale the med schools you want to apply to. Then, you can see how competitive you are.

 

Pharmacy isn't easy to get into, but only do the program if it's a career you want. That being said, it's an awesome career choice with plenty of options!

 

Good luck!

[Alex2]

Pharmacy to medecine is only good in Quebec province, because we have a grading system which looks if the program is hard.