# Crunch time! Choices about school must be made! Opinions please
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crunch-time-choices-about-school-must-be-made-opinions-please/279552
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [December 13, 2004, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crunch-time-choices-about-school-must-be-made-opinions-please/279552 "2004-12-13T04:59:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2004, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crunch-time-choices-about-school-must-be-made-opinions-please/279552/1 "2004-12-13T04:59:22Z")
Currently I am pursuing a career in Pharmacy. I have one more semester of Pre-requisites and have taken the PCAT. I will be applying to UMKC for the 2005 semester, and have completed most of the paperwork. All is good right?
Here is the deal though. Right now, before my grades for this semester are tallied up, I have a GPA of 3.55. Mind you, this is at a JR college, not some prestigous college. I am a bit ashamed of the grade, as the reasons for them were rather mostly poor decisions and a lack of focus. This semester is another of those bad choices. I will most likely get two B’s this semester which will drop my GPA even lower. Probably to a 3.48 or something (haven’t caculated it). I don’t think I did that great on the PCAT and don’t really feel that my GPA is going to support my low score in getting me into Pharmacy school.
So I am considering alternatives, in case I don’t get accepted. So far the only thing I can think of doing is getting a B.A or B.S in Biology, perhaps moving on to a masters, and getting a job as a Technical writer somewhere. I have also thought of getting a B.S (or eventually a masters), in Pharmecuetical sciences with the same goal: technical writing. I am not sure which path would give me greater flexability though. A Bachelors of Science in biology would give me a pretty broad field to play on, right? I could do research or writing in many fields I imagine. A B.S in Pharmaceutical sciences could get me a job as a technical writer as well, or working in a laboratory somewhere as well, but seems to lack the generalizing scope of a B.S in Biology.
So what are some opinions on this? Is my “back up” plan good? I know I won’t be making as much money as a Pharmacist, but if I cannot even get in the school, it is best not to consider this. Looking on [monster.com](http://monster.com) I see quite a few T.W jobs in both fields paying up to 35 dollars an hour, which is pretty good to work towards. (70k a year after 10 years experience compared to 70k right out of college, I know)
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2004, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crunch-time-choices-about-school-must-be-made-opinions-please/279552/2 "2004-12-13T10:19:03Z")
Can you not speak to the university about dropping back a year?
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### Author:  [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crunch-time-choices-about-school-must-be-made-opinions-please/279552/3 "2004-12-13T14:08:38Z")
Pharmacy school is a 5 year program. I am 27 this year, putting it back another year isn’t necessarily desirable. Not to mention the fact that it is pretty expensive already, going another year and taking unessary classes to prevent my student loans from needing to be paid off wouldn’t my choice direction. (would increase my GPA though, depending on what I take)
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crunch-time-choices-about-school-must-be-made-opinions-please/279552/4 "2004-12-15T21:18:21Z")
If you’re looking at $70K as a starting salary, what’s an extra $10K (pulling a figure out of my arse) in debts if you can muster the discipline?