In another thread I asked some opinions and got some good replies. I am posting a new thread because I know the stigma attached to opening dead threads. Anyhow, I made a decision this last week or so. Everything has been hectic, but I really affirmed my feelings that I would not like retail pharmacy. I dread going to work every day, worring about who is going to yell at me, or how backed up we are going to get, etc. It is just too much IMO. So instead of going for the PharmD, I figured I might as well go into a route that would lead me to research in a shorter period of time.
So I applied a few nearby colleges (KU, SMSU, MU), for a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry. I figured it would give me good options to get into a Pharmacology program if that is my desire should my grades be ok and I can get accepted into a Graduate program. I have 60 credit hours so far, so I only have 60 or so more to go, and almost all my credits transfer over. My GPA is only 3.54 right now, but I figure I can bring it up or at least keep it where it is. Might make it difficult to get into a good program, but oh well.
I also feel that having a B.S in Biochemistry would give me good options in finding a job if my GPA doesn’t allow for me to get into Grad School.
What do you all think? Good or bad decsion on my part? I know pharmacists make loads of money, but I am not going to destroy my will to live for some green paper.
Good decision if you’re happy and comfortable with it. Your GPA’s pretty good. Just keep it up and you’ll get into some grad program. Do really well and you can get into grad school with full financial support. I don’t know how much money pharmacists make (I never thought they made THAT much), but I do know that pharmacists are picking up a lot of the slack in the health care system by doing more than just filling scripts, such as working in preventive medicine. Unfortunately, pharmacists are also often the middleman between Rx payors and recipients. Good luck in your studies.
I have a friend who graduated from Pitt State (Kansas) with a degree in Biochemistry. He tried to get into medical school but his MCATS weren’t good enough. He’s got two jobs (one for the money, the other for the experience) both in his field, that get him by until he can take the tests again.
KU has a really good pharmacy school, I dont’ know about the others.
