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Pre-Pharmacy is NOT a major and there is no "correct" major to pursue Pharmacy School. While most students major in a science area like biology, chemistry, or math, a major in science is not required. In fact, many Pharmacy programs do not require a student to have completed their Bachelor's degree before beginning Pharmacy School. However, in that situation we still advise you to declare a major just in case.

The grade point average (GPA) is an important component of the requirements for admission to Pharmacy School. It is not necessary to have a 4.0. Instead, it is probably better to have a solid GPA in the 3.80-4.00 range (on a 4 point scale) and participation in extracurricular activities to demonstrate interests beyond academics. Most programs require a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA for application, but you need more like a 3.5 cumulative GPA to be competitive. Further, many programs require a C- or higher in all pre-requisite courses.

Throughout your undergraduate career, it is important that you keep track of your application GPA. You can find details on how that is calculated听.听

Since Pharmacy Schools do not require a Bachelors degree, some students begin application in their Sophomore year of undergraduate. However many students wait until their Junior year of undergraduate so that they have successfully completed all of their prerequisite courses. The application process is managed by听, which is hosted by听听(American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy). This online system will manage your application, your transcript submissions, and your letters of recommendation.听 听

Shadowing experiences are an important part of your pre-pharmacy training. You should research the schools that you're interested in to find out how their requirements regarding shadowing vary.听 Many pre-pharmacy students earn their pharmacy technician qualification and work in that role to gain experience. Shadowing different types of pharmacists (e.g. retail versus hospital) will broaden the experience you have.听 Spend time researching all you can find about the pharmacy profession and consider how the demands of the career fit with your lifestyle. Occasional volunteer activities or summer work is another meaningful way to learn about the profession. While the importance of these types of activities varies with different pharmacy schools, the experience you gain cannot be measured.听听听

• Be sure all of the information you enter on your PharmCas application is accurate. This includes the grades of every course taken at the college level and any courses in which you plan to enroll within the year.
• Request a transcript from all of your academic institutions and allow plenty of time for the institutions to process your request. All transcripts must be sent to PharmCas.
• The personal statement on the PharmCas is important. This is your chance to begin to portray who you are and to distinguish yourself from the thousands of applications each institution will review.
• Begin the process early! Many schools have rolling admission policies, which means slots are filled beginning in October, until the slots are filled. If you wait until October or November to complete your application, you have missed opportunities for several slots.
• Give careful consideration before asking individuals to write letters of evaluation. Then allow plenty of time for them to write the letters so you aren't waiting until the deadline to receive them. When you ask for letters of recommendation, provide a C.V. or resume so the person writing the letter can reference what you have done outside of their contact with you.
• Knowing the specific requirements of the pharmacy school(s) to which you plan to apply is also very important. Pharmacy schools profess that they want well-rounded individuals, not just one-dimensional students. That means get involved, balance school with other activities, because it is true that all work and no play makes you a dull individual!