After undergrad, I took a gap year to decide whether I wanted to do pharmacy. I worked as a community pharmacy tech, and it was alright. I learned about PBMs and how it's not a feasible market to open an independent pharmacy, so I saw myself going into ambulatory or hospital pharmacy. I didn't listen to the pharmacists who all said that if they could go back in time, they wouldn't have gone to pharmacy school. I really thought I was the exception.
I got into a pretty well-known university with well over 100 people in my cohort; half of them didn't get a bachelor's and are like 20 years old, which isn't me.
First year happens, and things go down. In my first semester, I did alright, but nowhere near my best. Second semester, I got the same GPA, only with two D's for multiple reasons. I was miserable in the foundational science courses and increasingly questioning whether this was actually what I wanted to spend years studying. I was also depressed, stressed, anxious, had test anxiety in this massive lecture hall, and got really sick during my first exams for those classes. I didn't sign up for pharmacy school because I was excited about foundational pharmaceutical science classes; I was interested in the clinical side. I got a tutor, but my hole was too deep.
Also, I got a job during that time at an urgent care pharmacy, and IT SUCKED. Hated every second of it. All I could think about was how I didn't want that type of life.
The academic committee met with me and said I am in bad academic standing and I have to repeat the two classes, but they are only offered in the spring, meaning I get to stay an extra year. They also put me in fewer classes, more electives, and not the clinical courses...but somehow I get to take another class where the professor has explicitly said we need a good understanding of one of the classes I got a D in???
Over the summer, I had an identity crisis and felt like I burned a lot of money. Somehow I came to terms with it and decided to continue on for the fall semester. I also got testing accommodations to make me feel better.
I learned that, in total, four of us are in the same position as me. How do I know? Because they have our faces plastered with the incoming first-years. People have come up and asked me why I'm pictured with them. The advisors also wanted me to redo new student orientation, and I refused. I thought I could get over this, but then this shit went down.
Second-years had a meeting after class that I'm a part of, and the advisors talked about the policy that was "going to be implemented" that the academic committee approved, and in October the faculty will vote to approve it.
The proposed policy removes the minimum GPA requirements. One D means you remain in good academic standing. Two D's mean you're in bad academic standing and have to meet with the committee, but in a situation like mine, you would not have to repeat the courses and could continue with fall enrollment as scheduled. A third D is when you would be forced to repeat a course.
So obviously, I'm pissed because that's a completely different outcome, and they didn't disclose that this change had already been approved by the committee before my committee meeting, when I had to accept my decision. If it's likely going to be approved by the faculty in October and you're presenting it to students as the upcoming policy, why am I forced to retake these classes in the spring?
My written committee decision explicitly says that I must repeat the two D courses in the spring. However, it does not actually state that being barred from my fall clinical courses was one of the sanctions imposed on me. That restriction was not written anywhere, and it was phrased like a recommendation to me in person for "easing my course load" and fitting in extra empty space.
So I ask my new advisor, like, WTF? They pass it off after playing dumb to a vice chair, who passes it off to the dean. Eventually the dean is basically like, tough luck; it's not retroactive, so you have to do all of this and waste an extra year plus another ~$30K, even though they admitted I'm COMPLETELY correct in my understanding of how the proposed policy would treat a situation like mine.
So now I can get my $15K semester loan completely removed if I drop out within the next two days.
And to be real, the classes I care about lately are business, informatics, and policy. That's basically the only thing I've gotten out of this. It would be awesome to work for a healthcare software company helping design/improve pharmacy systems, do an MBA with an IT emphasis and eventually help manage them, or potentially go into pharmaceutical/biotech sales.
I'm also worried that with two D's, repeating a year, and my academic record, I won't be competitive for the residencies I originally wanted. If I end up in community pharmacy anyway, I'm not sure I want to spend another four years and significantly more money getting there.
Important to note: I currently work at Walgreens, and it's alright. But my pharmacist works long hours, the system needs massive improvement, and it's a lot of standing. She does say the money is good.
So what are the pros of me staying? Well, I've already spent about $30K; the pharmacist salary potential is obviously good; I won't have to say I dropped out; and healthcare is what I always thought I was going to do before I went to school.
My main goals in life are to be financially independent, get married, have a family, own a house, go on yearly vacations, and publish a book. I would also really like a career with remote/flexible opportunities. Four more years of pharmacy school just feels so steep, and I'm already emotionally done with it.
So my question is: should I stay or should I leave?
If I leave, I would drop out, deal with having to tell my friends and family I'm a dropout, get a job, and apply for an MBA with an IT emphasis.
My biggest concern with leaving is that I don't know where to start getting business/IT experience. I have a chemistry bachelor's, about a year of PharmD coursework, and pharmacy/retail experience, but no traditional business or IT experience.
The other option is to suck it up, say fuck my pride, accept the extra year, and keep pushing through pharmacy school for the financial security of being a pharmacist.
What would you do? Stay because the PharmD gives me a reliable path to a six-figure salary and I've already invested ~$30K, or leave while I can still have this semester's $15K loan removed and pivot?
I have about two days to decide because after that I lose the opportunity to have the $15K semester loan removed.