10 th General Meeting Pharmacy School Application Process

1. 10th General MeetingPharmacy School Application Process April 28, 2008

2. Application Timeline • Beyond required coursework and PCAT preparation, the timeline for the application process begins about 1.5 years prior to expected matriculation. • The following is a general guideline - check with each of your institutions of choice for specific timelines. April       May           June      July        August       Sept./Oct./Nov./Dec.        Jan/Feb./March/April                                  «----Submit Applications to Schools of choice -----»                                       «---- Receive Supplementary Applications -------»                                      «----------------------Interviews------------------------»                                                                   «---------------Admissions decisions ----------------» • http://www.aacp.org/Docs/MainNavigation/InstitutionalData/6871_School_Narratives_PSAR.pdf

3. Pharmacy School Timeline Example: UCSF • June 1st PharmCAS opens. • Mid July  UCSF Supplemental Application opens. • November 1st PharmCAS Application + UCSF Supplemental Application Due • December to January  Interview invitations sent • January to February  Interviews held at UCSF. Send updated fall transcripts. • March to April  Admission decisions are sent. • July 1st  Deadline to submit Spring transcript. • August 1st Deadline to submit Spring transcript with degree posting.

4. Letter of Recommendations and Restrictions • Who to ask • Note restrictions from certain schools--pharmacist, science professors, etc. • Make sure it will be a STRONG letter • Ask early!-At least two months in advance • Prepare packet for your recommender; some recommenders will ask for specific documents: • Transcripts • Personal Statement • Resume • Thank you cards afterwards • Where to submit letters: PharmCAS vs. Letter Service

5. School Pre-Reqs and Restrictions • GPA Restrictions based on PharmCAS • Refer to PILLS website • Grid with prerequisites is a good template • Make sure you to check to see if it's up to date • www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~pills • Plan schedule accordingly • Sample officer schedules on PILLS website • UC courses vs. community college courses

6. Research and Visit Schools • Look for info days, open house • School mailing lists • Visit the schools • Ask the students about student life and recruiters about school information • Student panelists and pharmacy school admissions coordinators at NCPPS • Know what is special and unique about each school and program • UOP: 3 years • Touro: 2 years rotation • Know why you want to attend!

7. Begins June 2008 for Fall 2009 enrollment Checklist • Arrange for PharmCAS to receive a separate official transcript from each college you attended • Letter of Recommendation can be sent electronically or as a paper reference • PharmCAS Evaluation Form must be printed and attached to paper references • Send your PCAT, TOEFL and TSE scores to PharmCAS if needed • Deadline based on Eastern Time • Schools may have rolling deadline or a set deadline • For more Information and a step-by-step checklist, visit www.pharmcas.org

8. Transcript Requests • Arrange for PharmCAS to receive a separate official transcript from each college you attended • Some schools may request transcripts be sent directly to them • Always send updated transcripts to PharmCAS or the schools when available • Transcripts sent to PharmCAS require an attached Transcript Request Form (each form is unique)

9. Required by most out-of-state schools • Not required by any California schools • Registration Fee: $125 • Testing dates (2008): June 21, August 23, October 18 • Exam is 4 hours long • For more Information visit: www.PCATweb.info

10. PCAT Format • 240 multiple choice questions • Each item will be accompanied by four choices.  • 2 writing assignments • 30 minutes each • Sections: • Part 1: Verbal Ability section contains 48 items. • Analogies, sentence completion • Part 2: Biology section contains 48 items. • General biology, microbiology, anatomy, physiology • Part 3: Chemistry section contains 48 items. • General and organic chemistry • Part 4: Reading Comprehension section contains 48 items. • Comprehension, evaluation, analysis • Part 5: Quantitative Ability section contains 48 items • Calculus, geometry, algebra, pre-calculus, probability and statistics

11. AP Scores to Satisfy Pre-Reqs • Counted as P/NP, not calculated into GPA • Varies from School to school UCSF • pharmacy.ucsf.edu/go/ap, USC • Does not accept CLEP courses • Will consider AP credit for those with BA degrees. • Recommend applying AP credit to elective credit in undergraduate program instead of waiving the pre-pharmacy requirements. • AP Score of 4 or 5 may be used toward the first quarter or semester of a one-year series of pre-pharmacy courses like general biology/physics/chemistry, calculus or English. • AP credits do not satisfy economics, psychology or statistics. • Please submit all Advanced Placement scores to the Office of Admission and Student Affairs.

12. Sending AP Scores • Send by November 1st. • Official Copy vs. Personal Copy • UCSF  send official copy of AP score by using code 4794 directly from ETSUCSD  send official copy of AP score to school of pharmacy address (b/c they do not have a code)USC  send personal photocopy of AP scores to school of pharmacy address

13. Supplemental Application • In addition to PharmCAS, most schools require a supplemental application specific for their own school • Each school has different dates when supplemental application is available and different deadlines • Formats differ • May submit online or mail paper supplemental • Sample supplemental applications available on some school’s websites. Format and questions do not change much from year to year.

14. Supplemental Application Specifics • UOP Supplemental: • One question only “why do you want to attend UOP?” • Requires a CV • UCSD Supplemental: • Submit online. You can go back to the previous page and modify what you submitted. There are more questions after the first page!!! (~6) • UCSF Supplemental: • Requires Adobe Acrobat Professional • Has required and optional questions • USC Supplemental: • Graduate Application vs. Pharmacy School Supplemental Application • LORs and transcripts must be sent directly to USC • Requires a CV Check individual schools websites for specifics. It may change each year.

15. Before your Interview • Celebrate! You are one step closer to your goal • Arrange for accommodations: transportation/hotels • Buy Interview Clothes – look professional and well groomed • Research the school website/ visit the school / talk to the people of the school • Review your application essays • Practice! (career center, friends, family, your stuffed animals)

16. Day of the Interview • Check In & Orientation • On-site essay • Timed vs. untimed • Essay question vs. summarize article • Interview • Open file vs. closed file • Panel vs. one-on-one • Test communication skills • Campus Tour / Meeting current students

17. Interview Question Samples • Tell us about yourself. • Why pharmacy? Why our school? • What kind of pharmacy experience do you have? • Give an example of time where you have been a leader. • What are the positives and negatives in pharmacy right now? • How would you handle a physician who did not trust your judgment or take your advice because you were not an MD? • How are you unique and what qualities would you bring to our school? • Find more Interview Questions at Student Doctor Network (www.studentdoctor.net)

18. Resources for Interview Preparation • Interview Reviews • Student Doctor Network • http://share.studentdoctor.net/interviewpharm/school_pick.aspx • UCLA Pre-pharmacy Club http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/uclaprepharm/resource.html • Mock Interviews • Career Center • UCSF PhAMLI • Strategies for conquering 50 Common Interview Questions • http://bhuvans.wordpress.com/2006/08/19/50-common-interview-qa/v