180 likes | 312 Views
10 th General Meeting Pharmacy School Application Process. April 28, 2008. Application Timeline. Beyond required coursework and PCAT preparation, the timeline for the application process begins about 1.5 years prior to expected matriculation.
E N D
10th General MeetingPharmacy School Application Process April 28, 2008
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
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.
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
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
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!
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
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)
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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)
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
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)
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