Questions about the Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy [Archive]

Ask RFUPharmacy

10-28-2010, 05:38 PM

First question,
How big is the class size?
How many students are you planning to accept to your first class of pharmacy?
Thank you!

Hi nuduocsi,

Thanks for a good stating question. We anticipate that our first classes will only be 65 students large (or small, dependant on your perspective!). During the accreditation process, this is the size the ACPE recommends for new schools. That breaks down to a 10:1 student to faculty ratio for the RFU COP program.

As to how many acceptances we will make in order to achieve that number, I honestly can't say at this point... it's our first time making pharmacy acceptances. What we anticipate is interviewing 150-200 candidates from our applicant pool -- and we'll go from there in terms of accepting students who truly embrace the excitement of a new school (think... these students will be the first Class President of the College of Pharmacy, the first to be President of the RFU chapter of the student association of pharmacists!) and who embrace our Interprofessional model of education (more on this in a little bit!).

I hope that at least helps you a little bit. Any other questions?
Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

10-28-2010, 05:40 PM

I don't think people should be too rude to Mandy about Rosalind Frankilin being a new pharmacy school. Afterall, Rosalind Franklin has many medical and healthcare degree programs (including MD). If any new pharmacy school should open, it should be one that is part of a school like this one. Don't get me wrong, I am against so many new schools opening but the problem is when places like Po-Dunk University opens a pharmacy school with no kind of medical teaching history whatsoever. I mean, some of these places don't even have nursing programs. If you want to pick on a pharmacy school in the chicagoland area that is opening that has no business being open, pick on Roosevelt University.

Sorry to change the subject Mandy, I just had to get that out there.

Thanks for the support, Smiles425. You can change the subject any time you like!! (tho, this poster does not support the calling out by name any specific program of pharmacy to beat up on.... okay!?!?)

Ask RFUPharmacy

10-28-2010, 06:08 PM

Since the pre-pharm students might not think to ask the following question:

The field of pharmacy is becoming saturated, with many pharmacists having a hard time finding jobs. How can you justify a need for an additional school like yours to exist and graduate new pharmacists?

Hi bacillus1 (and everyone else!)

I'm actually glad that you (and the others) have asked this question. Now, I'll say this... I hope this turns into a dialog, cuz I certainly won't be able to hit every single point I want to make with the depth it needs to be addressed in this one single post... so, if you (or others) have a follow up to any part of this, please feel free to do so (and hopefully, professionally!).

So, here goes: RFUMS has nearly 100 years of educating medical students. Over the years we have added to our ranks of healthcare professional - like PA, PT, DPM, Nutrition, Med Physicists, etc. About 10 years ago we make a shift to a Interprofessional Model of Education. This boils down to this: all of the professional students at some point or another during their basic science (and some clinical) education at RFUMS will take course with healthcare professionals from another discipline... the idea is no one practices medicine (or any health discipline) in a vaccum, so why would you learn in a vaccum? It also allows for students to build professional networks of colleagues (think: other people treating your patients!) who are participating in the 360 degree healthcare team. For some disciplines, it's also about educating others about the role they play in that team of health care practitioners.

So...specifically, why Pharmacy at RFUMS?? Well, bluntly, How is a College of Pharmacy appropriate for an institution that is an acknowledged leader in interprofessional healthcare education? Healthcare teams need dosing and medication experts, and the Pharmacist fills that need. Thus, to fulfill the Universities interprofessional mission, a College of Pharmacy needed to be established. Further, this interprofessional emphasis is aligned with the direction of the pharmacy profession and to some extent a reaction to the AACPs Pharmacy 2015 vision. (Okay, I'm actually quoting Dr David Harrison, one of our COP faculty.. don't hate!)

Okay... so a few other things I'll also put out there tonight. Y'all know where RFUMS is, right? Geographically speaking, that is? Head towards Wisconsin and hang a right? :) Another reason we chose to add a Pharmacy program to IL is that we serve, well, honestly, more than the State of IL. Now, dont get me wrong, I think IL applicants are wonderful... but I'm equally excited by Wisconsin and Michigan and Indiana and California (oh heck, any of the remaining 45 states!) applicants. As a private school we have the ability to help more than just IL's underserved counties. Private meaning that all student will pay the same tuition, no seats held for IL residents... and, as part of the accreditation process we have to have a certain number of clinical sites already in place for the future and some of those happen to be in Southern Wisconsin. We're not interested in saturating any market... we want to produce modern pharmacists - or physician extenders who might also consider careers in research, law, medical writing and industry. Did you know that hospital staffing services have a hard time finding enough PharmD's to work in hospitals around the country??

Okay.. that's A LOT of info... so, from this information, how else can I help?

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

10-28-2010, 06:17 PM

I don't know if I'm going to word this right, but I feel like new schools benefit the school alot more than the profession. A new program expands the "economy" of the school. Makes the school look better, more programs, greater overall enrollment, more jobs. Noone looks at the big picture. Every new school is "only" 1 more school. I'm sure Mandy wont be coming back on here. I bet she had no idea what she was in for lol.

Hi Samus2008! In some ways you are correct. I forget to mention that adding a new COP at RFUMS means that we'll be hiring PharmDs as faculty... so, we just created a whole bunch of jobs for future PharmDs!

But, in all honesty, I hope you read my post about Interprofessionalism. Adding a pharmacy program, in the most basic way I can state it, feels like finding a long lost relative. We need pharmacy students on our campus to make our curriculum even more outstanding than it already is right now.

Also, just to point out, even before collecting a dime in tuition, we've made a considerable investment in the COP: we're adding a multi-million dollar facility which will house the COP, we've hired faculty and staff and now we're adding a parking structure to accomodate the additional student on our campus. Institutions don't lightly take on the burden of adding a program, nor does it have little start up costs... we do it because we have a passion for educating the next generation of healthcare professionals.. and now pharmacy is included in that passion.

I hope that helps put your comments into context for other readers.

Ask RFUPharmacy

Praziquantel86

10-29-2010, 07:09 AM

Hi bacillus1 (and everyone else!)

I'm actually glad that you (and the others) have asked this question. Now, I'll say this... I hope this turns into a dialog, cuz I certainly won't be able to hit every single point I want to make with the depth it needs to be addressed in this one single post... so, if you (or others) have a follow up to any part of this, please feel free to do so (and hopefully, professionally!).

So, here goes: RFUMS has nearly 100 years of educating medical students. Over the years we have added to our ranks of healthcare professional - like PA, PT, DPM, Nutrition, Med Physicists, etc. About 10 years ago we make a shift to a Interprofessional Model of Education. This boils down to this: all of the professional students at some point or another during their basic science (and some clinical) education at RFUMS will take course with healthcare professionals from another discipline... the idea is no one practices medicine (or any health discipline) in a vaccum, so why would you learn in a vaccum? It also allows for students to build professional networks of colleagues (think: other people treating your patients!) who are participating in the 360 degree healthcare team. For some disciplines, it's also about educating others about the role they play in that team of health care practitioners.

So...specifically, why Pharmacy at RFUMS?? Well, bluntly, How is a College of Pharmacy appropriate for an institution that is an acknowledged leader in interprofessional healthcare education? Healthcare teams need dosing and medication experts, and the Pharmacist fills that need. Thus, to fulfill the Universities interprofessional mission, a College of Pharmacy needed to be established. Further, this interprofessional emphasis is aligned with the direction of the pharmacy profession and to some extent a reaction to the AACPs Pharmacy 2015 vision. (Okay, I'm actually quoting Dr David Harrison, one of our COP faculty.. don't hate!)

Okay... so a few other things I'll also put out there tonight. Y'all know where RFUMS is, right? Geographically speaking, that is? Head towards Wisconsin and hang a right? :) Another reason we chose to add a Pharmacy program to IL is that we serve, well, honestly, more than the State of IL. Now, dont get me wrong, I think IL applicants are wonderful... but I'm equally excited by Wisconsin and Michigan and Indiana and California (oh heck, any of the remaining 45 states!) applicants. As a private school we have the ability to help more than just IL's underserved counties. Private meaning that all student will pay the same tuition, no seats held for IL residents... and, as part of the accreditation process we have to have a certain number of clinical sites already in place for the future and some of those happen to be in Southern Wisconsin. We're not interested in saturating any market... we want to produce modern pharmacists - or physician extenders who might also consider careers in research, law, medical writing and industry. Did you know that hospital staffing services have a hard time finding enough PharmD's to work in hospitals around the country??

Okay.. that's A LOT of info... so, from this information, how else can I help?

Ask RFUPharmacy

Thank you for replying. A few followup questions though:

You mention the Interprofessional Education model, and I agree, this is where education is, and should be, going. However, I don't agree that fitting a model is the correct reason to add a pharmacy program. There are plenty of other established schools in the area with pharmacy programs that don't have the benefit of the large health-science core, why not form a strategic partnership with some of them? St. Louis College of Pharmacy, if I'm not mistaken, has done something similar to that.

You also mention serving students from out of state (which is a unique answer, I'll admit). However, none of those states, aside from rural California, are really experiencing an acute demand. Just look at the hiring packages being offered by the major chains and some of the local folks, and you'll see decreasing salaries, shorter hours and less interns being hired as pharmacists. Hospital markets are, by all measures, no better.

Finally, you go on to mention several specialized careers, such as law, medical writing and research. These all require a unique sort of student and years of postgraduate training. I appreciate that there is a need for pharmacists in these areas, and think it's great that you plan on training folks for those roles. Specifically though, how does RFU plan on directing students into these career paths, especially when the PGY-1 residency market is as depressingly oversaturated as it is?

Please don't take any of these questions as insults - they are honest questions. Again, I think that if any new pharmacy school is to open, it should be at a well-established location such as RFU. I'm just interested in seeing the thought process behind the new school, and how these legitimate concerns are being addressed.

Thank you for taking the time to post.

KARM12

10-29-2010, 10:16 PM

Did you know that hospital staffing services have a hard time finding enough PharmD's to work in hospitals around the country??

This is not 100% true. Staffing services have trouble filling positions in select markets...mostly rural areas.

You mention how opening a new school will benefit RFU, but how will it benefit the profession?

What unique qualities will this program have that will make its students better candidates for residency training?

As a future potential preceptor, why should I take RFU students for rotations over UIC and Mdiwestern students when we've already established relationships with these places?

rxforlife2004

10-29-2010, 10:30 PM

Hi Everyone!

My name is Mandy and I work in the office of admissions for the new College of Pharmacy at Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago, IL. Since we're a new school, I wanted to post here and see if I could answer any questions you might have about our program, curriculum, the accreditation process that we're going through right now or being a student on our campus.

RFU has nearly 100 years of experience educating future healthcare professionals and I'm really excited about bringing future pharmacy students into our family.

Specifically, I'll answer questions about our program and sometimes the profession generally. What I won't do is direct comparisons or speak about any other college or program - that's the research you'll have to do on you own - but I am here to help!

Ask RFUPharmacy

What a joke! We don't need more schools of pharmacy opening...what we really need in this saturated market is closing more schools of pharmacy. Thank you very much!

Ask RFUPharmacy

10-30-2010, 04:54 AM

Thank you for replying. A few followup questions though:

You mention the Interprofessional Education model, and I agree, this is where education is, and should be, going. However, I don't agree that fitting a model is the correct reason to add a pharmacy program. There are plenty of other established schools in the area with pharmacy programs that don't have the benefit of the large health-science core, why not form a strategic partnership with some of them? St. Louis College of Pharmacy, if I'm not mistaken, has done something similar to that.

You also mention serving students from out of state (which is a unique answer, I'll admit). However, none of those states, aside from rural California, are really experiencing an acute demand. Just look at the hiring packages being offered by the major chains and some of the local folks, and you'll see decreasing salaries, shorter hours and less interns being hired as pharmacists. Hospital markets are, by all measures, no better.

Finally, you go on to mention several specialized careers, such as law, medical writing and research. These all require a unique sort of student and years of postgraduate training. I appreciate that there is a need for pharmacists in these areas, and think it's great that you plan on training folks for those roles. Specifically though, how does RFU plan on directing students into these career paths, especially when the PGY-1 residency market is as depressingly oversaturated as it is?

Please don't take any of these questions as insults - they are honest questions. Again, I think that if any new pharmacy school is to open, it should be at a well-established location such as RFU. I'm just interested in seeing the thought process behind the new school, and how these legitimate concerns are being addressed.

Thank you for taking the time to post.

Hi Praziquantel86,

Thanks for the follow up questions. I'm sorry to say that my answer is likely going to be a bit of a history lesson - so, readers, grab a cup of coffee and take a break from your books.

Our inquiry into opening another program at RFUMS actually started back in 2004! Does that surprise you? Honestly, we didn't just wake up one morning last year and say, hey, we can make a lot of money by educating pharmacists so "let's dooooo it" (in my best Cheech Marin voice!).

We started in 2004 when we updated our strategic plan and vision for the RFU community. Staff, students, faculty and alumni, external constituents (Hospital Administrators, Residency Directors, etc) were a part of our process and all were welcome to contribute to our plan. From that we put together an exploratory committee ('05-'07) who looked at several options for growth. One of the most compelling documents the committee found was the 2000 HRSA report on the expected need for pharmacists between now and 2030. We felt, poised as an institution already educating healthcare professional, this was the area we were best positioned to help. And, part of me has to think, that if Rosalid Franklin herself were alive today, she's be proud that we chose a profession that is training 2 out of every 3 graduates who are women!!!

So, next, we established an Advisory Board - folks from our local community (and outside of our local area) who are practitioners, educators and community leaders. Would it surprise you that we consulted with Deans of other colleges of pharmacy, too? C'mon guys, it's a small community -- just under 250,000 practicing pharmacists (that, did you know, on average only work part time by choice? Which I am also sorry to say is what, statistically, is driving down the mean salaries - not oversaturation as some of you believe.).

Part of our reasoning behind Pharmacy is also that we will need many more practitioners who are willing to work in rural areas of our country -- not everyone wants to be in Chicago (I know, shocking to the Native Chicagoans here, but true). As the population increases in age and need for medication, we simply need more PharmD trained practitioners who can replace the existing workforce - one that has just as many baby-boomer practitioners as every other healthcare profession who plan on retiring between now and 2020.

And, the final thing I want to say this morning is that, while I welcome the current student questions, my intent to is to be able to answer pre-pharmacy student questions... I fear if the tone of the thread continues in this vein, we won't be able to talk about admissions and curriculum and outcomes... so, please, if you are a current pre-pharmacy student, I would love to hear your questions, too!

AskRFUPharmacy

SparkLy09

10-30-2010, 10:12 AM

bullsfan1986

10-31-2010, 11:07 PM

Hi Praziquantel86,

Thanks for the follow up questions. I'm sorry to say that my answer is likely going to be a bit of a history lesson - so, readers, grab a cup of coffee and take a break from your books.

Our inquiry into opening another program at RFUMS actually started back in 2004! Does that surprise you? Honestly, we didn't just wake up one morning last year and say, hey, we can make a lot of money by educating pharmacists so "let's dooooo it" (in my best Cheech Marin voice!).

We started in 2004 when we updated our strategic plan and vision for the RFU community. Staff, students, faculty and alumni, external constituents (Hospital Administrators, Residency Directors, etc) were a part of our process and all were welcome to contribute to our plan. From that we put together an exploratory committee ('05-'07) who looked at several options for growth. One of the most compelling documents the committee found was the 2000 HRSA report on the expected need for pharmacists between now and 2030. We felt, poised as an institution already educating healthcare professional, this was the area we were best positioned to help. And, part of me has to think, that if Rosalid Franklin herself were alive today, she's be proud that we chose a profession that is training 2 out of every 3 graduates who are women!!!

So, next, we established an Advisory Board - folks from our local community (and outside of our local area) who are practitioners, educators and community leaders. Would it surprise you that we consulted with Deans of other colleges of pharmacy, too? C'mon guys, it's a small community -- just under 250,000 practicing pharmacists (that, did you know, on average only work part time by choice? Which I am also sorry to say is what, statistically, is driving down the mean salaries - not oversaturation as some of you believe.).

Part of our reasoning behind Pharmacy is also that we will need many more practitioners who are willing to work in rural areas of our country -- not everyone wants to be in Chicago (I know, shocking to the Native Chicagoans here, but true). As the population increases in age and need for medication, we simply need more PharmD trained practitioners who can replace the existing workforce - one that has just as many baby-boomer practitioners as every other healthcare profession who plan on retiring between now and 2020.

And, the final thing I want to say this morning is that, while I welcome the current student questions, my intent to is to be able to answer pre-pharmacy student questions... I fear if the tone of the thread continues in this vein, we won't be able to talk about admissions and curriculum and outcomes... so, please, if you are a current pre-pharmacy student, I would love to hear your questions, too!

AskRFUPharmacy

This doesn't really answer the original question. The Chicago market is already saturated. Newly minted PharmD's from accredited IL schools (UIC, MWU) are already being forced to take jobs in rural areas far away from Chicago. The opening of these new schools is an enormous regression for our profession. Furthermore, it also sets a precedent for any school to open a pharmacy program (eg. Roosevelt). Sorry for my rant, but I'm pissed.

rxforlife2004

10-31-2010, 11:33 PM

This doesn't really answer the original question. The Chicago market is already saturated. Newly minted PharmD's from accredited IL schools (UIC, MWU) are already being forced to take jobs in rural areas far away from Chicago. The opening of these new schools is an enormous regression for our profession. Furthermore, it also sets a precedent for any school to open a pharmacy program (eg. Roosevelt). Sorry for my rant, but I'm pissed.

Well...don't worry...some schools need to be closed because soon people will realize the truth and stop applying for pharm schools. This Mandy lady is here to advertise for that school (I bet she gets paid like 10 dollars/hr to post it up here...).

tungsten87

11-01-2010, 07:15 AM

homeslice

11-01-2010, 08:52 AM

Hi Praziquantel86,

Thanks for the follow up questions. I'm sorry to say that my answer is likely going to be a bit of a history lesson - so, readers, grab a cup of coffee and take a break from your books.

Our inquiry into opening another program at RFUMS actually started back in 2004! Does that surprise you? Honestly, we didn't just wake up one morning last year and say, hey, we can make a lot of money by educating pharmacists so "let's dooooo it" (in my best Cheech Marin voice!).

We started in 2004 when we updated our strategic plan and vision for the RFU community. Staff, students, faculty and alumni, external constituents (Hospital Administrators, Residency Directors, etc) were a part of our process and all were welcome to contribute to our plan. From that we put together an exploratory committee ('05-'07) who looked at several options for growth. One of the most compelling documents the committee found was the 2000 HRSA report on the expected need for pharmacists between now and 2030. We felt, poised as an institution already educating healthcare professional, this was the area we were best positioned to help. And, part of me has to think, that if Rosalid Franklin herself were alive today, she's be proud that we chose a profession that is training 2 out of every 3 graduates who are women!!!

So, next, we established an Advisory Board - folks from our local community (and outside of our local area) who are practitioners, educators and community leaders. Would it surprise you that we consulted with Deans of other colleges of pharmacy, too? C'mon guys, it's a small community -- just under 250,000 practicing pharmacists (that, did you know, on average only work part time by choice? Which I am also sorry to say is what, statistically, is driving down the mean salaries - not oversaturation as some of you believe.).

Part of our reasoning behind Pharmacy is also that we will need many more practitioners who are willing to work in rural areas of our country -- not everyone wants to be in Chicago (I know, shocking to the Native Chicagoans here, but true). As the population increases in age and need for medication, we simply need more PharmD trained practitioners who can replace the existing workforce - one that has just as many baby-boomer practitioners as every other healthcare profession who plan on retiring between now and 2020.

And, the final thing I want to say this morning is that, while I welcome the current student questions, my intent to is to be able to answer pre-pharmacy student questions... I fear if the tone of the thread continues in this vein, we won't be able to talk about admissions and curriculum and outcomes... so, please, if you are a current pre-pharmacy student, I would love to hear your questions, too!

AskRFUPharmacy

Ah, good ol' 2000. Back when there were what, 90 schools or so?

Praziquantel86

11-01-2010, 02:17 PM

I appreciate you taking the time to answer, and I apologize for derailing the thread somewhat.

There are still some unanswered questions in my post that I would legitimately like to know the answer to. I'll agree this thread isn't necessarily the correct forum, so if you would like to PM or start a new thread, that would be fantastic.

Thanks again.

Ask RFUPharmacy

11-01-2010, 03:41 PM

This is not 100% true. Staffing services have trouble filling positions in select markets...mostly rural areas.

You mention how opening a new school will benefit RFU, but how will it benefit the profession?

What unique qualities will this program have that will make its students better candidates for residency training?

As a future potential preceptor, why should I take RFU students for rotations over UIC and Mdiwestern students when we've already established relationships with these places?

Hi KARM12,

Well, I guess a few things come to mind when thinking about your questions -- all of which are great quetions that pre-pharmacy students should be thinking about when selecting a professional school.

One of the aspects of opening a new program is that we are working with clinical sites is that we will be hiring PharmD faculty as preceptors -- and mostly in the Northern Illinois (think McHenry county as an example) and Southern Wisconsin areas for our students. Don't mistake me, we'll be using sites where other students are already being taught by volunteer faculty/PharmDs, but we're actively working to create clinical experiences for our students a little over a year from now.

Another way we hope to contribute is by starting our own residency sites-- we won't be able to provide the 1000 that are needed, but we can help by contributing to the solution and not being just a part of the problem.

As to why you would want to try an RFU student as opposed to a "known" commodity that UIC or Midwestern is producing, well, I say this, I believe our students will be well trained clinically with an understanding of how a 360 medial team works - from the PA to MD to the researchers.

Ask RFUPharmacy

11-01-2010, 04:08 PM

I suppose a concern for an applicant would be an incident such as St Josephs... where the school decides to open the year after accepting students. Or even the Hawaii school incident, even though for Rosalind Franklin, it seems less likely since it's already a very established school otherwise.

RF actually reminds me a little bit of Thomas Jefferson, both great medical schools (+ other health professions), both private, both located in cities with other well established pharmacy schools etc. However, Thomas Jefferson has a great hospital system in it's network, I believe one of the biggest in Philly? Is RF associated with any major health systems in Chicago?

As for the curriculum, even established pharmacy schools always go under revision to continue making theirs better and better, so I'm not too worried about a new/changing curriculum... however what does RF have that stands apart from other schools that gives an applicant a strong reason to want to attend? Are there any unique experiential experiences? How available is it to get involved with research? (and would we be competing against med students or would there be a few spaces reserved for pharmacy students) Are any courses interdisciplinary? How prevalent do you expect student associations to be?

Also, how confident is the school that it will be fully accredited by the time that the first class graduates?

Sorry for the plethora of questions! But thanks for taking your time, esp. on SDN, to let us know more about RFU.

Hi SparkLy09,

Thanks for these questions.. in many ways, this is what I'm hear to talk about. I know the accreditation process is likely the most cumbersome part of my answer, so I'll try to keep it brief. The ACPE has some strict guidelines that schools must follow in order to "stay on course" for full accreditation - and in total, it's well over a 4 year process. We're still working towards Pre-Candidate Status (fingers are crossed for Jan/Feb time frame). As such, while we are taking applications, we are not granting acceptances until we have acheived that status. Why? To protect our students (that's really what the accreditation stages are for - student protection). Esentially, we have to be able to show the ACPE our four year plan: complete with faculty, curriculum, state/regional accreditation, deans, student services, facilities, etc. It's a wonderfully crazy process. And, it needs to be rigorous to protect the students in the program (so that you don't have repeats of the Hawaii thing - but really? They took 260 students in the first year and no one raised an eyebrow! That was bad all the way around for all involved!) Anyway, as we meet hurdles, full accreditation is the final stage as soon as we graduate our first class. And, just like a trip across country, we've provided the ACPE with our map. We're waiting for the final judgement to come from them for the first step: Pre-Candidate.

Okay, now for the fun stuff! Student Orgs at RFU.. we have like 200 student organizations at RFUMS for students to get involved in while on campus. Feel like raising money for a good cause -- we've got several that are long standing traditions on our campus: Dance for Diabetes, Lake County Arthritis Walk and the annual breast cancer fund raisers. Are you a good cook: How about a sample of your best pot of chili in the annual Chili-Cook Off. Sing, dance or play a mean air guitar? How about entering into the talent show... First and foremost, our new PharmD students will be a part of our RFU community... and we study hard and play hard... Intermural Flag Football and Disc Golf, that is!

Research faculty/labs are always in need of students interested in the bench work we've got going on... and to some extent there is going to be some competition for the "cool" labs with the MD students, but from the sounds of it, PharmD candidates are well able to handle their own!

If you wanted to see some of what we've got going on, you can go to the COP website and watch our video (or see it on YouTube) or email me directly... I can send you a link.

There you will also be able to hear more about the Interprofessional curriculum of the COP (we call Interpreofessional at RFU, not interdisciplinary, but I get what you mean). PharmD students will be taking courses in the first year with MD, PA, DPT, Path Assistant, and Podiatry studentss to name a few... taught from faculty in various colleges and disciplines at RFUMS: Micro/Immuno and Med Ethics to name a few courses that are interprofessional at RFUMS.

And, finally -- think about this: next year, we'll have elections to see who the first Class President of COP will be! Which one of you will start a RFU chapter of APhA–ASP? To me, that's a very exciting opportunity!

KARM12

11-01-2010, 10:13 PM

Hi KARM12,

Well, I guess a few things come to mind when thinking about your questions -- all of which are great quetions that pre-pharmacy students should be thinking about when selecting a professional school.

One of the aspects of opening a new program is that we are working with clinical sites is that we will be hiring PharmD faculty as preceptors -- and mostly in the Northern Illinois (think McHenry county as an example) and Southern Wisconsin areas for our students. Don't mistake me, we'll be using sites where other students are already being taught by volunteer faculty/PharmDs, but we're actively working to create clinical experiences for our students a little over a year from now.

Another way we hope to contribute is by starting our own residency sites-- we won't be able to provide the 1000 that are needed, but we can help by contributing to the solution and not being just a part of the problem.

As to why you would want to try an RFU student as opposed to a "known" commodity that UIC or Midwestern is producing, well, I say this, I believe our students will be well trained clinically with an understanding of how a 360 medial team works - from the PA to MD to the researchers.

Thanks for your reply. My concern would be not having enough practice sites for rotations. Unfortunantly the students may miss out on rotations at large academic medical centers. I do agree that RFU is respected as far as producing quality MDs, PAs, etc. I think this size RFU credibility compared to many new schools.

rxforlife2004

11-01-2010, 11:18 PM

She's answering the question like a politician.

at least someone in here had the same thoughts as I did...

mooselover77

11-03-2010, 09:06 PM

Ask RFUPharmacy

11-05-2010, 10:20 AM

Hello! Thank you for giving interested Pre-Pharmacy students a convenient way to ask questions! I am currently in the process of applying to Pharmacy schools and I was wondering what the timeline was for you school admission process.

How soon after I turn in my PharmCAS application should I look for an email from RFUCP with a link to the supplemental application?

and after an application is complete how long does it take for the committee makes a decision to interview an applicant?

Thank you!

Hi mooselover77,
Fabulous question – one that I am sure others are wondering… and I’m happy to be able to help in this thread!
So, we’ve just recently started sending out our supplemental application to those who have been submitting since PharmCAS opened this year. We very specifically waited until after the ACPE site visit at the end of October to start this process (as this visit is the next step in our gaining Pre-Candidate Status). We’ve been batch e-mailing supplemental applications regularly for the last two weeks. For candidates submitting right now, it’s taking about a week to turn around the supplemental to you. I'm expecting that to be about the timeframe for future applicants, too.
As supplemental applications are then returned to our office by mailing them (sorry, folks, that’s snail mail to: Rosalind Franklin University, Office of Admissions – College of Pharmacy, 3333 Green Bay Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064) the Pharmacy Admissions Committee (COP A/C) will begin to review candidates for interview.
At this point, the COP A/C expects to start interviewing in December (so, yes, that means we’ll start inviting in the next few weeks! Yeah!). Our invitation to interview will contain information for candidates about traveling to the Chicagoland area, area hotels where candidates can get a RFUMS discount, taxi, MetraRail and rental car information for arriving at our campus. Just an FYI: a lot of the local hotels have shuttle service to and from the University, free breakfast and free internet! Oh, and if you are leaving campus right after the interview is concluded to head to the airport, we’ll store your bags for you while on campus. For candidates taking the MetraRail from Kenosha or Chicago, we have a University Shuttle Bus that picks up from the Lake Bluff train station. We also provide return trips after the interview to catch an afternoon train.
Since we will hold off on actually sending acceptances until the ACPE has granted Pre-Candidacy (fingers crossed!), we’re expecting to send our first letters of acceptance at the end of January. This means those folks completing interviews in December will have a slightly longer wait than our normal process. Our “normal” process means that the COP A/C is planning that acceptances will go out to candidates as early as 10 to 15 days after completing an interview.
Don't forget, the deadline to get all supplemental materials to our office is March 15… but I don’t advise waiting that long to get your stuff to us!
I hope that helps! We certainly look forward to reviewing your application. If you have any questions about your application or status, feel free to call our office (847-578-3204) or email Pharmacy.Admissions@RosalindFranklin.edu. We especially like email, then we can research the answer to your question before getting back to you.
Cheers and have a great weekend!
Ask RFUPharmacy

rxforlife2004

11-05-2010, 10:38 AM

drugdoc

11-05-2010, 03:58 PM

how sad to see a representative from a new COP begging students to attend the campus...Back in the old days 2000-2004, students were begging to get in. Now everyone can get the Pharm.D degree...what a lame joke!

I don't think she's begging - she's just excited. Why don't we give her the benefit of the doubt. Would you want someone to represent your school who wasn't enthusiastic??

UyenRita

11-05-2010, 04:36 PM

I don't think she's begging - she's just excited. Why don't we give her the benefit of the doubt. Would you want someone to represent your school who wasn't enthusiastic??

I agree with this. Totally agree.

I have no idea why the other guy saying "she's begging"? Oh my gosh, she is just as enthusiastic and excited as the pre-pharm students are...
Keep in mind that EVERYTHING has its beginning. I believe all new schools at any time would still do the same thing as what this school is doing...

UyenRita

11-05-2010, 04:38 PM

Hi mooselover77,
Oh, and if you are leaving campus right after the interview is concluded to head to the airport, we’ll store your bags for you while on campus. For candidates taking the MetraRail from Kenosha or Chicago, we have a University Shuttle Bus that picks up from the Lake Bluff train station. We also provide return trips after the interview to catch an afternoon train.

How awesome this is!! :love:

drugdoc

11-05-2010, 05:56 PM

How awesome this is!! :love:

And we had a similar situation at my school for interviews. It's not that out of the ordinary, or begging!

rxforlife2004

11-06-2010, 12:46 AM

poor those "pre-pharmacy" kids...aww...so excited to get into Pharm school eh?

Kids...this can be your future: 4 yrs pharm.D + 200K student loan = jobless + due loan debt/monthly

Pls wake up from the rosy dreams...

rxforlife2004

11-06-2010, 12:48 AM

I agree with this. Totally agree.

I have no idea why the other guy saying "she's begging"? Oh my gosh, she is just as enthusiastic and excited as the pre-pharm students are...
Keep in mind that EVERYTHING has its beginning. I believe all new schools at any time would still do the same thing as what this school is doing...

she's begging because the people who wanna go to pharm schools have dropped significantly due to : 1. Job market oversaturation 2. Continue to get worse
If she doesn't "recruit" students, her school will be closed and she'll have no job....get it , kids?

pharm B

11-06-2010, 07:09 AM

poor those "pre-pharmacy" kids...aww...so excited to get into Pharm school eh?

Kids...this can be your future: 4 yrs pharm.D + 200K student loan
Really? 200K? Man, that's like telling them boogeyman is eight feet tall.

= jobless + due loan debt/monthly

A lot of the people complaining in the pharmacy forums about not having a job are selectively unemployed. They're too good for retail or don't want to move.

Pls wake up from the rosy dreams...

The point is: none of this discussion is really related to this school. People researching pharmacy should know to do their due diligence.

rxforlife2004

11-08-2010, 07:43 PM

Really? 200K? Man, that's like telling them boogeyman is eight feet tall.

Pharmacy tuition is very high now and it will raise every year...Take a look at USC website, for example:

http://pharmacyschool.usc.edu/programs/pharmd/pharmdprogram/fa/cost/

After doing the math, we'll see the tuition alone for 4 yr at this school is 4x41,500 = 166000. By the time a student graduate, it will be at least 180000 (interest included). This is tuition alone. Now, if you're talking about living expenses (housing + books + entertainment+ food) adding on, it would be roughly another 20K/year so roughly 166,000 + 80,000=246,000 for 4 yrs total.

A lot of the people complaining in the pharmacy forums about not having a job are selectively unemployed. They're too good for retail or don't want to move.

Wrong. A lot of pharmacists now willing to move, but still cannot have jobs. The experienced pharmacists have a hard time finding jobs, too...what do you think about the new grads now and future? Good luck

[B]The point is: none of this discussion is really related to this school. People researching pharmacy should know to do their due diligence.[/BTrue but not true...you have to tell the truth to the pre-pharmacy students here so that they are fully aware of what they are getting themselves into...

tungsten87

11-09-2010, 06:07 AM

[B]The point is: none of this discussion is really related to this school. People researching pharmacy should know to do their due diligence.[/BTrue but not true...you have to tell the truth to the pre-pharmacy students here so that they are fully aware of what they are getting themselves into...

I actually have to agree with this. While I think it's great to have school admins on here to answer questions I feel like this particular one is here solely to advertise the school. She also dodges questions about the job market and the lack of need for pharmacists in the area.... she couldn't really justify why RF would even create a school of pharmacy in the first place. I'm at least proud of my school for telling us multiple times that it will be tough to get a job and we need to work hard to make ourselves stand out (not that any of you think this matters :rolleyes:). As far as tuition goes, things are getting a bit ridiculous, especially the USC example you mentioned. I really wanted to go to an out of state public school but ended up staying at my state school (which is probably just as good) for $17k/yr as opposed to $37k/yr. It really annoys me that some of these schools are taking advantage of dumb/naive students who are either in denial or uninformed.

Ask RFUPharmacy

11-11-2010, 09:27 AM

Hi everyone! Didn't want any pre-pharm students to start worrying that they wouldn't be able to afford attending at RFUSM! Here's a quick break down of what we think the financial aid package will look like for next fall:

Rosalind Franklin University’s College of Pharmacy’s tuition will be around $28,000 for the class of 2015. That also means that we’ll budget a living stipend for our students (you know, to pay rent, your texting habit and your iTunes problem..maybe some electricity!) to cover additional expenses. We'll also budget in dollars for books and supplies; we'll also require that you have medical insurance - either our (included in the budget $) or, say, your parents coverage. Our total projection of expected need for a student in the class next year is between $47K and $49K. Pre-Pharmacy students should begin now preparing to live on a budget so that it’s not a difficult transition when they get to graduate school! Also, doing things like paying off credit cards now will help with budgeting in the coming years.
I’ll be the first to agree, it’s a huge commitment to undertake: 4 years of undergraduate + 4 years of graduate, professional school education... It’s not a situation to be entered into lightly. Nor do I think students should pursue careers in pharmacy to “get rich quick.” Rosalind Franklin University is looking for students who are entering into the healthcare profession as a pharmacists so as to advance the profession – culturally, scientifically, medically, etc. No one wants to hire a PharmD who believes that they have earned a position at a “dream job” just because they put in their four years. Earning that dream job, in that dream city takes years of networking, building your professional resume by being first an active, involved student on your graduate campus and then by being an active member of your professional community.
I’d also argue that for those areas of the country that are now “saturated” (or, in other words, where there is competition to earn a coveted position) that finally – finally! – patients are now able to get access to a pharmacists! Heck, potentially at 3AM at the corner drug store. I guess it depends on which lens you look at the problem from… I’d like to think that the students at RFUMS will look at this a positive improvement in their patient’s lives and then look to see where they further advance the profession elsewhere.

Hope to see you at the Open House tonight from 4-6 PM! Want to meet me and other RFUMS faculty in person? Come by for a tour and curriculum overview. Parking is always free on our campus.

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

11-19-2010, 03:09 PM

Ever wonder what the day in the life of a PharmD student might be like? For those considering a future at RFUMS, I’d like to paint a picture of what you can expect! Part 1 covers what the first year of study will look like next year:

First, you have to understand that RFUMS is on a quarter calendar… huh? Some of you are saying. I love the quarter calendar and here’s why you will, too: for those of you more familiar with the semester system (or even trimester calendar), you know what it’s like to slog through a 16 week long course… only to find that in the month of break you get in the winter you forget how to tie your shoelaces and/or study…then to return to another 16 week long term in the spring. Ugh. With RFUMS’s quarter calendar, you’re turning over a course every 11-12 weeks… this moves you through the courses without getting bored! Then, in between the quarters, you’ll get a week to two weeks of break. Now, to me, a week is just enough time to clean your apartment, call your mother, figure out who your best friend is again – BUT NOT FORGET EVERYTHING YOU JUST SPENT LEARNING IN THE MONTHS BEFORE. In a professional, graduate program this is important! You won’t be able to just memorize and regurgitate everything you’ve learned in Introduction to Pharmacy Practice, because you’ll need to be able to recall this information for the rest of your life! This is what we mean by saying students at RFUMS are Lifelong Learners.

Now that you understand the quarter calendar, let me introduce you to our modular curriculum. Imagine… enrolling in a course like Microbiology and Immunology. A course like this takes about 17 weeks for us to teach. Hmm. We could try and cram a 17 week long course into 12 weeks, but that would just be plain mean. We could stretch it out over 24 weeks, or two quarters… but that seems even more brutal for our students. So, what do we do? We teach it in 17 weeks. So, a course like, M/I starts in the middle of winter quarter. That’s right. In the middle. And, it runs for 17 weeks from the middle of the quarter until right before the end of spring quarter. That also means your week of spring break can be used (partially!) to catch up on readings for course that are still in progress. Yes, yes, you can also catch a baseball game (Cubs or Brewers?) or sleep or anything else you might want to do with a week off in Chicago. M/I is also one of the Interprofessional courses you will take at RFUMS… other students enrolled in this class are from the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine.

In addition, as courses are each taught on their own timeframe, mid-terms and finals are given respective to that course’s timeframe. Ahhhh, this means you can prepare, study, and be ready for each class as it progresses independently of the calendar.

PharmD students will also enroll in a course called Interprofessional Teams during the first quarter at RFUMS. Imagine, 500 freshmen from all healthcare education programs at RFUMS taking a course together which encourages learning about who else is taking care of your patients! In this class, Interprofessional groups of about 15 students have small group discussions and activities facilitated by an Interprofessional faculty member. Physician Assistant students, Med students, Podiatry students, Pathologists’ Assistant students, Doctor of Physical Therapy students - alongside our PharmD students –will be able to talk about modern day issues in healthcare in America. Each Team also has the opportunity to work on a community service project… some have taken on large, national scale while others focus on our local community needs. From Boys and Girls Clubs to Special Olympics projects… we’ve done a lot of volunteer work in the past with this class.

What will you contribute as a PharmD student to our Interprofessional Teams Course?

I try to tell students that the first year of professional school should feel a lot like a full time job. Anticipate being a student at RFUMS COP from 8-5, Monday to Friday. Will you have lecture every day at 8AM? Probably not… nor should you expect to be in the Pharmacy Skills Lab each night until 5PM, but that’s a pretty good estimate of when you could have class requirements. We have a universal lunch hour each day, from noon to 1PM. Most of the on-campus clubs and groups meet during the lunch hour so that there are few conflicts with class schedules for meetings. Some even offer free lunch to members who attend meetings!

Are you excited? You should be! There is a lot going on at RFUMS and COP is looking for a group of really special students to kick our program off to the right start!

After the holiday break, I’ll post Part 2: looking at the clinical nature of the PharmD program at RFUMS. Until then, Happy Turkey Day. Safe travels to those of you headed home for the holiday!

Cheers,
Ask RFUPharmacy

Jabberwocky12

11-20-2010, 09:04 AM

Ask RFUPharmacy

11-29-2010, 09:56 AM

Why is there a quarter schedule if the classes are still 16-17 weeks long? If classes are going to begin and end in the middle of quarters, wouldn't that make it a semester schedule anyway? i don't quite see the benefit in doing a schedule like that because it sounds like what may end up happening is floating a course for a few weeks during a quarter and other times being a course light, which would lead for inconsistent schedules.

Or am I misinterpreting what you are trying to do with your quarter schedules?

Hi Jabberwocky,

Thanks for the follow up question - I didn't do a great job explaining this the first time.

The M/I might have been the wrong class to give an example of how truly cool the RFUMS curriculum is... as you are corrrect, it is only 17 weeks which looks like a typical semester long class. Other courses will last 8 weeks, but will be spread out over 19 weeks, others will last for multiple quarters, like Pharmacology, which lasts 24 weeks. The modular curriculum allows for courses to have flexible start dates and end dates... flexible end dates for these courses also mean that some of your finals will be offered at various points during the quarter!

Not all of the PharmD courses will be like this, some will be vary traditional with start and stop dates that correspond with the quarter dates. It's meant to give you time to absorb material, be introduced to new ideas as you're building on topics in both continuing and new courses while applying all of these concepts to the practice of modern pharmacy.

Does that help to clarify it? The curriculum at a glance is available by clicking: http://rosalindfranklin.edu/DNN/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=RCtRHXEku8w%3d&tabid=3550

I'm also working on posting what our Pharmacy Skills and Clinical experiences might look like for our second-, third-, and fourth-year students! Watch for that this week!

Let me know if you have any other questions!
Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-02-2010, 12:31 PM

Still curious about what the day in the life of a PharmD student might be like at Rosalind Franklin University? For those considering a future at RFUMS, I’d like to paint you a picture of what you can expect!

Part 1 covered what the first year of didactic study in the Interprofessional environment will look like next year. Part 2 looks at how your Pharmacy Practice Experiences builds upon the didactic portion of the curriculum and expands into the real world via multiple pharmacy settings.

The didactic, laboratory, and experiential education are coordinated with each other much in the same way that the basic sciences are interwoven with the clinical curriculum. So, during the first quarter of the first year, the pharmacy skills laboratory course teaches the communication skills that are essential for the practice of community pharmacy featured in the first year Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE). Similarly, the General Medicine and Infectious Disease course is offered during the second year while the IPPEs are featuring hospital experiences. Imagine, sitting in a General Medicine and Infectious Diseases lecture with the physician assistant students in the morning and then heading off to practice recommending drug dosages in a hospital setting that afternoon.

RFUMS COP students will enroll in Pharmacy Skills Labs beginning in the first quarter of the program and continue through the third year. The laboratory will be in our new building and is designed to be a state-of the art facility a large traditional pharmaceutical/chemical laboratory space with 20 workstations (to accommodate as many as 40 students working in teams), a sterile compounding room with three bio-hoods, and three “counseling rooms” that can be each configured as mock dispensaries or multiple patient encounter rooms. These “counseling rooms” are designed to place our PharmD students in a setting that mimics a real-world Pharmacy practice setting.

The laboratory space will be available to students 24 hours a day using an ID card coded security system. Each pharmacy skills class will be divided into sections of 10 to 17 two-student teams depending on the topics being covered. The Pharmacy Skills Laboratory class allows students to get hands on training in a variety of different pharmacy skills by demonstration and hands-on learning, and by student-student and faculty-student simulation. For instance, during the first year, students will be taught pharmaceutics, compounding, sterile compounding, molecular identification, patient counseling, communication skills, drug information, pharmaceutical calculations, and immunization certification in the pharmacy skills laboratory courses.

As part of the IPPE training and in addition to learning these traditional pharmacy skills, students will participate in interprofessional simulations in our newly expanded Education and Evaluation Center (EEC), where the student will encounter mock (actors!) patients and dummy (even tho it’s mechanical, we don’t say that to its face!) patients. Additional training in the EEC during the first part of the summer will allow all students to encounter rare situations that are not usually seen during most IPPEs. The EEC is designed to feel real, but is totally “safe.” This means that we’re controlling the environment and real patients aren’t involved in the situation. Students get real-time feedback from student-colleagues and faculty members who are observing. Both the Pharmacy Skills Laboratories and EEC experiences are intended to build confidence during IPPEs and APPEs, where you will be matched with a Preceptor in the area for exposure to real-world Pharmacy practice.

During your first two summers at Rosalind Franklin University, you have a choice: Want to take most of your summer off? We offer the option to complete your summer IPPE in a little over a week. Want to hang around and enjoy the many attractions of Chicagoland while gradually completing your summer IPPE? You could do that, too! The summer IPPE is 2.5 quarter hours (that’s only 50 contact hours). You can schedule and complete an unpaid week of IPPE (perhaps at your summer job site??) and 10 hours of simulation to complete the 50 hour requirement. Summer is a wonderful time in the Chicagoland area to take in a baseball game, head to the water park at Great America or hang out at one of the Lake Michigan beaches (or sleep, which seems to be a passion of some of our students, too!). Campus is lively in the summer with students from many programs taking classes or playing intramural softball.

An additional feature that is unique to our curriculum is the concept of “Competency Based Grading” is anticipated for many of the classes, so the student knows exactly what they must achieve to earn their grade.

Stay tuned! Part 3 will expand on the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) and elective options at RFUMS COP.

Until then, cheers!
Ask RFUPharmacy

Skrishna

12-03-2010, 07:27 AM

I am done with Pharmcas application and wondering if there is any supplemental application? Please let me know where to look for supplemental application and fees.....

Hi Everyone!

My name is Mandy and I work in the office of admissions for the new College of Pharmacy at Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago, IL. Since we're a new school, I wanted to post here and see if I could answer any questions you might have about our program, curriculum, the accreditation process that we're going through right now or being a student on our campus.

RFU has nearly 100 years of experience educating future healthcare professionals and I'm really excited about bringing future pharmacy students into our family.

Specifically, I'll answer questions about our program and sometimes the profession generally. What I won't do is direct comparisons or speak about any other college or program - that's the research you'll have to do on you own - but I am here to help!

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-06-2010, 02:47 PM

I am done with Pharmcas application and wondering if there is any supplemental application? Please let me know where to look for supplemental application and fees.....

Hi Skrishna,

Yes, Rosalind Franklin University will ask that you submit an supplemental application. Once PharmCAS has verified and delivered your application to our office, your application will be reviewed and the supplemental application sent to you electronically. The supplemental application fee should be included when you return your supp application to our office by mailing to:

Rosalind Franklin University
College of Pharmacy Admissions
3333 Green Bay Rd
North Chicago, IL 60064

Hope that helps!
Ask RFUPharmacy

appleciousrx03

12-08-2010, 07:16 AM

Thank you for all the detailed information! I was just wondering when the admission committee is going to start contacting applicants for interviews?

Skrishna

12-08-2010, 04:23 PM

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

rxforlife2004

12-08-2010, 06:56 PM

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

of course no replying because the school will close soon...lol

schoolpharm

12-08-2010, 09:50 PM

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

I submitted my supplemental application on November 5th and received an interview invite for December 17th about two days ago. So you should be hearing from them soon.

type b pharmD

12-09-2010, 02:24 AM

hey RFU

Just wanted to say . as an observer of technology and as someone interested in new effective uses of social media in relation to professional environments, it's really cool that you've come on here to bring the school admission and application process directly to the students! I dunno if anyone has done this before on sdn, but I can certainly say you're one of the first to reach out to applicants in this way. Perhaps in the future, more marketing of school professional programs and interaction between applicants and adcoms can take place on media such as SDN. Really cool idea! Thanks for bringing your program directly to the student applicants!

And to the people bashing the opening of new schools. 1. Rosalind Franklin is one of the most well known healthcare education schools in the us if not the world and deserves to have a pharmacy school to round out their interprofessional thing , given that theyve already proven that they are good healthcare educators. and 2. Schools dont open pharmacy programs for "the profession" they open them to benefit themselves and their students, with an increase of knowledge and bringing $$ to everyone involved (as professional salaries to faculty, profit or research $$ to the school, and to students who graduate and can get high paying jobs).

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-09-2010, 10:01 AM

Thank you for all the detailed information! I was just wondering when the admission committee is going to start contacting applicants for interviews?

Hi appleciousrx03,

We've actually started contacting qualified applicants with complete applications for interview days in December. We also have interview days planned for January and will be offering those to qualified candidates who are in the process of applying right now. So, if you haven't heard back from us, hang in there. Also, make certain your supplemental application has been sent and received... if we don't have it, we can't review you any further!

And, don't forget, RFUMS has rolling admissions...the sooner applicants submit their materials, the sooner we get to you!

Hang in there and good luck!

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-09-2010, 10:06 AM

I submitted my supplemental application on November 5th and received an interview invite for December 17th about two days ago. So you should be hearing from them soon.

Congrats, schoolpharm! Let me know if you have any questions about the interview day itself or traveling to RFUMS for your interview.

Also, don't forget to post feedback about the interview day on SDN. Your feedback helps folks like me assess our interview day as well as future students.

See you on the 17th!

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-09-2010, 10:09 AM

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

Hmmm, have you tried calling? Sometimes emails end up in spam filters or outer space... The phone number to the Office of Admissions is 847-578-3204. Feel free to give us a call!

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-09-2010, 10:15 AM

appleciousrx03

12-09-2010, 12:49 PM

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-13-2010, 10:25 AM

Thanks again for the response! Will the admissions committee be notifying via email or regilar mail? Are all of the december dates already spoken for? You also mention that the interviews are being offered to qualified applicants with complete applications and that the January dates will be offered to those who are qualified and in the process of applying right now. What happens if an application was already completed (pharmcas, supplemental app, and fee) and no interview extended for December? What qualifies an applicant to be "qualified"? Is there a point system based on only the PCAT and GPA that is in place to determine if an interview invite is in order?

I guess I just got confused with that there are more dates in January for interviews but will be extended to those that are qualified and in the process of applying right now.

Thanks again for your time and attention!

Howdy again, appleciousrx03,
Thanks for the follow up question! Let’s see if I can give you some good examples of how we are reviewing candidates for admission. So first, a qualified candidate for admissions is a student who has met our minimum credentials: 2.50 or better overall GPA and science GPA (sGPA) and also has a C or better on each of the individual pre-reqs. Qualified applicants have also reported their PCAT scores to our office, too! Now, qualified and competitive are two different things… since this is our first year of accepting COP students, I can’t say… “and last year’s average was…” so I’m predicting that competitive candidates will have 3.00 or better GPA and sGPAs… and have passed each of the pre-reqs with a grade better than a C.
See the difference?
Our review is very comprehensive, tho… and despite having a set GPA that we are looking for in our applicants, we are also very attune to seeing that GPA in context. What do I mean by that? If you happen to be the student who was attending school full time, working 30 hours or more each week and still had time to volunteer or commit to a community service project, we’ll see that in your application. So, all hope is not lost if you happen to be a student who has met “just the minimum” qualifications. But, it may take a little bit longer for you to be invited to interview.
Also, a quick shout-out to all of those non-traditional students out there applying… we know that you face a different set of challenges when applying… and this is why a comprehensive review of your credentials is to your benefit. You may be fighting back from a low GPA from years ago, but your recent work is outstanding. The A/C will be looking at trends and your sGPA very closely in reviewing your credentials.
With Rolling Admissions, it’s almost like a buffet… competitive applicants who have a complete application in our office will get to interview earlier – they’ll also hear a decision earlier. Those who wait may not have a choice of interview dates or get to interview as early as they want… so don’t wait to get your materials to us just because our deadlines aren’t until March 2011.
Now, I will say this, more Interview Dates will be announced after we attain Pre-Candidate Status in Jan 2011… to accommodate those who have compete applications now (and still waiting to hear back from us) and for those who are in the process of finishing their applications now.
Does that help? I know it’s frustrating to sit and wait to hear back… but, we are processing applications every day and the A/C is meeting to review candidates each week. I know the process feels like it takes forever. Hang in there.
Ask RFUPharmacy

Passion4Sci

12-14-2010, 06:04 PM

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-15-2010, 09:45 AM

I haven't seen this question covered yet, and I can't believe it. So if it HAS been covered I apologize but -

A hot topic around here has been CC vs. university. Would you care to comment on RFU's policy for how it treats CC classes? You talked a bit about GPA in your most recent reply. I think it'd be interesting to see how RFU views a CC applicant vs. a 4 year applicant, assuming that they have more or less equal PCAT scores and more or less equal ECs (i.e., the CC student doesn't have like 13 years of work experience as a technician and they're a nobel prize winner, etc).

Hi Passion4Sci,
Thanks for a great question. I would LOVE to comment on CC coursework… I have to admit, first, I am a huge CC proponent. You’ve given me a pretty specific scenario, so I’d like to give some general advice before I address this specific “situation” you’ve posed. In a past life I worked in the Transfer Admissions Office for a Big State University for several years. I have seen firsthand the quality of work that some CC students can produce…but, my job here is also to tell you things that will make candidates competitive for acceptance into the COP at RFU program… so, here goes.

I KNOW taking CC classes is less expensive… and given the economic climate in recent years, I can very easily understand how and why a student would have chosen to start at a CC and work towards transferring to a university. What we would expect to see from this candidate is a progression towards increasingly complex subjects in the last year or two of his/her studies. For example, this student could take Gen Bio at the CC, but take Calc and Anatomy at the university level.

Okay, let’s reverse that scenario. This student starts at the University and decides to take Physics at the CC. My first question in the review of the application is going to be WHY? Did s/he fail Physics the first time at the university and they are retaking it at the CC to boost the GPA?? That’s likely not going to fly with the A/C. Is s/he a double major in Microbiology and Music and the intensive summer Physics course at the local CC was the only way to get the credit and still graduate on time? That’s likely going to be okay with the A/C.

There are a few questions I think any pre-health student should be asking themselves before deciding to attend a CC to take courses, especially pre-requisites. First, is your overall GPA competitive? How about your sGPA? If you are struggling in the university level sciences, it may look as if you are “boosting” your GPA by attending CC to take what some universities call a “weed out” class. Don’t take that chance with your academic background in order to “get the grade.”

Another question you need to ask yourself is: how many schools have I transferred to/from in my undergraduate career? One new trend we are noticing in all healthcare applicants is multiple transfers… and in some cases, it appears as tho every time things got a little rough or challenging they transferred; taking CC classes may appear like they are looking for an easier route, again. These are not the kinds of questions you want to spend precious interview time answering about your academic background.

Okay, so given all of that above, in your specific scenario… and assuming this applicant isn’t a Nobel winner, then, if a candidate presented with only three years of CC work on their application, I’m going to ask why? And, if the candidate doesn’t have a really great answer (as outlined in their personal statement!), then my best advice to that candidate: transfer to a university and try your hand at upper division science coursework before you attempt any professional school – including COP at RFU.

Hope that helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Ask RFUPharmacy

Note: RFUMS Office of Admissions will be closed, in observation of the holidays, on December 23, 24, 30 and 31. From the staff and faculty at COP, we wish you and yours a very happy holiday season.

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-16-2010, 11:00 AM

Howdy everyone,

Caryn, our fabulous COP Admissions Coordinator, asked me to pass along a note to all current (and future!) applicants:

Caryn says, "Please remind candidates to check their spam and junk filters for the supplementary application! They can avoid our messages going to spam by adding pharmacy.admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu to their safe senders list or address books."

Not that Caryn is scary (she's actually quit nice), but even *I* do what Caryn tells me! :)

Cheers,
Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

12-19-2010, 11:54 AM

Hi again everyone! Is it possible that you still have questions about our new COP at RFUMS? I’m sure you do… here’s a picture of what life might be like for you if Rosalind Franklin University is a part of your pharmacy future.

Part 1 covered what the first year of didactic study in the Interprofessional environment will look like next year. Part 2 examined how your Pharmacy Practice Experiences builds upon the didactic portion of the curriculum and expands into the real world via multiple pharmacy settings. Part 3 is an in-depth look at the practical emphasis placed on your learning through what we call the IPPE Collaborative Learning Bridge (ICLB) and your Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE).

You might be asking… what the heck is a Collaborative Learning Bridge?? The ICLB Project is fantastic experience by which didactic learning and practical pharmacy are tied together. The ICLB Project is a multi-year project spanning the three years of IPPE (P1-P3) with increasing progression of both depth and scope… it’s showing you how the PharmD curriculum is integrated both horizontally and vertically (in other words, what you’ve been learning all this time!). The project is an active, team-based assignment that bridges basic knowledge gained in P1 to application in P2, and a practical emphasis in the final year of the project (P3). At the end of each year, teams will attend and present their projects at an annual COP poster presentation session, while some will participate in Plenary Sessions with students and faculty.

Our Class of 2015 will be divided into teams of 5 students. It will be up to the individual teams to define a project with input from the course instructor(s). These projects may be focused on topical issues such as drug, drug class, disease, public health concern, or patient-centered care. Teams will be asked to develop increasingly detailed information and experiences regarding their project throughout the duration of the project.

If we followed a sample project (and, no, you can’t use this one as your project next year!) to give you an idea of the increasing scope of a multi-year project, this is what you might see: Let’s say your ICLB team is interested in “Using appropriate methods of patient education to review indications, adverse effects, dosage, storage, and administration techniques.” That’s a pretty big topic for a group of P1 students. But, in the P1 year of your project, you might simply tackle providing point-of-care and patient-centered services and/or communicating with patients and other health care providers at the poster session. Moving into the P2 year, your team’s objective would expand… incorporating new knowledge and practical information: “Relating the chemical and/or biochemical structure of drugs to their therapeutic action” with your team project seeking to articulate best practices and responding to drug information inquiries. In the final year, your team project’s objective would blossom into “Recommended revisions of therapeutic plans based upon changes in patient status.” Finally, the three years of Pharmacy training pull together in order to discuss, at a plenary session, interpreting and evaluating patient information or presenting patient cases in an organized format covering pertinent information.

And, finally, the P4 year… imagine it! Just 3.5 years from now, you could be getting ready to start your 4th year as a student in the College of Pharmacy at RFUMS. It’s a long road, but totally worth it. Let’s look at what it might look like when you get there. COP students will participate in six 6-week long APPEs (Clinical Rotations) in each of the following areas: Community Pharmacy, Hospital or Health System Pharmacy, Ambulatory Care, Inpatient/Acute Care General Medicine plus two electives. And, how might you spend your electives? I’d suggest one of the following areas, potentially: Public health, Industry (drug safety, medical information, regulatory research and development), Managed care, Home infusions, Nuclear pharmacy, Poison Control, Consulting (long term care, geriatric, mental health), or Research Experience (e.g., basic science, clinical research, literature review). Or you may choose to gain more experience in specialized clinical practice such as infectious diseases, critical care, oncology, psychiatry, or surgery for example.

Imagine preventing a life-threatening drug interaction or being able to participate in cardiac arrest team! Whether you’re counseling a patient on medications, recommending appropriate medication selection to health care professionals, or drafting a drug monograph for hospital formulary review, the P4 year is full of exciting challenges!

I ask you this, what’s your passion for Pharmacy? Rosalind Franklin University’s COP can help you reach your goals for a career in Pharmacy!

kyang89

12-27-2010, 08:28 PM

Wow, RFU representative, thank you so much for your input. I just received my interview invite for Jan. 7th, earlier today and upon first review of this thread, it is clear that RFU is very serious about it's new school of pharmacy. I was also extremely surprised by the promptness of the invite, as I had just sent my application in by mail only last Thursday afternoon.

Anyways, keep up the great work! Hopefully we'll be meeting soon!

nuduocsi

01-01-2011, 03:23 PM

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-03-2011, 01:54 PM

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-03-2011, 01:59 PM

Hi,
I'm not sure if it's a mistake. But don't you think the modified font for the short essays is too small? When I copy what I typed in the application and paste them into Word, it appears the font size is only 6.
So that also means, to fill up the provided space in the application, you need to write about 4000 characters (800 words)??? Is it too long for a Supplemental essay? :confused:

Hi nuduocsi,

Yes, the pdf version of the supplemental application has a font that is set to 6 points. However, you are welcome to change this format if you would like... our intention was to not limit the amount of space applicants needed to provide answers (well, ok, honestly, we don't want to read a 5 page novella!). If your answer does not take up the "whole space" but you have answered the question thoroughly, then you will be fine! Don't ramble just to fill up space! If you prefer to change the font to a larger size, then also feel free to do so!

Hope that helps!
Ask RFUPharmacy

kyang89

01-10-2011, 05:25 PM

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-12-2011, 02:15 PM

Hey SDN!

I just interviewed at this school this past Friday (1/7/2011), and it was a fantastic experience! The faculty members are very nice, and all make an effort to participate in the interview process. There were 8 of us in total, but I am not too sure whether or not that is a variable number. In any case, the experience was really great, and time passed by surprisingly quickly. I definitely really enjoyed RFU's interview process, and I wish everyone else interviewing the best of luck! I really hope to get in :xf:

Hi kyang89,

So glad you enjoyed your visit! Do you mind if I ask you a few follow up questions.. the ones other candidates might be wondering?

1. How far did you have to travel to get to North Chicago? Did you stay overnight and if so, where? Approximately, how much did you total travel to N Chicago cost you?

2. If the RFU COP interview was not your first, how did it compare to other programs you have interviewed with?

3. What was the most interesting question you were asked during the interview?

4. What was the toughest question to answer during the interview?

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you over the next few weeks! Good luck!!
Ask RFUPharmacy

kyang89

01-16-2011, 10:03 AM

Sure, I'll provide some feedback.

1. I school in Montreal, but I was visiting home in NY for the break. So I flew from there to O'Hare, took a cab to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel for the night (got the Rosalind Franklin Student Rate), and then took a complimentary shuttle the following morning to the school. (Make sure you contact Marriott for the Gurnee Flash Cab number to make a reservation, as they provide a flat rate of 47 dollars from the airport to the hotel. If you just let counter clock you by the second/minute, it will run you north of 90 dollars)

The flight cost about 200 dollars round trip via expedia.com. On the way back, a fellow candidate drove me to the airport, and I chipped in for her car rental fare. So it all summed up to about $370 dollars in travel expenses, including $30-40 in food and drinks.

2. RFU COP actually is currently my first choice, mostly because the experience was really amazing, and the facilities and resources provided to the students within the program are very innovative and contemporary. It was a good experience. I can't compare to any others yet, as my next interview isn't until this coming Friday.

3. What could you tell me if I told you there was a positive correlation between eating ice cream, and drowning rates? In retrospect, I should have mentioned correlation does not imply causation, but I was just trying to come up with a logical answer as quickly as I could, haha.

4. Describe an SN2 reaction. I know it's semi-basic Organic Chem, but it had been ages ago since I last dealt with that material, I was a little caught off guard, but I ended up answering it correctly! :)

kyang89

01-18-2011, 09:20 AM

A few people have PM'd me for some information regarding the interview, and I feel it only fair to all applicants if I shared some of the information I did with them, with everyone else. So here goes:

- one on one interviews conducted by a faculty member (they were all extremely nice and laid-back, so try not to be so uptight, and just have a good time)
- the writing sample was 30 minutes; treat it like you would writing a supplemental application. Brainstorm a couple of ideas before attacking the component, or else you might not translate your idea effectively onto paper
- there were 8 of us in total (4 were interivewed, while 4 conducted their writing samples, and vice versa), but this could vary amongst interview samples
- be yourself, or you really wont enjoy the experience at all. I found time to pass by really quickly, because it was a really fun experience for me.

Good luck to everyone! :xf:

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-24-2011, 12:07 PM

We're in for some big time celebrating this afternoon at COP!!

Good News!
We're proud to announce the
College of Pharmacy
at Rosalind Franklin University
has received
Pre-Candidate status
from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)

For more on our breaking news, visit
www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy (http://www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy)

kyang89

01-24-2011, 01:33 PM

amazing news! congrats :)

bapa09

01-24-2011, 04:51 PM

nuduocsi

01-26-2011, 08:35 AM

We're in for some big time celebrating this afternoon at COP!!
Good News!
We're proud to announce the
College of Pharmacy
at Rosalind Franklin University
has received
Pre-Candidate status
from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
For more on our breaking news, visit
www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy (http://www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy)

Yay! I am as super excited as you guys are about the news!!

High Five! :thumbup:

And, does this mean you will send out more interview invitations soon? :luck:

nuduocsi

01-26-2011, 08:36 AM

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-26-2011, 09:06 AM

Hi! As I was reading through the thread I don't think anyone has mentioned anything about repeated coursework. So, what is RFUCP's view on that? I ask this because I had to repeat 3 courses after going through a tough family ordeal. When I repeated the courses I did great in them, but the first grade I received in them are still being countered in my GPA. This is making my GPA seem much lower than it actually is.

Thanks for your help!!

Hi bapa09,

Thanks for a great question! I actually had to tap into few resources to get the full answer on this one for you. So, here goes:

You likely already know that PharmCAS will average the grades of the courses re-taken... and there isn't anything COP at RFU can do about that. When we import your application from PharmCAS, we also take both grades... and while it does lower your GPA, it does give us the most accurate picture of your academic background... and we want to see that.
Here's what you can do, tho: Don't ever make us read your "transcripts" (i.e. application-as-a-whole) in a vacuum! The AC is not omniscient -- we don't know that during that one "bad" semester you were sick/dealing with family/dealing with a death in the family/ working 40+ hours a week to pay tuition. For all we know, that was just a bad semester - unless you tell us about it. My personal recommendation is to work it into your personal statement - where you can give us context for evaluating your overall GPA, your science GPA, etc.

Now, this is NOT free license to whine. Repeat: DO NOT WHINE!

What you can tell the A/C is what you learned about your experience... perhaps you needed to withdraw, take some time to regroup and re-enroll... perhaps you needed to work to pay off debt before returning... whatever the outcome, make sure you tell us what you did to solve the problem -- because here's the deal... life happens. Life is going to happen while you are enrolled in Pharmacy School, too. We want to know that you won't make the same mistakes twice!

Does that help? Let me know if you have any other questions!
Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-26-2011, 09:29 AM

Yay! I am as super excited as you guys are about the news!!

High Five! :thumbup:

And, does this mean you will send out more interview invitations soon? :luck:

YEAH!!! We just finished doing the happy dance on our campus! And, now it's back to work.

Yep - interview invitations will continue into the new year. And, now that kyang89 let Dr H's question about SN2 reactions out of the bag, he's sitting in his office RIGHT NOW thinking about other obscure Biochem questions to ask when candidates interview, so you'd better brush up... LOL!! Just joking. Or am I???

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-26-2011, 09:32 AM

Howdy again... so, here is a link to the full article about our ACPE Pre-Candidate Status change from Monday, Jan 24.

Read all about it here:
http://bit.ly/COPpreAccreditionRelease (http://bit.ly/COPpreAccreditionRelease)

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Ask RFUPharmacy

homeslice

01-27-2011, 03:55 PM

I was wondering what your statistics were for the first year's class, as far as number of applications received, number of interviews, and number of acceptances.

Ask RFUPharmacy

01-31-2011, 05:30 PM

I was wondering what your statistics were for the first year's class, as far as number of applications received, number of interviews, and number of acceptances.

Hey homeslice --

Hmmm, let me go get my crystal ball... :)

No, seriously, we haven't seated our first class yet - that's what we're working on right now! Our inaugural class will be seated in August 2011.

Soooo, what I can tell you right now: we've received approximately 400+ applications. That was before we received our pre-candidate status from the ACPE, so while aggressive, I don't think it's unreasonable to think we may increase our application pool by almost a 50 to 75% now that we've achieved this milestone...and in the next 4 weeks (deadline to apply is March 1 people!! What are you waiting for??).

Again, gazing into my crystal ball (and with our newly minted ACPE status) we'll get busy ramping up our interview process and possibly interview in the 200 range (this is really an estimate, tho. Not a cap, not a target, not a goal, rather my best guestimate of what we can accomplish in the time given).

As to acceptances... well, my magic 8 ball says "ask again later." Since we haven't made any acceptance yet, I just don't have an answer for you yet... I need to get a better feel for the AC and see how aggressive they are going to be this year before I can really give you even a ball park answer. But, ask again later!

Hope that helps!
Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

02-09-2011, 01:04 PM

Hey Everyone!

The College of Pharmacy is hosting an Open House! February 17, 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

Rosalind Franklin University – Health Sciences Building

3333 Green Bay Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064

Free Parking, Campus Tour, Meet Faculty

RSVP: 847.578.3204 or pharmacy.admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu
Bring a friend - you know, cuz you're cool like that!

www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

02-16-2011, 02:05 PM

The Chicagoland forecast for tomorrow is predicting temperatures in the 50's and we'd like to spend this spring like day with you. Join us for the College of Pharmacy Open House!

February 17, 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.
Rosalind Franklin University – Health Sciences Building
3333 Green Bay Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064

It's not too late to RSVP: 847.578.3204 or pharmacy.admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu

http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/portals/18/documents/admissions/CoPOpenHouse.pdf

UyenRita

02-21-2011, 08:28 AM

So...Just for you all know, I interviewed here last week. If you guys have any questions about anything, I would be happy to answer them (of course from the perspective of a candidate).

I'd have to say it was a fantastic experience that make RFU is now become my top-choice school. I have been given chances to visit/interview with some other schools and RFU is the best one for me thus far. Wondering why? shoot me questions, post here or PM me, I'll tell you in details.

I am crossing my fingers, hoping/praying for the best. They said they will let me know unofficially via telephone, and officially via mail by late March. Argg, the waiting is really horrible....:scared:

AJbara

02-22-2011, 02:30 PM

Ask RFUPharmacy

02-23-2011, 05:58 AM

Ask RFUPharmacy

02-23-2011, 06:06 AM

Hello! congrats and good luck to all on obtaining interviews. I feel as though I will be submitting my application so late to Rosalind. Though the deadline is March 1 I feel awful about applying so late but personal situation prohibited me from applying earlier. Any suggestions??? Should I go for it and submit my app anyway??

Hey there AJbara,

I really do think you should apply.. and here are a few reasons why. We, too, had a late start in this season's application cycle - for professional reasons. Since we were waiting for our ACPE visit and subsequent Precandidate Status, we didn't start really our process until late December... so we don't think you're late by apply now either! If you get your PharmCAS application in ASAP, you'll still have almost two full weeks to get your supplemental application in (due March 15!) to our office.

Also, we're still interviewing for fall 2011 and (with our rolling admissions process) still have seats in our class.

So... what are you waiting for?? Hmmm? Good luck with your application!
Ask RFUPharmacy

UyenRita

02-23-2011, 11:26 AM

Hello! congrats and good luck to all on obtaining interviews. I feel as though I will be submitting my application so late to Rosalind. Though the deadline is March 1 I feel awful about applying so late but personal situation prohibited me from applying earlier. Any suggestions??? Should I go for it and submit my app anyway??

AJbara,

So did you finish your PharmCAS application? Do they have your GPA calculated already? If so, all you need to do now is add RFUMS to your designated school and pay the extra $50 fee immediately. It takes a week or more for PharmCAS to send your application to RFUMS. Today is Mar 23rd, so please do so NOW if you still consider applying to RFUMS!

The good thing about RFUMS is that they work on your application promptly and therefore they will send you the supplemental application in a very short time. Once you get the supplemental application, please start to work on it ASAP, and the deadline March 15th is "postmarked", which mean as long as you put it in the post office on 03/15, you will be fine.

And thanks for your congrats. I wish you the best.

UyenRita

02-23-2011, 11:44 AM

I've got my fingers crossed for you, too! Let me know if you have any follow up questions that you might have about the program, campus or living in North Chicago!

Hi Mandy,

Thanks for your offer. I have no concerns about the living in North Chicago because my aunt is living only 10 minutes away from the school (which is very convenient for me). As for the campus, my cousin is currently going there for her med school so that I think I had enough information about RFU campus.

As for the program, I really like the Interprofessional model of education and I also learned a lot about it during my interview day. What I am looking forward to know about is the academic calendar of COP. I am wondering what the class schedule looks like, when the exams going to be held (as we go by Quarter system, I believe the exam would come very quickly).

I know the faculties are working very hard on many things to bring their students a professional place, so take your time. Please let me know whenever it is available.

Again, thank you for your kind words. Hopefully I will see you in person soon.

AJbara

02-23-2011, 01:45 PM

AJbara,

So did you finish your PharmCAS application? Do they have your GPA calculated already? If so, all you need to do now is add RFUMS to your designated school and pay the extra $50 fee immediately. It takes a week or more for PharmCAS to send your application to RFUMS. Today is Mar 23rd, so please do so NOW if you still consider applying to RFUMS!

The good thing about RFUMS is that they work on your application promptly and therefore they will send you the supplemental application in a very short time. Once you get the supplemental application, please start to work on it ASAP, and the deadline March 15th is "postmarked", which mean as long as you put it in the post office on 03/15, you will be fine.

And thanks for your congrats. I wish you the best.

Awwww thank you!! YES! I did! :D

Malay

02-23-2011, 02:43 PM

Let's say your "numbers" arent top notch but you're retaking classes and have been improving. You have volunteering and has worked as a pharm tech. Are you judging solely on numbers? As much a's I've heard that schools look for well rounded students, I feel that is not really the case but
Pretty much saying that so they can apply and pay for the application fee. I've recently been denied admissions from a local pharm school and I believe it's based on my numbers. But aside from that, I believe that I have everything else that shows my passion for pharmacy :(

Malay

02-23-2011, 03:07 PM

Oops nevermind! I just read another post that pretty much answer my questions. I'm on my phone so I missed some posts. Sorry!

AJbara

02-28-2011, 02:03 PM

UyenRita

02-28-2011, 02:16 PM

About how long does it take to receive the supplemental application? My app was esubmitted 2/22/11 and mailed 2/18/11 via PharmCAS.

Typo, isn't it? :rolleyes:

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-01-2011, 11:27 AM

Hi Mandy,

Thanks for your offer. I have no concerns about the living in North Chicago because my aunt is living only 10 minutes away from the school (which is very convenient for me). As for the campus, my cousin is currently going there for her med school so that I think I had enough information about RFU campus.

As for the program, I really like the Interprofessional model of education and I also learned a lot about it during my interview day. What I am looking forward to know about is the academic calendar of COP. I am wondering what the class schedule looks like, when the exams going to be held (as we go by Quarter system, I believe the exam would come very quickly).

I know the faculties are working very hard on many things to bring their students a professional place, so take your time. Please let me know whenever it is available.

Again, thank you for your kind words. Hopefully I will see you in person soon.

Hey there UyenRita,

Thanks for the follow up question about schedules being posted... The COP faculty I have had a chance to speak with about the timing of this seems to all concur that late July is their target for getting class schedules (room assignments and the like) posted for the incoming class. Trust me, as soon as I know it's available, we'll blast this information out so candidates and prospective students can take a peek. Some of the processes we are currently working through include the interprofessional classes - working collaboratively across the different colleges does take a little bit of additional time! In addition to the scheduling of lectures, the COP faculty are also assessing the "burden" (load) of your testing schedule in our quarterly calendar... Hang in there just a little bit longer and I'll be able to show you where all of this information is located on the College of Pharmacy website!

Let me know if you have any other questions!
Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-01-2011, 11:37 AM

Oops nevermind! I just read another post that pretty much answer my questions. I'm on my phone so I missed some posts. Sorry!

Hi Malay - Glad you were able to find the posts where I talk a little bit about presenting your application in the best possible light! One other aspect you can look for in your application (and on your transcripts) is a positive trend in your overall and science GPA. You mention retaking classes (and you already know PharmCAS will average these grades, right) we will look for improvement in courses re-taken, we will also look to see if after mastering the material that you moved onto increasingly more challenging subjects to stretch your background and knowledge base! All of these things you can look for on your transcripts and your preparation for a career in pharmacy - and then don't forget to highlight these achievements in your personal statement.

Does that help? Let me know if you have any other questions.

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-01-2011, 12:52 PM

About how long does it take to receive the supplemental application? My app was esubmitted 2/22/11 and mailed 2/18/11 via PharmCAS. I'm so nervous, can't sleep at night and my PCAT scores are devastating and I do mean DEVASTATING! I refuse to give up! :)

Hi AJbara... if I take the date you mentioned e-submitting and add the time it takes PharmCAS to verify and deliver your application it's quite possible that we haven't received your application quite yet! Our turn around time from receipt in our office to the initial review and subsequent delivery of the Supplemental Application to you by email is about a week. Make sure you've checked your spam and junk filters for the supplementary application!You can avoid our messages going to spam by adding pharmacy.admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu to their safe senders list or address books."

What I have mentioned before is that I anticipate the PCAT scores for our inaugural class to be in the 50th percentile or better... however, without having a class already seated, I can't say what our average PCAT scores will be for fall.. and the last time I took stats, averages were made up of scores that are both higher and lower than the average! Hang in there and allow us the time to review your application!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you - and let me know if you have any other questions!

AJbara

03-02-2011, 08:34 PM

Hi AJbara... if I take the date you mentioned e-submitting and add the time it takes PharmCAS to verify and deliver your application it's quite possible that we haven't received your application quite yet! Our turn around time from receipt in our office to the initial review and subsequent delivery of the Supplemental Application to you by email is about a week. Make sure you've checked your spam and junk filters for the supplementary application!You can avoid our messages going to spam by adding pharmacy.admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu to their safe senders list or address books."

What I have mentioned before is that I anticipate the PCAT scores for our inaugural class to be in the 50th percentile or better... however, without having a class already seated, I can't say what our average PCAT scores will be for fall.. and the last time I took stats, averages were made up of scores that are both higher and lower than the average! Hang in there and allow us the time to review your application!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you - and let me know if you have any other questions!

Ok! Thank you (biting nails)

UyenRita

03-03-2011, 07:16 AM

pharmacy001

03-03-2011, 08:33 AM

UyenRita

03-03-2011, 09:30 AM

Did you receive a call or e-mail?

It was a call and they said I'll receive the package with acceptance checklist and acceptance letter next week.

What about you? Did you hear back or interview yet?

pharmacy001

03-03-2011, 09:37 AM

It was a call and they said I'll receive the package with acceptance checklist and acceptance letter next week.

What about you? Did you hear back or interview yet?

Congrats UyenRita. I Interviewed on Feb 18, I didn't hard any thing.
when you got call

PharmDest

03-03-2011, 02:07 PM

rth89

03-03-2011, 04:32 PM

i got in tooooo guysssss im so excited!!!!

UyenRita

03-03-2011, 09:46 PM

Hah! 2 new persons and this is their first post on this forum just saying they got in to RFUMS...? hmmm.... :rolleyes:

Anyways, thanks for the congrats. COngrats to you guys as well. We all made it!! yayyyy

Oh by the way, I got my packet today in the mail. Did you guys get it? There are 3 pages right? They said there is a return addressed envelop that we could use it to send back our declaration of intent form. However, I don't see it in my packet? Is it just me missing it?

@pharmacy001: I got a call on Wednesday and got my packet in the mail today.

UyenRita

03-04-2011, 08:25 AM

Okay I've just created a group for Inaugural Class of 2015 on Facebook. Join us guys if you are planing on attending this school.

Go here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_181059728605496

It's better to get in touch before school starts. Information will be spread out faster! :thumbup:

appleciousrx03

03-04-2011, 04:17 PM

Congrats to everyone that has been accepted thus far! I was acceped this week too and will be attending. If any of you have any questions regarding the interview process feel free to post or PM me.

I have joined the Facebook group that UyenRita created and if you plan to attend RFUMS this fall I suggest you join too! I believe this is a great way to get in touch and meet one another as well as keep each other informed before class starts this fall.

Best wishes for a great career in pharmacy!

chicagopharma

03-05-2011, 10:04 AM

a question for mandy, do you review the whole application again after the interview or do u just evaluate a candidate based on their interview??? thanks

appleciousrx03

03-05-2011, 11:53 AM

I received a PM re: interview experience and instead of replying directly to this person I am posting it on here so those of you that have upcoming interviews can all benefit from my response. Overall, I truly enjoyed the interview at RFUMS. Everyone, admission staff, faculty members, and students, had a positive demeanor which helped with making the day less tense. They were all very accommodating to all the questions we had. Interviews in general can be tough but just try to relax that way you as a person and your interests can be naturally portrayed to the faculty at RFUMS :)

The day consisted of a brief introduction, one on one interview with a faculty member, writing sample, group interactive session, lunch, and tour of the facility.

These are the questions below:

1) What interview questions that they asked you (if you don't mind to share with me)
Everyones questions differ with the faculty member they are assigned to. I was asked the typical questions: Why pharmacy, why RFUMS, what are the roles of a Pharmacist, how is the role of pharmacy changing, etc. Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with someone and what did you do to resolve it. Your interviewer would have seen your file so you may get questions on your grades, PCAT, what you've written in your PS, work experiences, and volunteer experiences.

2) What is the essay topic that they normally asked us to write about?
The writing portion of your interview will just be to respond to a topic on an ethical dillemma. You have 30 mins to respond. If you've taken the PCAT then you are already familiar with how to attack this. Create a standard 3-4 paragraph essay with your intro, body, and conclusion. You get scrap paper to help organize your thoughts, which I highly suggest you do so when you attempt to write your essay you have it well planned out already and your message gets translated across clearly.

3) How long the interview will be because I understand that the essay part will be 30 min.
The whole interview day was from 8:30-2:00. The interview with the faculty member was about 45mins long, which is plenty of time for them to get to know you and for you to get to know them and ask any questions.

I hope this information helps! Let me know if anyone has any other questions and post them on here so everyone can benefit! Good luck to all of you and I look forward to seeing you all this fall! :xf::)

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-07-2011, 10:37 AM

Hey Everyone!! Congrats to those who have already received their acceptances for the Class of 2015. I got to talk to a few of you on the phone last week when we made calls and I am thrilled for all of you!!

Welcome to the Rosalind Franklin family! I can't wait to meet you this fall!

If your packet was missing the return envelope for the Declaration of Intent and deposit, you can send these materials back to us in a regular envelope with this mailing address:

Rosalind Franklin University
College of Pharmacy Admissions
3333 Green Bay Rd
North Chicago, IL 60064

For those of you still waiting -- keep in mind COP is using a rolling admissions process. Acceptances will start coming in "waves" over the next few weeks. Hang with me a little bit longer... we continue to review candidates each week and will continue to make decisions as such.

Best to you all!
Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-07-2011, 10:46 AM

a question for mandy, do you review the whole application again after the interview or do u just evaluate a candidate based on their interview??? thanks

Hey there chicagopharma -- great question. The whole idea of the personal interview is that we get to meet the candidates and gather additional information that we can't get from the paper application... your professionalism, your speaking/communication abilities, how you handle yourself in "pressure" situations, interact with other candidates, and (my personal favorite:) how you treat the receptionist, etc.

These are all facets about your candidacy that we can't get from just reading your application... and so, our final review is a review of you, the whole package. Some of the interview is specifically social (do you fit with RFUMS and do we fit your needs) and some is to assess the soft skills mentioned above. A portion of the interview is also to assess your scientific background and practical knowledge of the profession.

Does that help? Let me know if you have any other questions!
Ask RFUPharmacy

chicagopharma

03-07-2011, 12:33 PM

Yes that helped, thank you so much for responding!:)

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-07-2011, 12:33 PM

Hi everyone! Just a quick update for you… I’m getting ready to take a short leave and have asked one of my colleagues to help out with our Ask RFUPharmacy thread while I am away.

Autumn has been working closely with applicants from the College of Pharmacy since she started with the University a few months ago… some of you may recognize her name from your interview day! She’s great to work with and knows an incredible amount about the Pharmacy program and faculty. Feel free to ask her the same questions you’d ask me.

I’ll be back in about 12 weeks and will look forward to catching up with you all then. In the mean time, good luck to you all in the application process!
Best
Mandy

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-07-2011, 12:50 PM

As Mandy has informed everyone, I will be helping out with SDN and providing information about the College of Pharmacy. I am one of the new Admissions Recruiters hired on this fall, so you may have met me during interview days or out on the road representing Rosalind Franklin University. I have loved my role thus far and excited to talk to people through SDN! I welcome all questions and I look forward to helping you with your process of applying to pharmacy school.
Let jump right in!
I know many might have heard about the interprofessionalism scope of the pharmacy program and wonder how this will all work at RFUMS. You may ask, is it just one project that lets you claim that the school emphasizes their “interprofessional” approach? While the students from all the programs do work on a project together, there are many other opportunities to learn with, from, and about each other. Examples would include Body Systems (physiology) with the physical therapy students, General Medicine with the Physician Assistance students, Ethics with the medical students, and microbiology with the podiatric medical students.
We believe taking courses with students from other programs will aid in the learning and succeeding in a course. Students use their strengths within the classroom to enhance discussion and learn how their roles work with each other once out in the work place. How cool is it you can build your network across professions from day one in your program!
To see all the integrated courses yourself, take a look at the Curriculum –at- a- Glance http://rosalindfranklin.edu/DNN/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=kT4hXPkIBUY%3d&tabid=3550 (http://rosalindfranklin.edu/DNN/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=kT4hXPkIBUY%3d&tabid=3550)
(Integrated courses indicated in blue)
Hopefully this overview helps you understand the College of Pharmacy and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science approach to interprofessionalism.

Ask RFUPharmacy

kyang89

03-08-2011, 03:49 AM

I'm glad to see a lot of you got in. It looks like the inaugural class is rounding out nicely! Good luck everyone :)

ptsome110

03-09-2011, 05:22 PM

Mandy had stated earlier that students are being accepted in waves.
Is this wave every week?
Also how many students are being accepted?
How many students were accepted so far?

Thanks in advance.

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-10-2011, 07:20 AM

Good morning!

Please join us for the College of Pharmacy Open House. During this event you will be able to learn about the University overall and the services provided to students as well as meeting individually with faculty members from the College of Pharmacy.

The Open House will be on Monday, March 21st from 11:30 am- 1:30 pm. The first hour covers general University information and a campus tour and the last hour is spent with the College of Pharmacy. If you are interested in visiting the campus and learning more about the program, go to the College of Pharmacy webpage, http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/administration/facultystaff/currentstudents/admissions/collegeofpharmacyadmissions.aspx (http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/administration/facultystaff/currentstudents/admissions/collegeofpharmacyadmissions.aspx), and click on the March 21st date. This will bring you to the webpage to register for the event. I want to let you know ahead not to be alarmed when you get to this page because it only indicates the College of Health Professions for the Open House at the top. We are bringing together the two college’s Open House events and we are still updating all the electronic pages for the event. But in the section to indicate your program of interest you have the option to highlight pharmacy.

Let me know if you have any questions about this event . I hope to see you there!

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-10-2011, 08:51 AM

Mandy had stated earlier that students are being accepted in waves.
Is this wave every week?
Also how many students are being accepted?
How many students were accepted so far?

Thanks in advance.

The College of Pharmacy plans on reviewing applications on a regular basis as on-campus interviews are completed...likely through May this year. The Admissions Committee does meet weekly at this point to review both new applicants and candidates. With that said, the class is not yet full and we don’t expect to be for several weeks! We anticipate having 65 students in the inaugural class this fall.

For those of you who have supplemental still not submitted, we encourage you to send them in immediately so your applications can be reviewed!

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

03-17-2011, 01:03 PM

Good afternoon!

The College of Pharmacy is pleased announce the supplemental application deadline has been extended to May 16th! The decision has been made in order to accommodate all the applications received near the end of the Pharmcas application cycle. This means if you have a supplemental still in your hands please send it in as soon as possible so we can review your application! And for those you have sent in a Pharmcas application but not have received a supplemental application, you still have time to be a part of the application process. But I will add applicants will only receive a supplemental application if you meet the minimum GPA requirements. If you have any updates from your courses which would bump you over the minimum GPA requirement, send the updated transcripts to our office. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions about the deadline extension.

Ask RFUPharmacy

AC1985

03-20-2011, 05:54 PM

How long after the interview will a decision be made? I have an interview coming up and I’m really excited. All the information posted here has been great. Thanks.

chicagopharma

03-21-2011, 11:15 AM

How long after the interview will a decision be made? I have an interview coming up and I’m really excited. All the information posted here has been great. Thanks.

during the interview they said that we'll hear from them within 2 weeks! good luck

USFgirl

03-22-2011, 03:26 PM

Wooo hoooooooo

I got in!! Hope to see some of you next year!! I'm super super excited! :D

I will decline other offers and accept this school since this is my top choice.

Good luck everyone who is interviewing. Let me know if you have any questions. :xf:
Congratulations UyenRita! I just had my interview this past Friday! Thank you for all of your helpful tips and wishes.

To everyone else who has interviews, I wish you the best of luck. The faculty and staff were very nice and welcoming. Also, spend some time talking with students and stay in the area for a few days if you can. It was a pleasant experience for me. If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Best Wishes!

USFgirl

04-03-2011, 11:31 AM

I received my call on Monday and letter on Friday!!! I'm in!!! Whoohoo! :banana:

Good luck everyone! :xf: I've received some questions, let me know if anyone else has any.

needhelp2day

04-05-2011, 06:35 PM

2411t

04-06-2011, 11:56 AM

Ask RFUPharmacy

04-06-2011, 01:52 PM

needhelp2day,

I understand your nervousness but the writing portion of the Interview Day is really just trying to see your critical thinking skills. And the question for the writing portion changes each time. We don't try to trick you the question, so just come into the session with a clear mind!

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

04-06-2011, 02:00 PM

Hello everyone,

I will be in Nashville, TN tomorrow at Vanderbilt University's Health Professions Graduate School Fair from 2-6 pm. If your in the area make sure stop by and say hi!

Ask RFUPharmacy

drugdoc

04-06-2011, 02:15 PM

Hi guys!!

I have an interview coming up and I am really freaking out about the writing part. Can anyone tell me specifically what the question was? I am super sorry if I am asking for too much but I am just really nervous and preparing ahead of time always helps me.

So please please please help me if you don't mind...please!!!!!

and thank you sooooooo much in advance!!!!

I certainly hope that if you get in to pharmacy school and get through the 3-4 years, that when you prepare for the NAPLEX that you realize that this type of asking is considered misconduct and unprofessional.

AJbara

04-11-2011, 03:25 PM

Congrats you guys on your acceptances and interviews. I have yet to hear anything :( (tear drop)

dmoe0826

04-12-2011, 09:47 PM

I interviewed on Friday and got the call today. I'm in! Pleased to answer any questions if I can.

welle

04-13-2011, 06:38 AM

Congrats you guys on your acceptances and interviews. I have yet to hear anything :( (tear drop)

When did you complete your supplemental?

aznlazylady

04-20-2011, 11:42 PM

I will have the interview on April 29.. I think it's really late, do I still have a chance to get in?? Do you guys know how many people they already accepted so far???

Ask RFUPharmacy

04-21-2011, 12:44 PM

I will have the interview on April 29.. I think it's really late, do I still have a chance to get in?? Do you guys know how many people they already accepted so far???

That's exciting you have your interview lined up! The College of Pharmacy plans to interview until the class is filled, so you definitely have a chance to get into the program. Good luck with everything and we look forward to seeing you on campus!

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

04-21-2011, 12:52 PM

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science recently held a ceremony to recognize outstanding instructors during the Fifth Annual Student-Sponsored Faculty Teaching Awards.

Congratulations to Dr. Abel and Dr. Harrison for being recognized as OUTSTANDING INSTRUCTORS!!!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/RFUNews420 (http://tinyurl.com/RFUNews420)

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

04-28-2011, 12:30 PM

Hello Everyone,

We will be posting the answers some frequently asked questions here for admitted students. Please feel free to add to the questions base, and we'll get the answers posted for you!

If you don't find the answer you're looking for here, try our Accepted Students Resource Page at: http://tinyurl.com/CoP-Admitted-2011 (http://tinyurl.com/CoP-Admitted-2011)

1) Which transcripts do you require? Where do I send them? When?
We require that an official transcript be sent directly from the issuing institution for each post-secondary institution from which you received course credit. We request that you arrange
for these to be received at RFUMS by July 15, 2011.

If the grades for any prerequisite coursework do not yet appear
on the transcript by that date, please send a transcript showing
the course in progress. Then follow up with the final graded
transcript no later than the first day of new student orientation
(August 9, 2011).

The address to which these should be sent is:
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Admissions Office - College of Pharmacy
3333 Green Bay Road
North Chicago, IL 60064

Pharmgrlnxdor

04-30-2011, 04:34 AM

Hi future RFUers!

My name is Amy and I am currently a P1 student over at CSU. I am an older nontrad student that owns a small house in the Zion, Illinois area. I currently have tenants in this house but their lease expires at the end of July. I am looking to find some new tenants. Being that this house in Zion is only a twenty minute drive from RFU I thought it might not be a bad idea to mention its availability and see if I could find a few mature RFUers to lease it during the next year's cycle.

Let me tell you about the house. It is a two bedroom one bath house with a decent sized kitchen, living room, and a side room that many previous tenants have used either for a dining room or office. It is 800 square feet in total. The kitchen has a brand new dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, and a built in microwave. There is a large front yard and a very large fenced in backyard. There is a tool shed and enough space to park two to three cars (tight) on the cement parking pad behind the house. Before you moved in the entire house would be cleaned, repainted, and new carpeting would be installed. I have pictures of the house if you are from out of state and want to see it.

Tenants would be responsible for paying for their electricity, gas and naturally phone, internet, and cable. I would pay for the water and trash bill. Snow removal is the responsibility of the tenant but I would handle keeping the grass mowed. It is a very nice and quiet area with nice neighbors. I would be looking to rent the house out to people that were able to maintain that same environment. Rent would be $900 a month with a $900 security deposit required upon move in. I would need to run a credit check and see that there are no judgements, liens, prior evictions, or other excessively negative credit information. I would be willing to rent the house out to more than one person so a roommate situation could be done with two to no more than three students. If you are interested and want further information feel free to message me.

Thanks!
Amy

Ask RFUPharmacy

05-13-2011, 07:32 AM

Good morning,

The College of Pharmacy would like to welcome Jamie Holmes, PharmD, to Rosalind Franklin Univeristy of Medicine and Science!

Jamie is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota and graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa. Upon completion of the program, she was accepted into the Institute for Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships at Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy as a post-doctoral fellow in Medical Information in conjunction with Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Jamie continued her training at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy as a neuropsychiatry pharmacy practice resident with clinical sites at University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Princeton House Behavioral Health, an inpatient psychiatric treatment facility. While training at Rutgers, Jamie was involved with lecturing and instructing several classes including Pharmacy Communications, Gerontology, Advanced Neuropsychopharmacology, and Neuropsychiatric Therapeutics.

Jamie is very excited to join the faculty at the College of Pharmacy while developing the clinical practice site in psychiatry at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.

Ask RFUPharmacy

vinapharm

05-13-2011, 11:39 AM

And yeap, i'm in!:meanie: Dang all the wait but it worthed!
I have question though:
-Where can i find the information about housing?

Ask RFUPharmacy

05-17-2011, 08:32 AM

Dear vinapharm,

We are excited to have you at RFUMS! You should recieve an email with information about housing at RFUMS but you can also look on our website at: http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/administration/home/DOSA/StudentHousing/ProspectiveResidents/tabid/612/Default.aspx.

Office of Student Housing is a great resource for information about living on or off campus. Please do not hesitate to contact them with any questions!

And don't hesitate to contact the Office of Admissions with questions about your transition to campus!

Ask RFUPharmacy

And yeap, i'm in!:meanie: Dang all the wait but it worthed!
I have question though:
-Where can i find the information about housing?

vinapharm

05-18-2011, 10:36 PM

Dear vinapharm,

We are excited to have you at RFUMS! You should recieve an email with information about housing at RFUMS but you can also look on our website at: http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/administration/home/DOSA/StudentHousing/ProspectiveResidents/tabid/612/Default.aspx.

Office of Student Housing is a great resource for information about living on or off campus. Please do not hesitate to contact them with any questions!

And don't hesitate to contact the Office of Admissions with questions about your transition to campus!

Ask RFUPharmacy
Sorry to ask you one more time, when i apply for FAFSA, under the question "what level are you when you begin your school?" Do i choose 1 year graduate for RFUMS COP or the 1st year of pharmacy are still undergraduate?" Just want to make sure cuz i already chose 1st year graduate school!:rolleyes:

Ask RFUPharmacy

05-19-2011, 11:56 AM

Sorry to ask you one more time, when i apply for FAFSA, under the question "what level are you when you begin your school?" Do i choose 1 year graduate for RFUMS COP or the 1st year of pharmacy are still undergraduate?" Just want to make sure cuz i already chose 1st year graduate school!:rolleyes:

Great question!

You are considered a year 1 graduate student for the RFUMS College of Pharmacy. If you have any further questions about financial aid you can contact the Financial Aid Office at (847) 578-3217. They can help you with any questions about finacial aid and FAFSA.

Ask RFUPharmacy

vinapharm

05-20-2011, 09:46 PM

Dear vinapharm,

We are excited to have you at RFUMS! You should recieve an email with information about housing at RFUMS but you can also look on our website at: http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/administration/home/DOSA/StudentHousing/ProspectiveResidents/tabid/612/Default.aspx.

Office of Student Housing is a great resource for information about living on or off campus. Please do not hesitate to contact them with any questions!

And don't hesitate to contact the Office of Admissions with questions about your transition to campus!

Ask RFUPharmacy
I did not receive any email from RFUMS, i don't mind to call the office of the schools but do we have problems with the email system? Cuz i got promised that i will get other emails from RFUMS( like the back ground test) but never get anything. And i did check the spam folder so....yeah....! Should the school fix it?

krishna1990

07-03-2011, 07:04 PM

How do you consider retakes? My pre pharm GPA is not very great which is why I had to retake my classes to meet the min req..so my question is do you average the classes or you take the grade recently made? also how would you evaluate this in the interview process if an applicant has almost retaken all the pre pharm classeS?
Thanks for your time!

Ask RFUPharmacy

07-05-2011, 12:46 PM

Dear krishna1990,

The College of Pharmacy takes into account the GPA that is created through the PharmCAS application, which includes both the original grades and the retaken grades. But we do review at the courses that were retaken and take into account whether the grades improved. We recommend that if you are not satisfied with a grade; retake the course.

As an applicant, it is best to be prepared for any questions about your application in the interview process. Asking why most prerequisites courses were retaken would be a fair question for the interviewer; so be prepared to answer in a positive manner. The biggest influence from this type of background would more your ability to explain the situation, rather than the simple fact that many of the prerequisites were retaken.

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend!

Ask RFUPharmacy

How do you consider retakes? My pre pharm GPA is not very great which is why I had to retake my classes to meet the min req..so my question is do you average the classes or you take the grade recently made? also how would you evaluate this in the interview process if an applicant has almost retaken all the pre pharm classeS?
Thanks for your time!

krishna1990

07-06-2011, 08:19 AM

Thank you so much! also one more question, I am applying from texas and I wanted to make sure that the classes that I have taken over here would be applicable to your pre req. Would you suggest calling the school/advisor or emailing them?
Thanks for your time

Ask RFUPharmacy

07-13-2011, 08:58 AM

Dear krishna 1990,

At this link, http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/administration/facultystaff/currentstudents/admissions/collegeofpharmacyadmissions/academicrequirements.aspx, you will find the pre-pharmacy coursework required by the College of Pharmacy. The Office of Admissions does not have restrictions on the institution in which you have attended to fulfill these requirements, as long as the institution is accredited, we will accept the courses. But if you do have further questions about the course requirements and your background specifically, you are more than welcome to call the Office of Admissions at 847-578-3204.

Don't hesitate to ask me anything that will help you prepare to apply to the College of Pharmacy. Its best to know all aspects well in advance so you don't run into any deadline complications.

Ask RFUPharmacy

Thank you so much! also one more question, I am applying from texas and I wanted to make sure that the classes that I have taken over here would be applicable to your pre req. Would you suggest calling the school/advisor or emailing them?
Thanks for your time

ilpharm

07-28-2011, 09:54 PM

I had a quick question for the rep from RFU. What happens if you attend the COP the first year and it does not get accredited. Is there any information on this?

Trent Steele

07-31-2011, 01:01 PM

So sad to see another bunch of ready tp be pharmacists getting duped. I don't even want to know what tuition costs at this school. It is a shame that there is another school opening, as Illinois is saturated as it is. Now with CSU+SIUe+Roosevelt can we expect 600+ pharmacists flooding the workforce every year. May god help you all. Some friends of mine that just graduated had to relocate to extremely rural areas for work. I can't imagine what it will be like for a new grad in 4 years. As for prospective students, run away from these new schools, there will be poor rotations (if they can find any) and your chances of residency should you choose to pursue it will be horrible when going up against the likes of proven state schools like UIC and MWU who both graduate 200+ a year now. Think before you fork over that tuition. Debt doesn't seem real now but it will whack you in the face when you graduate. A 100k salary sounds good till you have $150k+ in debt. Take care kids!

Ask RFUPharmacy

08-08-2011, 12:51 PM

There is really no cause for concern at this point but we understand where your question is coming from. There are steps in place by the accrediting bodies to protect the students at every stage in the process to ensure that you will be able to take the licensing tests, etc. The accrediting bodies have also scheduled their visits for the upcoming years to continue their evaluation. We are as far along as we can be at this point and are getting really high marks and comments. Faculty members are leaving their jobs to join our faculty from all over the nation and we continue to increase our faculty numbers for the 3rd and 4th year curriculum. While we have the faculty needed for the current year, the College of Pharmacy will continue to fill 14 faculty positions over the next two years.

Our students are going to have excellent rotations and opportunities in Northern IL, Lake County, and southeast Wisconsin. Although this is a new program, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science has over 100 years of education in the health field. The College of Pharmacy students will interact and learn with students entering all aspects of healthcare and will be better prepared to work within the interprofessional health field.

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

09-28-2011, 08:14 AM

Calling all Wisconsin prospective students!

The College of Pharmacy will be hosting an Information Session on October 15th, hosted graciously by UW-Parkside for WI residents. From 10 am to 1 pm, faculty and current students will be at the Kenosha, WI campus providing information about the program and answering all your questions.

RSVP at the College of Pharmacy homepage, http://rosalindfranklin.edu/collegeofpharmacy/ (http://rosalindfranklin.edu/collegeofpharmacy/).

We are at the very beginning of the Fall 2012 admissions cycle. Feel free to contact me on this site or through the Office of Admissions with any questions about the program or application process!

Ask RFUPharmacy

Ask RFUPharmacy

11-04-2011, 11:31 AM

Happy Friday!

Just wanted to post a great picture from an event a few Friday’s ago. The College of Pharmacy faculty and students was celebrating National Pharmacist’s Month at Dance Friday with Zoraida Sambolin at the NBC morning news.

Chicagoland residents, did you see us on the NBC morning news on Oct. 21st?!

(See attachment for picture, for some reason it's not letting me include the picture within the post)

Ask RFUPharmacy

ipharmacy

11-04-2011, 03:16 PM

Is there anyone else applying for fall 2012 admission?

I have an interview the 15th and I was wondering if anyone has been interviewed yet and hoping someone could possibly answer a couple of questions about the interview..

What is the order of the process?(one-on-one, group interaction, and writing)

and about how many questions are asked during the one-on-one?

I'm pretty nervous cause RFU is one of my top choices so hopefully it goes well.

MaciePug03

02-10-2012, 12:47 PM

Hi. I applied for the fall 2012 Pharmacy program at RFUMS. I visited the campus in early February and participated in the interview, writing prompt, and interactive session. I am wondering what the typical time frame is from interview to the final decision. I realize that there is a rolling admissions process. I assume the committee meets to go over each group of recently-interviewed candidates and highlights select ones from the bunch. I understand that less than half of the roughly 70 person class is already decided. Anyway, I just want to learn more about this whole process. Accepted students or admissions facilitators please speak up! I really enjoyed my visit to the school and am excited/hopeful about the final decision!!

PTG

02-10-2012, 03:42 PM

ab9

02-10-2012, 08:57 PM

MaciePug03

02-11-2012, 06:06 PM

Hi. I heard back from RFUMS approximately 5 days after mailing in the supplemental application. After that I was able to schedule an interview. I am curious if anyone else that interviewed in early February is out there. I saw someone's post that suggested a really quick (roughly a week) decision post interview. If anyone from an early Feb. interview has already been contacted with a decision, please give a yell! I am just like everyone else I guess; waiting, hoping, doubting, second-guessing etc. is difficult. I am trying to not get my hopes up too high. I am hopeful though because I think things went relatively well. Take care.

ab9

02-15-2012, 11:31 AM

Hey homeslice --

Hmmm, let me go get my crystal ball... :)

No, seriously, we haven't seated our first class yet - that's what we're working on right now! Our inaugural class will be seated in August 2011.

Soooo, what I can tell you right now: we've received approximately 400+ applications. That was before we received our pre-candidate status from the ACPE, so while aggressive, I don't think it's unreasonable to think we may increase our application pool by almost a 50 to 75% now that we've achieved this milestone...and in the next 4 weeks (deadline to apply is March 1 people!! What are you waiting for??).

Again, gazing into my crystal ball (and with our newly minted ACPE status) we'll get busy ramping up our interview process and possibly interview in the 200 range (this is really an estimate, tho. Not a cap, not a target, not a goal, rather my best guestimate of what we can accomplish in the time given).

As to acceptances... well, my magic 8 ball says "ask again later." Since we haven't made any acceptance yet, I just don't have an answer for you yet... I need to get a better feel for the AC and see how aggressive they are going to be this year before I can really give you even a ball park answer. But, ask again later!

Hope that helps!
Ask RFUPharmacy
I was wondering how many students you anticipate accepting for RFUCOP incoming class of 2012?

Ask RFUPharmacy

02-17-2012, 11:22 AM

Hello everyone,

I wanted to follow up on a few questions posted on here.

The days and times of admissions committee meetings are confidential. They try to meet at least once a month, but depending on how many people we had on campus for interviews, they may meet more often. So some might here back fairly quickly if their interview date landed right before an admissions committee meeting, or it might take little longer if they just met before the interview.

This current year we have class size of 70 students, and we feel this is a great number for our program. So the College of Pharmacy will extend acceptances until we meet our class size of 70 students.

Also, since we have students in our program :), we feel it would be a great opportunity to let some of our current students be available to answer questions for you on this forum. I will still be available to answer more admissions specific questions, but the students are the experts of the experience of being a College of Pharmacy student at RFUMS. So feel free to extend any questions to our current students!

AskRFUPharmacy

UyenRita

02-18-2012, 08:07 PM

Hi everyone,

It has been a while since the last time I’m on here. Wow, time flies – reading these posts from you guys make me remember about myself last year, stressful – hoping – praying – planning…all kinds of things. Trust me, it will be over soon. Just be confident and don’t ever lose your hope.

Pharmacy school has kept me so busy that I don’t have time to come on here to talk with you guys. I apology for not getting back to some of your messages. In early February, I volunteered to be a student ambassador who give you guys campus tours and answer questions. Anyone here recognize me? just curious. :)

Now that I’m having spring break so I got some time to get back on here to help answer questions if you guys have any. Please post here or PM me and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Please note the PharmCAS deadline is coming (Mar. 1st ) and the Supplemental Application deadline is May 1st, send your application early and on time is always highly recommended.

Oh and feel free to email Pharmacy.Admissions@rosalindfranklin.edu if you have any questions regarding your application. The people in the admission office is very nice, and they will get back to you in no time.

Best of luck to you all.