Originally posted by dgroulx
I also received a rejection letter this week. It stated that to improve my chances for next year, obtain a Bachelor of Science degree, complete higher level biology and chemistry courses at a four year institution with superior grades and get some pharmacy experience.
Letters like these make me think that they didn't even look at my transcripts. I graduated cum laude with a BS in biology. I feel like writing a letter stating that I wouldn't be interested in a school that writes idiotic letters of rejection. They were just a backup school, so I don't really care. It did piss me off a little, though.
My thoughts exactly. Honestly, I think that many schools are having a hard time keeping up with the size of the applicant pool. Some pharmacy schools got over 1,000 applications this year, and there is really no way to go through that many apps on a personal level without a very serious commitment to admissions policies.
Some schools make a cut based soley on GPA or PCAT and MAYBE interview some students. Some schools have a formula that includes PCAT, GPA, and location and just go from there. I know that the med schools routinely deal with thousands of apps per year. I wonder if PharmCAS will help or hinder the application process. Many pharmacy schools seriously need to invest in more admissions staff and allow more time for interviews, etc.
I received similar letters regarding pre-requisite classes that I had already taken and were on my transcripts. I called and they were just kind of like "oh yea, uh huh". However, if you look in the med school forums, you'll find similar stories.
They seriously need to work on admissions protocol at many schools. I'm not talking about the ones that rejected me, but just in general. It's not really fair to waitlist someone until August or September, or not send out rejection letters until June (tell me that they didn't have that letter in a pile for MONTHS before they sent it, mine's dated may 19th). Acceptance to pharmacy school is something that many students are counting on, or at least hoping for. It's truly a life-changing experience to be accepted or rejected and I guess it's just part of the game that we have to play (or already did). Good luck to everyone applying next year, I don't think that I've ever had a more stressfull year and I've had an acceptance since early March.
Jd