UBC Pharmacy 2017 Applicants

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Yeah, but the truth is the pcat isnt actually that heavily weighed and isnt really that hard... Just doesnt seem fair, ubc should knock out at least 10% off their gpas. No Offense

Lol 10%? You have to be kidding.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Also someone please clarify if there is really an oversatuation of pharmacists and low job prospects for grads?? http://premed101.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-57006.html

Community practice-wise, there is without-a-doubt a saturation of pharmacists in the urban areas, but the complete opposite applies in the rural areas (particularly up North - Prince George, Quesnel, etc.). If you want a job, there will be one available to you upon graduation in those latter areas, regardless of your class size (moreover, you'll be losing 10-15% of your class to other programs, medical, dentistry, the works).

Remember there are still other career opportunities available outside community practice - hospital clinical residency, graduate school, industry...
 
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ubc does that for sfu transfers

Please reference this, a primary source like Student Services would be great. We don't want too much unconfirmed information floating around...
 
anyone applying from out of province (like me)? :oops:
 
I'm out of province

Should we buy tickets now and return it if we don't get interviews?

not sure, there's 4 dates for the interviews... i want to get confirmation before buying tickets
 
hi guys! i think ubc has started receiving and updating our pcat grades!
 
It's gonna be a long wait until May to know if we'll get interviews or not :( I'm a bit jealous of people applying to Toronto, they've already got their interview dates!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Can someone plz clarify if a 70 gpa and 88 pcat is competitive to get an interview or accepted...
Thanks
 
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knew about the comparison between out of province applicants and regular applicants? I know that the standards for out of province applicants are much higher to get in because UBC prefers residents from BC.

I scored 99th composite on PCAT and my average from pre requisites is about 82%. I have also finished my undergrad with a GPA of 3.6. My extra curriculurs are also good but lacking pharmacy experience however. How does this compare to other candidates who have applied from out of province? Or if anyone knows of current pharmacy students who are already in the program.

Lastly, I started working at a pharmacy in February and probably continue till June. If I email will they consider this experience after the application deadline?

Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks!
Good luck to all :)
 
With a 82% avg/99 PCAT (congrats on the PCAT score, btw) I can't imagine not being invited for an interview, even if you're OOP, but since I'm a pre-pharm like most people in this thread, I'm just assuming from what I know about the application process. Unfortunately UBC doesn't seem to give out detailed statistics on applicants admitted each year, but maybe you can look at the previous years threads for UBC here on SDN and compare yourself to the other OOP accepted applicants?

Speaking of OOP, there's a lot of em' in this thread... the BC applicants might be getting outnumbered, haha :oops:
 
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knew about the comparison between out of province applicants and regular applicants? I know that the standards for out of province applicants are much higher to get in because UBC prefers residents from BC.

I scored 99th composite on PCAT and my average from pre requisites is about 82%. I have also finished my undergrad with a GPA of 3.6. My extra curriculurs are also good but lacking pharmacy experience however. How does this compare to other candidates who have applied from out of province? Or if anyone knows of current pharmacy students who are already in the program.

Lastly, I started working at a pharmacy in February and probably continue till June. If I email will they consider this experience after the application deadline?

Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks!
Good luck to all :)


Your stats are excellent. As long as you do fine on the interview. I don't see any Pharmacy school turning you down. For comparison, I was an out of province students. and I only had about 73th composite and GPA of 3.0.
 
Has anyone sent their high school transcript? I don't think I have access to mine.
 
Has anyone sent their high school transcript? I don't think I have access to mine.

I contacted them about this, it isn't necessary. I finished my undergrad and have been out of high school for 5 years and also no longer have access to mine (they only keep those records for 5 years after you graduate). I emailed UBC and the reply just said it isn't a requirement. (although they will look at in some cases but I don't imagine so if you've been in University for a while especially beyond 1st year).
 
I contacted them about this, it isn't necessary. I finished my undergrad and have been out of high school for 5 years and also no longer have access to mine (they only keep those records for 5 years after you graduate). I emailed UBC and the reply just said it isn't a requirement. (although they will look at in some cases but I don't imagine so if you've been in University for a while especially beyond 1st year).

Thanks! I'll double check with them. I'm 7 years removed from high school :p
 
Thanks! I'll double check with them. I'm 7 years removed from high school :p

Hey are you both from Toronto?

Did you get an email from dean asking if you are still interested in Bachelor Program since so many courses won't be transferred
 
Hey are you both from Toronto?

Did you get an email from dean asking if you are still interested in Bachelor Program since so many courses won't be transferred

I am from Toronto, but I did not get that email. What's it about?
 
Hey guys. I finally decided to create an account after silently reading the forum messages. So currently, I am at a solid 76 gpa and a 79 pcat score. I also have 3 years of work hours teaching at a piano studio and volunteer hours here and there. How are my chances do you guys think?

I just have a quick question about interviews tho. I have read posts from the past couple years and it seems like most of applicants do get a chance at the interview. Do they send out rejection letters right away if you dont get an interview? I havent seen a lot of people in the past couple years getting rejected right of the bat. Thanks guys, and good luck with the rest of your finals!
 
I am from Toronto, but I did not get that email. What's it about?
"You put the BSc as your second choice of program. It is usual for applicants to the BSCP to be assessed for their second choice while decisions are pending for the first choice of program. However, you have so many upper-level courses which would not be transferred to a UBC degree that I wonder if you would even accept an offer to Science should you not be admitted to Pharmacy. Please advise."
Sincerely,


that's what email said
 
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"You put the BSc as your second choice of program. It is usual for applicants to the BSCP to be assessed for their second choice while decisions are pending for the first choice of program. However, you have so many upper-level courses which would not be transferred to a UBC degree that I wonder if you would even accept an offer to Science should you not be admitted to Pharmacy. Please advise."
Sincerely,


that's what email said

I'm not quite sure what the email is saying. I'd imagine many of us are applying with a bachelor's degree or will be completing their bachelor's degree this semester. Either way, I hope you replied stating that you're still interested in their pharmacy program.
 
Hey guys. I finally decided to create an account after silently reading the forum messages. So currently, I am at a solid 76 gpa and a 79 pcat score. I also have 3 years of work hours teaching at a piano studio and volunteer hours here and there. How are my chances do you guys think?

I just have a quick question about interviews tho. I have read posts from the past couple years and it seems like most of applicants do get a chance at the interview. Do they send out rejection letters right away if you dont get an interview? I havent seen a lot of people in the past couple years getting rejected right of the bat. Thanks guys, and good luck with the rest of your finals!

If you browse this thread you'll see a person who was accepted with lower stats. However, I would not consider those numbers to be competitive, but you're definitely not hopeless. It just means that you will have to win a lot of points in the interview if you are to be accepted. Don't worry though, I'm in the same boat.

As for the second part, I can't comment much on it as this is my first time applying to UBC.
 
Hey guys. I finally decided to create an account after silently reading the forum messages. So currently, I am at a solid 76 gpa and a 79 pcat score. I also have 3 years of work hours teaching at a piano studio and volunteer hours here and there. How are my chances do you guys think?

I just have a quick question about interviews tho. I have read posts from the past couple years and it seems like most of applicants do get a chance at the interview. Do they send out rejection letters right away if you dont get an interview? I havent seen a lot of people in the past couple years getting rejected right of the bat. Thanks guys, and good luck with the rest of your finals!


Assuming you're an IP applicant, your stats are really similar to mine when I got in, a little lower in the PCAT score but more or less the same. Should have no problem getting an interview (as most regret letters are sent to individuals with too low GPAs or < 65 composite PCAT scores, but it is not as much of a problem now as it was before due to demand, in my opinion anyway) - just score "average" on the interview and you should get in without any problems. Just note that the Faculty still receives enough applicants such that a high academic average still does not guarantee admission following a sub-par interview session, so brush up on your MMI skills as required.
 
Assuming you're an IP applicant, your stats are really similar to mine when I got in, a little lower in the PCAT score but more or less the same. Should have no problem getting an interview (as most regret letters are sent to individuals with too low GPAs or < 65 composite PCAT scores, but it is not as much of a problem now as it was before due to demand, in my opinion anyway) - just score "average" on the interview and you should get in without any problems. Just note that the Faculty still receives enough applicants such that a high academic average still does not guarantee admission following a sub-par interview session, so brush up on your MMI skills as required.


Do you have any tips for the MMI?
I heard there will be a role playing question, how would you prepare for that?

Thank youu :)
 
Do you have any tips for the MMI?
I heard there will be a role playing question, how would you prepare for that?

Thank youu :)

Might be worth practising the process with others. The MMI usually focuses on three main topics, namely ethical dilemmas, communication and problem solving. If anything, they're all about thinking in time-constrained situations. You have 2 minutes to prepare before walking into the room and after that, the time in the room is how you want to allocate it. In my opinion, a clear, concise answer is better than one where you ended up repeating yourself two or three times. But, everyone has their own strategy, so you will need to come with your own to win them over.
 
Did anyone put down an option for choice#2 when applying to UBC? I just realised that the deadline to accept my choice#2 is June.1st and I won't know of my status with choice#1 (pharmacy) until well after June1st :(
 
Did anyone put down an option for choice#2 when applying to UBC? I just realised that the deadline to accept my choice#2 is June.1st and I won't know of my status with choice#1 (pharmacy) until well after June1st :(

Don't worry! Go onto the UBC SSC and you'll find a page that has your admission outlined: it says

Please tell us if you will accept this offer:

Yes, I accept this offer
No, I do not accept this offer

You are waiting for our decision on your application for the following program(s): Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy

Please tell us if you wish to still be considered:

Yes, I still want UBC to consider my application for this program
No, I want to cancel my application to this program


So what you can do is accept the offer, but also click "Yes, I still want UBC to consider my application" for the pharmacy major.
 
"You put the BSc as your second choice of program. It is usual for applicants to the BSCP to be assessed for their second choice while decisions are pending for the first choice of program. However, you have so many upper-level courses which would not be transferred to a UBC degree that I wonder if you would even accept an offer to Science should you not be admitted to Pharmacy. Please advise."
Sincerely,


that's what email said

The faculty of science is separate from the faculty of pharmacy so the email you got is from the faculty of science. They're wondering that if they were to admit you, would you accept even though a lot of your courses won't transfer over? Your pharmacy application is separate from all of this
 
Thanks for the help lavender20, you're a lot faster than ubc admin! I wish May was here already.
 
Hello guys,
I'm pretty anxious to hear back from UBC since I need to book a plane ticket if I were to get an interview, do you guys know when they will send out the email??? Thanks :D
 
Hello guys,
I'm pretty anxious to hear back from UBC since I need to book a plane ticket if I were to get an interview, do you guys know when they will send out the email??? Thanks :D
Website says late May. There is still quite a wait left.
 
Anyone think that interview invites might get sent out a week or two earlier than usual this year, since the interviews themselves are scheduled a bit earlier than previous years? I'd figure they'd give us at least 2-3 weeks notice so people not in the Lower Mainland can book hotels, plane tickets, take time off work etc.
 
I was thinking the same thing NutNut, does anyone know when they sent interviews out last year? I think this year it would probably be a couple weeks sooner
 
I was thinking the same thing NutNut, does anyone know when they sent interviews out last year? I think this year it would probably be a couple weeks sooner

I called in a few days ago and Ms.Shirley Wang said that the interview invites are going out at the latest first week of May. So fingers crossed eeekkkk!
 
Can someone plz clarify if a 70 gpa and 88 pcat is competitive to get an interview or accepted...
Thanks

I guess it may vary on other factors as well, but I had a 73ish gpa and an 88 on the pcat and I got in last year. :)
 
Hi, I have a gpa of 70.5 and PCAT of 72
Hospital Volunteering and many other ECs (2-3 years) and other church related activites

What are my chances of getting in?

Do you know of anyone who's gotten in with a 70gpa?


How likely is it to get an interview?
 
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Hi, I have a gpa of 70.5 and PCAT of 72
Hospital Volunteering and many other ECs (2-3 years) and other church related activites

What are my chances of getting in?

Do you know of anyone who's gotten in with a 70gpa?


How likely is it to get an interview?

People have without-a-doubt entered the problem with averages around 70-72% (I know a few myself). Nonetheless, the chance of you getting in will be heavily dependent on your interview skills relative to other applicants. Since the pool of applicants seems to be changing a great deal over the past few years, it's hard to say how likely you are to get an interview. Only time will tell on that.

If you do not receive an invitation (in the worst case scenario), I would suggest redoing the PCAT for a higher score as it would appear it's on the lower end of the spectrum and could be improved. One step at a time though, of course.
 
Ever since UBC Pharmacy expanded their class size from 150 to 224, it has been much easier to get into the program (~600 apply every year). In the past, if your average was in the 70s, you did not have a chance at all to be able to get into UBC's Pharmacy Program. UBC Pharmacy has gotten less competitive these past few years. UofT has a new entry-level Pharm D. program. Ever since that started, many students have rejected UBC Pharmacy to go to U of T.
So even if you have a GPA of around 70% and a mediocre PCAT score, as long as you do okay on the interview, you will get in. Last year, UBC Pharmacy had to contact students who were rejected from UBC Pharmacy (not even waitlisted) to come back since UBC exhausted their waitlist. Don't worry about the stats that you have - as long as you do a decent job on the interview, you'll get in.
 
Since this year everything is bumped ~10 days earlier, I guess we can expect interview invites to be sent by the end of this week?
 
Thanks everyone, that's good news, I hope :/

Kimura, I ask Ms. Shirley Wang, she told me that invitation would be about 1 week earlier from May 15th
 
Doesn't UBC have a PharmD program as well? I wonder why UofT is a hotter destination for pharmacy applicants, considering their PharmD is newer and not quite as established (Vancouver is also a nicer city than Toronto, but that might just be due to my BC bias :smuggrin:) But I guess I can't complain, less competitive application cycles makes me feel more at ease with my chances.

If what sushimanliu said was true, then the emails should be sent out sometime between Wednesday and Friday of this week. Get excited!

Oh, and for interview attire, what is recommended? Suits for guys and dresses for gals? I don't want to under or overdress, because I've actually had a dumb experience with interview attire: The summer after graduating High School I lost the opportunity at a summer job because I wore a dress shirt instead of something less formal to the interview. They literally told me I overdressed and that was the reason I didn't get chosen. There were even a couple other guys there also wearing dress clothing as well at the interviews, so it wasn't like I was the only one there... :confused:
 
Doesn't UBC have a PharmD program as well? I wonder why UofT is a hotter destination for pharmacy applicants, considering their PharmD is newer and not quite as established (Vancouver is also a nicer city than Toronto, but that might just be due to my BC bias :smuggrin:) But I guess I can't complain, less competitive application cycles makes me feel more at ease with my chances.

If what sushimanliu said was true, then the emails should be sent out sometime between Wednesday and Friday of this week. Get excited!

Oh, and for interview attire, what is recommended? Suits for guys and dresses for gals? I don't want to under or overdress, because I've actually had a dumb experience with interview attire: The summer after graduating High School I lost the opportunity at a summer job because I wore a dress shirt instead of something less formal to the interview. They literally told me I overdressed and that was the reason I didn't get chosen. There were even a couple other guys there also wearing dress clothing as well at the interviews, so it wasn't like I was the only one there... :confused:
Suits for guys is fine. In fact, you would stand out like a sore thumb if you didn't suit up.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but for UBC the PharmD program is an additional 2 years on top of the 4 years of B.Pharm, whereas in UofT you graduate with a PharmD after 4 years.
 
Suits are in fact the "standard" at the interviews. I think there were 3 or 4 guys without jackets out of the 30 or 40 people (including girls) when I was there.

Personally though I'd rather go in a well-fitting dress shirt/tie/pants than rent a suit that doesn't fit me (I'm tall and thin, but have broad shoulders, so anything off the rack looks awful on me).

I really can't see them holding it against you if you show up in dark dress pants, dress shirt and tie. But if you want to fit in or be safe you can always just suit up.
 
And correct me if I'm wrong, but for UBC the PharmD program is an additional 2 years on top of the 4 years of B.Pharm, whereas in UofT you graduate with a PharmD after 4 years.
I think at UofT you apply in 3rd year or so for the combined program, which adds some study during 4th year of your B.Sc, then a 5th year for PharmD so you graduate with both after 5 years.

Opposed to UBC where it's 4 years B.Sc, then 2 years PharmD.

Just going from what I've skimmed from the admission sites, haven't looked in depth yet though.
 
UBC (along with every other major university in Canada) will be emulating the US's system of 2+4 PharmD Program. Grads of 2020 (or possibly earlier) will graduate with a PharmD as opposed to a Bsc. Pharm. Not much is known about the changes to the pre-reqs as of yet but they are planning a minimum of 60 credits (two years worth of undergrad) before entering the program. Tuition will obviously be affected (Probably looking at around 20k/year).
 
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