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I'll be going to moms pobox tomorrow hopefully. I hope there is some news, good or bad, vs no news lol. Got my UCSD invite already though...
UCSF Application 2009-2010
- Thread starter socalgirlie
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i just recieved my invite today, so you should be hearing from them soon i would think. Good Luck!
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does anyone have any good advice on how to prepare for the writing portion of the interview, am NERVOUS!!!!
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My wife did a lot of research work (both internships and paid work) before returning to school to pursue pharmacy, and was just offered an interview at UCSF. (She was offered an interview last year but was rejected). In fact Joel told her that it was likely that her research background is what got the admissions committee attention in the first place. HOWEVER, as with all things with UCSF admissions, they do NOT just look at one factor in making their decisions. There's a methodology to everything they do, and they are not just looking for one specific kind of student. In fact last year during the interview visit, we met a current PharmD student in the student commons in the hour before my wife's interview. This student gave us anecdotal evidence of a UCSF bench researcher (an employee) who applied to the PharmD program and was rejected "because they felt that as a researcher, he would be better suited to a PhD pathway"). Now bear in mind that's 100% hearsay-- only UCSF admissions knows why this particular researcher was rejected, and indeed on the surface this statement contradicts what Joel told us. Hearsay, speculation, etc.-- that is what the studentdoctor.net pre-pharm forums are all about-- heaps of hope, generously garnished with speculation and opinion, sprinkled with little bits of truth-- so take my observations for what they are. But the bottom line is that for anyone who has lived through this process and survived (and it has been twice now for my wife and I-- yes, it's intense for the supporting spouse too), you know that there are multiple components, multiple reasons, multiple elements to any UCSF applicant, and UCSF more than any other school appears to want to find a balance between the wildly disparate elements that make up any candidate, and weigh them out evenly, to get the best sense of whether the candidate is a proper fit for the program. With UCSF it's an emphasis on community service, research, and developing leaders in pharmacy-- not necessarily basing admission decisions disproportionately on GPA, for example like some universities in southern California do.
By the way-- she received an interview invitation for 2/12 over the holiday....
Congrats to your wife! If you don't mind me asking, you said she was invited for an interview last year. Just curious - is there any specific reason why she wasn't admitted last year?
I'm sitting here at work, but instead of working, I'm just reading through any of the UCSF threads from the past. Reading them makes me feel nervous and excited and scared - all at onceeeee.
Hey busyizzy,
Are you out-of-state resident for UCSF? Do you know if they favor CA residents over out of state residents? You must have good stats since I think it is really difficult for out of states to get interviews/acceptance from UCSF. Anyone out there know how many out of state UCSF accepts each year???
Hey jmcfa002,
I think we're on the same interview date for UCSD right? You still no news from UCSF? Me too soo.... let's wait together.... sometimes no news is better than bad news since interview comes up January. Good luck to you!
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There is about 12 out of 122 in the class of 2013. I don't believe that they state if they favor in state vs. out of state, but statistics wise it seems like they do. I hope this helps.
It was a combination of things-- she has an international degree and english is her second language, so she needed to better establish her US grades (even though she graduated with a good GPA from a very prestigious & challenging school in Taiwan-- the equivalent of MIT, but many people don't know that here, so it can be an uphill battle). Last year, she had several english courses in progress, and her on-site essay was not detailed enough, so even though she performed well in the interview, there was a question as to her english ability. Joel said her application was "very good" but the people accepted were "exceptional". So since then, she's worked to make her application exceptional. She's gotten As in all her english classes and has practiced her spontaneous writing, but she also improved her application even in areas where they didn't indicate she needed improvement. She volunteered at 3 different facilities (two VA pharmacy facilities and the medical office of a homeless shelter in Skid Row) for 30 hours a week (where she got some AMAZING letters of rec and real experience working with under served communities, which is her long term focus) while taking a full courseload of pharm prerequisites (biochem, anat & physio, molec bio, organic chem, inorganic chem, 95% As and a couple of Bs). She did that for about 8 months and it was a crazy, insane workload. It's my job to help her keep perspective, that she doesn't lose herself in the process of becoming a pharmacist. I know how important this is to her, and to our future, so I support her 100%, and make sure that she eats well
(if it weren't for me, she'd be eating Doritos and Snickers bars all day, rather than things like coq au vin, jap chae and fresh bread My work is much less stressful, so I am able to do that for her. I can't imagine what it would be like if we both had intense pharmacy student schedules... we'd never see each other. As with anything in life, if you lose your balance, you lose your way and that's how I see my role in this crazy, intense, exciting time in our lives.
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I am out-of-state. Grew up on the East Coast my whole life. So I'm super excited at the thought of experiencing the other side of the country.
My stats are actually pretty mediocre. Actually, I'd even go out on a limb and say they're kindof bad compared to the average .....
I talked to someone at the office, and they told me they do not favor in-state students over out-of-state students. When they review the applications, they actually do not see the location of the applicant. The reason for the skew towards CA applicants is because there are that many CA people who want to stay in their sunny CA - or so the office told me.
Don't give up hope yet!! Good luck~.
It was a combination of things-- she has an international degree and english is her second language, so she needed to better establish her US grades (even though she graduated with a good GPA from a very prestigious & challenging school in Taiwan-- the equivalent of MIT, but many people don't know that here, so it can be an uphill battle). Last year, she had several english courses in progress, and her on-site essay was not detailed enough, so even though she performed well in the interview, there was a question as to her english ability. Joel said her application was "very good" but the people accepted were "exceptional". So since then, she's worked to make her application exceptional. She's gotten As in all her english classes and has practiced her spontaneous writing, but she also improved her application even in areas where they didn't indicate she needed improvement. She volunteered at 3 different facilities (two VA pharmacy facilities and the medical office of a homeless shelter in Skid Row) for 30 hours a week (where she got some AMAZING letters of rec and real experience working with under served communities, which is her long term focus) while taking a full courseload of pharm prerequisites (biochem, anat & physio, molec bio, organic chem, inorganic chem, 95% As and a couple of Bs). She did that for about 8 months and it was a crazy, insane workload. It's my job to help her keep perspective, that she doesn't lose herself in the process of becoming a pharmacist. I know how important this is to her, and to our future, so I support her 100%, and make sure that she eats well
Wow, that's crazy! Good luck to your wife! She certainly sounds exceptional for completing all that in a few months.
(awww, jap chae! I love it <3)
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Wow you sound a lot like me. I wanted to apply to UCSF this year but I had some obstacles with my application so I stuck to the southeast schools. If I don't get accepted I am definitely adding some California schools to my application next year even though I'm not sure what my chances are it seems like everyone keeps saying that they look at the WHOLE package. Did you go to a highly ranked undergrad? I know people say this probably doesn't matter but do you think that contributes to how adcoms might view your GPA and application? Maybe they look closer at a lower GPA if you went to a school that is considered rigorous, along with a range of quality EC's? I'm just curious because I'm from the East coast as well.
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yep same day, I'm just earlier. Yes, we can wait together! lol Its possible that I've gotten a letter. My mail goes to my mom's, and she on vacation for a week. I may just take the journey to find out though...
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My first pharmacy school rejection letter...
Makes me almost regret not sobering up during my undergraduate experience!
Makes me almost regret not sobering up during my undergraduate experience!
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I did go to a highly ranked undergrad, although yeah, I don't know how much it matters..... I know on UMD's site, it specifically states it doesn't matter where you come out of school, it's more of the GPA. I think for UCSF, they really do care about the whole package.... especially at ECs. I have a bunch of ECs that I am very proud of - and I let it shine in my UCSF supplemental. On the other hand, I am still waiting to hear from USC and UCSD ... and I've heard that UCSD is more of a strict by-the-numbers school where you NEED a high GPA to get an interview. Of course, this is all speculation ....
Hey congrats!!!
Actually, my time is at 8:30 on 2/6. Ugh, I'm SOOO not a morning person so I'd give anything to have a noon time ... lol. Yeah, I'll probably be flying from IAD or DCA, or maybe even BWI - whichever has the cheapest flights, lol. Yup, I'm booking my flight TODAY! Yay, maybe I'll see you around that day. - Joined
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for those who got interview letters (is it via snail mail or email, btw?), are you required to send in a confirmation for the interview? when is the first interview date? i'm having trouble getting my mail forwarded from my college address in norcal to my home address in socal.. and since i'm currently not able to receive any mail i'm worried that i might be missing a deadline !
!
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for those who got interview letters (is it via snail mail or email, btw?), are you required to send in a confirmation for the interview? when is the first interview date? i'm having trouble getting my mail forwarded from my college address in norcal to my home address in socal.. and since i'm currently not able to receive any mail i'm worried that i might be missing a deadline
The letter came via snail mail. You need to send a reply (or enter your reply online) within two weeks, so I'd recommend calling OSACA early next week if you don't have your letter by then. Their office is probably closed the rest of this week. GL!
for those who got interview letters (is it via snail mail or email, btw?), are you required to send in a confirmation for the interview? when is the first interview date? i'm having trouble getting my mail forwarded from my college address in norcal to my home address in socal.. and since i'm currently not able to receive any mail i'm worried that i might be missing a deadline
There are some people who will decline their interview dates so be patient as interview spots will open up! Good luck to you
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still nothing in Atlanta.....I really wanna know!!!!
Anyone from Georgia received a letter from UCSF?
Anyone from Georgia received a letter from UCSF?
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still nothing in Atlanta.....I really wanna know!!!!
Anyone from Georgia received a letter from UCSF?
Anyone from Georgia received a letter from UCSF?
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still nothing in Atlanta.....I really wanna know!!!!
Anyone from Georgia received a letter from UCSF?
Anyone from Georgia received a letter from UCSF?
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Congrats Ice Queen!
Thanks AntiviralsRule. Good luck with your interview. And good luck to everyone else interviewing at UCSF.
Yes! UCSF was the only school that interviewed me last year, but I was turned down by everyone (Western, Loma Linda, UCSD, UCSF). I learned from my mistakes, retook many prerequisite classes, did a ton of pharmacy volunteer and community service work (30+ hours a week), and applied much earlier. Now I am entering my second UCSF interview with 2 acceptances already under my belt
!! That gives me a HUGE boost of confidence that I can succeed at UCSF too!
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Now I am entering my second UCSF interview with 2 acceptances already under my belt
That's so exciting
! Plus now you have an added bonus of being a re-applicant and will be able to talk about your determination to pursue this career. People don't realize but it takes quite an insurmountable amount of courage and mental strength to re-apply after you get that dreaded rejection letter. It's very admirable that you were able to pick yourself up, get past that rejection and find the energy and time to re-apply again. They'll most likely ask you about it ( they asked me last year
), but if not be sure to bring it up - it's definitely something worth mentioning. Over 10 % of our class is re-applicants (there is 18 of us in the class of 2013). Being re-applicants and waiting two entire years to be admitted, we have an entire different level of appreciation for the school and for the admissions process. When did you interview last year ? I interviewed on Feb 13.
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I'm excited! I'm trying to figure out the best way to get there. I havent started preparing yet though. I have over a month still, but I'll start soon.
How did the biochem test go cheburashka?
How did the biochem test go cheburashka?
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None of us unfortunately tested out except for one person - so I guess we are all stuck taking it.
Thanks for your well wishes though. I'm not sure about parking since I don't drive, but have you thought about staying in one of the hotels really close to school ? There are a couple smaller ones in the Height area that are within a short wakling distance from campus - that way you don't have to worry about parking/driving on the day of the actual interview.
Is there an opportunity for the prospective students to meet other prospective students before/during/after the interview day?
Thanks! Sorry if this has been answered before. This is my first post on SDN... I only recently found out about SDN. Sort of curious about where the other prospectives and my potential future classmates (should I be lucky enough to be accepted) are coming from.
P.S. I interview on Feb 19th
Thanks! Sorry if this has been answered before. This is my first post on SDN... I only recently found out about SDN. Sort of curious about where the other prospectives and my potential future classmates (should I be lucky enough to be accepted) are coming from.
P.S. I interview on Feb 19th
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None of us unfortunately tested out except for one person - so I guess we are all stuck taking it.
I'm not sure about parking since I don't drive, but have you thought about staying in one of the hotels really close to school ? There are a couple smaller ones in the Height area that are within a short wakling distance from campus - that way you don't have to worry about parking/driving on the day of the actual interview.
I have only thought a little about it so far. I have 2 options in mind.
Since I'm in Socal, the flight is short. My interview isnt until 1250, so I have time. I can fly there in the morning and home at night, and take public transportation to the school. That might be the cheapest
My Grandma lives is Sac, so my other option is to drive there the day before, to SF on interview day, and home on teh day after.
flying may almost be cheaper
I'm also in Socal. I will be flying up the night before and will probably use a taxi or bus depending on where I stay.
The last time I tried flying up to SF and back on the same day turned out to be a disaster. They gave landing priority to international and out-of-state planes since they were already in the air and on the way. I had to go up for an interview this past fall and the flight was delayed from 9 AM to 11 AM to 1 PM to 3 PM to 5 PM ... then they allowed us to board ... only to tell us 30 minutes later that we had to get off the plane. The flight was then delayed until 7 PM ... and my departure flight back to Socal from SF was scheduled at 8 PM. I know it was a freak occurance (that freakish storm a couple months ago) and unlikely to happen again but you never know what might happen in a month.
There is a parking structure right across the street from school. However, it costs about $22/day (and note, you're supposed to plan to be here for at least 5 hours). From SFO, you can actually take the BART to Civic Center Station, and then transfer to the MUNI Outbound N-Judah to go to UCSF (which should take about an hour or so, but costs $10.10 one way). So pick your poison.
You can also park a little farther away on sidestreets past 12th Avenue I believe and still take the N-Judah Inbound towards UCSF or walk it (each MUNI ride is $2 for 90 minutes at a time).
None of us unfortunately tested out except for one person - so I guess we are all stuck taking it.
I'm not sure about parking since I don't drive, but have you thought about staying in one of the hotels really close to school ? There are a couple smaller ones in the Height area that are within a short wakling distance from campus - that way you don't have to worry about parking/driving on the day of the actual interview.
Actually, 3 people tested out.
The time to meet other prospective students would be before the orientation session starts, during the tours, or after the day ends. If you and other prospective students finish your interviews early, there is a chance to talk before the next session starts.
I look forward to meeting some of you during your interview days.
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Thanks for the info! I'm looking forward to the interview as well.
Sorry!! But I have another random question (to rycetrix, cheburashka, and any other current UCSF school of pharmacy students)... are any of you currently applying/accepted to the pharmaceutical sciences pathway?
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I'll pm you.
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http://pharmdadmissions.ucsf.edu/2010/01/happy-rumor-free-new-year_10.html
Newest blog post from Joel... and I believe almost everything he responded to was posted on SDN...
Newest blog post from Joel... and I believe almost everything he responded to was posted on SDN...
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OMG, I'm there!! Almost famous!
That is really sad, though.
That is really sad, though.
None of us unfortunately tested out except for one person - so I guess we are all stuck taking it.
I'm not sure about parking since I don't drive, but have you thought about staying in one of the hotels really close to school ? There are a couple smaller ones in the Height area that are within a short wakling distance from campus - that way you don't have to worry about parking/driving on the day of the actual interview.
Hello!
I just read your posts...so in the beginning of second quarter...you can take the opt-out exam for biochemistry?
(1) What is the format of the exam? Multiple choice or written exam?
(2) If you decide to take the test and if you fail, does it penalize you in any way?
(3) Can you study for that test before 1st year students even arrive? Each school has different emphasis on biochem... so what was the emphasis for your exam? I am assuming its nutritional/metabolism part?
Just curious... my interview is @ 2/6 Noon.. so hope to see you soon.. if I get in you will be my big sib?
Will you be around campus 2/6 afternoon? That is my interview date!
I'll PM you.
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I'll pm you too.
I am very very very very sorry, something crazy happened that did you get bunch of PM's??? Let me know what happened. I apologize x 100 !!!!!
I am very very very very sorry, something crazy happened that did you get bunch of PM's??? Let me know what happened. I apologize x 100 !!!!!
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Does anyone know if UCSF accepts P/NP classes for their pre-reqs? I looked all over their website, and it doesn't mention anything about it. I'm assuming if they accept AP classes, it seems like they should accept P/NP. I just wanted to see if anyone on here knew before I went to call them and ask.
