University of British Columbia Application Thread

[lllix]

When do midterms usually happen? My boyfriend is trying to book a flight on the seat sale and I am wondering what will be less awkward timing-wise...

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[instinctz]

When do midterms usually happen? My boyfriend is trying to book a flight on the seat sale and I am wondering what will be less awkward timing-wise...

Don't think anyone really has an answer for this, so you'll just have to wait for the course syllabus in the upcoming months before you plan anything. Another thing to take into account is that all courses are different, especially the non PHAR ones. For example: PHYL 301 only has two exams; both occur at the end of the semester.

I wouldn't rely on previous year stats just because pharmacy has gone through such a dramatic change (i.e., increased class size, new facility, new staff/hires, etc) which might factor in random exam times.

Edit: What you can do is individually email the professors for their course syllabus -- some might be able to provide you with the exam information. Although some professors are not as keen and probably haven't set their exam times yet.

 

[UBCmicrobi]

Profs are really good about giving course syllabi on the first day of class, with all midterm exam dates already set, and for the most part they stick to those dates. So if you can wait until the first week, you should be able to plan around exams.

 

[lllix]

Profs are really good about giving course syllabi on the first day of class, with all midterm exam dates already set, and for the most part they stick to those dates. So if you can wait until the first week, you should be able to plan around exams.

Well it was a seat sale, so we just picked a date and went for it. If it happens to be in the middle of a bunch of midterms we'll figure it out then.

In other news, one month until I move to Vancouver! (cue simultaneous panic and excitement)

 

[PharMarley]

What exactly do we need besides filling the form for that bc pharmacy registration? Do we need a copy of our birth certificate, confirmation of enrollment? Please let me know. Gotta finish it

 

[nesteaplunger]

Hi everyone, I'm new here at SDN and just wanted to ask a few questions about UBC pharm. First of all regarding the admission average at UBC, does CHEM 233 only count if you have taken CHEM 235 with it as well? Also, are courses such as BIOC300 and PHYL301 worth twice as much in calculating the average since they're 6 credits? I have taken pharmacy approved electives but I heard they don't count in the average?

I'm also having trouble on deciding which other pharmacy schools to apply for. Does anyone know which schools have the same pre-reqs as UBC? I've checked out UofT and it seems their reqs include BIOC/O-chem which are not pre-reqs at UBC.

For the PCAT quantitative and verbal/analogy sections, does anyone know good ways to study for those? They were my weakest points! I have the Kaplan PCAT book but I'm looking to maybe try the Dr.Collins package. Anyone have experience with the official online PCAT practice tests?

One last question, does anyone know how tough PHYL301 and BIOC300 are?
Sorry for asking so many questions at once! Thanks!

 

[nyanmix]

What exactly do we need besides filling the form for that bc pharmacy registration? Do we need a copy of our birth certificate, confirmation of enrollment? Please let me know. Gotta finish it

hmm that's basically it...there's not much else aside from that passport pic and getting it notarized.

my passport pic is larger than the space on the page so i hope that's ok

 

[spudly]

hmm that's basically it...there's not much else aside from that passport pic and getting it notarized.

my passport pic is larger than the space on the page so i hope that's ok

No worries, mine was bigger than the space on the page as well and they still accepted it (I had to register a few years ago - 4th year student). I think the standard passport photo size is larger than the space provided anyways.

 

[Mattz]

Hi everyone, I'm new here at SDN and just wanted to ask a few questions about UBC pharm. First of all regarding the admission average at UBC, does CHEM 233 only count if you have taken CHEM 235 with it as well? Also, are courses such as BIOC300 and PHYL301 worth twice as much in calculating the average since they're 6 credits? I have taken pharmacy approved electives but I heard they don't count in the average?

I'm also having trouble on deciding which other pharmacy schools to apply for. Does anyone know which schools have the same pre-reqs as UBC? I've checked out UofT and it seems their reqs include BIOC/O-chem which are not pre-reqs at UBC.

For the PCAT quantitative and verbal/analogy sections, does anyone know good ways to study for those? They were my weakest points! I have the Kaplan PCAT book but I'm looking to maybe try the Dr.Collins package. Anyone have experience with the official online PCAT practice tests?

One last question, does anyone know how tough PHYL301 and BIOC300 are?
Sorry for asking so many questions at once! Thanks!

Chem 233 should still count without Chem 235. And yes, I believe PHYL 301 and BIOC 300 are equivalent to 2 courses each. No, the pharmacy approved electives will not count in your average.

In terms of which school to apply for, are you from BC? I personally only applied to UBC because I didn't want to move out of the country. Just search around and find a list of Pharmacy Schools in Canada and go from there.

 

[Yuuto]

From my knowledge, CHEM233 does NOT count towards admission until CHEM235 is taken; hence the CHEM233 & CHEM235 listed on the Academic Admission Average on the Pharmacy website.

 

[iLLmatic26]

One last question, does anyone know how tough PHYL301 and BIOC300 are?

I found PHYL 301 easier than BIOC 300. But ANAT 390 and 391 are much easier than both PHYL and BIOC if you're looking to boost up your admissions GPA.

 

[naphthalene]

Please delete

 

[vita25]

Does anyone know how BIOC302 is in the summer?
I'm registered in BIOC300 right now but I have BIOC201 credits so I might just take 302..but I didn't take CHEM205 which is the prereq for BIOC302...

should I take CHEM205 this year and then take BIO302 in the summer?

 

[EinmikroFreund]

One of the things I did for the interview (I got in) was to consider both sides of the situation. Of course, this only applies to the situational/ethical related questions, and I think it is a really good thing to demonstrate that you fairly weigh both sides before making your decision. (Sorry if this is too vague)

Personal experiences are really awesome, IMO, because they really set you apart from other candidates and makes it easier for your interviewer to remember you. You have to make sure that your personal experience is specific enough; don't just say you "volunteered at a pharmacy", try talking about the instance where you made close friends with a patient, etc... Stuff like that.

I think what really got me through my interview was my enthusiasm towards the interview AND the question. Not only that, but I tried to keep up my enthusiasm while I was answering the question (I payed attention to my tone of voice). I also tried to smile while I was talking, and come out as a cheerful and energetic person... hehehe... Almost all the interviewers ended up smiling a lot, and I think they really got a good look into my personality.

But these are all just my opinions, maybe your answers were already top-notch, and you were brimming with confidence as well; there could be a lot of other factors involved. Look back on your interview and find ways you could have come out as a better applicant, both by how you present yourself to the interviewer, and by the content of your answer.

Well, I don't know if many of you are still reading this, but congrats to all of you who got in! I didn't even come back to this forum since Jun 29th because I was (and still am) so shocked and disappointed about my outcome. However, I think future applicants may benefit from someone with 2 cycles of application experience. I don't know how much this will be to those applying next year and beyond, but here it is!

This was my second try at applying to UBC Pharm. At the first try (2010), I managed to be ranked overall in the lower 150s, just missing the cut (class size was about 150), which was quite disappointing. I had a pre-req GPA of 80% and PCAT of 99%, with a good (in my opinion, of course) interview. For the interview, I did exactly what PharmPig suggested above, except that for ethical answers my answers were a bit one-sided. I thought that this was perhaps what poisoned my interview which was graded in the 60s%. So with my teeth clenched, I applied again, thinking I've found the key to failure on the first try.

For this year, my GPA improved to 81% and I used the same PCAT score. The application also improved, as I was getting more extracurricular experience as well. As for the interview, I managed to do even better by having answers with balanced views and better personal appearance by suiting up. The content of the answers, I felt, was great. In fact, I had two interviewers said something like "I have all the things needed for evaluation" with big, big grins, as if they're saying "good job." I felt really good walking out and my confidence was sky-high. I remember telling my mom that the odds of getting in this year increased due to my overall improvement on my GPA, application, interview preparation and execution, and increase of seats from 150 to 225 (total of 75). It turned out, of course, was not the case. My interview ranking was in the 290s out of 360 applicants, which is disappointing to say the least. My permission to my overall ranking and percentage mark of interview, which they gave out last year, was simply denied. I had been pondering with this question for the rest of the summer: "With the comprehensive improvements I made, I should have at least stayed in the overall ranking of 150s and thus be accepted. With my rejection, that means that I have been bumped at least 70 spots down in ranking despite improvement... How is this possible???"

Well, from my story, it seems quite clear that they lean very heavily on interview performance even though they seem to imply that they decide the class based on the overall rankings. If that is the case, getting in, then, would require BOTH solid foundation in things you can control (ie. GPA, PCAT, etc.) and luck, because no matter how well I FELT I had done in the interview, I would never know what went wrong. In fact, they would not even disclose whether it was the content and/or the mechanics (eg. tone, appearance, clarity, etc.) that THEY think were not good for the interview. I would not blame my failure on a lack of pharmacy experience because I think some of the folks who got in had no pharmacy experience whatsoever, and whether or not getting this experience is something you cannot really control. For instance, I asked about 20 pharmacies whether or not they're looking for volunteers, but they just said "no." The big and medium pharmacies said that they have pharmacy assistants/technicians to do the work, while the smaller ones said that pharmacists do the work themselves, so they're not looking for volunteers.

I also don't really believe that "just be yourself" would be a good way to approach the interview because the interviewers must be looking for qualities in what you say or how you behave that makes you better than the rest, but I'll never find out. I really enjoy talking to other people and I felt that they enjoy talking to me based on their body language and verbal response, so if I were to do the interview again I would behave the same. No regret, just disappointment and frustration.

Anyway, I hope future applicants would find this helpful, and if anyone has any kind of feedback, please feel free to share it. After all, my sole interest is getting a better picture of what happened, so I don't care if the opinion is ugly or not. Any frank opinions are appreciated.

By the way, do you guys think it's a good route if I study to become a pharmacy technician in a couple of years, work for another couple of years, and then re-apply??? (I assume I could still go through 4 years of university in my 30s!!!)

Thanks for reading my tirade, everyone, and have fun in pharmacy!!!! =)

 

[Strutter]

Congrats everyone who got into pharmacy!

I am thinking of applying to pharmacy school upcoming cycle.

My prereq grade is around 77.5%. My PCAT is about 67 percentile. My GPA is increasing every semester.

I've been a volunteer for 2 years at my school, and have been a peer tutor for about 5 years. No work experience yet.

Should I retake the PCAT? I know if I retake it, it can be atleast 80 percentile, but I am not sure if it is worth my time to retake it. What are your thoughts on my GPA, PCAT, and EC's? And chances?

 

[SodamYat]

re take pcat, and try to get pharmacy experience if possible

 

[Yuuto]

Your GPA isn't high enough to support that low PCAT. As said before, retake it. As for your ECs, make sure you focus on writing your essays as soon as possible, as well as expand your experiences in volunteering and/or work if possible. Good luck in your application!

 

[Strutter]

Thank you guys for the response. What is the essay about? I've checked the following link and it did not mention anything about an essay...

http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/programs/degree-programs/BscP/aboutus

Also, I've taken Physics 101 and 102. I did better in Physics 102, would they take the grade from that course that instead of Physics 101, because it is a first year university physics course?

 

[aanickaa]

Thank you guys for the response. What is the essay about? I've checked the following link and it did not mention anything about an essay...

http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/programs/degree-programs/BscP/aboutus

Also, I've taken Physics 101 and 102. I did better in Physics 102, would they take the grade from that course that instead of Physics 101, because it is a first year university physics course?

The two essays will be part of your online application, basically, two personal statements (500 words max. for each) related to Pharmacy and your goals. You'll see soon enough...

PHYS102 is not a prerequisite to the program, and will not contribute to your calculated admission average, regardless of whether it's a first-year Physics course or not. You'll need to take those required 2nd and 3rd year courses to boost your average, or retake courses at another institution.

 

[Aktinos23]

Well, I don't know if many of you are still reading this, but congrats to all of you who got in! I didn't even come back to this forum since Jun 29th because I was (and still am) so shocked and disappointed about my outcome. However, I think future applicants may benefit from someone with 2 cycles of application experience. I don't know how much this will be to those applying next year and beyond, but here it is!

This was my second try at applying to UBC Pharm. At the first try (2010), I managed to be ranked overall in the lower 150s, just missing the cut (class size was about 150), which was quite disappointing. I had a pre-req GPA of 80% and PCAT of 99%, with a good (in my opinion, of course) interview. For the interview, I did exactly what PharmPig suggested above, except that for ethical answers my answers were a bit one-sided. I thought that this was perhaps what poisoned my interview which was graded in the 60s%. So with my teeth clenched, I applied again, thinking I've found the key to failure on the first try.

For this year, my GPA improved to 81% and I used the same PCAT score. The application also improved, as I was getting more extracurricular experience as well. As for the interview, I managed to do even better by having answers with balanced views and better personal appearance by suiting up. The content of the answers, I felt, was great. In fact, I had two interviewers said something like "I have all the things needed for evaluation" with big, big grins, as if they're saying "good job." I felt really good walking out and my confidence was sky-high. I remember telling my mom that the odds of getting in this year increased due to my overall improvement on my GPA, application, interview preparation and execution, and increase of seats from 150 to 225 (total of 75). It turned out, of course, was not the case. My interview ranking was in the 290s out of 360 applicants, which is disappointing to say the least. My permission to my overall ranking and percentage mark of interview, which they gave out last year, was simply denied. I had been pondering with this question for the rest of the summer: "With the comprehensive improvements I made, I should have at least stayed in the overall ranking of 150s and thus be accepted. With my rejection, that means that I have been bumped at least 70 spots down in ranking despite improvement... How is this possible???"

Well, from my story, it seems quite clear that they lean very heavily on interview performance even though they seem to imply that they decide the class based on the overall rankings. If that is the case, getting in, then, would require BOTH solid foundation in things you can control (ie. GPA, PCAT, etc.) and luck, because no matter how well I FELT I had done in the interview, I would never know what went wrong. In fact, they would not even disclose whether it was the content and/or the mechanics (eg. tone, appearance, clarity, etc.) that THEY think were not good for the interview. I would not blame my failure on a lack of pharmacy experience because I think some of the folks who got in had no pharmacy experience whatsoever, and whether or not getting this experience is something you cannot really control. For instance, I asked about 20 pharmacies whether or not they're looking for volunteers, but they just said "no." The big and medium pharmacies said that they have pharmacy assistants/technicians to do the work, while the smaller ones said that pharmacists do the work themselves, so they're not looking for volunteers.

I also don't really believe that "just be yourself" would be a good way to approach the interview because the interviewers must be looking for qualities in what you say or how you behave that makes you better than the rest, but I'll never find out. I really enjoy talking to other people and I felt that they enjoy talking to me based on their body language and verbal response, so if I were to do the interview again I would behave the same. No regret, just disappointment and frustration.

Anyway, I hope future applicants would find this helpful, and if anyone has any kind of feedback, please feel free to share it. After all, my sole interest is getting a better picture of what happened, so I don't care if the opinion is ugly or not. Any frank opinions are appreciated.

By the way, do you guys think it's a good route if I study to become a pharmacy technician in a couple of years, work for another couple of years, and then re-apply??? (I assume I could still go through 4 years of university in my 30s!!!)

Thanks for reading my tirade, everyone, and have fun in pharmacy!!!! =)

Wow, this must be very disappointing for you, I'm really sorry for this
I cannot really say anything really, I felt that what you had was perfect right there, you even had a higher PCAT than me.

I would recommend you apply again next year, even being frustrated with all of that. I went into the same frustration the first time I applied, and I considered other paths as well..but then I always came back to Pharmacy and understood that this was what I really want to be in life.

I passed with zero pharm experience so I fully understand what you thought about being a pharm tech. I applied twice too but I guess I was just lucky this year.
I also had the same experience with you on volunteering, so I just went and read about books about the various roles of pharmacists in the society and also some counseling books.
I also went to every possible interview workshop I can, including a med school interview workshop back then, even though I know I am confident enough.

But just so you know, your first year marks are only valid for 5 years (I read this somewhere but not really sure if it is UBC or not..you may want to confirm this just in case) so if ever you really plan on becoming a phar tech for a long time you may have take that into account.

Again I am really sorry that this happened to you. I believe you are really fit into becoming a pharmacist and I wish you good luck on your future applications.

 

[OChemTA]

Well, I don't know if many of you are still reading this, but congrats to all of you who got in! I didn't even come back to this forum since Jun 29th because I was (and still am) so shocked and disappointed about my outcome. However, I think future applicants may benefit from someone with 2 cycles of application experience. I don't know how much this will be to those applying next year and beyond, but here it is!

This was my second try at applying to UBC Pharm. At the first try (2010), I managed to be ranked overall in the lower 150s, just missing the cut (class size was about 150), which was quite disappointing. I had a pre-req GPA of 80% and PCAT of 99%, with a good (in my opinion, of course) interview. For the interview, I did exactly what PharmPig suggested above, except that for ethical answers my answers were a bit one-sided. I thought that this was perhaps what poisoned my interview which was graded in the 60s%. So with my teeth clenched, I applied again, thinking I've found the key to failure on the first try.

For this year, my GPA improved to 81% and I used the same PCAT score. The application also improved, as I was getting more extracurricular experience as well. As for the interview, I managed to do even better by having answers with balanced views and better personal appearance by suiting up. The content of the answers, I felt, was great. In fact, I had two interviewers said something like "I have all the things needed for evaluation" with big, big grins, as if they're saying "good job." I felt really good walking out and my confidence was sky-high. I remember telling my mom that the odds of getting in this year increased due to my overall improvement on my GPA, application, interview preparation and execution, and increase of seats from 150 to 225 (total of 75). It turned out, of course, was not the case. My interview ranking was in the 290s out of 360 applicants, which is disappointing to say the least. My permission to my overall ranking and percentage mark of interview, which they gave out last year, was simply denied. I had been pondering with this question for the rest of the summer: "With the comprehensive improvements I made, I should have at least stayed in the overall ranking of 150s and thus be accepted. With my rejection, that means that I have been bumped at least 70 spots down in ranking despite improvement... How is this possible???"

Well, from my story, it seems quite clear that they lean very heavily on interview performance even though they seem to imply that they decide the class based on the overall rankings. If that is the case, getting in, then, would require BOTH solid foundation in things you can control (ie. GPA, PCAT, etc.) and luck, because no matter how well I FELT I had done in the interview, I would never know what went wrong. In fact, they would not even disclose whether it was the content and/or the mechanics (eg. tone, appearance, clarity, etc.) that THEY think were not good for the interview. I would not blame my failure on a lack of pharmacy experience because I think some of the folks who got in had no pharmacy experience whatsoever, and whether or not getting this experience is something you cannot really control. For instance, I asked about 20 pharmacies whether or not they're looking for volunteers, but they just said "no." The big and medium pharmacies said that they have pharmacy assistants/technicians to do the work, while the smaller ones said that pharmacists do the work themselves, so they're not looking for volunteers.

I also don't really believe that "just be yourself" would be a good way to approach the interview because the interviewers must be looking for qualities in what you say or how you behave that makes you better than the rest, but I'll never find out. I really enjoy talking to other people and I felt that they enjoy talking to me based on their body language and verbal response, so if I were to do the interview again I would behave the same. No regret, just disappointment and frustration.

Anyway, I hope future applicants would find this helpful, and if anyone has any kind of feedback, please feel free to share it. After all, my sole interest is getting a better picture of what happened, so I don't care if the opinion is ugly or not. Any frank opinions are appreciated.

By the way, do you guys think it's a good route if I study to become a pharmacy technician in a couple of years, work for another couple of years, and then re-apply??? (I assume I could still go through 4 years of university in my 30s!!!)

Thanks for reading my tirade, everyone, and have fun in pharmacy!!!! =)

TBH, your grades are not the problem. Your personality is. You may THINK you did great on the interviews, but clearly something is wrong. A GPA of 81% and PCAT of 99% is definitely good enough to get in to UBC pharm with even a MEDIOCRE/AVERAGE interview.

Sorry buddy, but if you calculated your GPA properly, then you really need to work on your personality/interview skills because the adcom saw a serious flaw both time you applied.

 

[pharmlover22]

Wow, this must be very disappointing for you, I'm really sorry for this
I cannot really say anything really, I felt that what you had was perfect right there, you even had a higher PCAT than me.

I would recommend you apply again next year, even being frustrated with all of that. I went into the same frustration the first time I applied, and I considered other paths as well..but then I always came back to Pharmacy and understood that this was what I really want to be in life.

I passed with zero pharm experience so I fully understand what you thought , about being a pharm tech. I applied twice too but I guess I was just lucky this year.
I also had the same experience with you on volunteering, so I just went and read about books about the various roles of pharmacists in the society and also some counseling books.
I also went to every possible interview workshop I can, including a med school interview workshop back then, even though I know I am confident enough.

But just so you know, your first year marks are only valid for 5 years (I read this somewhere but not really sure if it is UBC or not..you may want to confirm this just in case) so if ever you really plan on becoming a phar tech for a long time you may have take that into account.

Again I am really sorry that this happened to you. I believe you are really fit into becoming a pharmacist and I wish you good luck on your future applications.

Hey If you are not sure about something, don't post it here, it is gone freak people out , and b/w there is no expiry date for ubc, I am 100% sure, so please delete your comment

 

[aanickaa]

Hey If you are not sure about something, don't post it here, it is gone freak people out , and b/w there is no expiry date for ubc, I am 100% sure, so please delete your comment

Agreed, only thing that expires is the PCAT mark. Two years, then more money out of your pocket.

 

[Aliya1]

Hey guys
how is a pcat of 79 look like for UBC pharm

 

[iLLmatic26]

Hey guys
how is a pcat of 79 look like for UBC pharm

Looks good to me. Worry more about your GPA and interview skills.

 

[DustFreeEraser]

Are the Burnaby spots already full?!?!?!
I can't register for either of the January dates

 

[kelseywafer]

Has anyone taken the pre-pharm course at ubco? if so what were your grades in grade 12 like? and please explain what it was like!

 

[awwer12]

Has anyone taken the pre-pharm course at ubco? if so what were your grades in grade 12 like? and please explain what it was like!

Hi Kelsey

I was in Pre-pharm at UBCO last year. (I am now majoring in Biochem)

My grade 12 grade average was 96% (math 12, english 12, biology 12, pre-calc 12)

At here, my average gap dropped down to 87.5%.. which is kinda big drop...
I'm trying to bring it up to 90% with STAT 230, MBIOL 228 but it seems its gonna be quite hard.

I have to say for me , two english courses and the first term biology course (116) killed my GPA.

But on the good side, first year CHEM, MATH, second term BIOL and PHYS were easy enough to obtain mark over 90%.

Hope this helps

 

[awwer12]

Hi I am a second year student at UBCO applying this year

My GPA overall is at 87.5% and I am taking STAT 230, and MBIOL 228 currently.

I am getting one reference letter from my previous english professor
and the other one from the microbiology professor.

for EC activities, I have experience in pharmacy total of 4 months
(2 month in high school, 2 month during this summer)
I have volunteered about 2 months in the senior home village
and I also have volunteered in the church for my entire life.
I am involved in the golden key club, cancer society, and the fellowship club

I have never taken PCAT yet, but planning on taking it this January

so here's my question

1) What would be the approximate minimum PCAT score I could receive that would ensure getting in for the interview?

(Say if I did really bad on the PCAT and have received 70% ~ 74% on the PCAT, would you think I would still have a shot for the interview?)

2) What part of my resume do you think I should improve on to increase the chance of getting into the pharmacy program at UBC?


Thanks

 

[aanickaa]

Hi I am a second year student at UBCO applying this year

My GPA overall is at 87.5% and I am taking STAT 230, and MBIOL 228 currently.

I am getting one reference letter from my previous english professor
and the other one from the microbiology professor.

for EC activities, I have experience in pharmacy total of 4 months
(2 month in high school, 2 month during this summer)
I have volunteered about 2 months in the senior home village
and I also have volunteered in the church for my entire life.
I am involved in the golden key club, cancer society, and the fellowship club

I have never taken PCAT yet, but planning on taking it this January

so here's my question

1) What would be the approximate minimum PCAT score I could receive that would ensure getting in for the interview?

(Say if I did really bad on the PCAT and have received 70% ~ 74% on the PCAT, would you think I would still have a shot for the interview?)

2) What part of my resume do you think I should improve on to increase the chance of getting into the pharmacy program at UBC?


Thanks

65 on the PCAT will guarantee you an interview - unless someone proves otherwise, I have never met anyone that has missed an interview because their supplemental application was weak.

Your chances of getting in are ridiculously high, especially with what you posted as your resume. Just need to do "average" on the interview and you'll be in.

 

[kelseywafer]

Thanks so much awwer 12!! Was pre pharm at ubco, basically just your first year of sciences? It not like you had your own specific class of pre pharm right? you are still with all the science people? And did you stay in the dorms? And do you know what marks any of your friends got in grade 12 who got into pre pharm? thanks!!

 

[awwer12]

Thanks so much awwer 12!! Was pre pharm at ubco, basically just your first year of sciences? It not like you had your own specific class of pre pharm right? you are still with all the science people? And did you stay in the dorms? And do you know what marks any of your friends got in grade 12 who got into pre pharm? thanks!!

No problem Kelsey

Yeah its just basically same as first year of science.

I took classes with people who were in science, art, fine art, commerce, just anyone.

There was only one class that had a majority of pre-pharm student.
This was BIOL 112 (microbiology) which was a requirement for UBC pharmacy entrance.
This course had 120 seats restricted only for pre-pharm students and 40 for students in other programs.

The lowest grade 12 average mark I heard from the person who got admitted to pre pharm was around 83%.
(But, this is only based on asking around 30 people in pre-pharm)

UBCO accepts lots of students at the moment.
For this year, they accepted 8000 first year students.
So the high school GPA won't have to be as high as to UBC Vancouver's Science standard.

I stayed in the dorm, upper cascade during summer only.

There are many different types of dorms available at UBCO and you can obtain the information about them at the UBCO housing website.

Thanks

 

[pharamcy]

i am a second year student at university of toronto in Ontario. What are my chances of me getting into pharmacy at ubc???

 

[pharamcy]

i am also out of province student and i really want to go to ubc for pharmacy. if you don't mind what was your stats?? my gpa is around 75 and i am doing my pcat in januaray and i have been volunteering at a pharmacy. buhh i am really scared i'll be rejected since i am an out of province student

 

[pharamcy]

i am doing my pcat in jan 2012 cycle. which is the best pcat study guide kaplan or the Dr. collins one? Does anyone know any good pcat prep classes in toronto or anywhere??

 

[awwer12]

i am doing my pcat in jan 2012 cycle. which is the best pcat study guide kaplan or the Dr. collins one? Does anyone know any good pcat prep classes in toronto or anywhere??

In my opinion, I'd definitely recommend Dr. Collins over Kaplan...

If you got enough time then maybe using both the Kaplan and Dr. Collins study guide is probably the best way to study for the PCAT.

 

[kelseywafer]

Thank you so much! Did you find you had alot more homeowork than high school? And what dorms would you say are the nicest? Oh and which dorms were the quietest, and in the most convenient location? Oh and was the food good!? And how akward was your first day at university? And how many years are you doing at UBCO, before you transfer to UBC pharmacy program? And not that im a partier, but are the any great parties on the campus? Thanks again!

 

[awwer12]

Thank you so much! Did you find you had alot more homeowork than high school? And what dorms would you say are the nicest? Oh and which dorms were the quietest, and in the most convenient location? Oh and was the food good!? And how akward was your first day at university? And how many years are you doing at UBCO, before you transfer to UBC pharmacy program? And not that im a partier, but are the any great parties on the campus? Thanks again!

Monashee studio unit is the best... You get to use the room all by yourself and you are given the queen sized bed.
Only bad thing about this rez is that you have to climb a bit of hill to get to your house from the lecture hall. If you are going to the class though, it is walking down a hill so getting to the class is easier and faster.
Since this unit is so popular, it is quite hard to get into this unit.

Worst is the Similkameen. You have to share a bathroom with students living in the same floor and there is not a kitchen.

If you prefer quite places, and likes to be alone, try avoiding Upper Cascade, Lower cascade, Monashee (quad unit) if possible since you have to share with 4 students. Sometimes your roommate may not turn out to be a great person to be sharing the unit with for an entire winter session.
However, they have an advantage for having a kitchen where you can cook your food.

If you can't get into the Monashee, second best choice would be Kalamalka, Nicholas, Purcell, Cassiar, Valhalla.
Purcell is built this year. Cashiar is built last year. So they are very new.
Also, you get a private room. You only have to share a bathroom with one other person next to your room. Kitchen is to be shared with all students on the floor, but since there is a meal plan, no one really bothers to use the kitchen.

This is the website where you can find more information:

http://www.housing.ubc.ca/student-residences-okan/winter-session-residence-okan

I guess my awkward moment in the first day of school was forgetting to turn off the cell phone during the lecture. My proff came up to me and asked me if she can answer the phone . Of course she didn't really do that; she was just kidding with me.

I have done 1 year before applying to the pharmacy this year.
So I am applying the pharmacy during my second year. I had planned it this way before even admitted to the univ. since I just wanted to get used to the university before I take too many courses and overwhelm myself.

 

[tabesh]

Hi

I am new member here and and pretty confused with the procedure through pharmacy
i have a master degree in psychology and intend to switch to pharmacy. i know i have to do pre-reqs and pcat suceessfully but with having no working experience in th field of pharmacy do you think i might have still chance to get in???

please help!

thank you

 

[nyanmix]

Hi

I am new member here and and pretty confused with the procedure through pharmacy
i have a master degree in psychology and intend to switch to pharmacy. i know i have to do pre-reqs and pcat suceessfully but with having no working experience in th field of pharmacy do you think i might have still chance to get in???

please help!

thank you

You definitely don't need prior working experience in a Pharmacy to get in! As long as you know what pharmacy's about and stuff (nothing in-depth), you're good to go.

 

[gingereng]

Has anyone started on their personal statements yet?? I was wondering if any students accepted into the program can give some hints as to what kind of statements the school is looking for. I mean, what exactlly are they marking us on? the writing skill? Please give some tips!! thanks!

Be true to yourself!I cannot express how many times I face palmed whenever I read "I ALWAYS wanted to be a pharmacist ever since I was little" or my fav "it was b/c of this *insert medication* that my medical condition was relieved and ever since then I was inspired to be one" on ppl's personal statements. If they are true, make sure it doesnt come off cheesy. I seen one person's ps which was super creative where he/she made a story. But that doesnt mean one needs to do that to do well in the PS section. Just try to come of as orignial because there is gna be 300+ PS the evaluators are going to have to read with the same topics.

Also, give LOTS of personal examples. If they ask you WHY u should be in pharmacy, give lots of voluntary/personal examples that will demonstrate it. Dont just say it is because you are good in chemistry, great leadership skills, etc. You will fly under the radar if you write something that has nothing to back it up.

In terms of grammar, they are not necessarily looking for you to be perfect. What they are looking for is content and how you present yourself. But if you do something dumb like misspell pharmacy, there might be a question mark surrounding your PS. I wouldn't worry too much about this, I think a simple spelling/grammar check on word doc. would suffice

 

[Shiim]

I also don't really believe that "just be yourself" would be a good way to approach the interview because the interviewers must be looking for qualities in what you say or how you behave that makes you better than the rest, but I'll never find out. I really enjoy talking to other people and I felt that they enjoy talking to me based on their body language and verbal response, so if I were to do the interview again I would behave the same. No regret, just disappointment and frustration.



By the way, do you guys think it's a good route if I study to become a pharmacy technician in a couple of years, work for another couple of years, and then re-apply??? (I assume I could still go through 4 years of university in my 30s!!!)

1) You should 100% be yourself in the interviews. They are a measure of your interpersonal communication skills as well as how you approach life situations. They are not looking for one particular answer at all. The interviews don't measure your knowledge of anything in particular. To all the hopeful applicants who are going for interviews act natural, give thoughtful open responses, and be ready to support your decisions. (also ignore the quoted post)

2) No. Being a technician will not help you get into pharmacy at all. You may be exposed to more and will have an easier time with some of the practical components of the labs, but the jobs are completely different. Why would you waste all that time just to pad your chances on getting in?

Source: Me, slayer of MMI interviews and personalized medicine.