University of California, San Diego

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kcha90 said:
Theoretically there should be less pressure, even with the "harder" curriculum, since it's P/F grading.
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I believe the idea is that it would be harder to achieve a Pass than a "C", or whatever the passing equivalent is, at an average US pharmacy program. A "P" at UCSD might require the same study time as scoring an 85% elsewhere, but both prep you adequately for the NAPLEX.

It would be helpful to hear more about the differences in program intensity from students who have had experience with the UCSD program and other programs.
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BambooLou said:
I believe the idea is that it would be harder to achieve a Pass than a "C", or whatever the passing equivalent is, at an average US pharmacy program. A "P" at UCSD might require the same study time as scoring an 85% elsewhere, but both prep you adequately for the NAPLEX.
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Obviously, but honestly who here is expecting to do enough work to get a C?
 
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kcha90 said:
Theoretically there should be less pressure, even with the "harder" curriculum, since it's P/F grading.
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I can see that... When I talked to the students during the free time at UCSD, most of them did have some kind of job or internship. So it certainly is possible. That is a good point that while the class difficulty might be harder, the P could be simpler to get. Good point.
 
kcha90 said:
Yikes.
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It would be incorrect to interpret our "strategy" as "lazy". 1) It doesn't matter to a retail or hospital pharmacy what letter grades we get. 2) "Passing" is a relative term anyway. A better measurement would be the required study hours for an individual to pass the NAPLEX. If a school requires more hours than that to pass their own curriculum, we have to weigh these opportunity costs with family or work responsibilities. Either way, passing an accredited program and the NAPLEX is what's required to be an expert in this field. Otherwise, all programs should be as rigorous.
 
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BambooLou said:
It would be incorrect to interpret our strategy for laziness. 1) It doesn't matter to a retail or hospital pharmacy what letter grades we get. 2) "Passing" is a relative term anyway. A better measurement would be the required study hours for an individual to pass the NAPLEX. If a school requires more hours than that to pass their own curriculum, we have to weigh these opportunity costs with family or work responsibilities. Either way, passing an accredited program and the NAPLEX is what's required to be an expert in this field. Otherwise, all programs should be as rigorous.
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I think GPA matters for residencies.
 
Working during pharmacy school is not going to offset your tuition. You're all going to pharm school; even if you pick the least rigorous program, you still will have a lot of workload and your free time will be limited because you will actually have to attend the classes. Therefore, you won't have much time to work; I'd say the most you would work is 25 hrs/wk. As an intern, you will be getting paid $20/hr at the most. Whatever you make, will go towards your living expenses, it will not offset your on-average $30,0000/yr tuition, and you shouldn't use that as a reason to not attend a certain rigorous program. Don't worry about paying for your tuition. If you work right after pharm school and start paying off your loans, they can be used as a tax write-off which would lower your income taxes significantly if you strategically plan the timing and amount of your loan payments.
 
Here's some more info I gathered today (also posted in http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=985003):

I talked to some UCSD pharmacy students today, and they basically confirmed many of things talked about here. They did note, however, that there is a LOT of activities to do for being such a small school, and it is very easy to take advantage of leadership opportunities.

The curriculum, while difficult, isn't impossible, and will be good for people who like to understand the bigger picture behind the drugs, and to help us "connect the dots." Since I personally understand and remember things better when I know "why," this is actually beginning to sound appealing to me.

They did say that you need at least some honors designations to be competitive for a residency, but it's more important to show a balance between school and extracurriculars (i.e., leadership). I feel like if you choose which classes you're going to really focus on, you can get those honors distinctions. They said that since UCSD is a respected school, the residency locations know that the caliber of students is high, so they don't need letter grades. Schools that are not as well know and use the pass/fail system may have more difficulty placing students.

Also, the alumni network isn't that great, as expected, which is why you will need to make connections through your internship, clerkships, and other people you know. This is probably the biggest con, in my opinion, and where UCSD is weakest when compared to the other two.
 
chasingpharmd said:
Don't worry about paying for your tuition. If you work right after pharm school and start paying off your loans, they can be used as a tax write-off which would lower your income taxes significantly if you strategically plan the timing and amount of your loan payments.
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See, that's exactly the kind of information that we should be aware of, but I never would have known if someone like you hadn't mentioned it. Thank you!! All those financial aid presentations at interviews, and no one brought this up??

I really don't know that much about financial stuff, though I've done a modest amount of research on financial aid. Most of the things related to the IRS go over my head lol.

Here is a link to what I think you're referring to: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc456.html

Edit: there is a caveat!! You can only make up to 75K modified gross adjusted income if single, or 150K if filing joint (http://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch04.html). I hate finance XD
 
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What chasingpharmd said is very true. School debt is good debt- it's an investment. In the grand scheme of things, $20/hr now may offset some of that debt but it's also displacing crucial time needed to study or to participate in activities that strengthen your application for residency programs. Besides, it will be much easier to pay that debt as a pharmacist than as an intern.
 
hey everyone i got into ucsd on the 8th and already told them i was going. is anyone else here going for sure or is everyone waiting for UCSF to come out?
 
anyone down to do the harlem shake at our white coat ceremony? it would be legendary.
 
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TeRRaNoXiC said:
another friday, another round of acceptances? anyone get in today?
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Ahh! I just checked my email and found an offer! It was time stamped at 3:38 in the morning and I've been checking my email all morning to no avail.

Perhaps yours is lingering in the interweb somewhere too!
 
gobears12 said:
hey everyone i got into ucsd on the 8th and already told them i was going. is anyone else here going for sure or is everyone waiting for UCSF to come out?
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I was just curious, did you tell SD that you were planning on going, even though you are waiting for SF results to come out?

And for everyone else who got accepted, did you tell the school you were attending as well?

I'm hoping for the best from SF, but SD's acceptance email makes it sound like I need to give them my decision ASAP. I guess I don't know enough people who have been through application cycles, but it is completely normal to accept and then decline?
 
I'm waiting until I hear back from a couple schools (SF included) to give them my response.

In my acceptance email, they said, "In order to guarantee your position in the class, we will need a response from you as soon as possible and no later than 4:00 pm PDT on April 5, 2013. The UC San Diego and UC San Francisco Schools of Pharmacy have agreed on a common date for response to offers of admission. All applicants offered admission to either or both schools will have until April 58th to respond. This will allow applicants who receive offers to both schools to make an informed decision prior to the deadline." I did a double take at that April 58th lol. But I think they made it clear that if you're still considering SF, you can wait until you hear back from them.

You should only commit to one school at a time. In general, if a deadline is coming up and you're still waiting on another school you'd rather attend, accept your best offer and continue waiting. If the other school accepts you, you can decline your original commitment (usually at the price of a deposit) and accept your new offer. But in this case, don't accept SD yet unless you're committed to going there. SF said it will get back to us by April 1st (but probably much sooner).
 
elesen said:
I was just curious, did you tell SD that you were planning on going, even though you are waiting for SF results to come out?

And for everyone else who got accepted, did you tell the school you were attending as well?

I'm hoping for the best from SF, but SD's acceptance email makes it sound like I need to give them my decision ASAP. I guess I don't know enough people who have been through application cycles, but it is completely normal to accept and then decline?
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I already told UCSD im going and I am not waiting for UCSF. pharmd177 is right you should only accept 1 school though
 
C'mon San Diego get back to me. I want to give UC Regents even more of my money!
 
Has anyone who has been accepted received anything via snail mail yet? I might be the only one, but I tend to feel a bit skeptical about email acceptances until I receive a hard copy. (e.g., UCSD's 2009 fiasco)
 
another Friday, another acceptance. Have anyone heard back yet?
 
*crickets chirping*

All eyes on UCSF now, I suppose.
 
i feel like theyve already accepted 60 ppl... now the rest depends on how many of those ppl actually accept their invite to attend. I feel a rejection headed my way
 
allyrexic said:
Has anyone who has been accepted received anything via snail mail yet? I might be the only one, but I tend to feel a bit skeptical about email acceptances until I receive a hard copy. (e.g., UCSD's 2009 fiasco)
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Woah, what happened in 2009?
 
BambooLou said:
Woah, what happened in 2009?
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Every one who applied at 2009 received a Welcome/Acceptance Email even if they got a rejection letter. I think its only on their undergrad program but I could be wrong.
 
JohnFe said:
Every one who applied at 2009 received a Welcome/Acceptance Email even if they got a rejection letter. I think its only on their undergrad program but I could be wrong.
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I believe it was only undergrad

Sent from my Nexus 4 using SDN Mobile
 
when do you think they'll start sending the rejection letters =/
 
funnybunny said:
when do you think they'll start sending the rejection letters =/
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Hang in there, nearly 50 people will give up their spot if ~110 acceptance letters go out. I'd imagine a large chuck of those come when UCSF sends out their acceptances. Then there are those like myself that have committed to other offers and just want to see if we would have been accepted.
 
I did as well! Mine was timestamped from 4am this morning even though I had already checked my email at 830. It actually came in around 9 something. :D Not trying to rub it in anyones face because I know how much the wait sucks. Im only posting this to say dont worry because good news can come at any time.
 
Got in this morning too! Was starting to think I wasn't going to make it, what a relief! Good luck to everyone waiting, hang in there. :) :)
 
I got an email this morning too. I was totally like, "ugh. gg" last Friday, but there's still hope for everyone else still waiting!! ^^
 
OMG! this is the happiest day of my life! My letter went into my spam mail but thank goodness I checked SDN and saw that people got their letter today! WHOOOOO good luck everyone!
 
funnybunny said:
OMG! this is the happiest day of my life! My letter went into my spam mail but thank goodness I checked SDN and saw that people got their letter today! WHOOOOO good luck everyone!
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Wow congrats, I can't believe UCSF didn't offer an interview :confused:
 
Does anyone know whether or not a car is needed for the first year at UCSD?
 
It depends where you live. They have a pretty good local shuttle system to get you to school and also a few shuttles to hillcrest and such. If you want to go out you'd need one or make friends with someone with a car. Or you could always cab around if you can afford it or do car2go or something like that. I went there for undergrad and lived in utc and never drove to school - just took the shuttle. Things like grocery shopping though are a lot easier with a car. You should check the ucsd shuttle routes and see if you will be anywhere nearby one.
 
dktaba said:
It depends where you live. They have a pretty good local shuttle system to get you to school and also a few shuttles to hillcrest and such. If you want to go out you'd need one or make friends with someone with a car. Or you could always cab around if you can afford it or do car2go or something like that. I went there for undergrad and lived in utc and never drove to school - just took the shuttle. Things like grocery shopping though are a lot easier with a car. You should check the ucsd shuttle routes and see if you will be anywhere nearby one.
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something to keep in mind, though: http://moveucsandiego.ucsd.edu/transitions.html

I'm pretty frustrated that they're simultaneously taking away the arriba/nobel route (leaving just the bus) and making us pay for the bus sticker. For those unfamiliar with the area, the arriba/nobel route is one of the most popular shuttle routes for off-campus students to get on-campus. Personally, I loathe the shuttle because it always seemed PACKED from 9-10AM on, even at 8PM. Combining the shuttle with the bus can only spell disaster, IMO.

For most of this year, I maneuvered my schedule to have almost all night classes, so I could get the cheap parking permit. But as pharmacy students, we'd be up at the crack of dawn :)cry:), so maybe it'll be fine taking the shuttle to campus.
 
I took the Nobel shuttle too! Ugh that sucks they are getting rid of it. If I lived closer I'd just invest in a bicycle. Although I heard there were a lot of bike thefts on campus. :S
 
hey do you guys think ill get in?
oregon state university
science GPA: 3.93
pharmacy experience: couple of pharmacy shadows, 3 months of volunteer at an inpatient pharmacy, 1 year (and going) work at a pharmacy as a tech

Volunteer: about a years worth of work
extra curriculum: D1 track and field


im worried cuz when i was 16 and stupid i took a calc 1 class and it was 7.5 quarter units and got a C, but then i re took 5 units of calc 1 and got an A...but i still have to take calc 2. ive gotten an A in all other science classes. do you think theyre gonna care?????
 
billsauce said:
hey do you guys think ill get in?
oregon state university
science GPA: 3.93
pharmacy experience: couple of pharmacy shadows, 3 months of volunteer at an inpatient pharmacy, 1 year (and going) work at a pharmacy as a tech

Volunteer: about a years worth of work
extra curriculum: D1 track and field


im worried cuz when i was 16 and stupid i took a calc 1 class and it was 7.5 quarter units and got a C, but then i re took 5 units of calc 1 and got an A...but i still have to take calc 2. ive gotten an A in all other science classes. do you think theyre gonna care?????
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no one here is going to be able to tell you whether you'll get in, because so much depends on your essays (and references) and how you presented that information, both on paper and in person. Just building up a list of things to put on your resume doesn't matter much if you can't show how those things shaped you and your desire to be a pharmacist. But if you do have that experience and can demonstrate what you learned, then it will really help you. Showing leadership ability is also important (though looking back, I didn't really talk about that in my UCSD app).

For your second question, one C is not going to matter. I had two C's, now that I think about it, and my GPA was significantly lower than yours. These aren't the things to be worried about; trust me. If you haven't applied yet, work on your essays. now. and revise like crazy and have people proofread them. Think about and articulate what sets you apart because, in the end, that's what really matters. good luck.
 
dktaba said:
I took the Nobel shuttle too! Ugh that sucks they are getting rid of it. If I lived closer I'd just invest in a bicycle. Although I heard there were a lot of bike thefts on campus. :S
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yeah :( If we all do end up at UCSD, anybody interested in carpooling and splitting the permit?? lol. This could actually work if ppl lived near each other (which is pretty easy to do by UCSD). By our third year, the bus sticker would be ~$300 per person per year anyways, and the parking permit would be less than that if you split it four ways. something to think about :cool:
 
For anyone who is intending to commute by car: a lot of people would park on gilman and walk up to campus. The pharm building is the closest building to gilman so its not a bad option. Just putting it out there for people for next year :D
 
dktaba said:
For anyone who is intending to commute by car: a lot of people would park on gilman and walk up to campus. The pharm building is the closest building to gilman so its not a bad option. Just putting it out there for people for next year :D
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omg i didn't even think of that! are you referring to gilman just south of la jolla village dr?
 
Yes totally! It's a really long stretch of street and takes 10 to 20 minutes to walk to the pharm building depending on how close you get on the street. I parked there for a class I took at the pharm school pass/no pass and I always got a decent spot about 10 minutes walking distance away :D
 
dktaba said:
Yes totally! It's a really long stretch of street and takes 10 to 20 minutes to walk to the pharm building depending on how close you get on the street. I parked there for a class I took at the pharm school pass/no pass and I always got a decent spot about 10 minutes walking distance away :D
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genius! thanks so much :)

btw, just out of curiosity, has UCSD only sent out acceptance letters? It seems like no one has posted anything else yet.
 
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