Albany Early Decision to Active-Deferred Regular Decision

[Smilez4me]

Dear All,

I recently just applied to Albany College of Pharmacy as an early decision applicant. However, I was really disappointed yesterday when I received a letter from them in the mail, stating that I was not selected as an early decision student, and instead, they have placed me in the active-deferred regular decision pile. I'm really saddened by this because my GPA is 3.6 and I am currently working at a local pharmacy, yet they want to see my Fall 2004 grades to see if they could possibly make a favorable decision for me.

At this point, I am not sure what I should do... I have not taken the PCAT yet, and I don't know if I should apply to other schools in the meantime, since I won't be notified of their decision until after February 2005. I welcome any advice - is anyone in the same situation or heard about anyone in such a state? What are my chances of getting in as a regular decision applicant now?

Thank you so much.

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[goheel]

Apply to other schools. With your gpa, I'm sure you'll get in somewhere. I think Albany only accept about 10 transfers every year (maybe even less than that) because they're a 6-years school.

 

[Leah27]

Everything I've ever heard from Albany has been bad... as has every experience i've had applying to them.... def apply other places and try to see if you can take the PCAT.. it isn't that bad and it will help you apply to more places. Also , applying earlier the better.. I applied last year with a GPA slightly less than yours and a killer PCAT and got rejected from all 4 schools I applied to... I applied late in the application cycle (January PCATS) This year I'm applying to 10 schools. I think the days of applying to one pharmacy school and planning on getting in are over, it is just going to get more and more competative and you've got to do every thing you can to maximize your chances of getting in.

 

[Hildergard]

Applying for pharmacy school is becoming more like applying to med school nowadays. The competition is crazy!

 

[MALA]

Dear All,
I recently just applied to Albany College of Pharmacy as an early decision applicant. However, I was really disappointed yesterday when I received a letter from them in the mail, stating that I was not selected as an early decision student, and instead, they have placed me in the active-deferred regular decision pile. I'm really saddened by this because my GPA is 3.6 and I am currently working at a local pharmacy, yet they want to see my Fall 2004 grades to see if they could possibly make a favorable decision for me.

Smilez, you have a great GPA, just curious, do you have a BS degree? That's the school I want to go to as well and I hope to get into the accelerated program. Reading your post gave me such a pit in my stomach.

 

[Smilez4me]

Dear All,
I recently just applied to Albany College of Pharmacy as an early decision applicant. However, I was really disappointed yesterday when I received a letter from them in the mail, stating that I was not selected as an early decision student, and instead, they have placed me in the active-deferred regular decision pile. I'm really saddened by this because my GPA is 3.6 and I am currently working at a local pharmacy, yet they want to see my Fall 2004 grades to see if they could possibly make a favorable decision for me.

Smilez, you have a great GPA, just curious, do you have a BS degree? That's the school I want to go to as well and I hope to get into the accelerated program. Reading your post gave me such a pit in my stomach.

Thank you all for your advice and support. I really appreciate it.
MALA, to answer your question, I will be graduating from Cornell in May 2005 with a BS in Biology. Are you an undergrad as well? I'm really sorry if the reading of my situation caused you some distress. The reason I chose Albany as a first choice was because I wanted to continue schooling right after graduation, and it is the only 3-year program in New York. I also chose to apply for early decision so that I would know the results sooner. Now, however, I have to wait until next year to actually see if they're still willing to accept me. I guess I should take Leah27's advice and take the PCAT, but if I take it in January 2005, I'm not sure if the scores will meet the application deadline to other schools on time.

MALA, please don't let my situation discourage you at any rate. I'm not sure what exactly Albany is looking for in a student, but I'm sure you can make it, as long as you try.

By the way, does anyone know if and when a letter of intent is applicable, if you were in my shoes? I've heard that a letter of recommendation from the school's alumni might help. Any advice?

 

[Glycerin]

I guess I should take Leah27's advice and take the PCAT, but if I take it in January 2005, I'm not sure if the scores will meet the application deadline to other schools on time.

I posted this in a thread a few months ago:

PCAT TEST DATES
October 23, 2004 (Deadline: September 10, 2004)
November 20, 2004 (Deadline: October 8, 2004)
January 22, 2005 (Deadline: December 2, 2004)


You still have time to register online for the November test.

 

[MALA]

Smilez, I think you should take the PCAT and apply to other schools right now, you might get a conditional acceptance.
It's just that there are so many great candidates out there with all the right credentials, but because there's not enough seats and schools, they can pick & choose at whim. Every year it gets worse, so what a pharm student did to get into school 2 years ago, might not be applicable for present day (other than the usual high gpa, pcat, etc..). I won't be ready to apply until 2006 - and in the back of my mind, I'm hoping that more pharm schools will come onto the scene.
I know all I can do is to do well in school, and since I work for a pharmaceutical company I hope it's worth something to them. I also have a BS in Business so I'm just taking the science pre-reqs now. I'm also starting to think of other health career options if I don't get in. I would keep trying, but after 5 years of applying if it still doesn't work out- then that's it- it's off to the islands to make shell necklaces and sell pineapples!

 

[dontworry]

Hi, im currently a ACP student. I guess the best advice is to take the PCAT and apply to more schools. In New York there are quite a few schools; Buffalo, St. Johns and LIU. Schools in MA are also pretty close. Even if you cannot do an accelerated program at least you will be in school. But just because you get that letter doesnt mean you dont have a chance. Call the admission office and ask them if they have any suggestions, anything to clarify on your application. Maybe arrange for a tour, meet with admissions. Just try and show you are interested. Im sure they have received a large amount of applications. Hopefully things will work out for you.
Andrea