****EarlyEditionDude:
Off the 500 that applied, 200 were asked to interview and from that they only took 25 applicants. Since the advent of the PharmCAS, there has been an increase in the applicant size and for the incoming class of 2008 there will be 30 spots open.
For my class there are 25 students. At the start it seemed wierd that I will be with this group of 25 for four years. But right from the first day, everybody seemed to get along. We are a very tight group (almost like a fraternity) that helps each other out with classwork and problems outside academia. We also do alot of things with the 2nd years and they have really taken a lot out of their time to take us under their wing with their guidence and support.
As for the Deans, Professors, and Staff...They have all been very accomidating to the students. There is no office hours, all we have to do is knock on their doors and they will stop whatever it is that they are doing and help us out with whatever it is. The professors know you by a first name basis as well as the deans
and staff.
***tanyas:
Parking is not a problem. On the other-hand traffic around the school is crazy during the morning. Leave early as possible. There are two parking information booths, go to the one on Gilman Drive (right next to the Flags) ask for a day pass and they can show you where to park. Usally I will park in the "Gilman Structure" and all you have to do is walk a block west to the pharmacy building. I would try and buy the parking pass a day early (tell them that you have an interview the next day and they should give you a pass for the next day, there very nice). I would walk around the area to try and situate your self because the day of the interview you dont want to show up late because you were lost or waiting line for a pass.
As for how many people are being interviewed this year all that I can say is that our class had 200 people interview for 25 positions.
PS Good Luck!!!
****azpremed:
In regards to the cirriculum...very challanging but very stimulating. In the first quarter we had Adv Organic/Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacy Practice, Law and Ethics, Pharmaceutics, and Biostatistics. As with most of the classes we were given weekly homework assignments, projects, and readings. I would say I had to study at least 3-4 hours a day (esp memorizing drug names, formula, and DDI). Classes start around 8 am and usally end around 2 to 4 pm, what is really challanging is that in the middle of the quarter we started Pharmaceutics (and learned all of it in about a month!!!) and that takes up alot of time with the amount of reading.
Some things that are strong/unique about the program...1) You are working with patients the first week of school at the clinics so you are exposed to pharmacy practice and care immediately. 2) The faculty are accesable and egar to work with you. 3) Our cirricula is intermixed with the medical school allowing us to break free from the "mortar and pestle" days and become part of an interdisciplinary team working with MD/RN/DO/PA in provinding them with drug expertise. 4) The Pharmacy communities and pharmaceutical companies (which are big down here) in SD are very excited about the new program and want to do collaborations with the school. 5) Many of the faculty (prfessors/deans) are leaders in their area (mostly grads from UCSF) and are teaching us not only breakthrough sciences but are shaping us to become leaders in our fields that we choose
6) If there is any area that we are interested (pharmaceutical science, economics, practice) we can make our own elective pathway (some thing that is a bit different from UCSF).