Dalhousie Pharmacy!!!

[immortal91]

Hi!
I'm from Nova Scotia and am currently taking the prerequisite courses for pharmacy to apply to Dal.

I was wondering if anyone else is applying there?
Do you send a transcript to both the registrars and the pharmacy department or just the registrars?

Thanks a lot!!

Even though I know the rejection rate is crazy I'm still gonna try.

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[Bilbette]

Hi there,

I'm also applying to Dal! I've been waiting to see when someone would start a Dal thread, since U of T, UBC, and Waterloo already have them. It's nice to see one finally.

I'm not 100% sure about where to send transcripts, but I would certainly like to know if someone else does.

 

[joelberg]

Hey,

I also applied to the Dalhousie Pharmacy program this year. Transcripts for Dalhousie Pharmacy should be sent directly to the registrar, not the pharmacy department. The reason i know is because i talked to the registrar about applications only last week.

Are you guys first year applicants? Because i heard it's more difficult to get in right out of first year university. Also what schools are you applying from?

Good luck with your applications.

 

[Bilbette]

Hi!

I am a first year applicant applying from Dalhousie itself, which ended up meaning not having to submit university transcripts or resubmit high school transcripts. I just turned in my application yesterday, so it's just a case of waiting for now, and keeping up with classes.

I hadn't heard that it was more difficult for first year students to get accepted, though I have been asked if Dal tends to prefer students in later years. I think it'd be interesting to know what the ratio is between first year applicants, mid-degree applicants, and post degree applicants in the actual accepted class.

Good luck to both of you. Does anyone know approximately when they'll be notifying people for interviews?

 

[drepolman]

Hey,

They take 90 people each year and up to ten of them are out of province. I believe they also take 1/3 first year, 1/3 second year, and the other third have 3 or 4 years. Also, I don't know that they prefer more education rather than quality experience and personal skills: they would take a great first year applicant over a good second year.

From what I have heard, they start sending out interview invitations as soon as February-early March and the interviews are in May. Also, some applicants may reject the invitation and they then send out more invitations to the next people in line.

Anybody know how many people get invited to the interview?

 

[immortal91]

Heyy!!

I submitted the application form and supplemental form last week!
They should get my transcript Monday.

I am a first year student too and am currently at Acadia University so about an hour drive from Dal. Well I hope I can get accepted, I really want to get into the program! Well.. if not ...can always try again next year and the year after that...and after that... I am really pessimistic.

Work hard everyone so that we can all get accepted!

 

[Bilbette]

I heard that they interview about 200 students and receive over 600 applications.

 

[joelberg]

Thats intense how many applicants there are. Anyone have any idea what GPA you need to get into the interview process? I heard that you should be good for an interview if you have a 4.0, out of 4.3 that is. Anyone heard anything different?

 

[Bilbette]

All I know is that they use prerequisite marks and marks for either an applicants last year of university or, in the case of first year applicants, grade 12 marks, which makes me really happy. I'm sure they put the greatest emphasis on prerequisites, and more emphasis on university courses in general than high school ones.

I've though that 3.7 out of 4.3 would be at least competitive, though probably not a guaranteed interview. I can see a 4.0 being a guaranteed or almost guaranteed interview though. In the end, it all comes down to what the application pool is like.

 

[drepolman]

Ya, the weight ratio of high-school to first term university is 30:70, and that is from the dal site. Your marks get you an interview and the interview gets you an acceptance letter if they like you.

Are there really only 600 applicants? Its still a lot but I thought there would be more than that.

And on the pharmacy site under the FAQs (#11) it says that GPAs are not used...Anyone know what they mean by that??
(http://pharmacy.dal.ca/students/undergraduate/FAQ's.php)

 

[Bilbette]

30:70 seems pretty reasonable. If you don't mind me asking, where on the site did you find it?

Well, what I actually heard was that they get about 7 applicants for every available seat, which works out to between 600 and 700 applications. It's hard to say how many of those applications are from out of region students, so the competition for maritime students could actually be lighter, at least in those terms.

I think what they mean by GPA's not being used is that they don't look at you overall GPA, just the prerequisites and last year of study. It doesn't affect first year students any, but it could affect second year and later students. That's just what I interpreted it as, at least.

 

[drepolman]

Maybe not of the site then... I did read it somewhere tho, maybe last years forum.

And that interpretation makes sense for sure.

 

[jonny88]

Hey guys!

So, I will give everyone a little insight . I am currently in my fourth year of a BSc at Dal, majoring in biology. This is my fourth time applying to the pharmacy program.

Basically, if you are a first year student, they look at your high school grades and first term marks. If they are competitive enough, they will get you an interview (I had >95% in all my high school courses, and got an interview no problem first year). If you are a second year or higher student, high school grades are disregarded, and the previous full university year is used. So far, my cumulative GPA has been hovering between 3.7 and 4.1, and I have gotten an interview every year. So, with a 3.7 (and being a maritime student), you will probably get an interview. As a non-maritime student, I believe the bar is set a little higher.

They will start calling people and offering interviews in March. In previous years, they have had 4 days of interviews...this year, they are only having 2. This leads me to believe that less people will be offered interviews, so maybe the minimum GPA will increase a little bit.

When they say that very few first years are accepted, they are correct. From what I have heard (from people in the program), about 10-15 of the people in each year got in their first year. Many people actually have an undergraduate degree. The reason many first years do not get in is not due to grades, but rather the fact that many first years are inexperienced with interview settings, and they sense that...the greatest advice I can give you is to treat the interview like you are having a casual conversation with your friends, like you are telling them stories. (I know, who am I to be giving advice when I haven't been accepted yet...but last year they told me that I rocked the interview, but unfortunately my second term marks were not up to par...stupid biochem )

Anyways, if anybody has any questions, feel free to post them and I will do my best to help ya out! Good luck with your studies!

 

[immortal91]

Hey guys!

So, I will give everyone a little insight . I am currently in my fourth year of a BSc at Dal, majoring in biology. This is my fourth time applying to the pharmacy program.

Basically, if you are a first year student, they look at your high school grades and first term marks. If they are competitive enough, they will get you an interview (I had >95% in all my high school courses, and got an interview no problem first year). If you are a second year or higher student, high school grades are disregarded, and the previous full university year is used. So far, my cumulative GPA has been hovering between 3.7 and 4.1, and I have gotten an interview every year. So, with a 3.7 (and being a maritime student), you will probably get an interview. As a non-maritime student, I believe the bar is set a little higher.

They will start calling people and offering interviews in March. In previous years, they have had 4 days of interviews...this year, they are only having 2. This leads me to believe that less people will be offered interviews, so maybe the minimum GPA will increase a little bit.

When they say that very few first years are accepted, they are correct. From what I have heard (from people in the program), about 10-15 of the people in each year got in their first year. Many people actually have an undergraduate degree. The reason many first years do not get in is not due to grades, but rather the fact that many first years are inexperienced with interview settings, and they sense that...the greatest advice I can give you is to treat the interview like you are having a casual conversation with your friends, like you are telling them stories. (I know, who am I to be giving advice when I haven't been accepted yet...but last year they told me that I rocked the interview, but unfortunately my second term marks were not up to par...stupid biochem )

Anyways, if anybody has any questions, feel free to post them and I will do my best to help ya out! Good luck with your studies!

Thanks a lot for this advice. I hope I do get an interview. My gpa is higher than 3.7 out of 4 so I hope the grades aren't a problem. Do you think volunteer experience is counted... ( I do computer tutorials at a local library for the elderly, I do children programs and also work with other age groups in a CAP lab (computer access project) at the library.)

Want kind of experience would you recommend?
Thank you so much!!

 

[DAL gal]

At my interview last year, they told us over 1000 had applied, around 200 were offered interviews, and about 90 would be offered a seat.

I think volunteer experience matters in that it helps you flesh out your application as well as providing more experience to draw from when answering their questions

 

[immortal91]

Have you heard anything from dal?

 

[JUN123]

Does anyone know what kind of averages people who get accepted to the program have. My average for the prereqs and my last year of university is 78%. I know thats not very impressive, which is why I'm wondering if I should even try to apply to pharmacy school. Or, is there is any way I can compensate for this over the next year.

 

[Bilbette]

I don't know what sorts of averages people have been accepted with, but I wish I did. The closer it gets to interview invites being sent out, the more nervous I get .

Even if you don't think your marks are stellar, there's no harm in applying. I have a friend who's high school marks were fairly good, but whose university marks are rather on the low side, but he still applied. If it's what you want to do, you should go for it. Is it your prerequisite marks or your last year that are affecting your average? If it's your last year, then you can negate that, at least any non-prerequisites with how you do next year. If this is what you want to do, you'll find a way to make it work.

As a side note, has anyone heard anything about interviews yet?

 

[Bilbette]

I was taking a look at the admission information page this morning, and noticed it'd been updated on Monday. This was the only part I don't think I've seen before:

"[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Univers,Zurich BT"]Applicants must obtain a minimum grade of 70% in each prerequisite course." (http://pharmacy.dal.ca/students/undergraduate/Admission_Informatio.php)

Am I just oblivious/forgetful and it's been there forever, or is it actually new? Either way, it makes me feel a little more comfortable to know my marks are all above that. What about you guys, is this good news, or bad news?
.

 

[joelberg]

ya your right, that definitly wasn't there before. That is encouraging though, the lowest mark I have heard of getting accepting into pharmacy was a 3.7/4.3...that was 5 years ago though. Who knows, maybe they'll take lower then that now, i doubt it though. From what I understand the people who are invited for interviews have the highest gpa's, thus depending on the year you apply and the strength of the applicants the necessary marks would vary.
I have a few friends who are in Dal pharmacy and they told me the interviews are changing this year...they're changing them to be the same as the med school interviews. Instead of being asked a bunch of questions from a panel of 3 or 4 profs you will be on a circuit through many different rooms each with a different prof or grad student who will then give you a specific scenario to work through. Here is a link to what the interviews will be like, a similar program is in place for UBC med... www.med.ubc.ca
What do you guys think of this change? Could be a good thing...
I also heard that invitations for interviews should start to come out at the end of march and early april. Anyone else have any info to share?

 

[Bilbette]

Instead of being asked a bunch of questions from a panel of 3 or 4 profs you will be on a circuit through many different rooms each with a different prof or grad student who will then give you a specific scenario to work through.

Wow. That actually sounds a lot better to me than being asked a series of questions. Part of that is I'm not cut out for questions where you have to offer up a situation you were in that demonstrated a certain skill/quality. I just don't have a good enough memory. But working from a given scenario doesn't sound so bad. That's just me though.

I told a friend of mine who's also applying this year about the minimum, and he's rather disappointed, since it means retaking both English and Biology. I'm glad I'm not in that situation, but I know my English mark isn't very far above the line, so I'll have to work to keep it high enough.

 

[Bilbette]

Looks like it wasn't just the admission information page that was updated this week. There's also been a change to the FAQ:

"11. What is the lowest GPA accepted?
Interview selection will be based on cumulative GPAs.The lowest GPA accepted will depend on the cumulative GPAs of all the applicants in that particular year." (http://pharmacy.dal.ca/students/undergraduate/FAQ's.php)

What I'm wondering is whether this will apply to this year's batch of applicants, seeing as anyone who's applied did so under the assumption that their prerequisites and last full year or last year of high school would be used? What do you guys think? Do you think this will help/hurt your chances? I was really hoping they'd include my high school marks, since they were really good.

 

[Dalpharmacy]

Looks like dal's going under some changes it seems from the website, but I'm not sure how i feel about this just coming up now considering the applications have already been sent and accepted. These new additions/changes to the website, being more recent then the February 1st deadline, would make me assume the changes could only come into effect next year but who knows really :S It wouldn't seems reasonable to change the method of evaluation especially after already taking the $70 application fee.

 

[immortal91]

I think it is a good thing they are including cumulative gpa because mine is pretty good (at least I think it is good). Too bad about high school marks though... I went through all the trouble of contacting my high school and getting my transcript being sent in. I am keeping my hopes low and made a back-up plan in case I don't get in. I am going to do a Nutrition and Biology double major with additional courses that can get my a dietetics internship.
I don't want to rely on Dalhousie since they seem to reject a lot of people, namely people who are first years (me!!!).
Even though I want to get into pharmacy... the longer I am in university the more money is to be spent. It's nice to be able to get what you dream, but the reality is ... u need money to do that

 

[Bilbette]

My current contingency plan is to take courses next year that will qualify for a Chemistry major along with the prerequisites for a few other school, so I can broaden my options next year. I'm willing to keep trying and keep applying because this is what I want to do, but I'm more concerned about the time it will take to get in. I have other goals I want to achieve, but the longer I'm in school, the further back those get pushed. Some days those other goals seem more important than becoming a pharmacist.

 

[immortal91]

I just don't want to have to apply more than 2 times to get into the program! If I finish a bachelors degree and then finally get accepted in pharmacy... i might as well apply to med school or dentistry school!!! at least there u dont end up with a bachelor's degree!
Sorry... It just upsets me how the canadian system goes. Thing is... in many countries you get into pharmacy directly out of high school and do 5 years of pharmacy. Same thing is for med school except it may take a little longer... but here they make you go through so much just to get in... and then u hear the news saying they are lacking health practitioners (NO WONDER!!)
Sorry guys for my whole nagging it just really upsets me!!!

 

[Bilbette]

Yeah, I don't think any of us like the idea of having to reapply. When I first became interested in pharmacy as a career, I was naive enough to think I'd get in my first year, no problem. Now, I feel like I'll be lucky to get in at all, anywhere . I'm willing to keep applying though, because I know that this is what I want to do, even if it takes almost as much time as med school or dentistry would. Besides, I know I'd make a terrible doctor, and an even worse dentist.

 

[ASuw]

I just don't want to have to apply more than 2 times to get into the program! If I finish a bachelors degree and then finally get accepted in pharmacy... i might as well apply to med school or dentistry school!!! at least there u dont end up with a bachelor's degree!
Sorry... It just upsets me how the canadian system goes. Thing is... in many countries you get into pharmacy directly out of high school and do 5 years of pharmacy. Same thing is for med school except it may take a little longer... but here they make you go through so much just to get in... and then u hear the news saying they are lacking health practitioners (NO WONDER!!)
Sorry guys for my whole nagging it just really upsets me!!!

I totally agree with you but i think canada is also implementing pharmD as an entry level program so there wont be any problem of ending up with a bachelor degree

 

[farmacie]

does anyone know when they send out interview invites ?????

 

[Bilbette]

does anyone know when they send out interview invites ?????

I was looking over the thread from last year, and it looks like people were getting calls for interviews from April 8-15th for interviews around May 14th. Since this year's interviews are the 1st and 2nd of May, I'd say invites should be sent around the last week of March.

I don't know about you guys, but only finding out a month in advance that you have an interview seems like a bit short notice. Anyone coming from away has to book transportation and accommodations, something you wouldn't want to do before you're certain you have an interview. Maybe it's just me; I like having plenty of time to plan for this type of thing.

 

[farmacie]

Agreed!

 

[Bilbette]

I stand somewhat corrected. After taking a look at the end of the U of T thread, a month's warning sounds more than reasonable. It seems like U of T only gave some people a week's notice, even if they were out of province ! It makes me really appreciate that month's warning, and the fact that I live in Halifax

Just as a side note, does anyone know where they tend to hold interviews? Is it at the college itself, or somewhere else in Halifax?

 

[WWH]

They hold interviews right at the college.

 

[Bilbette]

If last year is any indication, they should be starting to make calls tomorrow. If they can't get a hold of the applicant, do they leave a message or just call again later? Also, how much choice do we have in relation to interview times? Sorry for all the questions, but this is the form my panic is taking. How are other people dealing with waiting?

 

[bballa99]

Just a quick question, as an OOP student from BC, it seems I don't meet the prereqs for english (I think).

Need:

English 1000.06 or any 2 of 1010.03, 1020.03 and 1040.03

and

I have:

ENGL 1010 Intro. to Prose and Fiction is the only class that I have that is equivalent apparently.

It seems there are no classes that are equivalent that I can take for 1010/1020/1040... what do you guys suggest?

 

[Bilbette]

Just a quick question, as an OOP student from BC, it seems I don't meet the prereqs for english (I think).
...
It seems there are no classes that are equivalent that I can take for 1010/1020/1040... what do you guys suggest?

I'm guessing you've tried the Transfer Credit Equivalencies Calculator (https://dalonline.dal.ca/PROD/fyskeqiv.P_TransEquiv) that Dal offers on it's website. If you haven't, I really suggest checking it out. I used it to find equivalents for other school's prerequisites when figuring out my second year schedule. It's rather handy.

Otherwise, I'd suggest emailing the Admissions Coordinator; explain the situation to them and see what they have to say. That way if there ends up being an issue with whatever course you take, you'll have a written record from someone official to refer to.

Good luck getting it all sorted out

 

[farmacie]

I called dalhousie, they said first week of april they should start sending out interview invites

 

[Bilbette]

Good to know, so I can temporarily stop fretting. More waiting and less notice still stinks though Thanks for the heads up, farmacie.

 

[Bilbette]

I got a message this afternoon from the college of pharmacy saying my application was incomplete! Apparently they didn't have my intermittent marks for English and History. I assumed that they would be submitted with my other marks, considering I'm a Dal student. Anyone else have this problem? By the time I got the message, their office was closed, so I can't find out what to do from them till Monday!! Anyone know what to do? I've got a whole weekend of worrying and trying to get this mess sorted out ahead of me

 

[farmacie]

it depends what year you are in, if you are in 2nd or 3rd they have a full year's worth of marks so you should be fine. If your in first than i would get that info to them asap, they need interim marks to be able to evaluate you as a candidate.

 

[rajo2]

Hello everybody,
I'm just wondering, why the office of the registrar sent me a letter saying they have reviewed my application. Then they said to make their decision, they need additional info which are the transcripts
I sent them my university and high school transcripts which included my final grades for last term.
Is it just a reminder that I still need to send my grades for this term as well before June 30th? Did u guys receive that letter in the beginning of February?
Thx

 

[farmacie]

Hi,
I didnt get a letter like that from dalhousie
my best guess is that I know for me I was following up with dalhousie and it took an extra week for my transcripts to go from registrar to where they need to be
so maybe they send that letter before your transcripts came in, just a guess

If anyone hears anything about interviews PLEASE let us know, I'm going to be flying to dalhousie from a far & I need to know asap about interviews.

 

[Mcsteamy69]

My recommendation for the person who didn't get their intermittent marks on their transcript is to call Dal asap, discuss with them what can be done, and tell them you'll email your profs and get them to directly email the school of Pharmacy what their grades were. I've been there and experienced it all before! As for interviews, they will be letting people know starting in the first week of April. You will get a telephone call from the college of Pharmacy and they will be telling you what day your interview is (May 1 or 2). To rajo, again call the school and ask for Margaret Hoyle and ask them directly what htey're looking for. Otherwise, it'll be too late. They don't care about your grades from this term until you've had an interview.

 

[Bilbette]

I called Monday morning and got an email address to have my marks sent to, and had them sent in later that day. It looks like I've got everything sorted out, but I still plan to call tomorrow morning when their offices open to confirm that there aren't any other problems.

I agree with the others, if it sounds like there might be an issue with your application, contact the college tomorrow morning. They told me the deadline for my marks was the 1st of April, so there's no time to waste.

They really should be giving people more than 3 weeks notice for the interviews, mainly because in my experience it's 3 weeks before departure that flight prices increase drastically.

Also, it looks like they added some information about this year's interviews to the Admission Information page today. Looks like they've changes the interview location to the QEII Health Science Center.

 

[Mcsteamy69]

Well they had to change the location, because instead of doing it in 4 days, the interviews are now only 2 days, which means that their will be 100 people on May 1, and 100 people on May 2. Last year there was only a small area for people to participate in the interview.

 

[farmacie]

2mrw they start sending out interviews apparently, so fingers crossed!

 

[Bilbette]

It makes sense in that case that they'd move it, if they're twice as many people to interview. Plus it seems to me there's more parking at the QEII than by the college.

I had thought they'd start making calls on Monday, since they told me tomorrow was the deadline to get my marks in. Between that and the holiday on Friday, I can't imagine they'd make calls for one day, then leave everyone who doesn't hear to panic over the long weekend. Then again, considering how long they've made us all wait so far, I wouldn't necessarily put it past them.

 

[Griffisu]

Haven't applied this year but just have a general question. If you're not selected for an interview/rejected, do they send a letter informing you of that?

 

[farmacie]

200 phone calls in a day is possible thats like 4 hrs max. The question is are they willing to do it, or will they make us wait !

 

[Bilbette]

It seems to me that they took about a week to do them all last year, judging by the old thread. They probably could do all the calls in one day, if they focused strictly on that, but I doubt they will. For me, it's more a question of will they start tomorrow or Monday? I'm not expecting anything till around next Thursday, if I get anything at all, just because of how recently my marks went in. Plus, thinking like that will make it easier to get through the next several days.