How much does schools consider special circumstances

[CJGlez92]

Hello there,
I just submited my pharmCAS about two days ago, and My nerves are killing me! I currently have a 3.52 overall GPA (3.36 math/science gpa) with a PCAT composite score of 72 (VA 19/Reading 54/ QA 72/ Biol 84/ Chem 93) I did a lot pf extracurrilars focused on charity work directed towards cancer patients. I am from Puerto Rico the universities I added on my PharmCAS were
-NOVA Sputheastern University
-TEMPLE University
-Notre Dame University of Maryland
-Midwestern University (Chicago)

My mother passed away recently because of cancer, is this a factor they look consider? Or they don't care about it?
Do schools consider the fact I am from Puerto Rico?
Do schools consider you more/ or less if you're the first person from your family who attempts to enter Pharmacy School?
With that information, do I stand a chance to get some interviews or get accepted?

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[alexyoonable]

Hello there,
I just submited my pharmCAS about two days ago, and My nerves are killing me! I currently have a 3.52 overall GPA (3.36 math/science gpa) with a PCAT composite score of 72 (VA 19/Reading 54/ QA 72/ Biol 84/ Chem 93) I did a lot pf extracurrilars focused on charity work directed towards cancer patients. I am from Puerto Rico the universities I added on my PharmCAS were
-NOVA Sputheastern University
-TEMPLE University
-Notre Dame University of Maryland
-Midwestern University (Chicago)

My mother passed away recently because of cancer, is this a factor they look consider? Or they don't care about it?
With that information, do I stand a chance to get some interviews or get accepted?

I'm sorry for your loss. I think your stats are pretty decent for those 4 schools. As long as you explained your circumstances well in the essay, you should get interview offers. Once you are invited to an interview and if the interview is closed-file, you may need to even explain your circumstances further to the interviewers since they won't know. good luck!

 

[CJGlez92]

I'm sorry for your loss. I think your stats are pretty decent for those 4 schools. As long as you explained your circumstances well in the essay, you should get interview offers. Once you are invited to an interview and if the interview is closed-file, you may need to even explain your circumstances further to the interviewers since they won't know. good luck!

Thank you so much.

 

[DrDrugs2012]

First, very sorry for your loss.

Second, I am not sure what is to explain away. Your stats don't indicate poor performance. Verbal scores on PCAT could use a boost, but other than that your GPA looks fine. Was your GPA like a 3.9, had a bad semester where you got Cs, Ds and Fs to bring it down to a 3.5?

The remainder of my response assumes you had a bad semester. And please don't take these words as being cruel as they are certainly not intended to be such. Rather they are to demonstrate how an interviewer often thinks.

Having bad grades because of anything other than your own poor attempt, is simply an excuse. If you suffered a loss of a family member, had a terrible break up with a gf, lost your two coon hounds Old Dan and Little Ann, you are still expected to make mature decisions. The mature decision is to withdraw from school or coursework that takes too much out of you. Everyone is entitled to a period of grieving. If you suffer a loss and withdraw from school for a semester, NO ONE will question that. But if you are not in an emotional state to perform to your aptitude in school, shouldn't an adult know that and act accordingly?

Everyone makes mistakes. It's okay. It's not the end of the world. I doubt it will count against you very much. But if you do bring it up, and are able to do so without being overly emotional, and you tread lightly such that it doesn't come across as making an excuse for not withdrawing from school, then it's fine to bring it up - just be careful how you do it.

 

[CJGlez92]

First, very sorry for your loss.

Second, I am not sure what is to explain away. Your stats don't indicate poor performance. Verbal scores on PCAT could use a boost, but other than that your GPA looks fine. Was your GPA like a 3.9, had a bad semester where you got Cs, Ds and Fs to bring it down to a 3.5?

The remainder of my response assumes you had a bad semester. And please don't take these words as being cruel as they are certainly not intended to be such. Rather they are to demonstrate how an interviewer often thinks.

Having bad grades because of anything other than your own poor attempt, is simply an excuse. If you suffered a loss of a family member, had a terrible break up with a gf, lost your two coon hounds Old Dan and Little Ann, you are still expected to make mature decisions. The mature decision is to withdraw from school or coursework that takes too much out of you. Everyone is entitled to a period of grieving. If you suffer a loss and withdraw from school for a semester, NO ONE will question that. But if you are not in an emotional state to perform to your aptitude in school, shouldn't an adult know that and act accordingly?

Everyone makes mistakes. It's okay. It's not the end of the world. I doubt it will count against you very much. But if you do bring it up, and are able to do so without being overly emotional, and you tread lightly such that it doesn't come across as making an excuse for not withdrawing from school, then it's fine to bring it up - just be careful how you do it.

First, very sorry for your loss.

Second, I am not sure what is to explain away. Your stats don't indicate poor performance. Verbal scores on PCAT could use a boost, but other than that your GPA looks fine. Was your GPA like a 3.9, had a bad semester where you got Cs, Ds and Fs to bring it down to a 3.5?

The remainder of my response assumes you had a bad semester. And please don't take these words as being cruel as they are certainly not intended to be such. Rather they are to demonstrate how an interviewer often thinks.

Having bad grades because of anything other than your own poor attempt, is simply an excuse. If you suffered a loss of a family member, had a terrible break up with a gf, lost your two coon hounds Old Dan and Little Ann, you are still expected to make mature decisions. The mature decision is to withdraw from school or coursework that takes too much out of you. Everyone is entitled to a period of grieving. If you suffer a loss and withdraw from school for a semester, NO ONE will question that. But if you are not in an emotional state to perform to your aptitude in school, shouldn't an adult know that and act accordingly?

Everyone makes mistakes. It's okay. It's not the end of the world. I doubt it will count against you very much. But if you do bring it up, and are able to do so without being overly emotional, and you tread lightly such that it doesn't come across as making an excuse for not withdrawing from school, then it's fine to bring it up - just be careful how you do it.

I had a 3.6 GPA and went down to 3.3 after a couple of bad semester. After that I bought it up to 3.52 and I have one last semester where I intend to bring it to a 3.55
Thank you for your honest response, I do not intend to bring it up, because I do think the same thing you do, if they do bring it up, I would say that even though I had a bad semester I learned to organize my time in a propper way . With that said, do you think I stand a shot with those numbers?

 

[DrDrugs2012]

I think your overall numbers are fine. But I do think you should have a very finely tuned and succinct answer to explain but not excuse your bad semester - and to be used ONLY if some one asks why you did great then bad then great again. I wouldn't mention time management as the problem since that isn't the honest answer. There is nothing wrong with saying "I suffered the loss of a family member. I thought I could work through my grief by immersing myself in school. Obviously, I did not perform to the best of my abilities. But with (insert change in motivation/reason e.g. support from family) I was able to refocus my efforts and my academic performance in later semesters demonstrates my true potential."

Something like that does two things - states that you have moved past your academic difficulty and calls attention to the later semesters. It forces the interviewer into looking down at the later semesters, seeing that change, and since it's a quite positive change, regardless of how the interviewer felt about your response you steered them to a happy place.

 

[CJGlez92]

I think your overall numbers are fine. But I do think you should have a very finely tuned and succinct answer to explain but not excuse your bad semester - and to be used ONLY if some one asks why you did great then bad then great again. I wouldn't mention time management as the problem since that isn't the honest answer. There is nothing wrong with saying "I suffered the loss of a family member. I thought I could work through my grief by immersing myself in school. Obviously, I did not perform to the best of my abilities. But with (insert change in motivation/reason e.g. support from family) I was able to refocus my efforts and my academic performance in later semesters demonstrates my true potential."

Something like that does two things - states that you have moved past your academic difficulty and calls attention to the later semesters. It forces the interviewer into looking down at the later semesters, seeing that change, and since it's a quite positive change, regardless of how the interviewer felt about your response you steered them to a happy place.

That's a good answer, indeed. Thank you!