Improving for next application cycle

[jvinny]

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Hey guys. I'm just looking for tips or advice on how to improve my reapplication to pharmacy schools.

For the latest cycle, I applied to UCSD, USC, UCSF, University of the Pacific, and Pacific University Oregon. I got interviews at Pacific University Oregon (Tier 2 waitlist) and UCSF. I think I may have been too mellow or honest in my interviews, which I plan to work on a lot. I will be taking more prerequisite courses so I can apply to Western and Touro next cycle. Just looking for input that will help me get those interviews at the other schools.

Here are some of my stats:

cGPA: 3.18 (a lot of C's in engineering classes during my first 2 years of undergrad)
science/math GPA: 3.7

Grades of Pharmacy Prerequisites below B+:

General Chemistry (1 of 3 course sequence): B
Organic Chemistry Lab (1 of 2 course sequence): B-
Introductory Biology (2 of 4 course sequence): C / B (in ecology/evolution biology)
Introductory Biology Labs (2 of 3): B / B
Microbiology: B
Physics (1 of 2 courses required): C+
Public Speaking: B-
Social Science (Psychology): B
Economics: C
Statistics: C+

I graduated with a BS in Environmental Studies. My GPA drastically improves over the course of my undergrad, with better grades in upper division courses.

Extracurriculars:

1. volunteer as an Academic Decathlon Assistant Coach every summer at my old high school

Work Experience:

1. Pharmacy Technician at CVS for 8 months before graduation
2. Worked two jobs for about a year and a half before i worked as a tech
- Attendant at university transportation services and Greenhouse Assistant at the Biology Dpt.

Letters of Recommendation:

1. Toxicology Professor (top student, good personal relationship)
2. CVS Pharmacist (the pharmacist i got along with most but not a strong relationship)
3. Academic Decathlon Coach I volunteer for (was my AP Chemistry teacher/Academic Decathlon Coach/has been my mentor since)

Pending Courses:

1. Anatomy (A as of now)
2. Physiology
3. Biochemistry sequence (apparently Western doesn't accept the Biochem class at my school)

My essay writing abilities are pretty above average, receiving A's on most papers in undergrad. My writing style is very much science/technology research oriented and may lack creativity or appear impersonal sometimes.

There's a gap of inactivity between my graduation and Spring semester, as I have been unsuccessful in finding another pharm tech job after moving back home and in taking prerequisite courses during Fall Semester due to so many people trying to take Anatomy/Physiology at community colleges.

A professor told me that pending courses in Anatomy/Physiology so late in the year (Spring/Summer semester) may have hurt my application, especially if I was a borderline decision.

I'm open to suggestions/comments/criticisms. I've been really down after not getting accepted this year, hoping to bring things up in the next 3 months before reapplying. I really can't afford to delay pharmacy school another year so I'm looking for ways to really improve. Hope anyone can help. Thanks!

 

[Skrumpy]

Hey there, just going to put my recommendations in bold.

Here are some of my stats:

cGPA: 3.18 (a lot of C's in engineering classes during my first 2 years of undergrad)
science/math GPA: 3.7

Grades of Pharmacy Prerequisites below B+:

General Chemistry (1 of 3 course sequence): B
Organic Chemistry Lab (1 of 2 course sequence): B-
Introductory Biology (2 of 4 course sequence): C / B (in ecology/evolution biology)
Introductory Biology Labs (2 of 3): B / B
Microbiology: B
Physics (1 of 2 courses required): C+
Public Speaking: B-
Social Science (Psychology): B
Economics: C
Statistics: C+

I graduated with a BS in Environmental Studies. My GPA drastically improves over the course of my undergrad, with better grades in upper division courses.

TBH your grades aren't that bad. Your overall GPA is a little low but like you said those are coming from engineering/math classes and it looks like you've done well in the biology angle. I wouldn't stress out too much about your GPA, but do well in those further prereq courses you plan on taking to bump it up a notch. Then you could even explain in your interview how you learned about your weaknesses and how to work around them and discovered how you best learn/study (or something to that effect) if it is brought up in your interviews. It would show personal growth over the long term.

Extracurriculars:

1. volunteer as an Academic Decathlon Assistant Coach every summer at my old high school

Hmm I'd say you could use some more beef in this section. A coaching position looks nice as it has some of the volunteering and leadership aspect but maybe try to fit a couple more things in there. There are likely tons of things to do at your school that would look really good on your app and they don't require that much of a time investment. For example I was a student senator and the mandatory time investment was about 2 hours every month. Granted there were a few other things going here and there, but in the scheme of things it wasn't that taxing and shows both involvement in the school (community) and as a leader. There are many other clubs/orgs you could easily be a leader in, simply by showing up and putting your name in the hat. It may be outside your comfort zone, but it is well worth it. Maybe include one other volunteer activity in there as well, something that is on an ongoing basis.. not simply during the summers. This shows the ad com that you can juggle more than just schoolwork during the year.

Work Experience:

1. Pharmacy Technician at CVS for 8 months before graduation
2. Worked two jobs for about a year and a half before i worked as a tech
- Attendant at university transportation services and Greenhouse Assistant at the Biology Dpt.

The pharmacy technician experience will be helpful. Did you happen to get nationally certified? If so I believe CVS reimburses for it (don't quote me but I can find out for sure later). While it isn't a huge deal, it is another thing you can add on your application. That and you can introduce yourself at the interview as a "Nationally Certified Pharmacy Technician..." has a bit more pomp IMO and may help you stand out a bit. The exam is relatively easy and with your experience you should be able to pass it without much worry or much of a time investment in studying.

Letters of Recommendation:

1. Toxicology Professor (top student, good personal relationship)
2. CVS Pharmacist (the pharmacist i got along with most but not a strong relationship)
3. Academic Decathlon Coach I volunteer for (was my AP Chemistry teacher/Academic Decathlon Coach/has been my mentor since)

Great LoRs.. very strong mix. You have someone to speak to your academic background, how you handle yourself in public and your work ethic. I don't think you can really improve in this area as long as you feel they would write you good letters. Well done.

Pending Courses:

1. Anatomy (A as of now)
2. Physiology
3. Biochemistry sequence (apparently Western doesn't accept the Biochem class at my school)

My essay writing abilities are pretty above average, receiving A's on most papers in undergrad. My writing style is very much science/technology research oriented and may lack creativity or appear impersonal sometimes.

Your Personal Statement is probably one of the most important things on your application. I'm sure it is one of the first things they look at when they sit down to evaluate the rest of your attributes. Therefore, it sets the tone for how they will look upon your CV. My suggestion is to have as many eyes look at your PS as possible. Does your school have an academic writing center? Have them look at each iteration. Have friends and family read it and evaluate it for content AND readability. You may think you have covered all the bases but your PS may be boring and dry. Be open to their criticism. Also there are people here on these forums that will proofread your PS for you (*~*Official 2012-2013 Proofreading Thread!*~*). You can be assured that your PS is the one thing they will read and go over thoroughly, so you want it to shine. There are a lot of other resources here on SDN about writing a great PS, take advantage of those and set yourself out from the crowd.

There's a gap of inactivity between my graduation and Spring semester, as I have been unsuccessful in finding another pharm tech job after moving back home and in taking prerequisite courses during Fall Semester due to so many people trying to take Anatomy/Physiology at community colleges.

A professor told me that pending courses in Anatomy/Physiology so late in the year (Spring/Summer semester) may have hurt my application, especially if I was a borderline decision.

The gap of inactivity shouldn't really have an affect.. but I would fill that gap with other EC activities if you can (such as some of the leadership ones I've mentioned above). The pending courses may have had an effect, but to be brutally honest if your application was strong enough it could have probably overshadowed that shortfall.

I'm open to suggestions/comments/criticisms. I've been really down after not getting accepted this year, hoping to bring things up in the next 3 months before reapplying. I really can't afford to delay pharmacy school another year so I'm looking for ways to really improve. Hope anyone can help. Thanks!

I wouldn't be down on yourself that much. I think you have the makings of a strong application here. Since you aren't applying to schools that utilize the PCAT you must speak to the ad coms about your other strengths. If you are still going to that CC, maybe start another club? Do they have a pre-pharmacy club there? It is much easier than you'd think to get one going. Do they have an honor society you could join? Usually they have 5-6 officer positions, you could nab one of them up. If you can't find a tech position then maybe try shadowing in a hospital pharmacy. This will give you greater depth as to what you can speak about during your interview. As for the interview, did you try doing mock interviews at all? Those really helped boost my confidence going into mine and after practicing with a list of about 100 possible questions I felt like I could take any amount of "grilling" in stride. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

 

[Twentytwelve2]

I remembered the 2016 cycle, Pacific Oregon went all the way down to tier 3 so bummer they stopped tier1/maybe 2 this cycle. You applied to tough schools to get in. Most of Touro students consist of students who applied to Western. I'm sure u will get into Touro so u can be less nervous next year.