LOR Questions

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If you go to the PharmCAS website, they have a link to the PharmCAS application instructions. Scroll down near the bottom to the section "Letter of Reference". They sort of show you the form that the evaluator must fill out so you can look at it.
 
It probably varies by school. PharmCAS and all the schools I've done so far ask for both their own evaluation form and a separate letter.
 
Okay good deal. I kind of figured that references still have to write a letter, but that example form on PharmCas confused me a bit.
 
One of the schools I'm applying to wants an lor from both a pharmacist and an employer. I have been a tech at Walgreens for the past two summers and was wondering who to ask for the employer lor when I'm already asking for one from a pharmacist there. Would a senior tech be alright or should I ask another pharmacist? advice please...
 
I would get one from the PIC and the other from a different pharmacist, I would avoid getting one from a tech.
 
Hi everyone. I have a question for you guys. I asked a professor for a LOR back in early June, and he said yes. I filled out the pharmcas reference request and all. It still says Status: "new" and "Not Received" under date received. So, I figured that he forgot or something. I sent him an e-mail about it and he told me that he did do it that week that I had asked him.

My question is, does PharmCas actually take time to process these E-LORs? I figured since this was all done online that it should be pretty automatic. Also, I highly doubt it took 2 months to process this, correct? So I am assuming that he just did something wrong and I should re-do it. If anyone has input, it would help me out a lot.

Thanks!
 
yeah once it's submitted, it should process as received. Actually if i remember correctly, if it still says "new", it means your professor hasn't even opened the email yet. I'm not 100% sure, but that's what i remember.
 
PointBreak said:
yeah once it's submitted, it should process as received. Actually if i remember correctly, if it still says "new", it means your professor hasn't even opened the email yet. I'm not 100% sure, but that's what i remember.
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Yes, I agree with this.
 
I actually had an issue about the PharmCAS eLOR yesterday. I asked my professor to fill it out for me after the July 4th weekend and she said she would be done with it in a week or so. A week later, the status says "In Progress." So I waited for another 2 weeks and gave her time to complete it since my first deadline is today. I thought the form was in progress for quite a while, so I decided to shoot my professor an email the other day about it. She said she filled out everything, but couldn't find the submit button or something. I then decided to have PharmCAS resend her the link and start everything all over again. Thank goodness, she completed the form and actually submitted it right in the nick of time. 🙂

About your situation, maybe your professor didn't open the link and decided to lie to you that he did complete it? That's the only theory that I can come up with. 😕 Other than that, PharmCAS should receive the eLOR form immediately once it is completed.
 
Other than that, PharmCAS should receive the eLOR form immediately once it is completed.[/quote]

That is true. Once your professor submitted the eLOR, PharmCAS should receives it on the same day.
 
My stats for pharmacy started poorly because I went to a ginormous school for undergrad. I didn't have the support I needed there to perform well in my science courses so my grades reflected. I finished my undergrad which was not science related and enrolled in a smaller university where professors were wonderful and knew me by a name instead of a number. This reflected on my grades as well and made a huge impact in my science courses. I recently graduated with my second undergrad (B.S. Biology) this past spring. I've already asked one professor and one pharmacist for LORs but I don't know who would be a better choice to pick as a third reference. Should I have another professor or another pharmacist. I've been debating this but need to get some advice before I make up my mind.
 
i think whichever field you are stronger in. if you have strong pharmacy experience, use two pharmacist. although, I thought most schools require two academic lor?
 
Depends on school but I will have to second the idea that you should pick whichever would look the best for you.
 
I have over 2 years pharmacy experience and I know my pharmacists would be able to give me great LORs. But because I didn't do so well in science courses starting out and got the chance to improve, I thought my professors would be able to vouch more for my character in the classroom. So I guess it's a toss-up.
 
depends on how well the professors know you also
 
I would go with whoever knows you better and would be able to speak more highly of you in comparison to the other. Good luck 👍
 
If it was me i would get the pharmacist to write one, for some reason I feel like professors just have a generic letter that they slap your name on.
 
I tutor organic chemistry at my university.. is it okay to get a LOR from director of Tutorial service because she knows me from last six months..

Any opinions..
 
I don't see why not. I'll assume that you get paid for it so its kind of like getting a LOR from your boss (employer) which is fine.
 
I see some schools (ie. University of the Pacific) REQUIRE a letter of reference from a pharmacist? So that means even though I have 1200 hours of health care experience as a nursing student (that actually beyond the scope of practice of a pharm tech) and a 3.8 GPA that I'm not even eligible to apply? That's crazy.
 
Chuck61686 said:
I see some schools (ie. University of the Pacific) REQUIRE a letter of reference from a pharmacist? So that means even though I have 1200 hours of health care experience as a nursing student (that actually beyond the scope of practice of a pharm tech) and a 3.8 GPA that I'm not even eligible to apply? That's crazy.
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I don't think it is because it's like saying, "I've almost finished every pre-req for a certain school expect for one class and I have a 4.0. Shouldn't that qualify me to get in?" They won't make exceptions. You have to complete every one of the pre-reqs to be considered.
 
Professors can give insight into your academic qualities, a Pharmacist can give insight into your work ethic in a job setting, more importantly, a pharmacy job setting
 
Chuck61686 said:
I see some schools (ie. University of the Pacific) REQUIRE a letter of reference from a pharmacist? So that means even though I have 1200 hours of health care experience as a nursing student (that actually beyond the scope of practice of a pharm tech) and a 3.8 GPA that I'm not even eligible to apply? That's crazy.
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I don't really understand this either. I can see making it an option, not a requirement. Not everyone that goes to Pharmacy school has pharmacy experience.
 
PharmDream10 said:
I don't really understand this either. I can see making it an option, not a requirement. Not everyone that goes to Pharmacy school has pharmacy experience.
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agree. Not everyone wants to work retail either. Some people can have tons of research experience and want to pursue clinical.
 
The way I see it, the schools want to know that you've given some thought into the profession and have actually talked with a pharmacist about your expectations. Those who have pharmacy experience can easily find a pharmacist to write a letter, while those without will have to shadow or meet with a pharmacist to get it done.

Just like 311fighters has said, having nursing experience doesn't necessarily make you ready to go into pharmacy. Hell, if you changed your mind after 1200 hours of nursing, what makes you feel ready to switch over to pharmacy without even speaking with a pharmacist, much less actually working within one?
 
mochiko said:
Just like 311fighters has said, having nursing experience doesn't necessarily make you ready to go into pharmacy. Hell, if you changed your mind after 1200 hours of nursing, what makes you feel ready to switch over to pharmacy without even speaking with a pharmacist, much less actually working within one?
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Well said! I fully agree.

Anyone who wants to dedicate 4 years of their life studying and learning pharmacy and then many years after that just to pay off the schooling, better be SURE it is what they want. And how can you ever be sure if you've never been employed in the field? Lots of careers "sound" great, but getting in the trenches and actually doing some of the work puts a whole different light on it! I'd never shell out $100,000 in education for a career path that I didn't care to work in BEFORE I shelled out the $100,000.

...My 2 cents worth...and priced just right! 🙂
 
Because a professor will give them no idea about what kind of potential you have in the pharmacy field and how you work in a pharmacy. Same for the charge nurse where you worked.

Other than that, they are trying to weed out the pricks who just go to class, study, get a 4.0 GPA, and never worked an hour in their life.
 
mochiko said:
The way I see it, the schools want to know that you've given some thought into the profession and have actually talked with a pharmacist about your expectations. Those who have pharmacy experience can easily find a pharmacist to write a letter, while those without will have to shadow or meet with a pharmacist to get it done.

Just like 311fighters has said, having nursing experience doesn't necessarily make you ready to go into pharmacy. Hell, if you changed your mind after 1200 hours of nursing, what makes you feel ready to switch over to pharmacy without even speaking with a pharmacist, much less actually working within one?
Click to expand...

Like I said, not EVERYONE that goes to pharmacy school has pharmacy experience. Just because I didn't work as a tech and get working experience with a pharmacist doesn't mean I wouldn't be a good pharmacist. Not every profession requires experience in it or recommendations from someone from with in it either. Even if you do get the experience and recommendation from a pharmacist it doesn't mean you won't fail. Also, nursing experience may not make you ready for pharmacy but what about those that go in to pharmacy from totally unrelated fields? I know there has been plenty and some of them are on here.

Again, I just don't think a recommendation from a pharmacist should be required.
 
PharmDream10 said:
Like I said, not EVERYONE that goes to pharmacy school has pharmacy experience.
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This is completely true. However, for every person that drops out of the program, the school is losing money and a spot for another person that would have liked to attend. I'm sure if you were on an adcom, you would want to be sure that everyone you admit had thought long and hard about this career path. I believe many schools figure the pharmacist LOR is one way to do so.

In addition, having the requirement doesn't restrict ANYBODY from applying. Note that requiring a pharmacist LOR is not equivalent to requiring pharmacy experience, which the schools would specifically state (and only few do). You can arrange to shadow a pharmacist for a little or even just set up an interview with one with the full intent of obtaining a letter. They just want to see that you have taken some steps to evaluate your expectations before jumping into the field.

I am a perfect example of why this requirement exists. I was originally pre-med during undergrad and spent hundreds of hours volunteering in a hospital, working mainly with the nursing staff. I even took the MCAT and everything. Getting into medical school was everything to me until I did some shadowing for a doctor's LOR and realized how wrong I was. It took actual interaction with the doctors to see how much the path to the MD deviated from my goals and expectations. However, I am now working as a pharm tech, and my experiences working in the pharmacy and talking with the pharmacists have made my decision to pursue a PharmD more certain than ever before.
 
what happens if you mail in more than the required number of LOR, do they actually read all of them or just the first 2 (if 2 are required)? and if there are more sent then they will disregard them since they already read the first 2.

specifically, I'm interested in how USC, UCSF, UCSD, UOP, Western, and Touro treat it.
 
I would email each of those schools to find out the answer. Some schools will only look at two while others will look at all four LORs or eLORs sent from PharmCAS.
 
And to add to the previous post, if you have a certain preference on the specific LORs that you want the school to read, you should also inform the school...
 
2farmornot said:
what happens if you mail in more than the required number of LOR, do they actually read all of them or just the first 2 (if 2 are required)? and if there are more sent then they will disregard them since they already read the first 2.

specifically, I'm interested in how USC, UCSF, UCSD, UOP, Western, and Touro treat it.
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Some schools will look at 1 or maybe 2 additional LORs beside the required ones. However, buy sending additional LORs, you're having adcoms to spend more time reading your additional LORs rather than using that time to look over your whole application.
 
2farmornot said:
what happens if you mail in more than the required number of LOR, do they actually read all of them or just the first 2 (if 2 are required)? and if there are more sent then they will disregard them since they already read the first 2.

specifically, I'm interested in how USC, UCSF, UCSD, UOP, Western, and Touro treat it.
Click to expand...

I actually applied to these schools; for the sake of LORS I had 4 writers but sent 3 to PharmCAS and 3 to USC, UOP and Western.
 
Does psychology class count as a LOR?
 
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I need help ASAP please!

Can I submit in letter of references after I have submitted my application??
 
Alright guys, I am in a pickle.

I have one LOR so far for my pharm school application from a pharmacist that I have known/worked/shadowed with for a year. Now, I am looking for my 2nd LOR. I wanted to get one from a science professor at my university, but came to realize that I don't really know any of them personally or hadn't gotten to build up much of a relationship with them since they were such huge lectures (1000 kids), so even though I conversed with some of them a couple times I don't think they would remember me. Especially not well enough to write me a good letter.

So now, I thought it would be a good idea to get a LOR from one of my english instructors that I had two semesters ago. It was a much smaller class so she and I got to know each other better. Now, she has told me that she would be willing to write me the letter, but here is the caveat. While she was my instructor for the course, she is also a grad student working on getting her master's/PhD.

Would her letter hold much weight? Or would I be better off looking elsewhere? I honestly can't think of any other professors of mine in any math/science classes that have gotten to know me very well (all large lecture classes and I didn't spend a ton of time in their office or anything). Or, if you have any other recommendations as to where to look, shoot them my way! I'm in great need of help.


Much appreciated!
 
Each school has specific requirements for the which LORs they will accept. Check the school's listing on the pharmacas website - If it does not specifiy "from a science professor" - I say go for it. A generic LOR will do nothing for you - an outstanding LOR from an English prof is way better.

~above~
 
aboveliquidice said:
Each school has specific requirements for the which LORs they will accept. Check the school's listing on the pharmacas website - If it does not specifiy "from a science professor" - I say go for it. A generic LOR will do nothing for you - an outstanding LOR from an English prof is way better.

~above~
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Thanks for the reply. The thing is... she is not really a professor. She is a graduate student teaching a lower level english course. So I guess you could almost consider her as a TA or instructor. I don't know how much influence her letter could provide for me. But at the moment, I can't really think of any other people that could write me a good letter. Any suggestions? Whether I should stick to having my english instructor write it or just any ideas of other sources for letters. 😕
 
I'm applying to South Carolina, and the pre-pharm advisor there said that any person who has overseen your work and knows you personally is a far better candidate than someone who may have an impressive title. Based on that, I would go with the english instructor.
 
LuvSydney1018 said:
I'm applying to South Carolina, and the pre-pharm advisor there said that any person who has overseen your work and knows you personally is a far better candidate than someone who may have an impressive title. Based on that, I would go with the english instructor.
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Sounds good! I'm hoping to meet with my adviser in the next couple days to ask for her opinion as well. Thanks for the feedback!
 
i just started a job at walgreens 3 months ago, but did not include a lor from my pharmacy manager as when i started working, i turned in my pharmcas.

I was wondering if there is a way to cancel one of the lor on my pharmcas and replace it with a new lor even though my applications have been sent in 3 months ago...


🙂
 
You cannot delete any LORs after you have e-submitted and they have been received by PharmCAS. You can, however, add another LOR which will be forwarded to your schools as its received.
 
So I went to see my gen chem prof the other day and thought it would be a good idea to get a LOR from her (at the end of the semester), what would be the best way to go about doing this?
 
uh?? Ask?

If it helps any I got one from an Organic teacher. She was happy to do it. I think she may have even appreciated it a bit. She mentioned that not too many of her students asked for LOR's. She figures that because there are not many A's in her ochem classes students shy away from it to go with teachers from classes they had A's in.

I did make an A in it... but even if I had made a B I would have went to her because I know she realizes how hard her class is. She knows how hard I was working for that A and that I really understood the material.


I'm not even sure if that what you are asking though so here is my other answer.

On my LOR's I asked them several weeks before the semester was over (since I needed the LOR done after I was out of the class) then talked to them again the day, or the day after I actually sent the request from pharmcas to be sure they had it.
 
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