I'm one of those who will be going in the fall. I think that lord999 is in his 2nd or 3rd year there now. I applied, interviewed, and got accepted, so I can help a little, but I think that I'll have some better info for you once orientation/classes start (Aug 27th).
Since moving to AZ, I've met several pharmacists who went to Midwestern and they really liked it (I was glad to hear that). I'm under the impression that MWU really likes high PCAT scores, possibly because a large percent of their applicants are out of state and they need a way to equate their GPA's, etc. From what I was told (casually) in the COP office, our incoming class has an average GPA of around a 3.5, and a composite PCAT of 90%+. I can't tell you how valid those numbers are, but they are straight out of the mouth of one of my future professors. I didn't have the 3.5, but I did have a 96% PCAT. I've also heard that there were about 600-650 apps, 300 interviews, and then 126 students accepted (give or take on all of those). I would expect that number to rise for next year, but it's impossible to predict.
I think that good advice for you would be to do well in your pre-reqs and join/volunteer for some activities that show a commitment to the heathcare profession, and also show that you know WHY you'd like to be a pharmacist. As you probably know, they have mandatory interviews. The day was actually really nice, and everyone was incredibly friendly (for 8 hours!). The only real "interview" part was a half hour of just the applicant and a small panel (I had a professor, pharmD, and student). They were all very friendly, and didn't have any of my information in front of them (ie. no "why did you get a C in orgo 2?" questions). I was lucky enough to have worked in retail for years, and I think that I was able to effectively answer almost every question with an example from my experiences. It's nice to be able to say "well, during my 2 years as a pharmacy tech, I've.. blah blah". So good idea as far as the volunteering goes.
There were several people who were doing a career change in my interview group, so that's not really going to make much of a difference, in my opinion. The one student who I stayed in touch with (after interviews) was doing a career change at age 26, and he was accepted. I don't think that it's going to help or hurt your chances, but I can't see inside the adcom's heads.
I'd start pharmCAS early, since it's so new and probably full of bugs. Letters of rec can also take a while to obtain, so be sure to get them from people who you can count on, and with relevant authority/experience. If you're just starting the last of your pre-reqs this fall, you might want to tell your professors on the first or second day of class that you would like them to write a letter of rec, if appropriate. Keep in touch with them all semester, and when the time comes, it's sometimes nice to provide them with a copy of your resume or CV so that they have some things to base the letter on. Don't get lost in the crowd all semester, come out with a B, and then as for a spectacular letter of rec.
Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Even people who are accepted don't really know "why" they were accepted, so it's not like I can speak for the adcom. I can, however, speak from my own experience.
What profession are you coming from? Where in AZ do you live now?
