I'm finishing up my application and one of the last things I have to do is the extra curricular activities. I feel like my section is going to look really bad because I haven't been active in a lot of groups. I was on a varsity D-I athletics team for the first two years and had absolutely 0 time to do any other extra curriculars so that is my only entry in my first two years at college. After I left the team I joined a service fraternity and have done volunteer work through the fraternity. I've worked with several different organizations through the group but I feel like it would be dishonest to list the hours twice (once under the group and once for the actual events I volunteered at). All of the volunteer work I have done in college has been through the fraternity so I only have 2 entries under extra curriculars. I did a considerable amount of health-related volunteer work and was in a health group in high school, but is that too far back to list? (I've been at college for 3 1/2 years) Sorry for the word vomit but the stress is building as the deadlines grow closer! Thanks and good luck to everyone!
*~*Official 2011-2012 PharmCAS Thread!*~*
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I'm sure it depends on the school. I think all you can do for this is make sure your best one is listed at the top in PharmCAS. Not a whole lot of control after that.
Honestly, all three should be positive (if you have a "best" one) and they'll consider all of them together. While there is something to be said about first impressions, it's the adcom's job to get an idea of the whole app, and I doubt your reference will be the "first" impression anyway.
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Let me preface by saying I'm a fellow applicant, so I have no special insight, just giving my opinions to be helpful. Take them as you will. 
You're going to put down lots of hours, right? I think that is easily explained. Actually, that gives you something to talk about in your personal statement too - the teamwork, or other values, you learned as part of the varsity athletics program. Pharmacy programs are looking for well-rounded individuals, and this gives them an idea that you do more than just go to school.
Does it make more sense to list it under the fraternity, or under the organizations themselves? My work has a volunteer program, but I certainly wouldn't list all of the events under the work organization. I would list any meetings you go to as hours under the service fraternity. If it makes sense, I would list the other items separately, as long as it's more than just 4 hours here, 4 hours there. This would highlight any organizations you've had a relationship with and allow you to explain your role & any skills you learned. Any one-time type activities I might list under the fraternity. You're right about not double-dipping.
Opinions vary on whether to list high school stuff. I did, to show a history of service, but I definitely had more recent, quality stuff to back it up (I wasn't covering up for a weak EC section). My argument is that a resume is expected to go back at least 5-7 years, and I would/did list it on my CV. Do you honestly feel it boosts your application, or does it raise questions? Are you going to speak to the experience in your personal statement? (If yes, I'd say list it.)
Understood! I think most everyone is in the same boat. Take a deep breath, it'll all get done. Good luck.
You're going to put down lots of hours, right? I think that is easily explained. Actually, that gives you something to talk about in your personal statement too - the teamwork, or other values, you learned as part of the varsity athletics program. Pharmacy programs are looking for well-rounded individuals, and this gives them an idea that you do more than just go to school.
Does it make more sense to list it under the fraternity, or under the organizations themselves? My work has a volunteer program, but I certainly wouldn't list all of the events under the work organization. I would list any meetings you go to as hours under the service fraternity. If it makes sense, I would list the other items separately, as long as it's more than just 4 hours here, 4 hours there. This would highlight any organizations you've had a relationship with and allow you to explain your role & any skills you learned. Any one-time type activities I might list under the fraternity. You're right about not double-dipping.
Opinions vary on whether to list high school stuff. I did, to show a history of service, but I definitely had more recent, quality stuff to back it up (I wasn't covering up for a weak EC section). My argument is that a resume is expected to go back at least 5-7 years, and I would/did list it on my CV. Do you honestly feel it boosts your application, or does it raise questions? Are you going to speak to the experience in your personal statement? (If yes, I'd say list it.)
Understood! I think most everyone is in the same boat. Take a deep breath, it'll all get done. Good luck.
1. Yes, I worked it out and came out in the range of 2000 hours (and that was conservative).
2. I ended up splitting out just the one group that I did a considerable amount of work with (a food bank in the area).
3. I went ahead and put 2 things from high school, but both of them were meaningful to me. I organized blood drives at my high school during senior year and also took part in a medical explorers group for 3 years and that helped solidify my desire to entire the health care field.
Thanks for your input! Just seeing somebody else's ideas is extremely helpful.
Suppose that a person gets accepted into a pre-candidate school, then during school or after graduation, the school program shuts down for whatever reasons. What happens to the person?
My assumptions are:
1. That person is not allowed to take the NAPLEX exam or practice pharmacy.
2. All of tuition money is wasted and that person cannot transfer to another accredited pharmacy school.
My assumptions are:
1. That person is not allowed to take the NAPLEX exam or practice pharmacy.
2. All of tuition money is wasted and that person cannot transfer to another accredited pharmacy school.
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albertwon, I don't really have an answer to your question, but I'm not sure how this is a PharmCAS question. If nobody answers here, you may want to either search for a similar thread or create a new one.
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If anybody participated in this I would love to hear your feedback!
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Let me preface by saying I'm a fellow applicant, so I have no special insight, just giving my opinions to be helpful. Take them as you will.
You're going to put down lots of hours, right? I think that is easily explained. Actually, that gives you something to talk about in your personal statement too - the teamwork, or other values, you learned as part of the varsity athletics program. Pharmacy programs are looking for well-rounded individuals, and this gives them an idea that you do more than just go to school.
Does it make more sense to list it under the fraternity, or under the organizations themselves? My work has a volunteer program, but I certainly wouldn't list all of the events under the work organization. I would list any meetings you go to as hours under the service fraternity. If it makes sense, I would list the other items separately, as long as it's more than just 4 hours here, 4 hours there. This would highlight any organizations you've had a relationship with and allow you to explain your role & any skills you learned. Any one-time type activities I might list under the fraternity. You're right about not double-dipping.
Opinions vary on whether to list high school stuff. I did, to show a history of service, but I definitely had more recent, quality stuff to back it up (I wasn't covering up for a weak EC section). My argument is that a resume is expected to go back at least 5-7 years, and I would/did list it on my CV. Do you honestly feel it boosts your application, or does it raise questions? Are you going to speak to the experience in your personal statement? (If yes, I'd say list it.)
Understood! I think most everyone is in the same boat. Take a deep breath, it'll all get done. Good luck.
Excellent answers!
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The definitions of the stages of accreditation can be found at http://www.acpe-accredit.org/students/faqs.asp
The basic point is that if you are accepted at a pre-candidate school and they do not achieve candidate status then #1 and #2 apply.
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Some feedback in this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=861512
It sounded like a valuable event I would have attended - but I was already accepted to the only school I applied to.
FWIW, I think the event could be really great for prospective pharmacy students, but I might suggest holding it a little earlier in the year. I'm sure when selecting the date you had to balance 1) current applicants (who are probably most of the way through the process), 2) prospective students (who probably wouldn't hear about it over summer break), and 3) adcoms (who may or may not be available earlier in the year). If the intended audience was current applicants, as it seemed to be, I think the info was probably a little too late in my opinion, if I were looking for schools. However, the timing was great for prospective pre-pharm students, if that was the intended audience. I don't know how well the word got out to early pre-pharm students / clubs.
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I wrote a grant to my university & it was accepted.
Where can I mention this on PharmCAS? I called them & they said it doesn't count as a publication since it was never "published."
Thanks.
Where can I mention this on PharmCAS? I called them & they said it doesn't count as a publication since it was never "published."
Thanks.
I was selecting schools on pharmacy designations on the PharmCAS application. I was wondering whether I should apply to pre-candidate and candidate schools. Given my chances, I'll have slightly higher probability of being accepted into candidate schools than fully accredited ones. But I really won't know till I apply would i?
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Hey folks, I took the sept 28 pcat last week. By any chance do you know how long it takes pharmcas to receive those scores at this time of year?
Thnx in advance
Thnx in advance
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How about in the awards section? That's where you'd put scholarships (another money give-away) - and aren't grants "awarded"?
Edit - I actually meant the Honors & Scholarships section. I'd still argue that an awarded grant is an honor.
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Hey folks, I took the sept 28 pcat last week. By any chance do you know how long it takes pharmcas to receive those scores at this time of year?
Thnx in advance
IIRC - Pearson says allow 5 weeks for official PCAT scores, then a couple weeks for the scores to be sent to PharmCAS.
I don't know if the timeline's changed since I submitted - I took the PCAT on July 27 & the score was posted to PharmCAS on August 22.
Anyone who took the PCAT in early September see it reported in PharmCAS yet?
I took the PCAT July 27th but on my PharmCAS under "Official Tests" it says "Date Taken: July 11th" ....should I be concerned? Do you know a direct person/email/number I can contact about this? Thanks so much for your help on here!
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I thought the same thing you did! Under Official Tests we only list the month/year the test was taken. So it's July 2011.
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In the apps, there is a "is there any other important information you would like the college to know about you?" question, how important is it that i fill it out. Am i a ******* if i leave it blank or just write "no"? is that looked down upon in ur opinions? what kind of things could i talk about? plz any help
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I think you're talking about a supplemental application? I certainly would write something. Perhaps you could answer "how would you like us to remember you?" Or put a summary of your best points? If they're giving you the opportunity to sell yourself, take it.
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Quick FYI in case anyone was curious about how long it has been taking PharmCAS to process GPAs, the last of my transcripts was received on 9/30 and my GPAs were just calculated today (10/10).
Good luck everyone!
Good luck everyone!
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Hey, some supplementals are through PharmCAS.
WOW that's so weird...I just checked mine and I have revised under all of my designations as well! You're definitely not alone...I don't know what could have changed in my app though.
Yes, My Pharmacy Designations shows a revised mailing sent out on 10/10 for my Early Decision School.
Chaz
I called...and am still pretty confused. But anyways, they told me that the new mailing date includes the score from turnitin.com (site that checks for plagiarism). According to her, I guess the personal statement receives a score from turnitin.com and that score is mailed out to the schools.
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My designations all say revised today as well. I was assuming it was because I added one more school to my designation which was mailed out today while my other schools had been mailed out a few weeks ago, but it looks like that's not the reason. Thanks for the information!!
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This is from a supplemental application, not the PharmCAS application. Often, schools use this type of question so that you can explain any challenges that you have overcome, a bad semester, a failing grade, etc.
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This is correct. We have just integrated the Turnitin scores into the information that is sent to the school, so all applications were updated. If you read the instructions where you entered the personal essay, you would have known about Turnitin. It's also in the FAQs at https://portal.pharmcas.org/applicants2012/instruction/pcas_essay.htm and in the certification and verification statement that you signed.
Hi everyone...I want to ask you for some advice and a question.
Advice: I have 3 recs already (1 from science prof and 2 from pharmacists). They are completed. Should I add another one from a sci prof (she knows me quite well)? Or is 4 letters overkill?
Question: I am sure if I email the prof today to write a rec, she will be probably take 1-2 week for writing it. Can I still e-submit my application this Thursday? Will the rec letter be added to it when she completes it? Will it slow down my application process?
Thanks in advance guys
Advice: I have 3 recs already (1 from science prof and 2 from pharmacists). They are completed. Should I add another one from a sci prof (she knows me quite well)? Or is 4 letters overkill?
Question: I am sure if I email the prof today to write a rec, she will be probably take 1-2 week for writing it. Can I still e-submit my application this Thursday? Will the rec letter be added to it when she completes it? Will it slow down my application process?
Thanks in advance guys
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Yes, I would add her as another reference.
List her as a reference and you can e-submit before she's done with the letter. You don't have to wait until she's done because PharmCAS will forward it to all the schools you've listed after she is done.
What do you mean by "slow down the application process?"
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Figure out which colleges you're applying to and what they are asking for. The CoP I applied to only needs 2 letters. Do your colleges ask for 4? Any of them ask for 2 prof letters specifically? I'm assuming the first 3 recommendations are solid, since they were your first choices.
PharmCAS considers your application complete with the following items received (at PharmCAS):
- All required fields completed
- Fee paid
- All transcripts received
When you e-submit to PharmCAS, their next step is to verify GPAs (which takes some time), then forward the application on to the school with whatever information is available at the time (test scores, recommendations). Any information that is received afterwards will be forwarded to your colleges as soon as possible. The CoPs will consider your application complete when all of their required items are received at the school, including test scores & recommendations.
I would say that it won't slow down the overall application to add another recommendation, because any school that requires 3 recommendations or less will consider your application "complete" without. Any waiting on the 4th recommendation wouldn't wait longer than they already would have.
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Real quick question about Deadlines and I apologize if I overlooked the answer in the thread already.
If a school has a deadline of Nov, 1, if I e-submit tomorrow and pay, would I essentially waste my money applying to that school or is it "time stamped" in a way that even if the school gets it after Nov. 1 from pharmCAS, they will still count it as on-time?
If a school has a deadline of Nov, 1, if I e-submit tomorrow and pay, would I essentially waste my money applying to that school or is it "time stamped" in a way that even if the school gets it after Nov. 1 from pharmCAS, they will still count it as on-time?
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As I understand, as long as everything is received by PharmCAS (except the e-submit & the GPA calculations), you'd be fine.
In this situation, though, if I were you, I'd want to hear the answer straight from the friendly folks at PharmCAS.
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You can all hear it directly from PharmCAS at https://portal.pharmcas.org/applicants2012/faq/pcas_deadlines.shtml
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Jen, I dig your wry sense of humor.
A question I didn't see answered: What happens if all your LoRs or test scores required by the school aren't in by the PharmCAS date? Would the school still look at your file? My gut tells me they'd consider it incomplete.
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Hello all.
I took the July PCAT. Didn't do so well. Then I took the September PCAT. Did better than the July one. Do I have to wait till the scores come out to submit my Pharmcas applications? If I don't wait, does the pharmacy school only see my bad scores in July?
I took the July PCAT. Didn't do so well. Then I took the September PCAT. Did better than the July one. Do I have to wait till the scores come out to submit my Pharmcas applications? If I don't wait, does the pharmacy school only see my bad scores in July?
Hi guys...just a quick question (as usual lol). I remember reading somewhere on the forum that pharmcas processes your application on Friday (I can't seem to find the thread now). My question is that I will be done with my pharmcas by next Tuesday, but since the pharmcas wouldn't process the application untill Friday is it wiser to e-submit the pharmcas on Thurday (siince that will give me more time to further work on it)?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
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This is not what I've experienced. They work on it throughout the week - they don't just do it on Fridays. By "processing the application," I'm assuming you're talking about GPA calculations, which are done by a person, so it takes some time. (I paid & submitted on 8/19 and my GPA calculations were complete on 8/31, a Wednesday.)
Here is what we do know:
- Mailing occurs on Monday. This includes completed applications & anything received after submission that needs to be forwarded to schools (like LoRs, scores).
- The cutoff for Monday's mailing occurs at the end of the previous Thursday so they can get everything out the door on time. So if your GPA is verified as of Friday, your app won't queue up for mailing that immediate Monday, it'd have to wait a week.
Submit as soon as you can honestly tell yourself "this is as good as it gets." If you can honestly say you have specific changes to make, go ahead and make them. But if you've just got cold feet about the finality of clicking submit, don't wait.
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Hi tarochanx3,
to SDN!If you submit now, your app will be sent to the CoPs with your July score. When your September score is received by PharmCAS, it will be forwarded to the CoPs.
On many supplementals (I can't say all, but I'm guessing most), you have the option to tell the school you're retaking the PCAT & they just haven't received the score yet. Pure speculation: this may cause the school to automatically put your app in the "reevaluate when the score comes" pile instead of "waitlist" or "decline" (assuming you don't get accepted right off the bat
). If you don't receive a supplemental from a school, contact them & let them know you will be submitting a better PCAT score once September scores are out & ask if your app can be reevaluated.I don't really see a down side to submitting now then asking for a reevaluation with better PCAT later. The best answer for exactly what will happen when they receive the July score would come straight from your #1 choice's admissions office - you may still want to give them a call.
Anyone have more applicable experience?
Update on PharmCAS processing speed if anybody is interested:
I e-submitted on 10/13 in the evening.
Got an email just now 10/22 that GPAs are verified!
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure that means my app won't get mailed out until the 31st but oh well. Good luck everybody!!!
I e-submitted on 10/13 in the evening.
Got an email just now 10/22 that GPAs are verified!
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure that means my app won't get mailed out until the 31st but oh well. Good luck everybody!!!
I just got an email saying GPAs are verified as well. However, under "official test," my PCAT score isn't showing up although I linked it with my PCID in my application. How long does pharmcas take for PCAT scores to show up?
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I think you mean "read"....
anyway, those answers are not as clear as an answer I was expecting...and so far, no one has directly answered my question so if you would step away from your keyboard, thanks!
The answer to my question, is for this particular school as long as it is e-submitted before Nov 1, the school still counts it as complete. My concern was that it wouldn't be considered due to the time it would take for GPA calculations/mailing.
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PharmCAS cannot answer this question for you. Call the school.
Also, since you have not, to this date, told us the name of the school, it's impossible for anyone with direct experience to respond to your question.
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PCAT scores are released within 5 weeks of the last test date in the testing window. If you took the test in September, that would be for the last testing date in September. PharmCAS updates with the information electronically, so it's pretty quick on their end once the scores are released. I believe the last testing date in September was during the last week, so we're really only about 3.5 weeks past that date. You may wish to check the PCAT subforum - people tend to begin posting when they receive the official score report.
As I understand, others in your situation have listed as pharmacist & asked that the LoR writer clarify the supervisor relationship in their letter. Schools often specify they want "pharmacist" letters or "professor" letters - I haven't seen any that require "supervisor" letters, but my knowledge is far from comprehensive on the matter.
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Jen, I dig your wry sense of humor.
A question I didn't see answered: What happens if all your LoRs or test scores required by the school aren't in by the PharmCAS date? Would the school still look at your file? My gut tells me they'd consider it incomplete.
Thanks for the compliment
I try to teach you all how to find the answers yourselves...use your resources, you know?Most schools will consider it incomplete until they receive all of THEIR required materials. It doesn't mean that the application missed the deadline, unless the school says that they must receive them by the deadline. That is a question that you would need to ask each school directly.
