PharmCAS Questions

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I already passed the PTCB exam and have my certificate. I recently mailed my application to be licensed as a California technician but heard that it takes them about 45 days to process it. Since I'm working on my application right now and may submit it before I receive notice from the board of pharmacy, how should I fill out this section? Should I only list my certification and mention that I'm waiting on my license in my personal statement? Thanks!
 
If you have your certificate, that's all you need in the pharmcas license section. From a non-Californian perspective, I don't think it looks any better (or worse) whether you are licensed in California or not as long as you passed the exam. And whether you apply today or in 45 days, which is early August, doesn't really seem to matter either. I think I submitted my application mid September and that did not hurt me at all. So either choice you make sounds fine. I would rather focus on the essay and lors :d
 
So my PharmCAS application is nearly complete, I am just waiting on 1 more LOR and for my transcripts to be received and calculated. My main question is that I have not taken my OChem II or BIO II yet, but will be taking it this fall. Also I will be taking the PCAT for the first time in October, should I still e-sumbit my application? Thanks.
 
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I would say wait to see what the deadlines are for your schools accepting PharmCAS. If you can wait until your letter of recommendation is in, and your transcript with your new courses are sent, then you can submit your application when it's a little more complete. It may help you look a bit more competitive and prepared.
 
Most of the school's application deadlines are due before the fall semester is complete, so it makes sense to just send it as soon as the LORs and transcripts are received. Im not to concerned on looking too prepared and competitive based on these last two classes since my cum. gpa is a 3.94 and science is a 4.0. I just want to get my application sent out as soon as possible. Thanks for your help.
 
Wait until your LOR has been received and processed by PharmCAS before submitting. You can update your PharmCAS grades for Orgo 2 and Bio 2 at a later date, but LOR issues are tough to resolve after you have submitted.

Some schools will put you into consideration prior to receiving fall grades, others will not, but rarely will any school even consider your application without a PCAT score. At minimum, you wont be looked at before November because of score reporting.

IMO, you should submit after you take your PCAT, if you feel confident about your score. That way, the time PharmCAS requires to calculate GPA and your PCAT score report will coincide and your application will be complete without much delay. This is what I did, and it worked out well (Aug PCAT, file complete by Oct). This also allows you perfect your personal statement 😉
 
This may seem like a silly question for those of you that have filled out the pharmcas...but I am confused by what the pharmcas means by "credit hours"?

I am in the UC system on the quarter system so we go by units. Typically classes are 4 units, so do I enter 4? Or is the credit earned? For example a 4 unit class with an A earned is 14 credits. However, the "credit hours" option ranges from 0-20, and one of my classes that I earned an A in is 6 units, which makes it 24 credits, not an option.


Thanks!

ps. i should have put this in the pharmcas app thread...sorry i cant find the delete button but would still like my q answered =)
 
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Hi all,

I am unclear how this works. I am trying to register fo rthe august PCAT. I am tryig to apply to several schools(4). But, I don't understand how my pcat scores are sent to the school. When I register for the PCAT, do I select all the schools that I am trying to apply to or does pharmcas get my pcat score and makes it available for my schools? Thanks in advance
 
If your schools use pharmCAS for your application then you select to have your PCAT scores sent to pharmCAS (school code 104). For any schools that DO NOT use pharmCAS, have your score sent directly to the school using each schools individual school code.
 
swift3260 said:
If your schools use pharmCAS for your application then you select to have your PCAT scores sent to pharmCAS (school code 104). For any schools that DO NOT use pharmCAS, have your score sent directly to the school using each schools individual school code.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much
 
Just make sure that you put down all of your future classes on your app. So that when it comes to sending your fall transcript to pharmcas, they can just verify your grades..
 
Credit hours are the same as unit. The UC system is under quarter system, except for berkeley, so there is an option for you to click if it's a semester or a quarter system. You select the quarter system and you don't have to convert it yourself into the semester system. Just select the quarter system, then put your units in as it appears on your transcript. Don't convert it to the semester system. PharmCAS will do that for you.
 
I'd probably take a quick look at the section about adding coursework in the full pharmCAS instruction book. I know its like a million pages long, but that section goes into pretty clear detail about exactly how to add course info. Just so you dont make any mistakes. If you accidentally mess things up it can delay your application for ages....
 
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Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of doing my apps with pharmcas. and have the following questions.

1: when entering my courses it asks for credit hours, is this same as how many unit the class was? for example a chem class that was 5 semester units translates to 5 credit hours?

2:I almost have all of my other requirements ready, except for the LORs. My instructors are kinda lagging. to apply early, can i send my LOR's later? or it needs to be sent with my apps?

3: does my personal statement have to be exactly 4500 charachter ? mine is bit over the limit...

4: what do I need to do with the pharmacy designation portion ? im kinda not understanding the whole thing there.

5: for the honors/scholarship: all I have is being on the deans list a few times in the past. so what do i input here?

6: for the extracurricula: I have some tutoring experience (free) and church and sports/gym regurarly. noting major because I have been working full time.

7: publications: I have nothing to think about...will leaving blank hurt my chances?

I know its a lengthy list...but I would really appreciate your help.

regards,

art
 
art23 said:
Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of doing my apps with pharmcas. and have the following questions.

1: when entering my courses it asks for credit hours, is this same as how many unit the class was? for example a chem class that was 5 semester units translates to 5 credit hours?

2:I almost have all of my other requirements ready, except for the LORs. My instructors are kinda lagging. to apply early, can i send my LOR's later? or it needs to be sent with my apps?

3: does my personal statement have to be exactly 4500 charachter ? mine is bit over the limit...

4: what do I need to do with the pharmacy designation portion ? im kinda not understanding the whole thing there.

5: for the honors/scholarship: all I have is being on the deans list a few times in the past. so what do i input here?

6: for the extracurricula: I have some tutoring experience (free) and church and sports/gym regurarly. noting major because I have been working full time.

7: publications: I have nothing to think about...will leaving blank hurt my chances?

I know its a lengthy list...but I would really appreciate your help.

regards,

art
Click to expand...

1. I think so. I was on a quarter system, so it might be different.
2. submit your pharmcas, send lors later. i did this
3. you should follow their limits , i think your essay may get cut off. if not, it looks like you can't follow directions
4. what are you referring to here?
5. yes
6. maybe join a prepharmacy club in the fall?
7. i don't know too many people w/ publications. i got in w/o one.
 
koercive said:
1. I think so. I was on a quarter system, so it might be different.
2. submit your pharmcas, send lors later. i did this
3. you should follow their limits , i think your essay may get cut off. if not, it looks like you can't follow directions
4. what are you referring to here?
5. yes
6. maybe join a prepharmacy club in the fall?
7. i don't know too many people w/ publications. i got in w/o one.
Click to expand...

1: can someone confirm this?

2: will I be able to still e-send?

3: can someone confirm this part as well?

4: I have been granted fee waiver. And it says I only need to apply to one school which is free... then pay 40 for each additional skls. I have 5 other designations. has anyone done this before..please explain how it works.

6: how do i do that?

thank you...
 
For number 3: Yes, your PS has to be 4500 characters or less. This is not negotiable. The application will not accept even 4501. It will tell you how many characters you are over. Cut out a couple words or re-word something to get it under.

For number 6: What do you mean "how do you join a pre-pharmacy club?" ? Do some research for your school to find out if you have one and how you join. This is going to be potentially different for every club...

For number 7: Most people dont have publications, it usually doesnt hurt you application at all.
 
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swift3260 said:
For number 3: Yes, your PS has to be 4500 characters or less. This is not negotiable. The application will not accept even 4501. It will tell you how many characters you are over. Cut out a couple words or re-word something to get it under.

For number 6: What do you mean "how do you join a pre-pharmacy club?" ? Do some research for your school to find out if you have one and how you join. This is going to be potentially different for every club...

For number 7: Most people dont have publications, it usually doesnt hurt you application at all.
Click to expand...

3: fixed (down to 4450)

6: I read somewhere on here that SDN can count as pre-pharamcy club? true?

and can someone confirm #1 please...

thank you
 
when entering coursework on pharmcas, should the section number also be included?
ex. CHEM001B (w/o section#)
CHEM001B03 (w/ section #)

sorry for the thread jack.

if you know, please let me know. thanks!
 
Art: I'm not sure about the answer to number 1, but I would probably give pharmCAS a quick call just to be sure you have the right info. If you make mistakes in this section it can delay your processing for ages.

Freshramen: Enter the course prefix and number EXACTLY as it appears on your OFFICIAL transcript. DO NOT use an online list of classes you have taken, your schedule, or anything else. Request a copy of your official transcript and use that (I know some schools charge for it, but you need one). PharmCAS will use that for comparison and it should match exactly or it can delay your processing. I mention this because I have never even seen the section number of a course on an official transcript which makes me think you might not be using one. If you are though, and the section number is tacked on to the end, then enter it.
 
art23 said:
Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of doing my apps with pharmcas. and have the following questions.

1: when entering my courses it asks for credit hours, is this same as how many unit the class was? for example a chem class that was 5 semester units translates to 5 credit hours?

2:I almost have all of my other requirements ready, except for the LORs. My instructors are kinda lagging. to apply early, can i send my LOR's later? or it needs to be sent with my apps?

3: does my personal statement have to be exactly 4500 charachter ? mine is bit over the limit...

4: what do I need to do with the pharmacy designation portion ? im kinda not understanding the whole thing there.

5: for the honors/scholarship: all I have is being on the deans list a few times in the past. so what do i input here?

6: for the extracurricula: I have some tutoring experience (free) and church and sports/gym regurarly. noting major because I have been working full time.

7: publications: I have nothing to think about...will leaving blank hurt my chances?

I know its a lengthy list...but I would really appreciate your help.

regards,

art
Click to expand...

1. I'm fairly certain you can choose either SEMESTER or QUARTER hours. PharmCAS isn't going to force you to do your own calculations as to how many quarter hours your semester hours are worth.

3. I suggest you take out any unnecessary words or shorten phrases. I know mine was at least a hundred words over. Just trim the fat. Your most important statements will be done when you fill out supplemental apps for your schools.

4. Your pharmacy designations are the schools you are applying to.
 
just updating you all. I got rejected for the waiver but hey at least I tried =)

You have NOT been granted a PharmCAS fee waiver. Your adjusted gross income as stated on your 2008 tax forms is above the eligibility threshold. You must submit payment in full for all of your PharmCAS school designations.

Sincerely,
PharmCAS
 
just to double check,

if a class is NOT science then we do not have to indicate whether it is lab/lecture right? For ex. my writing class, dance class, etc.


Thanks in advance.
 
jzb said:
I have my name is a publications-- I've done research on the subject counting data, running TLC's, etc... My data is included in the study, my TLC plate picture in the paper. I did not write anything in the publication.

So..I am a co-author (I'm listed as), but the manuscript hasn't been published but was accepted March 2009.

I want to include it as a publication; that specific research was my best experience in research.

Can I?
Click to expand...

maybe you can indicate pending publication. It would be cool to have it on your app since not a lot of pre-pharms have had publications IMHO.
 
soo just so i don't look like an idiot...internships go into work experience correct?? not extracurricular?? even though technically internships are sort of like volunteer work sometimes....???
 
I took the PCAT a year ago and I had my scores sent to PharmCAS last week on the same day I sent my transcript. The transcript was received, but there's no sign of the PCAT scores. Does anyone know about how long it takes for your scores to show up after you have them sent?
 
Does co-author a poster (biochemistry) that is presented at a undergraduate conference be counted as a publication/award? Can this be included in the pharmcas publication section? Thank you yall.
 
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tahi193 said:
I took the PCAT a year ago and I had my scores sent to PharmCAS last week on the same day I sent my transcript. The transcript was received, but there's no sign of the PCAT scores. Does anyone know about how long it takes for your scores to show up after you have them sent?
Click to expand...

It took about 2-3 weeks before the PCAT was posted on my application last year. Just a reminder, they don't post your actual scores, they just post the date that you took your PCAT.
 
Thanks HolyLights. I was starting to worry that Pearson had swindled me.

I took the PCAT a year ago and I had my scores sent to PharmCAS last week on the same day I sent my transcript. The transcript was received, but there's no sign of the PCAT scores. Does anyone know about how long it takes for your scores to show up after you have them sent?
Click to expand...

I think there are really no set rules about this. If your EC area is pretty filled, I would just put the internship in work experience. But if you've worked a lot and have few ECs then put it in the EC area. I did a sort of internship (got a small stipend) and I put that in work experience.
 
A couple of posts ago you had said your UIC supapp was "in progess". Are you just gathering the info you will need when the 2010 admissions app comes out? I don't see that they have the 2010 application available quite yet, so just wondering. thx.
 
Generally, yes, that would be considered an abstract. Did the conference publish the abstract (written paragraph about the work) in some format? Typically most conferences publish some kind of book with all the abstracts in it, though maybe not if it was a very small conference. You should be able to check with the professor you worked with to get or figure out the correct citation.
 
Hello I just have a few questions regarding the extracurricular activities/work experience section of PharmCAS and basically one's overall resume for pharmacy schools.

1) I've heard from someone that it is not advisable to include in high school leadership positions UNLESS it's greatly related to pharmacy. Is this true? I'm hesitant whether or not to include my Red Cross leadership role (senior year) or not.

2) Also, I've heard that it's not advisable to include in too much extracurricular activities. True? PharmCAS has a limit of 10. Do applicants usually fill out all or most of the 10 spaces? (Past applicants...what did you do?)

3) For those who applied to USC, did you submit a 1 or 2 page resume? Is 2 pages too long?


4) Similar to my first question: would it be okay to include in scholarships received at the end of high school (for the PharmCAS scholarship/honors section)?


Thank You 🙂
 
SweetOrchid said:
1) I've heard from someone that it is not advisable to include in high school leadership positions UNLESS it's greatly related to pharmacy. Is this true? I'm hesitant whether or not to include my Red Cross leadership role (senior year) or not.
Click to expand...

True, the general rule is to not include High School positions unless it was directly related to pharmacy.

SweetOrchid said:
2) Also, I've heard that it's not advisable to include in too much extracurricular activities. True? PharmCAS has a limit of 10. Do applicants usually fill out all or most of the 10 spaces? (Past applicants...what did you do?)
Click to expand...

I filled out three important ones, all pharmacy related or health care. Obviously I had more extracurriculars but I wanted my application to be concise. IMO, fill out only the activities where you had pharmacy experience or a significant leadership role.

SweetOrchid said:
4) Similar to my first question: would it be okay to include in scholarships received at the end of high school (for the PharmCAS scholarship/honors section)?
Click to expand...

If this scholarship has been with you throughout your time in college, it can be included.
 
I went to a four year college in 2004 and only attended one semester. I got a incomplete and three F's. The next year(fall 2005) I Started a community college and I finished with a 3.4 gpa in (fall 2007) and a degree on biotechnology. i applied for "fresh start" at my four year college; so my old gpa wouldn't be calculated (which i was granted). currently i have a 3.0 gpa at the four year college and plan to be done fall 2009 with a public health degree. my question is this pharmcas ask we should write down all course we took. should I include the couses i took fall 2004 because it's listed in my transcruit but not calculated with my gpa? and if i do (include it) how would that affect my gpa; i mean would pharmcas calculate it?
 
Yes, you should include. Your school may grant you "fresh start," but all grades at ANY accredited college should be listed in your PharmCAS application. If you do include it, most likely it will lower your GPA with the 3 F's. PharmCAS would add those grades in to calculate your overall GPA. If those were science courses, it will most likely lower your science GPA as well. But then again, depending on how many units you have, it might not lower your GPA that much. It all depends on your unit load that you have taken.

Oh by the way, if those grades are listed on your transcript and if you don't list them, there will be a discrepancy in your transcript. Most likely you will then have to clear it up with pharmCAS and that might delay your application if you plan to apply for this year.
 
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If it is included on your transcript, you must include it in PharmCAS. As for whether that GPA will be calculated in, I am not sure. But most likely it will, because PharmCAS does not do grade forgiveness.
 
my usc resume was 1 page. from my understanding of the resume, you should only have 1 page unless you have been working for decades.
 
If my professors are taking waayyy too long to get back at me with the LORs, what are my options?
I wanted to submit my application early, and I fear I won't be able to if I keep waiting on these LORs.
I have two from pharmacists already, I'm just waiting on my professors. Advice??:scared:
 
Keep in contact and ask whether they need more information or would like to set up a meeting. Also give them a general time frame you would like to submit (e.g. "early August". Eventually they will get the message you want it completed soon.
 
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Hi all. Just want to give you a heads up about PharmCAS and requesting letters. It took five requests for two of my evaluators to finally recieve one request. They both had university emails and they didn't see the requests in their inbox or spam folders. Luckily I'm close enough to them to either call them or they call me every day until the request was received.

So if you're waiting for a letter, I'd suggest kindly emailing them and seeing if they received the request in the first place. Just want to save you all the hassle I had. GL!
 
I had this problem with one of my professors last year. She also had a university email and I sent it 3 times before I asked if she had another address.
 
Hey all,

I a newbie here, so I was hoping someone could answer these questions for me. I e-submitted my application on 6-11. When does pharmcas start mailing all my documents to my schools. Acutally the real question is when does my GPA calculations suppose to be showing up. My last school transcript was received by pharmcas on 6/17. I read on other posts that it took individuals at least 10 days before pharmcas made there calculations right after they received all transcripts (well been more then 10days). Also how long did it take for your pcat scores to be send to pharmcas???

Thanks 🙂
 
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