PharmCAS

[DHG]

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Mine was submitted August 30, and today I have my GPA.s... which are different than expected... I had an overall 3.51 from my school, but through PharmCAS it is a 3.45 😡 And my science GPA was like a 3.8 but through PharmCAS its a 3.68 .... Stoopid PharmCAS.

 

[starsweet]

Does PharmCAS update the GPA calculations when you add your Fall classes later (around December I guess) and are these used instead of the current GPA calculations for admissions?

 

[marrymenatalie]

Word...PharmCAS sucks (expletive) 😡 .... I got all my supplemental in before PharmCAS sent their apps and USC made me sent my transcripts because they didn't want to wait for PHARMCAS...which just cost me more money since I've attended 3 schools 😡

 

[ndearwater]

Yeah, they recalculate and then mail off new, updated applications to all of your schools. They do this everytime something on your PharmCas app changes... new grades, PCAT scores etc.

 

[CalGrl05]

Most people I have spoke with say to make the statement about 500 words.

Seriously only 500? I actually was going to make it short too, but their 4500 character limit sorta made me feel obliged to make it longer.

Does anyone know if they're solely interested in why we chose pharmacy or can an anecdotal about our life/past/other experiences be included?

Although my statement does address every part of the question, I'm worried that they are not at all interested in extra information like the student's past or how they actually came about fancying the idea of becoming a pharmacist. My statement sorta reads like a story, more than a direct answer to a question. ANY FEEDBACK WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

 

[megrxgirl]

Seriously only 500? I actually was going to make it short too, but their 4500 character limit sorta made me feel obliged to make it longer.

Does anyone know if they're solely interested in why we chose pharmacy or can an anecdotal about our life/past/other experiences be included?

Although my statement does address every part of the question, I'm worried that they are not at all interested in extra information like the student's past or how they actually came about fancying the idea of becoming a pharmacist. My statement sorta reads like a story, more than a direct answer to a question. ANY FEEDBACK WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

I think I misunderstood the question. Pharmcas allows 4500 characters with spaces. I thought he was asking how long the ps SHOULD be, and I had been told by most that it should be 500 words. 500 words is about 3,000 characters with spaces. if you feel that adding more words would reduce the quality of your essay then leave it like it is.

 

[forte]

That's exactly what I did... no indent at the paragraph start (to save characters) and used a line space between paragraphs. You'd think they'd have a better system 🙄

Thanks DHG. I turned in the app using line spaces. I emailed Pharmcas and they told me not to worry about it too much. They told me to worry more about the content of the essay more than anything else.

 

[forte]

Seriously only 500? I actually was going to make it short too, but their 4500 character limit sorta made me feel obliged to make it longer.

Does anyone know if they're solely interested in why we chose pharmacy or can an anecdotal about our life/past/other experiences be included?

Although my statement does address every part of the question, I'm worried that they are not at all interested in extra information like the student's past or how they actually came about fancying the idea of becoming a pharmacist. My statement sorta reads like a story, more than a direct answer to a question. ANY FEEDBACK WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

The question is pretty much open-ended. Writing about your life/past experiences and how it affected your decision to become a pharmacist is good. Don't worry too much about what they want to hear, just be genuine about why you have aspirations to be a pharmacist. I think it's great that it reads like a story, it'll probably keep the reader interested, which is a good thing especially when they have to read over 20 statements a day.

 

[kyt0871]

DUDE! I submitted mine Aug. 30 and still hasn't gotten my GPA calculations yet. I wouldn't be sweating like this if it weren't for the fact the a couple ppl replied that they already got theirs and submitted at the same time! waaaaah! Do you think I should call PharmCAS and inquire? They got that one sign up that says DO NOT CALL blah blah blah...... but i wannnnt to 🙁

 

[DownonthePharm]

Its not any nicer for the non-PharmCas schools. My OU application has been in and payed for since the 31st, but they are still showing that I owe them money, and that I need to take the PCAT (I took it in June). I called them and they said everything should be up by the end of next week. Arrrg.

 

[marrymenatalie]

DUDE! I submitted mine Aug. 30 and still hasn't gotten my GPA calculations yet. I wouldn't be sweating like this if it weren't for the fact the a couple ppl replied that they already got theirs and submitted at the same time! waaaaah! Do you think I should call PharmCAS and inquire? They got that one sign up that says DO NOT CALL blah blah blah...... but i wannnnt to 🙁

Probably not, just email them...they respond pretty fast, like in a day or 2...and don't sweat it, alot of ppl applying through pharmCAS are in the same dilemma as you 😉

 

[DHG]

PharmCAS shows my printouts will be mailed today. Just one reference pending, and I talked to him yesterday, he's going to have it in by the end of the week. Only 2 supplementals left to mail (they're done, I just need to get a photo). *sigh* And now the waiting really begins...

 

[Gizmo]

PharmCAS shows mine were sent out today also. I still have some recs and supps to submit, though.

 

[CalGrl05]

Hey guys,
For the extracurricular section... Should I include extracurricular activities from high school or is that no longer relevant?

Also, does anyone know how are applications are weighed in terms of GPA/LORs/PS/interview?

Thanks!

 

[crossjb]

Hey guys,
For the extracurricular section... Should I include extracurricular activities from high school or is that no longer relevant?

Also, does anyone know how are applications are weighed in terms of GPA/LORs/PS/interview?

Thanks!

Depends how old you are. A few years out of high school, yes. Several years out, probably not.

Every school has its own weight system on several aspects of the application process.

 

[marylandpharm]

i didn't

 

[cheesygal]

i didn't include high school activities

 

[ICA]

Me neither.

 

[freshbeatschris]

After four months of working on that monster with changing jobs, changing classes, and tormenting over my personal statement, I finally submitted my app to PharmCAS tonight.

Now starts the joy of all the supplementals.

Chris

 

[blizz]

Yay, I'm in the same boat. But working full time, taking night classes, and supplementals are just draining me!

 

[PHARMDhope2b]

yeah me too
and finally pharmcas has all of the materials. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nonyagirl]

wow! Are these past few days big days for submitting or what?? 🙂 i also jUst submitted... ~1/2 hr ago. scary to submit, hah?🙂 now for the pcat and esp the chemadness... =)=)

Hope it doesn't take too long to process everything and contact the recommenders

 

[Phil]

Hi, I just submitted too. A 45 page instruction doc for the application? Wow! Don't you think PharmCAS101 should be a 3 credit class? I do, with as much time it has taken. But, its my own fault for having loooooooonnnngggg transcripts.

Phil
(first time caller, longtime listener)

 

[PharmEm]

What's up with pharmcas's telephone #? I call them throughout the day and they NEVER pick up! This is the number I have 617-612-2060, is that the correct one?

 

[JB_11]

Same boat: submitted on 9/14, GPAs were calculated on 10/3, still waiting for it to be sent... the good news is that, based on everyone else's posts, it should be this week that it is sent...

 

[b*rizzle]

I submitted 8/18. My GPAs were posted about 1.5 weeks later and my printout was mailed on 9/1. However, even though I gave out stuff for LORs early (like early August) my last LOR was not received until 9/15, which generated some confusion on UNC's end because they told me everything was complete except that I was missing one of the 2 required LORs.

I got an email this past Friday telling me that all systems are go. 😎

I know people at UNC applying for UNC's SOP and they have not submitted to PharmCAS yet, even though UNC tells us to submit by 9/15 to "ensure timely processing of application materials."

Waiting is the toughest part.

 

[PHARMDhope2b]

still waiting on pharmcas gpas myself

 

[Meo_em]

What's up with pharmcas's telephone #? I call them throughout the day and they NEVER pick up! This is the number I have 617-612-2060, is that the correct one?

whenever i had a problem or question i just emailed them and got a reply right away.

 

[thinkblue]

whenever i had a problem or question i just emailed them and got a reply right away.

Yep, email is the faster route to go.

 

[thinkblue]

whenever i had a problem or question i just emailed them and got a reply right away.

So, there is a Meo em and a Pharm em. Where's all the other 'em?

 

[cheesygal]

One of my profs is lagging on my LOR. I was going to have him mail in the printout, but I feel a bit anxious about this since deadlines are quickly approaching. Even though I submitted my PharmCas already, does anyone know if I can change the LOR type from paper to electronic?

 

[Acura-TL & Rx]

One of my profs is lagging on my LOR. I was going to have him mail in the printout, but I feel a bit anxious about this since deadlines are quickly approaching. Even though I submitted my PharmCas already, does anyone know if I can change the LOR type from paper to electronic?

You know that's a good question. I know you can change it from paper to electronic. I would suggest that you call Mr. Sacco. He had helped me tremendously throughout the process. Give him a call. He's a cool guy.

John J. Sacco
Customer Service Representative
Liaison International, Inc.
PharmCAS
PO Box 9109
Watertown, MA 02471
617-612-2050 (office)
617-612-2051 (Fax)
[email protected]


Hope that helps.

 

[Acura-TL & Rx]

What's up with pharmcas's telephone #? I call them throughout the day and they NEVER pick up! This is the number I have 617-612-2060, is that the correct one?

Here you go. Hope this will help. Just be patient because they are probably busy since the deadline is coming near.

John J. Sacco
Customer Service Representative
Liaison International, Inc.
PharmCAS
PO Box 9109
Watertown, MA 02471
617-612-2050 (office)
617-612-2051 (Fax)
[email protected]

 

[megrxgirl]

I changed my reference from electronic to paper by deleting him completely and re adding him as a paper reference.

 

[tricia]

I had one paper and one electronic reference for Pharmcas. Both have already completed and submitted. I would think that the one that was electronic would show up as complete right away, but I could be wrong. It still says Incomplete. How long should it take for it to say Complete after submission.

Also, for the paper reference, it was mailed about 1 week ago. How long after should it take to say complete approximately?

Thank you.

 

[dreaminpharmd]

I have used the electronic LOR for all three. If your recommender is efficient, he/she would check the e-mail and fill it out immediately. Once the recommender submits it, then it should state that it is "completed." I had one recommender fill it out in the same day. I would give it a couple days for your recommender to respond and fill out the form. If you are anxious (like I was), I would follow-up with your recommenders to see if they received an e-mail from pharmcas.

Hope this helps.

 

[mine]

I'm making out Pharmcas and have some questions in the "Coursework" section. What should I put in "credit" section? There is a list from 0 through 20. Does that mean I have to calculate my grade points? (i.e. took 4unit class and got B then should I put 12 on the credit section? or just put 4 which is the number of unit?)
Whenever I put over 9, this message pops up "Credits exceed 9 credits, Is it correct? So, can I just ignore the message?

 

[CalGrl05]

I'm making out Pharmcas and have some questions in the "Coursework" section. What should I put in "credit" section? There is a list from 0 through 20. Does that mean I have to calculate my grade points? (i.e. took 4unit class and got B then should I put 12 on the credit section? or just put 4 which is the number of unit?)
Whenever I put over 9, this message pops up "Credits exceed 9 credits, Is it correct? So, can I just ignore the message?

I think "credits" means "units".. I was on a semester system, so most of my classes were either 4 or 3 units...so i just put 4 or 3, watever my TRANSCRIPT said. Im pretty sure that is correct but if anyone knows otherwise, please let me know.

Did you or anyone here include AP credit as well?

 

[tricia]

I have used the electronic LOR for all three. If your recommender is efficient, he/she would check the e-mail and fill it out immediately. Once the recommender submits it, then it should state that it is "completed." I had one recommender fill it out in the same day. I would give it a couple days for your recommender to respond and fill out the form. If you are anxious (like I was), I would follow-up with your recommenders to see if they received an e-mail from pharmcas.

Hope this helps.

Well, I know he has completed it cause he has told me and gave me a copy of the evaluation he wrote. I assumed he had submitted it, but its been a few days now, and still says incomplete, so if it is supposed to be instant, then he must not have submitted it yet, or there was a problem. Right?

 

[starsweet]

I did, cuz I chose to use them and get the credit for those classes in college.

 

[mine]

That's what I thought first. But how come there is 20 unit class or 16.5 unit class? Why does Pharmcas list all the numbers instead of listing just 0 through 6??

 

[Acura-TL & Rx]

I'm making out Pharmcas and have some questions in the "Coursework" section. What should I put in "credit" section? There is a list from 0 through 20. Does that mean I have to calculate my grade points? (i.e. took 4unit class and got B then should I put 12 on the credit section? or just put 4 which is the number of unit?)
Whenever I put over 9, this message pops up "Credits exceed 9 credits, Is it correct? So, can I just ignore the message?

For the credit section, it's the same as units. But PharmCAS takes it into consideration if you went to a quarter or semester school. So if you went to a quarter system school, then you have to convert it to semester system. It looks like this:

Hour Conversion Table:

Hour Conversion Table
Quarter (Units) Semester Hours
1 x 0.667 =0.667
2 x 0.667 =1.33
3 x 0.667 =2
4 x 0.667 =2.67
5 x 0.667 =3.33

so if you you took a 3 units class at say UCSD, then it's only 2 units for semester hours. And say if you got an A then you would receive (4 x 2)= 8 points total.

This is how the PharmCAS does it. And most schools do it this way too. Hope that helps. And dont worry, if you mess up then they'll do it for you anyway (assuming you didn't mess up too bad) 😀

 

[dreaminpharmd]

Well, I know he has completed it cause he has told me and gave me a copy of the evaluation he wrote. I assumed he had submitted it, but its been a few days now, and still says incomplete, so if it is supposed to be instant, then he must not have submitted it yet, or there was a problem. Right?

Yup. I think your recommender didn't submit it yet. I followed up with my recommender when I saw the same message as you. I think he accessed the link and may have partiall filled it, but didn't click submit or something. I would wait a couple days, but then check-up with him to see if he/she is having problems.

Everything will be fine. 🙂

 

[ndearwater]

Yup. I think your recommender didn't submit it yet. I followed up with my recommender when I saw the same message as you. I think he accessed the link and may have partiall filled it, but didn't click submit or something. I would wait a couple days, but then check-up with him to see if he/she is having problems.

Everything will be fine. 🙂

My evaluator thought he was done and for some reason it said Incomplete. I let him know and then he finished it PRONTO! You have to stay on these evaluators, they aren't gonna get it done in a timely manner unless you gently push them to it 🙂 I politely told my pharmacist, "Hey I love working for you but I really don't want to be here next year... GET ON IT!" Of course I was joking around but don't feel bad about reminding them.

 

[snailman]

Hi,
Should I only enter AP courses on my PharmCAS transcript if my college gave me credit for them? Should I enter them along with my first quarter of college coursework, or should I create a new "quarter" just for AP tests?
Thanks. This forum has been very helpful to me so far.

 

[starrfishes]

For the credit section, it's the same as units. But PharmCAS takes it into consideration if you went to a quarter or semester school. So if you went to a quarter system school, then you have to convert it to semester system. It looks like this:

Hour Conversion Table:

Hour Conversion Table
Quarter (Units) Semester Hours
1 x 0.667 =0.667
2 x 0.667 =1.33
3 x 0.667 =2
4 x 0.667 =2.67
5 x 0.667 =3.33

so if you you took a 3 units class at say UCSD, then it's only 2 units for semester hours. And say if you got an A then you would receive (4 x 2)= 8 points total.

This is how the PharmCAS does it. And most schools do it this way too. Hope that helps. And dont worry, if you mess up then they'll do it for you anyway (assuming you didn't mess up too bad) 😀

Small tidbit: most UCSD classes are 4 units each. 😀

 

[CalGrl05]

I did, cuz I chose to use them and get the credit for those classes in college.

GOOD! cuz i have a question 😀 I emailed pharmcas about this but they havent answered me yet. First, my transcript (unofficial) didn't tell me how many units my school gave me per AP test. I had to go on collegeboard.com to find this out (it was like 5.3 or 2.7 depending on the AP test)... did you do the same? Also, if you took Calc BC and Calc AB, do you include both plus the AB subscore? (if you didnt take calc, you wont know what im talking about).

Thanks!

 

[CalGrl05]

That's what I thought first. But how come there is 20 unit class or 16.5 unit class? Why does Pharmcas list all the numbers instead of listing just 0 through 6??

I think different schools have different grading systems, which you and i may not know about. I emailed pharmCAS to make sure we were right, so i'll let you know as soon as i get an answer.

 

[CalGrl05]

Hi,
Should I only enter AP courses on my PharmCAS transcript if my college gave me credit for them? Should I enter them along with my first quarter of college coursework, or should I create a new "quarter" just for AP tests?
Thanks. This forum has been very helpful to me so far.

Hey, we were discussing this in the Pharmcas questions thread here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=232942

anyhoo, i entered all the AP credits that showed on my transcript and I entered them along with my first semester/quarter at school. They never said to make a new category just for APs.. (i know, this AP credit part is kinda confusing) Did your school tell you how many units you got per test by the way? Cuz mine gave me a total, so i had to figure out individual units by myself 😡

 

[snailman]

Hey, we were discussing this in the Pharmcas questions thread here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=232942

anyhoo, i entered all the AP credits that showed on my transcript and I entered them along with my first semester/quarter at school. They never said to make a new category just for APs.. (i know, this AP credit part is kinda confusing) Did your school tell you how many units you got per test by the way? Cuz mine gave me a total, so i had to figure out individual units by myself 😡

hey, thanks for the reply. i didn't realize this was being discussed elsewhere.

my school gave me individual credit for a few of the tests, and lumped the rest of them together, so i guess i'll have to figure out individual credit like you did. did you put NG for grade?