PharmCAS

pharmd6 · Feb 26, 2007

my new revisions (updated pcat scores) were mailed out today...

But as far as admissions status no new news. I still haven't received anything from PBA.

gameon · Feb 26, 2007

My pharmcas has nothing on it...when did you interview at pba? i interviewed on feb. 9th and I havnt heard anything either

emole123 · Feb 26, 2007

I got a rejection letter from my top choice pre-interview, so when I contacted them, they said I missed a pre-req GPA cutoff by 0.05 points. In late Jan, I mailed them an appeal letter, while the whole time on PharmCas since recieving the letter they have been listed as denied by school. Last Friday I was on there and havent checked it in a while but denied by school was no longer there, but rather revisions mailed on 2/12. So im hoping that maybe I will at least get an interview since denied by school is gone. Needless to say I will be mailbox stalking and phone watching this week.

LECOMorBUST · Feb 26, 2007

emole123 said:
Needless to say I will be mailbox stalking and phone watching this week.

Ah yes, the mailbox stalking and phone watching. :scared:

The Kernal · Feb 27, 2007

I think they do it so that they don't get anything from Pharmcas, academic updates, new pcat scores or anything else from applicants they are not considering. I was denied by West Virginia by letter that now shows on my pharmacy designations. Maybe thats their way of saying they don't want anything from Pharmcas

pharmd6 · Mar 1, 2007

Got the letter today in the mail. 🙁

chiko · Mar 1, 2007

Hello,
I've already posted this question in the pcat forum.I have a question regarding registration for PCAT and Pharmcas.I don't have a SSN(H4 visa)...How do I register for PCAT and Pharmcas?I know that Pharmcas matches PCAT score to our data using SSN.Has anyone been in my situation?If so,how did you register for both.Thank you.

chiko · Mar 1, 2007

bamboo511 · Mar 1, 2007

you don't need a SSN to register for both, when i didn't have a SSN, i was able to register for the pcat but i'm not sure about pharmcas though but i think you should be able to do it, u should just leave the SSN space blank
Hope that helps

chiko · Mar 1, 2007

I can register for PCAT without SSN but with Pharmcas I'll be having problem registering.Anyways Thanks for the reply.🙂

All4MyDaughter · Mar 1, 2007

This is from the Pharmcas website:

"PharmCAS will match your PCAT scores to your application based on your social security number. You MUST report your social security number (SSN) on your PharmCAS application and on your PCAT registration form. If your SSN is missing on either form, PharmCAS can NOT match or forward your PCAT scores. Applicants who have PCAT scores and do not report a SSN must contact PharmCAS at 617-612-2050."

Farmercyst · Mar 1, 2007

Page 13 of PharmCAS application instructions
http://www.pharmcas.org/docs/Instructions200607.pdf
(3.68MB if you want to download it)

"Social Security Number
PharmCAS uses your Social Security Number (SSN) to help verify your identity. If you do not have an SSN and you are a U.S. citizen, contact your local Social Security Administration office directly or the national office to apply for a number. If you are not a U.S. citizen, leave the box blank.Social Security Administration Office of Public Inquiries Windsor Park Building 6401 Security Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21235
Phone: 1-800-772-1213
Website: http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html
PharmCAS will match your PCAT scores to your application based on your social security number. You MUST report your social security number (SSN) on your PharmCAS application and on your PCAT registration form. If your SSN is missing on either form, PharmCAS can NOT match or forward your PCAT scores. Applicants who have PCAT scores and do not report a SSN must contact PharmCAS at 617-612-2050."

Hope this helps.

chiko · Mar 1, 2007

Thanks for the information.I really appreciate both your help.I'll call Pharmcas tomorrow.Thanks again.🙂

All4MyDaughter · Mar 2, 2007

chiko said:
Thanks for the information.I really appreciate both your help.I'll call Pharmcas tomorrow.Thanks again.🙂

You're welcome!

zn1988 · Mar 16, 2007

May someone repost some schools that do not accept application through Pharmcas. Thanks,

eelo · Mar 16, 2007

zn1988 said:
May someone repost some schools that do not accept application through Pharmcas. Thanks,

Hampton U

Dutchess B · Mar 16, 2007

kitty · Mar 19, 2007

According to Pharmcas some schools offer Early Decision. I think the due date for them is September 1st. Does getting the advantage of early decision gives you more opportunities? Anyone has any experience about this?

NDGirl · Mar 19, 2007

I think that if you are offered admission ED then you are not allowed to apply to other pharmacy schools and that you must take the seat you are offered. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) So really, it limits your options, but it does give you that peace of mind that you got in. Also, your application would be looked at with a smaller pool of applicants, so it may give you more of an edge. Also, if you don't get in, at least you have all your materials online and ready to go right away for all the other schools!

Farmercyst · Mar 19, 2007

Depends on what you call "opportunities". When you apply ED through PharmCAS you are not allowed to apply to any other PharmCAS school until you get a decision on your ED application. (Fewer opportunities, at least initially) In my case I applied ED to Oregon State, which meant until they notified me on 10/25/07 (The deadline for schools to give notification) that I couldn't apply anywhere else, even if I wanted to. Having said that, I started supplemental applications in advance so when my ED decision came back as "deferred to regular applicant pool" I was able to send in supplementals for Western and USC. Adding them to PharmCAS was just a matter of checking two boxes and paying the additional fees. Now, those applications were late in the application cycle (10/26 and 10/29) but I have been interviewed at both schools, so it obviously didn't kill my chances. (Same opportunities as everyone else in this sense.)

The reason I applied ED is because I wanted to know well in advance where to apply for housing, financial aid, scholarships, etc so I could get mine in early in all those cycles. It didn't happen the way I wanted, but if it had, it would have given me a competitive edge in all those time sensitive areas. Try finding housing in August when everyone else has gotten theirs in May,June, and July. Priority deadlines in March/April and my financial aid won't be complete now until after 4/15.

So I guess if you think your application is strong enough to get in ED, there are some good advantages to doing so. If you're borderline (I applied to a state school as an out of state applicant, in that sense my appl was borderline) then you might reconsider because applying late in the application cycle usually will mean late interview if at all and therefore late acceptance if at all.

iamjess · Mar 24, 2007

Does anyone know when PharmCas applications open for the 2008 enrollment? They don't put the date on their webpage.

parabolic · Mar 24, 2007

They still have the dates up for the 2006-07 cycle, and they can't be all that different for the 2007-08 cycle (right?). So I imagine it'll open on or around June 1, 2007. Hopefully they will update their calendar page soon.

http://www.pharmcas.org/collegesschools/calendar.htm

Good luck with your application!

timbutt2 · Apr 16, 2007

Hello! I'm a little confused.😕 I will graduate in May 2008 with a BS in Bio-and plan on attending pharmacy school in Fall 2008. I intend on applying this year-thru Pharmcas...

"PharmCAS is for first-year professional pharmacy degree applicants only. "

I can still use it right? Even though I will have a BS at the time of registration... I was also wondering...in regards to financial aid-this qualifies as graduate applicant financial aid-not undergrad, right?

Any help is much appreciated!!!!!

OUPharmD · Apr 16, 2007

It just means that this will be your first year in a professional pharmacy program, i.e. not a transfer student from another pharmacy school.

Your previous degrees do not matter. They are strictly talking about profession pharmacy schooling.

And you are correct on the financial aid question.

NDGirl · Apr 16, 2007

Yes, you still qualify to use PharmCAS. Even though you have a B.S. you have not yet started a Pharmacy degree so you will be a "first year professional pharmacy degree applicant." The first year part of that is referring to your professional school not your undergrad. So, for example, say you started a Pharm program at one school but then wanted to transfer to another one, then you would not be a first year professional pharmacy degree applicant and would not apply through PharmCAS.

As far as your financial aid question, it varies by school. Most schools do consider it a graduate/professional program and thus you qualify for that type of financial aid, but some schools are strange and do not consider you to be a graduate/professional student until the 3rd or so year. You should check with each school you are applying to in order to make sure.

timbutt2 · Apr 16, 2007

Phew! What about financial aid? Is it considered graduate? or is it considered a 2nd undergraduate degree?

timbutt2 · Apr 16, 2007

NDGirl said:
Yes, you still qualify to use PharmCAS. Even though you have a B.S. you have not yet started a Pharmacy degree so you will be a "first year professional pharmacy degree applicant." The first year part of that is referring to your professional school not your undergrad. So, for example, say you started a Pharm program at one school but then wanted to transfer to another one, then you would not be a first year professional pharmacy degree applicant and would not apply through PharmCAS.

As far as your financial aid question, it varies by school. Most schools do consider it a graduate/professional program and thus you qualify for that type of financial aid, but some schools are strange and do not consider you to be a graduate/professional student until the 3rd or so year. You should check with each school you are applying to in order to make sure.

Okay, thanks! 👍

twester · Apr 16, 2007

timbutt2 said:
Hello! I'm a little confused.😕 I will graduate in May 2008 with a BS in Bio-and plan on attending pharmacy school in Fall 2008. I intend on applying this year-thru Pharmcas...

"PharmCAS is for first-year professional pharmacy degree applicants only. "

I can still use it right? Even though I will have a BS at the time of registration... I was also wondering...in regards to financial aid-this qualifies as graduate applicant financial aid-not undergrad, right?

Any help is much appreciated!!!!!

Someone with a BS in biology does not have a professional pharmacy degree. So you would qualify. That disclaimer is, I think, for people who graduated years ago with BPharm degrees and enroll in non-traditional PharmD programs (which are not considered "first-year").

With respect to financial aid - I think classification as graduate vs. undergrad depends on the school. My school considers first years undergraduates, but second through fourth years as graduate students (yes, even the first years with BS degrees).

Hope that helps.

Albo · Apr 23, 2007

I was trying to do my PharmCAS GPA and i have a question. The first semester of college i took a composition class which was below university levels and so on was not counted toward anything, a no credit class, but it was for foreign students and students with weaknesses in composition to put them on pair with the comp classes required by the university. I ended up getting a B- but no credits. Anyone know if should i include this class in PharmCAS gpa. (it is not included in my college gpa).

I just finished my second year and i have so fair a 3.38 overall and 3.41 science. Is this too low for pharmacy school?

overhillpharmer · Apr 23, 2007

Albo,

Your grades aren't horrendous, people get into pharmacy school with less. If the no cred class is on your official transcript then it should be entered into pharmcas. Since it didn't count for credit it should not count in your pharmacas GPA. I assume you are applying for Fall 2008 schools. If you have several credits left concentrate real hard and pick up your GPAs a little. If you plan on going to any schools requiring the PCAT study up for the June test and nail it. Get some varied experience in the pharmacy field if you are not already doing so and you can still make yourself quite competetive.

Over

overhillpharmer · Apr 23, 2007

sent twice

CaliCPhT · May 2, 2007

Hi everyone. I tried searching this through the threads and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for (plus I didn't have the time to search through all 10 pages) and I 'm sure it's been discussed before. I was wondering how Pharmcas calculates the GPA. Do they take the hours completed and grades from ALL prior institutions you've attended? I took some CC courses and have about a 3.8 GPA there, but the university that I graduated from I only had a 2.93 (sucks, I know - played too much and regret it now).

Also, I know that grades mean a lot, but they aren't everything, right? I have 5+ years of excellent healthcare/pharmacy related experience that I think has made me into a more well-rounded person.

patmcd · May 2, 2007

They take into account every course you enter on pharmcas.

Farmercyst · May 2, 2007

patmcd said:
They take into account every course you enter on pharmcas.

Yeah, what Pat said. Oh and no GPA isn't everything, But it's usually at the cross-roads between the round file and the interview pile. Fortunately experience usually meets GPA there before they decide where to go.

CaliCPhT · May 2, 2007

LOL - thanks. I think if I can just get an interview, then I'll have a good chance.

firstgeneration · May 3, 2007

CaliCPhT said:
Hi everyone. I tried searching this through the threads and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for (plus I didn't have the time to search through all 10 pages) and I 'm sure it's been discussed before. I was wondering how Pharmcas calculates the GPA. Do they take the hours completed and grades from ALL prior institutions you've attended? I took some CC courses and have about a 3.8 GPA there, but the university that I graduated from I only had a 2.93 (sucks, I know - played too much and regret it now).

Also, I know that grades mean a lot, but they aren't everything, right? I have 5+ years of excellent healthcare/pharmacy related experience that I think has made me into a more well-rounded person.

I am in the same situation as you are. I have a 3.4 GPA and the CC course I took, which is repeated course and some are not. I graduated with a B.S. in biology with a GPA of 2.6, i am wondering the same thing. I have asked some of the school that i was thinking about applying and it's still confusing. So hopefully someone helps us figure it out.

pharmacyanalyst · May 3, 2007

I think alot of it depends on where you apply. I have noticed some school are more focused on GPA. I am applying to Sullivan which is a new program. I met with the dean and he seemed to stress that although GPA is important, experience is important as well which is great because I have Pharm Tech experience and alot of corporate Pharmacy experience. Hopefully I can rock the PCAT to overshadow my lackluster GPA!

Hope14 · May 3, 2007

hey, I am in the same situation if not WORSE..... 🙁....I have some pre-reqs to complete and was also wondering if I could do those pre-reqs at a CC. Pharmcas, or not, does it matter where you really take the class from? Just because either the university doesn't offer the course over the summer and it needs to be done soon...So I was planning on taking two pre-reqs at a CC.

what do you guys think?

I also apologize for the repetitive questions/etc...

Bhavesh · May 3, 2007

Has anyone had issues with pharmcas or applying to schools if their college has a preprofessional advising office that sends a composite letter?

Granted this is school specific, how will pharmcas and schools handle the number of references if:
-you tell your recommenders to send their letter of reference to the letter writing office
-the letter writing office sends all those letters, along with an additional composite letter, as a package to pharmcas?

Should I tell my recommenders to keep an electronic copy of their recommendations so they can be submitted separately?

jc430 · May 3, 2007

my recommendation if you're borderline, i'd either apply to non-pharmcas schools or apply really early to the pharmcas schools that use rolling admissions.

the first go around, i applied to only pharmcas schools with 1 or 2 non-pharmcas schools that i had a smaller chance getting in due to the fact that i was applying as a transfer into a 6 year program and into an accelerated 3 year program with lots of applicants. the result no interviews.

this year i didn't get one interview with the schools on pharmcas i applied to, but i got interview requests from 5 schools 4 of which i interviewed with. i also got accepted into 2 that don't have interviews that are non-pharmcas schools.

i know it's probably a bigger hassle to fill out all those extra apps and tailor personal statements, but i would say it is worth the hassle if you want to get in somewhere. besides, pharmcas doesn't necessary pay off financially if you count the application fee along with the supplemental fees that the individual schools charge you (sometimes just asking for your payment in the case of albany).

also, if you're really serious in getting into this profession, apply broadly. i know not every school may be in a location you'd ever thought you'd be able to live in, but chalk it up to a living and learning experience. in the end you are there to learn, and no matter which school you come out of, you'll still be a pharmd.

good luck to you all.

StringTheorist · May 3, 2007

while they DO use all your scores entered for PharmCAS, the university you applied to has their own calculations for your GPA. For example, the University of Florida only sees the GPA of its pre-requisites. So while my overall GPA was 3.5, and PharmCAS showed 3.2 (since it included all math, science, etc), it included classes like geology, a science, but NOT a pre-req, so UF saw my GPA with just their pre-reqs, and I had a 2.99 prepharm GPA ( as told to me by the dean of admissions). What you see on PharmCAS isn't always what the universities see. but on the bright side, I got in, so a low GPA doesnt mean you're out of the game 🙂

firstgeneration · May 4, 2007

okay..so what about repeated courses anyone know anything about that. Again i wanted to boost my GPA so i took repeated courses at a CC. Has anyone got in with repeated course. I have like 3 or 4 repeated course since i took some prereq and i decided to up my GPA. Any suggestions???

Farmercyst · May 4, 2007

firstgeneration said:
okay..so what about repeated courses anyone know anything about that. Again i wanted to boost my GPA so i took repeated courses at a CC. Has anyone got in with repeated course. I have like 3 or 4 repeated course since i took some prereq and i decided to up my GPA. Any suggestions???

The only course I've repeated was Intro to visual arts. I got a D and replaced with a D. Not really a good indicator for Pharm School though. Certainly would say something if I were going for Art though.

kittycatblues · May 4, 2007

You should have your evaluators submit directly to PharmCAS.

steveysmith54 · May 6, 2007

thanks.

cycloketocaine · May 6, 2007

steveysmith54 said:
thanks.

PharmCAS keeps nothing.

KellyBean · May 6, 2007

You have to re-register for a username and you can start having your LORs sent in after June 1st.

omnione · May 6, 2007

Yeah..

But if you plan to use the same people for your LORs, I guess it wouldn't be too difficult or slow to get them to change the date and make other tweaks before sending the LOR.

steveysmith54 · May 6, 2007

omnione said:
Yeah..

But if you plan to use the same people for your LORs, I guess it wouldn't be too difficult or slow to get them to change the date and make other tweaks before sending the LOR.

not hard, but kinda embarassing, i suppose. hopefully it won't happen to me. 🙁

Pharm Buddy · May 12, 2007

Here is my story: I am planning to apply for 2008 entering class for pharmacy schools. So, I signed up for an account on PharmCAS in October 2006. After getting the account, I start to enter my grades and other required materials whenever I have time. And I have also asked my professors and my pharmacist to write letters of recommendation for me and they have already submitted to PharmCAS. A few days ago, I logged onto PharmCAS website again and wanted to add more stuff. Then I realized that 2007 application cycle had ended and they do not accept any new material until June 1, 2007. So, I could not log into my account. My question is that will I be able to access to my old account once the new application cycle has started and will I have back all the materials that I have entered so far? My big concern is those letters of recommendation. If anyone knows about it, could you please tell me? 😕

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