Please share your Pacfic University Interview experience

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DannyPx

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Greetings good people! I would be glad if some one who has gone to Pacific University for interview could share their interview experience. I have interview there by second week of DeC.
Thanks everybody.

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DannyPx said:
Greetings good people! I would be glad if some one who has gone to Pacific University for interview could share their interview experience. I have interview there by second week of DeC.
Thanks everybody.


When did you submit your application?
 
I submitted my application last week of October and I did make the deadline for the early admissions.
Thanks for asking.
 
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DannyPx said:
I submitted my application last week of October and I did make the deadline for the early admissions.
Thanks for asking.

Congrats on getting the interview! When were you notified from Pacific for the interview? and how do they contact you for the interview?
 
I was contacted via phone and was asked to check out for the e-mail today or tomorrow for more details.
Thanks and good luck.
 
bump.

I also have an interview date for 10th december. I know Pacific had an interview day last week.

To people who have interviewed:
1. Number of interviewers?
2. What kind of questions (ethical/situational)?
3. High Stress/Low stress?
4. Writing sample?

Thanks!
 
Hi,
I have interview the same date as you. I will be flying in on Friday. I wish I will meet you for you to show me my way round the city. Any way all the best.
 
Thanks Bona,
I checked and there was no info yet. I hope I will get one befoire my interview.
 
Hello everyone,

I got quite a few PM on Pacific Uni. interview, so I thought it'd be better to post it here.

9-9:30am breakfast
9:30-11 am presentation with the dean
11-11:30 writing
11:30-12:30 lunch
12:30-5:30 interview & tour

The day was very relaxing. Everyone (the dean, interviewers...) there was SUPER nice and friendly, they wanted us to feel comfortable and enjoy the day. They took a pix of me when I got there, then we had breakfast with a little chat with the dean. The dean then presented us the overview of the 3-year curriculum... I love the way it works- if you passed all of the assessments or exams during the year, then you'd have 2 months off in the summer. I'm not sure if other 3-year program works like this??? I always thought it's year-round and no breaks at all???

The writing wasn't hard. We were given a sheet of paper with 3 questions in which you choose one and answer no more than 1 page, since we only had about 20 min. Everyone had slightly different topic, but it wasn't bad at all....

After lunch, group A interview, Group B on tour.... at 3pm we swap. It was a 2 to 1 interview... 2 ppl interviewed one candidate which lasted about 30 min. They asked typical questions--- why pharmacy, why pacific....

It was a good experience for me... I love the school , the ppl there. Don't worry about the writing, it wasn't hard.... be relax, comfortable, and be yourself during the interview....

hope it helps a bit!! :)
 
Thanks Mindy!

It sounds like the interview was very straight forward. Good to hear! :)
 
Thanks Mindy. You are such a blessing. Now I have an idea of what to expect.
Once more thanks to you all and happy thanksgiving.
 
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Hi,
Good day and happy thanksgiving. Can I appeal to you to ask Lee to update Pacific University School of Pharmacy at the Interview feedback so that we can have the students share their experience(s).

Thanks for the good work and all the best.
 
DannyPx said:
Hi,
Good day and happy thanksgiving. Can I appeal to you to ask Lee to update Pacific University School of Pharmacy at the Interview feedback so that we can have the students share their experience(s).

Thanks for the good work and all the best.

Lee'll work on it on the next site update.
 
No problem!! Good luck to you all!!! and hopefully we'll be classmate :)
 
That was thoughtful of you. Oh yeah, I know we will all be classmates. That will be lots of fun and I can't really wait.
Thanks guys and all the best to you all.
 
For those of you who have interviewed at Pacific, what was the town the school was in like? Was it a suburban town?, lots of traffic? What did it look like there- mountains, hills, rain, etc.?

Any other comments about the curriculum, etc. would also be helpful. I like the idea of a two month break between years 1 and 2.

Stephie
 
Did they mention whether during those breaks you have rotations?

I'm extremely curious about the curriculum as well...
Hopefully if anyone knows anything about it they will post!!!
 
Hi Steph,
Longest time! I hope you are doing alright. I have interview in two weeks and I hope we make it to the school 'cos it will be fascinating to have all wonderful people there.
 
bbmuffin said:
Did they mention whether during those breaks you have rotations?

I'm extremely curious about the curriculum as well...
Hopefully if anyone knows anything about it they will post!!!

Someone from Pacific told me over the phone that you were free for those 2 months as long as you didn't need to take any classes over (because of failing them before). I wanted to find out from anyone at the interview whether they elaborated on the schedule more. Does the Pacific schedule have more breaks than the other 3 year schools?
 
Stephie said:
Someone from Pacific told me over the phone that you were free for those 2 months as long as you didn't need to take any classes over (because of failing them before). I wanted to find out from anyone at the interview whether they elaborated on the schedule more. Does the Pacific schedule have more breaks than the other 3 year schools?
yes
it sounds more like the BS schedule than the pharm D schedule...
which is why i was curious

i am wondering how they are offering that degree without the work
 
Hi, I just booked my flight for the 10th of Dec. Interview.
Do you guys think this school will have any problem getting accredidation? After what happened in Hawaii, I'm a bit cautious...
 
It's not exactly true that you get 2 months off. Assuming you don't require remediation, you will still be scrambling to finish up your internship hours during that time.

To compare Pacific in any way with HICP is rather silly. Pacific is regionally accredited and the second oldest University in the West (Willamette University is the oldest, in case anyone's curious). It's apples and oranges really. That being said, Pacific is on a tight schedule to get the program off the ground. If they don't hit the pavement running they might have to skip pre-accredation status and go the route of USN school of pharmacy...this makes me a little uncomfortable, but whacha gonnna do? All in all its a well established University that has a solid foundation for a school of pharmacy. No worries mate!
 
I have also booked my flight and ready to go. See you on the 10th classmates!
 
BiOGoly said:
It's not exactly true that you get 2 months off. Assuming you don't require remediation, you will still be scrambling to finish up your internship hours during that time.

To compare Pacific in any way with HICP is rather silly. Pacific is regionally accredited and the second oldest University in the West (Willamette University is the oldest, in case anyone's curious). It's apples and oranges really. That being said, Pacific is on a tight schedule to get the program off the ground. If they don't hit the pavement running they might have to skip pre-accredation status and go the route of USN school of pharmacy...this makes me a little uncomfortable, but whacha gonnna do? All in all its a well established University that has a solid foundation for a school of pharmacy. No worries mate!

I am pretty sure that USN did have their pre-candidate status before complete accredidation.
 
Smilescali said:
I am pretty sure that USN did have their pre-candidate status before complete accredidation.

Nope. This may have been one of the big issues that led to a lot of self deception on the part of HICP students. I believe USN (LVCP) was the first school to ever skip pre-candidate status and instead apply directly for full candidate status. They had to do this because they admitted their first class before being certified pre-candidate and according to protocol this means that you have to then bypass pre-candidate and meet more stringent full-candidate requirements. USN had an experienced staff with many cumulative years in Pharmacy education and qualified without a hitch...we all know what happened with HICP.
 
BiOGoly said:
Nope. This may have been one of the big issues that led to a lot of self deception on the part of HICP students. I believe USN (LVCP) was the first school to ever skip pre-candidate status and instead apply directly for full candidate status. They had to do this because they admitted their first class before being certified pre-candidate and according to protocol this means that you have to then bypass pre-candidate and meet more stringent full-candidate requirements. USN had an experienced staff with many cumulative years in Pharmacy education and qualified without a hitch...we all know what happened with HICP.


I see, I was unclear of the differences between pre-candidate and full- candidate accredidation. I remember visiting their website years ago and it stated that the school was not fully accredited yet , but they were in some sort of a candidate status at that point. Maybe it was full-candidate. Thanks for the clarification. :)
 
BiOGoly said:
It's not exactly true that you get 2 months off. Assuming you don't require remediation, you will still be scrambling to finish up your internship hours during that time.

To compare Pacific in any way with HICP is rather silly. Pacific is regionally accredited and the second oldest University in the West (Willamette University is the oldest, in case anyone's curious). It's apples and oranges really. That being said, Pacific is on a tight schedule to get the program off the ground. If they don't hit the pavement running they might have to skip pre-accredation status and go the route of USN school of pharmacy...this makes me a little uncomfortable, but whacha gonnna do? All in all its a well established University that has a solid foundation for a school of pharmacy. No worries mate!


:) That's what my impression of the school was too. Very reputable...however whenever I tell others that it's a new school and isn't accredited YET, they all tell me about HICP. I'm not too worried either mate! See you all on the 10th. We should somehow id eachother there, all the sdn's!
 
I hope to see you on the 10th mates! shallom!
 
I have an interview on Dec 10th as well!!

I'm flying out from TX to Portland on the 9th, and driving to Forest Grove in the morning of the interview.

Do you know how many people they interview at a time?

I'm so excited, yet nervous because this is my first interview.
 
:eek: I apologize. wrong school. i was talking about UOP. don't kill me.
 
Good luck with interviews everyone
 
There is no such name as that there.
 
Wanna share my interview experience with everyone at Pacific University on Nov 21, now that I've been accepted :D I am very impressed at how fast they work, barely a week after my interview and I've already been notified by phone that I got accepted. Although Pacific is brand new and they haven't done much promotions at all to let students know that they are openning in Fall 2006, but it has been very competitive. They expected about 600 applications in all but last I heard, that number have reached close to 1,000 applicants. For that many applicants, there are only 60 spots available, so for those that got invited to the interview, take every opportunity you can to maximize your chance and make yourself stand out. Good Luck!!!

The Essay:
They gave you 3 topics which are very easy and with common sense and personal experience, it shouldn't be any problem. You only have to fill up the front page that they provide you, so there's not much you have to write. You're given 20 minutes to write it and that should be plenty of time to fill up 1 page.

The Interview:
It was one of the best interview I've ever had because it was so relaxing. Funny thing is, the interview which seemed to be the hardest thing turned out to be the easiest. It was a closed file interview and we literally just sat there and chat, not any difficult questions relating to pharmacy ethical issues. Basically, their goal is trying to get to know you better personally.

Accredidation:
If anyone is worried about Pacific University getting accredidation because of what happend to Hawaii, there should be no worries. Pacific has been nationally accredited in the health field for over 70 years, which is a good thing cuz that makes you qualify for financial aid. Also, they are in the process of pre-accrediation and they are always on the heals of ACPE and contacting ACPE very frequently to get suggestions on what they can improve and how they are doing. Pacific University knows better not to follow Hawaii's footstep when they accepted 240 students in a capacity class size of only 100. Pacific will only accept 60 students the first year, 80 students the second year, and then 100 students the third year which will maximize their capacity. They are working their way up from a comfortable small class size.
 
:thumbup: Congratulations!!! I was supposed to attend the nov. interview but i postponed it last minute due to some emergencies. But i'm very happy for you! I'm gonna goto the dec. 10th interview and see if i like the school and the area.... i'm still rather iffy about moving out to oregon from LA though :oops: i do love LA....
 
Thx Blob!

Glad to hear you made the cut! About how many people total were interviewing do you think? It's great to know that Pacific is trying to be quick with admissions follow-up, I hope they don't wait until after break to announce acceptance from the Dec. 10th interview day :scared: I'll spend Christmas bitting my nails.
 
Hi Blob,
I am very happy for you. Men! itz not that easy to make the cut considering how many people that they are interviewing. At least, now you can sleep soundly knowing that you ahve admission somewhere.

In all congrats
 
TheBlob said:
Wanna share my interview experience with everyone at Pacific University on Nov 21, now that I've been accepted :D I am very impressed at how fast they work, barely a week after my interview and I've already been notified by phone that I got accepted. Although Pacific is brand new and they haven't done much promotions at all to let students know that they are openning in Fall 2006, but it has been very competitive. They expected about 600 applications in all but last I heard, that number have reached close to 1,000 applicants. For that many applicants, there are only 60 spots available, so for those that got invited to the interview, take every opportunity you can to maximize your chance and make yourself stand out. Good Luck!!!

The Essay:
They gave you 3 topics which are very easy and with common sense and personal experience, it shouldn't be any problem. You only have to fill up the front page that they provide you, so there's not much you have to write. You're given 20 minutes to write it and that should be plenty of time to fill up 1 page.

The Interview:
It was one of the best interview I've ever had because it was so relaxing. Funny thing is, the interview which seemed to be the hardest thing turned out to be the easiest. It was a closed file interview and we literally just sat there and chat, not any difficult questions relating to pharmacy ethical issues. Basically, their goal is trying to get to know you better personally.

Accredidation:
If anyone is worried about Pacific University getting accredidation because of what happend to Hawaii, there should be no worries. Pacific has been nationally accredited in the health field for over 70 years, which is a good thing cuz that makes you qualify for financial aid. Also, they are in the process of pre-accrediation and they are always on the heals of ACPE and contacting ACPE very frequently to get suggestions on what they can improve and how they are doing. Pacific University knows better not to follow Hawaii's footstep when they accepted 240 students in a capacity class size of only 100. Pacific will only accept 60 students the first year, 80 students the second year, and then 100 students the third year which will maximize their capacity. They are working their way up from a comfortable small class size.


Congratulation on your acceptance. How long ago did you apply? Now that you've been accepted there, do you know how important do they look into the 2 essays from the application? Thanks for the response.
 
I got into Pacific Uni ... huuuu :clap: I'm soooo excited !!!! I got a call yesterday before my final, that was the "best news of the week".....I wish you guys the best on your interview next week!!!


hey blob,
are you going to accept the offer??? hope to see ya next year!!
 
Mindy510 said:
I got into Pacific Uni ... huuuu :clap: I'm soooo excited !!!! I got a call yesterday before my final, that was the "best news of the week".....I wish you guys the best on your interview next week!!!


hey blob,
are you going to accept the offer??? hope to see ya next year!!



Dear Mindy,
I know you will get in and I am so happy for you. Congrats
 
I got an interview on the 10th too, where is everyone stayin? Anyone know what places are best?
 
"About how many people total were interviewing do you think?" If you meant how many people they will be interviewing, there will be 2 more interview dates in January after Dec 10th, the interview on Nov 21st had 30 candidates, Dec 10th will have around 45 candidates as well as the 2 dates in January, so around 150 candidates will be interviewed I think.

"How long ago did you apply?" I barely got my application in by Nov 1st LOL, i expressed mailed it at the end of Oct.

"Now that you've been accepted there, do you know how important do they look into the 2 essays from the application?" Once you've been invited to the interview, they've already looked at your personal statement essay, so if you're talking about the essay done during the interview, I don't think they look into that very much because it was very much an impromtu writing and the topics were quite easy. They don't care whether you use the essay format (intro, body, conclusion) or not, it's pretty much free form. So again, I believe this essay may serve importance during a tight decision like when they compare 2 applicants who are very equal in everything, this may be the deciding factor, but the interview weights a lot more. I do recommend when you write, if you make a mistake, simply cross it out with one line, do not scribble all over it and then move on.

"are you going to accept the offer???" Congrats to you too Mindy510!!! Yes I will be accepting the offer because I live quite close to campus, and it's only 3 years.
 
TheBlob said:
Accredidation:
If anyone is worried about Pacific University getting accredidation because of what happend to Hawaii, there should be no worries. Pacific has been nationally accredited in the health field for over 70 years, which is a good thing cuz that makes you qualify for financial aid.

Pardon my language, but being accredited in some health field doesn't mean jack shi* when it comes to financial aid. The ONLY thing that matters is if it is accredited by the regional accreditation agency.

TheBlob said:
Also, they are in the process of pre-accrediation and they are always on the heals of ACPE and contacting ACPE very frequently to get suggestions on what they can improve and how they are doing.

What in tarnation are you talking about? pre-accreditation? Hell, they have yet to even submit pre-candidate status paperwork (assuming that's what you meant) according to their website! And to be honest with you, the accreditation statement listed on the website is misleading.

TheBlob said:
Pacific University knows better not to follow Hawaii's footstep when they accepted 240 students in a capacity class size of only 100. Pacific will only accept 60 students the first year, 80 students the second year, and then 100 students the third year which will maximize their capacity. They are working their way up from a comfortable small class size.

I feel like the Aflac duck shaking his head in disbelief over what he's hearing....

aflac.jpg
 
Smilescali said:
I am pretty sure that USN did have their pre-candidate status before complete accredidation.
Smilescali said:
I see, I was unclear of the differences between pre-candidate and full- candidate accredidation. I remember visiting their website years ago and it stated that the school was not fully accredited yet , but they were in some sort of a candidate status at that point. Maybe it was full-candidate. Thanks for the clarification.

Do you ever know what your talking about or do you just shoot from the hip all the time?
 
Mindy510 said:
I got into Pacific Uni ... huuuu :clap: I'm soooo excited !!!! I got a call yesterday before my final, that was the "best news of the week".....I wish you guys the best on your interview next week!!!


hey blob,
are you going to accept the offer??? hope to see ya next year!!

Don't forget to post it in the Roll Call thread. Congrats!! :)
 
FutureRxGal said:
Please do not attack other members. I shouldn't have to tell you this. :rolleyes:
You want some of this?? :laugh: ;)
 
Strange how 2 schools can have totally identical names. Pacific University and University of the Pacific. At first I thought you were talking about UoP and that you had it all wrong. You get about a 3 week break in summer at UoP and if you fail a class you get kicked out for a full year. This Pacific University sounds like they have a really nice thing going to make students feel comfortable and succeed, and I'm happy for all of you that are being accepted. I hope you enjoy it there.
 
pharm120 said:
Strange how 2 schools can have totally identical names. Pacific University and University of the Pacific. At first I thought you were talking about UoP and that you had it all wrong. You get about a 3 week break in summer at UoP and if you fail a class you get kicked out for a full year. This Pacific University sounds like they have a really nice thing going to make students feel comfortable and succeed, and I'm happy for all of you that are being accepted. I hope you enjoy it there.
it sounds a little shady to me.....

i mean the accredition stuff...
the summers off stuff....
accepting people 1 month after their application has been turned in and yet they already have over 1000 applicants...
 
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