Questions about the Rosalind Franklin University College of Pharmacy

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

I am done with Pharmcas application and wondering if there is any supplemental application? Please let me know where to look for supplemental application and fees.....

Hi Skrishna,

Yes, Rosalind Franklin University will ask that you submit an supplemental application. Once PharmCAS has verified and delivered your application to our office, your application will be reviewed and the supplemental application sent to you electronically. The supplemental application fee should be included when you return your supp application to our office by mailing to:

Rosalind Franklin University
College of Pharmacy Admissions
3333 Green Bay Rd
North Chicago, IL 60064

Hope that helps!
Ask RFUPharmacy

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[appleciousrx03]

Thank you for all the detailed information! I was just wondering when the admission committee is going to start contacting applicants for interviews?

 

[Skrishna]

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

 

[rxforlife2004]

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

of course no replying because the school will close soon...lol

 

[schoolpharm]

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

I submitted my supplemental application on November 5th and received an interview invite for December 17th about two days ago. So you should be hearing from them soon.

 

[type b pharmD]

hey RFU

Just wanted to say . as an observer of technology and as someone interested in new effective uses of social media in relation to professional environments, it's really cool that you've come on here to bring the school admission and application process directly to the students! I dunno if anyone has done this before on sdn, but I can certainly say you're one of the first to reach out to applicants in this way. Perhaps in the future, more marketing of school professional programs and interaction between applicants and adcoms can take place on media such as SDN. Really cool idea! Thanks for bringing your program directly to the student applicants!

And to the people bashing the opening of new schools. 1. Rosalind Franklin is one of the most well known healthcare education schools in the us if not the world and deserves to have a pharmacy school to round out their interprofessional thing , given that theyve already proven that they are good healthcare educators. and 2. Schools dont open pharmacy programs for "the profession" they open them to benefit themselves and their students, with an increase of knowledge and bringing $$ to everyone involved (as professional salaries to faculty, profit or research $$ to the school, and to students who graduate and can get high paying jobs).

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Thank you for all the detailed information! I was just wondering when the admission committee is going to start contacting applicants for interviews?

Hi appleciousrx03,

We've actually started contacting qualified applicants with complete applications for interview days in December. We also have interview days planned for January and will be offering those to qualified candidates who are in the process of applying right now. So, if you haven't heard back from us, hang in there. Also, make certain your supplemental application has been sent and received... if we don't have it, we can't review you any further!

And, don't forget, RFUMS has rolling admissions...the sooner applicants submit their materials, the sooner we get to you!

Hang in there and good luck!

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

I submitted my supplemental application on November 5th and received an interview invite for December 17th about two days ago. So you should be hearing from them soon.

Congrats, schoolpharm! Let me know if you have any questions about the interview day itself or traveling to RFUMS for your interview.

Also, don't forget to post feedback about the interview day on SDN. Your feedback helps folks like me assess our interview day as well as future students.

See you on the 17th!

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

But, I submitted 1 month before and still not getting any email from the university.......I emailed 4-5 times and nobody is replying.....

Hmmm, have you tried calling? Sometimes emails end up in spam filters or outer space... The phone number to the Office of Admissions is 847-578-3204. Feel free to give us a call!

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

hey RFU

Just wanted to say . as an observer of technology and as someone interested in new effective uses of social media in relation to professional environments, it's really cool that you've come on here to bring the school admission and application process directly to the students! I dunno if anyone has done this before on sdn, but I can certainly say you're one of the first to reach out to applicants in this way. Perhaps in the future, more marketing of school professional programs and interaction between applicants and adcoms can take place on media such as SDN. Really cool idea! Thanks for bringing your program directly to the student applicants!

And to the people bashing the opening of new schools. 1. Rosalind Franklin is one of the most well known healthcare education schools in the us if not the world and deserves to have a pharmacy school to round out their interprofessional thing , given that theyve already proven that they are good healthcare educators. and 2. Schools dont open pharmacy programs for "the profession" they open them to benefit themselves and their students, with an increase of knowledge and bringing $$ to everyone involved (as professional salaries to faculty, profit or research $$ to the school, and to students who graduate and can get high paying jobs).

Awww, shucks. Thanks! I really enjoy interacting with the students on SDN. My big passion, other than talking to pre-health students, is also the effective use of social and real time media in higher education. I hope that by showing colleagues that you can have meaningful conversations on forums like SDN, they will be increasingly likely to join the conversation... and a lot of people benefit!

 

[appleciousrx03]

Thanks again for the response! Will the admissions committee be notifying via email or regilar mail? Are all of the december dates already spoken for? You also mention that the interviews are being offered to qualified applicants with complete applications and that the January dates will be offered to those who are qualified and in the process of applying right now. What happens if an application was already completed (pharmcas, supplemental app, and fee) and no interview extended for December? What qualifies an applicant to be "qualified"? Is there a point system based on only the PCAT and GPA that is in place to determine if an interview invite is in order?

I guess I just got confused with that there are more dates in January for interviews but will be extended to those that are qualified and in the process of applying right now.

Thanks again for your time and attention!

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Thanks again for the response! Will the admissions committee be notifying via email or regilar mail? Are all of the december dates already spoken for? You also mention that the interviews are being offered to qualified applicants with complete applications and that the January dates will be offered to those who are qualified and in the process of applying right now. What happens if an application was already completed (pharmcas, supplemental app, and fee) and no interview extended for December? What qualifies an applicant to be "qualified"? Is there a point system based on only the PCAT and GPA that is in place to determine if an interview invite is in order?

I guess I just got confused with that there are more dates in January for interviews but will be extended to those that are qualified and in the process of applying right now.

Thanks again for your time and attention!

Howdy again, appleciousrx03,
Thanks for the follow up question! Let's see if I can give you some good examples of how we are reviewing candidates for admission. So first, a qualified candidate for admissions is a student who has met our minimum credentials: 2.50 or better overall GPA and science GPA (sGPA) and also has a C or better on each of the individual pre-reqs. Qualified applicants have also reported their PCAT scores to our office, too! Now, qualified and competitive are two different things… since this is our first year of accepting COP students, I can't say… "and last year's average was…" so I'm predicting that competitive candidates will have 3.00 or better GPA and sGPAs… and have passed each of the pre-reqs with a grade better than a C.
See the difference?
Our review is very comprehensive, tho… and despite having a set GPA that we are looking for in our applicants, we are also very attune to seeing that GPA in context. What do I mean by that? If you happen to be the student who was attending school full time, working 30 hours or more each week and still had time to volunteer or commit to a community service project, we'll see that in your application. So, all hope is not lost if you happen to be a student who has met "just the minimum" qualifications. But, it may take a little bit longer for you to be invited to interview.
Also, a quick shout-out to all of those non-traditional students out there applying… we know that you face a different set of challenges when applying… and this is why a comprehensive review of your credentials is to your benefit. You may be fighting back from a low GPA from years ago, but your recent work is outstanding. The A/C will be looking at trends and your sGPA very closely in reviewing your credentials.
With Rolling Admissions, it's almost like a buffet… competitive applicants who have a complete application in our office will get to interview earlier – they'll also hear a decision earlier. Those who wait may not have a choice of interview dates or get to interview as early as they want… so don't wait to get your materials to us just because our deadlines aren't until March 2011.
Now, I will say this, more Interview Dates will be announced after we attain Pre-Candidate Status in Jan 2011… to accommodate those who have compete applications now (and still waiting to hear back from us) and for those who are in the process of finishing their applications now.
Does that help? I know it's frustrating to sit and wait to hear back… but, we are processing applications every day and the A/C is meeting to review candidates each week. I know the process feels like it takes forever. Hang in there.
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[Passion4Sci]

I haven't seen this question covered yet, and I can't believe it. So if it HAS been covered I apologize but -

A hot topic around here has been CC vs. university. Would you care to comment on RFU's policy for how it treats CC classes? You talked a bit about GPA in your most recent reply. I think it'd be interesting to see how RFU views a CC applicant vs. a 4 year applicant, assuming that they have more or less equal PCAT scores and more or less equal ECs (i.e., the CC student doesn't have like 13 years of work experience as a technician and they're a nobel prize winner, etc).

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

I haven't seen this question covered yet, and I can't believe it. So if it HAS been covered I apologize but -

A hot topic around here has been CC vs. university. Would you care to comment on RFU's policy for how it treats CC classes? You talked a bit about GPA in your most recent reply. I think it'd be interesting to see how RFU views a CC applicant vs. a 4 year applicant, assuming that they have more or less equal PCAT scores and more or less equal ECs (i.e., the CC student doesn't have like 13 years of work experience as a technician and they're a nobel prize winner, etc).

Hi Passion4Sci,
Thanks for a great question. I would LOVE to comment on CC coursework… I have to admit, first, I am a huge CC proponent. You’ve given me a pretty specific scenario, so I’d like to give some general advice before I address this specific “situation” you’ve posed. In a past life I worked in the Transfer Admissions Office for a Big State University for several years. I have seen firsthand the quality of work that some CC students can produce…but, my job here is also to tell you things that will make candidates competitive for acceptance into the COP at RFU program… so, here goes.

I KNOW taking CC classes is less expensive… and given the economic climate in recent years, I can very easily understand how and why a student would have chosen to start at a CC and work towards transferring to a university. What we would expect to see from this candidate is a progression towards increasingly complex subjects in the last year or two of his/her studies. For example, this student could take Gen Bio at the CC, but take Calc and Anatomy at the university level.

Okay, let’s reverse that scenario. This student starts at the University and decides to take Physics at the CC. My first question in the review of the application is going to be WHY? Did s/he fail Physics the first time at the university and they are retaking it at the CC to boost the GPA?? That’s likely not going to fly with the A/C. Is s/he a double major in Microbiology and Music and the intensive summer Physics course at the local CC was the only way to get the credit and still graduate on time? That’s likely going to be okay with the A/C.

There are a few questions I think any pre-health student should be asking themselves before deciding to attend a CC to take courses, especially pre-requisites. First, is your overall GPA competitive? How about your sGPA? If you are struggling in the university level sciences, it may look as if you are “boosting” your GPA by attending CC to take what some universities call a “weed out” class. Don’t take that chance with your academic background in order to “get the grade.”

Another question you need to ask yourself is: how many schools have I transferred to/from in my undergraduate career? One new trend we are noticing in all healthcare applicants is multiple transfers… and in some cases, it appears as tho every time things got a little rough or challenging they transferred; taking CC classes may appear like they are looking for an easier route, again. These are not the kinds of questions you want to spend precious interview time answering about your academic background.

Okay, so given all of that above, in your specific scenario… and assuming this applicant isn’t a Nobel winner, then, if a candidate presented with only three years of CC work on their application, I’m going to ask why? And, if the candidate doesn’t have a really great answer (as outlined in their personal statement!), then my best advice to that candidate: transfer to a university and try your hand at upper division science coursework before you attempt any professional school – including COP at RFU.

Hope that helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Ask RFUPharmacy

Note: RFUMS Office of Admissions will be closed, in observation of the holidays, on December 23, 24, 30 and 31. From the staff and faculty at COP, we wish you and yours a very happy holiday season.

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Howdy everyone,

Caryn, our fabulous COP Admissions Coordinator, asked me to pass along a note to all current (and future!) applicants:

.Caryn says, "Please remind candidates to check their spam and junk filters for the supplementary application! ....They can avoid our messages going to spam by adding [email protected] to their safe senders list or address books.".

..
.. Not that Caryn is scary (she's actually quit nice), but even *I* do what Caryn tells me!


Cheers,
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Hi again everyone! Is it possible that you still have questions about our new COP at RFUMS? I’m sure you do… here’s a picture of what life might be like for you if Rosalind Franklin University is a part of your pharmacy future.

Part 1 covered what the first year of didactic study in the Interprofessional environment will look like next year. Part 2 examined how your Pharmacy Practice Experiences builds upon the didactic portion of the curriculum and expands into the real world via multiple pharmacy settings. Part 3 is an in-depth look at the practical emphasis placed on your learning through what we call the IPPE Collaborative Learning Bridge (ICLB) and your Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE).

You might be asking… what the heck is a Collaborative Learning Bridge?? The ICLB Project is fantastic experience by which didactic learning and practical pharmacy are tied together. The ICLB Project is a multi-year project spanning the three years of IPPE (P1-P3) with increasing progression of both depth and scope… it’s showing you how the PharmD curriculum is integrated both horizontally and vertically (in other words, what you’ve been learning all this time!). The project is an active, team-based assignment that bridges basic knowledge gained in P1 to application in P2, and a practical emphasis in the final year of the project (P3). At the end of each year, teams will attend and present their projects at an annual COP poster presentation session, while some will participate in Plenary Sessions with students and faculty.

Our Class of 2015 will be divided into teams of 5 students. It will be up to the individual teams to define a project with input from the course instructor(s). These projects may be focused on topical issues such as drug, drug class, disease, public health concern, or patient-centered care. Teams will be asked to develop increasingly detailed information and experiences regarding their project throughout the duration of the project.

If we followed a sample project (and, no, you can’t use this one as your project next year!) to give you an idea of the increasing scope of a multi-year project, this is what you might see: Let’s say your ICLB team is interested in “Using appropriate methods of patient education to review indications, adverse effects, dosage, storage, and administration techniques.” That’s a pretty big topic for a group of P1 students. But, in the P1 year of your project, you might simply tackle providing point-of-care and patient-centered services and/or communicating with patients and other health care providers at the poster session. Moving into the P2 year, your team’s objective would expand… incorporating new knowledge and practical information: “Relating the chemical and/or biochemical structure of drugs to their therapeutic action” with your team project seeking to articulate best practices and responding to drug information inquiries. In the final year, your team project’s objective would blossom into “Recommended revisions of therapeutic plans based upon changes in patient status.” Finally, the three years of Pharmacy training pull together in order to discuss, at a plenary session, interpreting and evaluating patient information or presenting patient cases in an organized format covering pertinent information.

And, finally, the P4 year… imagine it! Just 3.5 years from now, you could be getting ready to start your 4th year as a student in the College of Pharmacy at RFUMS. It’s a long road, but totally worth it. Let’s look at what it might look like when you get there. COP students will participate in six 6-week long APPEs (Clinical Rotations) in each of the following areas: Community Pharmacy, Hospital or Health System Pharmacy, Ambulatory Care, Inpatient/Acute Care General Medicine plus two electives. And, how might you spend your electives? I’d suggest one of the following areas, potentially: Public health, Industry (drug safety, medical information, regulatory research and development), Managed care, Home infusions, Nuclear pharmacy, Poison Control, Consulting (long term care, geriatric, mental health), or Research Experience (e.g., basic science, clinical research, literature review). Or you may choose to gain more experience in specialized clinical practice such as infectious diseases, critical care, oncology, psychiatry, or surgery for example.

Imagine preventing a life-threatening drug interaction or being able to participate in cardiac arrest team! Whether you’re counseling a patient on medications, recommending appropriate medication selection to health care professionals, or drafting a drug monograph for hospital formulary review, the P4 year is full of exciting challenges!

I ask you this, what’s your passion for Pharmacy? Rosalind Franklin University’s COP can help you reach your goals for a career in Pharmacy!

 

[kyang89]

Wow, RFU representative, thank you so much for your input. I just received my interview invite for Jan. 7th, earlier today and upon first review of this thread, it is clear that RFU is very serious about it's new school of pharmacy. I was also extremely surprised by the promptness of the invite, as I had just sent my application in by mail only last Thursday afternoon.

Anyways, keep up the great work! Hopefully we'll be meeting soon!

 

[nuduocsi]

Hi,
I'm not sure if it's a mistake. But don't you think the modified font for the short essays is too small? When I copy what I typed in the application and paste them into Word, it appears the font size is only 6.
So that also means, to fill up the provided space in the application, you need to write about 4000 characters (800 words)??? Is it too long for a Supplemental essay?

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Wow, RFU representative, thank you so much for your input. I just received my interview invite for Jan. 7th, earlier today and upon first review of this thread, it is clear that RFU is very serious about it's new school of pharmacy. I was also extremely surprised by the promptness of the invite, as I had just sent my application in by mail only last Thursday afternoon.

Anyways, keep up the great work! Hopefully we'll be meeting soon!

Good luck in your interview, kyang89! Let me know if you have any questions about visiting campus, parking or traveling to our campus in North Chicago.

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Hi,
I'm not sure if it's a mistake. But don't you think the modified font for the short essays is too small? When I copy what I typed in the application and paste them into Word, it appears the font size is only 6.
So that also means, to fill up the provided space in the application, you need to write about 4000 characters (800 words)??? Is it too long for a Supplemental essay?

Hi nuduocsi,

Yes, the pdf version of the supplemental application has a font that is set to 6 points. However, you are welcome to change this format if you would like... our intention was to not limit the amount of space applicants needed to provide answers (well, ok, honestly, we don't want to read a 5 page novella!). If your answer does not take up the "whole space" but you have answered the question thoroughly, then you will be fine! Don't ramble just to fill up space! If you prefer to change the font to a larger size, then also feel free to do so!

Hope that helps!
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[kyang89]

Hey SDN!

I just interviewed at this school this past Friday (1/7/2011), and it was a fantastic experience! The faculty members are very nice, and all make an effort to participate in the interview process. There were 8 of us in total, but I am not too sure whether or not that is a variable number. In any case, the experience was really great, and time passed by surprisingly quickly. I definitely really enjoyed RFU's interview process, and I wish everyone else interviewing the best of luck! I really hope to get in

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Hey SDN!

I just interviewed at this school this past Friday (1/7/2011), and it was a fantastic experience! The faculty members are very nice, and all make an effort to participate in the interview process. There were 8 of us in total, but I am not too sure whether or not that is a variable number. In any case, the experience was really great, and time passed by surprisingly quickly. I definitely really enjoyed RFU's interview process, and I wish everyone else interviewing the best of luck! I really hope to get in

Hi kyang89,

So glad you enjoyed your visit! Do you mind if I ask you a few follow up questions.. the ones other candidates might be wondering?

1. How far did you have to travel to get to North Chicago? Did you stay overnight and if so, where? Approximately, how much did you total travel to N Chicago cost you?

2. If the RFU COP interview was not your first, how did it compare to other programs you have interviewed with?

3. What was the most interesting question you were asked during the interview?

4. What was the toughest question to answer during the interview?

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you over the next few weeks! Good luck!!
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[kyang89]

Sure, I'll provide some feedback.

1. I school in Montreal, but I was visiting home in NY for the break. So I flew from there to O'Hare, took a cab to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel for the night (got the Rosalind Franklin Student Rate), and then took a complimentary shuttle the following morning to the school. (Make sure you contact Marriott for the Gurnee Flash Cab number to make a reservation, as they provide a flat rate of 47 dollars from the airport to the hotel. If you just let counter clock you by the second/minute, it will run you north of 90 dollars)

The flight cost about 200 dollars round trip via expedia.com. On the way back, a fellow candidate drove me to the airport, and I chipped in for her car rental fare. So it all summed up to about $370 dollars in travel expenses, including $30-40 in food and drinks.

2. RFU COP actually is currently my first choice, mostly because the experience was really amazing, and the facilities and resources provided to the students within the program are very innovative and contemporary. It was a good experience. I can't compare to any others yet, as my next interview isn't until this coming Friday.

3. What could you tell me if I told you there was a positive correlation between eating ice cream, and drowning rates? In retrospect, I should have mentioned correlation does not imply causation, but I was just trying to come up with a logical answer as quickly as I could, haha.

4. Describe an SN2 reaction. I know it's semi-basic Organic Chem, but it had been ages ago since I last dealt with that material, I was a little caught off guard, but I ended up answering it correctly!

 

[kyang89]

A few people have PM'd me for some information regarding the interview, and I feel it only fair to all applicants if I shared some of the information I did with them, with everyone else. So here goes:

- one on one interviews conducted by a faculty member (they were all extremely nice and laid-back, so try not to be so uptight, and just have a good time)
- the writing sample was 30 minutes; treat it like you would writing a supplemental application. Brainstorm a couple of ideas before attacking the component, or else you might not translate your idea effectively onto paper
- there were 8 of us in total (4 were interivewed, while 4 conducted their writing samples, and vice versa), but this could vary amongst interview samples
- be yourself, or you really wont enjoy the experience at all. I found time to pass by really quickly, because it was a really fun experience for me.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

We're in for some big time celebrating this afternoon at COP!!

​

Good News! ​

We're proud to announce the ​

College of Pharmacy ​

at Rosalind Franklin University​

has received​

Pre-Candidate status ​

from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)​

​

For more on our breaking news, visit​

www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy​

​

​

​

 

[kyang89]

amazing news! congrats

 

[bapa09]

Hi! As I was reading through the thread I don't think anyone has mentioned anything about repeated coursework. So, what is RFUCP's view on that? I ask this because I had to repeat 3 courses after going through a tough family ordeal. When I repeated the courses I did great in them, but the first grade I received in them are still being countered in my GPA. This is making my GPA seem much lower than it actually is.

Thanks for your help!!

 

[nuduocsi]

We're in for some big time celebrating this afternoon at COP!!

Good News!
We're proud to announce the
College of Pharmacy
at Rosalind Franklin University
has received
Pre-Candidate status
from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
For more on our breaking news, visit
www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy​

Yay! I am as super excited as you guys are about the news!!

High Five!

And, does this mean you will send out more interview invitations soon?

 

[nuduocsi]

Sure, I'll provide some feedback.

1. I school in Montreal, but I was visiting home in NY for the break. So I flew from there to O'Hare, took a cab to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel for the night (got the Rosalind Franklin Student Rate), and then took a complimentary shuttle the following morning to the school. (Make sure you contact Marriott for the Gurnee Flash Cab number to make a reservation, as they provide a flat rate of 47 dollars from the airport to the hotel. If you just let counter clock you by the second/minute, it will run you north of 90 dollars)

The flight cost about 200 dollars round trip via expedia.com. On the way back, a fellow candidate drove me to the airport, and I chipped in for her car rental fare. So it all summed up to about $370 dollars in travel expenses, including $30-40 in food and drinks.

2. RFU COP actually is currently my first choice, mostly because the experience was really amazing, and the facilities and resources provided to the students within the program are very innovative and contemporary. It was a good experience. I can't compare to any others yet, as my next interview isn't until this coming Friday.

3. What could you tell me if I told you there was a positive correlation between eating ice cream, and drowning rates? In retrospect, I should have mentioned correlation does not imply causation, but I was just trying to come up with a logical answer as quickly as I could, haha.

4. Describe an SN2 reaction. I know it's semi-basic Organic Chem, but it had been ages ago since I last dealt with that material, I was a little caught off guard, but I ended up answering it correctly!

Thanks a lot for this!

I am also keeping my fingers cross for you! Please let me know when you hear back from the school!

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Hi! As I was reading through the thread I don't think anyone has mentioned anything about repeated coursework. So, what is RFUCP's view on that? I ask this because I had to repeat 3 courses after going through a tough family ordeal. When I repeated the courses I did great in them, but the first grade I received in them are still being countered in my GPA. This is making my GPA seem much lower than it actually is.

Thanks for your help!!

Hi bapa09,

Thanks for a great question! I actually had to tap into few resources to get the full answer on this one for you. So, here goes:

You likely already know that PharmCAS will average the grades of the courses re-taken... and there isn't anything COP at RFU can do about that. When we import your application from PharmCAS, we also take both grades... and while it does lower your GPA, it does give us the most accurate picture of your academic background... and we want to see that.
Here's what you can do, tho: Don't ever make us read your "transcripts" (i.e. application-as-a-whole) in a vacuum! The AC is not omniscient -- we don't know that during that one "bad" semester you were sick/dealing with family/dealing with a death in the family/ working 40+ hours a week to pay tuition. For all we know, that was just a bad semester - unless you tell us about it. My personal recommendation is to work it into your personal statement - where you can give us context for evaluating your overall GPA, your science GPA, etc.

Now, this is NOT free license to whine. Repeat: DO NOT WHINE!

What you can tell the A/C is what you learned about your experience... perhaps you needed to withdraw, take some time to regroup and re-enroll... perhaps you needed to work to pay off debt before returning... whatever the outcome, make sure you tell us what you did to solve the problem -- because here's the deal... life happens. Life is going to happen while you are enrolled in Pharmacy School, too. We want to know that you won't make the same mistakes twice!

Does that help? Let me know if you have any other questions!
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Yay! I am as super excited as you guys are about the news!!

High Five!

And, does this mean you will send out more interview invitations soon?

YEAH!!! We just finished doing the happy dance on our campus! And, now it's back to work.

Yep - interview invitations will continue into the new year. And, now that kyang89 let Dr H's question about SN2 reactions out of the bag, he's sitting in his office RIGHT NOW thinking about other obscure Biochem questions to ask when candidates interview, so you'd better brush up... LOL!! Just joking. Or am I???

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Howdy again... so, here is a link to the full article about our ACPE Pre-Candidate Status change from Monday, Jan 24.

Read all about it here:
http://bit.ly/COPpreAccreditionRelease

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[homeslice]

I was wondering what your statistics were for the first year's class, as far as number of applications received, number of interviews, and number of acceptances.

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

I was wondering what your statistics were for the first year's class, as far as number of applications received, number of interviews, and number of acceptances.

Hey homeslice --

Hmmm, let me go get my crystal ball...

No, seriously, we haven't seated our first class yet - that's what we're working on right now! Our inaugural class will be seated in August 2011.

Soooo, what I can tell you right now: we've received approximately 400+ applications. That was before we received our pre-candidate status from the ACPE, so while aggressive, I don't think it's unreasonable to think we may increase our application pool by almost a 50 to 75% now that we've achieved this milestone...and in the next 4 weeks (deadline to apply is March 1 people!! What are you waiting for??).

Again, gazing into my crystal ball (and with our newly minted ACPE status) we'll get busy ramping up our interview process and possibly interview in the 200 range (this is really an estimate, tho. Not a cap, not a target, not a goal, rather my best guestimate of what we can accomplish in the time given).

As to acceptances... well, my magic 8 ball says "ask again later." Since we haven't made any acceptance yet, I just don't have an answer for you yet... I need to get a better feel for the AC and see how aggressive they are going to be this year before I can really give you even a ball park answer. But, ask again later!

Hope that helps!
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Hey Everyone!


The College of Pharmacy is hosting an Open House! February 17, 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.


Rosalind Franklin University – Health Sciences Building

3333 Green Bay Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064


Free Parking, Campus Tour, Meet Faculty

RSVP: 847.578.3204 or [email protected]
Bring a friend - you know, cuz you're cool like that!

www.RosalindFranklin.edu/CollegeofPharmacy

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

The Chicagoland forecast for tomorrow is predicting temperatures in the 50's and we'd like to spend this spring like day with you. Join us for the College of Pharmacy Open House!

February 17, 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.
Rosalind Franklin University – Health Sciences Building
3333 Green Bay Rd, North Chicago, IL 60064

It's not too late to RSVP: 847.578.3204 or [email protected]

http://rosalindfranklin.edu/dnn/portals/18/documents/admissions/CoPOpenHouse.pdf

 

[UyenRita]

So...Just for you all know, I interviewed here last week. If you guys have any questions about anything, I would be happy to answer them (of course from the perspective of a candidate).

I'd have to say it was a fantastic experience that make RFU is now become my top-choice school. I have been given chances to visit/interview with some other schools and RFU is the best one for me thus far. Wondering why? shoot me questions, post here or PM me, I'll tell you in details.

I am crossing my fingers, hoping/praying for the best. They said they will let me know unofficially via telephone, and officially via mail by late March. Argg, the waiting is really horrible....

 

[AJbara]

Hello! congrats and good luck to all on obtaining interviews. I feel as though I will be submitting my application so late to Rosalind. Though the deadline is March 1 I feel awful about applying so late but personal situation prohibited me from applying earlier. Any suggestions??? Should I go for it and submit my app anyway??

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

So...Just for you all know, I interviewed here last week. If you guys have any questions about anything, I would be happy to answer them (of course from the perspective of a candidate).

I'd have to say it was a fantastic experience that make RFU is now become my top-choice school. I have been given chances to visit/interview with some other schools and RFU is the best one for me thus far. Wondering why? shoot me questions, post here or PM me, I'll tell you in details.

I am crossing my fingers, hoping/praying for the best. They said they will let me know unofficially via telephone, and officially via mail by late March. Argg, the waiting is really horrible....

I've got my fingers crossed for you, too! Let me know if you have any follow up questions that you might have about the program, campus or living in North Chicago!

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Hello! congrats and good luck to all on obtaining interviews. I feel as though I will be submitting my application so late to Rosalind. Though the deadline is March 1 I feel awful about applying so late but personal situation prohibited me from applying earlier. Any suggestions??? Should I go for it and submit my app anyway??

Hey there AJbara,

I really do think you should apply.. and here are a few reasons why. We, too, had a late start in this season's application cycle - for professional reasons. Since we were waiting for our ACPE visit and subsequent Precandidate Status, we didn't start really our process until late December... so we don't think you're late by apply now either! If you get your PharmCAS application in ASAP, you'll still have almost two full weeks to get your supplemental application in (due March 15!) to our office.

Also, we're still interviewing for fall 2011 and (with our rolling admissions process) still have seats in our class.

So... what are you waiting for?? Hmmm? Good luck with your application!
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[UyenRita]

Hello! congrats and good luck to all on obtaining interviews. I feel as though I will be submitting my application so late to Rosalind. Though the deadline is March 1 I feel awful about applying so late but personal situation prohibited me from applying earlier. Any suggestions??? Should I go for it and submit my app anyway??

AJbara,

So did you finish your PharmCAS application? Do they have your GPA calculated already? If so, all you need to do now is add RFUMS to your designated school and pay the extra $50 fee immediately. It takes a week or more for PharmCAS to send your application to RFUMS. Today is Mar 23rd, so please do so NOW if you still consider applying to RFUMS!

The good thing about RFUMS is that they work on your application promptly and therefore they will send you the supplemental application in a very short time. Once you get the supplemental application, please start to work on it ASAP, and the deadline March 15th is "postmarked", which mean as long as you put it in the post office on 03/15, you will be fine.

And thanks for your congrats. I wish you the best.

 

[UyenRita]

I've got my fingers crossed for you, too! Let me know if you have any follow up questions that you might have about the program, campus or living in North Chicago!

Hi Mandy,

Thanks for your offer. I have no concerns about the living in North Chicago because my aunt is living only 10 minutes away from the school (which is very convenient for me). As for the campus, my cousin is currently going there for her med school so that I think I had enough information about RFU campus.

As for the program, I really like the Interprofessional model of education and I also learned a lot about it during my interview day. What I am looking forward to know about is the academic calendar of COP. I am wondering what the class schedule looks like, when the exams going to be held (as we go by Quarter system, I believe the exam would come very quickly).

I know the faculties are working very hard on many things to bring their students a professional place, so take your time. Please let me know whenever it is available.

Again, thank you for your kind words. Hopefully I will see you in person soon.

 

[AJbara]

AJbara,

So did you finish your PharmCAS application? Do they have your GPA calculated already? If so, all you need to do now is add RFUMS to your designated school and pay the extra $50 fee immediately. It takes a week or more for PharmCAS to send your application to RFUMS. Today is Mar 23rd, so please do so NOW if you still consider applying to RFUMS!

The good thing about RFUMS is that they work on your application promptly and therefore they will send you the supplemental application in a very short time. Once you get the supplemental application, please start to work on it ASAP, and the deadline March 15th is "postmarked", which mean as long as you put it in the post office on 03/15, you will be fine.

And thanks for your congrats. I wish you the best.

Awwww thank you!! YES! I did!

 

[Malay]

Let's say your "numbers" arent top notch but you're retaking classes and have been improving. You have volunteering and has worked as a pharm tech. Are you judging solely on numbers? As much a's I've heard that schools look for well rounded students, I feel that is not really the case but
Pretty much saying that so they can apply and pay for the application fee. I've recently been denied admissions from a local pharm school and I believe it's based on my numbers. But aside from that, I believe that I have everything else that shows my passion for pharmacy

 

[Malay]

Oops nevermind! I just read another post that pretty much answer my questions. I'm on my phone so I missed some posts. Sorry!

 

[AJbara]

About how long does it take to receive the supplemental application? My app was esubmitted 2/22/11 and mailed 2/18/11 via PharmCAS. I'm so nervous, can't sleep at night and my PCAT scores are devastating and I do mean DEVASTATING! I refuse to give up!

 

[UyenRita]

About how long does it take to receive the supplemental application? My app was esubmitted 2/22/11 and mailed 2/18/11 via PharmCAS.

Typo, isn't it?

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Hi Mandy,

Thanks for your offer. I have no concerns about the living in North Chicago because my aunt is living only 10 minutes away from the school (which is very convenient for me). As for the campus, my cousin is currently going there for her med school so that I think I had enough information about RFU campus.

As for the program, I really like the Interprofessional model of education and I also learned a lot about it during my interview day. What I am looking forward to know about is the academic calendar of COP. I am wondering what the class schedule looks like, when the exams going to be held (as we go by Quarter system, I believe the exam would come very quickly).

I know the faculties are working very hard on many things to bring their students a professional place, so take your time. Please let me know whenever it is available.

Again, thank you for your kind words. Hopefully I will see you in person soon.

Hey there UyenRita,

Thanks for the follow up question about schedules being posted... The COP faculty I have had a chance to speak with about the timing of this seems to all concur that late July is their target for getting class schedules (room assignments and the like) posted for the incoming class. Trust me, as soon as I know it's available, we'll blast this information out so candidates and prospective students can take a peek. Some of the processes we are currently working through include the interprofessional classes - working collaboratively across the different colleges does take a little bit of additional time! In addition to the scheduling of lectures, the COP faculty are also assessing the "burden" (load) of your testing schedule in our quarterly calendar... Hang in there just a little bit longer and I'll be able to show you where all of this information is located on the College of Pharmacy website!

Let me know if you have any other questions!
Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

Oops nevermind! I just read another post that pretty much answer my questions. I'm on my phone so I missed some posts. Sorry!

Hi Malay - Glad you were able to find the posts where I talk a little bit about presenting your application in the best possible light! One other aspect you can look for in your application (and on your transcripts) is a positive trend in your overall and science GPA. You mention retaking classes (and you already know PharmCAS will average these grades, right) we will look for improvement in courses re-taken, we will also look to see if after mastering the material that you moved onto increasingly more challenging subjects to stretch your background and knowledge base! All of these things you can look for on your transcripts and your preparation for a career in pharmacy - and then don't forget to highlight these achievements in your personal statement.

Does that help? Let me know if you have any other questions.

Ask RFUPharmacy

 

[Ask RFUPharmacy]

About how long does it take to receive the supplemental application? My app was esubmitted 2/22/11 and mailed 2/18/11 via PharmCAS. I'm so nervous, can't sleep at night and my PCAT scores are devastating and I do mean DEVASTATING! I refuse to give up!

Hi AJbara... if I take the date you mentioned e-submitting and add the time it takes PharmCAS to verify and deliver your application it's quite possible that we haven't received your application quite yet! Our turn around time from receipt in our office to the initial review and subsequent delivery of the Supplemental Application to you by email is about a week. Make sure you've checked your spam and junk filters for the supplementary application!You can avoid our messages going to spam by adding [email protected] to their safe senders list or address books."

What I have mentioned before is that I anticipate the PCAT scores for our inaugural class to be in the 50th percentile or better... however, without having a class already seated, I can't say what our average PCAT scores will be for fall.. and the last time I took stats, averages were made up of scores that are both higher and lower than the average! Hang in there and allow us the time to review your application!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you - and let me know if you have any other questions!