*~*Rank the Schools You Interviewed At*~*

[pharmarathoner]

Okay, so... instead of channeling the anxiety in the post-interview period, pre-acceptance period into negative energy, I say we plan for where we're going to go (if we get in!). Post the schools you interviewed at, ranked from 1. top choice to lesser choices. So while the schools are taking their time to rate you, let's rate THEM! Include:

a. month interviewed
b. accepted/denied/wait-listed/waiting to hear
c. stressfulness of interview, 1 to 10 scale (10 highest)
d. personal perception of performance, 1 to 10 (1 totally bombed, 10 totally aced)
e. interview's ability to assess your skills, 1 to 10 (1 did not assess my skills well at all, 10 gave me a chance to shine)
f. how much you liked the location, 1 to 10 (1 hated this bootleg town, 10 can I live here already?)
g. random notes/experiences

1. UCSD
a. Feb 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 3
d. performance: 8
e. skills assess: 7
f. location: 10
g. hot damn I loved the weather and cliffs of La Jolla; the campus smelled AMAZING

2. UCSF
a. Feb 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 9
d. performance: 9
e. skills assess: 9
f. location: 5
g. did not like the angry homeless people and overly PDA-ing couples

3. UF - St. Pete
a. Feb 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 5
d. performance: 9
e. skills assess: 6
f. location: 8
g. beautiful weather, sunny more often than SoCal and tons of beaches; but so many old people and lack of culture

4. SUNY Buffalo
a. Nov 2013
b. accepted
c. stress: 6
d. performance: 8
e. skills assess: 8
f. location: 2
g. so. much. snow.

5. LIU
a. Jan 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 6
d. performance: 6
e. skills assess: 3
f. location: 6
g. decent part of brooklyn

I may include some responses from these on my new blog: http://www.antpharmd.com/blog/

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Pharm3110]

Really great idea!

1. University of California, San Diego
a. February 2014
b. Waiting to hear
c. Stress level: 4
d. Interview Performance: 8
e. Interview's ability to assess your skills: 8
f. How much you liked the location: 100 LOL
g. Comments: Beautiful weather, beautiful campus, beautiful city, very nice program (Pass/Fail/Honor, Free Clinic sites, 2nd year with med students, research, ...)

2. University of the Pacific
a. January 2014
b. ACCEPTED!!!
c. Stress level: 2 (Interviewers were so nice.)
d. Interview Performance: 9
e. Interview's ability to assess your skills: 8
f. How much you liked the location: hmm... 5 (Average of 2 for Stockton and 8 for the campus)
g. Comments: Not feeling safe walking around, great accelerated program, great reputation, lots of outreach activities.

3. Western University and Health Sciences
a. December 2013
b. On hold
c. Stress level: 8 (The interview was like an interrogation, not conversational at all)
d. Interview Performance: 4 (Because of the stress mentioned above and the inexperience since it was my first interview)
e. Interview's ability to assess your skills: 5
f. How much you liked the location: 7
g. Comments: Quite ghetto town but near LA, love the block system, IPE and the Advance Elective.

 

[Tivrusky]

1. UCSF
a. Feb 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 10
d. performance: 2 (totally bombed the MMI, essay went pretty good.)
e. skills assess: 2
f. location: 4
g. Everything about my interview day went wrong, it was the day after my UCSD interview, flight delayed 7.5 hours, fighting couple next door at hotel, got threatened and almost attacked by one homeless (but was also given flowers and half eaten Chinese food by another homeless). I really loved the campus though.

2. UCSD
a. Feb 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 2
d. performance: 10
e. skills assess: 7
f. location: 10
g. I already go here for undergrad so I'm ready for a change, otherwise this would be my number 1.

3. USC
a. January 2014
b. Accepted
c. stress: 5
d. performance: 7 (interview went really well, essay was just okay to bad).
e. skills assess: 6
f. location: 3
g. Blehhh, bad part of LA, bad rumors about school and faculty, okayish-building. But so close to home.

4. UW
a. Feb 2014
b. Accepted
c. stress: 3
d. performance: 9
e. skills assess: 9 (three faculty sorta just drill you with questions for 30 minutes, I honestly like this kind of interview)
f. location: 8
g. Amazing campus, I really liked the city and I don't mind the rain. If this was closer it would probably be my number one. The faculty I talked to were great as well.

5. UPitt
a. January 2014
b. Accepted
c. stress: 7
d. performance: 7
e. skills assess: 7
f. location: 2
g. Cold and far away, gloomy campus.

 

[Irelia]

This is a really good idea. I will share my experiences!

1. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
a. February 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 3
d. performance: 8
e. skills assess: 7
f. location: 9
g. Great campus, Great city with lots of opportunity, high index of livability etc. -1 because of weather. (blizzard warning before the day of the interview l0l)

2. University of Arizona
a. February 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 5 (more pressure for me due to in-state school)
d. performance: 7
e. skills assess: 8
f. location: 7
g. Good pharmacy school but I think University of Arizona student body is not that great compared to other "top 20" schools mainly because 1) school does not use pharmcas which many out of state students do not apply as a result, 2) school has a policy where they have to accept 90% from in-state, which decrease the talent pool across the applicants (i.e. Ohio State, Buffalo, Michigan all accept high number of out of state applicants) 3) because of all this, first year students this year have been deemed as the dumbest class. (To recover from this, admission committee increased interview pool to 180 people from 150 this year, which I believe it is not going to help because still only 230ish people applied, meanwhile all the other top 20 schools got over 500 ~1000 applications)

3. University of Cincinnati
a. January 2014
b. Accepted
c. stress: 6
d. performance:8
e. skills assess:7
f. location: 8
g. Good pharmacy school. Ties #2 for me with Arizona. Great opportunities around the school and the community. Literally the cheapest tuition in the nation (even for out of state). Some area was kind of sketch but it was nothing compared to Baltimore. (more reviews below)

4. Belmont
a. January 2014
b. Accepted
c. stress: 6
d. performance: 8
e. skills assess: 7
f. location: 9
g. I believe Belmont is in the best location out of all the schools I applied. Beautiful campus, Vanderbilt University Medical Center is right next to the school. School has strong ties with many hospitals nearby. However, Belmont is not an established school and that really bothered me.

5. University of Maryland - Baltimore

a. February 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress:5
d. performance: 6???
e. skills assess: 6
f. location: 5
g. Interview experience in Maryland-Baltimore has been a huge disappointment to me. Although Baltimore can provide great opportunities, school is located right in the downtown, which is not a great location in my opinion (especially compared to schools I have been to, surrounded by poor/ghetto areas up north, just go to Lexington market. South area passed inner harbor was pretty nice tho). Although people in Baltimore say downtown area is safe if you are "street smart," there is a reason why Baltimore is still one of the most dangerous cities in the nation. Also, during the interview, my interviewer literally rushed me with 12 questions or so and did not even write down anything or give me any response or even a smile. Literally he was impassive the entire interview and I really did not know how I did in the interview. For student panel, students seemed like they weren't prepare at all and a professor really answered questions off tangent. The "optional" tour guide was really not planned out well also. Good thing is the pharmacy building is brand new and it is probably the nicest facility I have been to but still, I do not know if it is just me but I was not impressed with the program at all.

 

[jeffcu28]

1. UCSF
a. February 2014
b. waiting to hear
c. stress: 10
d. performance: 7
e. skills assess: 8
f. location: 10
g. Overall this is a beautiful and modern campus in a relatively small metropolitan area. I know many complain about the colder weather here, but coming from the Midwest, I really enjoyed the mild temperatures and the sprinkle of sunshine here and there. To offset the weather and high cost of living, I found it easy, cheap, and reliable to use the public transportation system. In addition, the deliciously diverse ethnic and fusion food was definitely worth more than their price.

As for the curriculum itself, I love that there are multiple pathways you can follow so you can make your education your own. I was also surprised to find out that the MMI interview format was a foreshadowing of the actual exams of UCSF students; I think it's a great way to prepare students for real-world settings. The facility itself was teeming with charm from the pictures of faculty and students integrated in the architecture of the building to the treadmill you can simultaneously do your assignments in.


2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
a. November 2013
b. Accepted
c. stress: 7
d. performance: 8
e. skills assess: 8
f. location: 7
g. Ann Arbor is larger than I had originally expected, but nonetheless, it is still a college town that lacks some of the amenities you would find in a larger urban setting. The College of Pharmacy itself was a bit outdated as the lecture chairs were uncomfortable even for little-ol' me, but I do understand that they are currently renovating the building to bring it to modern times.

One thing I love about the curriculum is that students are guaranteed a manuscript for publication, which can make one more competitive for residency programs post-graduation. UMich is also generous with scholarships as ALL students in their 3rd and 4th years receive aid, while a handful of competitive P1s and P2s receive merit-based scholarships.


3. Ohio State University
a. December 2013
b. Accepted
c. stress: 3
d. performance: 9
e. skills assess: 8
f. location: 7
g. OSU is definitely the most massive and state-of-the-art facility of the schools I interviewed. Faculty seemed engaged and genuinely cared for the prospect of their students. And although it's embedded in Columbus, the surrounding areas gave a more small town vibe. What most turned me down, however, was the immaturity I perceived in their current student body. I know the current students were probably trying to create a laid-back atmosphere but the frequent jokes and giggles made me question the level of professionalism this school had to offer me.