re-applying! HELP!

[eloweareeye]

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Hi! I applied for Fall 2007 to about 6 Cali schools, was rejected from five of them, and waitlisted at SC. I want to reapply, but had a few questions regarding the process the second time around...

1) GPA: The first time around, my GPA was pretty bad... I went to UCLA for my undergrad career, and had around a 2.7 cumulative and around 2.65 science. I've graduated from LA, and now want to take classes over to raise my GPA. Can I take lower divisions over at a community college, or is it recommended to take upper divs?

2) Personal Statement: I can't just send in the same personal statement the second time around, so what needs to change?

Anyone have any tips/suggestions/stories of your experiences reapplying to pharm school? Thanks in advance!!

 

[OrganicPharmer1]

Yes, you can retake lower division classes. I would recommend you retake the classes you got C's in. It's okay to take the classes at a cc. Look for classes that are equivalent to the ones you took at UCLA. If you have time, then take upper division classes. I don't know if it's possible, but if you can take the PCAT and get a decent score, it will help you a lot with USC. And like everybody has been saying over and over, apply as early as possible.

 

[AntiviralsRule]

I'm curious as to the answer to the second part of the question re: the personal statement. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[brasilia01]

Yeah scratch it and start over. Adcoms llike to see something diferent. I found this out the hard way. I applied for creighton for a second time and was rejected basically again. I met with a admiss counselor a week ago and he told me to scratch my personal statement if i were to reapply. He said they want to see something new. I would try to update my file by re writing my personal statement and gaining some pharm experience.

 

[SpacyFarmacy]

Hi,
I dont know if I should reapply this summer for Fall 2008 or I should wait 'til next summer to apply for Fall 2009. I applied for Fall 07. I got inteviews with almost all of the schools I applied (5 out of 6). But I haven't gotten in. I'm actually on the waitlist in 2 schools right now. I don't know what to do? Someone told me I must have done something wrong at the interviews since I got interviews with the schools I applied. The reason I consider to apply for Fall 2009 is because I haven't done anything new lately in terms of EC's. And, my GPA didn't drop or go up dramatically. I am not sure of what I can do to enhance my application. Any suggestion/advice?

 

[MeHungryRx]

I met with a admiss counselor a week ago and he told me to scratch my personal statement if i were to reapply.

I have been denied by a couple of schools and I want to specifically know how I can improve. I was curious, did you actually meet with the counselor or email him, because most of the schools are fairly far from my home. (one is like 1 hour and a half and the other is like 8 hours away! ) Thanks.

 

[cystapharm]

Yeah scratch it and start over. Adcoms llike to see something diferent. I found this out the hard way. I applied for creighton for a second time and was rejected basically again. I met with a admiss counselor a week ago and he told me to scratch my personal statement if i were to reapply. He said they want to see something new. I would try to update my file by re writing my personal statement and gaining some pharm experience.

so they keep your personal statements even if they reject you? i thought they throw everything away , even the LORs and everything is fresh the second time around?

 

[evilolive]

Be eloquent, thoughtful, and dramatic - personal growth and unwavering resolve are qualities they search for to distinguish applicants. The more apparent you can make this, the better off you will be.

 

[brasilia01]

I actually met with the admissions counselor at creighton because I happened to be in town because my brother in law was graduating with his PharmD. He personally told me this. I had no idea they kept my app from the year before, but they apparently had because he told me I should have written a new personal statement, and that when I reapply I shoud scratch the one I have written and start fresh. I don't know if all schools keep your old file, but creighton does. If i were you guys and had questions about my file and reapplying I would call the schools, talk with an admissions counselor, ask why you were rejected-and what you can do to get accepted the next year. Each school is different.

 

[OrganicPharmer1]

Hi,
I dont know if I should reapply this summer for Fall 2008 or I should wait 'til next summer to apply for Fall 2009. I applied for Fall 07. I got inteviews with almost all of the schools I applied (5 out of 6). But I haven't gotten in. I'm actually on the waitlist in 2 schools right now. I don't know what to do? Someone told me I must have done something wrong at the interviews since I got interviews with the schools I applied. The reason I consider to apply for Fall 2009 is because I haven't done anything new lately in terms of EC's. And, my GPA didn't drop or go up dramatically. I am not sure of what I can do to enhance my application. Any suggestion/advice?

You should definitely reapply this year. Don't throw away a year. The fact that you got interviews and got waitlisted means you were pretty close to an acceptance. So I would go for it this year. Maybe apply to a couple more schools. Get some more pharmacy experience this summer and fall. Take a few classes because summer and fall grades will count. Work on your personal statement and incorporate your new experiences. You don't have to throw away your old personal statement because it must have been decent otherwise you wouldn't have gotten interviews. Keeps parts you believe are strong and add new things to make it stronger. You still have a lot of time to improve your application for this year so what are you waiting for? Just do the Nike thing.

 

[sdn1977]

I'm curious as to the answer to the second part of the question re: the personal statement. Anyone have any suggestions?

Are you talking about the ps on Pharmcas or the ps which individual schools will as you for? I don't think all CA schools use Pharmcas, some will ask for their own ps.

But, I do have a few suggestions for your ps. First - make sure you read CAREFULLY what they want you to address in the ps. If you go off on your history & they actually want you to address your strengths & potential contributions - right there, you've shot yourself in the foot.

Likewise....break the ps down into "parts". An introduction, some about yourself, some about how you feel you'd fit the profession, some about what you hope to gain & some about your goals & what you can contribute.

Altho you think school is all about you...from the school's perspective, its partly about how you reflect on them (they like their alumni to become known in the field & that reflects well on the school) & what you are going to do with this education.

If you stress the hours, the pay, the flexibility....well - none of that incorporates the experienced faculty they have worked hard to build, the effort at building a learning environment, their need to keep current with drug development & teaching methods. So - keep the compensatory "perks" a very minor thing at all if you even mention it (which I wouldn't).

Then, if the school has sent you a ps specifically, change your ps for THAT ONE school. Direct it to that specific school so they know you are looking to want to go to THAT school & why.

Finally - have someone who is fluent in English & who you trust read your statement. Your English must be grammatically perfect & flow well & of course your spelling should not have any errors. But, if this person is someone you trust, then they can tell you where you are rambling or going off on a tangent or just not addressing the actual statement you are being asked to write.

Pharmacy is all about communication & this is the school's first look at how well your communication skills are - make it significant.