Supplemental Application vs. No Supplemental Application

[The Warden]

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Hey guys-
I am in charge of admissions at a new college of pharmacy that is opening between 2010 and 2013. (Yes, another one. I can see that there are many folks on SDN who aren't happy about this- let's work past this if we can.)

One question that remains unanswered is whether or not we are going to require a supplemental application to the college of pharmacy.

I've done some research, and 89% of the colleges of pharmacy in the US either require a supplemental application, or are non-PharmCAS schools that have their own application for admission. This leaves only 12 schools that do not use some sort of supplemental application outside of PharmCAS.

Some of you may have applied to one or more of these 12 schools; some are new schools, others have been open for more than 100 years.

Here are my questions:
1. When you see that a school does not require a supplemental application, what is your reaction?
2. Do you consider schools that have supplemental applications to have a more rigorous application review process compared to schools that do not have supplemental applications?
3. Does the fact that a school does or does not require a supplemental application weigh into your decision-making process whether or not to apply to the school? If so, how?

Thanks in advance for your feedback. It won't help you guys per se, but will be helpful for those students who follow you in the coming years.

 

[cheeseboy2]

I'll take a crack at this...

I'll be honest, when I saw that a couple schools on the east coast didn't have supplemental applications, I threw in the 30-40 bux that they wanted and applied there just to avoid having to fill out more supplemental applications. So to answer #1 and 3, my reaction is "Whew... I don't have to fill out more papers, I'll just apply to that one as a back up." Granted, this was after I had already finished 5-6 full on supplementals and was thoroughly tired.

I do consider schools with more supplemental application q's to have a better perspective of me as a candidate. However, I think anything over 4 pages is overkill considering how many applications you may receive and the little time that your reviewers may spend on each application.

Here is my suggestion as an applicant to a school admin. I know some schools already do this, but I think the best way to go is to send out the supplemental application to applicants who you feel have a decent chance (ie. meets minimum reqs, fulfills most pre-req classes) of getting in to your school. It's no secret that schools use supplemental fees as a way to get money... but as an applicant, if I receive a supplemental after an initial review and you think my application is decent, then I am more willing to submit my application knowing I have a real chance.

Hope that helps...

P.S... please keep the fee under 50 bucks! we are poor!

 

[sasmw2]

My answers follow the questions in orange.

1. When you see that a school does not require a supplemental application, what is your reaction?
I was thrilled to see some schools that I applied to not require a S.A. Less to do for the applicant. Easier to apply - because all you have to do is submit your pharmcas application.
2. Do you consider schools that have supplemental applications to have a more rigorous application review process compared to schools that do not have supplemental applications?
My answer is yes. But it also depends on the school. I applied to about 14 schools (for fall 2010) and two did not require the S.A. The rest that did, only about 4 of them really seemed more rigorous. The majority was just your general information and coursework information. Which all of this information can be retrieved off of Pharmcas, in these situations I really think that it is just a way to receive the S.A. fee. If your school does not really need a S.A. but wants the extra money - just have them send the fee. I know one school that I applied to had that.
3. Does the fact that a school does or does not require a supplemental application weigh into your decision-making process whether or not to apply to the school? If so, how?
It did help in the last school that I decided to apply to, because all I had to do was pay the fee on pharmcas and that was it. I did not have any additional requirements, so it was very simple to apply to.

Do you mind sharing where this new school will be located?

Thanks and I hope my answers help.

 

[nervoushabits]

Hey guys-

Here are my questions:
1. When you see that a school does not require a supplemental application, what is your reaction?
2. Do you consider schools that have supplemental applications to have a more rigorous application review process compared to schools that do not have supplemental applications?
3. Does the fact that a school does or does not require a supplemental application weigh into your decision-making process whether or not to apply to the school? If so, how?

Thanks in advance for your feedback. It won't help you guys per se, but will be helpful for those students who follow you in the coming years.

To answer your first question, I applaud the usage of a supplemental application. It really helped me this year, because I had some extenuating circumstances that I needed to explain in more detail than I could on my PharmCAS essay. I applied to 2 schools that didn't require an essay in their supplemental, and honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen. It was just a chance shot.

To answer your second question: OF COURSE! I felt like it showed that the school was more interested to see what you've done with your college career, and didn't focus as hardcore on the GPA and PCAT (these are still important, however).

And your third question: Not at all, really. I looked for a school that was close to home yet far enough away to be independent, also I was looking for that perfect match. It was nice to be able to explain myself in the supplemental, but if I didn't feel like I would fit at that school, I'd forget about applying.

Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps! 👍

 

[nervoushabits]

P.S... please keep the fee under 50 bucks! we are poor!

YES! No more $100 fees, please!

 

[cheeseboy2]

I echo all the thoughts of sasm and nervous habits.

There are tons of people out there who I think will be awesome pharmacists, but their PCAT, GPA, or PharmCAS will say they are only mediocre candidates.

Supplementals should be used to look past all the numbers and strengthen applications.

Sometimes I just get the feeling supplementals are for:
1. Money
2. To see if we will jump through the flaming hula hoop of 10 pages of supplemental qs to see if we really want to go to your school
3. Irrelevant issues to test our writing skills (when most of us have our supplementals proof read by others anyways)

 

[AC1985]

I do think supplementals are a good idea. It lets you know who really wants to attend your college. Although on the applicants end, its allot more extra work. I dont think that if a college has a supplemental application its harder to get into. When applying to pharmacy schools its not going to make a difference to me if theres a supplemental or not. The reason is when I'm applying to schools its because I want to attend there,not because it has a easier application process. Supplementals are also good to learn more about the applicants.

 

[ZeroC0mbine]

1. When you see that a school does not require a supplemental application, what is your reaction?

i would be more worried about how the school reviews the applicant. in my perspective, the supplemental application allows students to account for any academic or personal discrepancies that is reflected in their grades. taking that away and relying purely on a primary application (such as pharmcas) would mean deciding strictly based on the applicant's scores, not their personal qualities.

2. Do you consider schools that have supplemental applications to have a more rigorous application review process compared to schools that do not have supplemental applications?

rigorous, in terms of how hard it would be to gain admission? yes, i think if the school is admitting students based only on scores, then it would be quite competitive.

3. Does the fact that a school does or does not require a supplemental application weigh into your decision-making process whether or not to apply to the school? If so, how?

i would apply based on the prospect of the school receiving candidate status, not on how much work i would need to do for the application.

 

[hornblower]

Here we go again...

Yet another admissions man pops out of nowhere.

What happens if posters send this guy highly confidential information and he turns out to be a troll/stalker?

Will SDN be held liable?

 

[hornblower]

Here we go again...

Yet another admissions man pops out of nowhere.

What happens if posters send this guy highly confidential information and he turns out to be a troll/stalker?

Will SDN be held liable?

People claiming to be College Administrators should be verified.

 

[KMIMSM]

isn't there a more credible way to take polls than on the internet?
i suggest you hold a meeting at prepharmacy clubs at various universities, introduce your new school, and take a poll with the students there.

 

[The Warden]

Here we go again...

Yet another admissions man pops out of nowhere.

What happens if posters send this guy highly confidential information and he turns out to be a troll/stalker?

Will SDN be held liable?

People claiming to be College Administrators should be verified.

I'd be more than happy to do be verified...if a method existed for me to do so. A troll/stalker? Come on now...
- Did I offer anyone any advice whatsoever like the fellow from the Tennessee school? No.

- Did I offer to read anyone's letters of intent like the dude who couldn't keep his story straight if it was his mother or his grandmother who ran the laundromat? No.

(Then again, after those guys, I can see why you might be a bit cynical)

For a change, an admissions officer is coming to you for advice. This isn't a poll; I'm just looking for feedback and opinions. It would be nice to have one more variable to throw into the decision process.

I am trying to see if there is a way of saving future applicants $$$. When I looked at 50+ supplemental applications that were publicly posted, I was more than a little dismayed to see that, for application fees ranging from $30-$100, schools were collecting little new information that wasn't already covered by PharmCAS. Do you want to know the most frequently asked question on a supplemental application that wasn't covered by PharmCAS? Legacy status at the college / university / SOP; for about a dozen schools, that was the only non-PharmCAS question asked. Six (!) schools weren't collecting ANYTHING that wasn't already covered by PharmCAS; these were just time consuming vehicles to collect application fees.

Personally, I think that with a few notable exceptions, the supplemental applications that PharmCAS-participating SOPs are using now are a complete waste of time. However, if going without a supplemental application means that we are somehow seen as a 'lesser school' compared to those that utilize supplemental apps, then...I suppose we will be utilizing them.

That is the reason I am asking. Thanks for the responses; please keep them coming.

 

[The Warden]

isn't there a more credible way to take polls than on the internet?
i suggest you hold a meeting at prepharmacy clubs at various universities, introduce your new school, and take a poll with the students there.

"Hi, I'm Mr. or Mrs. Warden, admissions officer from the QRSTU school of pharmacy. Thanks so much for letting me speak to your pre-pharmacy club at Southeastern State University. You'll love QRSTU school of pharmacy- we are a new four year program that offers this, this, and that. We are competitively priced at $29,000/year tuition. By the way, how do you think we should run our admissions process?"

Hmmm...Can you see why your suggestion might be a bad idea?

 

[busyizzy]

I don't really care if people come on here claiming to be the president of the United States. People here, as people who want to be pharmacists, should know better! Seriously. Just cuz some random person comes on here and SAYS they're admissions with 'Admissions' in their usernam, you believe them??? This is common sense - you never know on the internet! The fact that these people are so gullible that they'd send them their personal statement to any person who proclaims they're from admissions ... is ridiculous. Think about what kind of job being a pharmacist entails. Just cuz someone comes to you and SAYS they have a prescription, you give them whatever drugs they require?

 

[Passion4Sci]

Hey, cool, another "anonymous" do-gooder claiming to be in charge of admissions at a pharmacy school.

FWIW, Dr. Hobson was a legitimate AdCom guy. He didn't hide behind a silly screen name or what school he was at. And he is still on this forum, just way busy w/ Belmont.

 

[The Warden]

I don't get the hostility. I was hoping that we could avoid the breakdown in the lines of communication on this one, but looks like that failed.

Let me get this straight, if I pretended to be a pre-pharm student and asked the same three questions, nobody would bat an eyelash. I come out and identify that I work in admissions, and after a few initial responses, everyone starts ignoring the questions and focuses on whether or not I'm legitimate. How would that change the answers to the questions?

I'm not offering anyone anything- I'm just asking for advice. I'm not so self professed know it all like admissions man- I am asking advice, and both need and value the input of students.

Hey, cool, another "anonymous" do-gooder claiming to be in charge of admissions at a pharmacy school.

FWIW, Dr. Hobson was a legitimate AdCom guy. He didn't hide behind a silly screen name or what school he was at. And he is still on this forum, just way busy w/ Belmont.

Hobson didn't answer any of the tough questions that WVUpharm sent him. Perhaps an anonymous person would have.

 

[cheeseboy2]

don't worry, warden... ive got your back

never did he/she contact me privately or ask for anything. i dont know where the "asking for personal statements or supp apps" talk came from.

and its not like i told him/her anything that i wouldnt tell the guy sitting next to me at starbucks.

whether or not you are a school admin, it doesn't matter... this is a message board... asking for honest advice from anonymous people is kinda what this is for.

 

[busyizzy]

I don't get the hostility. I was hoping that we could avoid the breakdown in the lines of communication on this one, but looks like that failed.

I wasn't being hostile towards you. I directed my post at the gullible prepharm students who jump up and down in glee when they find that some anonymous person declared themselves someone on an admissions committee and hound them with questions and personal statements. My friend who lurks on this board told me how easy it would be to pass off as an admissions person for a few months and just gather personal statements to rip off to use, if he wanted. Course, he wasn't thinking of actually doing it (I think), but more said to point out how easily people give out their private information like that!

On your questions ... none of it applies to me, because any school I looked at had PharmCAS and had a supplemental application, so this is the standard. I can't say how my opinion would change on the absence of a supplemental app because I did not experience it myself.

 

[desmoulins45179]

Hey guys-
I am in charge of admissions at a new college of pharmacy that is opening between 2010 and 2013. (Yes, another one. I can see that there are many folks on SDN who aren't happy about this- let's work past this if we can.)

One question that remains unanswered is whether or not we are going to require a supplemental application to the college of pharmacy.

I've done some research, and 89% of the colleges of pharmacy in the US either require a supplemental application, or are non-PharmCAS schools that have their own application for admission. This leaves only 12 schools that do not use some sort of supplemental application outside of PharmCAS.

Some of you may have applied to one or more of these 12 schools; some are new schools, others have been open for more than 100 years.

Here are my questions:
1. When you see that a school does not require a supplemental application, what is your reaction?
2. Do you consider schools that have supplemental applications to have a more rigorous application review process compared to schools that do not have supplemental applications?
3. Does the fact that a school does or does not require a supplemental application weigh into your decision-making process whether or not to apply to the school? If so, how?

1. YAY
2. Maybe not more "rigorous" per se, but more complete. It also depends on the supplemental. I consider those that have an essay of some sort to more "complete" because they are able to get to know you better since you can say more things that are not in the pharmcas supplemental. On the other hand, some schools do not have an essay on teh supplemental and I do not consider those schools to be any different that one without a supplemental. This is nothing against not having as essay, as I am sure that it helps with organization of applications for the school.
3. Not particularily

 

[KMIMSM]

"Hi, I'm Mr. or Mrs. Warden, admissions officer from the QRSTU school of pharmacy. Thanks so much for letting me speak to your pre-pharmacy club at Southeastern State University. You'll love QRSTU school of pharmacy- we are a new four year program that offers this, this, and that. We are competitively priced at $29,000/year tuition. By the way, how do you think we should run our admissions process?"

Hmmm...Can you see why your suggestion might be a bad idea?

a lot of pharmacy schools have spoken at my unversity and we always had a questionaire to fill out at the end, either regarding the quality of the presentation or suggestions/polls for future reference.

 

[Dreamer57]

Hey guys-

Here are my questions:
1. When you see that a school does not require a supplemental application, what is your reaction?
2. Do you consider schools that have supplemental applications to have a more rigorous application review process compared to schools that do not have supplemental applications?
3. Does the fact that a school does or does not require a supplemental application weigh into your decision-making process whether or not to apply to the school? If so, how?

QUOTE]

1. Ecstatic!
2. Not necessarily. I would think that schools without supplementals may have a more rigorous application review process.
3. Yes, if I'm interested in a school even though it's not one of my top choices, I would be more willing to apply b/c the school does not require a supplemental fee...and of course as long as I meet all of the minimum requirements.