UCSD Fall 2009

[calpreharmacyll]

Essay topic: Who would you like to put on the Mt. Rushmore and Why?

There is no right and wrong answer for this right? Does it have to be a president's face? We can write anybody right?

What is the purpose of writing? Test your written organization and communication skills?

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[krystal2812]

Does anyone know what time will the interview end if it is supposed to start at 12pm?

 

[rycetrix]

Does anyone know what time will the interview end if it is supposed to start at 12pm?

From 12-1pm is the introduction/orientation period. Starting from 1pm to as late as 3:15pm, they will conduct 30-45 minute interviews with you (usually they have interviews at the 15 or 30 mark of every hour; i.e. 1:15pm, 1:30pm, 2:15pm, 2:30pm, etc.). I had mine at 3:15pm. When you are not interviewing, you have a chance to speak with students and you have time to write your essay. They want to get everyone out by 4pm. It is very relaxed and a calm environment. Drinks and snacks were provided, but I did eat before the interview. Also, don't forget to check in! Don't assume anything since everyone is standing in the lobby. Go to the check-in table which is inside another room. I almost got my application canceled because of it.

 

[Jaded03]

Essay topic: Who would you like to put on the Mt. Rushmore and Why?

There is no right and wrong answer for this right? Does it have to be a president's face? We can write anybody right?

What is the purpose of writing? Test your written organization and communication skills?

Pretty much. We can make a lot of assumptions, but at the very core it verifies your writing ability in ways your application cannot, namely, by removing the ability for assistance and (for some schools) relatively infinite time.

I'll make one edit though. Content can affect you adversely should you reveal yourself not to be a good fit for the school. Otherwise, the answers are limitless.

 

[Jaded03]

I figured I'd just drop this in as food for thought. Who has considered the professional implications for an honors, pass, no pass system found at UCSD?

I'm not really asking for why it is being implemented. I know why it is. I've seen it done for medical schools, but to the point where a good number of schools have implemented it (ironically, not UCSD's medical school). I suppose residency has been competitive to the extent that a good GPA is a given, but to remove it altogether? Yes, I did see that you can get into a residency with the program as it is, but to get your first choice? I'm just curious what others think.

 

[xangelx]

Schools figure there will be less competitiveness and more camaraderie amongst classmates with such a system. But in an environment where 10% have to fail and 10% can be honors, there will still be some competition. Does UCSD have 10% no pass? Don't worry, even with such a system, schools have a way of ranking students.

 

[Jaded03]

Schools figure there will be less competitiveness and more camaraderie amongst classmates with such a system. But in an environment where 10% have to fail and 10% can be honors, there will still be some competition. Does UCSD have 10% no pass? Don't worry, even with such a system, schools have a way of ranking students.

No one as far as I know has received a "no pass" in their history. Well let me rephrase, they have a 100% pass rate for the boards. No one really mentioned failing. Also, if the honors grade is class dependent, then I would agree they might as well do away with it and go straight pass-no pass. It makes little sense to structure learning based on the performance of your classmates in health care. I think the honors is based on your scores and not on your class rank though. I am more wondering how others can rank you against other PharmDs with actual numbers.

 

[Gosondth]

I'm not really asking for why it is being implemented. I know why it is. I've seen it done for medical schools, but to the point where a good number of schools have implemented it (ironically, not UCSD's medical school).

Unless the med school has changed in the last year, the MS's are also on an H/P/F system, but they are ranked against each other.

Schools figure there will be less competitiveness and more camaraderie amongst classmates with such a system. But in an environment where 10% have to fail and 10% can be honors, there will still be some competition. Does UCSD have 10% no pass? Don't worry, even with such a system, schools have a way of ranking students.

Most classes are on a straight curve (75% - 89% for P, >90% for H) so there have been classes where no one received an H. The bulk of the classes that are curved are the classes taken with the MS or runned by med school faculty, but traditionally the cut off for not passing has been ~65%. As for failing, they don't purposely fail 10% of the class, but traditionally 5 - 10 % of the class have needed to make up a final and maybe 1 to 3 students have been held back a year. Nevertheless, the school's goal has been to make sure everyone graduates on time.

 

[xangelx]

Unless the med school has changed in the last year, the MS's are also on an H/P/F system, but they are ranked against each other.



Most classes are on a straight curve (75% - 89% for P, >90% for H) so there have been classes where no one received an H. The bulk of the classes that are curved are the classes taken with the MS or runned by med school faculty, but traditionally the cut off for not passing has been ~65%. As for failing, they don't purposely fail 10% of the class, but traditionally 5 - 10 % of the class have needed to make up a final and maybe 1 to 3 students have been held back a year. Nevertheless, the school's goal has been to make sure everyone graduates on time.

thank you for being so helpful on this thread. whew about the lower 10% nonfail and straight curve.
maybe they don't do the lower 10% as well at my friend's med school, but the top 17 (10%)for each class definitely get honors.

 

[lychee719]

Hey guys,
I know this is very last minute, but I was wondering if someone could please please PLEASE tell me what time the morning interview session for tomorrow starts. I don't remember if it is 7, 7:30, or 8 AM. And also do we meet in the lobby of the Skaggs building? I had my fiancee fax the interview acceptance form at work, and he took the interview letter with him....and LOST it. So if anyone could PLEASE let me know, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you so much!!!

 

[hktt1801]

I was going through the same situation earlier today. It's at 8am at the Pharmaceutical building in the lobby on the first floor. Did you ever get an email from them? It specified the location in there. Get a good night's sleep and hope to see you there tomorrow =)

Hey guys,
I know this is very last minute, but I was wondering if someone could please please PLEASE tell me what time the morning interview session for tomorrow starts. I don't remember if it is 7, 7:30, or 8 AM. And also do we meet in the lobby of the Skaggs building? I had my fiancee fax the interview acceptance form at work, and he took the interview letter with him....and LOST it. So if anyone could PLEASE let me know, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you so much!!!

 

[transzincIIB]

Hey guys,
I know this is very last minute, but I was wondering if someone could please please PLEASE tell me what time the morning interview session for tomorrow starts. I don't remember if it is 7, 7:30, or 8 AM. And also do we meet in the lobby of the Skaggs building? I had my fiancee fax the interview acceptance form at work, and he took the interview letter with him....and LOST it. So if anyone could PLEASE let me know, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you so much!!!

They said to please arrive by 8 am

 

[lychee719]

Thank you sooooo much! I will be able to sleep tonight
Good luck everyone, and see you guys who have an interview tomorrow!
Good night

 

[koercive]

I was waitlisted last year (I know I did pretty well on the interview), but I didn't receive an interview this year. My GPA fell .02 since last year, but I am still pretty confused as to not even receiving an interview again.....

 

[Jaded03]

There's a lot of things to think about.
1. UCSD has gained a lot of popularity since their first graduating class in 2006, and their state of the art building reaching completion. This is particularly significant as even now some California applicants who apply pan-CA pharmacy schools, omit UCSD.
2. If you never asked what went wrong after your first interview, then you don't know what you "lacked". People like to make the assumption that all applicants are on a level playing field when they reach interview, but this isn't so. A solid interview does not guarantee a position at any university, a solid application does (including the interviewer's review).
3. Reapplicants should always improve their application. It's not always GPA that matters. School's reserve the right to review your application in comparison to the previous years. Can you say you've made a lot of progress in compared to the previous year in any particular area?
4. Don't assume it's because of you. It could very well be the applicant pool has been more competitive. For the 2007 applications, they just suddenly got an influx of talented applicants due to the success of the graduating class, which is growing with ensuing years.

I was waitlisted last year (I know I did pretty well on the interview), but I didn't receive an interview this year. My GPA fell .02 since last year, but I am still pretty confused as to not even receiving an interview again.....

 

[CafeMed]

I actually emailed UCSD about my rejection and asked if I could send an appeal for them to re-consider me for an interview and this is what they sent me:

Hello XXX,

If an applicant does not receive an interview, it is because they are not academically competitive. We recommend that applicants have at least a 3.3 GPA. Applicants should keep in mind that last year's incoming class had an average 3.66 GPA. In order to improve their GPA, students can either retake classes they did poorly in (we will look at the average grade), or take additional upper division science courses. It is strongly recommended that students take upper division courses in biochemistry, physiology and cellular and molecular biology. These courses will better prepare students for the rigorous curriculum provided at UCSD.


Thank you,


Student Affairs Officer
University of California, San Diego
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0657
La Jolla, CA 92093-0657

 

[Jaded03]

If an applicant does not receive an interview, it is because they are not academically competitive.

Haha. Confirmed my suspicions about UCSD. Not that it taints my impression of them as an institution, but I always knew of its reputation for going by numbers first with respect to their student body.

 

[CafeMed]

Haha. Confirmed my suspicions about UCSD. Not that it taints my impression of them as an institution, but I always knew of its reputation for going by numbers first with respect to their student body.

Yeah, I'd actually seen a post here when I was doing a search that said they pretty much disregarded applicants who had less than a 3.4. Very bummed about this especially since I have a strong upward trend. This was my top choice school.

 

[matt48]

I actually emailed UCSD about my rejection and asked if I could send an appeal for them to re-consider me for an interview and this is what they sent me:

Hello XXX,

If an applicant does not receive an interview, it is because they are not academically competitive. We recommend that applicants have at least a 3.3 GPA. Applicants should keep in mind that last year's incoming class had an average 3.66 GPA. In order to improve their GPA, students can either retake classes they did poorly in (we will look at the average grade), or take additional upper division science courses. It is strongly recommended that students take upper division courses in biochemistry, physiology and cellular and molecular biology. These courses will better prepare students for the rigorous curriculum provided at UCSD.


Thank you,


Student Affairs Officer
University of California, San Diego
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0657
La Jolla, CA 92093-0657

Thats strange. I don't think I got rejected because my gpa is not competitive. I think its because of my essay. I litterally wrote the essay for UCSF and changed very little for UCSD.

 

[CafeMed]

Thats strange. I don't think I got rejected because my gpa is not competitive. I think its because of my essay. I litterally wrote the essay for UCSF and changed very little for UCSD.

That is weird, your GPA is definitely competitive. I guess the SAO just told me that as a polite way to shut down my request for reconsideration. I never actually asked why I didn't receive an interview.

 

[chate]

Hey kids! I havent been on here since last year, I hope everyones prep/interviews have gone well. Just want to say hello to everyone and offer to answer any qs you might have about 1st/2nd year! Gosondth! Nice to see you on here as well, i think you were the only one to PM us when we got in last year!!

As for "If an applicant does not receive an interview, it is because they are not academically competitive", I think a baseline of 3.3 is relatively reasonable given that SDs average acceptance gpa is 3.7, right? If you havent kept up a >3.3 in undergrad, not saying you CAN'T be in pharm school, just saying that being a lower border student who barely made it in myself (or at least thats what i think), every day is a struggle and the level of work necessary to just get by (just to avoid failure) is a HUGE difference from undergrad.

I used to say "getting in is the hard part"...haha not true! It's do-able, but def not easy!

 

[CafeMed]

As for "If an applicant does not receive an interview, it is because they are not academically competitive", I think a baseline of 3.3 is relatively reasonable given that SDs average acceptance gpa is 3.7, right? If you havent kept up a >3.3 in undergrad, not saying you CAN'T be in pharm school, just saying that being a lower border student who barely made it in myself (or at least thats what i think), every day is a struggle and the level of work necessary to just get by (just to avoid failure) is a HUGE difference from undergrad.

I used to say "getting in is the hard part"...haha not true! It's do-able, but def not easy!

My GPA is above a 3.3 and I also have a strong upward trend since I maintained a GPA of 3.7 my last 2 years. My first 2 years were weak, but I made up for that and proved that I could handle the courses particularly upper division classes. I've also taken graduate classes and have a 3.8 so I thought all that would be taken into consideration.

 

[chate]

I think the main thing they look at is probably your pre-req coursework grades, IE their "we look at the average if you retake classes" statement. I wish I could give you a more solid answer, only thing that I could think of numerically based on what i've heard from everyone who i've talked to who interviewed when i did and those in my class, we all seemed to have:
Science/prereq gpa >3.4
Overall GPA >3.6, and everyone has at least a bachelors degree before starting

Have you applied elsewhere? Maybe our system is just an oddball thats giving you a disadvantage? Your stats look good and you said yourself you've been improving so don't be discouraged- if not UCSD then somewhere else- a PharmD is a PharmD in the end!!

 

[CafeMed]

I think the main thing they look at is probably your pre-req coursework grades, IE their "we look at the average if you retake classes" statement. I wish I could give you a more solid answer, only thing that I could think of numerically based on what i've heard from everyone who i've talked to who interviewed when i did and those in my class, we all seemed to have:
Science/prereq gpa >3.4
Overall GPA >3.6, and everyone has at least a bachelors degree before starting

Have you applied elsewhere? Maybe our system is just an oddball thats giving you a disadvantage? Your stats look good and you said yourself you've been improving so don't be discouraged- if not UCSD then somewhere else- a PharmD is a PharmD in the end!!

Thanks for the encouragement. I applied to UCSF and got an interview and also USC, but have not heard back from them.

 

[chate]

I seriously think theres some kinda conspiracy between the UCs LOL, i applied to UCSF too and got a straight out rejection, not even an interview!! Their stat req's are supposedly equal! Anyways, Best of luck to ya!

 

[xxone2trixx]

From the rumors i have been hearing floating around to make the initial cut to even get looked at you must have had a GPA of >3.4 if you dont then they dont care how good of a person you are they will not look at you. Its stupid to think that this school is taking people based on their GPA which gives no indication that they are going to succeed in pharmacy school but what you can do thats the system. you can't get around it.

 

[hktt1801]

Though it's curious that there ARE students who have such a competitive GPA (i.e. matt48, see previous posts) but did not receive interview invites.

*scratches head*

From the rumors i have been hearing floating around to make the initial cut to even get looked at you must have had a GPA of >3.4 if you dont then they dont care how good of a person you are they will not look at you. Its stupid to think that this school is taking people based on their GPA which gives no indication that they are going to succeed in pharmacy school but what you can do thats the system. you can't get around it.

 

[Jaded03]

Well personally, I think the difference between UCSF and UCSD is their curriculum. I think UCSD treats applicants the way they do, like choosing based on GPA, depth of transcript, and research background is because of the sharing of core courses with medical students. You're being chosen like the way they choose their medical students (which is infamously high GPA and high MCAT scores). It has little to do with your abilities to become your profession, but for your "fit" with UCSD. (To rephrase: Not your abilities to become a pharmacist, but to become one to succeed at UCSD.) The same speech is given at UCSF; they look for those with the right "fit" not on their ability to become a pharmacist.

 

[xangelx]

Well personally, I think the difference between UCSF and UCSD is their curriculum. I think UCSD treats applicants the way they do, like choosing based on GPA, depth of transcript, and research background is because of the sharing of core courses with medical students. You're being chosen like the way they choose their medical students (which is infamously high GPA and high MCAT scores). It has little to do with your abilities to become your profession, but for your "fit" with UCSD. (To rephrase: Not your abilities to become a pharmacist, but to become one to succeed at UCSD.) The same speech is given at UCSF; they look for those with the right "fit" not on their ability to become a pharmacist.

out of curiosity, where do you think is your right "fit" jaded? how did your 2 interviews go?

 

[Jaded03]

out of curiosity, where do you think is your right "fit" jaded? how did your 2 interviews go?

I personally don't know why I was offered interviews to both. Minus GPA, I feel I lack in a lot of areas, but I am a harsh critic of myself. Interviews went fine. I don't think I will be gaining too many points in interview except in verifying all that I've done and my motivations. I'm racking my brain over the choices, but I'm prepped to fail at both. The two schools are completely different in my eyes, so choosing one means losing the benefits of the other. (One example would be: I love the interprofessional education found at UCSD and I love the diversity and established advanced opportunities found at UCSF. This is not to completely slam USC, which I am honored to be a paid student as of right now.) Since I haven't really had the time to mull it over, I'm prematurely banking on rejections to make my decisions easier.

 

[davyjone96431]

Haha. Confirmed my suspicions about UCSD. Not that it taints my impression of them as an institution, but I always knew of its reputation for going by numbers first with respect to their student body.

To clarify, UCSD does want to find out about your life, what charitable work/causes you are passionate about, and your mental strength and attitude towards hardships, reaching goals, etc. That is what the interview is all about. However, please understand they have to go by the numbers a bit to grant you that interview and acceptance into the school because 2nd year of pharmacy school is very very hard. You will be spending essentially the entire 2nd year competing with medical students and testing at their levels. (This is not to say that med students are better than pharm students, but the pace is more rapid and most students agree, it is very hard.) Thus, they need to use some measurement to predict if you are gonna fail or not.

So they use your GPA because if you can't do well in undergraduate, what makes them think you can do well in 2nd year of pharmacy school? And therefore, they don't waste time with people who have lower GPA's. I know it sucks and you could do well despite messing up in undergrad, but if you have a good reason, put it in your pharmCAS and supplemental application because they will read those statements even though your GPA is low. This is your last ditch effort to lessen the detrimental effect of a low GPA.

 

[davyjone96431]

Also, UCSD is looking for applicants who join a lot of clubs or other extracurricular activities. It seems like they want those students to continue that tradition at UCSD with its myriad of pharmacy projects/clubs/internship programs/research publications. So if you did travel aboard and research, you have a good advantage too.

 

[rycetrix]

Essay topic: Who would you like to put on the Mt. Rushmore and Why?

There is no right and wrong answer for this right? Does it have to be a president's face? We can write anybody right?

What is the purpose of writing? Test your written organization and communication skills?

Great...so I heard that people on the 2/6 interview received the exact same question for their essay. I wonder how this will pan out for everyone else that was not prepared for the type of essay question...

 

[Jaded03]

I know it sucks and you could do well despite messing up in undergrad, but if you have a good reason, put it in your pharmCAS and supplemental application because they will read those statements even though your GPA is low.

I wouldn't even shift the blame to UCSD SPPS for their initial selection process as their SOM does have that emphasis. It just seems like a logical step to interview with the criteria of the SOM, which may be GPA-intensive. Having said that, I will give SPPS credit in reading the applications and searching for more once you've been granted an interview. Every school is different, and we really can't blame schools for their methodology for choosing their applicant pool. Some schools go completely by GPA and they aren't being judged as harshly.

 

[Dysic]

Anyone from the 1/16 or later interview hear back yet?

 

[rycetrix]

Anyone from the 1/16 or later interview hear back yet?

If you remember from the interview, we don't hear back until the first week of March. So sit tight and wait patiently for the decision to come out.

 

[eerees]

I interviewed on 1/16 and I just got my acceptance letter today! It's dated 2/18/09, but I didn't check the mail until today. I live in San Diego so you guys should be hearing from UCSD soon. Good luck everyone!

 

[rycetrix]

I interviewed on 1/16 and I just got my acceptance letter today! It's dated 2/18/09, but I didn't check the mail until today. I live in San Diego so you guys should be hearing from UCSD soon. Good luck everyone!

Holy crap, are you serious? Ahh!!!! I need to check mail today!! I also interviewed on 1/16...

 

[Sneels]

Just got my acceptance today from 2/7 =) yay yay yay!!!!

 

[rycetrix]

Just got my acceptance today from 2/7 =) yay yay yay!!!!

Where are you located Sneels?

 

[kpkd]

Got Acceptance letter from UCSD today. Was my first chioce! Interview on 1/17

 

[Sneels]

Where are you located Sneels?

I am over in North Carolina... kind of surprised I heard so early, but excited none the less! You should be hearing any day now I'm sure!

 

[krystal2812]

Just got my acceptance today from 2/7 =) yay yay yay!!!!

Omg. I'm in 2/7. Keep praying now.

 

[rycetrix]

My friend got a rejection letter from UCSD and interviewed on 2/6. So I guess they're sending out both acceptances and rejections now which is a little odd and different from last year's batch.

 

[xangelx]

I am over in North Carolina... kind of surprised I heard so early, but excited none the less! You should be hearing any day now I'm sure!

Are you going to UCSD for sure? Or waiting on UCSF?

 

[Sneels]

Are you going to UCSD for sure? Or waiting on UCSF?

I actually didn't apply to UCSF. Being in NC, most of the schools I applied to were East Coast. I have been accepted to a couple other schools, but I'm almost positive I'll be out there in the fall. I told my family/friends, I'm going to think about it this week, make my decision and then tell everyone Monday. =)

What about you? UCSD, UCSF?? Maybe we'll be P1s together!!!

 

[xangelx]

I actually didn't apply to UCSF. Being in NC, most of the schools I applied to were East Coast. I have been accepted to a couple other schools, but I'm almost positive I'll be out there in the fall. I told my family/friends, I'm going to think about it this week, make my decision and then tell everyone Monday. =)

What about you? UCSD, UCSF?? Maybe we'll be P1s together!!!

We can actually be p1s together if we pick the same one of 3 schools.

 

[xo sotypical]

So excited!! Got my acceptance letter today! Letter dated 2/18 and postmarked 2/20. I live on the East coast.

 

[krystal2812]

wow. how can people from East hear before us?

 

[xangelx]

I actually didn't apply to UCSF. Being in NC, most of the schools I applied to were East Coast. I have been accepted to a couple other schools, but I'm almost positive I'll be out there in the fall. I told my family/friends, I'm going to think about it this week, make my decision and then tell everyone Monday. =)

What about you? UCSD, UCSF?? Maybe we'll be P1s together!!!

when do you have to give your decision to ucsd?