UIC Interview

[trishias]

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Hey Everyone! I just received an e-mail inviting me to interview at UIC. I cried for five minutes. Anyone one receive similar news? If so, congrats! If not, I'm sorry but try try again. It worked for me!!!

 

[BESTPHARMACY]

Hey Everyone! I just received an e-mail inviting me to interview at UIC. I cried for five minutes. Anyone one receive similar news? If so, congrats! If not, I'm sorry but try try again. It worked for me!!!

Congrats!!! Did you cry too when you got accepted to your undergrad?

 

[trishias]

Congrats!!! Did you cry too when you got accepted to your undergrad?

No! I just was just ready to decide where I was going. I ended up going to Loyola University Chicago

 

[lgooden]

😀 I got one but will prob delcine, so there will be another spot out there... 🙄

 

[kayjay]

I just got an interview invite too!! Yayayayay!
I'm leaning more towrd MWU though..I guess it won't hurt to go. 🙂

Hey trishas! Loyolan here! 😛 Are u a senior?

 

[trishias]

I just got an interview invite too!! Yayayayay!
I'm leaning more towrd MWU though..I guess it won't hurt to go. 🙂

Hey trishas! Loyolan here! 😛 Are u a senior?

Graduated last April. It was about time!!!

 

[lazydazy]

i received an offer for an interview too. i'm indifferent about it...they'll have to do a lot of impressing. now i've gotta find time to attend it and prepare for it. i'm trying to save my vacation to go to china.

the interview is during the week of Monday, March 21, 2005 through Friday, March 25, 2005. regardless, it's definitely a good experience.

good luck everyone!

 

[lazydazy]

hey,

is it bad to decline an interview? i mean, i was accepted to my school of choice, MWU CCP. i felt a great vibe from CCP, plus they have a 3 year program (although contingent on 1st year GPA), but it's nearly double the cost of UIC, and much farther away from where i live in Chicago.

however, UIC is cheaper, meaner, and closer to my home, 4 years instead of 3, and cheaper. UIC has one more hoop, attending the interview. i would prepare as best as i could to get accepted, but i'm not that interested. i'd love to finish school in 3 years...after all, i'm going to be 26.

how should i way the pros and cons? am i risking too much by being focused on one school? should i keep my options open? also, does CCP have as much credibility as UIC? does it really matter where you go to pharmacy school? aren't we all pharmacists in the end?

i look forward to your comments! SDN has been of great value for me during this entire process.

thanks in advance!

 

[Glycerin]

...after all, i'm going to be 26.

You keep saying that like it's a BAD thing. I'm 26 NOW, and I'll begin a 4-year program in the fall. There are many people on this forum and in general who don't even begin pharmacy school until their 30s or 40s. Some even later than that. Life's much easier to live if you don't put a timeline on it. 😉

As far as what you should do, I'd say go with your gut instinct. I can't speak for UIC since I've never been there, but I have been to CCP and really liked it. The AGO program is nice, but there are no guarantees that you will get in (unforeseeable things could occur, or your GPA may not be in the top 50 no matter how hard you work). I've heard that UIC's admissions office staff are not pleasant, but then I've also heard that people love it once they get in. I have a friend going there now.

If you are comfortable with going to CCP, trying to get into AGO, and don't mind commuting from where you live now and paying the higher tuition, I say go for it. 👍

 

[Tai]

Hey lazydazy.....im having the EXACT same issues. I guess my other annoyance is that im still taking my las pre-reqs and i would have to take two extra classes (20 hours of school plus another 12 of lab....brutal. I am doing that now and want to pull my hair out). Plus i keep hearing that pple are not happy there. but its from their "friends" so who knows whats for real you know? However, i have heard so many good things about CCP....the only negative ive heard is that its more expensive. the teachers are excellent at CCP too. but again, its that nagging in me that keeps saying "just go to the interview. its not gonna kill ya to do so". So i say just go to the UIC intervew so you never have regrets!!! You never know what will come of it. 😀

 

[trishias]

hey,

is it bad to decline an interview? i mean, i was accepted to my school of choice, MWU CCP. i felt a great vibe from CCP, plus they have a 3 year program (although contingent on 1st year GPA), but it's nearly double the cost of UIC, and much farther away from where i live in Chicago.

however, UIC is cheaper, meaner, and closer to my home, 4 years instead of 3, and cheaper. UIC has one more hoop, attending the interview. i would prepare as best as i could to get accepted, but i'm not that interested. i'd love to finish school in 3 years...after all, i'm going to be 26.

how should i way the pros and cons? am i risking too much by being focused on one school? should i keep my options open? also, does CCP have as much credibility as UIC? does it really matter where you go to pharmacy school? aren't we all pharmacists in the end?

i look forward to your comments! SDN has been of great value for me during this entire process.

thanks in advance!

Hey! I think MWU CCP is a good institution but sometimes I think UIC's pharmacists have more credibility than MWU's. I say this b/c some of the pharmacists I work with have that idea because some of our pharmacists from MWU are not credible. However, I don't think you can judge the school by a couple of bad apples. So, I am still considering both. My advice to you is to choose whichever school you think is the fit for you regardless of financials because where there is a will there is a way. 🙂

 

[Tai]

I agree with what Trishias says about choosing the best fit. To add to the "bad apples" list, a good friend is at UIC pharm school and said that there are some students in her classes that cant write a simple paper or speak fluently (with correct english grammer) even if their lives depended on it. So its just who you come in contact with. I think there are pple who slide by at every school no matter where you go! So credibilty is very relative. For peeps like us (who have crossed the quarter life crisis line....YIKES!), it is a plus to work hard and be able to graduate early! To those that dont care and want to do the 4 year thing, well more power to you too! 😀

 

[trishias]

to those who were offered an interview for UIC, how are u preparing for the behavior based interview?

 

[kayjay]

to those who were offered an interview for UIC, how are u preparing for the behavior based interview?

Ahhhh! I just looked at the example behavior based questions..I'm stuck trying to think of some answers..I can't seem to remember having ever been in the majority of those situations.

 

[lazydazy]

i'm so tempted to cancel my interview. i'm not interested in UIC anymore. However, I keep telling myself that I need to check it out to make sure that MWU is definitely the place for me to go this fall. I'm recovering from sinusitis and pharyngitis and I was out of the office for nearly 4 days last week. Now, I'm calling in sick this Monday to attend my interview. I hope that I don't get fired! 😱 I intend to work there until the end of July. They would kill me if they knew that I was skipping work to go to a pharmacy school interview. I have a huge meeting w/my supervisor too. I really don't want to go, but I feel that I should, right? Who knows, I may be blown away.

I'm nervous about answering these questions b/c I too feel as though I haven't been in such situations. I'm preparing by looking at the sheet that was attached in the email invitation.

Good luck everyone!

 

[trishias]

hey guys! i'm also looking at similar questions and participated in a mock interview at my indergrad institution. I think the mock went okay and it calmed me down some, but I also feel that i havent been in some of those situations. I guess we have to wing it!!! 😳

 

[lazydazy]

good luck on your interview this week! mine is tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. i'll post my experience tomorrow. i'm going to take my time to process the question and to constructively answer it. i'm nervous though. my boyfriend told me that while i was practicing w/him tonight that i rambled on...i definitely need to work on giving a brief answer.

 

[Tai]

Good luck to you all at UIC! My interview is on Tuesday (i think.....). Anyone else interviewing on Tuesday?

 

[kayjay]

Good luck to all of you as well. Mine is tomorrow at 11:30 am. I feel soo unprepared! 😱

 

[touchfish]

Good luck to all of you 🙂
There is no way to prepare for behavioral interview...
I am sooo nervous!!!

 

[lazydazy]

Hey everyone, I just finished leaving my interview feedback. It was a big fat negative! I thought visiting and interviewing at UIC was a waste of time. I'm definitely attending MWU CCP this fall. It's funny b/c UIC was my first choice and I wasn't expecting much when I visited CCP, but was very impressed w/the latter. You couldn't pay me to attend UIC. All the pharmacists I work w/highly regard UIC, but I'm not impressed. I'll definitely decline if I'm accepted there...

My interviewer was so stuck on talking about his research and trying to fix his hearing aid b/c it was making a buzzing noise and it was difficult to hear me. It was the most crazy experience of my life! We did talk a little about myself, my work, and volunteer experience, but somehow we always ended up talking about his research. How is his research pertinent to my admissions? I mean, really! I know of his work and was able to keep a fluid conversation. Over all, definitely unimpressed.

I'm so excited my interviewing process is over and I'll be attending CCP this fall.

Good luck everyone!

 

[mahishrimp]

Would it really bad if your office know that you were gone for the school interview? God.. My boss knows...

 

[lazydazy]

i called in sick today just so I could attend UIC's interview. I don't care b/c I'm quiting my job at the end of July, but I definitely couldn't disclose that I was attending a pharmacy school interview. My job would be pissed b/c I work for a chemical and engineering company, which is completely unrelated to pharmacy. If you feel comfortable telling them and if they are understanding it shouldn't be a big deal.

Good luck!

 

[kayjay]

I just attended the interview at UIC early this afternoon. Overall, it was a good experience. The facilities weren't too impressive, but the people I talked to gave me a better vibe about the school than what I've been hearing. What really impressed me the most about the school (and maybe the only thing thus far besides the cost) is the fact that the professors there lecture about stuff they actually do research on and specialize on..so you don't have professors who read things from a book and simply teach those things to you. Basically, everything you learn comes "hot off the press." My interviewer who graduated from UIC also assured me that one of the unique things about UIC is that because you have professors like that, there are interesting things you will get the opportunity to see that "you might never see anywhere and anytime else in your lifetime." She was extremely friendly and approachable. I don't think I've ever felt that comfortable at an interview. She only asked me 3 questions, and only one of them was behavior-based. She works with the residences, which is something I thought of and was considering, so that was a plus..gave me the opportunity to ask more questions about it.

I was leaning more toward MWU in the beginning, but if I hear good news from UIC, I'm going to have to think hard about my decision. For the most part, I was concerned about the costs of attending MWU, but the difference is not as much as I thought. I guess I will just have to wait and see..if I don't get accepted to UIC, I'll be in an easier position. 😛

 

[smuggler930]

aaah!! my interview is tomorrow!
these questions are so gay!
describe a SITUATION
why do i have to think of A SITUATION
why can't i just talk in general??
either way
two questions
1. Do i have to carry anything? folder with resume etc?

2. How many people in the room interviewing you and how long do they drill u with questions and what do they do if you say "UHH"

ok i know this is last minute, help a chica out!
thanks

 

[kayjay]

aaah!! my interview is tomorrow!
these questions are so gay!
describe a SITUATION
why do i have to think of A SITUATION
why can't i just talk in general??
either way
two questions
1. Do i have to carry anything? folder with resume etc?

2. How many people in the room interviewing you and how long do they drill u with questions and what do they do if you say "UHH"

ok i know this is last minute, help a chica out!
thanks

1. You don't need to carry anything. They provide you with a pen for the writing exercise. You don't a resume because the interview is intended to be "closed file" to prevent bias. The interviewers aren't supposed to know anything about you; the intent is to see how well you react and respond to the given situation(s).

2. One person interviews you. Just be yourself, relax, and you will do fine. Structure your answers so that you're "telling a story." I was only asked 3 questions, so the interview itself wasn't very long..the questions and the length depends on who interviews you and on your answers/questions.

 

[smuggler930]

THANKYOU bunches!
ok one more thing. the official thing says it takes three hours. Is this true? how long for writing assessment how long for showing u the campus, how long is the actual interview? so i'm thinkin the answers have to take a long time eh??

 

[chocoholic]

😕 What sample behavior-based questions are you all talking about? I never got any information about that... All I got was just a plain invitation telling me the time of my interview and that was it. Is there some information that I'm missing out on? Can anyone please tell me or give me any information on that? My interview is on Thursday and I'm so worried right now... Is the essay very hard? What kind of questions do they ask? Is there only one essay option or you get to pick from a few to write about? I'd appreciate it if anyone can give me some advice about the interviews. Thank you.

 

[smuggler930]

My interview letter said that it was behavior based. and in it was the following link: http://careers.ns.utexas.edu/students/careerinfo/resources/handouts/behaviorbased.pdf

NOw i assumed that everyone goes through a behavior based interview at UIC. Am i correct? did your interview invitation not discuss this at all? maybe i'm wrong?

 

[lazydazy]

i had the same experience as kayjay only one behavioral question. my interviewer was interested in getting to know me and talking about his research.

i practiced from the link you attached in a previous post, but it really didn't matter.

it's really a relaxed environment. the interviewer just wants to make sure that you have great verbal communication skills. the essay lasts 45 minutes and that's more than enough time to finish. i finished in about 30 minutes.

good luck!

 

[lazydazy]

kayjay,

i just read your interview experience and mine is completely different than yours! my interviewer was unprepared and having major problems w/his hearing aid. i'm glad you had a good experience.

MWU is better for me b/c they have vet pharmacy classes plus the AGO program.

Maybe if I had a more enjoyable experience than it would be a dilemma, but it wasn't. I was completely turned off, which is a shame b/c I expected a lot since UIC is highly ranked in pharmacy.

 

[chocoholic]

Thanks for your feedbacks. No, I was not told about it being a behavior-based interview and neither was I given the link to that website -- only told to arrive at that time and bring nothing else but myself... that's it! So thanks so much for that, I feel a little under control right now 🙂

 

[trishias]

did they tell you guys how long it would take for the adcom to give you a decision after you interviewed? 🙄

 

[kayjay]

They are supposed to go through all the apps once everyone is done interviewing (end of this week). They said we all should expect to hear from them by the end of April.

 

[nikkai]

They are supposed to go through all the apps once everyone is done interviewing (end of this week). They said we all should expect to hear from them by the end of April.

The end of April 😵. Jeez they're slow about everything.

I have my interview tomorrow morning.

I went today just go get a feel for things. Looks fun. =)

 

[Tai]

😛 Ha ha, so i had my interview yesterday and it went pretty well. Well.....except for the writing assignment. I dont think i answered the question right....it was kinda confusing. Anyhoo, it was funny cuz while we were waiting to get interviewed, we were all standing in a line and facing the front like were were in a line up for a firing squad and were going to get shot. I was just laughing inside my head cuz it was just so stupid. What a way to make us feel comfortable. My interviewer was super nice and friendly and we got along just fine. however, some other peeps came back and said thier interviewers were horrible and were expressionless throughout the whole interview. I felt kinda bad for them. There were students there to answer questions and they were all SUPER nice and informative. But i was disappointed at the meeting with the dean. She, herself, was a really friendly woman, but it was just a question/answer session and they gave no info on the school, student loans, etc like how Midwestern did.

There were some other funny moments I wont remark on but overall it was interesting, but not very informative.

I would suggest taking a good dark pencil with u to write the essay (just make sure u tell them u are writing with it) as i made many mistakes and had to scratch it out and my paper looked hideous when i turned it in. 😛

good luck to the rest of you!

 

[kayjay]

Tai, I'm with you on that whole essay thing. I intended to bring a pencil and pen with me, but I totally forgot to bring both! I hate writing essays with ink..my essay was full of scratch outs as well. 😛

According to the dean, there isn't a right or wrong answer to the essay questions; they just want to see how well your written communication skills are (and make sure that you know how to spell, punctuate, etc.). Instead of writing a traditional essay like I've done at past interviews which includes an intro, followed by body paragraphs, and then a conclusion, I totally did the opposite, since there was very little space on the sheet they gave us! I only wrote one body paragraph, which I now regret..I pretty much wrote about what I knew about pharmacy since my question sorta implied that..after having thought about it, I remember being reminded that the AdCom doesn't really care about how much you know about the pharm profession as far as the essay is concerned but rather that your written comm. skills are spectacular. Oh well, if UIC doesn't work out, then MWU it is.. 😀

 

[lazydazy]

i think the way u constructed your essay is fine. i didn't construct it in the traditional manner either. mine basically had 3 questions in itself/asked for the points to be made in the essay. i wrote three paragraphs explaining the points and then wrote a conclusion. i too was fine, but i felt that i answered what they were asking...who knows...

i felt it was pointless. i was very, very disappointed w/my interviewer. i bet some of the prospective students you talked to had the guy i had on monday. horrible!

it's nice that you mingled w/both prospective and current students. the prospective students pretty much kept to themselves during our visit. the students that i spoke to were first years and couldn't answer the questions i had about the program.

i wasn't impressed w/the assistant dean's Q & A session either. we basically waited 20 mins. to go into a auditorium for her to quickily summarize what the next step was and then she said if you don't have any ? then you may go home. it definitely wasn't as thorough as MWU, but each school has their own style I guess.

 

[kristakoch]

One thing that was never mentioned is that the faculty at MWU also conduct research. Many of the pharmacology and medicinal chemistry professors have been published, along with the therapeutics profs. Almost all schools have faculty that do research, they just do not always tout it all the time

 

[Tai]

Actually the person that interviewd me was a researcher and said that he/she talked about the research they did during his/her lecture. However, what was disappointing was the the interviewer could not answer a single question I had about the college because he/she did not know much about the COP. How wierd is that? It kinda sucked to know that your teachers are not totally dedicated to teaching. But then on the other hand its cool that they bring the research to class. however, a good friend who is a P3 said that it gets confusing sometimes when a different teachers teach their own specialty topics during one course. She gets confused as to what topics by what teacher will be covered on the exams and each teacher has their own exam style.

oh well, i guess to each their own.

 

[nikkai]

So the interviews are now officially over.

And the time of twiddling the thumbs begins... =)

 

[trishias]

So the interviews are now officially over.

And the time of twiddling the thumbs begins... =)

I know what u mean. Im still waiting on MWU to send me something but I am so nervous about UIC. I think my interview went well but I still nervous. 😕 Good luck to those of you who interviewed. Hope to see you in the fall!!! 🙄

 

[Tai]

What did the rest of you that had your interviews at UIC think about it? Anyone care to share their thoughts, pros, cons about UIC?

 

[chocoholic]

Other than the long waits for replies... everything else about the school is quite nice... i think... 🙂

Does anyone know much about their dorms? Anyone's visited or heard anything about them? Only know that they're all aparment or suite style and you get your own room...

 

[nikkai]

Forget dorms, rent a room from me when I buy a home there! =)

You don't wanna live with a bunch of first and second year undergrads anyway.



*twiddle twiddle twiddle*

 

[Moolji]

No! I just was just ready to decide where I was going. I ended up going to Loyola University Chicago

I am going to transfer to Loyola University Chicago in the fall of 2005, i just wanted to know if u can help me out in choosing the best teachers for:
1. Organic Chemistry
2. Physics
3. Anatomy

i just need to know which teachers are the best, or who you preffered.

 

[chocoholic]

Forget dorms, rent a room from me when I buy a home there! =)

You don't wanna live with a bunch of first and second year undergrads anyway.



*twiddle twiddle twiddle*

Yah you're right, do not want to be living around a bunch of 1st and 2nd yer undergrads...but when i looked onto http://www.housing.uic.edu/halls/ssr.html it says that the single student residence hall is for grad and professional school students... shudn't have any freshies right? But yeah... I just wanted to know if they look old or new inside and if they're in kept in good condition or not... that kinna stuff... anyone know? 😎

buying a home? like a house, apartment, or condo?

 

[trishias]

I am going to transfer to Loyola University Chicago in the fall of 2005, i just wanted to know if u can help me out in choosing the best teachers for:
1. Organic Chemistry
2. Physics
3. Anatomy

i just need to know which teachers are the best, or who you preffered.

I had Dr. Warren Jones for Anatomy and Physiology (which are two separate classes). He's great. I took physics in 2000 and my teacher, who was called C-constant b/c all the students got C's in his class, i don't think he is teaching anymore and I haven't heard about any other professors. The same for O. chem. I had Tim Thomas for a semester but do not recommend him. Kayjay may have some more advice. 🙂

 

[trishias]

Yah you're right, do not want to be living around a bunch of 1st and 2nd yer undergrads...but when i looked onto http://www.housing.uic.edu/halls/ssr.html it says that the single student residence hall is for grad and professional school students... shudn't have any freshies right? But yeah... I just wanted to know if they look old or new inside and if they're in kept in good condition or not... that kinna stuff... anyone know? 😎

buying a home? like a house, apartment, or condo?

Anyone plan on commuting? if so, where from?

 

[nikkai]

Yah you're right, do not want to be living around a bunch of 1st and 2nd yer undergrads...but when i looked onto http://www.housing.uic.edu/halls/ssr.html it says that the single student residence hall is for grad and professional school students... shudn't have any freshies right? But yeah... I just wanted to know if they look old or new inside and if they're in kept in good condition or not... that kinna stuff... anyone know? 😎

buying a home? like a house, apartment, or condo?

Depends on the prices, availability, condition etc.

I paid 6+ years of rent and have nothing to show for it. I'm a little tired of that. =)