University of Georgia Pharm School QUESTIONS/ADVICE?

[MissPharmD14]

Hey! Just wondering if anyone has been accepted to UGA's pharm school and their credientials.

I'm pretty nervous about applying and taking the PCAT.
I have taken Chem I and II and Bio I and II along with Calc. I'm taking O Chem this fall.

1. Should I take the PCAT this summer or wait until Jan. 2013 (after taking O chem)?

2. What is considered a competitive PCAT score?

3. My overall GPA is a 3.135. Considering, I am lacking in this area, what can I do to increase my chances of getting accepted, or even an interview?

4. UGA says accepted student's GPAs ranged from 2.34-4.00, as well as PCAT scores ranging from 50-97. How do I interpert this data? B/c seeing 2.34 make me think I'm for sure getting accepted....?

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[kcwang]

I have never applied there, but i think I can help you answer some questions base on my honest opinion.

1. If you are the type of individual that can self study and are highly motivated, I would suggest self studying for ochem and take pcat this summer. Look for the pcat ochem topics on the pearson website.

2. I think a high 70s on each subject is considered as competitive. You should always aim high. However, check with each pharm school, they might have different requirement. For example, University of Colorado Pharmacy School at Denver prefer higher than 50 percentile.

3. If your GPA is low, then improve your other parts of your application. This means excellent LORs, more EC, more achievements, great personal statement. Also, having a higher gpa trend can also help.

4. Some people have low GPA, but their other parts of application make up for it. We just cannot spend 24hrs a day studying. Some have to sacrifice studying time to work, do research, manage a club or help out at community service.

 

[treetrotter]

Hey! Just wondering if anyone has been accepted to UGA's pharm school and their credientials.

I'm pretty nervous about applying and taking the PCAT.
I have taken Chem I and II and Bio I and II along with Calc. I'm taking O Chem this fall.

1. Should I take the PCAT this summer or wait until Jan. 2013 (after taking O chem)?

2. What is considered a competitive PCAT score?

3. My overall GPA is a 3.135. Considering, I am lacking in this area, what can I do to increase my chances of getting accepted, or even an interview?

4. UGA says accepted student's GPAs ranged from 2.34-4.00, as well as PCAT scores ranging from 50-97. How do I interpert this data? B/c seeing 2.34 make me think I'm for sure getting accepted....?

Hey there! I got in for the Fall of 2012 so maybe I can help.
1. You should most definitely take the pcat in the summer and depending on your score, take it again in Jan. The pcat is relatively light on OCHEM so your own study or taking a pcat class should be sufficient. The admissions committee also likes to see people who have taken it a couple times and shown improvement. (shows your interest in pharmacy school)
2. A good pcat score is around an 80 composite. But anything in the upper 70s would be considered competitive. The first time i took the pcat I got a 76 and that was good enough to get an interview. But again, take it more than once (unless you blow it out of the water and a 90+)
3. Your overall gpa is sort of irrelevant as far as UGA is concerned, as they only look at your gpa in prerequisite courses. You can see which courses they look at the college of pharmacy website under the FAQ section. However, if your gpa is low, consider finding volunteer work or paying jobs in pharmacies around your hometown. If you live in Athens, Mercy clinic is usually looking for help in the pharmacy. Additionally, any areas in which you are below average can be countered by giving a good interview as well scoring high on the pcat.
4. The gpa range shows the lowest and highest GPAs they accepted. More than likely, if someone scored a 2.2 gpa and were accepted, they had a very good (95+) pcat score and lots of volunteer hours, pharamcy experience, etc, and gave a very strong interview. On the other hand, if you had a very high gpa, you would have a little more room on the pcat.

It also depends a lot on the stats of the applicant pool you're competing with, as it may change every year. But in general, the adcom cites around a 3.4-3.5 and average pcat of 80. The closer you can get to this, the better your chances should be. GOODLUCK!!