University of Houston C/O 2020 Applicants

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UHCOP mostly does retail, but still has a good number that do a residency (like 15-20 per class). They push really hard for clinical, but I think a lot of people just get tired towards the end and want a good paying job so they choose to go retail, but the class structure is really geared towards clinical pharmacy.
ok I see, is residency required for clinical pharmacy?

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ok I see, is residency required for clinical pharmacy?
Essentially. There are a handful of PharmD who didn't do a residency who are clinical pharmacist, but by the time we graduate, residency will be required of all hospital staff and clinical pharmacists.
 
Have any of you all done the criminal background check??
IN it is says "Based on a search of public and private databases, the provided social security number does not have any associations with the name (my name) and date of birth (my date of birth).
The only way to verify a Social Security Number is through the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA does not allow third parties, including employment screening companies, to verify Social Security Numbers. Verification of a Social Security Number can be done only by employers and only after they have extended a job offer to an individual. To verify an employee's Social Security Number, call 1-800-772-6270. Please have the employee's name as it appears on the Social Security card, Date of Birth, Sex, and your company's Federal EIN number ready to expedite this process."

Is this normal or do you think I typed my SSN number in wrong.
 
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Have any of you all done the criminal background check??
IN it is says "Based on a search of public and private databases, the provided social security number does not have any associations with the name (my name) and date of birth (my date of birth).
The only way to verify a Social Security Number is through the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA does not allow third parties, including employment screening companies, to verify Social Security Numbers. Verification of a Social Security Number can be done only by employers and only after they have extended a job offer to an individual. To verify an employee's Social Security Number, call 1-800-772-6270. Please have the employee's name as it appears on the Social Security card, Date of Birth, Sex, and your company's Federal EIN number ready to expedite this process."

Is this normal or do you think I typed my SSN number in wrong.
Yeah that seems a bit strange. I would give them a call. Mine went through fine with no issues. They sent me the results yesterday at noon.
 
Nope! No Friday classes, though there might be 1-2 required Labs throughout the semester that fall on a Friday.
One more question. What is the next step? Will it be quiet until next year around March/April before we hear from UHCOP?
 
Have any of you all done the criminal background check??
IN it is says "Based on a search of public and private databases, the provided social security number does not have any associations with the name (my name) and date of birth (my date of birth).
The only way to verify a Social Security Number is through the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA does not allow third parties, including employment screening companies, to verify Social Security Numbers. Verification of a Social Security Number can be done only by employers and only after they have extended a job offer to an individual. To verify an employee's Social Security Number, call 1-800-772-6270. Please have the employee's name as it appears on the Social Security card, Date of Birth, Sex, and your company's Federal EIN number ready to expedite this process."

Is this normal or do you think I typed my SSN number in wrong.

I would give them a call too I didn't get a message like that when I did mine
 
One more question. What is the next step? Will it be quiet until next year around March/April before we hear from UHCOP?

Pretty much. You will get an email maybe at the end of May about registering for classes, but nothing else really.
 
Have any of you all done the criminal background check??
IN it is says "Based on a search of public and private databases, the provided social security number does not have any associations with the name (my name) and date of birth (my date of birth).
The only way to verify a Social Security Number is through the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA does not allow third parties, including employment screening companies, to verify Social Security Numbers. Verification of a Social Security Number can be done only by employers and only after they have extended a job offer to an individual. To verify an employee's Social Security Number, call 1-800-772-6270. Please have the employee's name as it appears on the Social Security card, Date of Birth, Sex, and your company's Federal EIN number ready to expedite this process."

Is this normal or do you think I typed my SSN number in wrong.
This same thing happened to me. I called them and they said that basically you have nothing under your name, so there's nothing to worry about! If you do have things under your name, I would give them a call and see what the issue is, but that is what they told me!
 
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Hello everyone, could you guys please leave interview feedback for future applicants? THANK YOU :)
 
Hello everyone, could you guys please leave interview feedback for future applicants? THANK YOU :)

I can't really agree to that, I don't want to destroy the integrity of UHCOP's interview criterium. Just try you best, and you should be fine.
 
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Hello, my stats are GPA - 3.35 (not exactly great) PCAT - 95 Work Experience: Technician at Walmart Pharmacy.

I applied for regular decision and got the email saying my application was under review on Oct 22. How long do they usually take before they send out an invitation for an interview?
 
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Hello, my stats are GPA - 3.35 (not exactly great) PCAT - 95 Work Experience: Technician at Walmart Pharmacy.

I applied for regular decision and got the email saying my application was under review on Oct 22. How long do they usually take before they send out an invitation for an interview?

Did pharmCAS review your app yet?
 
Did pharmCAS review your app yet?
Yes, PharmCAS sent me an email on Oct 20th that it was verified with GPA calculated. Then 2 days later I received the email from UH COP saying my app was under review.
 
Yes, PharmCAS sent me an email on Oct 20th that it was verified with GPA calculated. Then 2 days later I received the email from UH COP saying my app was under review.
My friend has his application verified last week and said that he received the Nov 20th interview invitation on Monday. Don't worry. You still have a couple of weeks before the next interview day. The admission committee of UH haven't done any interview recently since the last one on Oct 16th.
 
When is a FB group going to be created? I'm curious to know who my future classmates will be for the next 4 years of my life xD
 
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Which computer is the most recommended for class a MacBook air or a PC computer like dell?
 
Which computer is the most recommended for class a MacBook air or a PC computer like dell?

Honestly either will work just fine. I would say my class is about 50/50-half have a macbook and the other have a regular PC. I have a Sony VAIO and it works just fine for me. They will say it has to have all these crazy specs but honestly, a regular computer that has a decent speed and whatever sized hard drive you need will work just fine. A USB port and an ethernet port as well. You really don't need an I5 processor or 1TB hard drive and a disk drive. You have to be able to take exams on blackboard or examsoft and that's it.
 
Honestly either will work just fine. I would say my class is about 50/50-half have a macbook and the other have a regular PC. I have a Sony VAIO and it works just fine for me. They will say it has to have all these crazy specs but honestly, a regular computer that has a decent speed and whatever sized hard drive you need will work just fine. A USB port and an ethernet port as well. You really don't need an I5 processor or 1TB hard drive and a disk drive. You have to be able to take exams on blackboard or examsoft and that's it.
Cool Thanks! :D
 
@romaniangirl How are most pharmacy students at UH paying for tuition? Loans?
Yep! Pretty much everyone in my class took out a loan. Those of you that are currently attending UH and have the Academic Excellence Scholarship, that will transfer over if you still have funds remaining. I was fortunate enough to have that scholarship plus another one so I could pay this year's tuition out of pocket (though still a lot!) from some of my savings. If you are not from UH, the financial aid department sucks, big time, so make sure to get it all sorted out way in advance because there are often many hoops you have to get through to get it all sorted out.
 
Yep! Pretty much everyone in my class took out a loan. Those of you that are currently attending UH and have the Academic Excellence Scholarship, that will transfer over if you still have funds remaining. I was fortunate enough to have that scholarship plus another one so I could pay this year's tuition out of pocket (though still a lot!) from some of my savings. If you are not from UH, the financial aid department sucks, big time, so make sure to get it all sorted out way in advance because there are often many hoops you have to get through to get it all sorted out.
Can I please have a rough estimate of how much I'm looking at per semester and per year? I know UH posts it online, and I think it's about 19K a year?
 
Can I please have a rough estimate of how much I'm looking at per semester and per year? I know UH posts it online, and I think it's about 19K a year?
I can't give you an exact number as it depends on how many credit hours you take per semester, but it costs $602 per credit hour. So, assuming on the basis of 15 credit hours/semester, you are looking at ~$9500 per semester. Also keep in mind that after P2 and P3 years, you have to take summer classes so those will also be an additional $7000 to $8000 each. It's about $92,000 for the whole program.
 
Hey guys I'm a current PharmD student at UH (P1), and I would love to answer and any questions you might have about applying, interviewing, or about UH/UHCOP in general. Good luck to those of you applying this cycle!

Hi! I hope you are having a good year in pharmacy school. I was wondering if you could tell me about the interviewing process and the type of questions that are asked at UHCOP interviews. Any tips or advice for me for my upcoming interview at UHCOP?
Thanks!
 
Hi! I hope you are having a good year in pharmacy school. I was wondering if you could tell me about the interviewing process and the type of questions that are asked at UHCOP interviews. Any tips or advice for me for my upcoming interview at UHCOP?
Thanks!

Well I don't know the exact questions they have this year for the interview but it's your usual standard: tell me about yourself, why pharmacy and not something else, tell me a time you had to time manage (or whatever), that sort of thing. Also, be prepared to answer questions based off of the questionnaire you filled out. For both the individual and group interviews, just be yourself. Don't over think it, we just want to see your personalities and such. We already know you are smart, now we want to see who fits into this program. It's not as stressful as you think it'll be. UHCOP does a good job making it kinda fun and relaxed as much as possible! Good luck to those of you interviewing on Friday! I will see y'all there!
 
Well I don't know the exact questions they have this year for the interview but it's your usual standard: tell me about yourself, why pharmacy and not something else, tell me a time you had to time manage (or whatever), that sort of thing. Also, be prepared to answer questions based off of the questionnaire you filled out. For both the individual and group interviews, just be yourself. Don't over think it, we just want to see your personalities and such. We already know you are smart, now we want to see who fits into this program. It's not as stressful as you think it'll be. UHCOP does a good job making it kinda fun and relaxed as much as possible! Good luck to those of you interviewing on Friday! I will see y'all there!
Thank you!! I hope to see you there :)
 
@romaniangirl Something I'm always curious. When I finish my Pharm.D and is registered to work as a pharmacist in Texas, what happens if I want to move around to other states? Do I have to get a new license and register to work as a pharmacist in every new state I go to?
 
@romaniangirl Something I'm always curious. When I finish my Pharm.D and is registered to work as a pharmacist in Texas, what happens if I want to move around to other states? Do I have to get a new license and register to work as a pharmacist in every new state I go to?
Yes you will have to be registered in each state. Each state has their own requirements for registration and licensure, so there really isn't a general set of requirements. Most states will just require you to take their MPJE and that's it, but other states have wet labs and such so it may be a little more complicated.
 
Yes you will have to be registered in each state. Each state has their own requirements for registration and licensure, so there really isn't a general set of requirements. Most states will just require you to take their MPJE and that's it, but other states have wet labs and such so it may be a little more complicated.
Dang I wish there was a systematic system for this. Like one pharmacy license works in all 50 states so long as u stay in the U.S. The driver license for example, I know u can transfer your driver license when u move to another state in order to obtain the current resident state's DL...quick and simple
 
Dang I wish there was a systematic system for this. Like one pharmacy license works in all 50 states so long as u stay in the U.S. The driver license for example, I know u can transfer your driver license when u move to another state in order to obtain the current resident state's DL...quick and simple
Haha yeah I know what you mean, but each state has different laws so that's why they make you take the MPJE (at least!) for each state. Just because you know Texas law doesn't mean that you know Illinois law.
 
anyone going to tomorrow's interview? :)
 
whewww, got a little emotional during the interview. Overall it went well, although they didn't ask me any of the questions I prepared and I basically have to think on the top of my head for alot of questions. Group interview was fun and interesting :) good luck to other interviewees!
 
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@romaniangirl Hi, I have 2 more questions:

1. A lot of people recommend pre-pharm students to take biochemistry. What pharmacy class is biochemistry supposed to help us in?

2. Are textbooks require/necessary in pharmacy school?

Thanks
 
@romaniangirl Hi, I have 2 more questions:

1. A lot of people recommend pre-pharm students to take biochemistry. What pharmacy class is biochemistry supposed to help us in?

2. Are textbooks require/necessary in pharmacy school?

Thanks
1.) Biochem will help you immensly in cellular life sciences 1 (aka cells). This is pretty much the equivalent of biochem 1 and 2, as well as nucleic acids and some other random carb/lipid stuff. I took biochem in undergrad and the first 3 weeks was what we covered in a whole semester of biochem so it was very helpful to already know and understand the material. Taking a neuroscience class will also help a lot in organ system life sciences 1 (aka organs).

2.) So far, we don't really use the textbooks. We have PDFs for all of them so don't worry about purchasing them. Most of our classes either don't follow the textbook at all, or the lectures cover everything in the book so you wouldn't really need it anyway. The only book I've really used is for pharmacy calculations, but again I used the PDF.

I'm loving these questions! :)
 
Does anyone know how UH decides on who gets an interview and when they send out interview invites? I know a few fellow students at my University who got their "UHCOP application under review email" at around the same time as I did in early November, but have already gotten interview invitations despite have lower GPAs and PCAT scores. I was wondering if anyone knew how UH decides on who gets an interview and when. I had assumed they send out invitations based on statistics alone......
 
Does anyone know how UH decides on who gets an interview and when they send out interview invites? I know a few fellow students at my University who got their "UHCOP application under review email" at around the same time as I did in early November, but have already gotten interview invitations despite have lower GPAs and PCAT scores. I was wondering if anyone knew how UH decides on who gets an interview and when. I had assumed they send out invitations based on statistics alone......

There are a few more than things than statistics that they look at. They will look at your GPA, but also compare if you took courses at a CC or at a 4 year university. They will look at how many credit hours you took a semester as well as what electives you chose. They will look at your EC's and community service. They will look at your LOR's as well. Now, if you are still higher than your peers in these regards, they may just be taking a while. I don't know in what order they go in (alpha order or by when you submitted pharmcas/supplemental) so it could just be that they haven't gotten to your application yet. The next interview isn't until January, so don't count it out yet!
 
i am brand new to these forums, but i am very worried about my application. my transcript was received by pharmcas last week. all of my other things are in order except that. if it is not verified by the deadline tomorrow. will i be automatically denied?
 
also i attend UH, but do i need to send them a transcript through the school as well, or can i just go in and hand it to them sealed?
 
also i attend UH, but do i need to send them a transcript through the school as well, or can i just go in and hand it to them sealed?
For the supplemental? You can just send in a hand sealed copy from the registrar. In terms of PharmCAS getting verified by tomorrow, that is unlikely. I would go ahead and call UHCOP and ask what their protocol is, as I do not know what they decide.
 
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