University of Michigan

[pharm210]

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So I interviewed on November 7th and was "deferred" due to my lower end PCAT score until the new scores arrived. Well my new score has been mailed out and I have yet to hear from them.. They are definitely my number one choice and now I'm losing all hope... ahhh.. what to do? Any advice?

 

[calisoca]

Did you improve on the new score? They deferred you because of it so if not, I would say you're toast. All depends on that new score.

 

[pharm210]

I was a ***** and improved in every section except my verbal for some strange and unknown reasons dropped by enough so my 10+ percent increases on every section didn't improve my score...
I'll go ahead and assume I'm toast

 

[calisoca]

Nahh, I wouldn't say you're toast then. Who cares about verbal anyway? Nobody. If you improved everywhere else I think you at least have a reason to hope. Then again I don't know a whole lot about how Mich works.

 

[pharm210]

I'm hoping they just accept me and call it a day. This waiting nonsense is a killer....

 

[talkingdonkey]

Oh you might be waiting a while. I interviewed in March 2007 and was denied in May. Retook the PCAT and improved significantly and took a few more classes to raise my GPA. Reapplied in October/November 2007, was denied again in January 2008. Did not hear a thing from them until June 2008 when they said they had a spot open and it was mine if I wanted it. (By this time I was already accepted to another program...thank goodness)

Moral of the story, you'll be waiting for a while....

 

[alenadoma]

I had the opposite experience with them. If you call/email Dean Perry she will tell you everything you need to know. She answers questions quickly, and gets to the point. Just be respectful.
I interviewed with them end of October and heard back from them the same evening.
Good luck to you!

 

[pharm210]

I have been keeping in touch with Dean Perry, but how do I ask when I'll hear back?! When she informed me of the deferment she said I'd hear back in December... It's December.

 

[alenadoma]

I have been keeping in touch with Dean Perry, but how do I ask when I'll hear back?! When she informed me of the deferment she said I'd hear back in December... It's December.

lol if she said December then you've still got...22 more days to go. I know it sucks to have to wait, but hopefully the wait will be worth it. If you don't hear back by the end of December, then you should ask her. In the meantime, make sure she knows of your sincere interest in the program.

 

[pharm210]

lol if she said December then you've still got...22 more days to go. I know it sucks to have to wait, but hopefully the wait will be worth it. If you don't hear back by the end of December, then you should ask her. In the meantime, make sure she knows of your sincere interest in the program.

Haha i've been in contact w/her for about 2 years now! my sincere interest in the school cannot get much deeper, or be any more obvious! 😀

Have you decided whether or not you will be attending Umich?

 

[alenadoma]

Haha i've been in contact w/her for about 2 years now! my sincere interest in the school cannot get much deeper, or be any more obvious! 😀

Have you decided whether or not you will be attending Umich?

Not yet..it's a really great school, I just wish it was a little closer to home. I'm waiting to see what happens with the other schools. It's a good thing we have until May to submit our deposits!!

But wow..2 years?! I hope you get in!!

 

[pharm210]

Not yet..it's a really great school, I just wish it was a little closer to home. I'm waiting to see what happens with the other schools. It's a good thing we have until May to submit our deposits!!

But wow..2 years?! I hope you get in!!

Yeah it's definitely great that you have till May! I'm sure that helps tons when it comes to the other schools! And hah yeah.. literally two years! I hope I get in too!!!

 

[evilolive]

Random story to you all, but just because you're rejected doesn't mean you'll stay that way. There have been a number of miracle applications that were resurrected after being denied. It's a strange system that only Dean Perry seems to know about.

 

[pharm210]

the wait is driving me insane.

 

[evilolive]

the wait is driving me insane.

I found out two years ago by email around December 16-20, so you should be hearing back presumably in a week if you'd had an interview by now.

 

[pharm210]

I interviewed November 7th. Deferred by November 10th. And awaiting any news at all since...

Any advice?

 

[evilolive]

Oh I have no idea how deferrals work - everything's been chaotic ever since Michigan now has to do interviews and there have been floods and floods of people applying. In the days of non PharmCAS, it used to be manageable because she single handedly runs the admissions office. Now she's not even sure if she can interview everyone she wants to given that everyone waited to the last day of the PharmCAS deadline. I think in the future she'll probably stop accepting January PCAT scores for the current application cycle.

They were probably waiting for your PCAT so she's probably mulling over whether to let you in, waitlist you, or deny you in contrasting you to the zillions of other applications (she didn't even tell me how many applied this year because even she doesn't know the total number yet. well, she might now, but this was like a month ago that I talked to her). I know that doesn't sound useful or positive at all - or she could be cruel/generous and resurrect your application around july/august of the next year and ask you if you still want to come, but I highly doubt that now that we have tons of applicants. She's awesomely sweet though 🙂

 

[evilolive]

double post

 

[alenadoma]

Oh I have no idea how deferrals work - everything's been chaotic ever since Michigan now has to do interviews and there have been floods and floods of people applying. In the days of non PharmCAS, it used to be manageable because she single handedly runs the admissions office. Now she's not even sure if she can interview everyone she wants to given that everyone waited to the last day of the PharmCAS deadline. I think in the future she'll probably stop accepting January PCAT scores for the current application cycle.

They were probably waiting for your PCAT so she's probably mulling over whether to let you in, waitlist you, or deny you in contrasting you to the zillions of other applications (she didn't even tell me how many applied this year because even she doesn't know the total number yet. well, she might now, but this was like a month ago that I talked to her). I know that doesn't sound useful or positive at all - or she could be cruel/generous and resurrect your application around july/august of the next year and ask you if you still want to come, but I highly doubt that now that we have tons of applicants. She's awesomely sweet though 🙂

wow..I feel bad for her! I'm really, really glad I applied early. Any idea about how many applicants??

 

[pharm210]

Oh gosh! Well... I did apply super early, like I said I interviewed back in November.... and I've been in contact with her for basically forever! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have to wait til July/August to find out.. considering my entire next semester depends on whether or not I get accepted.... this could be a rough month!

 

[pharm210]

And I have officially been denied.

Just received the official letter today.. great.... 🙁

 

[alenadoma]

And I have officially been denied.

Just received the official letter today.. great.... 🙁

awww I'm sorry 🙁
I saw another poster said that some people were granted admission after being denied, maybe that will happen to you! I would recommend calling Dean Perry and asking her what you can do when applying next year so that she knows you are persistant.
Did you appy to any other schools??

 

[pharm210]

awww I'm sorry 🙁
I saw another poster said that some people were granted admission after being denied, maybe that will happen to you! I would recommend calling Dean Perry and asking her what you can do when applying next year so that she knows you are persistant.
Did you appy to any other schools??

Well I applied to both Midwestern CCP and Glendale, Wayne State, and University of Cincinnati. Haven't heard from Wayne or Cincinnati yet, and waitlisted to both Midwesterns.

Also, I did email Dean Perry and unfortunately the main reason for the rejection letter is due to the fact that after retaking the PCAT my score remained the same. Which I'm beyond annoyed about considering every section went up about 13 percent EXCEPT damn verbal went down so low my score didn't go anywhere.....

So I will wait.. another year...

 

[ffpickle]

what kind of grades do u need for UM

 

[ILoveOrange]

🙁 Awww man. I greatly admire your perseverance though. You will make it.

Well I applied to both Midwestern CCP and Glendale, Wayne State, and University of Cincinnati. Haven't heard from Wayne or Cincinnati yet, and waitlisted to both Midwesterns.

Also, I did email Dean Perry and unfortunately the main reason for the rejection letter is due to the fact that after retaking the PCAT my score remained the same. Which I'm beyond annoyed about considering every section went up about 13 percent EXCEPT damn verbal went down so low my score didn't go anywhere.....

So I will wait.. another year...

 

[pharm210]

what kind of grades do u need for UM

Great ones, haha just kidding. Mine aren't amazing, I have a 3.54 cumulative and like I said, I interviewed 11/7.

 

[jewel2]

Great ones, haha just kidding. Mine aren't amazing, I have a 3.54 cumulative and like I said, I interviewed 11/7.

i had the same question too..
what would be amazing grades exactly in numbers?

 

[pharm210]

i had the same question too..
what would be amazing grades exactly in numbers?

Honestly i'm not quite sure... that'd be something to email Dean Perry about, or as an accepted student.

 

[alenadoma]

i had the same question too..
what would be amazing grades exactly in numbers?

Well...it's different for everyone..for me, amazing grades are anything above 3.5.
My grades are definitely not amazing 🙂 my undergrad cumulative was about 3.25, and my grad GPA currently is about a 3.4. For PCAT, amazing I'd say is above a 90 (mine is 86).
Michigan seems to be one of the few schools that actually looks at a student's complete application. I think that if you show perseverance and passion for pharmacy you'll be fine 🙂

 

[pharm210]

Well...it's different for everyone..for me, amazing grades are anything above 3.5.
My grades are definitely not amazing 🙂 my undergrad cumulative was about 3.25, and my grad GPA currently is about a 3.4. For PCAT, amazing I'd say is above a 90 (mine is 86).
Michigan seems to be one of the few schools that actually looks at a student's complete application. I think that if you show perseverance and passion for pharmacy you'll be fine 🙂

Good advice! Is it horrible I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that I suddenly get called in late July/early August for a spot? hah any advice on how/if I should email Dean Perry?
EDIT: Also, I know it's after the fact and all but I feel as though I should explain my low PCAT score. I mean, I did increase my score in EVERYTHING but the huge drop in Verbal is what killed me...
what to do, what to do....

 

[evilolive]

Good advice! Is it horrible I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that I suddenly get called in late July/early August for a spot? hah any advice on how/if I should email Dean Perry?
EDIT: Also, I know it's after the fact and all but I feel as though I should explain my low PCAT score. I mean, I did increase my score in EVERYTHING but the huge drop in Verbal is what killed me...
what to do, what to do....

I'm sorry about your rejection 🙁 Perhaps by taking the PCAT again you'll have a better chance next year?

I don't know if you should count on the rejection reversals, as now that Michigan is done through PharmCAS and the office is swarmed with interviewing applicants, it's likely that they'll have far more applicants than they know what to do with...

 

[pharm210]

I'm sorry about your rejection 🙁 Perhaps by taking the PCAT again you'll have a better chance next year?

I don't know if you should count on the rejection reversals, as now that Michigan is done through PharmCAS and the office is swarmed with interviewing applicants, it's likely that they'll have far more applicants than they know what to do with...

True enough. I guess I'll just try again next year and hopefully with a degree and a better score I'll have a better chance...🙁

 

[alenadoma]

True enough. I guess I'll just try again next year and hopefully with a degree and a better score I'll have a better chance...🙁

Why don't you try calling Dean Perry and explaining your PCAT situation over the phone. She may tell you to write a little statement explaining it - that's what she had me do --- Michigan has a PCAT writing subscore requirement of 3, mine was 2.5..
Stay positive 🙂

 

[ffpickle]

I keep hearing corresponding with Dean Perry will help with the application process.

How exactly should I do this?

I've already sent all my stuff in...

 

[pharm210]

Why don't you try calling Dean Perry and explaining your PCAT situation over the phone. She may tell you to write a little statement explaining it - that's what she had me do --- Michigan has a PCAT writing subscore requirement of 3, mine was 2.5..
Stay positive 🙂

I was thinking of just sending her an email explaining it, just because I'd be too nervous to talk to her over the phone! haha.. Maybe I should get that out of the way ASAP. BUT at the same time, I don't want to be bothering her...

Any advice?

 

[cuedee]

Has anyone received an interview invitation lately?

 

[JingleC3]

Has anyone received an interview invitation lately?

i recently received an invite via email.

 

[md5025]

i recently received an invite via email.

Do you mind sharing your stats?

 

[UES Girl]

Has anyone received an interview invitation lately?

I received one about a couple weeks ago. I'm thrilled, this was one of my top choices.

 

[ffpickle]

Have people been interviewing lately?

Any acceptances or rejections?

How soon after the interview do they get back to you?

 

[go4mojo]

i got my acceptance pack in the mail on friday!

exactly 2 weeks after my interview on feb 20

anybody else thinking michigan class of 2013??

 

[JingleC3]

i got my acceptance pack in the mail on friday!

exactly 2 weeks after my interview on feb 20

anybody else thinking michigan class of 2013??

congratulations! ;p
i have my interview this month and im anxious

 

[dangerdog]

U of M is just like that, slooooooooooooow. I think it's their attitude that they are a well known public university, so they can treat every student as if we are begging them for a favor.

It was a tough choice for me. I had U of M and Ohio State as the top choice, both are top 5 pharmacy schools. Ohio State acceptance deadline was early but was bending backwards to make me feel wanted. I happened to be living in Ann Arbor that year, so I paid personal visits to their office to see if I can get them to hurry. But they gave me that "we are U of M, take a number" feel. In the end, I didn't get my acceptance from U of M until almost 2 weeks after OSU acceptance deadline.

It was a tough choice, but OSU won that round.

 

[alenadoma]

U of M is just like that, slooooooooooooow. I think it's their attitude that they are a well known public university, so they can treat every student as if we are begging them for a favor.

It was a tough choice for me. I had U of M and Ohio State as the top choice, both are top 5 pharmacy schools. Ohio State acceptance deadline was early but was bending backwards to make me feel wanted. I happened to be living in Ann Arbor that year, so I paid personal visits to their office to see if I can get them to hurry. But they gave me that "we are U of M, take a number" feel. In the end, I didn't get my acceptance from U of M until almost 2 weeks after OSU acceptance deadline.

It was a tough choice, but OSU won that round.

Strange! They were the first school that I heard from this application cycle. I got an interview invitation in mid-October, interviewed in late October and got an acceptance email 2 hours after the interview. I felt like they treated me better than any other school that I've dealt with.

 

[dangerdog]

Strange! They were the first school that I heard from this application cycle. I got an interview invitation in mid-October, interviewed in late October and got an acceptance email 2 hours after the interview. I felt like they treated me better than any other school that I've dealt with.

It's probably because you went with the early admission route. The fall PCAT score didn't even come out until November, so regular applicants didn't even get interviewed until February. By then I had an acceptance by OSU by the end of Feb already.

 

[UCB2005]

It's probably because you went with the early admission route. The fall PCAT score didn't even come out until November, so regular applicants didn't even get interviewed until February. By then I had an acceptance by OSU by the end of Feb already.

I am with alenadoma on this one. They are a top notch program and although the admission board knows it, they also made me feel wanted. The professors that interviewed me made me feel the same way. I got my verbal notice of acceptance that same night I interviewed and my email notice the following business day. The packet came in after two weeks, just as the email told me. I am sorry you had a bad experience but my experience there was absolutely great.

 

[dangerdog]

Maybe they have improved significantly since 2005-2006. The interviewer's office was a complete mess, I could barely sit down. Then when I tried to ask them for a fast decision because OSU needed my answer, all I got was "take a number" attitude. Maybe the people had a bad day, or they shaped up since then, either way I'm glad thing ran smoothly for your guys.

I will admit that I had a great experience with the U of M's graduate chemistry department though, so maybe it's just the person in pharmacy admin office back then.

 

[ffpickle]

I'm trying to decide between OSU & UM (and perhaps UMB) and having a tough time...any help would be appreciated.

I know OSU has an easier process to become in-state than UM, but this is a non-factor for me, because I cannot ever obtain in-state status at either school. I like the dual degree opportunities at OSU but UM is closer to home & they do offer *every* 3rd and 4th yr students some scholarship money, thereby reducing my costs.

 

[dangerdog]

I'm trying to decide between OSU & UM (and perhaps UMB) and having a tough time...any help would be appreciated.

I know OSU has an easier process to become in-state than UM, but this is a non-factor for me, because I cannot ever obtain in-state status at either school. I like the dual degree opportunities at OSU but UM is closer to home & they do offer *every* 3rd and 4th yr students some scholarship money, thereby reducing my costs.

well, here's how the OSU scholarships work.

I've got about $5K scholarship at OSU for my P2 year for a 3.7 GPA in P1. 🙂 That $5K is split into $1.5K need-based scholarship, and $2.5K merit based scholarship + $1K schering plough scholarship (merit based, top 20% of the class invited to apply). These are managed by the college of pharmacy, and you fill out 1 very short 1 page form to apply for all of them. In contrast, my girlfriend with a 3.1-3.2 GPA only got the $1.5K need-based scholarship. There are scholarships not managed by the college, you'll have to apply on your own.

I didn't get any scholarship for P1 probably because I had been working after undergrad so grads were old. OSU undergrad who went straight in might get something for P1 as well. Also to note, my P3 scholarship stayed the same even though I got a 3.85 GPA in my P2 years (maybe they need a 3.9 for then next bump up?). We'll see, since I have a 4.0 for P3 right now.

The combined degree takes an extra year at OSU. I also wanted to do the Pharm.D/MBA combo when I first came in, but have since changed my mind. But I will be finishing Pharm.D with a business minor (20 credits of business electives), which I hope will make it easier for me to apply for part-time MBAs down the road if I choose.

U of M is also a top 5 school, so you can't go wrong with that either. I had worked for Pfizer in Ann Arbor before Pharmacy school, and it's good small/medium city to live in. For $, look at the total-cost. Ann Arbor is/was a bit more expensive to live in, but saving on 1st year in-state tuition made up for it. Back in 2005, it was a toss up in total cost, don't know about now. Good luck. 🙂

 

[evilolive]

UofM gives 7k to its out of state students in its 3rd or 4th year, so at least they give ya'll something 🙂 Also, UofM's pharmacy school hasn't completed the negotiations with the Business school over a joint degree (and I don't think it ever will given the stubborn pride of each particular entity), so you'd probably have to spend extra time in order to finish each separately. They're both fine schools, and I have little vested interest in the rivalry as it seems rather petty even though everyone gets irrationally caught up into it. However, that being said, we haven't began formalities yet: OSU sucks!