University of Texas CoP Application Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Yeah, the packets got super delayed. Maybe some people got them earlier but a good chunk (everyone I Know) just got them this week. We accepted through emails, but just got the official letter this week. Wish you well!

Members don't see this ad.
 
So the packets are just a formality then? I mean, if everyone already accepted through email.
 
I guess so, but as we all know people will continue to change their mind and you are number one. I am sure someone will decide to stay in houston or something like that to save money.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Ugh. Checked again today and still no packet. I see that some of yall got them this week. Has anybody not received theirs yet? I emailed Ann Spencer just now.
 
hey guys. i have a concern, I only took once class this semester and got a C on it :( I've already been accepted but will this look bad to professors or anyone in admissions? It was not a prereq course. thanks!
 
hey guys. i have a concern, I only took once class this semester and got a C on it :( I've already been accepted but will this look bad to professors or anyone in admissions? It was not a prereq course. thanks!

Nope. Once accepted, just pass all your classes with a C or better. At least, that's what many colleges I have heard of do.
 
do you think the professors or any future job employers will look badly upon it though?
 
do you think the professors or any future job employers will look badly upon it though?

Professors will not look at your grades but will look to see if you "satisfactory" complete your remaining coursework (pre-reqs or not).

Future job employers will not even look at your undergraduate coursework. Once you get accepted, only pharmacy coursework will matter. :)
 
Any 2016'ers need a place to live? I've found a sweet 2/2 house and just need a roomie
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Is Ann Spencer answering you guys' emails?
 
Hey is anyone who was accepted still looking for a roommate? The google doc they sent out has had little activity.
 
So I was rejected and wasn't placed on the wait list either. I talked to Dr. Wilcox and he said everything else was fine except the interview.. which went good but not AMAZING. I'm not really sure how to improve my chances next year. If it's a number I can improve, that's rather easy when it comes to how. But how to improve interviewing is kind of vague. I emailed the person who interviewed me just to thank him for his time and he said I had an excellent interview. Um... what? My other fear is that UT wants a diverse class, meaning they'll have a quota for each group. ex. a certain percentage of biology majors, certain percentage of asians etc. I hope this is not the case but if it is I'm sorta screwed cause I'm asian.and there's a lot of over achievers in my group. :(

I have a question to the person who applied three times and was told his/her GPA was the issue. Did you talk to Dr. Wilcox on how to improve your chances next year for all the years you were rejected? What did he say each time?

I did apply to U of Houston and got a harsh reply as well. The counselor I spoke to for increasing my chances next year went through the whole "do you have another career in mind?" thing which of course made me think WTF. They said they didn't detect enough passion during my interview and that I've been somewhat passive in that group exercise they make us do. According to the counselor lady, this was the only thing.

I'm really unsure how to prepare for next year. My PCAT isn't amazing but it's decent with a 84% with verbal being the lowest with 54. Other sections aren't great but not too bad. GPA is 3.6, core is about 3.4 if I remotely remember correctly. I have my pharm tech license. I had worked as a tech for 2 months before interviewing this year. Next year, I would've worked for about a year, which I'm guessing will give me more to talk about. I have research experience although no publication resulted from it. My extracurricular and work experience is decent to impressive depending on your outlook. Impressive if you are impressed by college student starting a business and being part of a publication for artbooks and translated version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (lol). In the strictly "science" sense, it may not be as impressive dunno.
 
From what I can tell, UT's admission is greatly based on interviews. I believe a lot of people who apply are within the same GPA/PCAT range since its a top 5 school. I think they look for unique people, even if its a quota system the goal is to be the top of your quota or be overall amazing. UT as a whole looks for chill and ambitious people so I think when you interview next time take it easy. I know for a fact that people with lower grades got in that where not the strongest in their quota but their personnel struggles and work experience were amazing. UT is an amazing school so I think you need amazing interviews not excellent when you are in the middle of the pack. I think you shouldn't worry about quotas, analyzing things that way will not get you anywhere. Take a look at UT's admission stats. Statistically Asian Americans where in the majority that applied and still the majority that were admitted: 28% applied and represented 33%of the admitted while whites 26% applied and represent 31% of the admitted. So you are not at an disadvantage unless 100% of asian students were superior to everyone else, which is unlikely. Also considering the fact UH gave you that criticism something in your interview is lack luster, so focus on that.
 
Thanks for the reply ws2016. Yeah, I guess my downfall(?) was that I thought the interviewer was more familiar with my resume than he actually was. I am naturally chill but I imagine I was a bit nervous and approached the interview in a more defensive manner than just being comfortable.

What are some "personal struggles" that I can talk about? I've had some struggles considering I wasn't handed everything in my life but don't know what kind of struggles qualify as impressive. Examples would be great.
 
Any one applying for the 2017 class?

So this year it is not required to apply as a transfer student if one is not attending pre-pharm at UT, right? For questions like this, who should I contact? Thanks!
 
Yep, I'm applying again. Hope the 2nd one is the charm.

Nope, you do not have to do the transfer thingie. I believe it was stated under their FAQ but I suppose you can contact Dr. Wilcox who is the associate dean. If you go to the utexas.edu website you can search him under the directory.
 
So I was rejected and wasn't placed on the wait list either. I talked to Dr. Wilcox and he said everything else was fine except the interview.. which went good but not AMAZING. I'm not really sure how to improve my chances next year. If it's a number I can improve, that's rather easy when it comes to how. But how to improve interviewing is kind of vague. I emailed the person who interviewed me just to thank him for his time and he said I had an excellent interview. Um... what? My other fear is that UT wants a diverse class, meaning they'll have a quota for each group. ex. a certain percentage of biology majors, certain percentage of asians etc. I hope this is not the case but if it is I'm sorta screwed cause I'm asian.and there's a lot of over achievers in my group. :(

I have a question to the person who applied three times and was told his/her GPA was the issue. Did you talk to Dr. Wilcox on how to improve your chances next year for all the years you were rejected? What did he say each time?

I did apply to U of Houston and got a harsh reply as well. The counselor I spoke to for increasing my chances next year went through the whole "do you have another career in mind?" thing which of course made me think WTF. They said they didn't detect enough passion during my interview and that I've been somewhat passive in that group exercise they make us do. According to the counselor lady, this was the only thing.

I'm really unsure how to prepare for next year. My PCAT isn't amazing but it's decent with a 84% with verbal being the lowest with 54. Other sections aren't great but not too bad. GPA is 3.6, core is about 3.4 if I remotely remember correctly. I have my pharm tech license. I had worked as a tech for 2 months before interviewing this year. Next year, I would've worked for about a year, which I'm guessing will give me more to talk about. I have research experience although no publication resulted from it. My extracurricular and work experience is decent to impressive depending on your outlook. Impressive if you are impressed by college student starting a business and being part of a publication for artbooks and translated version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (lol). In the strictly "science" sense, it may not be as impressive dunno.

Hey Gaiya,

I haven't logged on in quite some time, but I saw your post and wanted to respond a bit about the UH debacle you seem to have had. If I were you, I wouldn't take ANYTHING that UHCOP said to heart. I was a student at UH until I was accepted to UTCOP for 2016, and while they are an accredited program - their admissions process for Pharmacy is bunk!
Don't get me wrong, the individuals I interviewed with for the 2 on 1 interview were super awesome (the ex-professor actually authored 3 of the texts I'll be using when I start at UT in the fall!), but the "group exercise" is a load of crap! It doesn't test anything except your ability to argue while staying calm regarding crap that isn't of any consequence.
While I understand that you have to be able to debate professional issues occasionally in just about every field, you don't have to do it with people who are from different backgrounds professionally. For example, I was the only person who had gone camping in my group during the group exercise, and yet everyone else decided I was completely wrong based on what they knew (our exercise was based around an accident that had happened while camping). Mind you, none of the other people in my group during the exercise had ever gone camping... Better than that- it is highly unlikely that you will ever have to defend your ideas while being ganged up on by a bunch of your "peers" in the workplace because the overall goal of this profession is patient care.
Overall, just stick with what UT says regarding your application. I have almost 7 years worth of experience, some retail, some education, and some long-term care- and I might be getting a job with a local hospital here in Austin. I had a 3.49 GPA when I applied, which did drop to 3.22 right before I was accepted, and I had a sprinkling of volunteer experience thrown in on top of my work as a pharm. tech instructor.
Having said all of the above, I got accepted to UT on my first interview, and UH put me on a waitlist; then they jerked me around for months until they finally decided (after I had to contact Ms. Lewis because she never sent out e-mails as she said she would) that they were going to deny me admission --- WITH A 5 SENTENCE REJECTION EMAIL! The flippin' email wasn't even on school letter head! I am in the process of writing e-mails to both the Dean of Pharmacy and Dr. Khator (President of UH system) regarding the frustration I experienced, and the lack of professionalism I experienced after having spent some $400 in fees for all the things required for our applications to be considered.
Yes, tailor your application and interview prep to each school individually, but when they say things like "Have you considered another profession?" --- You automatically know that there is a reason they aren't even in the top 20 pharmacy schools, let alone the top 5 like UT.
Finally, as just a quick heads up- UH likes grads. So if you are due to get your Bachelor's degree by the time you apply for 2017 then I'd say go ahead and apply again. They say they don't have a preference but some 66% (last I checked) of individuals admitted had an undergrad degree. Your research is also super useful, and I believe it is what set my friend and I apart when she was applied and accepted (she had research exp. and I did not - plus I never was given any info why I didn't get in.). Your pcat sounds about like mine, but my lowest section score was a bit higher- I think a 60-something? My overall was an 86 or an 87 though, so you're not doing bad at all. I believe that if you were going to take the PCAT again, that you should definitely attempt to make the verbal and writing sections a priority. Pharmacy schools are seriously looking for individuals with awesome communication skills as that is a crucial skill in our profession. Keep working as a pharmacy tech- the more you know first hand about the job, the better you will be able to discuss it during your interview.
Also, I would highly recommend analyzing exactly what you would say regarding pharmacy and why you have chosen it as a career choice. If you would like to e-mail me with an answer to that question I'd be happy to help you figure out something that makes you stand out. I know that I was told by a close friend who helped me with the admissions process that I was horribly vague initially when I gave my response to that question, but with a little polishing my response turned out pretty good :)

If you have any other questions you can send me a private message and i'll be happy to help!

BEST OF LUCK! Don't listen to the twerp at UH-

Marshall:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hey Gaiya,

I haven't logged on in quite some time, but I saw your post and wanted to respond a bit about the UH debacle you seem to have had. If I were you, I wouldn't take ANYTHING that UHCOP said to heart. I was a student at UH until I was accepted to UTCOP for 2016, and while they are an accredited program - their admissions process for Pharmacy is bunk!
Don't get me wrong, the individuals I interviewed with for the 2 on 1 interview were super awesome (the ex-professor actually authored 3 of the texts I'll be using when I start at UT in the fall!), but the "group exercise" is a load of crap! It doesn't test anything except your ability to argue while staying calm regarding crap that isn't of any consequence.
While I understand that you have to be able to debate professional issues occasionally in just about every field, you don't have to do it with people who are from different backgrounds professionally. For example, I was the only person who had gone camping in my group during the group exercise, and yet everyone else decided I was completely wrong based on what they knew (our exercise was based around an accident that had happened while camping). Mind you, none of the other people in my group during the exercise had ever gone camping... Better than that- it is highly unlikely that you will ever have to defend your ideas while being ganged up on by a bunch of your "peers" in the workplace because the overall goal of this profession is patient care.
Overall, just stick with what UT says regarding your application. I have almost 7 years worth of experience, some retail, some education, and some long-term care- and I might be getting a job with a local hospital here in Austin. I had a 3.49 GPA when I applied, which did drop to 3.22 right before I was accepted, and I had a sprinkling of volunteer experience thrown in on top of my work as a pharm. tech instructor.
Having said all of the above, I got accepted to UT on my first interview, and UH put me on a waitlist; then they jerked me around for months until they finally decided (after I had to contact Ms. Lewis because she never sent out e-mails as she said she would) that they were going to deny me admission --- WITH A 5 SENTENCE REJECTION EMAIL! The flippin' email wasn't even on school letter head! I am in the process of writing e-mails to both the Dean of Pharmacy and Dr. Khator (President of UH system) regarding the frustration I experienced, and the lack of professionalism I experienced after having spent some $400 in fees for all the things required for our applications to be considered.
Yes, tailor your application and interview prep to each school individually, but when they say things like "Have you considered another profession?" --- You automatically know that there is a reason they aren't even in the top 20 pharmacy schools, let alone the top 5 like UT.
Finally, as just a quick heads up- UH likes grads. So if you are due to get your Bachelor's degree by the time you apply for 2017 then I'd say go ahead and apply again. They say they don't have a preference but some 66% (last I checked) of individuals admitted had an undergrad degree. Your research is also super useful, and I believe it is what set my friend and I apart when she was applied and accepted (she had research exp. and I did not - plus I never was given any info why I didn't get in.). Your pcat sounds about like mine, but my lowest section score was a bit higher- I think a 60-something? My overall was an 86 or an 87 though, so you're not doing bad at all. I believe that if you were going to take the PCAT again, that you should definitely attempt to make the verbal and writing sections a priority. Pharmacy schools are seriously looking for individuals with awesome communication skills as that is a crucial skill in our profession. Keep working as a pharmacy tech- the more you know first hand about the job, the better you will be able to discuss it during your interview.
Also, I would highly recommend analyzing exactly what you would say regarding pharmacy and why you have chosen it as a career choice. If you would like to e-mail me with an answer to that question I'd be happy to help you figure out something that makes you stand out. I know that I was told by a close friend who helped me with the admissions process that I was horribly vague initially when I gave my response to that question, but with a little polishing my response turned out pretty good :)

If you have any other questions you can send me a private message and i'll be happy to help!

BEST OF LUCK! Don't listen to the twerp at UH-

Marshall:)


I agree with Marshall, UH admissions is pretty weird. I know people who didn't even get an interview and their applications were pretty flawless and one ended up in ucsf. Every person that got an interview at UT had the chance to get in, so you know its not your stats that stopped you. I do not think you should retake the pcat unless you can guarantee to score higher, so just focus on a personal statement and your interviewing skills. Honestly admissions is kinda luck sometimes, some people get interviewers that are awesome and some people get tyrants. For my interview I went to the questions section of student doctor and looked over previous questions and actually got one that was listed on there. An SDNer also warned that they do not read your file so it was kind of a heads up. So definetaly look into that section of SDN. Focus on things you can change because I do not believe any of us on here can really tell you a good strategy because there are too many intangibles involved in the admissions process.
 
So I was rejected and wasn't placed on the wait list either. I talked to Dr. Wilcox and he said everything else was fine except the interview.. which went good but not AMAZING. I'm not really sure how to improve my chances next year. If it's a number I can improve, that's rather easy when it comes to how. But how to improve interviewing is kind of vague. I emailed the person who interviewed me just to thank him for his time and he said I had an excellent interview. Um... what? My other fear is that UT wants a diverse class, meaning they'll have a quota for each group. ex. a certain percentage of biology majors, certain percentage of asians etc. I hope this is not the case but if it is I'm sorta screwed cause I'm asian.and there's a lot of over achievers in my group. :(

I have a question to the person who applied three times and was told his/her GPA was the issue. Did you talk to Dr. Wilcox on how to improve your chances next year for all the years you were rejected? What did he say each time?

I did apply to U of Houston and got a harsh reply as well. The counselor I spoke to for increasing my chances next year went through the whole "do you have another career in mind?" thing which of course made me think WTF. They said they didn't detect enough passion during my interview and that I've been somewhat passive in that group exercise they make us do. According to the counselor lady, this was the only thing.

I'm really unsure how to prepare for next year. My PCAT isn't amazing but it's decent with a 84% with verbal being the lowest with 54. Other sections aren't great but not too bad. GPA is 3.6, core is about 3.4 if I remotely remember correctly. I have my pharm tech license. I had worked as a tech for 2 months before interviewing this year. Next year, I would've worked for about a year, which I'm guessing will give me more to talk about. I have research experience although no publication resulted from it. My extracurricular and work experience is decent to impressive depending on your outlook. Impressive if you are impressed by college student starting a business and being part of a publication for artbooks and translated version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (lol). In the strictly "science" sense, it may not be as impressive dunno.

I spoke to Dr. Wilcox for the 3rd time about my application (b/c this is my third time applying) earlier this summer and he said I had an awesome interview, personal statement, and letters of rec but the pool of applicants is very competitive. I didn't do great as an undergrad and that's something that I addressed during my interview. But they are UT and they can take the students that do awesome at everything their first time. It just goes with the territory. Dr. Wilcox recommendation to me is take the PCAT over again and apply to a lot of schools. I got the same answer from UH that you did about changing my career and I'm not letting that stop me. You seem to have a good application so I wouldn't let a lil bump in the road bring you down. Just FYI everything this cycle will be a month earlier. Interviews will be late Jan and early Feb so they will make ALL decisions before spring break. Well that's what Dr. Wilcox told me
 
really interested in attending here this pharmacy school but I couldnt UT COP on the pros and cons list of pharmacy schools

can anybody list the pros and cons of UT COP

also I've heard Texas is right now the best place for health care jobs, does this hold true for the metro areas as well or is it the vast West Texas area?

thanks in advance
 
Austin is the best place for most jobs, at least according to forbes for the past 6 years. But as far as pharmacy is concerned the market is almost saturated.
 
Yeah, I know this is insanely late but thanks guys for the replies. :p Happy new year!
 
Top