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!
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!
do you think the professors or any future job employers will look badly upon it though?
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
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.