University of Toronto, class of 2016

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once u graduate, hopefully that tuition just seems like pocket change :)

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what are u guys doing in the summer to keep yourselves busy? haha, im doing research...
I'm also working in research! I've been doing research projects in organic chem every summer of undergrad, so after 4 yrs it would feel weird not being in the lab :p

what's your research on?
 
Im also doing organic chem. Synthesizing some medically relevent molecules :)
Organic chem is hard, working with glassware can get stressful and boring.
Iv won some NSERC USRA 2 times in a row now. (Research award by canadian gov't =))
But yah, mostly doing it for the money, even though its not a lot. My prof pays me waaay less than the other profs.. =(

I'm also working in research! I've been doing research projects in organic chem every summer of undergrad, so after 4 yrs it would feel weird not being in the lab :p

what's your research on?
 
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I'm working, trying to save as much money as possible. I'm guessing June 22 is either going to mean lots of retail therapy or saving even more than before.

Does anyone know whether it's do-able to work part-time while in the pharmacy program? Just looking at the tuition $$$ makes my head hurt, and I'd like to be able to work instead of being super duper broke...

It's possible to work part time, I am doing it, but I would not recommend it in the slightest....your grades will pretty much guaranteed suffer...this new curriculum is TOUGH...and so unless you absolutely need to work don't do it..
 
Im also doing organic chem. Synthesizing some medically relevent molecules :)
Organic chem is hard, working with glassware can get stressful and boring.
Iv won some NSERC USRA 2 times in a row now. (Research award by canadian gov't =))
But yah, mostly doing it for the money, even though its not a lot. My prof pays me waaay less than the other profs.. =(


Im just synthesizing some vaccine.
Not that interesting to be honest, for me at least. but looks good and its a award/job from the gov't. looks good.
 
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It's possible to work part time, I am doing it, but I would not recommend it in the slightest....your grades will pretty much guaranteed suffer...this new curriculum is TOUGH...and so unless you absolutely need to work don't do it..

Are you working a lot? I wanted to still work weekends, but don't want my grades to suffer. What do you think is the hardest or most most different thing in pharm compared to regular undergrad?
 
It's possible to work part time, I am doing it, but I would not recommend it in the slightest....your grades will pretty much guaranteed suffer...this new curriculum is TOUGH...and so unless you absolutely need to work don't do it..

Agreed 1000%...

ps. hope you don't have to work much during the finals, now!

Are you working a lot? I wanted to still work weekends, but don't want my grades to suffer. What do you think is the hardest or most most different thing in pharm compared to regular undergrad?

I was actually working every weekend this year, and sometimes the random Thurs or Fridays... It's definitely doable, but you'll end up putting a LOT OF pressure on yourself. As mochaswirl said, the new pharmacy curriculum is significantly challenging... In comparison to undergrad, you'll have a MUCH higher volume of material thrown at you! And what I personally didn't like was how memorization-intensive the material was (you'll be expected to memorize a lot of random facts, and concepts...)

That said, if you're good at time management you should definitely be able to manage work and school at the same time!
 
Are you working a lot? I wanted to still work weekends, but don't want my grades to suffer. What do you think is the hardest or most most different thing in pharm compared to regular undergrad?

^ agreed with what helloeveryone said! i worked the occasional weekend and i still found it tough, luckily work was SUPER flexible and if i didn't want to work during exam period i didnt have to, which helps for sure but still it was an added level of stress...

What's challenging is just the sheer AMOUNT of work you will find. Like i thought undergrad was loaded with five courses, but now that seems like a joke compared to pharmacy. You'll find they will throw things at you at a remarkably fast pace and that's first term, then you get to second term and you realize it CAN actually get worse :p online modules, midterms, endless hours of class, assignments, random make-up classes so where's the time to study =\ to tack on working an extra job is hectic, but it can be done with good time management skills. To be honest though, I find school is SO exhausting that any bit of free time i get i'd really rather not spend it studying or planning ahead.

That said, remember you only need 60% in your courses, so if you absolutely must work and your grades suffer a bit its not the end of the world :)
 
Yes.

You can get OSAP or a line of credit, or both. Depends on what you want/need.

So on the UofT website it recommends that new students should apply for OSAP before June 15. Do you know what we should do in terms of applying? Should we wait to see if we get offered (which is late June) or should we apply now? Thanks
 
So on the UofT website it recommends that new students should apply for OSAP before June 15. Do you know what we should do in terms of applying? Should we wait to see if we get offered (which is late June) or should we apply now? Thanks

I'm not sure...I have never applied for OSAP before so I don't know how it works.

Does anyone know if it's possible to remove an OSAP application after the fact? Or if it's possible to "reject" the OSAP money if you're not accepted?

Also, do any current students have any advice on OSAP vs Student Line of Credit?
 
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obviously wait until you get accepted. why apply for it when u dont get accepted? june 15 isnt the final deadline. u can probably still apply in like august.
 
Yep, just apply for the loan before getting an acceptance. While you can apply for OSAP in August and get the money eventually, it's ridiculous to think you'll get it in time to be able to defer your tuition fees. So apply beforehand to ensure it'll be prepared for deferral. Maybe some of you have funds to pay for it temporarily until you get your OSAP, but I know I have to fully depend on loans if I get in, so I definitely need to apply earlier to be able to defer. Otherwise, apply whenever you want before the school year of 2012-2013 ends; there's no real deadline.

I'll be applying for OSAP and getting as much as I can from them, since any amount you borrow over $7000 is paid by the government. The remaining amount I need I'll get a student line of credit and hope interest doesn't rape me.
 
Yep, just apply for the loan before getting an acceptance. While you can apply for OSAP in August and get the money eventually, it's ridiculous to think you'll get it in time to be able to defer your tuition fees. So apply beforehand to ensure it'll be prepared for deferral. Maybe some of you have funds to pay for it temporarily until you get your OSAP, but I know I have to fully depend on loans if I get in, so I definitely need to apply earlier to be able to defer. Otherwise, apply whenever you want before the school year of 2012-2013 ends; there's no real deadline.

I'll be applying for OSAP and getting as much as I can from them, since any amount you borrow over $7000 is paid by the government. The remaining amount I need I'll get a student line of credit and hope interest doesn't rape me.

what do you mean anything over $7000 is paid by the gov't? i thought loan is loan, and u have to pay back, and grants is grant, you dont have to pay back...
 
We wont receive the 30% cut from osap either :(

Do pharmacy kids get any grants from osap then?
 
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what do you mean anything over $7000 is paid by the gov't? i thought loan is loan, and u have to pay back, and grants is grant, you dont have to pay back...

Whatever you borrow over $7000 is considered a grant. So if the government lets you take out a loan via OSAP at $10000, then your loan is reduced to $7000 and then they'll give you a $3000 grant, just because. That grant is called Ontario Student Opportunity Grant, I think. ... I just checked it, and they may have raised it to $7300 instead, I'm not sure. But that grant exists at a certain limit, I know for sure.
 
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You definitely wont receive the 30% cutoff, not eligible for second entry programs. I think if u stay at home, max osap will give u is 9000, thats the max if u have excellent situation (ie parents low income), I dont know about ppl who live away from home.

And there is a U of T grant or some thing if u are eligible its like a free $2000 ish, and then there is another financial aid thing by the faculty But if ur expenses are covered by this UofT grant u will most likely not get the financial aid from the faculty...Even the UofT grant not everybody gets, it depends.

Either way your Osap + Grant (or no grant) Will not be enough to cover your tuition..which is currently an est 15,000 set to increase every year by around 4%.


We wont receive the 30% cut from osap either :(

Do pharmacy kids get any grants from osap then?
 
You definitely wont receive the 30% cutoff, not eligible for second entry programs. I think if u stay at home, max osap will give u is 9000, thats the max if u have excellent situation (ie parents low income), I dont know about ppl who live away from home.

I have been looking into this, and apparently if it has been 4 years (or more) since you graduated high school, then you are considered independent from your parents and the aid $$ is calculated based on your personal assets and income.

So anyone who graduated high school in 2008 or earlier can get significantly more aid because you're not considered a "dependent" anymore.
 
the cost of education is really high. really big business.

75 more days till acceptance.
13 more days till my exams are over.

Good luck everybody!
 
to be honest i will feel really devastated if i dont get accepted. i mean its not even MD. Its just pharmacy.
 
Hey guys, my interview's in May and I was wondering if you guys all shook hands with the interviewers?
 
I did not. In fact, if you read the Candidate orientation (the ppt slides) you'll see that it specifically tells you to NOT shake their hands.
 
to be honest i will feel really devastated if i dont get accepted. i mean its not even MD. Its just pharmacy.

It's not easy to get into any professional school or grad school. High GPA, good admission test scores, and a successful interview are all required for Med, Dent, Law, Pharmacy, and most Masters/PhD programs. If to you it's "just pharmacy" then why are you applying in the first place?

Sure, not getting in would be devastating. I applied last year and I didn't get in, but I know I want to do pharmacy and I'm going to keep trying until I get it.
 
Hey guys, my interview's in May and I was wondering if you guys all shook hands with the interviewers?

Nope, didn't shake hands with anyone. It's pretty much just like the orientation booklet says. The interviewer will say "Hello" and they'll ask whether you've read the scenario. There are no personal introductions.
 
It's not easy to get into any professional school or grad school. High GPA, good admission test scores, and a successful interview are all required for Med, Dent, Law, Pharmacy, and most Masters/PhD programs. If to you it's "just pharmacy" then why are you applying in the first place?

Sure, not getting in would be devastating. I applied last year and I didn't get in, but I know I want to do pharmacy and I'm going to keep trying until I get it.

Agreed. Not getting in should be devastating because you're passionate about it and want to study it. It shouldn't be devastating just because you didn't get into "just pharmacy" that you think is so easy compared to MD.
 
pharmacy is a good career, but honestly, what people are studying are usually not what practicing pharmacists need. pharmacy school is like preparing everyone to be researchers or scientists... tough life. mechanisms...
 
Agreed. Not getting in should be devastating because you're passionate about it and want to study it. It shouldn't be devastating just because you didn't get into "just pharmacy" that you think is so easy compared to MD.

True. I think MD is harder to get into than pharmacy, but it's not that much harder. "just pharmacy" sounds disrespectful to me.
 
pharmacy is a good career, but honestly, what people are studying are usually not what practicing pharmacists need. pharmacy school is like preparing everyone to be researchers or scientists... tough life. mechanisms...

I heard something similar for pharmacy technicians in the US. I am not sure for pharmacy though. I think chemistry is overrated in pharmacy because clinical pharmacist don't encounter it in practice. Don't quote me on this. The pharmacy student who said this admitted that he is unsure because he hasn't graduated yet.

I wonder why you seemed so sure pharmacyboy?
 
pharmacy is a good career, but honestly, what people are studying are usually not what practicing pharmacists need. pharmacy school is like preparing everyone to be researchers or scientists... tough life. mechanisms...

That's the whole point of the new curriculum. Now there is a much greater focus on the clinical aspects of pharmacy. Obviously, you still have to know the science behind what you're doing (drug mechanisms, etc.), but from what I've heard, the new program is really oriented towards preparing people to be practicing pharmacists.
 
That's the whole point of the new curriculum. Now there is a much greater focus on the clinical aspects of pharmacy. Obviously, you still have to know the science behind what you're doing (drug mechanisms, etc.), but from what I've heard, the new program is really oriented towards preparing people to be practicing pharmacists.

Yes that's definitely true. Things that used to be taught in 3rd-4th year are now being taught to us in 1st year, the point of the new curriculum is to get you used to thinking critically right off the bat in 1st year. They've jumped us into things like therapeutics, counselling, etc. etc. And you're right you do have to know the science behind what you're doing and there's plenty of that as well - and you're also coming in with a lot of that background knowledge.

A lot of people have a tendency to see the pharmacist as a "pill dispenser", and perhaps before that's what it was, but in a competitive environment that just doesnt cut it anymore and uoft has realized that, hence this new curriculum and the LOADS of experience you'll get out in the real world - starting after 1st year!
 
to be honest i will feel really devastated if i dont get accepted. i mean its not even MD. Its just pharmacy.


Are you someone using pharmacy as a back up to med school? lol

I get what you're saying that it's easier to get into pharmacy than it is to get into med school, like cut off is only a 3.0 gpa, and pretty low pcat cut off. Wheras in med you need a 3.8+ and need to well on the mcat. Plus, this year 600 or so kids applied for uoft pharm for like 240 spots, right? For med you have like over 2000 kids all competing for around the same number of spots. I think I could say I would be a competive med school applicant too, but it's just something I would not want to do in life. So I kind of understand why you would be devastated, if you have worked hard and earned good grades, along with having a good personality and experience to get in. I certainly would be devastated too. Btw, I am not in any way trying to say pharmacy is any less of a challenging or demanding program.

But really to say this on pharm forum and compare it to med????? ahaha you want people to come at you.
 
Ohhh, I think there's a reason why the curriculm is a lot harder and includes a lot more information than practicing pharmacists use on a daily basis. Its because pharmacy is an attractive profession, it allows for a relaxed lifestyle and make a decent living. So in making the program more challenging, they get to weed of the less sincere students because with that license comes a lot of responsibilities. I'm not sure about this, but it makes sense right?
 
Ohhh, I think there's a reason why the curriculm is a lot harder and includes a lot more information than practicing pharmacists use on a daily basis. Its because pharmacy is an attractive profession, it allows for a relaxed lifestyle and make a decent living. So in making the program more challenging, they get to weed of the less sincere students because with that license comes a lot of responsibilities. I'm not sure about this, but it makes sense right?

lol the idea is not to include more information that practicing pharmacists use. the idea is that to do your job properly you should know all of these things. Look into expanding scope of practice, and this applies to all health professions not just pharmacy. but if we didn't learn everything that we do then effectively other people could just take over our jobs. There are unique things about pharmacy as a career and the pharmacist's job and its definitely to your benefit to look into some of these things! :)
 
Im saying this because i know the responsibilities of a pharmacist, and they dont have the power to prescribe like doctors do. they just advise them. but thats not a bad thing, some people cant be in power all the time.

i agree that we have to work hard now to get a good license to make a good living. therefore they make it tougher on us in the 4 years in school.

I wanted to do medicine, but then i got turned off by some surgeons cuz its so much work and stress. therefore, go to pharmacy :) hide behind a counter and give them the pills doctors prescribe and consult with some patients about what OTC's to use, and tell customers where the bathroom is, etc..
 
well i guess its kinda competitve to get into pharmacy too..

600 applicants, 240 spots, 2 pharmacy schools. 40% to get into pharmacy.


2000+ applicants, 100 spots, 6 med schools in ontario. 6% to get into med school.

Great...if i dont get in... ill be in the bottom 40% of society!
 
I'd be surprised if you get in with that attitude, PharmacyBoy.

Then again...anything can happen.
 
well i guess its kinda competitve to get into pharmacy too..

600 applicants, 240 spots, 2 pharmacy schools. 40% to get into pharmacy.


2000+ applicants, 100 spots, 6 med schools in ontario. 6% to get into med school.

Great...if i dont get in... ill be in the bottom 40% of society!

Damn, guy. You gotta stop looking at it that way. You make it sound like not getting into pharmacy is the end of the world and everyone who doesn't get in is too stupid and worthless. Pharmacy isn't for everyone, and whoever doesn't get in can just try again next year. Or try something else.

If you DO get in, and there will be people in this forum who don't get in, that statement is just downright discouraging and rude. Bottom 40% of society? Seriously? Think twice about what you're saying.
 
Lol, he also fails at math. If you don't get in pharmacy, you're in the bottom 60% not 40!

Jeez, I seriously can't imagine you as a health care professional with the statements you make. Too much work, I'd rather get paid to count pills and hide in the back...

Just go back to your organic chem and give the spot to someone who deserves it more if you think that's what the whole shebang is all about.
 
Pharmacyboy, why don't you just apply to med school (or another program) if this is your first choice? It doesn't make sense to continue on to pharmacy if you don't respect the profession. Plus, you will be much happier pursuing your first career choice and you won't have a lof of trouble getting in if you have a lot of passion. :)
 
Whats with all the negativity around here? Lets change it up!

Lets decide on the party spot for celebrations once we all get in!
 
I will see you all this September for the next 4 years of our lives, for better or for worse.

(yay positive thinking!)
 
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