Who would you pick?

[TC714]

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Okay guys,

Suppose you're one of the "powerful" guys in the pharmacy admission committee and you interviewed 2 candidates with the following profiles:

Candidate one: 21 yrs old, just came to the US 3 yrs. Attending junior college with science major GPA : 4.0, Overall GPA : 3.95. Total semester units completed: 70. In progress of taking O-Chem, Micro Bio,Speech. Planning courses: Anatomy + second O-Chem + Econs. Work experience: 1 and 1/2 year working at school math department + 1/2 year in another department in JC, also. Strong communication skills...Activities: Attending some activities at school...join the pre-pharmacy club as a member. Some honors and awards...

Candidate two: 21 yrs old, been in the US for 14 yrs. Attending University of California, Irvine. GPA of 3.68 overall. Science major GPA is 3.75. Total quarter units completed: 90 quarter units completed. In progress of taking last O-Chem quarter course, last general Bio class. Planning: Finishing up Micro-bio, Anatomy, BioChemistry. No work experience. Volunteer experience at hospital. Strong communication skills. Activities: Attending some. Dean's Honor Lists for 4 quarters.

Finally!!....anyway...who would you guys pick for a slot of class 2004 if you have the power to do that?

Share your thoughts 🙂...THanks....Have a nice day, all..

 

[neonam11]

To tell you the truth, if I were a member of the admission committee at UCSF or UCSD, I would throw both of these applicants back for one main reason, they both have not completed their bachelors degree yet and since their applications are not too extraordinary, both sorely lacking knoweldge and experience in pharmacy, I would choose someone with a bachelors degree, have volunteering and work experience, etc, etc.

But if both of these applicants were in the process of getting their degree, it would be too close to call since they are so similar. To break the tie, I would reread their personal statements as well as statement of intent at least three times before I can make a final decision.

 

[Heyyyyy]

So TC714, which one are you? 🙂

Honestly, both seem really good candidates. I hope to become a member of the admission committee in the near future. By the way, do you guys know what it takes to become a student member of the admission committee. Back to your question, i would definitely accept both 'characters' as long as the pending semester gpa is above 3.0. NO pharmacy school requires a bachelors degree but it is helpful in gaining admission as well as for you if you plan to get a phd or jd.

 

[Ivorymist]

What are the applicant's PCAT scores?

I don't know about out there in CA but here in the Southeast the PCAT score is very important. A very strong PCAT score can get someone with a 3.2 or even a 3.1 in.

 

[Motiv8]

A bachelor's degree is not and should not be a requisite for gaining admission into pharmacy school. If one completes his/her prereq's with a high science GPA and overall GPA, including other diverse classes to enhance the profile, then a bachelor's degree should not be necessary. Also, the trend is that most people with bachelor's degrees don't hold 3.9 GPAs. I would give preference to somebody that has completed the required courses sucessfully in a shorter time duration than the bachelor degree holder. A bach. degree makes it easier for one to complete prereq's in a four year period. If one can do it successfully in two years, then by all means, I choose them.

To answer the question, I would most definitely choose cand. # 2 because attending a university is much different than junior college. A 3.68 GPA from a univ. should easily beat somebody that went to a junior college. Most junior colleges are easy and even comparable to high school. Nearly everyone from a jun. college carries inflated grades. University is about showing competence through a challenging curriculum and dynamic instruction. This mixed with larger class sizes and less teacher-student interaction spells the need for greater self-motivation and intuition. Junior colleges reflect better student learning and interaction through smaller class sizes, but they fail to challenge students the way pharmacy schools expect them to. A lower Univ. GPA easily overlooks a High jun. college GPA.

I don't feel that how long one resides in a particular region should interfere with the admissions decision. Experience and community involvent will play a crucial role.

 

[chunkyb]

I agree with motiv8, in the respect that a little lower GPA from a univeristy is more impressive than 4.0 from a community college.
Candidate #2 also looks better since they have most of the science courses completed at the time of the app, wheras guy#1 is only starting them. But 'to each his own'---my opinion, nor any ONE admissions head's, doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things, as each school has really different ways of evaluating candidates.
Just apply to a whole bunch of schools----there will be at least one that will love you to bits.

 

[BMBiology]

I would heavily weigh my decision on the interview. I think the interview separates the boys from the men. Numbers are important, but a well qualified pharmacist requires more than just good numbers such as interpersonal skills. Personal statement is important, but it doesn't necessary mean it's written by one individual. Letter of recommendation is also important, but many professors and pharmacists write generic recommedation letters without actually getting to know the person they are recommendating.

 

[asdasd]

I agree with BMBiology..the interview will decide whether or not one of them is smore qualified.
Motiv8, it's true that some community college is way too easy as in high schools, but some JC are freaking hard to handle,too... If you don't believe me? Get down to Southern California, take an O.Chemistry class at a college name "Golden West College" with Dr. Winter....he had the weirdest curve ever when i took the O-Chem...only 1 A , 3B and 8C's....when initially, the class size was 60.

TC714...i am not sure which one is you, if you're the first one...then you need to volunteer more to improve the chance...if you're the second candiate...then work on your GPA to enhance the chance as opposed of that both of you do NOT have a BS...But it also depends on where you applied to...As far as I know, Boston schools are pretty easy to get in...without a BS.
Peace,