Applying to Pharmacy School

by Jenny Nguyen

Jenny Nguyen

President

Application Timeline

01

03

04

02

Pre-PharmCAS (LORs, Personal Essay)

Interviews

(Oct - July…)

depends when you submit and on the school’s timeline!

​

PharmCAS

(opens July 14th)

Acceptances

MY Application Timeline

Pre-PharmCAS

01

Pre-PharmCAS Checklist

• Create pharmacy school list
• Start writing personal essay
• Letter of recommendation packet
• Ask of letters of recommendation

Pharmacy School List

• Things to consider
• Accreditation, focus, location, (network) opportunities, timeline, cost, campus environment, class size, prerequisites, dual-degrees, campus organizations, community involvement, international student eligibility, 3 or 4 year program, PCAT requirement, curriculum, rotation opportunities, residency matches
• Do your research
• PPS: Pre-Pharmacy Day (PPD) at UCI, Southern California Pre-Pharmacy Symposium (SCPPS), NorCal Trip, General Meetings, Pharmacy School trips
• Other: Pharmacy School Preview Day(s), online research
• Once you have your list…
• Plan upper division requirements (anatomy/lab, microbio/lab, etc.)
• Plan for any tests you have to take (PCAT)

PharmCAS

02

PharmCAS Checklist

• Create PharmCAS account
• Fill out PharmCAS
• Send Official Transcripts to PharmCAS
• Finalize Personal Essay
• Complete Pharmacy School Supplemental(s)
• Send Finalized Application to Pharmacy Schools

Application Sections

Personal Information

Sections

• Release Statement
• Biographic Information
• Contact Information
• Citizenship Information
• Parent Guardian
• Race & Ethnicity
• Other Information
• Military History

Academic History

Sections

• High Schools Attended
• Colleges Attended
• Transcript Entry
• Standardized Tests

Transcript Entry

• Everything must be 100% accurate! I used the unofficial transcript from Student Access
• AP Scores
• List under Fall quarter of the year you started undergrad
• Enter CR as the grade
• Enter everything exactly as shown on your Academic History

Supporting Information

Sections

• Evaluations: LORs
• Experiences: extracurriculars, work, volunteering, everything
• Achievements: honors, publications, scholarships
• Licenses and Certifications: pharmacy technician, CPR
• Personal Essay

Experiences

Checking Status

Program Materials

• On the PharmCAS home page, click “Add Program”
• Search your pharmacy school(s) of interest
• Click on the “+” button to the left of the pharmacy school name

Program Materials

• Some pharmacy schools have their supplemental essays on PharmCAS, but others don’t, and instead have their essays on their own pharmacy website
• Make sure to double-check to ensure you’ve fulfilled all application requirements!
• Some pharmacy schools don’t require supplemental essays at all
• Some pharmacy schools ask for 2-3 “long” essays, while other pharmacy schools may ask for 6-8 “short” essays
• Long: ~ 2000 - 4000 characters
• Short: ~ 1500 characters

Program Materials

Pharmacy School Supplementals

• Typical themes
• “Why our school?”
• “Why pharmacy?”
• “What makes you unique/stand out from others?”
• Some other topics to consider
• “What community service have you done?”
• “What are your hobbies?”
• “What’s a current issue (healthcare-related) that you believe needs more attention?”

Submitting Your PharmCAS Application

• Start & Submit Early
• Rolling Admission v. Non-rolling Admission
• Keep in mind that PharmCAS’ deadlines are Eastern Time Zone
• Be Strategic
• Don’t immediately submit every application at the same time
• Be knowledgeable about interview dates (found on school’s website), and plan accordingly
• Because pharmacy schools (almost) always interview on Friday/Saturday, if you submit all your applications at the same time, there’s a high percentage that they might land on the same day
• Cost of Submission: $175 for first application and $55 for each additional one plus any supplemental fees (Ex. UCSD costs $120)
• Fee waivers are available: first come, first serve and based on need!

Submitting Your PharmCAS Application

Interviews

03

Interviews

• Pharmacy schools conduct interviews within the confines of an entire Interview DAY
• This day can last from 3-7 hours
• Typically comprises of check-in, welcome, lunch, school tour, essay, interview, and student/faculty panels, among other things
• Some things to consider
• You might have to skip class, work, or other commitments to attend
• It’s very difficult to reschedule an Interview Day
• Travel costs (flights, hotels, transportation, food, etc.)
• Weather on the day-of
• Parking
• Traffic

Interviews

• Pharmacy schools can employ any of the following interview formats - be prepared!
• Traditional Interview
• Typically 2-3 interviewers, comprised of faculty and current students
• Multiple-Mini-Interview (MMI)
• 6-12 stations, each with a scenario/question
• Hybrid-MMI
• 2-5 MMI stations, one of which includes a traditional interview
• Interviews can last anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour

Practice and Tips

• Create a list of potential interview questions, brainstorm, and make an outline of your answer, but do not sound rehearsed!
• Every time you hear a real interview question, jot it down
• Go onto Student Doctor Network (SDN) for practice interview questions at certain schools
• Practice mock interviews with…
• Yourself
• Groups of fellow applicants
• Someone who knows you well
• Someone who knows the profession
• STAR Method
• Back-pocket examples

Possible Questions

• Typical
• “Tell me about yourself.”
• “Why pharmacy?”
• “Why this school?”
• Situational
• “If you are working with a teammate, and said teammate doesn’t pull their weight, what would you do?”
• “Tell me a time when you, as a leader, solved a problem/conflict.”
• Profession-based
• “Tell me about your experiences with the field of pharmacy.”
• “What specific niche of pharmacy do you want to pursue?”
• Know about laws and current events!

Interview Etiquette

• Introduce yourself with a smile and firm handshake
• Tell a story and elaborate but try not to over-elaborate or go off topic
• Smile, be cognizant of your facial expressions, and stay engaged
• Talk with other applicants or faculty/students when you have a chance
• Dress appropriately
• Maintain eye contact with your interviewer(s)
• Maintain proper posture
• Avoid using filler words (um, like, so, etc.)

• Be polite, but also show personality!
• Keep a consistent pace
• Not too fast, not too slow
• Avoid being monotone
• Exhibit genuinity and enthusiasm through your answers!
• Be honest
• If you get an unexpected question, try to remain calm
• Think about what you want to say before you answer. You can ask for a moment!
• Have questions prepared for the end
• Say thank you at the end and send a thank you email!

Acceptances

04

Decision Letters

• Some schools send a decision letter within days/2 weeks/1 month of interview
• If accepted, you usually have 2 weeks to reserve your spot
• You have to put down a security deposit (can range from $0-$1000)
• Non-refundable
• If you end up going to that school, it will be applied to your tuition
• If you don’t apply strategically, you could end up losing a lot of money
• Rolling Admission – if you are put on “active consideration,” then your application will be kept and reviewed against the next interview pool of applicants

Academic Update

• Update PharmCAS with your grades/classes for Fall Quarter
• Send your transcript to PharmCAS if you haven’t been accepted already or to your pharmacy school if you have been accepted already
• You must complete your Academic Update by the deadline sometime in mid-February

Pharmacy School Checklist

• Background Check
• Immunization Update
• TB Test
• CPR Certification

Thank You!

Questions?

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik.

​