Reports From The Pharm

Joel, I think you've left out one critical element...

2009-11-10T14:02:36.365-08:00

Joel, I think you've left out one critical element of all of this. It sounds like you're forgetting about the PharmCAS side of the application. I would think that the applicant who is truly disorganized is going to also have submitted their PharmCAS essay at the 11th hour, whereas the organized student is going to have submitted PharmCAS way early, in July or August, because the rolling admissions deadlines of other schools would require it.

To illustrate... if PharmCAS is completed in August (no small feat in & of itself), that means rolling admissions school apps are submitted in September (this is especially challenging for those of us who are both working and volunteering heavily for purpose of improving our apps). Unless the applicant chooses to do a lackluster copy/paste job, by the time those applications are done to a high quality standard, it leaves precious little time for the non-rolling UC schools... we're talking 3-4 weeks of intense writing, rewriting, soul searching, etc., and that's just to meet the Nov 2 mailing deadline... never mind getting it in early!

The truly disorganized, last minute applicant would have not structured the last 5 months of their lives around pharmacy school applications-- rather, they would have submitted PharmCAS in late September or October. So perhaps these observations should be revised to reflect the big picture, and not just focus on the very narrow criteria of when the UCSF supplemental app was mailed.

I really enjoyed reading your history, thanks!

2009-11-04T15:10:39.311-08:00

I really enjoyed reading your history, thanks!

Your little blogs make my day!

2009-11-02T14:49:39.955-08:00

Your little blogs make my day!

oh, I got it :) Thank you so much!

2009-10-30T22:33:11.797-07:00

oh, I got it :) Thank you so much!

yes, it is :) haha~ Thank you so much!!!

2009-10-30T22:29:13.305-07:00

yes, it is :) haha~ Thank you so much!!!

UCSF <3

2009-10-30T22:25:45.469-07:00

UCSF <3

:)

2009-10-30T22:24:21.761-07:00

Thank you for the helpful information, I have real...

2009-10-28T00:58:08.118-07:00

Thank you for the helpful information, I have really enjoyed reading through your website. It has made me smile and that's not common among Pharm-D websites.

I also have a question: Does attending a Preview Day increase one's chances of getting accepted?
I wold attend regardless, but there are many factors involved in traveling to UCSF for one day.

Thanks!! Nice post!!

2009-10-27T08:52:54.677-07:00

Thanks!! Nice post!!

"As long as the application is well thought out, o...

2009-10-26T17:47:39.445-07:00

"As long as the application is well thought out, organized and completed properly (and the check goes to the correct address!) I see no reason why it should be indicative of anything other than evidence of the applicant's excellent time management skills." Beautifully worded and a perfect scenario. Clearly, this type of applicant isn't what I was referring to. This is rarely the case. I'd love to see 2,000 applicants lined up at our door on the deadline date, if we could guarantee they possessed all the traits you describe. =)

While I acknowledge that the admissions office may...

2009-10-26T16:29:03.850-07:00

While I acknowledge that the admissions office may observe overall trends in the quality of applications submitted late in the cycle, I think it is rash to make the blanket statement that an application submitted later in the cycle makes one less competitive. For the applicant, time is a precious commodity to be rationed out to each school he applies to, and maximizing one's resources and is certainly a positive trait in a successful pharmacist (and pharmacy student).

As long as the application is well thought out, organized and completed properly (and the check goes to the correct address!) I see no reason why it should be indicative of anything other than evidence of the applicant's excellent time management skills.

i just finished reading the blog, i must say thank...

2009-10-18T20:04:10.992-07:00

i just finished reading the blog, i must say thank you so much, it was so helpful,answered a lot of my questions, i wish all schools would do this, its really helpful especially for an out of state applicant like myself with limited resources to get to campus, or attend any informational events.

Understood. The "not awesome" makes perfect sense...

2009-10-11T01:22:33.201-07:00

Understood. The "not awesome" makes perfect sense. I think the level of intensity from the first comment threw me off for a second. I'll just leave it at that.

Awesome = Arriving early and prepared. Strolling a...

2009-10-10T09:00:27.559-07:00

Awesome = Arriving early and prepared. Strolling around campus and relaxing prior to the interview day starting.

Not Awesome = Not reading the instructions clearly and thinking the letter asks you to arrive 5 hours BEFORE the check-in time, rather than ALLOCATING 5 hours after the interview check in time.

Wow you guys are so critical... I know attention t...

2009-10-09T22:35:17.014-07:00

Wow you guys are so critical... I know attention to detail is important, but when in doubt, it's much better to err on the side of going early.

There is no harm to anyone, and that person has extra time to take a look around, hang out at the library, or if that person is like me, will have some kind of electronic device on them to keep them occupied with podcasts, audiobooks, internet, etc.

Am I wrong? Should I be taking it as a huge deal?

Visit our Grad Fairs page to see what schools we a...

2009-10-08T09:21:02.823-07:00

Visit our Grad Fairs page to see what schools we attend this Fall:
pharmacy.ucsf.edu/go/gradfairs

When will you be in San Diego?

2009-10-08T09:17:39.246-07:00

When will you be in San Diego?

I'll be in San Diego next week. But the dynamic an...

2009-10-05T15:26:43.649-07:00

I'll be in San Diego next week. But the dynamic and amazing Shirin, our Outreach & Recruitment Coordinator, will attend the UCI Fair on the 26th. Please be sure to stop by the table and introduce yourself.

Correction, I meant October 26th?

2009-10-05T15:23:41.471-07:00

Correction, I meant October 26th?

great tips! Question: Will you be attending the UC...

2009-10-05T15:21:07.080-07:00

great tips! Question: Will you be attending the UCI Grad fair next week?

ok now i hope THIS candidate did not make it to an...

2009-10-01T17:38:33.329-07:00

ok now i hope THIS candidate did not make it to an interview.

dear anonymous..I've read your postings testing jo...

2009-10-01T17:36:23.992-07:00

dear anonymous..I've read your postings testing joel several times and have to admit it sort of frustrated and stumped me how they could extend an interview to someone clearly lacking in the attention to detail department and with a questionable ability to follow directions. here is my theory: many people who are quite book smart (i.e. can memorize the sh*t out of anything and regurgitate it successfully on an exam) have excellent grades, and very likely good references from their employers but lack common sense. many of these said individuals (and particularly those applying to pharmacy school) are immigrants and thus english is not their first language. so said candidate in joel's example might have looked great on paper and passed the initial assessment, but shown in the interview and essay that he/she is not so great after all. my other theory is that joel completely made up this candidate to avoid anyone actually making this mistake.

Elizabeth, We do not require the PCAT nor do we u...

2009-09-25T17:02:11.373-07:00

Elizabeth,

We do not require the PCAT nor do we use it in the Admissions Review process. The PCAT will not give you an advantage in the UCSF application process.

Hi Joel, I know that you are not required to take...

2009-09-23T19:43:03.961-07:00

Hi Joel,

I know that you are not required to take the PCATS in California, but in your opinion, do you think that would give me a competitive advantage when I am ready to apply?

Thank you so much for the insight of the Interview...

2009-09-21T03:06:57.481-07:00

Thank you so much for the insight of the Interview Day! This will be helpful when I apply next year! :)