Guest Blogger Hypes Pharmacy Information Day!

Whaaat! Our first guest blogger! We hope you will consider joining us for Pharmacy Information Day! Read on....

Hello out there, blog readers! I’m Shirin, the Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator for the UCSF School of Pharmacy. I work with Joel and the rest of OSACA to reach out to prospective students and help them discover our PharmD program. You and I may have crossed paths at a School of Pharmacy outreach event, at a professional school fair, over email, or in one of the Medical Sciences campus elevators. But I’ve been itching to ring the doorbell here at Joel’s Admissions Blog and join the party. So knock, knock! Let me in!

I’m actually here to tell you about a GREAT upcoming opportunity. Here in OSACA we hit the road every now and then to connect with students a little farther out from San Francisco. Ever heard of Pharmacy Information Day? In March, we’re heading down to the UCSF center in Fresno, CA, and in April, we’ll pop up in Long Beach, CA, for a day-long bonanza of pharmacy career events. We even round out the tour with a final show here at home in San Francisco. So why is this important?

Pharmacy Information Day is an EXCELLENT step for the savvy pre-pharmacy student looking to do all of the following:

• Hear about UCSF from UCSF 
• Find out more about careers in pharmacy and where they might lead
• Listen to practicing pharmacists from different backgrounds explain why and how they chose pharmacy for a career
• Listen to current UCSF pharmacy students share about their experience and goals
• Get a solid overview of the School of Pharmacy’s curriculum and learn why it’s unique
• Understand how to prepare a strong, competitive application
• Ask some knowledgeable people all the pharmacy school-related questions they want
• Hear directly from UCSF faculty members
• Determine whether or not the UCSF School of Pharmacy is the right program for them

Now, if this program sounds amazing—it’s because it is! We’re proud to offer an intimate view of life at UCSF and life as a pharmacist to prospective students. True story: Joel and I often talk about what it would be like if WE were applying to pharmacy school. We ask each other things like, “Would you mention your little-known involvement in community theater under extracurriculars?” or “How would you answer B3 on the supplemental app?” Sometimes we get crazy and wonder what we’d wear to a pharmacy school interview. But no matter the debate, we always agree on one thing: we would both take advantage of every opportunity to hear from the school we were interested in. Think of all the things we use to “research” these days: Google searches, Yelp reviews, online message boards. Don’t you want to do yourself a favor and just go straight to the source? Don’t you want to get a good sense of what UCSF is all about and whether it’s the right place to advance your career? Here’s your chance - come on down and meet us!

This magical website has all the information you need: pharmacy.ucsf.edu/go/pharmd/programs. Or, you’re welcome to write me with any questions.

See you at the registration table!

Shirin