So the student panel consisted of three students, a 1st year, 2nd year, and 3rd year student. All of them had been working in the real world before applying and becoming accepted by UCSF. We were told, however, that they do not fully represent what their classes look like as a whole, as many student are recent graduates. All three of them were dressed in every day clothes, and not in dress clothes like the student panel at UoP. I don't know if that was because this wasn't the full day experience, or because that's just the culture/environment here. I suspect the later. I'll know when I go back to see the full presentation in the spring.
The admissions director Joel Gonzales asked most of the questions of himself to get the Q&A session going. The students alternated who went first when answering the questions. All the answers are going to be paraphrased of course. I didn't record it, I just listened and typed.
1) What attracted you to pharmacy?
Student #3 - Family was all pharmacists, she tried teaching and found it didn't fit her personality. She tried working for her sister and found she enjoyed working with the elderly population.
Student #2 - Was working in industry, drug discovery research. He didn't have any direct pharmacy experience, but he wanted to go into clinical research, and UCSF was a good program for that.
Student #1 - He liked the uniqueness of the pathways that UCSF offers. (As we find out in question 2, he only applied to one school.) He was working in finance for the last 9 years, but wanted a change. He graduated with a biochem degree so already had a science background. Took a pharm tech course at City College of San Francisco, then when he was ready applied.
2) What was the application process like?
#1 - The time commitment was the greatest challenge. The PharmCAS and the Supplemental Application are very robust so the school can get a holistic view of you. You have an opportunity to address every issue you like. Don't BS on it. I only applied to one school, but I probably should have applied to more.
#2 - I applied to everywhere, and the this [UCSF] application takes longer than everyone else's. I did about 20 revisions. It's so hard because of the word limit and you want to make sure you get the most out of every word.
#3 - The essay writing was really challenging. What makes you unique is a hard question to answer. I did a lot of revising. The Supplemental Application workshop [that UCSF offers] is great. I flew in for it. Afterwards I went home and revised my statement of purpose.
3) Did you do anything to make yourself a better applicant? Why do you think you were chosen?
#1 - I left my job to go to school full time for a year, and to get some experience and something to talk about. Among there class there are a lot of common traits. A lot of community service and leadership. It's an exceptional group.
#2 - Concrete things? I volunteered at a hospital pharmacy for a year and took refresher courses because I had been out of school for a long time. I was a bit nervous about fitting it at first because I was older, but even though there is a lot of diversity in the class, there are similarities. This group was very different from a lot of the other places I interviewed at. I think I was admitted because of my essays. Some people still tell me they remember my essay.
#3 - I agree about the essay part. They remember it. As for what I did? I have teaching experience, and a lot of experience traveling to other countries. I also worked at my sister's pharmacy for a year and a half. I also researched all the different fields of pharmacy and went to all the school's websites.
4) What don't you like? What do you like?
#3 - The school part. There is a lot to memorize. I enjoy interacting with all the people and participating in the different organizations.
#2 - The stress about taking exams. The classes get really exciting in the 2nd year. Some of the leadership stuff is exciting. People notice leadership qualities. I wouldn't have expected to become class president. I'm quiet.
#1 - [He's only been a student at UCSF for two weeks] After just eight days of class, midterms are already next week. Good time management skills and organization are important. I look forward to groups, and I signed up for the homeless clinic.
5) Did you work while in school?
#2 - No because of the economy.
#3 - Not during the school year, but I do work with my sister in the summer.
#1 - I have an internship at the VA hospital
6) Where did you take your undergrad? And how does that level of work compare to here?
#1 - University of Colorado at Boulder. It's the number 2 party school. Here the classes are fast paced. They're not exactly harder, but there is a lot more to it. You need to keep things balanced.
#2 - UCSC and two years at a community college. The work here is definitely harder. There's just a lot of material. It's all time-management.
#3 - UC Irvine. Got a bachelor's in psychology. I got by with cramming. I later went back and took classes at a community college. That was harder. The workload is about the same as those science courses but there is a lot more information.
7) Final question. What piece of advice do you have?
#3 - Make sure you know this is what you want to do. Get some experience in it. Don't just do it for the money. Develop good study habits.
#2 - I enjoyed applying all around the country because it made me feel better about my choice. I chose this in part because of the pathways. I also saw a difference in the interview. I was also considering UNC and UT.
#3 - Really do some exploration within yourself. Know what you're going to do. Reach out and talk to people.
Certainly a lot of good information here. I think I'm on the right track. It will definitely be good to take a look and print out the supplemental application. It sounds intense. And even though I'm years away from applying, starting early means I have more time to make revisions.
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