Supplemental Applications

It's never too early to work on your personal statement, and it's never too early to take a look at supplemental applications.  Unfortunately, most of the schools send out invitations to submit supplemental applications, and so it's not possible for me to take a look.  But there are two California schools that have easy access to sample supplemental apps.

You can find the sample supplemental application for UCSF here.  The essays will require a lot of thought.  The questions on form B are below.  But of course it's important to take a look at the actual form to see how much space is allotted to for each response.  You might want to take a look at form D as well.

B1. EXTRACURRICULAR, LEADERSHIP, VOLUNTEER, COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & WORK EXPERIENCE.  UCSF prepares students to be leaders in pharmacy.  Expand upon one of the outside activities you listed in your PharmCAS application by discussing how your participation demonstrates your motivation and ability to be a leader in the pharmacy profession.

B2. PROFESSIONAL ACUMEN AND CULTURAL AWARENESS.  Explain how your educational, employment or other extracurricular experiences have provided you an opportunity to actively address issues of diversity and/or health disparities.  How will these experiences help you to succeed in our Doctor of Pharmacy program and in the pharmacy profession?

B3. PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE.  How have your personal experiences informed your understanding of the human condition?

B4. OTHER INFORMATION (OPTIONAL).  You may use the space below to tell us anything else you would like us to know about you.  Reapplicants should use this space to summarize the steps taken in the past year to further develop their qualifications.

B5. UCSF CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT.  In a class of 122 highly qualified students, which of your personal characteristics will make you stand out as an individual?  In contrast to the PharmCAS application and statement, which asks you to describe your skills, accomplishments, and future goals, we ask that you discuss your personal uniqueness.

The sample application form for WesternU can be found here.  The Personal Questionnaire Form has a very different set of questions than UCSF.

1.  Why do you feel the need to obtain the PharmD degree at this point in your career?  Is there an area of practice that particularly interest you?

2.  If you are a re-applicant, explain what you have done in the past year to enhance your application.

3.  Aside from becoming a pharmacist, what other professional and personal goals do you have?  How do you plan to achieve them?

4.  Identify one social problem in the United States OR your country of origin that is of concern to you.  What do you believe are some possible solutions?

5.  Name an individual whom you admire greatly.  Why?

6.  What are your strongest and weakest personal characteristics?  How have these strength(s) and weakness(s) helped or hindered you in the achievement of your goals?

7.  Describe your participation in extra-curricular activities (campus and/or community) that you feel may enhance your application.  Include all offices and other leadership positions held.  If you have no participated, indicate why.

8.  Describe some of your non-academic interests (e.g., recreational or athletic activities, hobbies, club participation etc.)

9.  Have you had any academic difficulties that may appear on your transcripts that you would like to explain?

10.  Please use space below to make any additional personal comments that you think will strengthen your application.

Now I said two, but maybe this is a third?  If I had to guess, I'd say that the link was removed when the deadline passed, but there is at least a glimpse into what UCSD is looking for on their supplemental application here.

California Pharmacy School Prerequisites

(Note:  This post will be updated as needed since it is now linked through the sidebar.   Ex.  I found the min GPA required for UCSD, and have added it to my chart.)

-----

With the pharm tech step coming to a close, it's time to look to other things.  (Of course this look took place both before and after Thanksgiving with parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and all sorts of family.  Not skipping the holidays to work on the blog. =P)  So I took a look at the prerequisites of all the schools in California and made this Excel sheet:

(Click to Enlarge - This is meant primarily for me.  If it's of use to other people that's fine.  Most of it should make sense though.  The numbers are the number of semesters needed for each class so if you want to schools with a quarter system, you'll have to make an adjustment.  Links to the official websites for each school are further down this post.  There is a lot of detail in each page that can't be communicated through the shorthand of my Excel sheet.)

If I recorded it all right, the classes needed to get into all California schools are:

- General Chemistry I & II (with labs)

- Organic Chemistry I & II (with labs)

- General Biology I & II (with labs)

- Physics I & II (with E/M Lab)

- Calculus I & II

- Statistics

- Human Physiology

- Anatomy

- Biochemistry

- Cell Biology

- Microbiology (with lab)

- English

- Speech

- Economics

- Psychology/Sociology

And besides classes:

- GPA
- Leadership
- Experience
- Community Service
- Letter of Recommendations

Something important I need to find out, is how old my course work is allowed to be before it's too old to be counted.  Northstate specifically said 9 years on their website, and UCSD says 10 years for some classes, and 5 years for essential classes.  That means besides retaking classes that I screwed up in, I'm most likely going to have to retake classes I did excellent in, because they're just too old.  That's a little discouraging.  But well... it's not totally unexpected.  That's the reason why I'm expecting to take two or three years to get there.  All I can do is move on from where I am, so that's what I'm going to do.

Something a bit annoying is that UoP requires micro economics, and USC requires macro economics, while all the others let you choose either.  Depending on how easy or difficult it is to fit taking all these prerequisites in while working... I may just have to choose between one or the other.  That's just something I'll have to figure out later when I have more info to work with.

California Northsate College of Pharmacy

This is the only website that specifically mentioned that work experience in a pharmacy setting of at least 40 hours is recommended.  It's also one of the two schools that mentions Statistics.

Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy

I found it pretty interesting that the Anatomy requirement didn't require a lab.  I didn't know Anatomy classes came that way.  But since I'll be taking the class with the lab, it doesn't matter beyond that.  And while I didn't see all the Letter of Recommendation requirements for all the schools, it's important to know that this school requires three, and one of those has to be from a Spiritual Advisor.

Touro University College of Pharmacy

This school has one of the sparsest requirements list.  It doesn't even require General Biology of Physics.  However having a degree is a requirement for applying which is why their website doesn't cover the non-science classes as prerequisites like the other schools do.

University of California, San Diego, Skaags School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

One of the two schools that mentions that an Electricity and Magnetism Lab is required as part of the Physics prerequisites.  Makes me wonder what that's going to be used for exactly, when it comes to pharmacy.  Something to do with research is my safe guess.  Also one of the two schools that requires two courses in Calculus and not just one.  And last, the only school (that I saw) that mentioned CPR as a requirement. 

University of San Francisco School of Pharmacy

The other school that specifically mentions the E/M Lab as a prerequisite.  It's also the other school that requires two courses in Calculus.  Not much more to say.  I've been to an info session, I've been to the campus, I know I want to apply here, so I'll be sure to complete the list.

University of Southern California School of Pharmacy

The second school that requires a degree to apply.  The only school that specifically requires Human Physiology and not just some mammalian physiology.  Even more important, the only school that requires Statistics.  And the last unique bit that I found from my current outing through the schools websites, a Resume is required as part of the application process.

University of the Pacific Thomas J Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

The only school that I know of that requires the GRE.  (I didn't find this info on the website, however, I found it on the pamphlet that was given at the info session.  Other schools may have this as a requirement.)

Western University of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy

The odd way I've marked the required semesters for BioChem is because you can take just one class of BioChem if it's 5 units, otherwise it's one 3 unit BioChem class and one 3 unit Molecular Biology class.

Calendar Update

Here are some dates that I'm keeping in mind. (To share with others, and to conveniently store all the relevant information for myself, so I don't lose it.)

University of San Francisco Pharmacy Day Event:

 (Click to enlarge)

This is hosted by the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists. (UCSF, Diablo Valley, and Golden Gate chapters)

A free screening is nice.  Especially considering that I'm in the process of losing weight, and knowing my cholesterol level would be nice, and level of hypertension (Is that how it's described?  Hypertension isn't something I typically talk about.), and my family has a history of diabetes. 

A talk on healthcare reform will also be great.  I mentioned it's something I should be learning about, and here's an opportunity to do so.

University of Southern California Information Session

The webpage for USC info session dates can be found here.  I can't predict which one I'll be going to.  A lot can change between now and Jan-April.  But I do want to make sure I go to one of them.

Western University of Health Sciences Information Session

The webpage for WesternU info session dates can be found here.  I also don't know which date I'll be going, but I will be going if at all possible.  Registration costs $10.  It conveniently has an April date close to the USC date if I choose to take on both in the same week.  But I have both family and friends down there, so taking them on at the same time or separate is good either way.