Meeting Requirements for Pharmacy School Admission. Deb Cieplak UAA Pre-Pharmacy Adviser October 18, 2011

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1 Meeting Requirements for Pharmacy School Admission Deb Cieplak UAA Pre-Pharmacy Adviser October 18, 2011

2 The Big Picture: Very Competitive to get into Expect 2 to 3 years in pre-requisite courses Pre-requisite courses vary as well as admission standards Intensive curriculum during 1-3 rd professional years Usually all year long on 4 th year (no summer break)

3 Competitive Minimum Standards Vs Class Profile Don t take curriculum Short-cuts Look closely at accuplacer and prior performance Additional credits with higher GPA or Repeating credits with lower GPA Work with your peers to study and communicate curriculum choices Don t miss deadlines Pay attention to the other requirements

4 Additional Requirements Pharmacy Experience Tech or volunteer? Licensed/certified? Strong letters of recommendation Community Service Criminal and Background checks Immunization requirements Strongly recommended electives

5 Application Process Many schools now use PharmCAS Most still require supplemental apps A few schools take applications directly Start early- give plenty of time for your letters of recommendation Do NOT miss deadlines Take your PCAT on time Talk with an adviser from the school you are applying to Be prepared for the interview

6 PCAT Most schools require the PCAT Many student take it twice You want most of your core courses finished before taking Be sure you will get your scores back on time for the application deadline Many schools will not accept a PCAT taken later than September (application due the following Jan-Mar)

7 Letters of Recommendation Choose wisely Department head vs staff Alumni Take time to Groom your potential reference Always put your best foot forward Ask questions about their road to the profession Ask advice (and always thank them!) Ask early A letter written in haste will not be as strong

8 Bachelors Degree? Major? A handful of schools require a bachelors for admission Most do not OSU requires you receive your bachelor s degree prior to your 3 rd professional year Some financial aid requires you follow a strict major track Natural Sciences Pre-Health Professionals

9 Pre-requisites Chemistry Biology & Anatomy Calculus, Statistics, Physics English Composition; Literature; Speech Economics Other requirements Psychology Philosophy Humanities

10 Chemistry General Chemistry w/labs (8cr) Organic Chemistry w/labs (8cr) Biochemistry (most schools:3-6cr) Remainder of Chemistry classes will be taken as part of the professional curriculum

11 Biology General Biology (majority of schools: 8cr) Anatomy & Physiology (most schools: 8cr) Microbiology (majority of schools: 4 or 5cr) Cellular/Molecular Biology (some schools: 4cr) Genetics (few schools: 4cr) Gen Bio And Anat/Phys should be taken so not to limit the number of schools you qualify for

12 MATH Calculus (most 3-4cr, some 6-8cr) Statistics (majority 3-4cr) Physics (varies greatly) Few- none Most- require at least one semester Many- require the corresponding lab Few- require BOTH semesters/labs Few- prefer Calculus based

13 English Composition; Literature; Speech Don t let your English skills slide! Very important for admission essays PCAT has extensive essays Most schools require 8 credits total A few are very specific (literature or Composition) Rare that a school does not require speech Needed skill for the profession Can help you improve your face to face interview

14 Economics Macroeconomics Most schools require Macro or take either Microeconomics A few schools are very specific to Micro Don t waste your time on a General Economics class

15 Other Requirements Broad selection Can cover most requirements by sticking to: Intro to Psychology Ethics Intro to Sociology Some have additional General Education or Humanities electives Few have very specific elective guidelines

16 WICHE Means by which states without professional schools can help encourage the education of students that will return to the state as a licensed practitioner Benefits Offer preferential acceptance to WICHE students Alaska pays the school a support fee to help with the cost of tuition Students may be obligated to repay the support fee back to the state of Alaska Can still be eligible for some scholarships and financial aid

17 WICHE Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, CA University of California, San Francisco in San Fran, CA University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID University of Montana, Missoula, Mt University of Southern Nevada, Henderson, NV (Roseman University of Health Sciences) University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR University of Washington, Seattle, WA Washington State University, Pullman, WA University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

18 WICHE Student Steps Complete the certification process before October 15 of the year preceding admission. Apply to the participating schools of your choice. Inform your certifying officer of all the schools to which you are seeking admission. IMMEDIATELY inform your certifying officer as you receive offers and when you accept an offer of admission at a participating school. Formally decline offers of admission at schools you will not be attending. Check directly with your enrolling institution regarding the specific tuition charges that will be required from you. Enroll and remain enrolled as a full-time student, and maintain your home state residency. Keep your state certifying officer posted as to your current address. State certifying officers inform all students of annual renewal requirements for state certification Upon graduation- fulfill your working requirements in the state that supported you

19 How To Choose? Location Does it fit you Alaska: limited options (online; clinical rotations) Setting Open or closed campus Reputation Must be AACP accredited Community or Hospital Cost Tuition; Housing; Travel; etc Financial Aid opportunities (WICHE, Professional organizations, private funds) Ideals Religious affiliations Acceptance potential

20 More Info