A comment about academic transcripts

We have received a number of emails over the past couple of weeks asking us to review PCAT scores and personal statements. I want to make sure everyone also understands the importance of the academic transcript that the Admission Committee receives.

When reviewing a file, there is a lot of information for a reviewer to process. Obviously, not everyone is the same and no two people probably look at things the exact same way. What I offer are my thoughts based on my experiences working with Pharmacy School Admission Committees for a number of years.

That being said, I have had prospective applicants ask why they haven't been given interviews based on the PCAT scores they send me. As many of you know, I think the PCATs are important, but so are the LORs, GPAs, personal statement and your academic transcript. If I am reviewing a file that has a number of withdrawals, F's retaken for better scores, or it appears that a student is "ducking" the most difficult prerequisites at their institution to take them at a lesser school or as a summer course, that can influence my perception of the student.

For example, last year I reviewed a file of an average applicant. PCAT was around 70. GPA was 3.2-ish. Had some pharmacy experience and decent LORs. In many cases, we would have waitlisted the file to see how the class shaped up and we would then revisit this application. Instead, when the committee reviewed the transcript, we saw 10+ withdrawals and D's in GenChem from the 4 year school which were retaken during the summer at a community college (Orgo wasn't attempted at the 4 year school, but were taken at the community college).

What do you think of this file. At face value, the PCAT and GPA were probably acceptable for admission at a number of schools. But, looking deeper into the file raised a number of questions about the applicant's ability to perservere through difficulty. It appeared that every time a course was challenging, he/she chose to drop it. Instead of retaking Gen Chem at the same school, the applicant took it as a single summer course at a less difficult (in this case) school. Ultimately, the committee decided that this applicant probably didn't have the constitution to "gut it" through pharmacy school and she was rejected.

If you have something in your transcript that might be a concern to a reviewer, I suggest you address it. It is possible that the W's were related to an illness or family crisis? Sure. If they had been, we would have considered that. However, forcing the reviewer determine the cause of your difficulties is something I would advise against. If you have a question about whether you should specifically address a transcript "red flag" post a comment below and we'll try to assist.

No pharmacy experience - need guidance

Question: I work full-time, take full-time courses, and have a large family (with a supportive husband). I have been lucky to secure a weekend, night position so that my weekdays are free for family and college courses. I have no pharmacy experience at all, including shadowing. I do have one day a week free this upcoming semester to do research. Would it be beneficial to me to work with a researcher that I have known for several years in the medicinal chemistry lab, and secure a legitimate letter of reference? Would my time be better spent volunteering on this "free" day at a pharmacy? If I choose the research route, I will not have a reference letter from a Pharmacist.



Answer: In a case such as yours I have often heard adcoms ask the question why someone in your situation wants to become a pharmacist. The catch here is this - if you have no rx experience at all, the question of what motivates you to apply to pharmacy school becomes tricky. I've had applicants such as yourself tell me that they've dreamed of becoming a pharmacist and have sacrificed many things to apply to pharmacy school. However, it always seems odd to me that someone would be willing to do so much for a profession they seemingly know so little about. Spending even a day shadowing a pharmacist would give you some talking points and eliminate some of the concerns an adcom might have. I think you could keep your research position and get your researcher LOR and still take a little time to shadow a pharmacist.

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Good luck.

Is pharmacy school attainable at this point?

Question: My issue is that I do not want to pursue something that will not be attainable. I received a BA in Business about 3 years ago with an overall GPA of 2.6. After working in a retail pharmacy I made the decision to become a pharmacist. I began taking courses at a CC and am now on academic probation ( Grades are B two, Cs, F, a W, and two Ds in an attempt at the same course. On top of working full time while attending class, I was in an accident and missed many classes as a result, in addition to the fact that I had never taken courses of this magnitude and may have been overwhelmed. What can I do, if anything, to possibly be accepted into a professional program? How much will volunteering and community service help? Or should I just begin looking for a career elsewhere? Thanks for your help : )


Answer: Thanks for your email. Of course, there are no absolutes in this world, so I won't tell you that your goal is unattainable. However, you have painted yourself into a corner and don't have much room to get out.

Without knowing the courses you are struggling with or how working full time and your accident affected you, I can only speculate. Although it may be unrealistic, I wonder if you were to dedicate yourself to your studies on a full time basis if you feel that would enable you to be successful. Ceratinly, I have seen cases of individuals with less than stellar academic records who have shown significant improvement once they focused exclusively on their studies and increased their chances of admission dramatically.

At this point, volunteering and community service are not going to get you into pharmacy school. It would appear that you need to markedly improve your grades. If you believe you can do this, even if it requires great sacrifice, that would be your best opportunity. You simply have to weigh the positives and negatives and determine what direction is best for you.

Good luck.

Question about pharmacy school deposits

Question: I've been reading your blog everyday since June and its been soooo helpful! Thanks!

My interviews are coming up soon and now my question is regarding to admission deposit. It seems that each school have $500+ deposit to save your spot for entering class and some school specifically requires the deposit a few weeks later we get acceptance notice.

So my question is, if we still have more interviews coming up and don't know whether we wanna go to that school or not, we have to pay that much money for each school??? Would that be better then if we arrange the interview dates close so we don't have to worry about this kind of issue?

And if you are able to choose the date, would that be better if you arrage the eariler date?(meaning better chance?) or it doesnt matter? Because I want to be well preapared for my interviews....but its coming so soon.


Answer: Thanks for your email. I am glad that you have found the blog to be helpful.

You are correct that a school wants you to pay a deposit to hold your spot. They are willing to make a commitment to you and they are asking that you do the same in return. I am aware of some schools that require significantly higher deposits than $500 with less time to decide whether to accept the offer or not.

I don't know if there is any real advantage to scheduling interviews close to each other. There is no guarantee that the schools will notify you at the same time of their decision. Instead, I might recommend scheduling the interview at the school you most want to attend first and the latter interview a couple of months later. That way, if you get into the first school, you accept the offer. If you don't or are waitlisted, you interview at the second school and see what happens. You might end up making a deposit to School B that you forfeit if School A subsequently offers you admission, but that's a small price to pay for the peace of mind that having a secured spot will bring you.

Let us know how the interviews go. Good luck!

Should I bother applying to a public school as an out of state student?

Note: This question has been asked in several different ways on multiple occasions.

Question: I have heard that public school (state sponsored schools of pharmacy) give preference to applicants from their state or who plan to work in the state after graduation. How true is this? I live in a rural state with no public school of pharmacy. I have good but not great grades and GPA. Do I even both applying to the big state school as an out of state resident or just start with private schools?


Answer: As noted in a previous thread, I do believe it is more difficult for out of state students to get into public institutions. If you live in Montana, you have a lesser chance of being admitted to the University of Texas (for example) than someone who lives in state. Does this hold true in all cases? Of course not. I don't have the statistics in front of me, but I suspect the large state institutions admit far more than half of their class from in state applicants.

For the record, I disagree with this on principle. I would encourage schools to admit a class that is more diverse racially, socially, and geographically. However, this is unlikely to change anytime soon as they are taxpayer funded to provide that particular state with pharmacists for the next generation.

There are exceptions to every rule (and you may be it). The bottom line is this: I encourage you to research all the schools where you consider applying and speak to someone in the admissions office. Ask them what percentage of their class comes from in-state or perhaps how many come from their undergraduate school (if one exists). Use this information to help you decide where you time and money are best spent during the admissions process.

Best of luck.

A pharmacist "friend" is writing a letter of recommendation

Question: I have a question regarding my letter of recommendation. My friend (who's also a pharmacist that I am working with right now. I've known him for about 10 years now, he tutored me English when I first moved to the U.S. and he was actually the person that influenced me and encouraged me to go into pharmacy...) is writing a letter of recommendation for me, but I know that many schools won't accept references from a friend. Should I ask him to submit his reference as a pharmacist and not mention that he's a friend of mine?


Answer: Unequivocally, the answer to your question is YES. He can list himself under a number of categories that would probably work, but I under no circumstance would I tell you to have him write your LOR as a "friend".

The key point here is to make sure that he understands his reference should be written from the standpoint of whatever relationship he chooses. If he selects "pharmacist", he should be writing about your promise as a pharmacist and the qualities that would make you a good pharmacist - not about knowing you and your family since you were a kid, etc.

The committees that I have been a part of take a very negative approach to applicants who use friends and family to write their letters of recommendation.. I have seen applications with letters of recommendation from parents, siblings, and friends from summer jobs. Please realize you are applying for a spot in a competitive professional school and you want to do everything you can to show the committee that you are prepared for that step. You indicated that you have worked with this pharmacist, so he should have no trouble documenting your abilities, work ethic, and interpersonal communication skilss.

For those readers of the blog who have a pharmacist "friend" that you might consider asking for an LOR, if you haven't done this already, get yourself into their pharmacy workplace and shadow for a day or a week just so the reviewer can say that you did so. That way, at a minimum, you have some experience to show on your application and it would make the relationship mentor-student rather than friends alone.

If anyone has additional questions about letters of recommendation, please let us know.

Pharmacy school application questions

Question: I have a BS in chemistry. My overall GPA is 2.75. My pre-pharmacy math/science GPA is 2.88. Since some schools give you an exempt from core curriculum (such as history, government, social sciences, etc.) are they going to look at my overall GPA or just the math/science GPA ? I have mostly B's, 4 C's and 3 A's in math/science.

Some schools take an average grade if you retake some classes. So if I manage to replace those C's, I can get a 3.0 math/science GPA. With a low 2.75 overall GPA, should I bother to try ? I have lots of research experience and no pharmacy experience. Do the administration look at research experience ? What's the minimum pharmacy experience that I should have ( a year, a semester ) ?


Answer: I can only speak to my experience, but I believe it to be similar to most schools. We look at the overall GPA, with emphasis on the science and math prereqs. If you failed a civics or government class as a freshman, this won't ruin your application.

As far as retaking classes, we don't take the "average", but we count both grades (which essentially averages them). In a blog entry, this was addressed. If you get the chance, you can review the previous entries and check it out. Certainly, I believe that improving your GPA > 3.0 would be beneficial. (see link:
http://pharmacyschooladmissions.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-is-good-gpa-to-get-into-pharmacy.html)

Different AdComs look at research experience differently. Personally, I don't look at it as being all that helpful to one's application. However, I know some members who do. Pharmacy experience would be preferred.

As far as how much pharmacy experience? The more, the better. But, even one day of shadowing is better than nothing. For more information on pharmacy experience, you can use the search function above and find quite a few posts on the topic.

Good luck.

Low Verbal score on PCAT - chances?

Question: I recently received my PCAT scores and my composite was 51 my verbal ability dragged down my score as it was only 15 however, my bio was 76 and my Chem was 77 I have a solid GPA of 3.8 with A's in Chem an O Chem. I also have worked in a pharmacy for 2 years as a certified tech. I have LOR's from 2 pharmacist and one teacher. I have leadership in being an athletic team captain and also volunteer work in my mom's nursing home. I am nervous however that with my modest PCAT score that I will not get in. What is your professional opinion?


Answer: A 15 verbal is a concern, obviously. As an AdCom, I would also be interested in your Reading subset and your Writing score. If these were more "normal", I might be able to gloss over the verbal score to some degree. I know some who would not, however. You are fortunate to have such strong Bio and Chem scores as those are infinitely more important to most AdComs. Your Orgo scores and Tech experience are also huge +'s for you.

Where do you plan to apply. So much of the application process boils down to where the student wants to attend. Will a 51 Composite get you into the most competitive schools? Probably not. But it would probably be enough to get you in somewhere or at least get you an interview and then it's up to you from there.

I hope that helps. If you have more info you can share, I'll try to provide additional assistance.

Good luck.

Concern about a letter of recommendation

Question: I have a question about a L.O.R that I am quite concerned about. Okay so here is the story. A while ago I asked a pharmacist who I volunteered with for one of my two required L.O.R's and he agreed. I was confident that he would give me a positive recommendation from our past experiences so I felt comfortable asking. Very shortly after, I put his information into the PharmCAS Reference section.

I was planning on giving him a copy of my resume and a few other papers later on in the week and I even told him he had until November to finish so I did not expect him to complete it so soon. This was his first recommendation so that might also be a reason why but long story short, there was a misunderstanding and he finished the recommendation in 30 minutes, which I timed between two e-mails that I received! I was very alarmed at how quickly he finished, especially because there was a comments section like you mentioned in the blog and I'm pretty sure he didn't have the letter typed already. In his last e-mail, he told me that he "highly recommended" me for admission but didn't mention the comments or the other sections, only that he finished and received a confirmation email. I checked pharmCAS and the status for his rec is "complete".

I waived my right to see but I'm guessing he put only a few sentences in the comments section and then submitted. I haven't asked him anything yet because it's pretty late. Should I be very concerned about this? I'm guessing because he already got a confirmation email, he can't make changes to his recommendation anyways, is this true? I was hoping something like this wouldn't happen.. do you think my application is shot because of this? And I know it's not his fault at all, he was only trying to help. It was my fault for being so careless and assuming but is there anything at all that I can do now? What would you recommend that I do in this case? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


Answer: Based on the number of emails we have received, you are not the only applicant with concerns and/or questions about their LORs. Here is my take: If this pharmacist highly recommended you, that should be good enough and I wouldn't stress too much.

Would we like for all of our LORs to be heartfelt novellas about our character and work ethic? Sure. However, he may have had a "stream of consciousness" and just knocked out a very supportive letter for all you know.

As a lesson, your situation does provide a nice case study for others. As noted in previous entries, we encourage you to first explain the application process and what you hope to have your reviewers do to benefit you. Give him/her a copy of your CV or resume and have a brief discussion of what it means for you to be accepted into pharmacy school. An honest, frank request for a positive evaluation is usually well received and I have found myself more likely to provide a student with a thorough and supportive letter when they have given me adequate reason to do so.

All in all, what's done is done. I don't think you have any reason to worry. A high recommendation from a pharmacist will serve you very well even if his comments are on the light side.

Online Discussion #9

Please Join us on Sunday, November 7 at 9pm ET for our 9th PharmacySchoolAdmissions.com online discussion. Everyone is welcome. Please take a moment to register on the forum (www.pharmacyschooladmissions.com - you can click the mortar and pestle -------> to get to the site) and use your registered username to enter the web discussion on Sunday.

See you then.

-Admissions