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University Of Alberta 2020 Pharmacy Applicants - Class Of 2024


Sun444

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Prereq: all A's so far except for English 6* (only need to finish Microbiology in winter 2020). In the email, Anjela said that some of the prereq courses are simple a check for completion so I did not bother calculating the GPA.

2 years most recent:  to be determined, most likely to be 3.49 (2.8 gpa from the last year's 21* credits of my previous Bcom Degree in 2015, but they say it will be counted towards my most recent 60* GPA).

Best 30 credits: 3.97 (If I can score 4.0 again in winter 2020 then it will be 4.0)

Work experience: Worked in hospital,long term care and public health for total of 3 years.

 

 

Just wondering for extracurricular activities, do you guys write it as a list or an essay like form?

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Prereqs: all A/A+ except for english and micro.

2 year GPA: TBD but looking like it will probably be around 3.88.

Best 30 credits: TBD but hopefully 3.91 or higher.

ECs and work experience: working as a pharmacy assistant in a Community pharmacy after having volunteered there for 6 months. 1.5 years volunteering at hospital as patient visitor. Had a month long shadowing experience in Europe. Will be doing research this summer as well.

 

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On 1/1/2020 at 10:19 PM, nigelllll said:

Prereq: all A's so far except for English 6* (only need to finish Microbiology in winter 2020). In the email, Anjela said that some of the prereq courses are simple a check for completion so I did not bother calculating the GPA.

2 years most recent:  to be determined, most likely to be 3.49 (2.8 gpa from the last year's 21* credits of my previous Bcom Degree in 2015, but they say it will be counted towards my most recent 60* GPA so whatever).

Best 30 credits: 3.97 (If I can score 4.0 again in winter 2020 then it will be 4.0)

Work experience: Worked in hospital,long term care and public health for total of 3 years.

 

 

Just wondering for extracurricular activities, do you guys write it as a list or an essay like form?

I wrote my ECs as an essay so that I could talk about them a bit more in depth but I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to do lol.

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Can anyone clarify somewhat how the admissions is working? I know for UBC's PharmD it is a bit like different "stages"... ie: you pass the academic-based stage, NOW you are all on the same playing field again, and next those who passed the academic part now need to pass the interviews, etc. 

The impression I'm getting from UAlberta's PharmD admission site is that grades/interview/etc are WEIGHTED (ie: each contribute a certain amount to your "score"); ie: there are NOT "stages"?

https://www.ualberta.ca/pharmacy/programs/pharmd-doctor-of-pharmacy/prospective-students/admission-requirements

The website's a little vague on the admission selection exact selection criteria, unless I'm missing something. 

Does this make sense?

PS: also want to confirm we AREN'T sending our interim transcripts, right? Only final?

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On 1/1/2020 at 10:19 PM, nigelllll said:

Prereq: all A's so far except for English 6* (only need to finish Microbiology in winter 2020). In the email, Anjela said that some of the prereq courses are simple a check for completion so I did not bother calculating the GPA.

2 years most recent:  to be determined, most likely to be 3.49 (2.8 gpa from the last year's 21* credits of my previous Bcom Degree in 2015, but they say it will be counted towards my most recent 60* GPA so whatever).

Best 30 credits: 3.97 (If I can score 4.0 again in winter 2020 then it will be 4.0)

Work experience: Worked in hospital,long term care and public health for total of 3 years.

 

 

Just wondering for extracurricular activities, do you guys write it as a list or an essay like form?

I think that the admissions committee might like it if you used point form since they have to read so many (lol). But you should write it in paragraphs because I think you want to use that section to show the committee that you are an interesting person with hobbies and don't just live in the library. And it doesn't really matter what you put there in terms of what you like, imo. It's more about that you a passionate about something (eg. I like swimming and water stuff and can hold my breathe underwater for 10 minutes and do a triple front flip dive).

 

On 1/5/2020 at 3:26 PM, Sharron said:

Can anyone clarify somewhat how the admissions is working? I know for UBC's PharmD it is a bit like different "stages"... ie: you pass the academic-based stage, NOW you are all on the same playing field again, and next those who passed the academic part now need to pass the interviews, etc. 

The impression I'm getting from UAlberta's PharmD admission site is that grades/interview/etc are WEIGHTED (ie: each contribute a certain amount to your "score"); ie: there are NOT "stages"?

https://www.ualberta.ca/pharmacy/programs/pharmd-doctor-of-pharmacy/prospective-students/admission-requirements

The website's a little vague on the admission selection exact selection criteria, unless I'm missing something. 

Does this make sense?

PS: also want to confirm we AREN'T sending our interim transcripts, right? Only final?

You send in the admissions package. Then, later in the year, you'll send in your final transcripts or they'll get them automatically depending on your situation (in province v. out-of-province). They then send you an interview invite. Do the interview. Wait for whichever version of the letter you're going to get.

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18 hours ago, Ualbertapharm said:

You send in the admissions package. Then, later in the year, you'll send in your final transcripts or they'll get them automatically depending on your situation (in province v. out-of-province). They then send you an interview invite. Do the interview. Wait for whichever version of the letter you're going to get.

Thank you for the response! But I still don't understand if it is STAGE-based or WEIGHTED... 

For example (bear with very INACCURATE numbers): at UBC PharmD, let's say 1000 people apply, of those let's say 400 are chosen for interview ONLY based on academics. Now those 400 would be competing for 200 spots through ONLY the interview. (again, ignore the numbers, these aren't accurate!). ... ie: STAGES

But other universities WEIGHT them... ie: you send in your grades, do the interview some time later, do an essay, etc. and these are WEIGHTED ie: 1/3 interview 1/3 grades 1/3 essay (crude example). 

Is UAlberta PharmD closer to the 1st or 2nd method? 

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5 hours ago, Sharron said:

Thank you for the response! But I still don't understand if it is STAGE-based or WEIGHTED... 

For example (bear with very INACCURATE numbers): at UBC PharmD, let's say 1000 people apply, of those let's say 400 are chosen for interview ONLY based on academics. Now those 400 would be competing for 200 spots through ONLY the interview. (again, ignore the numbers, these aren't accurate!). ... ie: STAGES

But other universities WEIGHT them... ie: you send in your grades, do the interview some time later, do an essay, etc. and these are WEIGHTED ie: 1/3 interview 1/3 grades 1/3 essay (crude example). 

Is UAlberta PharmD closer to the 1st or 2nd method? 

I believe it’s closer to the 2nd method although no one knows how they actually weigh the different components.

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Good info guys! lets keep it going!

My stats:

cum gpa: 3.62

27 credit year gpa (couldn't do 30 units): 3.75

Pre-req gpa: approx 3.5 (finishing up physiology and and biochem winter 2020)

Have been working as a health care aide (psych) for 6 years. Trying to get in some pharmacy shadow hours this semester.

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On 1/7/2020 at 6:47 PM, PharmD20 said:

I believe it’s closer to the 2nd method although no one knows how they actually weigh the different components.

This is my thoughts as well. Ive never heard of anyone not getting an interview before, just that they get rejected.

 

Also as an aside, I'm not affiliated with the Faculty. Just an applicant. I'm putting that in early because my some might get confused by my name.

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On 1/14/2020 at 10:38 PM, haha said:

Does anyone know where to find letter of intent form for 2020? I could only find form for 2019

you should go ahead and apply through either apply alberta or the launchpad. You should find the form there, you do not need to email the form to anyone for this cycle.

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These are my stats so far as an IP applicant:

Last 60 credits GPA: TBD but it will most likely be 3.75-3.8

Pre-req: 3.5

Best 30 credits (so far): 3.7

Volunteer History: youth soccer coach for two years, Canadian Mental Health Association, U School

Employment History: health care aide in long-term care, summer reading programmer in a library, sales clerk in a community pharmacy 

I'm also graduating with my BSc this June! :)

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/12/2020 at 5:55 PM, Ualbertapharm said:

This is my thoughts as well. Ive never heard of anyone not getting an interview before, just that they get rejected.

 

Also as an aside, I'm not affiliated with the Faculty. Just an applicant. I'm putting that in early because my some might get confused by my name.

Hey guys! I'm in first year pharm, the selection process is weighted and not stage based. I don't know the exact percentages but it goes soemthing like this: GPA > interview > LOI. With that said though, if you have a high GPA but poor letter and interview you can still get rejected. Most people who send in an admission package do get an interview, unless you didn't take the right prereqs or your GPA is too low. The lowest GPA (cumulative I believe) accepted for my class (2023) was 3.4

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8 hours ago, Ki.chn said:

Hey guys! I'm in first year pharm, the selection process is weighted and not stage based. I don't know the exact percentages but it goes soemthing like this: GPA > interview > LOI. With that said though, if you have a high GPA but poor letter and interview you can still get rejected. Most people who send in an admission package do get an interview, unless you didn't take the right prereqs or your GPA is too low. The lowest GPA (cumulative I believe) accepted for my class (2023) was 3.4

Thanks for your input! This is a little unrelated but how are you finding the program so far? Are the program and the people more communal and supportive than in science?

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On 2/13/2020 at 9:57 AM, PharmD20 said:

Thanks for your input! This is a little unrelated but how are you finding the program so far? Are the program and the people more communal and supportive than in science?

The program is pretty challenging but also very rewarding! Once you get in everyone is part of the "pharmily", our class literally has a google drive with notes and study material for every single class and this is shared with everyone. It's definitely a very supportive environment and not cut throat like my old science degree was haha! All our peers in upper years also share their notes with us as well. I wouldn't say the environment is less competitive because our class averages are high (usually in the low to high 80s range) and there are still some classmates who are trying to get into med or dent but we do everything we can to help each other out. 

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On 2/17/2020 at 1:37 AM, Ki.chn said:

The program is pretty challenging but also very rewarding! Once you get in everyone is part of the "pharmily", our class literally has a google drive with notes and study material for every single class and this is shared with everyone. It's definitely a very supportive environment and not cut throat like my old science degree was haha! All our peers in upper years also share their notes with us as well. I wouldn't say the environment is less competitive because our class averages are high (usually in the low to high 80s range) and there are still some classmates who are trying to get into med or dent but we do everything we can to help each other out. 

That’s good to hear, thanks!

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I just dont know know whether it will allow me to upload an image file or does it have to be a scanned document. Or does it even matter lol? 

I have had post secondary schooling outside of Canada and I want to upload those transcripts myself although they do require it from the issuing institution directly and not from me. Likely they will ignore it but I thought I would upload it just in case they do care for it.

Have you done your application and uploaded everything already? @PharmD20

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On 2/19/2020 at 11:06 PM, Sun444 said:

I just dont know know whether it will allow me to upload an image file or does it have to be a scanned document. Or does it even matter lol? 

I have had post secondary schooling outside of Canada and I want to upload those transcripts myself although they do require it from the issuing institution directly and not from me. Likely they will ignore it but I thought I would upload it just in case they do care for it.

Have you done your application and uploaded everything already? @PharmD20

Yeah I’m done uploading everything. On their website it says that you can upload a scanned image or a PDF or a word document so I think scanning it would probably be your best bet!

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On 2/16/2020 at 11:37 PM, Ki.chn said:

Once you get in everyone is part of the "pharmily", our class literally has a google drive with notes and study material for every single class and this is shared with everyone.

LOL. I am also in this class but i completely disagree with Ki.chn. The "pharmily" isn't real. I could probably go the whole 4 years without ever talking to some of the other students ever. Not that i haven't tried, theyre just inaccessible. Just because we share a google drive, does not mean we are OMGBESTBUDDIES!!1! There are some pretty strong personalities that you learn to avoid after having some pretty nasty run ins with them. There are some people who cant take a joke or have low self-esteem (or really high self-esteem) and need to/accidentally  one up you constantly. I havent figured out if they have low self-esteem and this is how they build themselves up, or if they have just such a high self-esteem they dont know how to stop themselves.

And not to paint them all with the same brush. There are some very cool and nice people in the class. The best advice i could give you if you get in is to cool it and not be a jerk lol. but like actively do this.

 

Quote

I wouldn't say the environment is less competitive because our class averages are high (usually in the low to high 80s range) and there are still some classmates who are trying to get into med or dent but we do everything we can to help each other out. It's definitely a very supportive environment and not cut throat like my old science degree was haha!

LOL WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? The class is super competitive. People complain about how bad their grades are and how they didn't get an A even though they got 87% or whatever. Half the class ditches on instructional class time when its time for midterms because gotta get A. The number of snipe comments where people put you down about your grades, or hype their grades, or people whose first time ever talking to you is "what did you get on the exam?". And it doesnt come off in a friendly way, they want to one up you. Again always with the one upping. My undergrad courses were a lot less obnoxious in this regard, maybe because i wasn't stuck with the same people for every class.

 

Quote

All our peers in upper years also share their notes with us as well.

The only thing Iiagree with here. Some of the upper years are really generous and pleasant. Others not so much. I definitely think that they are more friendlier and chill that our class overall.

 

Quote

The program is pretty challenging but also very rewarding!

Yeah, over half the challenge is overcoming how disorganized everything is. I thought undergrad was bad but wowwie. If i had known what i now know back when i applied, i would have accepted at another school with a more established program where they know what they are doing instead of trying to hammer out the issues on their new program and being 50:50 on it.

 

Not trying to scare you guys. Just overall, i am disappointed because i thought it would be better but its not. maybe theyll doc me professionalism marks for posting this but i think you deserve to have an alternate opinion.

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2 hours ago, juioad said:

LOL. [...]

I'm kind of surprised you feel this way, although I know a couple students in the class might feel the same way as you do.

In my experience so far, I disagree that the "pharmily" isn't real. The first day of orientation was an absolute blast and I made a ton of new friends and that really solidified the meaning of "pharmily" for me. I like to think that I'm friends with almost everyone in the class (there are a few people I still haven't properly met yet) and a lot of that is due to me personally putting myself out there. In my experience, making friends is easier in a program like this where you are always with the same classmates in almost all of your classes, as opposed to your previous years in undergrad where you have different people in different classes that you see every other day. Everyone in the class is generally super helpful and supportive and uploads notes/summary sheets/other helpful info for the class, whether its directly to our class Facebook page or to the Google Drive folder. I have personally used some of these notes and files and can't thank my classmates enough. This includes the upper years, who have always been kind and supportive to me and uploaded some of their notes for our class to use. They let us know of their experiences and pass their knowledge about the faculty, program, and of pharmacy in general down to us. I hope our class will do the same for the next batch of pharmacists-to-be and I will definitely be contributing. That really ties the whole "pharmily" thing together for me. All years of students, not just your own class, coming together and helping each other out. There are tons of fun events that are hosted constantly, and they range from just fun casual hang outs to trivia-nights to big events like RxFactor and so much more. In my experience, there ARE sort of "groups"/"cliques" (if you can even call them that) of friends that sit together/are closer together than the rest of the class, but this is NATURAL and due to similar interests or just some nice bonding that happened at the start of the program. Despite this, everyone I've talked to is super welcoming and open and it's really not a big deal at all. In my experience, I can go sit/with and talk with anyone in class and it would be welcomed and encouraged. It really depends on how you put yourself out there. I don't want to speak on the strong personalities/esteem part as I feel like that's to be expected and based on personal opinions of people. (I feel like our class is also less out-going than any of the upper years and that's probably a combination of just how we are and the fact that its our first year still. It has only been a semester and a half. I do try to go to a lot of events and usually see the same people there with not as much variation as I'd expect or like to see. I'm sure that will change with time though, as more and more people become closer friends and build stronger relationships with each other. Different types of events that more people enjoy would also be amazing in bringing people out, if for example some people don't like going out to a bar/club for an event.)

About the super competitive nature of the class: I don't believe this is the case at all. I mean, everyone HAD to be competitive in some aspect of academics to get in to the program. That's to be expected (we are on a forum called premed101....). But since the start of the year I've seen this behaviour almost disappear in people. You aren't competing against anyone anymore to get INTO a program. You're IN. If anything, I've seen people not to care about marks as much anymore. In my opinion, marks aren't as important anymore, so long as you can LEARN from the mistakes you made and actually improve and learn all the information you have to know. This knowledge isn't just stuff you need to know to pass a midterm in some random science class anymore - its all relevant to the patients and the healthcare you will be providing in the future. The knowledge is more important than the marks and more and more people in the class are realizing it (and you can see it in some of the upper years). It's a hard trait to get rid of since you all had to work so hard and compete to get here but I DO see it decreasing over time with or class. I think the "what did you get" is very situational and that just depends on what kind of relationship you have built with the person asking. In my experience, I don't realllyyy see any one-upping anymore but yeah, I'll agree, there is some there. 

Sure, the class and the faculty has had its share of problems but like you said, it is a newer program and it takes time to figure everything out. The class of 2022 (ie. the first year of the PharmD program) complained/voiced their concerns about the program in their first year, and the faculty listened and improved some of those problems for us. We are doing the same with our feedback to the faculty, and hopefully it will have a positive impact for the next year's first years. None of these changes can take place instantly, but I do agree that it is a valid concern. It wasn't exactly a surprise that the program was new though and I personally don't see the point of complaining about that anymore. Fixing the disorganization of some minor aspects of the program will improve our quality of life and make things easier for us, yes, but we are still getting the education we signed up for with this new program.

This was a long ramble and there's probably stuff I talked to much about or some stuff I didn't mention at all, but this is just a little bit about our class/first year in general. Everything I said is more or less my opinion but I do know that a lot of first years share the same sentiments as me. If any of the applicants have any questions for me, or any other first/upper years, let me know and I can definitely try to get a comprehensive and accurate answer for you all. And as for anyone currently in first year reading this - hey, you can probably figure out who I am from my username? Message me on Facebook or something if you want to talk :)

Sorry for any typos we have a midterm coming up and I'm super tired (from the Banff/Canmore trip we just came back from over reading week - another example of fun events that the students in the faculty put together and had an awesome time with!)

How your experience is in this program will largely depend on your attitude and how you put yourself out there!! 

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2 hours ago, juioad said:

LOL. I am also in this class but i completely disagree with Ki.chn. The "pharmily" isn't real. I could probably go the whole 4 years without ever talking to some of the other students ever. Not that i haven't tried, theyre just inaccessible. Just because we share a google drive, does not mean we are OMGBESTBUDDIES!!1! There are some pretty strong personalities that you learn to avoid after having some pretty nasty run ins with them. There are some people who cant take a joke or have low self-esteem (or really high self-esteem) and need to/accidentally  one up you constantly. I havent figured out if they have low self-esteem and this is how they build themselves up, or if they have just such a high self-esteem they dont know how to stop themselves.

And not to paint them all with the same brush. There are some very cool and nice people in the class. The best advice i could give you if you get in is to cool it and not be a jerk lol. but like actively do this.

 

LOL WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? The class is super competitive. People complain about how bad their grades are and how they didn't get an A even though they got 87% or whatever. Half the class ditches on instructional class time when its time for midterms because gotta get A. The number of snipe comments where people put you down about your grades, or hype their grades, or people whose first time ever talking to you is "what did you get on the exam?". And it doesnt come off in a friendly way, they want to one up you. Again always with the one upping. My undergrad courses were a lot less obnoxious in this regard, maybe because i wasn't stuck with the same people for every class.

 

The only thing Iiagree with here. Some of the upper years are really generous and pleasant. Others not so much. I definitely think that they are more friendlier and chill that our class overall.

 

Yeah, over half the challenge is overcoming how disorganized everything is. I thought undergrad was bad but wowwie. If i had known what i now know back when i applied, i would have accepted at another school with a more established program where they know what they are doing instead of trying to hammer out the issues on their new program and being 50:50 on it.

 

Not trying to scare you guys. Just overall, i am disappointed because i thought it would be better but its not. maybe theyll doc me professionalism marks for posting this but i think you deserve to have an alternate opinion.

Hey guys, it looks like we have opposing perspectives here. On one hand, someone is saying it is a very supportive environment, that most of us get along, and it's a challenging, but rewarding program. On the other hand, another claims that many of the students have self-esteem issues, the environment is competitive, and the program is mismanaged. 

It’s great to have both perspectives. I can’t speak for everyone, but I agree with certain parts of both sides. I don’t want to write a novel, so I’ll just touch on a couple things.

The PharmD was introduced to the class of 2022, and it has had its hiccups. However, the faculty is actively taking in our recommendations and making very positive changes to help out the students. The dean and the rest of the faculty are great and really, really care about us. I wouldn’t claim the program is mismanaged, but I would be ignorant to say it’s been perfect. Overall, I’m very pleased with how things are, and I am excited to see the changes they make for future classes so they can succeed even more. 

As for how we are as a group, that is very subjective to one’s experience. For me, this is the greatest program for how the student association organizes events and makes sure you’re going to have an excellent student experience. I’ve made so, so many friends in my year, and I know others have as well. This program offers everything you need to connect with others and keep that mental health up. Are there people I don’t exactly get along with? Sure. Does everyone like me? Probably not, but that’s life. Overall, I love this community and I would recommend it to anyone. 

If there's one piece of advice I could give you, is that you should really try to participate in events and put yourself out there because you can really meet a lot of cool, kind-hearted people. We don't really know what others are going through that could influence our experiences with them, so just understand that we are all people who are doing our best, and we all want everyone to succeed.


 

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