Official University Of Alberta 2017 Pharmacy Applicants - Class Of 2021

[Blondie123]

On 2017-08-10 at 11:03 PM, bk2017 said:

Hey guys, on beartracks my class schedule has time conflicts, in both fall and winter terms. Just wanted to check if anyone else has that too? 

Mine says that too! 

[Ualberta18]

On 8/9/2017 at 10:49 PM, undergradtopharm said:

hello

I'm going into my first year of undergrad and I hope to get accepted into the PharmD program after two years, So I would be applying in my second year(2018-19)

Since I'm new to post secondary and want to be a pharmacist one day I was hoping to ask a few questions.

Since the U of A looks at the gpa of your best 30 credit year (correct me if I'm wrong). Should I take things like psychology, sociology etc to help boost the gpa  of my first year? I was hoping to make my first year that best 30 credit year even though I heard first year is hard, I'm hoping I can pull it off. What do you guys think since most of you have already been down this road. I was told by a uni student that the material of first year isn't hard, it just time management and prioritizing thats a struggle since everything is so quick in uni.

I was hoping to take 4 prerequisites or 3 in each semester, then 2 or 1 other class/elective so that I can get 5 courses in each sem. 

can I get some advice and/or tips and tricks for my first year??

The U of A does not just look at your best 30 credit year but also your cumulative grade for the previous 2 years. You'd want to work hard both years and try to keep them as high as possible so your looked at more favorably.

Personally, both years I only had 1 "easy" course for both semesters as I was trying to finish the requirements for my program at the time (Pharmacology) in case I didn't get accepted. Taking a lot of hard courses, the most important advice I could give is to utilize the resources available to you to excel. If your struggling, don't hesitate to go to your professor's office hours or the TA's if your course has one available (ie Chem). Make friends in your classes so you guys can ask each other questions and study together. I find that it was easier to remember information after talking to someone else about it rather than reviewing on my own. You could also get permission from your professor to record their lessons so you can listen to them again in the future for concepts your having issues with.

Time management is very important to succeed as well. Know which courses you naturally struggle in and which ones you excel at. Focus on the tougher ones but don't forget to review the easier courses as you may get surprised when exams come around.

Good luck on getting into the program! I hope you achieve your goal If you have more questions/concerns feel free to mention them.

[Pharm263]

As a second year student, yes, I can confirm that your Beartracks schedule will have time conflicts! Don't worry about this though, the faculty works this out, and it's mainly because most classes don't last a whole semester. My best advice would be to download your schedule into your google calendar, alongside the one Rae sent you. That way, you will be able to see which sections you're actually enrolled in, along with the extra things in Rae's calendar that don't show up in Beartracks! 

On 2017-08-10 at 11:03 PM, bk2017 said:

Hey guys, on beartracks my class schedule has time conflicts, in both fall and winter terms. Just wanted to check if anyone else has that too? 

 

[undergradtopharm]

20 hours ago, Ualberta18 said:

The U of A does not just look at your best 30 credit year but also your cumulative grade for the previous 2 years. You'd want to work hard both years and try to keep them as high as possible so your looked at more favorably.

Personally, both years I only had 1 "easy" course for both semesters as I was trying to finish the requirements for my program at the time (Pharmacology) in case I didn't get accepted. Taking a lot of hard courses, the most important advice I could give is to utilize the resources available to you to excel. If your struggling, don't hesitate to go to your professor's office hours or the TA's if your course has one available (ie Chem). Make friends in your classes so you guys can ask each other questions and study together. I find that it was easier to remember information after talking to someone else about it rather than reviewing on my own. You could also get permission from your professor to record their lessons so you can listen to them again in the future for concepts your having issues with.

Time management is very important to succeed as well. Know which courses you naturally struggle in and which ones you excel at. Focus on the tougher ones but don't forget to review the easier courses as you may get surprised when exams come around.

Good luck on getting into the program! I hope you achieve your goal If you have more questions/concerns feel free to mention them.

Thank you so much for the advice Ualberta18!!

 I was wondering, since going into university and doing five course right off the bat will be tough, I was thinking maybe just four courses per semester for my first year. This way as a first year I won't as stressed during  my first experience in uni and I can ensure I can do better in the prerequisites  I know that if I take only 4 per semester this year, then I won't have the 60 credit to apply to pharmacy with by then of my second year so...

I was thinking that taking three years would be good as well. This way I have more time and won't need to rush my self. Do you guys know of pharm student at the U of A who have taken more than 2 years before getting in? How many years did you guys spent in undergrad before applying the first time/getting into pharmacy??

[Ualberta18]

2 hours ago, undergradtopharm said:

Thank you so much for the advice Ualberta18!!

 I was wondering, since going into university and doing five course right off the bat will be tough, I was thinking maybe just four courses per semester for my first year. This way as a first year I won't as stressed during  my first experience in uni and I can ensure I can do better in the prerequisites  I know that if I take only 4 per semester this year, then I won't have the 60 credit to apply to pharmacy with by then of my second year so...

I was thinking that taking three years would be good as well. This way I have more time and won't need to rush my self. Do you guys know of pharm student at the U of A who have taken more than 2 years before getting in? How many years did you guys spent in undergrad before applying the first time/getting into pharmacy??

At the end of the day, if you think taking 3 years is best for you then go for it! There are some students who finish a degree first before applying into Pharmacy. I took two years of undergrad and got in my first try. I'd recommend applying as early as you feel comfortable doing so that if you don't get in you can always try the next year.

It's fine to take 4 courses a semester in the first year but keep in mind that courses do get tougher as you progress through the years (in my opinion). For instance I found OChem to be much tougher than the intro Chems. You will need to take one year that has a full course load so be prepared for it! 

Another thing you could look at is taking the other 2 courses you missed first year as a summer or spring course. I found spring courses to be much easier than during the regular semester. That way you can apply to pharmacy by second year assuming you take a full course load second year.

[undergradtopharm]

23 hours ago, Ualberta18 said:

At the end of the day, if you think taking 3 years is best for you then go for it! There are some students who finish a degree first before applying into Pharmacy. I took two years of undergrad and got in my first try. I'd recommend applying as early as you feel comfortable doing so that if you don't get in you can always try the next year.

It's fine to take 4 courses a semester in the first year but keep in mind that courses do get tougher as you progress through the years (in my opinion). For instance I found OChem to be much tougher than the intro Chems. You will need to take one year that has a full course load so be prepared for it! 

Another thing you could look at is taking the other 2 courses you missed first year as a summer or spring course. I found spring courses to be much easier than during the regular semester. That way you can apply to pharmacy by second year assuming you take a full course load second year.

thanks again Ualberta18!!

I really like the suggestion about spring courses! I emailed the U of A and I was told that when taking the GPA of your past two years of full study, they do not look at the spring a summer courses. But since you are required to have 60 university credits to apply, the spring/summer courses would fulfill that particular requirement, they just wouldn't affect my GPA (even if I do really good in them). Is this correct? Is this something you tried and worked for you?

I will contact the U of A and ask aswell

Once again Thank you so much!

[Ualberta18]

3 hours ago, undergradtopharm said:

thanks again Ualberta18!!

I really like the suggestion about spring courses! I emailed the U of A and I was told that when taking the GPA of your past two years of full study, they do not look at the spring a summer courses. But since you are required to have 60 university credits to apply, the spring/summer courses would fulfill that particular requirement, they just wouldn't affect my GPA (even if I do really good in them). Is this correct? Is this something you tried and worked for you?

I will contact the U of A and ask aswell

Once again Thank you so much!

No problem, I'm glad to be of help!

I think that's how it should work, but double check with the U of A as I'm still iffy about what spring/summer courses count for. I did take spring courses in my first year, but I also took a full course load during the regular semester so I'm not 100% sure if it works!

Haha, no problem If you ever have more questions about Pharmacy or even the U of A in general I'm happy to help to the best of my abilities!

[undergradtopharm]

I was offered to skip a first year English course because I did well on my AP exam during high school. I know that two of the pharmacy prerequisites are two English courses and If I take the credit and skip the course then I would only have one English class to do. Has anyone who was accepted into pharmacy skipped a first year course, if so was it one of the prerequisites, and how did that effect you prerequisites GPA?

[Troobion]

On 8/18/2017 at 9:47 AM, undergradtopharm said:

I was offered to skip a first year English course because I did well on my AP exam during high school. I know that two of the pharmacy prerequisites are two English courses and If I take the credit and skip the course then I would only have one English class to do. Has anyone who was accepted into pharmacy skipped a first year course, if so was it one of the prerequisites, and how did that effect you prerequisites GPA?

Yes I got accepted into pharmacy this year having taken AP Calculus in high school. A score of 5/5 on your AP equates to a 4.0 and a score of 4/5 equates to a 3.7. The mark is factored into your pre-requisite GPA but not your cumulative GPA.

[Cherrie]

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone this year was admitted off the waitlist? 

[undergradtopharm]

On 2017-08-29 at 11:54 PM, Troobion said:

Yes I got accepted into pharmacy this year having taken AP Calculus in high school. A score of 5/5 on your AP equates to a 4.0 and a score of 4/5 equates to a 3.7. The mark is factored into your pre-requisite GPA but not your cumulative GPA.

thank you for the info

 

[Ualberta18]

54 minutes ago, Cherrie said:

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone this year was admitted off the waitlist? 

I was talking to one of my classmates and they said that they heard someone got accepted one week prior to the start of school. If what she heard is true, then yes people were admitted off of the waiting list!

[pharmacy2016]

Hey guys! I was just wondering if anyone has gotten accepted WITHOUT having a year with 30 credits. Last year I only took 24 credits and this year I will be doing the same. 

I know they say that its favourable to have a year with 30 credits, but does anyone know if it is an absolute requirement to have a year with 30 credits? Will I be rejected even if my GPA is competitive?

[undergradtopharm]

Anyone know of any good courses to take to boost my GPA of my first year fro semester two? I heard things like anthropology 101  and economics are good GPA boosters.

[undergradtopharm]

Hi there, 

not sure if anyone is still looking at this forum but I have a question.

So I am in my first semester of university and its finals week. 

I'm taking Chem101, Eng102, Bio107 and Stats151. Since theses are all prerequisites I'm trying my best to get around a 3.6 or 3.7 gpa. The thing is my bio lab mark is not good at all. I wrote the final for the lecture and I hope it comes out well because my lecture mark is very good. My question is, does the U of A really have a preference of some prerequisites over others. I emailed and they said they look closely at cell biology and biochemistry. I was very surprised because I would have assumed they would look at all the required chemistry courses more. Anyways, Im pretty nervous about this now because the lab mark for 107 is 40% of my grade unfortunately. 

Any words of advice for someone who isn't doing as well as they wanted in one of their prerequisites? How will doing bad in one of my prerequisites affect my chances of admission to pharmacy?

[Ualberta18]

5 hours ago, undergradtopharm said:

Hi there, 

not sure if anyone is still looking at this forum but I have a question.

So I am in my first semester of university and its finals week. 

I'm taking Chem101, Eng102, Bio107 and Stats151. Since theses are all prerequisites I'm trying my best to get around a 3.6 or 3.7 gpa. The thing is my bio lab mark is not good at all. I wrote the final for the lecture and I hope it comes out well because my lecture mark is very good. My question is, does the U of A really have a preference of some prerequisites over others. I emailed and they said they look closely at cell biology and biochemistry. I was very surprised because I would have assumed they would look at all the required chemistry courses more. Anyways, Im pretty nervous about this now because the lab mark for 107 is 40% of my grade unfortunately. 

Any words of advice for someone who isn't doing as well as they wanted in one of their prerequisites? How will doing bad in one of my prerequisites affect my chances of admission to pharmacy?

Hello!

I still receive notifications for this forum in case anyone has questions.

Cell biology and biochemistry is very important for pharmacy. Being a first year student, a lot of our courses are biology heavy, we only have one course that is Chemistry related which it med chem. I'd assume that Chemistry will become more relevant in later years, but right now it is a minor topic.

If you are worried about not doing as well in your pre-requisite, consider taking an upper level biology course rather than retaking the introductory course. In my undergrad years, my prof told me that the University will look at how well you did the first time you took the course rather than the second time. That's why it's recommended to take BIOL207 is you did poorly on BIOL107 to make up for it. Also, don't stress too much about not doing so well on one course. If you do well in the rest of your courses, one lower grade should not matter. The application process includes a letter of intent and interview, which will be taken into account when looking at your application - it's not all about the GPA! If you can ace the interview process, a GPA lower than 3.7 should still be fine!

Goodluck on the rest of your exams this semester. If you feel like your stressing out make sure to give yourself a break so you don't burn out

Best of luck getting into Pharmacy when you choose to apply, I hope you can join the family!

[undergradtopharm]

On 2017-12-11 at 4:21 PM, Ualberta18 said:

Hello!

I still receive notifications for this forum in case anyone has questions.

Cell biology and biochemistry is very important for pharmacy. Being a first year student, a lot of our courses are biology heavy, we only have one course that is Chemistry related which it med chem. I'd assume that Chemistry will become more relevant in later years, but right now it is a minor topic.

If you are worried about not doing as well in your pre-requisite, consider taking an upper level biology course rather than retaking the introductory course. In my undergrad years, my prof told me that the University will look at how well you did the first time you took the course rather than the second time. That's why it's recommended to take BIOL207 is you did poorly on BIOL107 to make up for it. Also, don't stress too much about not doing so well on one course. If you do well in the rest of your courses, one lower grade should not matter. The application process includes a letter of intent and interview, which will be taken into account when looking at your application - it's not all about the GPA! If you can ace the interview process, a GPA lower than 3.7 should still be fine!

Goodluck on the rest of your exams this semester. If you feel like your stressing out make sure to give yourself a break so you don't burn out

Best of luck getting into Pharmacy when you choose to apply, I hope you can join the family!

Thanks you for the prompt reply. 

Is bio207 preferred over 201. I emailed and they said I could use either, but the thing is at mace wan ( I assume its the same of U of A) bio 201 has no lab, which is what got me the first time. And without a lab, I can save time.

[Ualberta18]

1 hour ago, undergradtopharm said:

Thanks you for the prompt reply. 

Is bio207 preferred over 201. I emailed and they said I could use either, but the thing is at mace wan ( I assume its the same of U of A) bio 201 has no lab, which is what got me the first time. And without a lab, I can save time.

No problem!

I am not sure which would be preferred. I heard that the lab for BIOL207 is a lot more tedious than BIOL107, so if labs got you the first time stick with BIOL201. That should be okay as well since they said so! On a side note from what I've heard from friends about the 207 lab, it seems irrelevant to Pharmacy. I don't think you'd miss out on much by not taking the lab. 

[Pharmgirl96]

On 14/12/2017 at 5:37 PM, undergradtopharm said:

Thanks you for the prompt reply. 

Is bio207 preferred over 201. I emailed and they said I could use either, but the thing is at mace wan ( I assume its the same of U of A) bio 201 has no lab, which is what got me the first time. And without a lab, I can save time.

Hi there!

I took Bio 201 at MacEwan and can confirm that it is accepted, so please don't let the lack of a lab deter you from taking it. I have not heard anything about 207 being preferred over 201, and I personally did not take 207. 

Hope this helps