How to Get into Pharmacy School

[Choi.Chung]

Hi Everyone,

I hope that everyone's staying well during these unprecedented times! Since I originally posted in the University Of Alberta 2020 Pharmacy Applicants - Class Of 2024 page, I've been getting an overwhelming amount of students reaching out to me who feel extremely overwhelmed by the application process, and how to get into pharmacy school. 

I completely understand how daunting it can be - especially with components of the application such as the interview and the letter of intent, which you may have not had experience with before. Common questions that have come up include things like how important is work/volunteer experience as part of my application, and how do I get a job/volunteer experience in the field? What percentage of my application is weighted on grades, and what percentage is weighted on my letter of intent and interview? How important are my written (LOI) and verbal communication skills (interview), and how do I improve them?

As I mentioned in my original post, over the past few years, I've had a string of success in helping several different individuals in getting into the program at the UofA, including several of my own staff that I hired as pharmacy assistants before they were admitted. Looking back, I really wish I had access to these resources, and if I did, I would've changed my application approach entirely knowing what I do now, and would've started preparing for my application much, much earlier than I did. 

And so, because I've had so many reach out to me directly, I've really come to recognize just how scarce the information and resources are out there.

I wanted to reach out and create a separate post to let you know that if you're looking for some advice from an independent pharmacy operator and recent graduate, shoot me an email (choi.chung913@gmail.com) and I'd love to connect with you to see how I can help with your questions!

Best of luck for those applying this upcoming year, and for those who've already gotten an acceptance letter, congratulations! 

[Choi.Chung]

Thank you for the overwhelming amount of emails I've received since I originally put this up in August in wanting to work with me on your admission application. 

I'm sorry if I wasn't able to take you on as a student at the time of your initial request.

I have some limited availability now that's opened up as of more recent, and if you're still interested, feel free to shoot me an email, and we'll connect to see if we can work together!

Thanks again and best of luck with your admission for the 2021 year!

- Choi