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Official U of Alberta Pharmacy Applicants of 2013


i.mourad

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Hey guys,

 

I thought I'd start a thread for those who are applying to the university of alberta for pharmacy in 2013. Post up your stats and any extra things such as volunteering, and job experiences.

 

I'm also going to be applying this year with a 3.68 Pre-req GPA and a (roughly) 3.76 overall GPA (from my last two years at the U of C). I'm also volunteering at a hospital too. Does anyone know if they consider volunteering experiences?

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Yay. I was going to start one, but thought I'd wait till March when the application is due.

 

My GPA is around ~3.9 last year, and on track for that, if I do well this year.

 

Some retail experience, and some tutoring, pharmacy volunteering, etc... for ECs.

 

EDIT: Info to others looking at this thread: I've heard that the average GPA was lower this year (~3.6) compared to normal (3.7). If you're at or above 3.3, apply for sure! It seems like adcoms are really trying to gauge applicant suitability to the program rather than taking top 130 students in GPA.

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I thought I'd start it now just so we can all get an idea of what we're up against this year. :P

 

Those are some awesome stats Alfredsson, you should have no trouble whatsoever getting in. Hopefully i'll be able to find a part time job in a retail setting ASAP.

 

By the way, I'm curious as to where you heard that the GPA average was lower this year? And by this year do you mean for us applicants of 2013?

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I thought I'd start it now just so we can all get an idea of what we're up against this year. :P

 

Those are some awesome stats Alfredsson, you should have no trouble whatsoever getting in. Hopefully i'll be able to find a part time job in a retail setting ASAP.

 

By the way, I'm curious as to where you heard that the GPA average was lower this year? And by this year do you mean for us applicants of 2013?

 

Thank you! :D

 

Well, considering I work at a Pharmacy, I get to know all this stuff... thanks to the Pharmacy (and Medical) students that work there. One of the student, in third year of Pharmacy, told me about the lower GPA this year as they talked to the Class of 2016 on the "Welcome Night" or something.

 

It could obviously vary year by year though... so you never know.

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Thank you! :D

 

Well, considering I work at a Pharmacy, I get to know all this stuff... thanks to the Pharmacy (and Medical) students that work there. One of the student, in third year of Pharmacy, told me about the lower GPA this year as they talked to the Class of 2016 on the "Welcome Night" or something.

 

It could obviously vary year by year though... so you never know.

 

Definately good to know. Thanks for the info, and if they tell you anymore, please share it :D

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  • 4 weeks later...

So I talked to the undergrad coordinator for pharmacy and they passed on some good info to me. I thought I'd share it with everyone.

 

1. Applicants that did not maintain a full course load in there latest 2 years of academic study (so at least 5 classes a semester) will be ranked much lower than someone who has.

 

2. The letter of intent is worth approximately 10% of the application, however in some cases just based on the LOI itself, people have been rejected. That being said, don't rely completely on your GPA to get you in. I know a girl who applied with a 4 and got rejected...

 

If anyone else has helpful info on admission procedures, please share it.

 

Also what do you guys think about a 3.68 per req and 3.65 overall GPA with lots of pharmacy experience? Chances??

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Ugh, I'm worried now. Last year, I only took 4 classes each semester. This year, however, I'm doing 30 credits.

 

I thought they only needed (or wanted) one year with full course load?

As long as your LAST year before you apply is 30 credits then you should be alright. They just want you to prove you can maintain a full course load. What's your stats if you don't mind me asking @Alfredsson?

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As long as your LAST year before you apply is 30 credits then you should be alright. They just want you to prove you can maintain a full course load. What's your stats if you don't mind me asking @Alfredsson?

 

Ah, alright. I really hope I'm not at any disadvantage when they review my application.

 

Thank you for the info, btw.

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Hey everyone!

 

I'm thinking I'm going to apply for pharmacy next year. I'm in my second year right now, at the Camrose campus of UofA. I'm from BC, and I know that they say they don't favor in province students, but I found somewhere online that they only admitted 5 non-alberta students one year, which kind of has me worried..

 

I only took 4 courses first semester my first year, but 5 the second and will be taking 5 for both this year, plus one 6 week spring course. I still have both O-chems, 1 english, stats and biochem left to take. So far my pre req GPA is 3.86 and cumulative is 3.92.

 

I'm hoping that if I can keep my GPA relatively stable that shouldn't be an issue but I don't have a whole lot related work experience. Does anyone have any advice in regards to getting some good experience to put on my LOI?

 

Also, I know they don't require any reference letters, but do you think that they help?

 

Best of luck to everyone!

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Hey everyone!

 

I'm thinking I'm going to apply for pharmacy next year. I'm in my second year right now, at the Camrose campus of UofA. I'm from BC, and I know that they say they don't favor in province students, but I found somewhere online that they only admitted 5 non-alberta students one year, which kind of has me worried..

 

I only took 4 courses first semester my first year, but 5 the second and will be taking 5 for both this year, plus one 6 week spring course. I still have both O-chems, 1 english, stats and biochem left to take. So far my pre req GPA is 3.86 and cumulative is 3.92.

 

I'm hoping that if I can keep my GPA relatively stable that shouldn't be an issue but I don't have a whole lot related work experience. Does anyone have any advice in regards to getting some good experience to put on my LOI?

 

Also, I know they don't require any reference letters, but do you think that they help?

 

Best of luck to everyone!

 

Yeah, I found it weird that they don't differentiate between provinces yet there are only about 5 OOP students admitted each year. I think asking the admissions office would probably be the best bet right now.

 

As for your course load, it looks fine. Just make sure to finish all the pre-reqs by time. Your GPA should be pretty competitive for OOP.

 

For work experience, find a job (one day a week) and write about it on LOI. I really doubt they care or find out how long you have had it. Make sure it has some qualities (people interaction, problem solving, etc) that you can relate to a community Phatmacist.

 

I've heard that if you have a low GPA, recommendation letters help. Since you're OOP, why not submit one or two?

 

Good luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hmmm... I wonder what they're purpose of introducing the consultation form is. It seems pretty straight forward and basic. I mean I'm sure everyone who is applying can find a pharmacist out there whos willing to fill out the form. How would this even help them in the selection process?

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Yay. I was going to start one, but thought I'd wait till March when the application is due.

 

I'm in my second year (at U of A) and applying this year, I'm pretty sure. ;)

 

Pre-requisite GPA*: 3.91

Cumulative (first year): 3.88

 

* - Out of the 10 required courses, I've only done 7 so far. The rest I'm doing this year combined with other Science courses like Physiology, Microbiology, etc..

 

Yes, they do look at ECs and especially Pharmacy related stuff.

 

Work Experience/Volunteer/Other:

- I'm volunteering at a Pharmacy right now, and have been since the start of the summer. It not only helps my application, but I've also realized that I would like to practice in a clinical setting than community... i.e. definitely going to try for a residency after Pharmacy (if I get in).

- 4 years of work experience in retail

- Tutoring

- Science Mentor at U of A

 

EDIT: Info to others looking at this thread: I've heard that the average GPA was lower this year (~3.6) compared to normal (3.7). If you're at or above 3.3, apply for sure! It seems like adcoms are really trying to gauge applicant suitability to the program rather than taking top 130 students in GPA.

 

You have great stats!:) What tasks do you do when volunteering at the pharmacy? I know you can job shadow a pharmacist, but I'm less familiar with volunteering positions..

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You have great stats!:) What tasks do you do when volunteering at the pharmacy? I know you can job shadow a pharmacist, but I'm less familiar with volunteering positions..

 

Thank you. :)

 

I do what a normal pharmacy technician does minus a couple of things like ordering drugs or any other technical stuff since full-time people are in-charge of those.

 

Fill drugs, enter prescriptions, make compounds, check-out till, other tedious chores (lol), etc..

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