September 10, 2012 Meeting Minutes
Thank you to all of the prepharmacy club members who attended our first meeting! It was nice to
see familiar faces as well as new members!
September Events:
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Percentage Night, Wednesday, September 12, 4:30-6:30, at Mama’s Hawaiian Barbeque
at Speedway and Tyndall
Ben’s Bells, September 27, from 11-1, 816 University Blvd.
Suggested for each member to bring $1, not mandatory. To sign up, follow the directions
in the e-mail from Andrew. We will us a Google Doc.
APhA – American Pharmacist Organization, presented by Echo Fallon
• What is it? – Umbrella for pharmacists
Membership benefits:
• Free drug info on the web
• Journal to keep current on issues
• Networking opportunities
Contact Sandy Lee or go to http://www.pharmacist.com to sign up.
Admission Tips: Panel of first, second and third-year pharmacy students’ advice
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Scott Clark (first year) - Get started early with your pharmacy volunteer time or job as a
pharmacy tech. It lets you explore the career and gives you more topics of discussion at
your interview.
Caroline Kim(first year)– Be in the prepharmacy club and volunteer as much as you can.
Amy Nguyen(second year) - Be well-rounded. The selection committees don’t just look
at grades; they also look at community involvement. Do “everything.”
Elaine Truong (second year)- If you don’t get in the first time, try again. It shows you’re
committed. During the year you’re waiting, you can make yourself a more competitive
candidate.
Zack Cerminara(third year) – Be as well-rounded as you can be.
Amy Smith(third year) - Get really involved, and show you can be a leader. Also, have a
back-up degree.
Katrina Skuba(fourth year)- Don’t wait until the last minute to apply. Take your time and
double check everything.
Rajal Patel (fourth year) - Some programs have secondary applications beyond the
general pharmacy applications, so be aware that applying to multiple schools will take
some time. Make sure to get strong letters of recommendation also.
Question and Answer Session:
Which majors are good choices for prepharmacy students? Microbiology and molecular and
cellular biology are very important in your pharmacy studies. Physiology is also a good major.
There’s nothing wrong with doing another major, and just doing the prerequisites.
How many pharmacy schools should you apply to? Most students on the panel had applied to
between 5 and 10 schools, although a few students said they had only applied to one. Do your
research before you apply to another pharmacy school.
What are the biggest subject areas on the PCAT? Chemistry, Biology, reading comprehension,
math, writing. The selection committee will focus on your overall score, but also look
specifically at your chemistry score. If you need to take the PCAT multiple times, that’s fine. It’s
probably a good idea.
What study books do you recommend for the PCAT? Kaplan and Barron’s. Kaplan is more text
book-like. Barron has a lot of practice exams.
Did you take any classes to prepare for the PCAT? Kaplan class provides lots of reviews.
They’re useful, but you have to put in the effort too.
Was taking the undergrad classes enough to take the PCAT? Your science and math classes help,
but you have to review it or you won’t remember everything. You have to study on the side.
There is a practice test online, available free, pretty aligned with the actual test. It’s a great way
to do it – to practice for a test, take a test.
How long are PCAT scores valid after taking them? 2 years.
What’s the new format of the PCAT? It’s all electronic, taken on the computer. You also get
your score right after you take it. Ecology is no longer on the PCAT. Statistics is on the Math
portion. Add Stats to your course schedule; Marty recommends Stat 263, Biostats. Plain Stats
class could work as well. Also, there are more test dates in October and November starting this
year.
If you haven’t taken OChem yet, can you still take the PCAT? If you want to get familiar with
the test, take it if you can afford it. They only count your best score. It’s not impossible but you
need to study more if you hadn’t had the pertinent classes yet.
What’s a competitive score? This depends on the applicant pool. Just because you have a lower
score doesn’t mean you won’t get in.
What type of references do we need? From a professor, a pharmacist you volunteered with, a TA
who knows you well. Pick some one who knows you well; a tech you’ve worked with could be
better than a professor who hardly knows you. A recommender can’t be a relative or friend. It
looks better if one is a pharmacist. Remember, some schools have different requirements.
When should you take the PCAT? After 2 years of college? It depends on what classes you’ve
taken and when.
Were any of you pharmacy techs? Some of them were. It’s not required, but it gives you
practical experience, you learn the drug names, can you see yourself working in this setting?
Volunteering in a hospital is great too.
How do you go about getting a volunteer position in a hospital? A lot of times you have to do a
certain job for a while, and then later you can get in to the pharmacy. Talk to a volunteer
coordinator. You can volunteer at an apothecary shop. TMC and Northwest – they’re all open to
volunteers. Ask for the volunteer coordinator. UMC usually requires 4 hours each time you come
in. It’s easier to volunteer in a hospital; usually retail pharmacies don’t allow volunteers.
Does it matter how many times you’ve taken the PCAT? No, it’s just more cost to you if you
take it more. The schools will look at your best score. PCAT gives a max of 5 times.
What would you have done differently in your undergrad career now that you are where you are?
Be more involved; some weren’t competitive because they weren’t involved. Keep a document
of things you’re doing volunteer-wise. And add the coordinator as a reference. Including prepharmacy club events.
If you’re a parent, and you volunteer with your child, does that count for community
involvement? Yes.
Discuss the interview process. Prepare and practice. Look professional. An example question is:
Discuss an ethical situation you found yourself in; how was it resolved? Practice those questions.
At the U of A, you are interviewed by a pharmacist and a professor. It’s a small group. At other
places, it might be a panel. Always have one or two questions for them to show you’re interested
in that school and that you’ve done some research. Career services has mock interviews that you
can set up and practice. APhA magazine helps in the interviews. Be as relaxed as you can; they
want to know who you are. At the U of A interview you also get a tour. Dress plays a part. Don’t
bring your cell phone to the interview.
What did you wear to the interview? Suit and tie for men; business attire for women.
What’s the curriculum of pharmacy school? First year – Calculations, Pharmacy lab,
Pharmaceutics, Biochemistry, Immunology, Intro to the profession, Medterm class.
Second year – Medical chemistry, Pharmacology, Counseling, an elective, Stats and Quality
Improvement, Case discussions, Therapeutics.
Third year – Pharmacokinetics, Law, Pharmacoeconomics, prep for rotations. Therapeutics
(disease state, case studies). IPE; you’re in a pharmacy setting and you do clinicals, Advanced
patient care.
Fourth year – rotations; you can travel all over the country. 7 6-week blocks of rotations, with
one 6-week vacation period. They try to give you your rotations selections; you find out at the
end of your 3rd year. You won’t have exams during this year. However, you’re very busy this
year because you do have projects and assignments.
If you want to do a residency after pharmacy school, then you want to apply for more clinicalbased rotations. Pursue what interests you most.
What is the average credit load for the first 3 years? 16-18 credits per semester.
Can you have a part time job during pharmacy school? Yes, some people do. It’s possible but
you will need to be good at time management. Fourth year is really hard to work because you’re
putting in 40 hours a week just for your rotations.
What year were you in college when you were pharmacy techs? Any time during your undergrad.
How many students are in the pharmacy school? 100 per class, with 300 students on campus.
What are the class sizes like in pharmacy school? About 100 people. Labs are 25 people. You
follow each other around. You will get to know your professors and your classmates.
Did any of you study abroad during prepharm studies? None of them did. It may delay but it’s a
good idea. In pharmacy school you can do smaller rotations, or you can do 6-week rotations
internationally.
A U of A junior spoke about her experience in Ireland studying abroad. It was difficult to get the
credits to transfer; they don’t always accept science credits. It put her a little behind (17-18 credit
loads) but she’s glad she did it.
What are the student organizations we can join in pharmacy school? You can join 4 clubs for one
membership price. It is APHA, ASP, SSHP (health systems pharmacy organization) NCAP
(community pharmacy), or 15 organizations. There are three fraternities, co-ed and no house.
There are also the pediatric organization, honors society, and IPSF (for international students).
Being in the organizations doesn’t mean you have to go to a lot meetings or be very busy.
Remember, when you e-mail Anna Hernandez or Marty Baker to include your name, your year,
and your student number. They have many students that they advise, so it is important for
students to put all this information down.
Our next club meeting will be on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. We look forward to seeing you then as
well as at the rest of our events this month!