Pre-Pharmacy Update Meeting Spring 2011

Pharmacy School Checklist  Complete all prerequisites to be eligible to matriculate  Take the PCAT  Complete the application to the pharmacy school of your choice  Ask instructors to write recommendation letters  Write your personal letter  Have a backup plan

TCTC Pre-pharmacy curriculum  Meets all pre-requisites for entry into a college of pharmacy  Earn a Associate in Applied Science  Major: General Technology  Concentration: PrePharmacy

TCTC Pre-Pharmacy Curriculum  Pre-pharmacy Curriculum Guide available at  PHM 101 is an additional course (not a prerequisite to enter pharmacy school)  taught by a licensed pharmacist  addresses careers in pharmacy  some pharmacy schools require a similar course in the first semester of pharmacy school

Pharmacy School Checklist Complete all prerequisites to be eligible to matriculate  Take the PCAT  Complete the application to the pharmacy school of your choice  Ask instructors to write recommendation letters  Write your personal letter  Have a backup plan

Pharmacy College Admissions Test  required part of the admissions process for most pharmacy schools  240 multiple choice questions and 2 writing topics  practice test available online at pcatweb.info

Pharmacy College Admissions Test  covers the following areas:  Verbal ability  Biology  Reading comprehension  Quantitative ability  Chemistry  2 writing topics  average Composite score is in the 70 th percentile

Pharmacy College Admissions Test  You need to complete your science courses BEFORE you take the PCAT  You can take the PCAT multiple times  PCAT testing dates  2011 dates: July 20 and 27; September 14, 19, 21, 26, and 28  2012 dates: January 10 and 11

Pharmacy School Checklist Complete all prerequisites to be eligible to matriculate Take the PCAT  Complete the application to the pharmacy school of your choice  Ask instructors to write recommendation letters  Write your personal letter  Have a backup plan

Pharmacy Application  Competitive entry based on  coursework  PCAT scores  letters of recommendation  honors/awards  extracurricular activities  work experience  written personal statement  personal interview  You should apply the year before you plan to enter pharmacy school

Pharmacy Application  all prerequisite coursework must be completed to matriculate  requires letters of recommendation  should be from faculty that know you  may also be from someone knowledgeable about your work experience  Extracurricular activities count!  Work experience, especially in a pharmacy, counts!

Pharmacy Application  Writing your personal letter  use Career Services to help you write your letter  have an English faculty member or a Writing Center tutor review your letter for grammar and style  If you get an interview, Career Services offers free mock interviews and interviewing tips

Pharmacy School Checklist Complete all prerequisites to be eligible to matriculate Take the PCAT Complete the application to the pharmacy school of your choice Ask instructors to write recommendation letters Write your personal letter  Have a backup plan

Have a Backup Plan  What will you do if you don’t get into pharmacy school?  Services available at the College include:  academic advisor  Career Services  Student Life and Counseling

Characteristics of the 2010 Entering Class by School  South Carolina College of Pharmacy  564 applicants  About 50% were interviewed  190 accepted (34% applied were accepted)  Average cumulative GPA was 3.59  Average PCAT percentile was 68.5%

Characteristics of the 2010 Entering Class by School  Presbyterian College of Pharmacy  550 applicants  About 40% were interviewed  80 accepted (14.5% applied were accepted)  Average cumulative GPA was 3.2  Average PCAT percentile was 50%

Characteristics of the 2010 Entering Class by School  South University College of Pharmacy  Approximately 1/3 of applicants received an interview  Approximately 1/3 of those interviewed were accepted  Average cumulative GPA was 3.16 for Columbia Campus  Average PCAT percentile score was 41% for Columbia Campus

Characteristics of a Successful Pre- Pharmacy Student  Maintains high GPA  Science GPA of 3.5  Cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher  Completes the curriculum in 2-3 years  Self-directed learner  Participates in leadership opportunities  Possesses some work-related experience in a pharmacy environment  High ethical standard

Resources  American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Student Center  ages/default.aspx ages/default.aspx  PCAT information   Pharmacy school web pages

Questions?