***Official 2010-2011 PharmCAS Questions Thread***

[Project2015]

When the Pharmacas app is e-submitted, does that mean that the materials are sent to all designated pharmacy schools or can we choose to send it to specific schools that have rolling admissions first and then go back and update for schools that don't have rolling admissions?

From what I understand, no changes can be made once you e-submit. However, you can send it to more schools later.

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[kyuubi9]

I have been trying all day today to sign into PharmCAS to edit my profile. I can't get past the log in screen. The password field only allows 10 characters, for some reason, but my password is 11 characters long. I just signed on yesterday, so I know my information is correct. Any thoughts?

 

[musicman123]

I have been trying all day today to sign into PharmCAS to edit my profile. I can't get past the log in screen. The password field only allows 10 characters, for some reason, but my password is 11 characters long. I just signed on yesterday, so I know my information is correct. Any thoughts?

Try resetting it by clicking on "Submit" on the left panel under "Forgot your password?"

 

[kyuubi9]

I tried that before. The emails that they send me are blank...no words, links, or information. . Thank you though!

 

[hwaiting]

Pharmcas EC: It says not to repeat for EC...so what do i put if I was a treasurer first and then a vice president? for position should i write: "treasurer and then vice president"?

Pharmcas Work Exp: I worked, but I completely forgot the exact dates... the social security agency would take over 2 months to get exact work start and end dates... what should I do? (i called and two of my work places only have records that I worked there, not the dates because after certain amount of years they can throw out the exact dates)

should I just estimate the date?

 

[rxlea]

Pharmcas EC: It says not to repeat for EC...so what do i put if I was a treasurer first and then a vice president? for position should i write: "treasurer and then vice president"?

Pharmcas Work Exp: I worked, but I completely forgot the exact dates... the social security agency would take over 2 months to get exact work start and end dates... what should I do? (i called and two of my work places only have records that I worked there, not the dates because after certain amount of years they can throw out the exact dates)

should I just estimate the date?

Estimate the date. And for the positions, I would just put treasurer/president under the one entry.

 

[rxlea]

I have been trying all day today to sign into PharmCAS to edit my profile. I can't get past the log in screen. The password field only allows 10 characters, for some reason, but my password is 11 characters long. I just signed on yesterday, so I know my information is correct. Any thoughts?

Does it say that your password is incorrect or does it just not do anything? If it doesn't do anything make sure you cookies and firewall settings are set to allow that site.

 

[hwaiting]

I have been trying all day today to sign into PharmCAS to edit my profile. I can't get past the log in screen. The password field only allows 10 characters, for some reason, but my password is 11 characters long. I just signed on yesterday, so I know my information is correct. Any thoughts?

I know when you create a pharmcas application, the limit for password was 10 characters...maybe when you log in it lets u type in more than 10. so try inputting just the first 10 characters of ur password.

hope it works!!!!

 

[20YearsOfSnow]

Is it detrimental to leave the Parent/Guardian Information section blank? It isn't required and I am 100% responsible for both the cost of applying and paying for pharmacy school. I really don't see how it would be relevant.

 

[hwaiting]

Is it detrimental to leave the Parent/Guardian Information section blank? It isn't required and I am 100% responsible for both the cost of applying and paying for pharmacy school. I really don't see how it would be relevant.

I think it matters especially if ur parents are alumni or in other professional fields. This helps them with statistics later on

 

[DGgirl]

where is everyone putting their volunteered research experience?
i have volunteered at school (for no units) doing research but i'm not sure whether to list it under extracurricular or work experience, since the instructions for the work experience section say to list any paid or volunteer work experience.

 

[hwaiting]

where is everyone putting their volunteered research experience?
i have volunteered at school (for no units) doing research but i'm not sure whether to list it under extracurricular or work experience, since the instructions for the work experience section say to list any paid or volunteer work experience.

unless the research was a paid position, i was told it goes under EC

also if the school looks at everything in pharmcas, they'll see it one way or another rite?

 

[lovepeacehb]

i just e-submit my applications..
and realized that

1. i cant add PCAT grades or any planned Pcat dates
2. i cant edit the information for my LoR's contacts...

how do i do that IF possible? also my pcat wont come in until after my date, which is August..so with schools that require pcat grades..what will happen?
thank you

i am stuck and worried ..

 

[20YearsOfSnow]

I think it matters especially if ur parents are alumni or in other professional fields. This helps them with statistics later on

What I'm asking is will it *negatively affect my application* if I leave the parent info section blank?

 

[dnguyen401]

where is everyone putting their volunteered research experience?
i have volunteered at school (for no units) doing research but i'm not sure whether to list it under extracurricular or work experience, since the instructions for the work experience section say to list any paid or volunteer work experience.

I listed my research in work experience. Not getting paid for it either.

 

[spongebob99]

l

 

[Project2015]

Already submitted? Wow. I thought it would be better to submit when everything else is received by PharmCAS since they're not going to do anything with your file until then anyways and you can't edit in the mean time...

PharmCAS will probably add in PCAT scores when they receive it assuming you provided a PCAT CID.

I think it's best to contact a PharmCAS CSR.

i just e-submit my applications..
and realized that

1. i cant add PCAT grades or any planned Pcat dates
2. i cant edit the information for my LoR's contacts...

how do i do that IF possible? also my pcat wont come in until after my date, which is August..so with schools that require pcat grades..what will happen?
thank you

i am stuck and worried ..

 

[hwaiting]

What I'm asking is will it *negatively affect my application* if I leave the parent info section blank?

hmmm... that'd be horrible if it were the case...so i'd assume it would not have a negative effect...

but why not just add it? it can't hurt you can it?

 

[20YearsOfSnow]

hmmm... that'd be horrible if it were the case...so i'd assume it would not have a negative effect...

but why not just add it? it can't hurt you can it?

Financially it might, and I'd rather play it safe. I don't want a school to assume that just because my father worked very hard to earn his MBA that I will be receiving any financial support to pay for school.

 

[rxlea]

Financially it might, and I'd rather play it safe. I don't want a school to assume that just because my father worked very hard to earn his MBA that I will be receiving any financial support to pay for school.

Your financial aid is determined by your FAFSA once you're already accepted, not your app.

 

[sharlita]

Are we supposed to put our SSN on the application? Because I cannot find anywhere in the application where to put the SSN. Thanks

 

[xprettygirl11]

When listing ECs and work experience, PHARMCAS asks you to list in the order which is most important to you. Thing is, I'm having difficulty with "what's most important" - I was honestly going to list them in ABC order just because I'm involved in several things and didn't want to give precedence to a certain group. Then again, that would put my sorority (AKA) in front of the health career clubs that I'm in, and I don't want that to give schools the wrong vibe..

 

[xprettygirl11]

Also, for my one AP and two CC courses on my transcript, they are listed as T, as transfer credits. T isn't an option on PHARMCAS, but since I earned all possible credits, indicating an A in those classes, is it okay if I put A even though that isn't what's on the transcript?

 

[musicman123]

Also, for my one AP and two CC courses on my transcript, they are listed as T, as transfer credits. T isn't an option on PHARMCAS, but since I earned all possible credits, indicating an A in those classes, is it okay if I put A even though that isn't what's on the transcript?

I indicated the AP score for the course I wanted to credit. You might have to submit an AP score report to the individual schools when supplemental apps come around if you are using that to fulfill part of your specific school's prereq. Since you took courses at CC, you'll have to submit your CC transcript as well.

 

[xprettygirl11]

I indicated the AP score for the course I wanted to credit. You might have to submit an AP score report to the individual schools when supplemental apps come around if you are using that to fulfill part of your specific school's prereq. Since you took courses at CC, you'll have to submit your CC transcript as well.

Thanks! Now, I'll have to dig through and find my AP scores. Besides the test score, what did you put in the grade option? CR for credit? Or something else?

 

[busyizzy]

Also, for my one AP and two CC courses on my transcript, they are listed as T, as transfer credits. T isn't an option on PHARMCAS, but since I earned all possible credits, indicating an A in those classes, is it okay if I put A even though that isn't what's on the transcript?

Don't put those CC courses as part of your uni courses. Since you took them at a separate school, put them down under the CC you took them at. Don't double-count courses by including the "transfer" credit you go at your primary school.

 

[xprettygirl11]

Don't put those CC courses as part of your uni courses. Since you took them at a separate school, put them down under the CC you took them at. Don't double-count courses by including the "transfer" credit you go at your primary school.

Thanks, I put them under a separate institution and will be sending in a transcript from there. I just need to know what to put in the grade section since T isn't an option, or if I should just call the school to make sure the exact grade received was an A.

 

[20YearsOfSnow]

Thanks, I put them under a separate institution and will be sending in a transcript from there. I just need to know what to put in the grade section since T isn't an option, or if I should just call the school to make sure the exact grade received was an A.

I did not mention my transfer credit under my main institution since it was already listed under the original CC's section.

If you are going to mention it, make sure to list it as CR since your main institution did not give you a grade for the course.

 

[xprettygirl11]

If you are going to mention it, make sure to list it as CR since your main institution did not give you a grade for the course.

Thank you! This is what I needed to know.

 

[busyizzy]

I did not mention my transfer credit under my main institution since it was already listed under the original CC's section.

If you are going to mention it, make sure to list it as CR since your main institution did not give you a grade for the course.

That's my point - you SHOULDN'T mention it. You're getting double credit for ONE course.

From the Pharmcas Instruction booklet:

Enter each course once from the transcript where it was originally taken, even if the credits transferred to another institution.

Which means if you got transfer credit, DON'T put it down! Put it down under the original school you got it from. So if you got an A, go put it under the CC course. Do not put "credit" under your other school where you got transfer credit for it.

 

[xprettygirl11]

That's my point - you SHOULDN'T mention it. You're getting double credit for ONE course.

From the Pharmcas Instruction booklet:

Enter each course once from the transcript where it was originally taken, even if the credits transferred to another institution.

Which means if you got transfer credit, DON'T put it down! Put it down under the original school you got it from. So if you got an A, go put it under the CC course. Do not put "credit" under your other school where you got transfer credit for it.

I understand what you're saying, I didn't add it twice. I'm getting my coursework information from my home institution's transcript, and I was inputting the CC information from there, thus there was no actual grade. I put it under the correct section, so I will put A under the CC course.

 

[hwaiting]

if you e-submit ur pharmcas application, but made a mistake on it, such as the wrong letter in a class under course work, and you send them your transcript....

do they reopen your pharmcas? or do they fix it for you?

 

[Project2015]

if you e-submit ur pharmcas application, but made a mistake on it, such as the wrong letter in a class under course work, and you send them your transcript....

do they reopen your pharmcas? or do they fix it for you?

From the instructions:

PharmCAS will verify your self-reported courses against your official transcripts and will report any discrepancies to your selected pharmacy institutions. PharmCAS will not enter your courses for you. PharmCAS will return your application to you for corrections or explanation if it identifies a significant number of course discrepancies or omissions. If you fail to properly enter all of your courses when you first submit your application or do not make corrections as requested, your application will be delayed in processing and you may jeopardize your chances for admission.

 

[tinker77]

How detailed I have to be? Should I put a lot of time in this section, how are you guys go about it?

 

[rxlea]

Before you guys submit, I highly suggest that you go through your app page by page to ensure there are no mistakes. Tedious, I know...but, it is really important to apply as early as possible and mistakes will only set you back. Re-read your PS over and over and have someone else look at it for errors.

 

[Project2015]

Alright, how about this one:

Is it the year of college or is it units accumulated up to that term that determine "Academic Status"? In other words, should the classification include advanced standing?

 

[b1234]

Alright, how about this one:

Is it the year of college or is it units accumulated up to that term that determine "Academic Status"? In other words, should the classification include advanced standing?

Whatever the school in question classified you as.

 

[lovepeacehb]

what if you e-submitted your app..pharmcas finished processing and already sent your file to the schools...and your letter of rec arrived later..will they forward that letter of rec to the school later on?

 

[JJVmom]

When filling in the Extracurricular and Work Experience sections, do we use full sentences (I was the ...) or do we type just the phrase (managed....) without the subject/verb?

For my undergrad, I had 4 accounting classes. I don't see accounting listed in the course subject list. Would you put this under Economics (would this fall under banking, listed in Econ) or general non-science?

Thanks for your thoughts..

 

[Project2015]

what if you e-submitted your app..pharmcas finished processing and already sent your file to the schools...and your letter of rec arrived later..will they forward that letter of rec to the school later on?

PharmCAS will not send out your application until it is complete even if you already e-submitted.

 

[hwaiting]

When filling in the Extracurricular and Work Experience sections, do we use full sentences (I was the ...) or do we type just the phrase (managed....) without the subject/verb?

For my undergrad, I had 4 accounting classes. I don't see accounting listed in the course subject list. Would you put this under Economics (would this fall under banking, listed in Econ) or general non-science?

Thanks for your thoughts..

I put in the "position: brief description": "Treasurer: Processed all financial blah blah blah". I think if u can pull off full sentences go for it, but otherwise its okay because theres a character limit, and as for me i just tried to write down as many responsibilties i held for that position... it was realli difficult for undergraduate research because i had to do so many things

Also I asked my pharmacy advisor at school because of the accounting class and she said accounting goes under 'banking' which is econ. hopefully she hasn't been wrong up till now.

 

[hwaiting]

Assign Lower-division (Fr/So) or Upper-division (Jr/Sr) to any undergraduate level course work, including undergraduate courses taken after the receipt of your initial BA/BS degree or while you were enrolled in a graduate program, if course work was not applied to a graduate degree.

so I don't know about everyone else, but I designated all my lower undergraduate courses as (Fr/So) like 100level courses and 200level courses, but said (Jr/Sr) for all 300level and 400 level courses. (of course i understand that for every uni. its diff.)

did u guys do that as well? or just said everything was "Jr/Sr"?

 

[JJVmom]

I put in the "position: brief description": "Treasurer: Processed all financial blah blah blah". I think if u can pull off full sentences go for it, but otherwise its okay because theres a character limit, and as for me i just tried to write down as many responsibilties i held for that position... it was realli difficult for undergraduate research because i had to do so many things

Also I asked my pharmacy advisor at school because of the accounting class and she said accounting goes under 'banking' which is econ. hopefully she hasn't been wrong up till now.

Thanks! You're lucky you have a pharmacy advisor. I'm stuck at a cc, not near any major U, and they know nothing about pre-pharmacy.

Yes...I did the same thing - 100/200 as Fr/So and 300/400 as Jr/Sr.

 

[xprettygirl11]

so I don't know about everyone else, but I designated all my lower undergraduate courses as (Fr/So) like 100level courses and 200level courses, but said (Jr/Sr) for all 300level and 400 level courses. (of course i understand that for every uni. its diff.)

did u guys do that as well? or just said everything was "Jr/Sr"?

I did the same, but had some questions when it came to things like Physics I and II. We take those as juniors and seniors, but I felt that the first part of a course may be considered a lower level. What do you all think?

 

[xprettygirl11]

You need to put the class under the designation in which you took it. Even if you take a 100 level class in your junior year, it still goes under junior. You have to go by the earned credits. When you have a certain amount you are considered a sophomore, for example. Even if you take the classes simultaneously at a CC (which are lower level), you still have to indicate the year you are based on total number of credits. The school has a breakdown of these numbers.

The same applies if you're a sophomore taking an upper level course?

 

[xprettygirl11]

Yes. It depends on the number of your earned credits.

Yikes! This is so confusing since after my first semester sophomore year, I was considered a junior, and so on, according to my credits. Should I just put fresh/soph on all those courses just to be safe?

 

[xprettygirl11]

Well, at some point you had 0 college credits. When did you earn your first 24-30 credits or so (full-time status)? Those two semesters would be freshman. Your next two semesters would be sophomore (another 24-30 credits or so), etc. Why don't you just break it down for us- when you took it and how many classes you took. Schools usually consider you full-time at 12 credits during undergrad (that was at my schools).

Do you mind if I PM you? I don't want to take up the entire thread, haha. I am searching for the credit qualifications because my university just changed them, and I will get back to you.

 

[Project2015]

Well, at some point you had 0 college credits. When did you earn your first 24-30 credits or so (full-time status)? Those two semesters would be freshman. Your next two semesters would be sophomore (another 24-30 credits or so), etc. Why don't you just break it down for us- when you took it and how many classes you took. Schools usually consider you full-time at 12 credits during undergrad (that was at my schools).

Those initial credits don't have to be full time student status right? I'm thinking of advanced placement and the people I know who enter college as sophomores or juniors without ever taking a college course. So for some people, there would only be one term or less of freshman status?

 

[rxlea]

Those initial credits don't have to be full time student status right? I'm thinking of advanced placement and the people I know who enter college as sophomores or juniors without ever taking a college course. So for some people, there would only be one term or less of freshman status?

Directly from the PharmCAS website:

AP, IB, and CLEP Credit​

If you earned college credit for AP, IB, or CLEP test scores, enter the information onto the application. Enter the grade and credit hours earned as shown on your college/university transcript.

AP, IB, and CLEP courses are excluded from PharmCAS GPAs. Send your official AP, IB, and CLEP test scores directly to your designated pharmacy schools, if required by the institution.​

 

[rxlea]

My apologies but please disregard the information I gave you regarding level of courses...

I decided to dig up the actual pharmcas PDF on this matter because I wanted to be sure. When I submitted mine, I did not do the following but it seems it didn't matter

Sorry guys.

Here:

Select the academic level of the particular college course, regardless of your student (academic) registration status at the time.​

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Assign Lower-division (Fr/So) status to Advanced Placement, Exempt, IB, or CLEP credit awarded when you first entered college.​

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Assign Lower-division (Fr/So) status to courses completed at a junior or community college (e.g., associate degree course work).​

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Assign Lower-division (Fr/So) or Upper-division (Jr/Sr) to any undergraduate level course work, including undergraduate courses taken after the receipt of your initial BA/BS degree or while you were enrolled in a graduate program, if course work was not applied to a graduate​

degree.

http://www.pharmcas.org/docs/Instructions201011.pdf