Texas A&M

[RobertZimmerman]

can't wait til april for the results!! good luck, everyone. btw, how are interviews going? aren't the facilities impressive? such a cute little town!

You must have managed to avoid the ghettos of this "cute little town." Overall its pretty "cute" though I guess.

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[kittie18]

I must say i actually liked the city. theres not a huge selection of apartments though. Where do you recommend is the best place to live? The only place i saw was javelina Station!

 

[RobertZimmerman]

I must say i actually liked the city. theres not a huge selection of apartments though. Where do you recommend is the best place to live? The only place i saw was javelina Station!

Read Page 4

 

[RXdoctor]

any news from the people that interviewed yesterday?
similar questions? how do you think you did?

 

[utsatwirler]

Hey everyone, I just got back to San Antonio from Kingsville. I would have to say that originally i applied to Kingsville as a backup plan, and I ended up loving the campus. the facilities were nice, the faculty was awesome, and the overall composure of their students was wonderful. The writing portion wasn't too bad, just a simple question. The interview was also very nice. They asked me alot of questions

What are my passions, What type of pharmacy related experience do I have, what are my weaknesses, if i caught someone cheating off me what would i do, since i am from another city why did I want to apply to kingsville. I was also asked about how I handle myself in group projects, what are my overall goals when i graduate, what sector do i want to work in, different hobbies that I have, my favorite class.

I think they asked me a few more but i cant remember! I hope this helps everyone!

If i get an invitation to join the pharmacy program in Kingsville, I am going to accept! my original choice was UIW, but I really fell in love with the school and the small community.

 

[Achilleus]

Hey everyone, I just got back to San Antonio from Kingsville. I would have to say that originally i applied to Kingsville as a backup plan, and I ended up loving the campus. the facilities were nice, the faculty was awesome, and the overall composure of their students was wonderful. The writing portion wasn't too bad, just a simple question. The interview was also very nice. They asked me alot of questions

What are my passions, What type of pharmacy related experience do I have, what are my weaknesses, if i caught someone cheating off me what would i do, since i am from another city why did I want to apply to kingsville. I was also asked about how I handle myself in group projects, what are my overall goals when i graduate, what sector do i want to work in, different hobbies that I have, my favorite class.

I think they asked me a few more but i cant remember! I hope this helps everyone!

If i get an invitation to join the pharmacy program in Kingsville, I am going to accept! my original choice was UIW, but I really fell in love with the school and the small community.

i didn't get any of those questions lol

 

[RobertZimmerman]

I don't know... from all these responses... I'm just starting to get the feeling that in the next 4 years... this place just might be where its at.

I thought it was just me...

You know... the interviewee stats were really high... you have to assume once they pick the best students from that group... their admittance ave GPA and PCAT are going to be at least a little higher. If so those stats would beat most of what I've seen among other schools. For the record, I know its not about stats... but that would be impressive.

 

[tamupharmD]

Those who interviewed with Dr. Ratka and Freeman were lucky because they are very nice people. I strongly believe that this school will be one of top pharmacy schools in texas.

 

[Achilleus]

Those who interviewed with Dr. Ratka and Freeman were lucky because they are very nice people. I strongly believe that this school will be one of top pharmacy schools in texas.

I DID!!!! dr. ratka was cool but freeman was AWESOME!!! he said he was very impressed by my experience and my future goals. it was cool cuz he and I have similar goals when it comes to the future of pharmacy!!! it was pretty awesome talking with him

 

[RobertZimmerman]

Yeah apparently Achilleus interviewed with them while I essayed (new word) and then I interviewed with them while he essayed.

I had never met either before but they were great.

 

[Garfield3d]

Hi everyone. I had my interview on March 7th and I just wanted to chime in with what I heard today and to verify what's been said on the thread so far.

Statistically, there were about 750+ applicants (I forgot the exact number). 250 of them were given interviews, and there are 90 spots available. Applicants were ranked first by GPA and then by PCAT.
Of all the interviewees, the average GPA is 3.5 and the average PCAT is 80%.

I was interviewed by a group of 3 people: Two faculty members and one retail pharmacist. Although none of them were infectiously funny or particularly sociable, they each seemed like nice people. They did seem intelligent and they would usually ask follow-up questions to my responses, building some of their questions based on my answers.

Their questions seem relatively generic, focusing mostly along the lines of "Why do you want to be a pharmacist" and questions of trying to thresh out your history, motivations, and expectations surrounding pharmacy. I did receive 2-3 hypothetical situations, which basically probed my expectations of a pharmacist's duties. My most difficult question was probably one where they asked specifically about South Texas; I'm not from the area but I tried to rationalize an answer based on my understanding of rural health and piecemeal knowledge of the Rio Grande Valley. The most interesting question I got was basically along the lines of what one flaw in healthcare would I fix if I had infinite resources.

I think the most awkward moment I felt during the interview was when I got to ask a few questions but couldn't quite figure out if I was still under the hotseat. One of them was from Canada, and I asked him how he felt about universal healthcare. We had a back-and-forth conversation about the healthcare system in Canada as opposed to the U.S. and then one of them asked me how I felt about the political debate surrounding healthcare reform in America. Alarm bells went off at this point because this felt like a loaded question, and at that moment I couldn't tell if we were still having a casual conversation or if they were grilling me on my political leanings. I tried to respond analytically, without injecting too much of my opinion into things, but I think I still came across as an admitted liberal. In retrospect, I think they were just speaking out of personal curiosity as opposed to "interrogation-mode."

In all, the faculty was nice and welcoming. They all seem like a bunch of friendly people, and the pharmacy program itself seems very inviting.

The town of Kingsville itself leaves much to be envied. It's not very big, as can be imagined, and much of the nearby residential area can probably be classified as lower-class property. The roads are a bit clunky and unrefined. It certainly feels rural. The plus-side is that there aren't a lot of distractions near campus. The down-side is... well, there aren't a lot of distractions near campus. 14th street is where most of the shops and restaurants are in Kingsville. The town has an HEB, Walmart, and a couple of other stores. They have hardware and clothing stores in Kingsville. However, I did not run into any electronics stores.

There is not anything particularly impressive about the campus itself. It looks presentable, and it is a step up from the surrounding area. It is a fairly small campus. The pharmacy building easily stands out due to its size and modern appearance. If I were admitted to the college of pharmacy, I probably wouldn't venture outside the pharmacy building to the rest of the campus (except maybe the recreation center).

Laptops are not required but are highly recommended for students. A P2 student mentioned that they are pushing to make laptops required for students, so anyone accepted this year might want to consider buying a laptop.

The price of gas was higher than I expected for a rural area. I would say it's about on par with the price of gas in San Antonio or Dallas. In fact, it might even be a few cents higher in Kingsville. The gas pump at Walmart easily has the best price with numbers lower than most places in San Antonio or Dallas.

In terms of housing, I'm afraid I don't know much outside of Javelina Station. Javelina is only a few years old, and it stands out from the surrounding area. It looks much more refined and attractive. As I understand it, Javelina Station is also the only apartment complex that comes furnished. Capacity for Javelina Station doesn't fill up as a complex in a big university like, say... UT-Austin, so incoming pharmacy students should have plenty of time to send in an application for housing after they are certain that they are going to Kingsville. There are several apartments near the Walmart on 14th street (such as Applecreek), but I do not believe those are furnished. They are also about 2-3 miles from campus, which isn't too bad, but a rather painful walk in the summer.

And, as someone mentioned, the magic date is supposed to be April 4th. Dr. Robertson mentioned that they may be able to send some letters out before April 4th, but I imagine those letters will be reserved for shoe-ins (95%+ PCAT, 3.9+ GPA, non-craptacular interview with a legible essay).

Best of wishes to the last bunch of interviewees later on in March. Just remember to breathe. You're on stage, but there are plenty of cue-cards.

--Garfield3d

 

[Paracelsian]

That's kinda true but I wouldn't say a COMPLETE waste of time. I mean something like ~360 students made the minimum requirements and 250 were chosen from that. The interview is worth a good amount of points... 25 to be exact. While the essay you do during the interview is worth 10 points (correct me if i'm wrong). Your GPA and PCAT are worth 15 points a piece. Your LOR are worth 10 points. I don't remember what the other points go towards but as you can see... you have the potential to recieve 35 points on the day of your interview.

Does anyone else have notes, or know anything, about the point system?

 

[RobertZimmerman]

The point system is the reasonably objective way they go about accepting people... the top 90 are accepted... then others are offered acceptance as some decline.

I think the above numbers were pretty much it... I would add that South Texas residents, and/or TAMUK students get a 1-2 points extra. TAMU system students may also get a bonus point.

 

[OrllY]

Does anyone else have notes, or know anything, about the point system?

I think gpa is 25 points?

 

[IWang]

I remembered that the interview is 25 points don't remember the others

 

[Achilleus]

I think gpa is 25 points?

hmmm... i don't know but i could've sworn he said 15 for gpa and 15 for pcat

were letters of rec 10 points a piece? or just 10 points? i remember 10 points just don't know if it was all together or for each separate one.

but for certain the interview was 25 and the essay was 10. and i'm almost positive gpa is 15 and pcat is 15

 

[RXdoctor]

you guys have been really helpful on this thread not swaying away from the central idea, I appreciate it!
anyone know if they send out all the invites for interviews?
I know many of you mention 250, and alot of you have have appointments for the last scheduled date, I can only assume this means they have contacted everyone they want to meet. But if you know otherwise, please speak.

 

[eggroll]

yea im wondering the same thing too here; are they still contacting people for the last interview offer? or are they finished? cuz i havent gotten any invitation from them.

 

[pharmcharm]

i had ratka too!! but freemann stepped out before my interview time bc he had to be somewhere so i only had 2 people interview me! aww boo!!! i missed an awesome person! BUT the 2 people i interviewed with were great! ratka was so sweet!

im soooo anxious. and whats up with all these people switching a&m to be their top choice now....that takes away spots...boo!

 

[Achilleus]

yea im wondering the same thing too here; are they still contacting people for the last interview offer? or are they finished? cuz i havent gotten any invitation from them.

Unfortunately I think they have sent out all of the invitations
My interview was on the 29th and I received my invite on the 15th (exactly 2 weeks prior to the interview).

 

[HiHi]

Does anyone else have notes, or know anything, about the point system?

They grade you out of a possible 75 points. 15 for GPA, 15 for PCAT, 10 for your letters of recommendations (all 3 weighted as a whole not individually), 10 for your writing sample, and the last 25 is your interview. As you can see the interview accounts for a big part of your score, 1/3 of it.

 

[talkingdonkey]

About the point system. I remember that there were 75 total points. 25 from the interview, 10 from the essay, 15 GPA, 15 PCAT score, and 10 total from the letters of recommendation.

But now that the interview is done and over with April 4th can't come fast enough. Good luck to everyone.

 

[Garfield3d]

yea im wondering the same thing too here; are they still contacting people for the last interview offer? or are they finished? cuz i havent gotten any invitation from them.

Similar to Achilleus, I received my interview notification on February 19th and my interview date was on March 7th (so, slightly more than two weeks in advance). They may just be sending out notifications roughly two weeks before the interview dates? We do know that some people have the March 20th date, but some of those have been earlier interviewees who had to reschedule. Also, it is not unheard of for schools to pen in new names at later dates since some students will accept offers from other schools and take themselves off of another school's interview list.

hmmm... i don't know but i could've sworn he said 15 for gpa and 15 for pcat

were letters of rec 10 points a piece? or just 10 points? i remember 10 points just don't know if it was all together or for each separate one.

but for certain the interview was 25 and the essay was 10. and i'm almost positive gpa is 15 and pcat is 15

It's 15 points for the GPA and PCAT scores each. I remember the two being evenly weighted. I also remember that the essay was 10 points; I'm not certain of how much the interview was, just that it was more than the essay.

--Garfield3d

 

[pharmcharm]

ok guys, i know there aren't a&m p1s or p2s to ask here...but what do you guys think the points cut-off for acceptance is? does that make sense..like lets pretend you think you have a 60/75 on the points ranking scale..(of course we don't have a clue what our total is..but we can guesstimate somewhat..?)...but what do you guys think the cut-off of points for the top 90 out of 250 interviewees that gets accepted will be? like 80th percentile? just wondering what yall thought since the stats are so freakin high this yr!

 

[OrllY]

don't worry im sure alot of people will be turned off by the location of the school and not accept if offered a spot.

 

[Garfield3d]

just wondering what yall thought since the stats are so freakin high this yr!

When Dr. Robertson mentioned the statistics for this year's interviewees, I remember being surprised too at at how presumably high the scores were (PCAT 80%, GPA 3.5). It suggested that the average GPA hopped up by 0.3 points and the PCAT average held steady (http://pharmacy.tamhsc.edu/prospective/faq.html#15). However, viewing it like that may be a bit deceiving. Some students will use Texas A&M-Kingsville as their backup, and some of those prospective students that are offered positions will decline in lieu of attending other schools. Unfortunately, we don't have any numbers on the deviation or distribution of scores, but I imagine that the average GPA of the admitted class will be closer to 3.2-3.3.

Now that I think of it, I don't remember what proportion of interviewees had a bachelor's degree.

--Garfield3d

 

[Achilleus]

When Dr. Robertson mentioned the statistics for this year's interviewees, I remember being surprised too at at how presumably high the scores were (PCAT 80%, GPA 3.5). It suggested that the average GPA hopped up by 0.3 points and the PCAT average held steady (http://pharmacy.tamhsc.edu/prospective/faq.html#15). However, viewing it like that may be a bit deceiving. Some students will use Texas A&M-Kingsville as their backup, and some of those prospective students that are offered positions will decline in lieu of attending other schools. Unfortunately, we don't have any numbers on the deviation or distribution of scores, but I imagine that the average GPA of the admitted class will be closer to 3.2-3.3.

Now that I think of it, I don't remember what proportion of interviewees had a bachelor's degree.

--Garfield3d

that's not necessarily true. also remember that you're going from 250 interviewees to 90 admitteed. for the most part, those who are accepted have stats around the average, some higher, some lower. So, the average will likely be close to what it is now. a few individuals that i know have PCAT scores above 85% and A&M is their first choice. so you just never know.

 

[Paracelsian]

About the point system. I remember that there were 75 total points. 25 from the interview, 10 from the essay, 15 GPA, 15 PCAT score, and 10 total from the letters of recommendation.

But now that the interview is done and over with April 4th can't come fast enough. Good luck to everyone.

They grade you out of a possible 75 points. 15 for GPA, 15 for PCAT, 10 for your letters of recommendations (all 3 weighted as a whole not individually), 10 for your writing sample, and the last 25 is your interview. As you can see the interview accounts for a big part of your score, 1/3 of it.

This is coincidental. You guys saying relatively the same thing at *exactly* the same time(03-09-2008, 09:49 PM).

 

[Paracelsian]

When Dr. Robertson mentioned the statistics for this year's interviewees, I remember being surprised too at at how presumably high the scores were (PCAT 80%, GPA 3.5). It suggested that the average GPA hopped up by 0.3 points and the PCAT average held steady (http://pharmacy.tamhsc.edu/prospective/faq.html#15). However, viewing it like that may be a bit deceiving. Some students will use Texas A&M-Kingsville as their backup, and some of those prospective students that are offered positions will decline in lieu of attending other schools. Unfortunately, we don't have any numbers on the deviation or distribution of scores, but I imagine that the average GPA of the admitted class will be closer to 3.2-3.3.

Now that I think of it, I don't remember what proportion of interviewees had a bachelor's degree.

--Garfield3d

I wonder how a bachelor's degree factors into their point system.

 

[OrllY]

I believe it was said that have a bachelors would only help you get an interview.

 

[Garfield3d]

that's not necessarily true. also remember that you're going from 250 interviewees to 90 admitteed. for the most part, those who are accepted have stats around the average, some higher, some lower. So, the average will likely be close to what it is now. a few individuals that i know have PCAT scores above 85% and A&M is their first choice. so you just never know.

That is quite possible, which is why I mentioned that we do not know the distribution or deviation of the scores. If everything was normally distributed, then we would need... maybe 80 students to turn down invitations in order to avoid raising the average based from the interviewees (by the way, I'm pretty sure 80 is not the right number; my math and statistics are pretty bad).

However, I do not think it is unreasonable to make the assumption that many likely admitted candidates with high scores will tend to have other schools in mind as their primary choice (UT-Austin, UCSF, heavy hitting schools, and older programs). I am not talking down Texas A&M, nor am I criticizing the decision of students who choose Kingsville as their primary. Kingsville is my primary choice too so I would prefer otherwise. I'm just trying to illustrate a situation where the average could drop since someone mentioned that the stats were "so freaking high" this year.

Guesstimating off the GPA and PCAT scores could easily be a wash. 60% of the scoring occurs outside of those two measures, and we really don't have a lot of information to infer at this point.

--Garfield3d

 

[Achilleus]

I wonder how a bachelor's degree factors into their point system.

It only helps you get the interview

 

[eggroll]

hey ya i sent an email asking them if they were finished sending all interview offers yet.. and this was their reply:

[FONT='Calibri', 'sans-serif']We are still notifying applicants until the end of the month..

[FONT='Calibri', 'sans-serif']so um... what does that mean... i thought the last interview date was the 20th??.

 

[RobertZimmerman]

It may mean that if some people decline interview offers they will pencil in more people last minute... other than that ... who knows.

 

[RXdoctor]

eggroll, thanks for doing that. I was just about to send them the same question. I guess I can sit and wait until the end of the month now..
someone I know went to the interview last week, and she just got accepted to Tech. she is going to Tech. so that opens up one more seat, hopefully for me...

 

[Achilleus]

eggroll, thanks for doing that. I was just about to send them the same question. I guess I can sit and wait until the end of the month now..
someone I know went to the interview last week, and she just got accepted to Tech. she is going to Tech. so that opens up one more seat, hopefully for me...

same here!!!

 

[PArTyKikI]

didn't go to the interview. one more seat for you guys. good luck!!!

 

[HiHi]

For those who are still waiting for interviews, have faith cause I wasn't notified of my interview until 2 days before. I had my interview on Feb 29th and was notified on the 27th. There's always a chance that someone will decline to go to the interview and you're the next person on the list to take their place.

 

[eggroll]

let's hope so

 

[Paracelsian]

That is quite possible, which is why I mentioned that we do not know the distribution or deviation of the scores. If everything was normally distributed, then we would need... maybe 80 students to turn down invitations in order to avoid raising the average based from the interviewees (by the way, I'm pretty sure 80 is not the right number; my math and statistics are pretty bad).

However, I do not think it is unreasonable to make the assumption that many likely admitted candidates with high scores will tend to have other schools in mind as their primary choice (UT-Austin, UCSF, heavy hitting schools, and older programs). I am not talking down Texas A&M, nor am I criticizing the decision of students who choose Kingsville as their primary. Kingsville is my primary choice too so I would prefer otherwise. I'm just trying to illustrate a situation where the average could drop since someone mentioned that the stats were "so freaking high" this year.

Guesstimating off the GPA and PCAT scores could easily be a wash. 60% of the scoring occurs outside of those two measures, and we really don't have a lot of information to infer at this point.

--Garfield3d

I agree. If 15pts go to GPA out of 75, then, despite the high GPA of interviewees, the average GPA students admitted and choose to go there will likely be similar to their past classes: 3.2, 3.3.

The school could definitely increase the average GPA of their admitted class this year. They assumably could have had a higher GPA the last two classes as well; however, that doesn't seem to be the most important thing to them, not when 10pts go to an essay and 25 go to an interview.

 

[Paracelsian]

didn't go to the interview. one more seat for you guys. good luck!!!

Hazzah!

 

[Knickerbocker]

Maybe with everyone getting into UT, UH, Tech, and other places, I will have a chance of getting into A&M.

 

[Knickerbocker]

Does anyone know how the unaccredited status of the school might affected federal financial aid?

 

[RobertZimmerman]

Ive heard that virtually everyone at A&M gets some form of aid (just as with anywhere else).

 

[pharmcharm]

i'm probably going to get punished for asking this question...but are we supposed to fill out the FAFSA for pharm school? bc i thought there was no federal aid for grad students??

please dont banish me from SDN....

 

[Knickerbocker]

i'm probably going to get punished for asking this question...but are we supposed to fill out the FAFSA for pharm school? bc i thought there was no federal aid for grad students??

please dont banish me from SDN....

There is aid in the form of federally-backed loans for graduate students. You just don't get any "free" money like Pell Grants.

 

[Achilleus]

i'm probably going to get punished for asking this question...but are we supposed to fill out the FAFSA for pharm school? bc i thought there was no federal aid for grad students??

please dont banish me from SDN....

lol why would u get punished? this information can be found on every school's website under "Financial Aid".

 

[gendr777]

i'm probably going to get punished for asking this question...but are we supposed to fill out the FAFSA for pharm school? bc i thought there was no federal aid for grad students??

please dont banish me from SDN....

Pharmcharm,

Check out the thread, "Pharmacy Student Loans," in this forum. There is some interesting information "brewing" there.

 

[pharmcharm]

ok i just filled out my FAFSA. thanks for that thread suggestion. glad i'm not the only one who has no idea how to pay for grad school. haha

 

[RXdoctor]

who wants to call tomorrow and ask how many more invites they are sending out? and we can offer delivery service if needed...