U of T Pharmacy 2009

[crocodile]

i dont feel like the waitlist is going to move any time soon has anyone heard of anybody getting an offer after last monday? I agree that no source...whether it being SDN, the 1T3 fb group is a good reflection of the number of people who have accepted their offers or have gotten offers. Currently the fb group is almost 150..if they have 240 a lot must not be joining the group..

*cross fingers and hopes it gets moving again..and to me soon*

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[november123]

sorry crocodile, I haven't heard of any wait list movement lately. Perhaps, you could try calling the faculty and ask if they have filled all the seats?

But don't stress too much, if you read the previous year's thread, some people got accepted from wait list pretty late. Even in the wait list email it said anytime from July until September 11. Don't lose hope

 

[obentou]

Hmm so are we up for a SDN meet?

 

[IBJammin]

Hey guys!

Congrats on all who got in so far! I was on the WL (upper half) and I just got in yesterday! =D

Hopefully ppl still waiting will hear back soon with good news.

 

[ferrousfumurate]

Hey guys!

Congrats on all who got in so far! I was on the WL (upper half) and I just got in yesterday! =D

Hopefully ppl still waiting will hear back soon with good news.

hey do u mind posting up ur stats?
plss

 

[crocodile]

Hey guys!

Congrats on all who got in so far! I was on the WL (upper half) and I just got in yesterday! =D

Hopefully ppl still waiting will hear back soon with good news.

CONGRATZ and as ferrousfumerate said could you please post your stats for the rest of us waiting?

 

[IBJammin]

CONGRATZ and as ferrousfumerate said could you please post your stats for the rest of us waiting?

Hey,

My cGPA wasn't very good...it was a 7.0/10.0 after 4 years at UOttawa, which equates to about 75%. But my first two years I had a 85% average (my third year sucked).

My PCAT scores were better:

Composite: 85
Chem: 91
Bio: 90
Quant: 77
Reading: 70
Verbal: 45
Essay: 3/3

Hope this helps!

 

[nonzerosum]

Sorry to go a little off topic here but

I go to utsg and I really messed up CHM138 Organic Chem, I got 65%. My question is when I go into 2nd year should I

1) retake chm138 and not take 2nd year organic chem - grades: 65% and 85%+
or
2) should I just try to do better in chm247? - grades: 65% and 70%-75%

so basically do you think person 1or 2 would be admitted?

which one do you think would increase my chances of getting in? what were some of the lower organic chem marks that you've heard ppl get into UofT pharmacy with?

I called up adcom and they told me that they can't reveal how they would asses this kind of situation.

thanks

 

[mug3n]

Forget about retaking, imo it's a waste of time when you could be striving for a higher mark in chm247. Just know that if you struggled in chm138 you will not find chm247 any easier but the instructors as a whole do a better job in educating the students than the 138 lecturers did. I got like low 70s in both chm138 and 247 and I got accepted fwiw, so a crappy 138 mark isn't the end of the world.

Simply put, a retake will not look good on your transcript at all.

Also, your PCAT scores are >>>>>>>>>>> than your cGPA, and it's not hard to do well in the PCAT so study hard for that one instead. Not saying that you should be forgetting about chm247, but you will find that you don't have to get stellar marks in chemistry considered a competitive applicant. After 1st year of the BScPhm you pretty much have minimal contact with chemistry anyhow.

 

[nonzerosum]

thanks mug3n

what's fwiw?

I found the teaching in chm138 quite poor and I don't whether it would improve in chm247. From 138, a lot of the reactions in the books seemed to appear almost magically with little to no explanation as to why they occur or why say "all of a sudden a double bond would form.

 

[mug3n]

For What It's Worth

I was really apprehensive about chm247 at first, in fact I would've probably applied during my 2nd year undergrad if it wasn't because of it, but I decided that if I really want to get in I might as well just take it anyways, so in 3rd year I did it and even though my marks kinda sucked in the end, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Write the PCAT in August if you have free time to study now (1 month is a reasonable timeframe to get enough studying in), because PCAT scores are valid for 2 years for UofT applications and you get more time to know if you need a retake or not. Write it as early as possible.

 

[ferrousfumurate]

For What It's Worth

I was really apprehensive about chm247 at first, in fact I would've probably applied during my 2nd year undergrad if it wasn't because of it, but I decided that if I really want to get in I might as well just take it anyways, so in 3rd year I did it and even though my marks kinda sucked in the end, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Write the PCAT in August if you have free time to study now (1 month is a reasonable timeframe to get enough studying in), because PCAT scores are valid for 2 years for UofT applications and you get more time to know if you need a retake or not. Write it as early as possible.

did any of you guys take the PCAT in jan?
how would it be to take the PCAT then?
i already started reading the book but dont feel quite ready yet

 

[910803]

A Question: Is it enough information to write the PCAT only after a term of first year chemistry?

I'll have to write in January.. and that will only be half of the course

thanks.

 

[crocodile]

A Question: Is it enough information to write the PCAT only after a term of first year chemistry?

I'll have to write in January.. and that will only be half of the course

thanks.

Its possible to write the PCAT after only one term of chemistry. I did that when i wrote it in Jan2009. I found that as long as you know your grade 12 chemistry, it wasn't that difficult. Most of the questions regarding the physical component followed Ideal Gas Laws, Equillibrium and other topics covered in high school...but this does depend on your school, curriculum and personal strengths. It is definitely doable, but you may have to put in a bit more studying time if chemistry isn't a strength.

 

[IBJammin]

A Question: Is it enough information to write the PCAT only after a term of first year chemistry?

I'll have to write in January.. and that will only be half of the course

thanks.

I guess it depends on the school though...because in ottawa, u don't even touch organic till second semester and I seem to recall there being some organic questions in the PCAT.

You could also get a few study guides (Kaplan is a good one) and study hard to fill in what you don't know.

 

[910803]

Thanks!

Another question if you don't mind, apparently my friends cousin got in UofT pharmacy but he had an interview! Is this common for UofT

 

[ferrousfumurate]

Thanks!

Another question if you don't mind, apparently my friends cousin got in UofT pharmacy but he had an interview! Is this common for UofT

umm that duznt sound right :S because they're implementing interviews this year lol
dont wry im in the same position as you.
i tried calling them up to ask whats going on with the new requirements and apparently itll b posted during aug.

 

[mug3n]

That doesn't seem to be the norm at least, but the UofT website does say that they reserve the right to interview applicants even though I'm sure the other 269 people probably didn't have to be interviewed. It's likely the application requirements and processes won't change for the people applying for the 2010 pharmacy program but they are considering major changes for 2011 including interviews and a 2 year undergrad requirement to get other courses like stats and physical chem in the course prereqs.

did any of you guys take the PCAT in jan?
how would it be to take the PCAT then?
i already started reading the book but dont feel quite ready yet

If you actually put in solid time studying it should take you a month, month and a half tops (subjective obviously). You do not need to study this far in advance for the January PCAT lol, it's overkill when you could be out enjoying the summer and you'll likely leak everything before you even get to the test day.

I suggest you get the materials, buy the practice test and do them under simulated conditions (time yourself to give exactly the time that you are allowed to write) and see how you do, often it is a good enough indicator of your actual performance. Then if you are ready, sign up for the October one (August one might be cutting a bit close, but if you allocate your time well it is entirely possible to be prepared for the August PCAT if you start studying today). With school and stuff taking the October PCAT might be a bit too stressful imo.

Also remember that you should leave yourself more outs. If you're only planning on taking the January PCAT, you might be stuck with a score you're unhappy with (the next application cycle accepts a PCAT score only up till January, you can submit any score you have from the past 2 years). At least take the October PCAT and go from there to see if you need to retake.

 

[sn1sn2]

if anyone is looking to buy a practice/study package msg me. I still have my Dr.Collins study package, which was very, very helpful. I got a high composite on the Pcat, in a large part because of this package. It is a very good practice package.

 

[colanring]

The room is gone. Thanks.

 

[andrew85]

did anyone else get off waitlist?

 

[ferrousfumurate]

whoever got in pls inform us and continue posting your stats

 

[moomoola]

Nope, nothing still.

 

[910803]

umm that duznt sound right :S because they're implementing interviews this year lol
dont wry im in the same position as you.
i tried calling them up to ask whats going on with the new requirements and apparently itll b posted during aug.

Oh man.. are you 100% sure about the interview?!

Interview is the main reason why I want to attend UofT

 

[mug3n]

I'm 100% sure there is no interview this year. Nor the next year either. UofT is rolling out new standards to put the admissions process up to par with American pharmacy schools by the 2011 cycle which includes a two year undergrad prerequisites and an interview.

And interviews aren't the end of the world, you'll have to do them sooner or later in your life, buck up.

Good luck to the people still on the waitlist, hope you know soon one way or the other because for the people in A&S @ UofT, the tuition deadline is August 19th. Doesn't seem like it's moving much now... probably won't move unless some people who got accepted in the first round drops out for some reason.

 

[nonzerosum]

Hey do you know if the UT Phm admissions staff would be willing to take LORs because I recently got this great one from my pharmacist assistant volunteer position.

I looked over the site and they don't mention anything about LORs or anyway to express past experiences.

Thanks

 

[ferrousfumurate]

I'm 100% sure there is no interview this year. Nor the next year either. UofT is rolling out new standards to put the admissions process up to par with American pharmacy schools by the 2011 cycle which includes a two year undergrad prerequisites and an interview.

And interviews aren't the end of the world, you'll have to do them sooner or later in your life, buck up.

Good luck to the people still on the waitlist, hope you know soon one way or the other because for the people in A&S @ UofT, the tuition deadline is August 19th. Doesn't seem like it's moving much now... probably won't move unless some people who got accepted in the first round drops out for some reason.

thats odd cus when i called them the voice msg said something about the new requirements being posted up in august :S
and it can't be the academic requirement because that is already posted up.

 

[andrew85]

Crocodile, did you get an offer yet?

 

[colanring]

I am gonna decline my spot for the DDS entrance. Good luck everybody!

 

[PilotBoy]

Oh man just got in from the waitlist yesterday. Donno how i got in U of T and not U of W. Im just finnished my second year in U of W. My marks werent that great but holy **** our averages are crazy low in my program. I didnt study for PCAT at all either, donno how i got on the WL but thank god when i got the phone call. I have crazy extra cricular activities but donno why U of W didnt want me... meh. Congrats on anyone who will be in the class of 240 in september... Everyone worked really really hard

 

[andrew85]

were u on the top half?

 

[moomoola]

Congrats PilotBoy!
Do they just call you? Or do they also send an e-mail?

 

[crocodile]

congratz pilotboy! I think for UWat the interview really is a huge deciding factor even with great ECs and LORS...but at least you got into U of T, even though you don't have coop, you're in an amazing city and a lot more structured program. btw do you mind posting your stats? congratz again

@andrew85, no im still trying to have hopes of getting off the WL...but my focus has now switched over to getting into my 2nd year. can only wait now...*cross fingers*

all waitlisters on SDN don't lose hope

 

[PilotBoy]

Thank you umro for posting up your stats!
It really gives me hope b/c my cGPA is around the same range.
i was really starting to lose hopes seeing the extremely high GPAs.

Hey don't worry i have a low GPA and still got in. Im in after 2nd year. My first 3 semesters i probably have a 76 average, 80 average my fourth. I have like 3 courses at 50%

 

[PilotBoy]

congratz pilotboy! I think for UWat the interview really is a huge deciding factor even with great ECs and LORS...but at least you got into U of T, even though you don't have coop, you're in an amazing city and a lot more structured program. btw do you mind posting your stats? congratz again

@andrew85, no im still trying to have hopes of getting off the WL...but my focus has now switched over to getting into my 2nd year. can only wait now...*cross fingers*

all waitlisters on SDN don't lose hope

I was on the upper half of the WL. They gave me only one day to decide so that means the list is processing along. It's rediculous since im working full time at a military base right now away from home. Its hard to get "regular internet" here. They call your house and send you a e-mail on acceptance. My average is posted on the above but my PCAT i forgot. I didnt study what so ever and somehow got in. My twin bro is a genius but didn't, oh well he'll get into med school no problem. Im glad i got in after 2 years at UW though. Thanks for the congrats, everyone im sure worked really hard.

People on the WL dont give up hope, i hope everyone who truly worked hard gets in. I look forward to meet very impressive peers in september

 

[ferrousfumurate]

Hey don't worry i have a low GPA and still got in. Im in after 2nd year. My first 3 semesters i probably have a 76 average, 80 average my fourth. I have like 3 courses at 50%

Thanks pilotboy. that surely gives me hope since i will be applying after my 2nd year. Do you remember you PCAT composite score?

 

[delano2000]

What is U of T? Is it Univ. of Toronto? Univ. of Texas?

 

[andrew85]

toronto

 

[delano2000]

Oh. The distinction would be nice lol.

 

[ferrousfumurate]

This question some of you may find silly but i'll ask it anyway.
For the PCAT when you guys did the practice test approx how many questions did u get right or wrong? I just want an approximation on how well i should study.

 

[PilotBoy]

This question some of you may find silly but i'll ask it anyway.
For the PCAT when you guys did the practice test approx how many questions did u get right or wrong? I just want an approximation on how well i should study.

Oh god haha i didnt study for the PCATs until my bus ride to Toronto to write it. I never paid for the tests... Kaplan has a good book though. I thought the hardest portion was the math part

 

[PilotBoy]

Thanks pilotboy. that surely gives me hope since i will be applying after my 2nd year. Do you remember you PCAT composite score?

Just found my scores.... verbal 73, bio 81, quantative 86, chem 73, reading 57 (haha im a true scientist) but my comp was 79. Like i said, i didnt study the PCAT until on the bus to toronto the night before....

 

[910803]

Just found my scores.... verbal 73, bio 81, quantative 86, chem 73, reading 57 (haha im a true scientist) but my comp was 79. Like i said, i didnt study the PCAT until on the bus to toronto the night before....

wow.. what was your gpa from what school?

 

[ferrousfumurate]

Just found my scores.... verbal 73, bio 81, quantative 86, chem 73, reading 57 (haha im a true scientist) but my comp was 79. Like i said, i didnt study the PCAT until on the bus to toronto the night before....

one more question, what were your chem marks?

 

[andrew85]

anyone else get off waitlist? only 3 weeks left...

 

[Inferno300]

Does anyone have any advice for first-year students (freshman) taking the PCAT?

 

[mug3n]

That's a broad question... are you finished your freshman year or are you starting in September? And when are you taking the PCAT?

The PCAT will test a lot on your first year knowledge, so orgo I, biology, A&P and that stuff. If you don't have those courses, a study guide should do the trick on getting you up to speed but give yourself a bit more time. For reading comp, there are study guides out there that has practice questions (Examkrackers verbal reasoning passages). Verbal is kinda hard, you're certainly not going to see marked improvement over a short period of time there, so do whatever you can to bolster your linguistic skills in the meantime - read novels, newspapers as a habit, obviously this isn't going to do squat for you 2 weeks before the test. And go back on some of your high school stuff for Quant, and Calculus I is obviously also important. Lastly for writing, it's always a "this is the problem, present solutions" type of essay. Think of at least 3 good solutions to a problem if possible, write it neatly and concisely.

A lot of this stuff has been mentioned again and again, look at the PCAT discussion forums for more of this type of advice..

 

[Inferno300]

Sorry, I wasn't being clear - I'm starting in September. Thanks for the advice, mug3n.

Yep, I bought Kaplan's, McGraw-Hill and the 5 Cliff Notes tests.
Is it possible for a first-year student like myself to self-study all of the material that's required on the PCAT and still do well (I didn't take any AP/IB courses)?

As well, I have a legitimate concern for organic chem. My school doesn't offered it first semester, and I heard it makes up 40% of the Chemistry section; I'm thinking of writing the PCAT in January, if my marks are decent for UT. I've bought 'Organic Chemistry for Dummies'. Do you think this will allow sufficient prep for orgo, assuming I practice, practice, practice? And will not having Orgo I under my belt be detrimental? Thanks alot.

 

[mug3n]

Totally possible to self-study for most sections. It's obviously a plus to have the prerequisite courses under your belt, but it's not entirely impossible to learn the material from the ground up. And it's impossible for you to have not been exposed to a single element of the material covered anyways, most HS students already learned some cell biology for example. Completely unnecessary to have IB courses, I haven't done IB in high school either (although again, some of the stuff is a plus).

Organic is the tough one, I definitely think it's probably the one you'll find the hardest time learning by yourself. I think this is the one area where if you've taken a course in it you'll definitely feel more at ease about it, since organic isn't exactly intuitive with everyone as they learn it often for the first time in college. Although there is a large element of crude memorization in organic, there are also a lot of application. Do try and learn it by yourself first though, and try the Kaplan and Pearson practice tests and do their chemistry sections and see how you feel about it first.

 

[ferrousfumurate]

Totally possible to self-study for most sections. It's obviously a plus to have the prerequisite courses under your belt, but it's not entirely impossible to learn the material from the ground up. And it's impossible for you to have not been exposed to a single element of the material covered anyways, most HS students already learned some cell biology for example. Completely unnecessary to have IB courses, I haven't done IB in high school either (although again, some of the stuff is a plus).

Organic is the tough one, I definitely think it's probably the one you'll find the hardest time learning by yourself. I think this is the one area where if you've taken a course in it you'll definitely feel more at ease about it, since organic isn't exactly intuitive with everyone as they learn it often for the first time in college. Although there is a large element of crude memorization in organic, there are also a lot of application. Do try and learn it by yourself first though, and try the Kaplan and Pearson practice tests and do their chemistry sections and see how you feel about it first.

i did the kaplan practice test.. n the chm section didnt seem to have tough organic questions :S
would you say that the kaplan is a good book for the chem part of the test?