U of T Pharmacy 2010

[ahw89]

Hi everyone,

I'll be applying to ut pharmacy for 2010 cycle but I have one concern about the PCAT.

I'm a second year student and have a 3.6 GPA at U of T and scored 80~90% on all sections on the PCAT EXCEPT the chemistry section. I got 77% for chemistry section and I'm wondering if I will have to take the PCAT again in January. I know that a couple of people here in SDN got in with 75-80% chemistry section score, but that's due to the fact that PCAT was implemented for the first time and the official cut-off was only 50% for chemistry section. But I'm sure that minimum cut-off will rise for 2010 cycle and thereafter. I don't think that 50% cut-off will jump to 80% in just one year but I'm still very worried about it.

Also, I got only 66%(C) in chm139(physical chem) and 76%(B) in chm138(orgo) in the first year at U of T. I still have about 3.6 GPA as a 2nd year student but those two chem courses marks concern me very much.

I asked numerous people around me but have not found any good advice.
Any information you guys could provide or any comments/suggestions would be extremely appreciated.

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[mug3n]

You'll be perfectly fine with a 77% in chemistry. Your PCAT overall is excellent. Chem was my lowest subsection score also (I had a 78% I think) on the PCAT and I'm in.

I think you should be okay with a 66% in chm139. I think anything <60 is a cause for concern but I wouldn't worry too much (C- and worse is I think where admissions start to have some questions for you). Your PCAT and cGPA is definitely competitive enough, just concentrate on doing well in the interviews.

 

[anthony2001]

hey i'm in a similar situation as the person above..except i got a 35 percentile for VA..but my composite was 89 with chem math and bio above 90. Do you think it is possible for the VA cutoff to jump 15 percentile?

 

[Pharmaniac]

Hi guys,

So I am also applying this year to U of T Pharmacy. I'm currently 1st year at U of T St. George and have a couple questions. Well I just came out of a CHM139 test- ya i know ...- hopefully its better than the last one but I doubt i'm going to do GREAT in this course. I know U of T looks into your chem. marks but I the thing is the other half-course 138 is organic which I enjoy and should DEFINITELY do better in than 139. I was wondering which one was more important, organic or general chem. I'm getting in the A range in most of my other course, 4.0 uoft in bio150 at the moment, etc. and was just wondering how worried I really should be for 139- its honestly something else let me tell u - i know this one guy with a 95 in highschool who's now getting 30 something - but umm. ya so any advice, warnings, anything would be appreciated. Also I took the PCAT in oct. so i don't have results for that. Thanks!

 

[EyeCandy5]

hey i'm in a similar situation as the person above..except i got a 35 percentile for VA..but my composite was 89 with chem math and bio above 90. Do you think it is possible for the VA cutoff to jump 15 percentile?

I doubt the cutoffs for the pcat will rise. maybe by 5%.. i dont think anything higher than 10%. last year they accepted people who barely had the cutoffs. I think it depends on a mixture of factors.. focus on the interview. and if u want sign up for the january one.. but the question is what if u do worse u know?

 

[ferrousfumurate]

I doubt the cutoffs for the pcat will rise. maybe by 5%.. i dont think anything higher than 10%. last year they accepted people who barely had the cutoffs. I think it depends on a mixture of factors.. focus on the interview. and if u want sign up for the january one.. but the question is what if u do worse u know?

I agree
i doubt the cutoffs will rise drastically.

 

[EyeCandy5]

When will we know the PCAT cutoffs fro this year? After we submit our applications? 300 buckss..... arghh lol I wish we could know now in order to write them againand not wait until the next admission round.

 

[ferrousfumurate]

When will we know the PCAT cutoffs fro this year? After we submit our applications? 300 buckss..... arghh lol I wish we could know now in order to write them againand not wait until the next admission round.

lol well there is the option of cancelling your application by jan 8th..

 

[anthony2001]

well hopefully i wont if i do...$300 for a pharm application is kind of expensive...considering applications to other health professions are like 200

 

[EyeCandy5]

lol well there is the option of cancelling your application by jan 8th..

Do you get your money back? Or do you just cancel to avoid rejection

 

[ferrousfumurate]

Do you get your money back? Or do you just cancel to avoid rejection

well i was referring to the PCAT application

 

[EyeCandy5]

So is there any way to find out if we have the PCAT cutoffs before January in order to know whether we will be able to sign up for the Jan PCAT? Probably not since they will count all applicants in the pool to determine the PCAT cutoffs... hmm..

 

[ferrousfumurate]

So is there any way to find out if we have the PCAT cutoffs before January in order to know whether we will be able to sign up for the Jan PCAT? Probably not since they will count all applicants in the pool to determine the PCAT cutoffs... hmm..

to be quite frank, i really dont think we should be worrying about that too much.. it probably wont rise by a lot.. we'r still the second batch writing the PCAT.. i honestly dont think they'll raise the cutoff's by like 30-40%
esp after having only one batch write it.
i unno thats just my opinion

 

[Memorizing]

hey guys, i submitted my application like 3 weeks ago and i realized last night that i forgot to put in my second social science/humanities course. I'm so mad at my self, i don't know how i forget to do such a thing..

Anyways, is there anything i can do or did i just waste a year

 

[EyeCandy5]

hey guys, i submitted my application like 3 weeks ago and i realized last night that i forgot to put in my second social science/humanities course. I'm so mad at my self, i don't know how i forget to do such a thing..

Anyways, is there anything i can do or did i just waste a year

check ur private messages !

 

[mug3n]

to be quite frank, i really dont think we should be worrying about that too much.. it probably wont rise by a lot.. we'r still the second batch writing the PCAT.. i honestly dont think they'll raise the cutoff's by like 30-40%
esp after having only one batch write it.
i unno thats just my opinion

++

i'm pretty sure everything's staying the same or close enough to it to be honest, if you get scores that low you're not getting in anyways lol

applicant pool is guaranteed to drop again this year. substantially i might say. last year just because they had the pcat instead of the utpat it dropped a good chunk (typically you see ~1500-2000 in the utpat days, last year it was ~1000 in the first year of the pcat). this year with MMIs in the application process i'd be shocked to see more than 700 applicants.

 

[helloeveryone]

++

i'm pretty sure everything's staying the same or close enough to it to be honest, if you get scores that low you're not getting in anyways lol

applicant pool is guaranteed to drop again this year. substantially i might say. last year just because they had the pcat instead of the utpat it dropped a good chunk (typically you see ~1500-2000 in the utpat days, last year it was ~1000 in the first year of the pcat). this year with MMIs in the application process i'd be shocked to see more than 700 applicants.

well don't be so sure... you'll never know. I'd be happy if it stayed the same!

 

[helloeveryone]

btw, does anyone have any idea what the range of averages of people who got in last year was?

 

[ferrousfumurate]

well don't be so sure... you'll never know. I'd be happy if it stayed the same!

i agree with nnot being so sure
but why would you be so happy? :S

 

[ferrousfumurate]

i have a quick silly question about the PCAT application
For the part of the application in the personal info section, it asks for "SSN", do I put in my Social Insurance Number?

 

[anthony2001]

yeap.... social insurance number......anyone in toronto going to wait for their pcat results from oct?can someone just post here when they receive it through mail because i'm never at home.

 

[alexd10]

Does anyone what some of the minimal requirements are for the PCAT? I don't want to pay 300 dollars and then later finding out that they won't consider me because I got a low mark in one of the sections...I think last year the cut off was around 25 for RC 30 for VA and like 50 for chem????

What section did you get a low mark in? If I remember correctly, it was around 25 for rc and verbal. However, all my classmates that I spoke to who had a mark under 50 had a very respectable composite. Also keep in mind that the minimum scores for the essays were 3.0 and 2.5.

But rumor has it that the most important section is chemistry.

 

[Seifer]

Hey guys!

I got my PCAT (paid the 20) and I'm really really disappointed...

I don't know what to do!!

Verbal: 32
Reading: 55
Quan: 81
Bio: 61
Chem: 91
Comp: 71
Essay: 3/3

I don't know why I got so low on verbal and reading comprehension The only good mark on my scores is the 91 in Chem. Now, I guess It really depends how they view the PCAT. Does anyone know if they look at Comp or individual scores?? Also, as previously stated, do they look at the Chem section more heavily?

With the introduction of MMI's I'm hoping atleast I'll do well on those, but I still need to get a invite to the interview in the first place.

What do you guys think I should do??

Thanks alot!!!

 

[EyeCandy5]

Hey guys!

I got my PCAT (paid the 20) and I'm really really disappointed...

I don't know what to do!!

Verbal: 32
Reading: 55
Quan: 81
Bio: 61
Chem: 91
Comp: 71
Essay: 3/3

I don't know why I got so low on verbal and reading comprehension The only good mark on my scores is the 91 in Chem. Now, I guess It really depends how they view the PCAT. Does anyone know if they look at Comp or individual scores?? Also, as previously stated, do they look at the Chem section more heavily?

With the introduction of MMI's I'm hoping atleast I'll do well on those, but I still need to get a invite to the interview in the first place.

What do you guys think I should do??

Thanks alot!!!

I think you will be fine, its doubtful that the PCAT cutoffs will rise. You meet all the criteria! and chem is favoured more over the other sections ive heard.

 

[mazaag]

Ok check this out, I got 53% on the verbal section and I think around 70the percentile on the reading comprehension. 2.5 on writing. But 97% percentile on chem and 96% on Bio. My composite score is 89% and my gpa is 3.75 and i have a master's. What are my chances at UoT? Anyone who got in with such low english pcat scores?

 

[mug3n]

2.5 on both writing sections?

Last year's cutoffs were 3/2.5.

 

[onionman]

Just a quick question before I invest my time/money on applying.

Do we need to submit a reference letter? I couldn't find anything on their website that gave mention to this.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mug3n]

No, I'm pretty sure you don't need references.

 

[mug3n]

I think you will be fine, its doubtful that the PCAT cutoffs will rise. You meet all the criteria! and chem is favoured more over the other sections ive heard.

I doubt the 240 people that got picked out of a 1000 this year had "just met" all the cutoffs on their PCAT.

Really, if you're looking to be the 20% that gets accepted, you're gonna have to do a lot better than that. Just because admissions look at chem more strongly doesn't mean the other sections you can skate by with a bare cutoff. Remember cutoffs are just that, cutoffs. Meeting them doesn't necessarily mean you'll be accepted. It's just like how the GPA cutoff is a 2.7 (B-) but in reality the median cGPA for the applicants would be something like 3.x. Of course keep in mind that this is my stipulation, but don't hold your hopes too high if you have PCAT scores like that.

If you want to get it from the official source (though I really doubt they'll disclose median GPAs for the 1T3 class that got accepted) you should attend the info session which I believe is on the 26th.

 

[onionman]

And another quick question, how much is the PCAT worth overall? I ask that because it seems like most of the discussion so far has revolved around the PCAT, so it makes me wonder if it's worth a lot.

 

[cc88]

i have a cgpa of 3.80, composite of 82 on the october pcat exam with 85 in the chem section ...i dont know whether or not i should write the pcat again in january... any advice? thanks =)

 

[mug3n]

i have a cgpa of 3.80, composite of 82 on the october pcat exam with 85 in the chem section ...i dont know whether or not i should write the pcat again in january... any advice? thanks =)

Are you a UofT student? How many years undergrad?

All these things are very important. Regardless, from first glance, I would say you'd be hard pressed not to get an invitation to participate in the MMI.

 

[cc88]

Hi Mug3n,

Thanks for your quick reply! I have a 4 year undergrad from U of T...just attended my covocation a few weeks ago.

 

[mug3n]

Okay.. great.

I think you're at the top of the pack in my opinion. You have an exceptional cGPA, you have a very good PCAT score, and you have a degree. I think senority matters a lot, because certainly the trend is that a lot more upper year students get accepted. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you.

 

[marie22]

Hi,

I would like to know what my chances are of getting into UofT pharmacy school?

I am in second year and my cgpa is 3.5
My pcat scores are as follows
VA 69
Biology 29
RC 16
Quantitative Ability 94
Chemistry 85
Composite 65

Do I have any chances of getting in?
If someone could give me any insight into this matter it would be sooooooooooo appreciated
THANK YOU!

 

[marie22]

oh yea.. for the essay componenet I got 3/3

 

[Pharmaniac]

Hello,

Your cGPA is very impressive and ur PCAT, well everything is okay imo except for the subject areas I highlighted- i think they may actually be a cut-off for RC at 20 or something . So if I were you, "id definetly retake cause everything looks great except for those 2. Btw, is this your first time writing?

Hi,

I would like to know what my chances are of getting into UofT pharmacy school?

I am in second year and my cgpa is 3.5
My pcat scores are as follows
VA 69
Biology 29
RC 16
Quantitative Ability 94
Chemistry 85
Composite 65

Do I have any chances of getting in?
If someone could give me any insight into this matter it would be sooooooooooo appreciated
THANK YOU!

 

[marie22]

Hi there,

Thank you very much for your input, it means alot!! Yes, It is my first time applying. I know I definitely have to improve in those areas. Im just surprised I did that poorly because quite frankly I thought I did well in bio and RC! Is there any chance of pearson making a mistake with scoring systems?

Hello,

Your cGPA is very impressive and ur PCAT, well everything is okay imo except for the subject areas I highlighted- i think they may actually be a cut-off for RC at 20 or something . So if I were you, "id definetly retake cause everything looks great except for those 2. Btw, is this your first time writing?

 

[cc88]

Thanks for your help! I was worried that my pcat wasnt good enough but i feel a lot better now.

Okay.. great.

I think you're at the top of the pack in my opinion. You have an exceptional cGPA, you have a very good PCAT score, and you have a degree. I think senority matters a lot, because certainly the trend is that a lot more upper year students get accepted. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you.

 

[alexd10]

Hi there,

Thank you very much for your input, it means alot!! Yes, It is my first time applying. I know I definitely have to improve in those areas. Im just surprised I did that poorly because quite frankly I thought I did well in bio and RC! Is there any chance of pearson making a mistake with scoring systems?

Nope. You need to retake the test for sure if you are seriously interested in getting in. A 3.5 GPA will require an exceptional PCAT score, I know because most of my classmates had a higher GPA than mine (3.6), but I had an 89 composite PCAT with a 99 in chemistry.

The good thing is, they didn't "penalize" you for retaking the test last year. Who knows, it may change this year.

 

[EyeCandy5]

Hey Alexd10,

How many years of undergrad did you complete before getting accepted?

Nope. You need to retake the test for sure if you are seriously interested in getting in. A 3.5 GPA will require an exceptional PCAT score, I know because most of my classmates had a higher GPA than mine (3.6), but I had an 89 composite PCAT with a 99 in chemistry.

The good thing is, they didn't "penalize" you for retaking the test last year. Who knows, it may change this year.

 

[ferrousfumurate]

hey guys
i just realized my situation is kinda complicated :S
they have asked for atleast one year of a full course load.
I am currently in my second year and I did not take a full course load last year. This year I am taking 5 credits but one of my courses (from the fall) is actually a half credit course but runs all year long, so i will not have my mark for that class until the end of the year.
now im scared that they will see this as not being able to finish 5 credits and reject me b4 they even look at my PCAT scores :S :|

 

[mug3n]

I'm pretty sure you're okay.

Later on during the school year, you have to input your courses on the PharmSIS website and during the admission process, they'll check it against your student records.

 

[Fightorflight]

Thanks.

 

[mug3n]

To be honest I think it really does very little for you to go from 91->95 on your PCAT (also, keep in mind UofT isn't UBC, they look at all your subsections, but judging from your composite you probably did quite well anyways). 95 isn't a magic cutoff for guaranteed acceptance, so in my opinion you should just leave your PCAT alone.

Get your cGPA up, that's the best thing you can do right now. I think you'd need at least a 3.1 as a bare minimum if you want to be among the late end of the acceptance pool (or at least be on the waitlist).

 

[Natasha1989]

My question is: Does UofT take a look at the pre-requisite courses and calculate the GPA from those courses? Or do they look at the cGPA (all uni courses)?

Thanks!

 

[mug3n]

They look at your cGPA. All courses.

 

[kh86]

hi everyone,

my october pcat results were as follows:
VA: 55
Biology: 96
RC: 50
QA: 74
Chemistry: 85
Composite: 82
writing scores: 3/3

I'm in my last year at U of T with a cGPA of 3.78
Are my scores competitive enough to get an interview? i'm worried about my VA and RC scores.

thanks for your help!

 

[alexd10]

Hey Alexd10,

How many years of undergrad did you complete before getting accepted?

I did 2 years, and it wasn`t at UofT, but still in Toronto

hi everyone,

my october pcat results were as follows:
VA: 55
Biology: 96
RC: 50
QA: 74
Chemistry: 85
Composite: 82
writing scores: 3/3

I'm in my last year at U of T with a cGPA of 3.78
Are my scores competitive enough to get an interview? i'm worried about my VA and RC scores.

thanks for your help!

I would say that's pretty competitive. Do well on the interview and you should be fine

 

[onionman]

Hello everyone,

I wrote my PCAT in Oct and I got the following:

Verbal Ability 65
Biology 88
Reading Comprehension 50
Quantitative Ability 95
Chemistry 95
Composite 89

Writing Scores 3/3

My cGPA stands at 76.4%. Should I bother to apply to U of T with these "ok" marks. I'm from out of province. My feeling is that I will most likely get offered an interview but the chances of them actually accepting me is slim because (a) I'm from OOP and (b) my cGPA is not competitive enough.