UBC 2008 Applicants

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hey tealish,

I highly suggest that you wear more formal attire, from what I've heard all the guys wear suits and ties.
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Wear something that is formal and clean such as dress shirt, tie, dress pants, dress shoes... be conservative though because you're not there to show off the latest trend in office wear. Don't wear anything that will distract the person that is interviewing you such as diamond necklaces or bright green ties. Ladies, don't show too much skin. You want them to pay attention and focus on you and not anything else. NO CLEVAGE HAHA. Just simple but formal.
 
what about shoes?
is open toed ok? or is that not really professional enough
i have these white open-toed heals, i'm not sure if i should wear them??
any suggestions?
 
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Are you guys going to wear a sport jacket as well or just a dress shirt and tie? I am flying down so I don't know if I will even have the room to bring a sport jacket, so I think I will probably just stick with white dress shirt and black tie.
 
open-toed should be okay.. unless they're gonna make you stand while doing the interview o_O
 
it seems like theres alot more girls applying to pharmacy this year then guys. Based on whos wearing what to the interview.
 
why would it be a problem if i have to stand? lol
because i'll be in pain?? :p
 
Awww, congrats to everyone who got an interview! Break a leg! :)
 
Alrighty, I've heard that we'll be interviewed by two people/staffs, but will they be interviewing us simultaneously or separately?

I guess we'll be getting more info when we get our schedule... ?!?!? >.<
 
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most definitely done separate, not as a group... lol what kind of interview would that be? My friends got into UBC Pharmacy a couple years ago and their interviews were done individually.
 
Haha, a group interview sounds interesting though. Could even play it like a game show. Ring that bell before someone else answers the question!
 
opps~ I meant to say would the two interviewers interview one candidate at the same time or separately, not group interview w/ multiple candidates. Sorry for being misleading. I seriously hope they don't do some sort of debates with us o..o
 
anyone worried that they might switch to the ELPD aka pharmd program while we're one of the last ones to get just a bsc?
 
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not particularly, I mean, isn't UBC the only school in Canada with a PharmD program? Besides, I think if I get in I would consider finishing a Bsc. then working maybe 5 years or so and possibly going back to complete a PharmD anyways.
 
they accept less than 2 dozen a year for pharmd at UBC...
 
anyone know how many questions are asked on average or how long our response (on average) should be?
 
I heard from a friend that they ask about 20 questions, so 25 minutes for 20 questions is about a one minute response/question.
 
You know.. I think being comfortable is probably the most important thing for the interview. As long as you are dressed formal to some degree... I think it should be ok. Although I am second guessing everything I consider wearing to it... AHHHHH!
 
Hm, just a confidence boost for everyone re. what someone said earlier about only 400 or so applicants this year.

I know a guy who had a mid 70's avg, low 80's PCAT, PT tech job, and volunteer work at a hospital who did not get an interview. He was pretty surprised at that, so he called the Pharm admissions people to find out why and he was informed there were over 700 applicants this year.

In fact, those stats are creepily close to mine, minus to hospital volunteering!

Anyway, good luck to everyone.
 
Wow, those are like pretty much the same stats I have and I got an interview. I wonder what it was that made the difference I didn't feel that my personal statement was too strong either.
 
tealish said:
Hm, just a confidence boost for everyone re. what someone said earlier about only 400 or so applicants this year.

I know a guy who had a mid 70's avg, low 80's PCAT, PT tech job, and volunteer work at a hospital who did not get an interview. He was pretty surprised at that, so he called the Pharm admissions people to find out why and he was informed there were over 700 applicants this year.

In fact, those stats are creepily close to mine, minus to hospital volunteering!

Anyway, good luck to everyone.
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i knew there was no way it was ~400 people applying.

700 sounds more like it.

but to those who got the invite, it doesn't really matter much since we're already one of the ~300 out of the 150 who get a spot.


we already have 50/50 chance of getting in or not.

i just hope i don't choke on the interview, which is worth way more than i think it should
 
Seriously, I've never heard of a school interview weighing around 40% in the selection process. So there were over 700 applicants this year? Makes me wonder how I got an interview. -_- 20 questions seem like a lot.. My list of possible questions that might come up only has around 10.
 
Well I guess all that means is don't drag out your answers. Just be to the point because if they have 20 questions to go through they probably want to get to them. And wow those stats were pretty much mine to a T. I better get to thanking my references...
 
tuxedopenguin said:
Seriously, I've never heard of a school interview weighing around 40% in the selection process. So there were over 700 applicants this year? Makes me wonder how I got an interview. -_- 20 questions seem like a lot.. My list of possible questions that might come up only has around 10.
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same

i think its ridiculous.

how well can you really get to know someone in 20-30 min?

i think my pcat score, LOR, PS combined should be worth more than 10% because i think it says more about me than its currently valued

but oh well, we gots no power over this
 
HIHI my potential pharm classmates,

im new to SDN. nice to meet you all affable people:)
question: does anyone know how many applicants got the invitation to the interview? are we allowed to ask the admission committee? just curious what are my chances of being accepted.
how are you prep-ing the interview???
thxthanks =]
 
I believe there are supposed to be appox. 250 people doing the interview, and from that 150 selected, so roughly a 60% chance at this point of being accepted to the program. That's crazy how 700+ people applied!! I'm curious to know how UBC calculated my average as I am applying from Uvic which has a different GPA scale. I think it would convert somewhere between 75 and 78 though, with an 85 PCAT, 80 hours pharmacy work experience, and a letter of reference from the pharmacy manager at Shoppers.
 
hmmmmm said:
i think its ridiculous.

how well can you really get to know someone in 20-30 min?
Click to expand...

I think it's possible that the interviewers will go through their candidates' personal statements etc prior to the interviews so as to "get to know someone" a bit better. Not sure tho. On one hand, that might influence their views on a certain candidate if they didn't like the candidates personal statements tho unlikely. By reviewing the candidates' stats, they would know how to approach that candidate and ask the candidates questions that weren't answered in the personal statements.

hmmmm.... I wonder if they'll ask the exact same questions for each candidate. Does anyone know if they still ask scenerio questions? Personally, I don't really like/believe in scenerio questions. But they do ask those at job interviews right? This is gonna be so hard for me because I have no formal interview experiences. sigh~

One more thing~ What yr are you guys in? x) Sorry for being verbose all the time.
 
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Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we all get the same questions. And also I'm pretty sure that the interviewers are not allowed to look at any of the candidate's application (marks, essay etc.) prior to the interview, to make it more fair :) 60% sounds pretty good. Take into account, too, that a lot of people turn down offers because of acceptance into other Pharmacy schools or programs (Microbi, Pharmacology etc)
 
GOOD LUCK GUYS and GIRLS!!

Interviewers do not know your GPA, PCAT, etc. But if I remember correctly, they take notes:p

I think I wore knee-length skirt (it had sort of a blue/green floral pattern), light beige blouse, and white wedge. Formal, but summery, cus it was VERY HOT on the day of my interview, thank goodness for the fab AC in the pharm building. I feel bad for the guys, with their suits and all:p
 
tealish said:
Hm, just a confidence boost for everyone re. what someone said earlier about only 400 or so applicants this year.

I know a guy who had a mid 70's avg, low 80's PCAT, PT tech job, and volunteer work at a hospital who did not get an interview. He was pretty surprised at that, so he called the Pharm admissions people to find out why and he was informed there were over 700 applicants this year.

In fact, those stats are creepily close to mine, minus to hospital volunteering!

Anyway, good luck to everyone.
Click to expand...


Maybe there was a deal breaker in his essay. Because that sounds like he would be able to get an interview with those grades. I got 75.5% and a 88 on the pcat and alot of volunteer work and i got one.
 
Yeah, I had a 72% avg with a 68% pcat score but I got the interview. So I agree, something he wrote in the application essay must have not clicked with the admissions committe. I don't think marks are what it's all about at UBC. I spent about 1 month writing my essay for my application and kept editing it until it was perfect. It's definitely something they consider heavily if it is well composed with the right stuff said.... But i'm still shocked that I even got an interview...

Hey, you guys should post your interview dates/times when you get them this week (hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday)
 
hey guys, i know this isn't my neck of the woods but i was bored and was aimlessly browsing SDN and decided to chime in on a couple things.

first of all, with regards to attire, you guys should understand that you are interviewing for professional school and the standard is to wear a suit and tie if you are a guy, and a business suit with a skirt or pants if you're a girl. at all of my interviews, people who went without a jacket of some sort really stuck out so keep that in mind.

also, i don't have any clue as to the format of pharmacy interviews, but you MUST prepare. it is a common misconception to think that simply going in confidently and knowing yourself is enough to perform successfully in an interview. there are a ton of resources on the net that can help you prepare for job interviews and the like. if the interviews are situational/behavioral, look into the STAR (situation, thoughts, actions, results) method of answering interview questions.

good luck everyone.
 
OGO33 said:
Yeah, I had a 72% avg with a 68% pcat score but I got the interview. So I agree, something he wrote in the application essay must have not clicked with the admissions committe. I don't think marks are what it's all about at UBC. I spent about 1 month writing my essay for my application and kept editing it until it was perfect. It's definitely something they consider heavily if it is well composed with the right stuff said.... But i'm still shocked that I even got an interview...

Hey, you guys should post your interview dates/times when you get them this week (hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday)
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A month! Wow, don't be too shocked then; you do deserve your interview! Yup, thankfully marks aren't everything but they're still huge and I guess that's understandable.

Anyway, I guess I'll take that advice from someone above about wearing a suit then. Don't want to be remembered as 'the guy who didn't bother'...
 
hello everyone!

Quick question...For those not in first year, what program were you in before applying to pharmacy?
 
OGO33 said:
Yeah, I had a 72% avg with a 68% pcat score but I got the interview. So I agree, something he wrote in the application essay must have not clicked with the admissions committe. I don't think marks are what it's all about at UBC. I spent about 1 month writing my essay for my application and kept editing it until it was perfect. It's definitely something they consider heavily if it is well composed with the right stuff said.... But i'm still shocked that I even got an interview...

Hey, you guys should post your interview dates/times when you get them this week (hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday)
Click to expand...

I also spent 1 month editing my essay. I hear some people just wrote 4 or 5 lines about why they want to get into pharmacy.
 
I did it the day it was due :|
 
"I hear some people just wrote 4 or 5 lines about why they want to get into pharmacy"



and did they get an offer for interview with that..?
 
Your personal statements won't make or break you. Its more of a supplement. I'd say the most important parts for getting an interview would be grades/PCAT/resume. Then after you get the interview it'd be your grades/interview.
 
Do any of you guys think that it would be weird to bring your bag/backpack to the interview?
 
Hey everyone, just occurred to me someone might have started a 2008 group instead of the other 2007 one =P

Does anyone know if there is a part where we get to ask them questions? (Ie. should we prepare questions to ask our interviewers?) I know in some interviews they consider what kind of questions you ask as part of the process too.
 
kridge said:
I also spent 1 month editing my essay. I hear some people just wrote 4 or 5 lines about why they want to get into pharmacy.
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4 or 5 lines? yikes, yeah I could see that spelling disaster for their applications. I wrote mine a few days before it was due... but I felt like it was a strong essay...
 
I don't think its manditory to wear suits, just something formal that tells them you're serious. I have a couple friends who got in UBC Pharmacy a couple years ago and they went for their interviews without wearing suits. However I could see it being different for medical school or dental school and having to wear suits for their interviews.
 
I really think that dress shirt + dress pants + ties + dress shoes would be sufficient.
 
tuxedopenguin said:
Stuck out as in negatively or positively?
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woops i should've clarified. they stuck out in a negative way. i'd rather be overdressed than underdressed if it came down to choosing between the two. of course the admission committee isn't going to turn you away simply because you aren't dressed like everyone else, but like i said before, you are interviewing for professional school. wear a suit if you have one handy, but don't don't go out and buy a suit just because some chump on the internet (i.e. me) said to have one for your interview.
 
anybody get their confirmation letter yet?
 
not yet, I doubt we will get it until tomorrow or Thursday, especially since people had until yesterday to confirm that they would like to receive an interview. As for a suit, I am really not sure that I will wear one, I have two, but one is pin stripe black and I wore it too prom... can't see it being very appropriate for the interview, and the other one I got when I was in Grade 9 so it is most likely too small although I might give it a try. I am thinking semi-formal will be sufficient for this interview. Black dress shoes, black dress pants, shirt and tie, maybe a nice plain sweater over top the shirt. I don't want to stand out by being undressed, but I don't want to walk in there wearing a $300 suit.
 
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