University of British Columbia Application Thread

[PharMarley]

Hi UBCmicrobi,
I was waitlisted to the end of August last year and unfortunately did not make it in.I was told my PCAT was not competative enough,had an almost minimum score.!

What was your PCAT if you dont mind me asking? And I thought the Pcat was not that important in determing acceptance as it is used to make cut-offs. I thought it is 50% pre-reqs, 25% interview, and 25% Application+Refference+PCAT. Am I wayyy off here?

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[PharMarley]

Hi UBCmicrobi,
.I was waitlisted to the end of August last year and unfortunately did not make it in.I was told my PCAT was not competative enough,had an almost minimum score.

What was your PCAT if you dont mind me asking? And I thought the Pcat was not that important in determing acceptance as it is used to make cut-offs. I thought it is 50% pre-reqs, 25% interview, and 25% Application+Refference+PCAT. Am I wayyy off here?

 

[bcpharmer]

What was your PCAT if you dont mind me asking? And I thought the Pcat was not that important in determing acceptance as it is used to make cut-offs. I thought it is 50% pre-reqs, 25% interview, and 25% Application+Refference+PCAT. Am I wayyy off here?

Like I said, my PCAT was a little above 65! haha! I did terrible and was not prepared due to a heavy course load. My advice to you is to do the best you can in all areas, that way there is no doubt. There are people that have been accepted with low PCAT scores over the years, but some of them had degrees, very high GPAs and sometimes it really just depends on the applicant pool. As for you comment, I was very confused as well, thinking that once I had an interview my low PCAT score would not matter. When I was granted an interview, I though if I did very well on it I would be in because I was under the impression that the PCAT did not matter after the interview, providing that you did well on it. I did in fact score quite high on my interview, but still was only waitlisted due to my PCAT. After talking to admins at the faculty, I was informed that it was false to assume the PCAT does not matter after you do very well on an interview, ect. For example, there were people on other threads that ranked in the 150-170 range and were not even waitlisted and I was waitlised being ranked in the 200's. So I wouldn't spend too much time analyzing this process, just do your personal best and it should all work out for you in the end! Just be yourself if you are selected for an interview, I can't really say much more about it! Good luck to you and everyone else who is applying this year. If you have anymore questions about the application process, I may be able to answer them for you. If you have any questions about the program itself, there are people from last year on this thread that were a lot of help for me and they would be able to answer those questions. This is all just my opinion from my experience last year! I hope to ace the PCAT in January!

 

[mpchiang]

Hey. If anyone is interested in buying the Dr. Collins package (and other things, such as PCAT Audio), feel free to message me! I wrote the PCAT this summer using this, and it really helped a ton. It was weird since some of the questions on the packages ended up being on the exam (especially for verbal).

 

[OptimistPrime]

how much do you guys think things like playing on sports teams or winning awards matters? what about the "skills" section like first aid or public speaking(what?)? should i go out and get my first aid license just to have something to put in that section of the application?

 

[PhArMaCiSt1]

how much do you guys think things like playing on sports teams or winning awards matters? what about the "skills" section like first aid or public speaking(what?)? should i go out and get my first aid license just to have something to put in that section of the application?

same here :S I was looking at technical skills and even the one with the groups you are part of and I could only come up with one for each. haha i was also thinking of doing cpr course so i can just put it up there lol

 

[ubcperson]

hey guys!
I'm in first year science, and im thinking of applying this year, but unsure.
What would be a competitive average for pre-reqs? T.T does anyone know?
Anyways, good luck to everyone on finals!

 

[hobom]

I would not worry too much about the skills section, last year at least, they did not even call the phone numbers you provide.

Instead I would advise focusing on writing your 500 word "essays", having ones that make your application stand out is much more important.

As for your gpa, I'd say above 75, if u do equally well on your interview, you have a pretty good chance to get in. If you have bellow 75, better ace your interviews.

In previous years, people have gotten in with gpas as low as 69.

 

[bballa99]

O-Chem I definitely brought down my GPA.. there goes my chances..

 

[ricedemon]

^tell me about it.. i thought i was caught up throughout the whole semester.. but then the final was so hard >.< never been so disappointed at a B+ ever :/

 

[The Trooper]

For those of you who haven't written the PCAT yet, I'm selling the Kaplan 2010-11 study guide and REA's PCAT interactive flashcards book together for $30. ISBN #'s 978-1419553226 and 978-0738607962 if you want to look them up on Amazon. Msg me if you're interested.

 

[Roid]

LOL, are you serious your disappointed with a B+? Wow. I would be happy with that mark since the course is tough.

^tell me about it.. i thought i was caught up throughout the whole semester.. but then the final was so hard >.< never been so disappointed at a B+ ever :/

 

[bballa99]

LOL, are you serious your disappointed with a B+? Wow. I would be happy with that mark since the course is tough.

I know, I barely passed, there were only 2 As in the whole class -_-...

sigh..time to retake ..

 

[lllix]

O-Chem I definitely brought down my GPA.. there goes my chances..

Cheer up, people. I landed an interview last year with a C and a C+ in two of the pharmacy pre-reqs... As long as the rest of your pre-reqs round it out and you have got a solid PCAT and personal profile and references you will be fine. In the end, it was my interview score that brought me down according to the statistics they sent me, but my pre-req GPA and PCAT were pretty much right in the same range as those were accepted.

Seriously, I think one thing that UBC has going for it over other schools is that they actually seem to prefer well-roundedness over grades. Some schools in Canada don't even interview or accept reference letters, so be assured you still have a very good chance at UBC as long as your GPA isn't the only thing that defines you.

 

[bballa99]

Cheer up, people. I landed an interview last year with a C and a C+ in two of the pharmacy pre-reqs... As long as the rest of your pre-reqs round it out and you have got a solid PCAT and personal profile and references you will be fine. In the end, it was my interview score that brought me down according to the statistics they sent me, but my pre-req GPA and PCAT were pretty much right in the same range as those were accepted.

Seriously, I think one thing that UBC has going for it over other schools is that they actually seem to prefer well-roundedness over grades. Some schools in Canada don't even interview or accept reference letters, so be assured you still have a very good chance at UBC as long as your GPA isn't the only thing that defines you.

Thanks lllix, what is your pre-req GPA at? For those classes you got a C and C+ in, where they science classes? Did you retake them? What do you think would be better, retaking organic I, or taking organic II and getting a good grade in it?

I also agree with the fact that ubc is looking for well rounded individuals, but the fact that O-Chem brought down my GPA so much, is making me emo.. lol.

Best of luck to you lllix, I hope you get accepted to ubc, or at least get multiple interviews if you applied to different schools.

 

[OptimistPrime]

do we have any information on the median gpa that gets in? they say average is 75-80, and i think median should be in there also, i wish they gave more stats like standard deviations. with a larger number of applicants being accepted this year i am expecting the average to be closer to 75, anyone else agree?

 

[OptimistPrime]

bump for more discussion...

 

[horrorboy]

++ 2010 Admission Stats ++

Academic Average: 80.2%

PCAT-Composite Percentile: 87%

Pharmacy Application (i.e. Resume, Reference Letters, Personal Statements: 58

------------
I got this from Margret...Hope this helps!

 

[1ive2die]

++ 2010 Admission Stats ++

Academic Average: 80.2%

PCAT-Composite Percentile: 87%

Pharmacy Application (i.e. Resume, Reference Letters, Personal Statements: 58

------------
I got this from Margret...Hope this helps!

What does the 58 mean? Also that is a pretty high PCAT composite average

 

[PharMarley]

Wow this thread sucks!!!

UBC pharmacy should only be for BC students. Other provinces take 9-20 OOP students. Please only bc students since we have enough students to fill it.

 

[OptimistPrime]

++ 2010 Admission Stats ++

Academic Average: 80.2%

PCAT-Composite Percentile: 87%

Pharmacy Application (i.e. Resume, Reference Letters, Personal Statements: 58

------------
I got this from Margret...Hope this helps!

wow that's a high gpa, at ubc do you guys receive letter grades or percentages for your marks?

 

[ubcperson]

we receive both a percent mark and a letter grade..

 

[OptimistPrime]

we receive both a percent mark and a letter grade..

then if i am correct us non-ubc applicants would suffer a drop in gpa because we get only a grade and when we convert over to the ubc percent system, they round down. For example in my calc 1 class my percent mark was 89 and my proff did not round up, instead she gave me an A- which is a 3.67 and about 79.5 on the ubc scale. Ouch just lost almost 10 percent and this goes for all my classes except probably not as extreme. I also must concede to the fact that UBC is probably more difficult than my university and I might have gotten lower than 89 if I had been in ubc.

 

[gluglugs]

I got this impression from UBC pharm after talking with a lot of my friends already in the program. They really don't look at your application and all that other stuff if you have high marks and a good interview score. Unless there's something stellar on your application or something terrible that says "I won't be a good pharmacist".

 

[Lazerz]

Hey everyone, I am a new member to SDN. I'm a first year science student at UBC and didn't do too well in my first semester. Probably 65-66 avg. I know that's not even close to what pharmacy would look at. I was wondering if I even stood a shot at applying if I managed to pull my avg up to around 72 or 73 by the end of the year. Also, I have a question about the PCAT. Does it make or break you? I've been studying it over the break and it seems like quite a bit to know. Does UBC really emphasize on the PCAT or is the majority of the assessment based on your GPA? Finally, in regards to extra curriculars, if I don't have too many of those, would that really hinder my application? I really do want to become a pharmacist because i've always liked to help others and plus for the rest of my life I would be economically stable. It just seems like a great profession. Just the thing is that I messed up first term. Hopefully I still have a shot of applying this year. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[farmwithaPH]

I got accepted into UBC this year, and i just finished my first semester of UBC pharmacy! I have some free time so I thought I'd sell my PCAT Dr. Collins, I used this guide to help me boost my PCAT score!

Comments from StudentDoctor Forum
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=573528

This self study guide comes with :

Chem: Review + 9 Practice Tests
Biology: Review + 8 Practice Tests
Reading: 5 Practice Tests
Verbal: 7 Practice Tests and 11 pages of analogies
Math: Review and 5 practice tests
- August 2009 updates included.

Live in lower mainland near SFU or UBC. I'm hoping someone can pick it up.

Asking for $100, i bought it for $150, its pre-owned but in mint condition.

PCAT is acutally important i know quite a few poeple who had good GPAs around 75-80, and a overall good interview, but since everyone has around that kind of GPA and at least I felt the MMI was pretty easy they start looking at PCAT and it was PCAT that singled out the rest. Hope that helps.

 

[Iqra]

I got accepted into UBC this year, and i just finished my first semester of UBC pharmacy! I have some free time so I thought I'd sell my PCAT Dr. Collins, I used this guide to help me boost my PCAT score!

Comments from StudentDoctor Forum
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=573528

This self study guide comes with :

Chem: Review + 9 Practice Tests
Biology: Review + 8 Practice Tests
Reading: 5 Practice Tests
Verbal: 7 Practice Tests and 11 pages of analogies
Math: Review and 5 practice tests
- August 2009 updates included.

Live in lower mainland near SFU or UBC. I'm hoping someone can pick it up.

Asking for $100, i bought it for $150, its pre-owned but in mint condition.

PCAT is acutally important i know quite a few poeple who had good GPAs around 75-80, and a overall good interview, but since everyone has around that kind of GPA and at least I felt the MMI was pretty easy they start looking at PCAT and it was PCAT that singled out the rest. Hope that helps.

How would you compare the work load and studying for pharmacy vs. the workload of the pre-requisite courses?
Also, what was your GPA and PCAT score, if you dont mind me asking?

 

[instinctz]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knew whether a 74% PCAT score is competitive enough with a pre-req GPA of 82.2%. Someone mentioned that the GPA is more important than the PCAT mark, so I just wanted a second opinion.

The reason I ask this is because I'm debating on whether to even show up at the January PCAT examination -- because I'm afraid I'll do worse. I also don't feel I should put as much effort into studying for the exam if my marginal gain may be insignificant.

 

[Iqra]

I have a quick question: For me to get my GPA percentage, do I divide my GPA with 4.3 or 4.0?
Thanks

 

[Degree]

I have a quick question: For me to get my GPA percentage, do I divide my GPA with 4.3 or 4.0?
Thanks

I believe it's usually 4.33, depends on the school though

 

[Iqra]

I believe it's usually 4.33, depends on the school though

Thanks a lot!
Do you know if there are conversions that happen to your GPA when you transfer there?

 

[Degree]

Thanks a lot!
Do you know if there are conversions that happen to your GPA when you transfer there?

What kind of conversions

 

[pch]

Has anyone started on their personal statements yet?? I was wondering if any students accepted into the program can give some hints as to what kind of statements the school is looking for. I mean, what exactlly are they marking us on? the writing skill? Please give some tips!! thanks!

 

[awwer12]

Hi I am a first year student in Pre-Pharm program at UBC-O
I got my mark from the first term as:

A+ 91% in Chem 121
A+ 91% in Math 100
B+ 76% in Bio 116
C- 58% in JSPT 100

Can anyone tell me if I am on the right path?

I am wondering if I am getting the sufficient mark to get in to the pharmacy.

I heard it is very competitive, and I am worried about my JSPT 100 mark.

thank you

 

[Degree]

Hi I am a first year student in Pre-Pharm program at UBC-O
I got my mark from the first term as:

A+ 91% in Chem 121
A+ 91% in Math 100
B+ 76% in Bio 116
C- 58% in JSPT 100

Can anyone tell me if I am on the right path?

I am wondering if I am getting the sufficient mark to get in to the pharmacy.

I heard it is very competitive, and I am worried about my JSPT 100 mark.

thank you

What is JSPT

 

[EinmikroFreund]

Hi I am a first year student in Pre-Pharm program at UBC-O
I got my mark from the first term as:

A+ 91% in Chem 121
A+ 91% in Math 100
B+ 76% in Bio 116
C- 58% in JSPT 100

Can anyone tell me if I am on the right path?

I am wondering if I am getting the sufficient mark to get in to the pharmacy.

I heard it is very competitive, and I am worried about my JSPT 100 mark.

thank you

Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome on board (literally), awwer12! =)

Degree, JSPT means Japanese Studies, which is offered at UBC Okanagan, so that's why it doesn't look familiar to both you and me.

awwer12, you shouldn't worry about your mark for JSPT 100 because it will not count towards your pre-req average for Pharmacy, but your other three courses (Bio 116, Chem 121, and Math 100) will! =D

For other info regarding pre-reqs, check out the link to the Faculty:

http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/programs/degree-programs/BscP/academic-admission-requirements

 

[deleted354025]

What is JSPT

I think he meant JPST, which is Japanese Studies


EDIT: Whoops, EinmikroFreund beat me to it! And thanks

 

[EinmikroFreund]

Great eyes, Chestnut! I unknowingly repeated the error even though I looked up what it meant! XD

 

[EinmikroFreund]

You're very welcome, Chestnut! =D

 

[deleted354025]

Good luck to everyone for the upcoming term by the way - let's all rock it, but do remember to take a break sometimes and indulge in some of life's simpler pleasures.

 

[Iqra]

Hey Guys,
I was just wondering when are you going to be submitting your applications? Does it matter if you submit yours earlier than the deadline? I havent really started on it, so I am just wondering if it makes a difference.

 

[farmwithaPH]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knew whether a 74% PCAT score is competitive enough with a pre-req GPA of 82.2%. Someone mentioned that the GPA is more important than the PCAT mark, so I just wanted a second opinion.

The reason I ask this is because I'm debating on whether to even show up at the January PCAT examination -- because I'm afraid I'll do worse. I also don't feel I should put as much effort into studying for the exam if my marginal gain may be insignificant.

it is quite important it will single you out from others. A lot of people didn't make the final cut because their PCAT wasn't competitive. Keep in mind the average of acceptance pcat score was 85-90, and the gpa was around 80.
so make an informed decision

 

[justgotin]

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knew whether a 74% PCAT score is competitive enough with a pre-req GPA of 82.2%. Someone mentioned that the GPA is more important than the PCAT mark, so I just wanted a second opinion.

The reason I ask this is because I'm debating on whether to even show up at the January PCAT examination -- because I'm afraid I'll do worse. I also don't feel I should put as much effort into studying for the exam if my marginal gain may be insignificant.

I got in last year with ~84-85% average and 76% PCAT. I don't think the PCAT was that influential in your overall score. I had friends who didn't get in, and the I only heard of people not getting in because their PCAT score was too weak had less than 70% on th PCAT. I think as long as you have strong extracurricular and references you should get an interview!

If I were you I probably wouldn't re-write the PCAT but that is just my opinion. I found studying for it a huge waste of time, and I knew i had low chance of getting a high score because I had never taken Ochem. I would say focus on your courses!

 

[awwer12]

Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome on board (literally), awwer12! =)

Degree, JSPT means Japanese Studies, which is offered at UBC Okanagan, so that's why it doesn't look familiar to both you and me.

awwer12, you shouldn't worry about your mark for JSPT 100 because it will not count towards your pre-req average for Pharmacy, but your other three courses (Bio 116, Chem 121, and Math 100) will! =D

For other info regarding pre-reqs, check out the link to the Faculty:

http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/programs/degree-programs/BscP/academic-admission-requirements

so is my mark good enough at the moment?

Of course, it is too early, since I have only done one semester... but still.. i am curious...

I saw that the competetive GPA was 75~ 80% but someone told me that
I shouldn't really rely on it...

I mean.. if JSPT 100 doesn't count, my gpa now is 86% but when I was in High school, it wasn't really considered as a great mark...

As a first year student, I don't really get the idea of what is a really good mark in University, since in high school, everyone around me received at least 92% in every courses.

It would be a real relief if anyone can tell me I have done a good job or not

 

[pch]

so is my mark good enough at the moment?

Of course, it is too early, since I have only done one semester... but still.. i am curious...

I saw that the competetive GPA was 75~ 80% but someone told me that
I shouldn't really rely on it...

I mean.. if JSPT 100 doesn't count, my gpa now is 86% but when I was in High school, it wasn't really considered as a great mark...

As a first year student, I don't really get the idea of what is a really good mark in University, since in high school, everyone around me received at least 92% in every courses.

It would be a real relief if anyone can tell me I have done a good job or not

I wouldn't worry too much about your stats right now. 86% is really high for university standards!! I have friends with averages in their 80s and got in on their first try. So don't worry!

 

[richmondMike]

so is my mark good enough at the moment?

Of course, it is too early, since I have only done one semester... but still.. i am curious...

I saw that the competetive GPA was 75~ 80% but someone told me that
I shouldn't really rely on it...

I mean.. if JSPT 100 doesn't count, my gpa now is 86% but when I was in High school, it wasn't really considered as a great mark...

As a first year student, I don't really get the idea of what is a really good mark in University, since in high school, everyone around me received at least 92% in every courses.

It would be a real relief if anyone can tell me I have done a good job or not

Your mark is good enough. The average GPA(pre-req) for 2010 was 80%. But you did not mention about your English GPA. It is required. Did you finished AP English?

 

[instinctz]

it is quite important it will single you out from others. A lot of people didn't make the final cut because their PCAT wasn't competitive. Keep in mind the average of acceptance pcat score was 85-90, and the gpa was around 80.
so make an informed decision

Yeah, the extremely high PCAT score is the thing that's bugging me. The worst part is, I know it's important. I'm just afraid that the time I put into studying for the exam won't pay off because the gain may be marginal.

I got in last year with ~84-85% average and 76% PCAT. I don't think the PCAT was that influential in your overall score. I had friends who didn't get in, and the I only heard of people not getting in because their PCAT score was too weak had less than 70% on th PCAT. I think as long as you have strong extracurricular and references you should get an interview!

If I were you I probably wouldn't re-write the PCAT but that is just my opinion. I found studying for it a huge waste of time, and I knew i had low chance of getting a high score because I had never taken Ochem. I would say focus on your courses!

Thanks for the input. Focusing on my courses is what I was thinking of doing because I'm currently taking courses that will affect my admissions GPA. Definitely feels a bit more reassuring knowing someone with a 76% PCAT got in.

I was wondering, did you fill out every single column for every extracurricular activity in your application? And did you have any pharmacy experience? I'm still trying to find a volunteer position at a pharmacy, but they're reluctant to take volunteers.

 

[bballa99]

Your mark is good enough. The average GPA(pre-req) for 2010 was 80%. But you did not mention about your English GPA. It is required. Did you finished AP English?

Since when is high school english GPA required, do we have to send our high school transcripts too?.. I thought they only look at university level english courses?

 

[ricedemon]

^no where in that post does it say anything about high school gpa.. the question was asking if he took first year english or not... and if not.. then maybe they took english AP instead

^^dont be that reassured though :/ because i have a friend with like lots of volunteer.. 80% GPA and 95% pcat... and 2 years working at a pharmacy.. no interview..

 

[ginee]

For the pre-req GPA that they will be looking at, do the pre-req courses that one is taking in the current winter session (from January-April) count as well as term 1?

I'm asking this because the due date of the application is the end of February and term 2 courses won't be over yet by then...

Anyone want to shed a little bit of light?
Thanks