An Overview to Pharmacy School Admissions
Written by Carmilia Sun, Candidate for BScPhm; Pharmacy, Honours, Co-operative Program; University of Waterloo (UW), Class of 2015 (completed 2 years of Honours Biomedical Sciences at Waterloo prior to enrolling in UW Pharmacy)
Here are some FAQ’s and tips for those of you interested in applying to pharmacy in Ontario (U of T or Waterloo):
What academic prerequisites are there?
Both UofT and Waterloo require 2 years of undergrad education. Prerequisite courses change from time to time so it’s best to check their websites:
http://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/programs/bsc/admissions/requirements.htm
http://pharmacy.uwaterloo.ca/future-students/academic-requirements
How do I apply?
Both applications are to be completed online. If you are applying to U of T, remember you must write the PCAT by January (of the year you are applying to enter) at the latest. When registering for the PCAT, you will be permitted to send your scores to 3 schools for one price. There is a fee for every school you add on top of that. If you intend to apply to the states, remember to send your scores to PharmCAS! Don’t forget to submit your marks online on the UT application site. For Waterloo applicants, there is an admission profile you must fill out. The admission profile asks why you think you would make a good pharmacist and why you have chosen to apply to Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy in particular. A reference letter is also required for Waterloo. It’s best if you are able to get a pharmacist to write it; but if you have not worked at a pharmacy before and/or are not familiar with any, you may ask a doctor or other healthcare professional to write it for you.
What about interviews?
Waterloo
Panel style; 30 mins
First 5-10 mins: presentation
The goal of this portion is to show the interview panel that you are unique. Show off a talent/hobby. Don’t do anything related to academics.
Myself, I recorded a mp3 and video of myself singing and playing the piano. It was used at the end of a presentation on the history of my musical interest and inspiration.
Types of questions: hypothetical/situational, behaviour-based questions (examples of things done in the past), awareness of profession
How to answer: use the W5 model
- state skill/knowledge/ability & give example of it by explaining who, when, where, why,
how & what the successful outcome was
- restate skill and outline benefits transferable to profession
- think of attributes needed as pharmacist and think of stories
How to prepare:
- review admission profile (note that it is a blind interview, meaning the panel has not seen
your AP or any of your marks)
- review your resume for leadership experience, volunteer work, job shadowing
- check field-related websites for pharmacy news—even if interviewers don’t ask you
about current issues, it’s good to be able to discuss it with them (that way they will see
your enthusiasm for the career)
- write out answers on cue cards, post-it notes and rehearse them out loud (not too much
though; you don’t want to seem over-rehearsed)
Tips: If you go to Waterloo, you MUST book a mock interview with the centre for career action! It is of GREAT help!! If your university provides this service as well, please do the same!
Also, relax! Interviewers are very nice! They want to get to know you and hope to welcome you into their community of pharmacists :)
U of T
MMI (multiple mini interviews); ~1.5 hours
There will be around 9-11 stations; each is one-to-one; about 10 minutes at each
If your circuit has 9 stations, there won’t be a rest station. Any extra stations will be rest. You will have 2 minutes to read the question/situation outside the door; upon entering the interview room, you will have 8 minutes to present your answer. 2 minutes sounds short but it’s actually plenty of time for you to come up with a solution and organize your thoughts. More time would actually be a bad thing because you’d have second thoughts. In this type of interview, your first impulse is your best answer…unless you’re an unethical person, but then you shouldn’t even be applying to pharmacy.
Types of questions/stations: situational, behaviour-based, ethical issues, debates, teamwork (i.e. drawing), acting (an actor will be present in the room; you’ll have to ask questions to find out what the problem is and how to resolve it; tests your people skills, sympathy/empathy). Sorry, I cannot give detailed information about the individual questions I received as I signed a contract.
How to prepare: There isn’t much you can do to prepare for this type of interview. It is really a test of how well you think on your feet. They want your true personality to show through your “first time reaction” to their questions.
Tip: It isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. They say during the orientation that the interviewers are not allowed to give you any feedback, whether it’s facial expressions or words, but that’s humanly very difficult. Even the most stone-cold person can’t resist smiling back to someone who’s all smiles! Also remember that each station is evaluated independently—if you didn’t do well at one station, that’s ok! Don’t mull over it; just focus on the next one. So again, relax! And just be yourself. Your own answer is the best you can give! :)
How’s the wait?
Waiting for results will definitely make you anxious! I remember checking almost every 5 minutes from the time I woke up for interview notifications. The U of T interview results came out around midnight on the expected day, so there wasn’t much to be anxious about. On the contrary, Waterloo’s came in the afternoon. I kept refreshing my inbox and quest admissions page all morning. It’s a good sign if you don’t receive notification in the morning, as only those who are rejected get them that early!—at least that’s how it was when I applied. As for admission decisions, my friend checked Waterloo’s for me while I was at work. I got a text saying I got in and I could hardly believe it! Thinking back, it’s a good thing I wasn’t the one checking. I would have been even more anxious! After I received the offer of admission from Waterloo, I wasn’t worried about U of T—I preferred Waterloo’s program from the start. So when I found out I didn’t get an offer from U of T, I wasn’t upset in the least.
The typical advice to give would be to just relax, don’t be anxious. However, I know that it is totally unrealistic to tell you not to be anxious as you naturally will be. You can check your email and the admission sites as often as you like. But whatever the decision is, there is nothing you can do about it after you have submitted your application and/or completed your interviews. All you can do is study hard to fulfill all the prerequisites, prepare well for the interviews, and find a good reference letter writer (for Waterloo).
Best of luck to all of you who will be applying!!!
If you have further questions, please post in the blog. The author will be able to answer your questions there.
Here are some FAQ’s and tips for those of you interested in applying to pharmacy in Ontario (U of T or Waterloo):
What academic prerequisites are there?
Both UofT and Waterloo require 2 years of undergrad education. Prerequisite courses change from time to time so it’s best to check their websites:
http://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/programs/bsc/admissions/requirements.htm
http://pharmacy.uwaterloo.ca/future-students/academic-requirements
How do I apply?
Both applications are to be completed online. If you are applying to U of T, remember you must write the PCAT by January (of the year you are applying to enter) at the latest. When registering for the PCAT, you will be permitted to send your scores to 3 schools for one price. There is a fee for every school you add on top of that. If you intend to apply to the states, remember to send your scores to PharmCAS! Don’t forget to submit your marks online on the UT application site. For Waterloo applicants, there is an admission profile you must fill out. The admission profile asks why you think you would make a good pharmacist and why you have chosen to apply to Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy in particular. A reference letter is also required for Waterloo. It’s best if you are able to get a pharmacist to write it; but if you have not worked at a pharmacy before and/or are not familiar with any, you may ask a doctor or other healthcare professional to write it for you.
What about interviews?
Waterloo
Panel style; 30 mins
First 5-10 mins: presentation
The goal of this portion is to show the interview panel that you are unique. Show off a talent/hobby. Don’t do anything related to academics.
Myself, I recorded a mp3 and video of myself singing and playing the piano. It was used at the end of a presentation on the history of my musical interest and inspiration.
Types of questions: hypothetical/situational, behaviour-based questions (examples of things done in the past), awareness of profession
How to answer: use the W5 model
- state skill/knowledge/ability & give example of it by explaining who, when, where, why,
how & what the successful outcome was
- restate skill and outline benefits transferable to profession
- think of attributes needed as pharmacist and think of stories
How to prepare:
- review admission profile (note that it is a blind interview, meaning the panel has not seen
your AP or any of your marks)
- review your resume for leadership experience, volunteer work, job shadowing
- check field-related websites for pharmacy news—even if interviewers don’t ask you
about current issues, it’s good to be able to discuss it with them (that way they will see
your enthusiasm for the career)
- write out answers on cue cards, post-it notes and rehearse them out loud (not too much
though; you don’t want to seem over-rehearsed)
Tips: If you go to Waterloo, you MUST book a mock interview with the centre for career action! It is of GREAT help!! If your university provides this service as well, please do the same!
Also, relax! Interviewers are very nice! They want to get to know you and hope to welcome you into their community of pharmacists :)
U of T
MMI (multiple mini interviews); ~1.5 hours
There will be around 9-11 stations; each is one-to-one; about 10 minutes at each
If your circuit has 9 stations, there won’t be a rest station. Any extra stations will be rest. You will have 2 minutes to read the question/situation outside the door; upon entering the interview room, you will have 8 minutes to present your answer. 2 minutes sounds short but it’s actually plenty of time for you to come up with a solution and organize your thoughts. More time would actually be a bad thing because you’d have second thoughts. In this type of interview, your first impulse is your best answer…unless you’re an unethical person, but then you shouldn’t even be applying to pharmacy.
Types of questions/stations: situational, behaviour-based, ethical issues, debates, teamwork (i.e. drawing), acting (an actor will be present in the room; you’ll have to ask questions to find out what the problem is and how to resolve it; tests your people skills, sympathy/empathy). Sorry, I cannot give detailed information about the individual questions I received as I signed a contract.
How to prepare: There isn’t much you can do to prepare for this type of interview. It is really a test of how well you think on your feet. They want your true personality to show through your “first time reaction” to their questions.
Tip: It isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. They say during the orientation that the interviewers are not allowed to give you any feedback, whether it’s facial expressions or words, but that’s humanly very difficult. Even the most stone-cold person can’t resist smiling back to someone who’s all smiles! Also remember that each station is evaluated independently—if you didn’t do well at one station, that’s ok! Don’t mull over it; just focus on the next one. So again, relax! And just be yourself. Your own answer is the best you can give! :)
How’s the wait?
Waiting for results will definitely make you anxious! I remember checking almost every 5 minutes from the time I woke up for interview notifications. The U of T interview results came out around midnight on the expected day, so there wasn’t much to be anxious about. On the contrary, Waterloo’s came in the afternoon. I kept refreshing my inbox and quest admissions page all morning. It’s a good sign if you don’t receive notification in the morning, as only those who are rejected get them that early!—at least that’s how it was when I applied. As for admission decisions, my friend checked Waterloo’s for me while I was at work. I got a text saying I got in and I could hardly believe it! Thinking back, it’s a good thing I wasn’t the one checking. I would have been even more anxious! After I received the offer of admission from Waterloo, I wasn’t worried about U of T—I preferred Waterloo’s program from the start. So when I found out I didn’t get an offer from U of T, I wasn’t upset in the least.
The typical advice to give would be to just relax, don’t be anxious. However, I know that it is totally unrealistic to tell you not to be anxious as you naturally will be. You can check your email and the admission sites as often as you like. But whatever the decision is, there is nothing you can do about it after you have submitted your application and/or completed your interviews. All you can do is study hard to fulfill all the prerequisites, prepare well for the interviews, and find a good reference letter writer (for Waterloo).
Best of luck to all of you who will be applying!!!
If you have further questions, please post in the blog. The author will be able to answer your questions there.