Applying to Pharmacy School

For those of you who are planning to get ready for the application process of PharmD programs, this may be a time to get started with the planning and preparations. There are many items to consider, and making sure that you dot all of you i’s and t’s is essential for a smooth application experience. The first thing to consider is whether you have the prerequisites to apply to the pharmacy schools of your choice such as general course requirements. You would want to obtain a list of all the pharmacy schools that you desire to go to or are interested in. Just peruse through our website or directory to search by city or state. You could also read this article about the different types of programs that are available to you. After you have narrowed down your list, check each program’s website as to the requirements needed such as prerequisite courses, PCATs, documentation and transcript records, recommendation letters, application fees, PharmCas registrations, personal statements or essays, etc. Not all programs have the same requirements, so doing your due diligence is essential. Make a note of all the deadlines to submit all application materials, as well as registering for the PCATs if required by your selected pharmacy schools. A checklist of all requirements for each school will assist you to avoid any steps that are missing. Even contacting the programs via email or phone may answer some specific questions that you may have. Contacting those that will recommend you to the pharmacy schools, and attest to your character and performance is something to take care of immediately. After you begin the application process by registering and submitting all required fees, and sending all documentation, you would definitely want to prepare to study for your PCATs or the pharmacy college admission tests. Studying for these examinations may require some time depending on the individual and experience with the material from previous courses taken. Purchasing exam preparation guides or taking preparation courses could better help prepare those that need a structured guide or plan. Many of these courses have ‘mock’ tests for pharmacy school candidates to adapt to the testing environment before the actual test. Although preparatory courses may be expensive, it is up to the individual and their study methods to know whether a course is needed. Many people feel a preparation book is sufficient, and take the practice exams on their own that are provided in the study guide. Some pharmacy schools even provide PCAT preparation sessions, so this may be an excellent resource to take up if offered. You could read more about the PCATs here. After all of the requirements of the application process are met for each of the schools, and all information and documentation have been sent, the only remaining items may be to take the PCAT exam itself, as well as making sure the prerequisite courses will have been successfully completed before enrollment. Getting a good score on the PCATs is essential in order to better compete for a seat in the next PharmD class. A well written personal statement with no grammatical or spelling errors is also needed. Thus begins the start of the PharmD application process. There are more things to consider such as verifying whether your application is complete, and nothing has been omitted for each of the pharmacy schools being applied to, as well as having the PCAT scores sent to each school. If offered an interview, this is good news as an interview is usually an indicator that the school is interested in your qualities. Preparing for the interview process is another matter, a bridge that could be crossed once given an interview offer.