PharmCAS + Applications

Hello everyone!

Many of you are getting ready to apply or are in the process of applying! PharmCAS is the application website you use to apply to pharmacy schools. I went through this process three years ago, and I remember how stressful it was. Please bear with me as I try to remember my experience with the entire process.

I was unsure of where I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to go to a top program, but I didn’t have a specific area that I was dying to go. I fully utilized the Top Pharmacy Schools by US News website in conjunction with the School Directory on the PharmCAS website.

I started by narrowing down schools by looking at the pre-requisite criteria for each school. I looked at schools that were ranked 1-80 and were in areas that I would be okay living in for 4+ years. I knew I would end up out-of-state, so location was a big deal for me. When you are looking at schools to apply, you have to think about what type of area you want to be in. Do you want a city? A small town? What size city? Do you want to be near an airport? What is the cost of living there? What opportunities are there for you to get an internship or  complete rotations?

After I determined which schools were in areas I would live in, I narrowed down the schools by cost of living, housing options, cost of tuition, and dual degrees (MPH, MBA, etc). At this point, I had narrowed down my list to twelve schools. Eleven of the schools I would apply through PharmCAS, and only one did not utilize PharmCAS. I prepared all of this before I even started my PharmCAS application, and collected all the information within an excel sheet. Honestly, I wish I could find my excel spreadsheet because I put so much time and effort into it! I am actually quite proud of myself for that spreadsheet. It helped guide me through the entire application process.

Ultimately, I decided to only apply to eight schools. I think most students don’t apply to as many schools, but since I knew nobody else who was applying or had applied to pharmacy school, I did not know the norm. I wasn’t fortunate enough to stumble across a blog post like this or have a mentor to talk to when it comes to pharmacy school and applications.

So at this point in my application process, I was ready to start the PharmCAS Application. I thought I could quickly do this part, but I quickly found that I was wrong! I am a bit of a perfectionist, and so it took me MUCH longer than I expected. The part that took me the longest was the essay writing. I knew that there would be essays, but I didn’t realize how much time I would spend on these to make them perfect. If I could make one suggestion, it would be to ask multiple people to review your essays. Ask a friend, ask a parent, ask a mentor! Have your reviewers review your drafts several times. For me, I wanted my writing to show that I could communicate effectively to people of various educations. Communication is a huge part of pharmacy!

As for the content of your essays, just stay true to yourself. Don’t get caught up in what you think the school wants to hear. Answer each question honestly and in a manner that is a great representation of you. Show your passion for pharmacy!

I wish you all the best of luck with applications, PharmCAS, and interviews!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at sakai.22@osu.edu and I will answer them to the best of my ability! If I can’t answer them, I will be able to find someone who can help you.

Sarah Pic

Fall Fun in Columbus 2016!

There are tons of fun things to do in Columbus in the fall!  Here are just of few of the things going on in and around the city:

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  • Highball – Oct 21-22, 2016
    • “HighBall is the nation’s fiercest costume party. Staged in the fashion capital of Columbus, this yearly event for the Halloween season bridges runway style with the culture of the Short North Arts District. Be a part of the HighBall street spectacle and model yourself on High Street. At HighBall, you are what you wear.”

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  • Circleville Pumpkin Show – Oct 19-22, 2016
    • Circleville is just 30 minutes south of Columbus!  The famous Pumpkin Show offers “Amusement Rides, Games, Two Parades Daily (except Saturday), Exhibits, Arts & Crafts, Food, Food & More Food!”

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  • North Market Farmers’ Market Saturdays
    • “The North Market Farmers’ Market is one of the oldest and largest in Central Ohio, featuring more than 20 farmers offering an array of locally-grown fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, honey and herbs. Every Saturday throughout the growing season, Ohio farmers bring their fresh-picked produce to North Market, where customers are able to purchase directly from the local farms selling the highest-quality products from their fields.”

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  • Leeds Farm – Sept. 17 through Oct. 30 – Saturdays: 10am – 5pm and Sundays: 10am – 5pm
    • “We feature fall family fun on the farm. Spend the day getting plenty of fresh air and having fun as a family in our many barnyard and outdoor activities for the young and young at heart. Select the perfect pumpkin from the thousands we grow right here on our farm. Marvel over blue pumpkins, fairytale pumpkins, exotic shapes of gourds and more.
    • Don’t miss feeding the goats and visiting the pigs. Listen for donkeys to bray or feed the fish from our pond dock. We’ve got enough farm and fun activities to keep your family moving all day, including our Back 40 barnyard activities, hayrides, farm animals, and farm pond.
    • Educational school tours and private parties are available. Leeds Farm is located in Ostrander, Ohio, between Marysville and Delaware on State Rt. 36.”

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  • Go apple picking and buy fresh fall produce at Lynd Fruit Farm, just 30 minutes away from The Ohio State University!

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  • Ohio Renaissance Festival – Sept 3 – Oct 23, 2016 – Saturdays, Sundays 10:30 AM – 6:00 PM
    • “Thrill…Feast…Watch…Shop…Explore…Enjoy!  Forget your cares and step back in time to this 30-acre re-created 16th Century English village and enjoy over 400 years of fun in a single day! The festival offers something for everyone featuring nearly 100 shows daily on 11 stages, over 135 unique arts and crafts shops, hearty food and drink, games of skill and human-powered rides to amuse all ages.”
  • Cedar Point Haunt
    • Fridays: 6pm – Midnight
    • Saturdays: 11am – Midnight
    • Sundays: 11am – 8pm
  • Columbus International Festival – Nov 12-13, 2016
    • “The 2015 Columbus International Festival will continue a 60 year tradition of bringing together the diverse cultural community in Central Ohio. We are proud to present many new and exciting features such as:
      • Live cultural entertainment and fashion show
      • Ethnic foods and cooking demonstrations
      • Free festival “Passport” and global activities for kids
      • Parade of Nations, Sat & Sun, 3 p.m.
      • Free flu shots, eye, dental and other medical screening free of cost
      • Children’s activities and arts & crafts, free of cost
      • Naturalized Citizenship Oath Ceremony by a federal judge at our CIF stage”
Joyce Zhang is currently a third-year PharmD student at The Ohio State University. She enjoys volunteering at local free clinics, providing healthcare to underserved populations on medical brigades to Nicaragua and Honduras, photography, running and hiking, and drinking tea. She is currently president of Buckeyes Without Borders, president of the PharmD Class of 2018, a Student Ambassador Coordinator, and a member of Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) leadership society, PODEMOS, and Kappa Psi.

Joyce Zhang is currently a third-year PharmD student at The Ohio State University. She enjoys volunteering at local free clinics, providing healthcare to underserved populations on medical brigades to Nicaragua and Honduras, photography, running and hiking, and drinking tea. She is currently president of Buckeyes Without Borders, president of the PharmD Class of 2018, a Student Ambassador Coordinator, and a member of Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) leadership society, PODEMOS, and Kappa Psi.

 

Get to Know Your Ambassadors: Joyce

Hi everyone!  My name is Joyce Zhang and I’m a P3 here at OSU’s College of Pharmacy!  I did my undergrad at OSU studying pharmaceutical sciences and creative writing through the Early Admissions Program (EAP).  This is my third year as a Student Ambassador and my second year as a Coordinator.

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Cappadocia, Turkey

In my opinion, one of the best parts about being at OSU is the number of opportunities available to get involved!  Whatever your passions are, you’ll find a place for them.  Along with being a Student Ambassador Coordinator, I’m currently president of the PharmD Class of 2018, president of Buckeyes Without Borders, and a member of Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) leadership society, Kappa Psi (a pharmaceutical fraternity), and PODEMOS.  I’m passionate about global health, and OSU has given me ample opportunity to travel abroad.  In just two weeks from Oct 21-31, 2016, I will be traveling to the mountains near Cortés, Honduras for a medical brigade with an OSU neurologist (with whom I’m currently doing research).  This past March 2016, I spent a week in Granada, Nicaragua on one of the Buckeyes Without Borders medical brigades.  In June 2015, I spent a week in El Progreso, Honduras on the PODEMOS medical brigade, and in a few months, I will be going back to serve there again this December 2016.  I also traveled to China in July 2015 to participate in a 2-week pharmaceutical internship with the West China School of Pharmacy at Sichuan University.  My dream is to volunteer with Médecins Sans Frontières one day.

Making friends with elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand

My lucky number is 8, so here are 8 fun facts about me:

  1. If I wrote an autobiography, it would be a picture book.  I love photography and my favorite genre to write is creative nonfiction.
  2. I was born in Canada, and have since lived in Ann Arbor, Boston, New Canaan, Nashville, Cincinnati, and Columbus.
  3. Friends, running, hiking, reading fantasy books, writing memoirs, drinking bloody marys, eating sushi and kimchi fried rice, photographing beautiful moments and places, and trying new things like rollerblading and hula hooping.  Full-fat yogurt, belly laughs, getting packages in the mail, sunshine, baking cupcakes, and thrifting.  These are a few of my favorite things!
  4. I’ve traveled in 28 countries and still suffer from the travel bug.  There is still so much of the world I want to see.  Next new places on the agenda is Banff National Park over Thanksgiving break and Peru next June!

    Fox in the Snow Cafe

  5. I like my coffee with lots of cream and without sugar.
  6. My favorite book is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
  7. If I didn’t do pharmacy, I would either become a professional photographer, travel blogger, or open up a bakery and coffee shop.
  8. I have a very intense hat collection.
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Part of my hat collection

Please feel free to email me at zhang.1177@osu.edu! I would love to answer any questions about pharmacy school or just chat about life! 🙂

Joyce Zhang is currently a third-year PharmD student at The Ohio State University. She enjoys volunteering at local free clinics, providing healthcare to underserved populations on medical brigades to Nicaragua and Honduras, photography, running and hiking, and drinking tea. She is currently president of Buckeyes Without Borders, president of the PharmD Class of 2018, a Student Ambassador Coordinator, and a member of Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) leadership society, PODEMOS, and Kappa Psi.

Joyce Zhang is currently a third-year PharmD student at The Ohio State University. She enjoys volunteering at local free clinics, providing healthcare to underserved populations on medical brigades to Nicaragua and Honduras, photography, running and hiking, and drinking tea. She is currently president of Buckeyes Without Borders, president of the PharmD Class of 2018, a Student Ambassador Coordinator, and a member of Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) leadership society, PODEMOS, and Kappa Psi.

 

Get to Know Your Ambassadors: Megan

Hey Future Buckeyes!

My name is Megan Johnson and I am a P3 (or third year pharmacy student) here at the College of Pharmacy. I graduated with a Bachelors of Pharmaceutical Sciences degree from Ohio State in 2014 and I am so grateful that I was able to continue on to get my PharmD from one of the best universities in the world! This upcoming year I will be serving as one of the student ambassador coordinators for the college of pharmacy, so I thought I would tell you a little bit about myself.

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I have 3 older sisters (4 girls… my poor dad!) who inspire me every day. I’m also an aunt to an adorable niece. I grew up in a small town known as Wellington,Ohio which is about 2 hours north of Columbus. I am a country girl at heart, so everyone was surprised when I chose one of the biggest universities to attend. It turns out this big city was the perfect fit for me. Growing up, I was very involved in 4-H which sparked my love for animals. I raised and showed pigs at our county fair for over 12 years. When I wasn’t outside, you could find me in the gym playing volleyball, basketball, and softball. If you can’t tell already, I am a HUGE sports person. I get season tickets every year to watch my buckeyes play football in the ‘Shoe on Saturdays. I’m also a diehard Cleveland sports fan. I can FINALLY say we won a championship 🙂

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Some of my hobbies include: baking, crafting, working out, hiking, fishing, swimming, reading, watching Netflix, camping, and my most recent hobby is archery. The thing I love the most however, is enjoying time with those I love. I am a very happy, go lucky type of girl. I am extremely optimistic and believe everything happens for a reason.

I was once told, “You’ll never work a day in your life if you do something that you love.” I believe that my something is pharmacy. My passion for the profession sparked when I attended a Pharmacy Camp at The University of Toledo my Junior Year in high school. There I was able to shadow multiple pharmacists and see how much of an impact pharmacists have on their community. My oldest sister and her husband are both pharmacists that have inspired me throughout their unique journeys in the profession. Over the years I have had wonderful opportunities to shadow them and tag along on various pharmacy events. Through their experiences, I have seen that the profession of pharmacy can be anything you want it to be. This is what excites me about our profession. There are multiple settings that a pharmacist may work in or create, and the opportunities are endless.

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The reason I chose to attend Ohio State for Pharmacy school is because of the vast array of opportunities that are available here. During undergrad at OSU I was able to continue to pursue my passions. I played club volleyball, joined an environmental scholars group, performed pharmacy research, and have had the time of my life. During my last two years at Ohio State I’ve found myself falling even more in love with this university (which I didn’t think was possible). Ohio State never fails to exceed my expectations! As a pharmacy student I am a member of APhA-ASP, NCPA, SSHP, and I also serve as a mentor for incoming first year pharmacy students. Throughout the past few years I have had amazing experiences with the college including rotations, a study abroad trip, and different events they’ve put on. I can’t wait to tell you more in my posts to follow!

I hope to be hearing from some of you soon! Please feel free to email me at johnson.4816@osu.edu.  🙂

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