Month: July 2015

Housing and Parking

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Hey Guys!

I know along with school, finding housing on or around campus is always very stressful. So I’m going to elaborate on some quick tips for housing and parking to help you out!

The first thing that you must decide when moving to campus is which area you want to live in. Many pharmacy students choose to live off campus in the surrounding neighborhoods by the college. Some popular ones to live in are Grandview, Clintonville, Upper Arlington, Victorian Village, and right off of high street. If you don’t mind driving to campus, many places that are 10+ minutes from campus tend to have cheaper rents/better amenities. These locations include Hilliard, Dublin, Grove City, Gahanna, Worthington, and Bexley.

If you would like to live on campus, grad housing is also an option. Here are the websites for the grad housing available on campus.

http://fisher.osu.edu/ftmba/student-experience/housing

http://housing.osu.edu/living-on-campus/graduate-professional-housing/

Ohio State also has an off campus housing website where you can search for housing near campus and also for roommates. Here is their website:

http://offcampus.osu.edu

If you would like to live off of high street, which is very close to campus here is a list of the realtors in that area. I would suggest to find something closer to south campus (10th-15th street) as those will be a closer walk to the pharmacy building. There is also the campus bus that stops at some locations off campus and would drop you off very close to the pharmacy building.

http://www.buckeyerealestate.com

http://ohiostateapts.com

www.ohiostaterentals.com

www.hometeamproperties.net

www.osuproperties.com

www.universitymanors.com

eastvillageosu.com

www.osurent.com/

Many of my classmates also live at university village which is close to campus, they also provide a shuttle bus to campus which will drop you off right in front of the pharmacy building. Here is their website:

www.universityvillage.com ***

Here are some other common places for pharmacy students to live. Most of them are off campus so they would require driving.

(I have starred the most popular)

http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartments/Ohio/Columbus/Dublin-Plaza/75955/

www.rentheritage.com/

www.olentangycommons.com/

http://ug.thewindsorcompanies.com

http://www.colonyclubohio.com/ ***

www.mgicommunities.com/Profile_index.asp?aid=14415 ***

http://www.sheffieldtownhouses.com

http://www.therunawaybayapartments.com ***

www.marblecliffcommons.com/

www.quarry-apts.com/ ***

www.themeridian-apts.com/ ***

www.livethetribeca.com/

www.livepreferred.com/

Lastly, Many of my classmates also found their current housing on craigslist. So if you I don’t find anything you like here, I would suggest looking there  🙂

If you do choose to live off campus, you may want to consider a parking pass (unless you have a cota or campus bus stop by you). Here are their websites to see their routes:

www.cota.com/ (columbus public bus, this comes free with your tuition)

ttm.osu.edu/cabs (OSU’s campus bus)

There are multiple parking passes available for students. I would suggest the C pass or the WC pass. The C pass would allow you to park at the stadium which is close to the pharmacy building(5 minute walk). The WC pass would allow you to park on west campus and take a CABS bus to the pharmacy building. The passes can be found and purchased on this website:

http://osu.campusparc.com

I would love to elaborate more on housing/parking as there is a lot to tell you but I will keep it short and sweet for now. Please feel free to  email me @ johnson.4816@osu.edu  if you have more questions about housing. I would love to help you 🙂

 

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Doctor of Pharmacy Admissions

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Hi everybody!  Applying to pharmacy school can be very stressful, so here I tried to explain the best way to go about applying to OSU’s PharmD program.  Hope this helps!

Timeline Prior to Enrollment

Begin the application process 12-18 months prior to the intended enrollment date.  The Ohio State Doctor of Pharmacy program operates on rolling admission. Review of applicants begins in September. Interviews occur between January and March. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible after the opening of the PharmCAS application on June 1.

18-14 months: Begin preparing for the PCAT by reviewing your course material. Take at least one official PCAT Practice Test, and study using course notes, purchased study guides, the PCAT Prep Class, or the Kaplan PCAT Test Prep.

15-10 months: Apply through PharmCAS and submit your official transcripts and PCAT scores directly to PharmCAS. After applying through PharmCAS, eligible applicants will be asked to complete a supplemental application directly with Ohio State.

10-5 months: Ohio State will conduct interviews with competitive candidates and will notify these candidates of admission decisions.

 

The Application Process

1.  Take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), a standardized test that is divided into 6 separate sections:

    1. Verbal
    2. Biology
    3. Reading Comprehension
    4. Chemistry
    5. Quantitative Ability
    6. Written Essays

2.  A bachelor’s degree in any major is required for admission to The Ohio State University Doctor of Pharmacy program.  Prerequisite Courses:

General Requirement Description Ohio State Course Number
Human Anatomy/lab Anatomy 2300 or 3300 or EEOB 2510
Introductory Biology/lab Biology 1113
General Chemistry/lab Chemistry 1210-1220
Organic Chemistry/lab Chemistry 2510, 2520, 2540, and 2550
Calculus Math 1151
Statistics Statistics 1450 or 1350
Basic Microbiology/lab Microbiology 4000
Physics/lab (regular or calculus based) Physics 1200-1201

3.  Complete the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS).  Send three letters of recommendation directly to PharmCAS, following the directions on their website to submit these letters.

4.  Make sure you have a strong and well-rounded application that accurately reflects you.  The admission committee consists of faculty and staff will use the following criteria to review candidates:

    1. Performance in prerequisite course work
    2. Cumulative and science grade point averages (Effective 11/1/14, minimum overall GPA required is 2.70 for autumn 2015 admissions.  Average GPA for our most recent admitted cohort was 3.52; range of GPAs was 3.00 – 4.00.)
    3. Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores (minimum composite percentile of 50 with a typical competitive range of 60-99)
    4. Pharmacy experience
    5. Full disclosure of prior misdemeanor or felony convictions
    6. Personal statements completed by the applicant
    7. Extracurricular leadership and work experience
    8. Letters of recommendation
    9. Personal interviews

5.  Complete the Supplemental Application.  Upon submission and verification of your PharmCAS application, candidates will be emailed by Ohio State to create an Ohio State user ID and account login information. The following day you will have access to the supplemental application through the Applicant Center.  The supplemental application will ask you to answer basic personal information and complete two short essay questions. Those questions are:

    1. Describe your interest in the PharmD program at The Ohio State University (250 words or less).
    2. What strengths do you possess that you believe will help you achieve academic success in the Ohio State PharmD program (250 words or less)?

 

International Applicants

Ohio State does accept international applicants for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. International applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow time for transcripts to be reviewed.

Key information for applicants with international coursework:

  • Send your original transcripts directly to the Graduate and Professional Admissions Office in a sealed envelope.
  • English language proficiency tests are required for all students who graduated from an institution in a non-English speaking country. International candidates will need to submit test scores for Test of English as a Foreign Language or Michigan English Language Assessment Battery scores for non-native English speakers (minimum TOEFL score of 577 for the paper-based test or 90-91 for the computer-based test or MELAB of 84)
  • If accepted international students will need to complete a financial review prior to being able to matriculate to the program.

 

For other questions pertaining to the application process for the PharmD program, please e-mail admissions@pharmacy.ohio-state.edu.

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Summer in Columbus

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It’s Summer and You’re in Columbus! Now What?

Columbus is the place to be!  I moved to Columbus, Ohio in the fall of 2010, and though I’ve only been here for less than 5 years, I call Columbus “Home.”  Columbus in the summer is alive with a vibrant array of activities to do, places to eat and shop, and festivals to attend.  Here is my top list for the best of Columbus!

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Columbus is beautiful!

For the Foodie:

North Market is simply one of my favorite places to walk around and try new things, including some of the best of Columbus.  Don’t miss out on Pistacia Vera, Jeni’s, and Hot Chicken Takeover!

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North Market in the Short North

Tensuke Express is a gem if you love Japanese food and are on a budget!

Northstar Cafe is my go-to restaurant.  They have three Columbus locations – Easton, Beechwold, and Short North.  Meeting a friend from out-of-town and need a place to eat?  Northstar is always my first choice.

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Northstar Cafe at Easton Town Center

 Katalina’s Corner Cafe is one of my favorite breakfast places.  They are famous for their Nutella-filled Pancake Balls and their Sweet ‘N’ Spicy Bacon.  Their Mazatlan Slow-Roasted Pork and Egg sandwich is worth every penny.  Oh and don’t forget their tacos!  Mmm so good.

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Pulled Pork Tacos from Katalina’s

Wolf’s Ridge Brewing is my favorite place to brunch in Columbus.  Everything on the menu is mouthwatering and their beermosas and bloody mary’s are on point.

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Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

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Bloody Mary from Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is the most famous place for dessert in Columbus!  They have the most unique flavors of ice cream – my personal favorites are Goat Cheese with Red Cherries and Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts.

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Jeni’s Ice Creams at Easton Town Center

 Pistacia Vera in German Village has the best macarons.

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Pistacia Vera in German Village

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Macarons at Pistacia Vera

 

For the Coffee Lover:

Fox in the Snow Cafe is the trendy new place to get coffee.  The cafe is a renovated garage decorated with lots of green living things.  They have the best egg sandwich and pastries.

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Fox in the Snow Cafe

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Inside Fox in the Snow Cafe

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Latte at Fox in the Snow Cafe

One Line Coffee is a beautiful cafe in the Short North.  The owner is truly passionate about coffee.

The Roosevelt Coffeehouse is great place for coffee downtown that is dedicated to fighting global injustices, such as lack of clean water, hunger, and human trafficking.  Try their iced coffee!

Stauf’s Coffee Roasters is a hotspot for coffee in Columbus.  The Grandview location can get quite crowded, and they recently opened a new shop in German Village near Pistacia Vera.

 

For the Nature Lover:

Goodale Park is a grassy, relaxing park near downtown.

The Olentangy River Trail is the most popular running and biking trail in Columbus.

Columbus Park of Roses is a beautiful park with over 12,000 roses.  The roses are typically in full bloom from mid-June through mid-September.

The Franklin Park Conservatory boasts breath-taking botanical gardens, glasshouses, plant collections, and art collections.

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Franklin Park Conservatory

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Franklin Park Conservatory

 

For the Festival Lover:

Columbus Arts Festival – June 12-14, 2015

Columbus Pride Festival – June 19-21, 2015

Comfest – June 26-28, 2015

Red White and Boom – July 3, 2015

Jazz and Rib Fest – July 17-19, 2015

The Ohio State Fair – July 29- August 9, 2015

Columbus Food Truck Fest – August 14-16, 2015

 

For the Explorer:

 Easton Town Center is my favorite mall in Columbus (there’s also Polaris and Tuttle).  It’s a beautiful outdoor mall, perfect for both casual window shoppers and serious spenders.

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Easton Town Center

Short North Gallery Hop is a celebration of the downtown Short North shops the first Saturday of every month from 4pm-10pm, although the festivities often run much later!  Shops are open late and there are special events, food, drinks, performers, and art gallery exhibitions.

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Short North at night in Columbus

The Columbus Museum of Art has free admission on Sundays and features a variety of exhibitions.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a nationally acclaimed zoo and a great way to spend a summer day!  Recently, a tiger just had triplets.  On a hot day you can also head over to the water park Zoombezi Bay right next door and cool down!

COSI is a fun, hands-on science museum for children and adults alike!

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COSI – Columbus

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Scioto Mile – Columbus

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Columbus at Night

 

One of my fellow Student Ambassador Coordinators, Megan Johnson says for the sports and music fans: In the summer we have the Columbus Crew games (professional soccer) and Clippers games (minor league baseball), and Columbus hosts a number of concerts at Nationwide Arena, The Schottenstein Center, the Newport, and the outdoor LC pavilion.

I would love to chat and give more suggestions on how to get to know Columbus!  Email us at cop-ambassadors@osu.edu!

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