Hello All!

Let’s talk about pharmacy technician experience and pharmacy school.

Bad news: It does look good on your application.

Good news: It is not necessary.

I know plenty of my peers who did not come to pharmacy school with any tech experience. Some only had volunteering experience at a pharmacy. I think many (if not most) of those that did not come into pharmacy school with experience got an internship to gain that experience. So you should know that it can wait.

Where I am from, it is incredibly hard to get a tech job. I tried applying at all the pharmacies around the area I lived for the first two and a half years of my undergrad. No bites. So here I was, almost the end of my junior year, really stressed about my lack of experience and pharmacy school applications (if only this blog post was around back then). What I did was I asked to volunteer at an independent pharmacy in my neighborhood. I needed a minimum of 50 hours of pharmacy experience for the school I was looking at. The owner/pharmacist was very understanding of my situation, and since she knew I was interested in pharmacy as a career, she allowed me to volunteer!

I would highly suggest doing this if you are freaking out as much as I did. The funny thing is that I didn’t even have to stress about my lack of experience because there are so many more qualities and criteria that The Ohio State University looks at for applicants. So you don’t really have to do this, or feel like you have to.

The best part about this was that the owner/pharmacist loved me and the help that I brought to her pharmacy, that she offered me a job after I was done with my volunteer hours.

Some other ways of gaining experience that the admissions committee looks at are: “participation in a pharmacy related organization, work as a pharmacy technician, volunteer work in a health care setting or a charitable pharmacy, along with other educational or extracurricular opportunities.” This was found on the FAQ page of The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy website. You should check it out if you have not already!

Thanks for reading! I hope this relieved some stress and gave you some ideas on gaining experience that you may have had!

Hi Future Candidates!

I’m here to talk to you about preparing for your interview here at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. I hope you are so very excited about your interview! As one of your Student Ambassador Coordinators, I am so excited to meet you on the day of your interview.

So how should you prepare for your interview day?

You should know that the interview is open file. Be prepared for any questions or interests that your interviewers may have! As an example, I was asked to talk about The Lost Boys of Sudan, an organization I volunteered for in Arizona, and how that impacted my life. My interviewers had never heard about The Lost Boys of Sudan and wanted to know more about it, just as they will want to know more about your own personal interests and involvement. Don’t expect questions solely about pharmacy!

Your interview will take place with two people. One interviewer is typically one of our fantastic faculty or staff, and the other interviewer is a pharmacist well-known to the college or one of our top students. Both people will be amazing and will have incredible knowledge to share with you. So if you have any questions for them, don’t be afraid to take advantage of them!

Speaking of questions…. You can also ask any of the ambassadors questions that day as well. Feel free to ask us any question – big or small – that pops into your mind as you research our college and campus.  Whether it be about student life, housing, classes, internships, expectations of the college, etc. we are here to answer every question.

An ambassador should contact you closer to your interview, so you can also ask any questions via email. When I came to Columbus for my interview, I arrived early the day before and my ambassador met with me to tell me more about events that were going on in the college or in Columbus in general. My ambassador recommended some places to eat as well!

The best thing you can do to prepare for your interview is to simply relax and be yourself.  You’ve already gotten the grades and passed all the tests, so let your passion for pharmacy shine through, and you will definitely do well on your interview. I know this is a very stressful time, but try to not stress too much and get excited about your future in pharmacy!!

Good luck with your interview day! Hopefully you come to know that The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy is the perfect fit for you! Just like it was for me. 🙂

Hey Future Buckeyes!

As school is starting back up again, so does the start of college football! Here at OSU many traditions are associated with football season. Being a buckeye at heart, I figured I would give you a little insight to the most important traditions on campus. Enjoy!

1. Carmen Ohio

Throughout the entire year you will hear the song “Carmen Ohio”, which is our Alma Mater sang during various occasions. It is mostly sang before and after many sporting events. During the song, students lock arms and sway back and forth while singing it. The song ends with “How firm thy friendship, O-HI-O. Once you experience a stadium full of people singing it, you’ll never forget it.

2. Brutus Buckeye

Brutus Buckeye is Ohio State’s well-known mascot. Until the 1960’s OSU did not have a mascot, but in 1965 an art student designed and introduced the first Brutus. Since then, Brutus has been stealing the hearts of the Ohio State community with his big smile and talented tricks.

3. O-H?!

If you’re planning on coming to Ohio State, be sure to answer O-H with an I-O! This tradition started in 1942 when U.S. navy sailors began chanting O-H-I-O-S-T-A-T-E to the tune of “Row, row, row your boat”. One of those sailors then enrolled at OSU and became a cheerleader. This student tried to teach this long chant to the crowd after a hard loss, but the chant proved to be too difficult for the crowd to keep up with. Eventually they settled for O-H-I-O, which some may say was a turning point for Ohio State Football.

4. TBDBITL

If you haven’t seen this before TBDBITL stands for “The best damn band in the land” Ohio State’s well-known marching band. Some even refer to the band as “The pride of the Buckeyes”. The band kicks off every game with Script Ohio followed by an unbelievable halftime show. Before each game, the band also plays at the “Skull Session” to get the crowd excited for the upcoming match. During this time coaches, players, the band and fans all get together to prepare for the game! The band is best known for their halftime show arrangements and formations such as Star-Trek, Michael Jackson, and Wizard of Oz.

5.Script Ohio

Although it’s hard to believe, the first band to perform script Ohio was the University of Michigan during a halftime show at Ohio Stadium. The band spelled out “Ohio” in script diagonally across the field. Four years later, Ohio State’s band performed Script Ohio during a game and the rest is history! Today the band performs Script Ohio right before every football game. A senior sousaphone player tops it off with the dotting of the “I”.

5. Fight Songs

While most schools have one fight song, Ohio State has three. OSU has the “Buckeye Battle Cry”, “Across the Field”, and the crowd favorite “Hang on Sloopy”. These can be heard continuously throughout game days at Ohio State.

6. Victory Bell

Previous graduating classes of Ohio State donated the Giant Victory Bell that sits in the Southeast tower of Ohio Stadium. The bell is rang by students for 15-20 minutes after a victory and can be heard up to 5 miles away!

7. Mirror Lake

As you’ve probably heard, Ohio State’s biggest rivalry is the University of Michigan. In 1990, a group of 100 OSU students decided to jump into Mirror Lake (a manmade pond on campus) the Thursday before Ohio State played the team up North to show their support for their team. Now over 12,000 students take the cold plunge into the water during the week of Thanksgiving to show their support for the upcoming game against their biggest rivalry.

8. The “Long Walk”

In the heart of Ohio State’s campus sits the oval, where many students go to walk their dogs, play Frisbee, and even sunbathe. The oval is also known to be a bit romantic. Tradition says that if you take the “long walk” from one end to the other holding hands with your loved one, you’ll be together forever.

Now you’re ready to be a buckeye! O-H!