Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools include inquiries about self-care practices, handling emotional situations with patients, strengths and weaknesses, future career goals, motivation, interest in pharmacy, leadership experiences, stress management techniques, and personal interests. Some respondents also mentioned questions related to Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) or non-disclosure agreements, indicating a structured interview format with specific guidelines in place.
A patient comes into the pharmacy and is getting a medication for his mother who was just diagnosed with cancer. There is a long line at the pharmacy and it is incredibly busy. When he picks up his meds he bursts into tears. What would you do in this situation?
what do you see the changes in the future of pharmacy profession? The program here allow PHarm students collaborate with med students, Do you think you will be able to deal with this challenge?
Describe one rewarding academic experience. (If you did a research project, bring this UP during the interview and talk about how rewarding that was. They love that you took charge of your own academic careers) Be agressive with that.
Students said the most interesting question asked at University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences discussed a variety of scenarios, including handling emotional situations at the pharmacy, personal interests and hobbies, future challenges in pharmacy, and creative hypothetical questions. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) as some respondents alluded to non-disclosure agreements, while others mentioned basic interview questions and personal experiences.
A patient comes into the pharmacy and is getting a medication for his mother who was just diagnosed with cancer. There is a long line at the pharmacy and it is incredibly busy. When he picks up his meds he bursts into tears. What would you do in this situation?
Describe and tell us what you learn from this book you talked about in your application.
(watch out, ppl with ''interesting application'' - this is ''shine or die'')
the interesting question came from the writing prompt which was "if you could invite 3 people, living or dead, to a special dinner tonight, who would you invite and why?
What would happen if you caught your friend cheating? What would happen if you caught your cousin, whose mother is your mother's very close sister, cheating (i.e. on an essay, test, etc.)?
Do you know the role of Cytochrome P450 in drug metabolism? (Asked because we were talking about some of my favorite classes and the things I learned- I couldn't answer the question which was ok- but I learned some interesting things from them about it).
Students said most difficult question asked at University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences discussed a variety of topics such as strengths and weaknesses, unique attributes compared to other candidates, past learning experiences, and future challenges in pharmacy. Some respondents mentioned questions about specific diseases, ethical scenarios, and future changes in healthcare, while others noted inquiries about personal achievements and preferences, with a few mentioning the interview being part of an MMI format with nondisclosure agreements possibly in place.
What other schools did you apply to? What did you like about that school? (Be careful and redirect the question to emphasize why you want to attend UCSD)
Did you think what he did was ethical or appropriate? (I was telling them about a difficult experience in my pharmacy and how the pharmacist resolved it)
Do you know of any problems facing the health industry such as with Medicare? (I didn't really so we talked about problems pertaining more to the job of a pharmacist)
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your comments on where you stayed?
Beautiful hotel and only 15 minutes form campus which is nice because family members/friends can come back there while you are doing your interview day.
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Most applicants prepared for the interview by utilizing resources such as Student Doctor Network (SDN), practicing with friends and family, reviewing their application materials, and researching the school and current pharmacy topics. They also emphasized the importance of practicing responses to common interview questions, reading up on the school's website, and seeking feedback from pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Looking at UCSD's website, SDN questions, and interview questions I found online
I reviewed my research project (since I was working full-time as a Research Technician for The Scripps Research Institute). I didn't even review my PharmCAS application. I looked at the name of the two people interviewing me when I signed in, Tony mentioned one of them in the orientation presentation, so I knew a little bit about one of the interviewers before going into the actual interview.
SDN, read and re-read school website, looked over application, formulated answers to questions frequently asked at UC interviews in the past, previous interview at another school, podcasts about medical/pharmacy news, subscribed to Drug Topics, etc.
i read all the questions on this site, read over personal statements, asks friends, coworkers and family about answers to them. Had a mock interview with a professor i knew.
read up on sdn, re-read my app, researched the school, read up on current topics in pharmacy/healthcare, practiced questions, made a list of experiences/extracurriculars/qualities that i wanted to incorporate/highlight
read SDN, pharmacist.com, some other offline pharmacy journals, went thru every single interview question posted in the interview feedback section (including non UCSD), practiced repeatedly and tape recorded myself, attended a mock interview held at my school, had 5 more mocks elsewhere,
Student Doctor Network, read entire UCSD pharmacy website, read up about pharmaceutical care, read articles for continuing education credit in magazines like Drug Topics and at rxschool.net, read NY Times & LA Times health sections, contacted pharmacy students and pharmacists
Read this website, and had the experience from my previous 2 interviews... that's about it. Since any question can be asked you just have to speak from the heart, don't try and be someone you're not.
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendly and laid-back atmosphere at UCSD, with positive experiences during interviews, interactions with faculty and students, and the overall campus environment. They also praised the school's potential for growth, the modern facilities, rigorous curriculum, and the opportunities available in the surrounding area, highlighting the unique aspects of the program such as integration with medical students, small class sizes, and the pass/fail/honors grading system.
The faculty at UCSD is incredibly impressive. They are all practicing pharmacists while teaching and doing research. There are so many opportunities at this school and if you go for an interview they share a lot about their faculty which is fun to learn about.
The interview was more like a conversation, they didn't drill me with questions. It felt like I was just talking with friends about what it is I had done in the past 4 years (in 30 minutes). We ran out of time and we couldn't cover everything in my application.
curriculum looks interesting and challenging. research opportunities. electives. 2nd year stress level. some students still work while studying. clinically focused vs retail pharmacy. hot weather. attraction sites.Naplex passing rate. small class .H/P/F system
The speech the dean made at the interview- it told us a lot about the university and what a great place it is to get an education. Also the campus is beautiful and the new pharmacy building is very nice. Also, the program is very flexible and there are so many opportunites in the city.
Everyone was really nice and I had an overall great experience. They made you feel really comfortable. I also liked that the essay was not timed, so I was able to take my time with it.
the quality of the education program, how friendly and stressed-free everyone is, and how beautiful the surroundings are, as well as the fact that even though the UCSD pharmacy program is relatively new, it is still up to par and even better than well established ones like UCSF and especially USC. UCSD definitely humiliated USC in my opinion. It wasn't even a contest.
Everyone was extremely enthusiastic and the program incorporates all that UCSD has to offer, including SIO (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) and UCSD's medical school. Also, the facilities are brand new and gorgeous.
The interview was soooo chill. I think it's b/c they have an hour orientation and I sat in the way back and just relaxed while eating snacks. My nervousnessness went away. And the campus is beautiful!!! The area is beautiful and sunny!
How everything about the school is new (program, building, etc.), how enthusiastic the faculty were about the program's potential, how unique the program is (classes with medical students, small class size).
Just a little note: some people on SDN complained about not getting a full tour of UCSD. You guys do not understand how huge UCSD is. A full tour would require at least an hour. Believe me, I did my undergrad at UCSD and had 10 minutes to get from one class to another.. I had to run!! The graduate school is concentrated in one area, but undergraduate + graduate + administration buildings = tons of space consumed.
Weather in SD is unbeatable. UCSD is about 5 minutes from the beach. Some places on campus you can actually see the ocean.
The pharmacy building is new and impressive. There are three hospitals located on campus to intern at. The students and faculty were very friendly and helpful.
That everyone I met was super-friendly, and not competitive at all. The faculty seem to stress on a good education and teamwork. Classes are pass/fail/honors.
EVERYTHING! The school has tons of potential to grow into a great school. They have top-notch faculty from all over the place! The new building is GORGEOUS! Way better than all the other schools i went to so far (UOP and USC). All the students that came in to talk to us were very enthusiastic about the school and LOVED it there. There was a one hour orientation that went indepth of the school and it's curriculum. The location of hte school is great. There's so many things in SD that will more than prepare you for a pharmD degree--scripps, scripps institute of oceanography, children's hospital, VA hospital, UCSD medical center, free clinics... LOTS. They also offered marine pharmacology which sounds cool.
The interviewers were so cool! So laid back and friendly. As were the students. Everyone just seemed really happy to be there and excited about the future of the school.
It will be a great program, hard but great! It is a gorgeous campus. The students are enthusiastic, love the school and have great relationships with the faculty.
The Pharm D. program has recently received generous funding and the brand-new pharmacy building will be ready in early 2006! They're also expanding the biomed library to accomodate new materials for the program.
Love the area, the presentation the dean made and the way they think about developing pharmacists were awesome. And they got a $30 million grant and are building new pharmacy buildings.
It's insane how much money the school has, which is good because the new pharmacy school builiding will be top-notch and the school will be able to recruit excellent faculty members.
The faculty are VERY enthusiastic about their school, and for good reason because there is a lot of money from a lot of influential people going into this school. They were honest in saying that the academic curriculum would be extremely rigorous.
They are admitting at least 60 students so I know I have at least a 33% chance of gaining entrance to the UCSD pharmacy program (200 students were interviewed)
How open and excited the faculty were about their program. They really seem to care about improving their education and tailoring it to fit what they perceive as fitting for future pharmacists
Everything, they have a very academically challenging curriculam and expect you to perform as well as their med students. Everyone was extremely nice and they have a very prestigious faculty.
The students and faculty members are extremely excited about the program and have developed an extremely challenging but strong curriculum which seems to truly prepare you for a long future in pharmacy
The integration with the medical school, how friendly everyone was (although only saw one student- apparently they were all in class), how gung-ho they are, la jolla (duh!), the size of the class is tiny (30!....could be good or bad)
everyone was really enthusiastic and excited on the progression of the new school. they seemed very confident that ucsd will become one of the top pharmacy schools in the nation in a short amount of time.
Seeing the beach was nice, school looks modern and sleek. Interview was pretty relaxed, i liked the easy essay questions and my interviewers were super nice
The students seemed very gung-ho about the school. The curriculum looks really amazing and integrated, though very demanding. They have high expectations for the school and are confident it will be a top school and offer great opportunities. They have recruited amazing researchers/faculty to work there and more will come when the building is done in 2005.
Applicants were commonly disappointed by the lack of a formal campus tour, inadequate information provided, disorganization in scheduling, feeling isolated from the campus community, and concerns about the curriculum and interview experience. Suggestions included improving communication, offering more structured tours, enhancing organization during interview days, and providing clearer information about the program and campus facilities.
The campus tour was not as informative as I would have liked. All of the buildings were closed since it was the weekend. But, since we were having an interview day I would have thought that they would open them so we could see/experience spaces that we would take classes or study in. Additionally, the students did not point me into the direction of information which could be improved. Instead they would just say they do not know - but not point me towards someone who does know.
I found that my interviewers were very nice, but I couldn't tell if they were actually interested in what I was saying. They seemed almost patronizing, and it was very hard to read if I did "well" or not.
The organization of the interview was a bit off. I came for a 12 o clock interview, but after a one hour orientation, I had to wait until 3:15 for my interview...it was a bit restless.
I got there half an hour early and there were signs to where the pharmacy school was, but the signs didn't point directly at a sidewalk, so I got lost in the medical building at UCSD, which I arrived at the interview a few minutes late.
no information about financial aid. no takehome remembrance from the school...they seemed in cut off budget no folder /newsletter/financial aid papers to takehome.
People started chatting in the room where we were all writing our essays. Those inconsiderate bitches should really shut up. We are trying to write a timed essay here. They really should have gone outside to start their conversations.
The interview was on a Monday, so all the students were in class taking a test and there were no students to talk to about the program. Because no students were free to help out with the interview, the interview was conducted by two faculty members. The faculty members seemed as though they weren't trying to be intimidating, but they still were. Having a student present during the interview would have made the experience much more enjoyable.
I've lived in San Diego for all of my life. I gave UCSD a mediocre culture rating not because the school isn't diverse, but because San Diego isn't as exciting as say, San Francisco or Las Vegas. San Diego is a little more culturally homogenous, a little more conservative.
new school, new building, sharing classrooms with med students..not accredited...only accepts 60....lights in presentation room kept flickering on and off.
School didn't give us any formal campus tour (you have to ask the students to give you a tour if you want. But this is optional and I didn't ask since I was kind of nervous and nobody asked that.)
Nothing. The presentation at the beginning intimidated me as it went over the intense curriculum and listed the high calibur faculty the school has worked to recruit but it just highlights the greatness that this school will achieve.
On the day that I interviewed, all the pharm students were in classes so none of them had the opportunity to interview us. Later on in the day, some of them showed up and answered our questions about the school. It would have been nice to have one student and one faculty interview me instead of two faculty members.
Cramped quarters, although they are expanding, so you may not get to complain about this next year. Also, they didn't even time the essay-writing portion.
I thought the interview was going to be a one on one basis, but I guess they decided to have two interviewers at the same time. (both interviewers were Pharm D)
We were all cramped in the room that was smaller than some bedrooms. Also, the fact that the program is fairly new, and the curriculum is not fully developed as of yet.
A previous poster had mentioned how they always deferred to how impressive their med school program was which is kind of true. I over heard some UCSD pharm student say that if you get your Pharm. D. here you're basically "like a doctor" because you take the same classes (although he failed to mention that its only CERTAIN types of classes) as the M.D. students. When I heard the comment, I was wondering how the student thought Pharm D.=M.D.? Eh?
the building that the interviews were in was a dump (the new building is not yet finished). the campus was not that nice. but la jolla is a beautiful city.
The school is not yet built, it will be completed in 2007. They seem more focus on their medical program than their pharmacy program, they kept on talking about they how great their medical school is and how pharmacy students are lucky to be able to take classes with med-students. They are really judgmental and they attack you during your interview.
There was some confusion about the timing of interviews, essay, etc. and some people missed their interview and had to do it later. Make sure to ask if no one comes to get you at the time on your card.
Applicants commonly expressed the wish to have known more about the interview format and parking logistics ahead of time. They highlighted the closed-file nature of the interview, the casual and low-stress atmosphere, and the need to plan for parking ahead of time to avoid being late.
The interview is CLOSED file. One interviewer is a current student (Student host) while the other interviewer is an alumni, professor, or somehow related to Skaggs
This is probably due to my novice interview skills, but everyone else seemed to have notebooks containing their resumes and personal statements to look over while waiting for their interview. Luckily for me it didn't matter because I was one of the first to be interviewed.
There are signs when you drive into the school of where you can park. I stopped by the visitor's center before finding out that there were signs in place at the school when you get in.
That it was open file. The interviews around know a lot about you from your personal statements and supplemental essays. The interview serves so that they can know more out your personality and what kind of a leader are you,,,and if you are a stressed free jolly person or not. They are looking for people with natural intelligence and common sense, instead of a hardworker, who memorizes slides all day and can vomit everything out during an exam and then forget what he/she memorized next quarter.
If your interview time is at the beginning and then you have to write your essay, take it to the Biomedical Library and write it in there. By the time you return to the room to write your essay, students who are still waiting for their interview and have finished their essays will be chatting. It is incredibly distracting!
About 40 people were interviewed in the group i was in. and about 5 different pairs of interviewers were interviewing. Whether you get a hard or easy professor is all on luck.
My interview was on Saturday (noon) and it was very bad traffic driving from Orange county. I left my house more than 2hrs before the interview time, but I was almost late to interview. Fortunately, I arrived there 10 min early but I was very nervous for the whole time.
How much I would be impressed and love this school. . . unfortunately and fortunately, I had the tough decision to choose between this wonderful school and UCSF. If only I could combine both schools!!!
That wearing heels and walking from one end of the med school parking lot to the center of the school (where the interviews were conducted) can be quite a sacrifice. My poor feet!
I thought the interview was with one faculty and one pharmacy student. Only a few first year pharm students showed up later to answer questions. Second and third year pharm students did not attend or participate.
Applicants generally found UCSD to have a laid-back environment with friendly staff and students, emphasizing collaborative learning and individuality during interviews. They appreciated the focus on getting to know them as individuals, highlighting the school's potential for growth and competitiveness in the future.
UCSD is great. I think their program is the most laid back compared to UCSF and USC, yet it seems that their students are still highly motivated and they encourage collaborative learning.
This was my first pharmacy school interview, so I am glad it was so laid back. I would recommend getting to know more about your interviewers when they ask if you have any questions for them. I only directed my questions to the pharmacy school student who was interviewing me, and neglected to find out more about the pharmacist interviewing me.
Don't give up! they interview about 280 people and accept 110 (because they need to consider that some people won't end up going to the school). So if you are accepted for an interview you have 40% chance to get in! The staff and students are really nice there!
I loved UCSD. They had the orientation presentation that every school has, but I didn't know much about UCSD since it was considered a brand new school. They were telling us random facts about the school, and how the school has a state of the art pharmacy school, and is consistently improving and getting better. I loved the SoCal environment that UCSD has, and it was great to meet the faculty. My interview was 30 minutes and it was with one staff and one pharmacist. I talked for about 10 minutes while the interviewers talked for the rest of the time. They really made the environment really relaxed, and I showed a lot about myself and how I am with even my own friends. It was amazing how open they were and how interested they were in getting to know me. The essay was very chill. I started writing my essay, and they would call us out one-by-one for the interview, and I left my stuff, did my interview, and came back and finished my essay. I walked around the small campus when I finished my essay, and I talked to some of the pharmacy students as well as some of the interviewees. Overall, I loved UCSD, and after a month, I received my acceptance letter! =D
Don't pretend to be interested in something because you think that's what the Pharmacy School wants you to be interested in it. Be honest with yourself on what it is you want to do with your life. Have stories and details on personal experiences ready to go. The interviewers will remember you because of your stories.
at the start you get to check in. dean talks. the 1 hour school presentation. 30 mins interview or you get to write your essay and continue writing after your interview. Interview is arranged by batch. then you get to go student room to chat with students. ask for tour coz there's really no formal tour. then check out.
The writing sample was completely off the wall (see above). However, I wasn't too professional with my answer, but I hope it was a good read. I liked it.
My interviewer just wanted to get to know me and didn't have prepared questions to ask. We just had a conversation. My interviewer was super-approachable and down-to-earth. Also, if you have time, stop by the host room and talk to the students. They are really nice. Oh yeah refreshments (water, coffee, tea) and granola bars were provided. Note: I made this entry by mistake before my actual interview, but I went back and entered it correctly.
Like everyone else said, the interview was conducted in a very casual way. I had a professor and a 3rd year student interview me. Even though it was open-file, I felt like they didn't really ask me specific questions from my file (they only asked about one EC activity that i listed).
I went in completely relaxed coz I got into USC very early. I got very nervous half way into the interview since they ask extremely specific questions. I got in though so it worked out. The writing part is a piece of cake. Don't even worry about that part.
I thought the overall experience was great. I left the interview feeling good about it, unlike many of the other ones I had previously. I thought that the interviewers were more interested about getting to know me as a person, rather than define me by my grades and the things I had accomplished.
Very fun, got free cookies and milk, which I recommend you drink after you do the interview. Some people had milk breath and surprisingly no one had a breath mint. They lead you to this room where you receive a presentation about how great this school is. Then, you get started on your essay. And all the while, interviewers will come in and call you and lead you to a room, where you will be with one professor and one first year student. The first question is 98%: tell me about yourself. Make this a conversation. Include the interviewers in your conversation because the interview is an interaction, which means both the interviewers and interviewee have to interact. Be friendly and honest. Don't give wishy-washy answers. They can tell if you suck. Therefore, just be youself. Don't stress, love the moment.
This school is amazing. I had a very difficult time deciding between it and UCSF. You really can't go wrong, though! Also, I did terribly on the essay but did really well on the interview (that's why I gave myself 5/10), but they still accepted me, so don't stress out too much over the essay!
Also, a vast majority of my questions came from my essays, so be sure to look over those!
It was a great interview experience. The interviewers were sooo nice. The faculty was trying to joke around with me and the pharmacy student was like the nicest person i have ever met.
I thought I was terrible at the interview. I didn't think I connected with the interviewers, I was nervous the whole time, and I felt as though I failed big time after it was all done. The funny thing is that I still was offered a position in the program. I'm not quite sure how that worked out. They must have sensed that I had done my research on the school, I had prepared for the interview, and that I had a really strong desire to attend the school.
It was amazing! They let you write your essay in the time that you are not on the tour on in your interview. It is very very laid back. There is also a room of a few studentst that you can talk to honestly about the program.
The interview's not bad at all. Very friendly, relaxed .. but it really depends on who your interviewer is. There's an essay but you are given plenty of time to do it. The essay question was a fun question, the kind you would ask your 5 year old sibling.
I was supposed to be there at noon, but i arrived at 9am. I was a nervous wreck for 3 hours. Then at noon there was a one hour orientation that calmed my nerves, then interviews started. I got the last time slot and again was a nervous wreck for 2 hours. During the interview some of the questions caught me off guard and required me to think on my feet. Because i didn't sound too sure on some answers, i feel that may have negatively affected me.
The first hour or so is spent listening to a very thorough presentation about the school and curriculum. Then you are given an interview time and essay topic. While you are not interviewing, you can write your essay and just chat with the other applicants. Afterwards, we went on a small tour of the building/library and checked-out. Overall, it took about 3 hours.
we had a presentation of the school by the dean,interviews, writing sample and tour of library. there was plenty of time to write the essay (it just had to be turned in before we left). one of my interviewers was a pharm. student and the other a faculty member.
Overall, this interview experience was great. The students and faculty make you very comfortable. Interviewers are friendly and they don't stress out on the essay too much. The new pharmacy building is nice, and the speech from the dean was great. This school seems like they treat you like an individual, and not a number (unlike their sister school).
my interview experience was pretty chill. I was skeptical about this school and didn't even want to go here (cuz i did my undergrad here) but after the presentation, i am truly amazed. UCSD is already great, but there's so many bigger and better plans for UCSD. They are expanding a lot with the grant they got, so i think the school will really run in competition with UCSF later on. it's a great school, but tough.
It was the best interview I had! My interviewers just wanted to get to know me having emphasized that in getting an interview, they knew I would do well academically with them. So complimentary! In summary: awesome people, awesome school!
Very conversational though I was afraid I was rambling...very comfortable experience overall. Be prepared for hypothetical questions, know your application well, and sell your best attributes!
I attended UCSD for my undergrad studies. The school is exellent in several aspects: Research, faculty, student-body, location, etc. I have nothing but praise for this school and certainly hope and pray to God that I get in!
Get there early, hang out and talk to fellow candidates, have about an hour orientation in a little room- they give you water though. Then over the next couple hours it's not really structured, you just have your interview at a specific time and any time you are not in your interview you can be writing your essay or talking to students. (our essay question was "if you could switch places with someone for a day who would it be and why?") I heard the interviews usually involve a student, but since they were in class mine was 2 professors (one full time one part time).
Everyone was super nice. The students are extremely dedicatd to studying here, so if you're looking to just sun-bathe at the beach (only 10-minute drive away), you'll be disappointed, not that they don't have fun, but the work load is great.
The interview was easy going and laid back. First about 20 students were at the orientation for an hour before interviews and essays began. I was calm and collected and ready for the interview until I sat in the chair. Easier said then when you are in the hot chair. (I had butterflies and felt choked up for a moment) I think having two interviewers made me lose focus because I had to acknowledge both individuals at the same time. I completed the interview and finished my essay afterwards.
I finished the day with a tour of the campus and the library.
Very relaxing environment, they just really want to get to know you and see what brings you to the school. Nothing too difficult and there is no time limit for the essay. I definitely feel like this will become one of the top schools in a few years.
Great school, terrific program, enthusiastic staff, very impressive recruitment of faculty members, the interview was very stress-free and everyone was really nice!
It was very easygoing. The interviewers knew all about me because they read my essays prior to my arrival. So I didn't have to go into my life story like all my other interviews. They asked questions specific to me.
you have plenty of time to write your essay. there is a library tour and of course, the interview. very laid back - just the typical interview questions. nothing surprising.
Interviewing in the afternoon meant waiting outside the building to be let in for awhile (but at least it allowed me to see one student). After being let in we had a presentation on the status of the school, its curriculum, what to expect (definitely looks intense), how many they were interviewing etc. Everyone seems happy and confident that the school is and will be great. Integration (~40%) with the medical school means that classes will probably be tougher but I think it makes for a great background. Then we were given the interview times and essay topic (Who do you want to see put on Mt. Rushmore?) I lucked out and was one of the first to interview so that it didnt interupt my essay writing time. Both interviewers were very friendly and although we covered a lot of topics, I never felt attacked. I had plenty of chances to ask ?'s about the school, etc. After the interview I wrote my essay and you have an opportunity to go on a tour if you desire/have time.
Great potential school, some classes are taken with med students..big deal since your only graded on a curve, and once you get into pharm school your a pharmacist anyway (you are graded by a letter)
The interviwers were really nice. Both the faculty and the student interviewed me at the same time. Although, it was the faculty member talking 90% of the time. LOL. I got to San Diego a couple of days before the interview so I had time to tour the campus and the city. Needless to say, the campus is awesome and I think UCSD will be program that will eventually compete with UCSF in the near future. So accept me PLEASE!!! Man, I'm gonna have a hard time studying in UCSD if I get accepted, there is so many things to do there.
It was not a very fun interview. The two people that interviewed me was both pharmacists and they like to push your button. They are cruel and not friendly at all. They turn everything you say into a negative thing. The school of pharmacy is way too small and they seem more focus on their medical school. Great campus though and great place to live.
Overall, a very intriguing program due to its integration with the medical school. Definitely a great place to do clinical pharmacy. The small class size could be positive or negative depending on how well you click with your classmates. It is definitely a cool place and as a result very hard to get into.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants commonly suggested that the admissions office provide tours, update applicants on their application status via email, and offer more information about financial aid and tuition. They also recommended sending interview invitations via email rather than regular mail for better communication.
Suggest giving a tour although the actual school is quite small.
