APPLYING
Pre-Pharmacy Program Application Tips
Unlike many institutions, Drake University accepts students directly into its pre-pharmacy program on a competitive basis. The goal is to admit students who have the potential, as demonstrated by their ability, motivation, and habits in high school to successfully enter the professional PharmD program and become capable and trusted pharmacists in the future. Evidence of your ability, motivation, and habits should be apparent in your application for admission to the pre-pharmacy program.
Although following the tips in completing the application cannot ensure admission and may seem somewhat obvious, the Pre-pharmacy Admission Committee within the Office of Admission recommends that particular care be taken in presenting your application to this program.
Apply before the deadline. The application and all required documents must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2010, and must reach the Office of Admission no later than December 10, 2010. (Notification of admission decisions will be made in January.) Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application. If supporting documents are missing, a late application does not give the Office of Admission counselors time to notify you. To ensure a fair process for all applicants, exceptions to deadline requirements cannot be made.
Submit the right application. Students can apply for the pre-pharmacy program by completing the Drake online application, the Drake paper application, or the Common Application. Students submitting any of these applications are given equal consideration. The one application that is not acceptable for the pre-pharmacy program is the Drake Choice Student Application (either print or online).
Apply for the right program. You should clearly list pre-pharmacy as your first-choice program. An alternate program should be selected as your second choice. Since Drake is one of the few institutions that admits students to the pre-pharmacy program within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, you should NOT apply to Drake for chemistry, biology, or another program if pharmacy is your choice of career.
Due to the competitive nature of the program, we recommend that all students applying to pre-pharmacy have a back-up plan, which is one reason we require an alternate program listed as your second choice. Should you not be offered admission to the pre-pharmacy program, you will automatically be considered for the alternate program.
Review all information on your application before submitting it to Drake. Students wishing to enter the pharmacy profession should not be making sloppy errors, either spelling or grammatical. Be thorough, accurate, and professional in all responses. Attention to detail is a quality that is desired for pharmacists and, therefore, an expectation of our applicants as well.
Take time and care with your essay. This is an important part of the application. No preference is given to one suggested topic or another, but your essay should reflect who you are and complement other components of your application. As with your application, be sure that it is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Although the essay must be your own work, other individuals whose opinions you value may offer constructive comments to enhance your essay.
Do not be shy in listing your activities, honors, leadership positions, and work experience. Pharmacists are engaged with the community, and, therefore, involvement outside the classroom and on your own time is another important component of your application. Resumes are accepted, but not required if you are able to list your activities on the application. Parents tend to remember your accomplishments, and you may wish to ask them to review your list. Also, do not forget to list your work experiences.
Recommendation letters beyond high school counselor report may be submitted. Drake does not have a form for references to complete; letters are acceptable. (The Common Application does have a set format). Submitting more than four letters of recommendation beyond the counselor report is too many. Many applicants submit one or two letters from individuals that can offer different views of a student's abilities in addition to the counselor report.
Do well on the ACT or SAT. Pharmacy has a curriculum that is test heavy, and graduates must pass the Board of Pharmacy licensing examinations. Therefore, greater attention must be paid to standardized test scores in reviewing pre-pharmacy applications. All test scores must be received by December 10; test scores from December test administrations or later cannot be considered as part of the application.
