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Too late to make an application for Pharmacy?

Well, as you know the UCAS deadline is on the 15th of January and I was planning on not applying and simply taking a gap year instead, BUT I'm really undecided now on whether to have a gap year or not due to a family situation therefore I'm planning on applying this year and either going to university this year or defering my entry.

So, my questions -

- Do I have enough time to apply realistically and what should I be focusing on right now?

- I won't be able to get work experience beforehand but I should be able to sort something out before an interview (providing I get any). Will this put me at a major disadvantage?

- Also, where should I be looking at applying? I'm predicted AAAB at AS level, sadly with the B in chemistry, but I'm predicted an A overall so I hope the B won't be too much of a problem.

- Is there anything else I need to sort out? or do you have any other words of wisdom for me?

I'll be writing my personal statement over the next few days, and as there's no school I should have some time to focus on it and perfect it by the 7th or 8th, which is when I'm hoping to get my application sent.

Thank you in advance for reading this, and I'll rep the best reply tomorrow. =)

Reply 1

Irrelevance

Hm, not too sure. Uni's have already had several open days for interviews already and lots of people have got offers, especially tricky since it's a competitive course.

- I would say if you want to go next year, DON'T apply for deferred, because that means you have to apply under the deadline and that's really tight. If you apply early like in September however, i think you'll stand a better chance of getting in places you want to go to

- Work experience REALLY helps. If you get asked about questions about drugs in an interview, you'll always remember 1 or 2 from the dispensary. Knowing drugs which aren't in everyday knowledge circulation impresses interviewers. I think work experience makes you always wander into the "maybe" pile instead of "rejection" pile.
Won't put you at a major disadvantage not having any, but will be a disadvantage when considering other potential late applicants.

- Apply to places you want to go to. Go onto the UCAS site, click apply and then look for courses under the code b230 i think, should come up with all the uni's which do a 4 year MPharm course. Pick 4 good choices you want to go to and then somewhere which will give a low offer such as Bradford and LJMU which offer ABB-BBC and ABB-BBB respectively.

- Personal statement - What they want to see is that you have a keen interest in healthcare, you're keen on working in a team, organised and you can make yourself understandable. So make sure all the stuff in your PS is clear and concise without any awkward phrasing. Focus on january modules too, they're proirity.

Good luck

Reply 2

Portishead

your predictions at AS-levels? are you a first year or a second year...?

Reply 3

rosemkate

i don't think its too late to apply and i don't think you should apply for deferred entry.

your grades are great! i am predicted AAB (B in chem) and i've got a C in a unit last yr so i don't think you have to worry about your grades. Aslo i don't have any pharmacy work experience and yet i still got offers from good unis. I think you might find it a bit hard since the deadlines coming and places are going but it shouldn't put you off applying to good unis, maybe think about applying to 3 unis which require AAB/ABB and 2 which require BBB.

anyway good luck with your application :smile:

Reply 4

petzneo

Go for it, perfect your P.S, and try to find W.E. it is very important to get some. What unis are you going to apply for??

Reply 5

Method

How did you're application go? Did you're referree do a reference for you?

I was going to post a nice long summary but i've been quite busy with work.

flt/inf

Reply 6

βored

I'm going to apply post A-level instead. I don't want to rush anything, so I'm going to get some work experience in different areas and apply for either Pharmacy or another healthcare related course next year.

Thanx for everyone who helped. =)

Reply 7

Method

That's a wise choice, you shouldn't rush into anything like you said. Getting work experience will be a good oppurtunity to see if your chosen degree area will actually suit you or if you want to do something else.

I'm currently on my gap year and I totally agree with you, applying with experience not only makes your application much stronger but also gives more time to think about it. Don't forget about the "e-money" too :smile:

Tell us how you get on :wink: