chance me please for TAP? and lots of questions >_<

Colleges & Universities University of Southern California
1

<p>Hi. I’m currently a senior, and USC is high on my choices for college list. At the moment, I am fairly sure that I wish to pursue pharmacy.</p>

<p>I have quite a few questions regarding TAP (prepharm program)…

  1. How difficult is it to get in?<br>
  2. Is an interview required, for high school students?<br>
  3. If admitted to undergrad but not the program, how difficult is it to be admitted to the program later on?<br>
  4. Do people in TAP tend to succeed in moving on to USC’s Pharm D?<br>
  5. Is the 3.2 GPA requirement the only requirement to move on to USC’s pharmacy school?
  6. How much studying is required on average to maintain a 3.2 for a biology major?
  7. How is the advising department for prospective pharmacists at USC?
  8. Do I have to have previous pharmacy experiences to be considered seriously for the program?
  9. Do you lose the guarantee to TAP if you apply to other places as well for grad school?
  10. How much additional time is required to complete a minor?</p>

<p>If there is anyone reading this who was admitted / or who has a friend admitted to TAP, can you please share with me your stats? That would be extremely helpful…I am not sure where I stand…</p>

<p>My grades and test scores are not stellar, nor are my EC’s…but to provide a general idea, I have a 3.65 uw and 4.0 w gpa (excluding freshman and p.e. classes. Does USC take these into account when calculating GPA?)My grades resemble a _/ trend…they started high, went down, and then went up…how will this affect my chances?</p>

<p>Also…another major concern of mine is if I have C grades… will colleges perceive this as worse than receiving 2 B’s? </p>

<p>My SAT scores are as follows-
SAT I: 2100
SAT II: 740 Chem
SAT II: 740 History</p>

<p>Recs:
decent at best…probably mediocre…I don’t really talk to my teachers…</p>

<p>My EC’s:
-Roughly 150 hours community service at the library
-Membership in clubs at my school, no officer positions though…are these worth mentioning?
-Academic Decathlon</p>

<p>Awards:
-Piano CM test lvl 10 before going to high school…
-AP Scholar (been receiving a mix of 4’s and 5’s on AP tests, taken 5 tests)
-CSF
-NMSC semifinalist (would this be helpful? …I don’t expect on becoming a Finalist because of my lower SAT I score and my grades…)
-Academic Decathlon medals for local competition…however so many are handed out to so many contestants I don’t believe they would carry much weight…</p>

<p>Would USC be a safety/match/reach for me? What are my chances for TAP? I don’t really have any actual experience with pharmacy except what I’ve researched / read about on the internet. </p>

<p>Thank you in advance for any help you can give. Also if you have any links, opinions, experiences you wanna share, or advice for me, that would be great too :D</p>

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<p>hey. metallic sky. Im currently in TAP (freshie) and Im somewhat still in your shoes with all these questions (look at previous posts). After these few first weeks, I’m not sure how I can manage the 3.2 GPA thing, but only time could tell us. As for getting in, I think getting a good rec from a “pharmacist” is important. Your SAT/ SAT II scores are about the same as mine. Your GPA could be a little weak but its not like the end of the world. Actually your national merit thing will proly get you half scholarship at USC I think…ask around. I also think USC looks for those go-getters no matter what the circumstances (meaning if u want pharmacy and you have not so good grades…do stuff that show them that as a freshmen in college you already made the decision to puruse pharmacy). I think I answered your #8 in saying that you should try to volunteer, shadow, or do whatever to show commitment. Besides that I really don’t see anything wrong with you besides probably bad application essays but I’m sure you can write excellent ones. (and there was no interview last year for me). PM me your AIM and email. I’l talk to you more if you want cuz I kinda have questions too. HOpe this helped.</p>

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<p>minors vary greatly in the number of units required. the USC website catalogue lists them all. national merit finalists automatically get a half scholarship if they put USC as their #1 school.</p>