How To BOosT Residency Chances

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transzincIIB

transzincIIB

Accepted Pharmacy Student
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I've seen the Stats Match Thread. I was wondering what other options should a pharmacy student like me consider when trying to be a unique candidate for residency.

So far in my list are:
GPA
Activities:
LeadershiP:
Community Service:
Research: getting publications? and presentations?

What else are they looking for?
I only have 2 more years left to build my profile.

Thanks a bunch
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after everything you listed, all that's left is personality and how well you click with the people in the program. In fact, that probably takes precedence over most the stuff you listed honestly.
 
p-rog said:
after everything you listed, all that's left is personality and how well you click with the people in the program. In fact, that probably takes precedence over most the stuff you listed honestly.
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Agreed. I'd rather have a resident who was a slightly above-average candidate but easy to get along with than an overachiever who thinks (s)he is God's gift to pharmacy.
 
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Dalteparin said:
Agreed. I'd rather have a resident who was a slightly above-average candidate but easy to get along with than an overachiever who thinks (s)he is God's gift to pharmacy.
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That was the impression I got from many of the programs I interviewed with as well. You certainly need to be a good student, but personality/fit are part of the equation too.
 
Keep this in mind......

In general, The goal of your resume/CV is to land you an on-site interview.

The goal of the interview is to land you the actual position.

This is true for residencies and "real" jobs.
 
I'll just echo what others have said: don't be a buffoon on your interviews. They want someone they can work with, not just a person who looks great on paper but has all the personality of the envelope you mailed your application in.

The other, often understated, point is to accurately and honestly assess yourself while choosing programs. Same as applying for colleges - pick some reaches, some middle-of-the-road and safeties. Your professors will be able to help you with this. Talk to them early and often.
 
What gpas are they looking for? Which are minimal gpas will they still consider seriously?
 
I had above a 3.0 and matched this year but I personally know 4 people who matched at decent CA programs, ie. VA's. That had under a 3.0. These are friends that I know for sure, I'm sure there were other people in my school that had below a 3.0. What do they all have in common besides having under a 3.0. No idea, some were more involved in school activities than others but all have good personalities that are easy to get along with.
 
moolman said:
I had above a 3.0 and matched this year but I personally know 4 people who matched at decent CA programs, ie. VA's. That had under a 3.0. These are friends that I know for sure, I'm sure there were other people in my school that had below a 3.0. What do they all have in common besides having under a 3.0. No idea, some were more involved in school activities than others but all have good personalities that are easy to get along with.
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So it is possible to get an interview with a GPA <3.0? That's what mine is and I was worried that there would be some sort of automatic-deny process to kick out the applicants with GPAs below a certain level. I usually do really well during an interview and I hope if I apply to enough places that someone will give me a chance.

And congratulations to you and your friends! The residency program I really want is a VA in California.
 
smashton said:
So it is possible to get an interview with a GPA <3.0? That's what mine is and I was worried that there would be some sort of automatic-deny process to kick out the applicants with GPAs below a certain level. I usually do really well during an interview and I hope if I apply to enough places that someone will give me a chance.

And congratulations to you and your friends! The residency program I really want is a VA in California.
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Most programs would look at your whole application (ie: gpa, cover letter, cv, work experience, leadership, etc, etc) in deciding who to bring on site. GPA is a piece of that puzzle, but not the end all be all.
 
smashton said:
So it is possible to get an interview with a GPA <3.0? That's what mine is and I was worried that there would be some sort of automatic-deny process to kick out the applicants with GPAs below a certain level. I usually do really well during an interview and I hope if I apply to enough places that someone will give me a chance.

And congratulations to you and your friends! The residency program I really want is a VA in California.
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If it makes you feel better, I have a close friend that is going to start a residency at a Southern California VA hospital right now. I know for sure he has a 2.8 or so. He got an interview and he got the position.

Not saying that a high GPA doesn't help, it does. But having a low GPA is not the end of the world. GPA is just one factor. Don't get me wrong, I've heard from some residency directors that they get so many applicants, some sites get 250 or so for 2 spots that GPA is the only way they can weed through the candidates. But be realistic, maybe don't only apply for say VA San Diego, cause everybody wants to live in SD, so they get a lot of applicants. Try the other less popular VAs. There is a strategy to this just like when you applied to pharmacy school.
 
Thank you all for the replies. I kinda feel like I'm starting all over from scratch when thinking about going to residencies just like pre-pharmacy.

What gpa is acceptable?
For CV's what kind of experience are they looking for?
Thanks



 
transzincIIB said:
Thank you all for the replies. I kinda feel like I'm starting all over from scratch when thinking about going to residencies just like pre-pharmacy.

What gpa is acceptable?
For CV's what kind of experience are they looking for?
Thanks
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Obviously don't bomb the interview. But you need to get an interview first.

So don't have a GPA <3! Sure, there are a few people that lucked out, but that not the direction things are going, and these low GPA stories will go the way of the dinosaurs really quick.

At my residency site (a VA), who gets an interview is based on a score system, with a score given for GPA, internship experience, letter of recommendation, leadership/EC/research... The highest overall scored candidates got the invite for interviews.

The truth is, the number of applicants went up dramatically this year. So ANY applicant with a weak scored area just could not compete. The lowest invited score went up 2 points despite the fact we increased number of candidates interviewed per residency spot from 6 to 8. Lowest GPA that got an interview was 3.2 I believe.

This will only get tougher. So absolutely do not take a risk hoping other candidates competing with you have a notable weakness too. Otherwise you will likely find yourself matching to less desirable sites or not matching at all.

by leave no weakness on your CV:
GPA 3.5
Hospital Internship experience
Letter of rec from a preceptor at the residency site or a faculty known to the site
Leadership skill/experience
Time management skill (EC/community/research involvement)
Something make you better prepared than others (eg. publication, another useful degree, ect)
 
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Judging by the scramble results you could probably land a residency in NYC with a lower gpa if you're willing to jump thru New York state hoops.
 
psychoandy said:
Judging by the scramble results you could probably land a residency in NYC with a lower gpa if you're willing to jump thru New York state hoops.
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Good luck living off the resident's pay in NYC. :smuggrin:
 
psychoandy said:
Judging by the scramble results you could probably land a residency in NYC with a lower gpa if you're willing to jump thru New York state hoops.
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can you explain that?^ are NYC residency program standards considerably less stringent than programs found elsewhere?

I'm from NY, so I'm considering going for a residency here once school is over
 
sele1988 said:
can you explain that?^ are NYC residency program standards considerably less stringent than programs found elsewhere?

I'm from NY, so I'm considering going for a residency here once school is over
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New York has a reputation for being more difficult to obtain a license in.
 
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