Residency Questi- GPA Advice Needed!

[Meg-241]

Hi Everyone,

If any of you can give some advice on this based on your own experience as an student applicant or pharmacy director please let me know!
I’ve literally been losing sleep for the past couple of weeks and have been very down. I realized my GPA by the residency appication deadline will only be a 3.0. Literally, only a 3.00. I really want to do a residency. I struggled a bit in pharmacy school, mostly because I didn’t have a solid chem/bio background in undergrad. I got a BA in English, and I really thought I wanted to go into journalism. I changed my mind a year after graduating, and I exceled at being a pharm tech while going back to school and taking pre-reqs to apply to pharmacy school. I wasn’t a bad student, but that’s what the final verdict is for me right now.
Does anyone think I still have a chance? I have other stuff, like extensive pharmacy work experience(hospital and retail), some research experience I did in pharmacy school, lots of volunteer/community work, poster presentations at national conferences, 1 leadership position(for which I receieved an award), and others were support(treasurer, secretary).

I’ve heard some programs go by a point system. Like for example GPA, you get 5 points for a 4.0(4pts for a 3.5), and 4 points for a poster, 3 points for a publication, and so forth..every program does it differently of course. Then apparently, you get called for an intereview based on the number of points you get. This is what I’ve heard from one pharmacy director while on rotations, but I don’t know it to be true for all. I get I’ll be at the bottom of the barrel from the high GPA people, but could my other stuff make up for it?

It’s really making me depressed because I’m scared it won’t work out, especially with the time and money involved in applying. So I guess I need some encouragement. I have asked some of my clinical pharmacists for a recommendation and they have said yes, so I have that as well. I feel like I’ll be a great clinical pharmacist, and my preceptors have complimented me a lot on how great a job I’ve done. I’ve worked very hard for them being early and staying late. But again, I hate to think my 3.0 will hold me back.

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[DOOM N GLOOM]

I feel like I’ll be a great clinical pharmacist, and my preceptors have complimented me a lot on how great a job I’ve done. I’ve worked very hard for them being early and staying late. But again, I hate to think my 3.0 will hold me back.

There are thousands of pharmacy students thinking the exact same thing: I will succeed because I am smarter, work harder and am more charismatic than everyone else. Believe it or not though, hustling is actually a viable strategy to getting a residency. Grades aren’t going to be the dealbreaker for you, so if your claim that you have all those extracurriculars is actually true, then you most definitely have a legitimate shot at interviews. Just cast a wide net and apply to 20+ programs (avg would be 10-15) and I think some programs would bite.

Now, on to the discussion about jobs post-residency... you’re doomed like the rest of the lot.

 

[Meg-241]

There are thousands of pharmacy students thinking the exact same thing: I will succeed because I am smarter, work harder and am more charismatic than everyone else. Believe it or not though, hustling is actually a viable strategy to getting a residency. Grades aren’t going to be the dealbreaker for you, so if your claim that you have all those extracurriculars is actually true, then you most definitely have a legitimate shot at interviews. Just cast a wide net and apply to 20+ programs (avg would be 10-15) and I think some programs would bite.

Now, on to the discussion about jobs post-residency... you’re doomed like the rest of the lot.

Thank you for that! That gives me hope Just one point, I would never think I’m smarter, work harder, or more charismatic than anyone else. I’ve worked with the best of people throughout my academic career and I admire anyone with a hard work ethic, never wanting to compete with them. I learned to work hard in the workplace from my parents and my job. I actually did have a time when I was with another student on rotation and this person liked to high tail it out right when the end of his shift came, not a minute later. I don’t do that, especially if I know the pharmacist is still drowning in work. So after he noticed I never left when he did, he actually told me I was making him look bad. After that, I would I actually go to the back with him at the end of our shift and pretend to pack up my things. Then I would wait until he would leave and I would put my stuff down and go back and help the pharmacist. I know that’s crazy, but that’s just the type of person I am.

 

[projektreverb]

Don't underestimate the power of the hustle. To this day, I credit me getting the residency I did due to running into the right person. My final GPA was like a 3.2 or or 3.3. My application didn't really stand out in any way shape or form IMO and I only did Phase II. It's definitely possible, but you'll have to network hard and work at it.

On that note, it's month 4 of my residency, and I've ALREADY begun looking for a job. I got lucky and my residency mandated multiple state licensures. One of those licenses happens to be in a state I want to practice so it helps when you're applying that they don't have to wait for me to test before or during training.

Why have I already begun looking for a job? Because garbage job market. I know I won't just waltz into a job like the good old days. And honestly, I've accepted the fact that I'll more than likely have to float with CVS/WAGS/Rite Aid etc before landing a job I actually don't mind doing. I'm saying 99% chance of that happening at this point.