Residency Possible with Low GPA?

[OSURxgirl]

I am a P-2 which a sub-par GPA that will likely go down once I am done with finals this quarter. We are talking about a sub-3.0 GPA, probably around a 2.7. I've pretty much figured out that even with a straight 4.0 the remaining quarters of school (which I could never pull off) would only bring me to a 3.3.
I am however, very interested in doing a residency, and have a lot of other qualifications: I work in retail and hospital pharmacy, I am the president-elect of our school's ASHP chapter (and will next year be its president), I am on a national student subcommittee for ASHP, I am an student officer in AMCP, I belong to Phi Lambda Sigma, I helped organize a charity event at our school that raised almost 10,000 dollars, and have served on several other committees. I also have done a lot of volunteer work. Will this stuff offset a substandard GPA, or would they rather have someone with a 3.5+ who isn't involved? (And yes, I know they would rather have a 3.5+ person who IS involved, but that isn't possible for me at this point) Is there any hope for me????? (I don't want to do my residency in Montana or Wyoming or any other BFE location. )

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[ultracet]

lol
we can all hope so!

i'll let you know in feb

 

[Crazy_Norwegian]

I am a P-2 which a sub-par GPA that will likely go down once I am done with finals this quarter. We are talking about a sub-3.0 GPA, probably around a 2.7. I've pretty much figured out that even with a straight 4.0 the remaining quarters of school (which I could never pull off) would only bring me to a 3.3.
I am however, very interested in doing a residency, and have a lot of other qualifications: I work in retail and hospital pharmacy, I am the president-elect of our school's ASHP chapter (and will next year be its president), I am on a national student subcommittee for ASHP, I am an student officer in AMCP, I belong to Phi Lambda Sigma, I helped organize a charity event at our school that raised almost 10,000 dollars, and have served on several other committees. I also have done a lot of volunteer work. Will this stuff offset a substandard GPA, or would they rather have someone with a 3.5+ who isn't involved? (And yes, I know they would rather have a 3.5+ person who IS involved, but that isn't possible for me at this point) Is there any hope for me????? (I don't want to do my residency in Montana or Wyoming or any other BFE location. )

To be honest, I think that you are *exactly* the kind of person many resident coordinators are looking for. We had a presentation on residencies a couple of weeks ago, and one of the residents told us that his residency doesn't even consider your grades anymore. They were much more concerned with the applicant's communication / social skills, i.e. the interview. While I'm sure that some residencies are still concerned with grades, especially research-oriented residencies, I think that you'll be able to match somewhere that you find acceptable.

And, as a side note--at my school, the 3.5+ who is really involved comes down to maybe five students / year. Most of the 3.5+ students live at the library and don't do much else (and often they have poor communication skills). Plus, not all of those superstudents are going to want residencies anyway.

 

[njac]

I heard somewhere that last year there were more residencies offered than applicants - so even if you don't match you can always scramble into something.

talking to our residents it sounds like grades to come up, but you don't need to be a 4.0 either. There are a lot of really fantastic programs outside of the Mayo clinic etc, just interview well

 

[MAXHARDC]

And, as a side note--at my school, the 3.5+ who is really involved comes down to maybe five students / year. Most of the 3.5+ students live at the library and don't do much else (and often they have poor communication skills). Plus, not all of those superstudents are going to want residencies anyway.

That is so true!

Max

 

[NRAI2001]

Pharmacists can do residencies? What fields are available? What do they do after completing the residency?

 

[Glycerin]

Pharmacists can do residencies? What fields are available? What do they do after completing the residency?

This thread may help you: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=236377

 

[Ivorymist]

It really depends on the program that you're applying to. I know that the majority of residencies do throw out the GPA when considering applicants. Some places however (including the place I'm at) WILL screen out people with a less than 3.0 GPA when doing their initial screening on who to interview, but most places don't do that.

I don't see any reason why you wouldn't get into a good residency program considering that there are still more spots than applicants last year (that may change this year though). There will be many programs that appreciate your involvement in student chapters at your school. Keep your head up!

 

[speednutsII]

As much as residency might interest you, I have a feeling you have talents that lie someplace else; perhaps government, management, business? But if you feel a residency is worth the loss in income, then by all means try for it. It doesn't hurt to try, no matter what your GPA is.

 

[kwizard]

I am a P-2 which a sub-par GPA that will likely go down once I am done with finals this quarter. We are talking about a sub-3.0 GPA, probably around a 2.7. I've pretty much figured out that even with a straight 4.0 the remaining quarters of school (which I could never pull off) would only bring me to a 3.3.
I am however, very interested in doing a residency, and have a lot of other qualifications: I work in retail and hospital pharmacy, I am the president-elect of our school's ASHP chapter (and will next year be its president), I am on a national student subcommittee for ASHP, I am an student officer in AMCP, I belong to Phi Lambda Sigma, I helped organize a charity event at our school that raised almost 10,000 dollars, and have served on several other committees. I also have done a lot of volunteer work. Will this stuff offset a substandard GPA, or would they rather have someone with a 3.5+ who isn't involved? (And yes, I know they would rather have a 3.5+ person who IS involved, but that isn't possible for me at this point) Is there any hope for me????? (I don't want to do my residency in Montana or Wyoming or any other BFE location. )

The answer to your question is, it depends!!! You are only a P-2 so you have plenty of time to ponder the future. How much a residency program considers ones GPA varies greatly from one program to the next. Most programs just want to see a 3.0 or higher, but this is going to vary largely on 3 factors (1-the applicant pool for that year (i.e. the supply) 2-the number of residency slots available 3-how you present yourself on the meet and greet at midyear and your CV and interview (how you blend w/ others in dept and other pharmacy experience (i.e. if you worked as a tech and scholarly stuff which you already have been into). Working as a tech in any capacity is always nice b/c it tends to show that this candidate may have a better idea of what they are getting into w/i profession of pharmacy in addition to your pharmacy organizations as it shows you are well rounded. Don't harp on GPA b/c it isn't that big of a deal. Just figure out the shortcomings improve on them and they will recognize the improvement in GPA and you'll be fine in the end. As I mentioned previously the main rate limiting step w/ residency selection is the applicant pool which varies from yr to yr and how competitive the slots are at that practice site. Lastly if you sell yourself well that can open any door. Once you graduate, your GPA b/c will become less impt (dropping in exponential proportions) b/c people practicing want to know that you know what you are talking about and that doesn't necessarily relate to one's GPA in school (unless of course you want to go on to grad school for a PhD or something).