Alternative to organizations?

[kabtq9s]

So I am a P1 and I don't have time for participating in organizations let alone hold a position, this is due to my coursework, I am not doing so hot academically despite my best efforts. so my questions are...

1. how important is leadership if I'm thinking of doing residency?
2. is there anything that I can do in the summer that can demonstrate leadership? so I don't interfere with my academics during the semester

Thanks

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[Rouelle]

I may be wrong...I neither did a residency nor am I a residency director, BUT:

I think the point (or at least a major point) of club participation/leadership is to demonstrate your ability to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously.

 

[mfdoom]

Residencies want well-rounded people. You could potentially look for a yearlong project like a Schweitzer Fellowship and somehow get it all done over summer, but that's less realistic. Some student orgs have subcommittees that require like one meeting a month and 1-2 events per semester - aka not a big timesuck and marginal effect to your GPA. For example, I would think a 3.1 with extracurriculars would look better than a 3.3 and nothing else.

 

[PharmtoCS]

Best thing to do to help your CV is to hold a job/internship.

 

[kabtq9s]

Best thing to do to help your CV is to hold a job/internship.

I do have a job with walgreens and will be working as an intern in the summer but I don't think that counts for leadership.

 

[disgonbgud]

Your identified problem is essentially lack of time. You said you don't have time to participate - How is it that at P1, you don't have the time to go to a few BS organization meetings a month? My suggestion is you improve your time management skills and change your study habits. You're going to need it in every aspect of your life. If you don't want to hold a position, you can lead committees within organizations which is typically less work (e.g. smoking cessation in SnPHA), be a team organizer for a volunteer initiative like HeartWalk or Relay for Life, or get published.

I've also had some classmates who started chapters for organizations like iPHO or pharmacy fraternities - all the rules existed at other schools and at a national level already, they just needed a professor to sign on and a few others to join in to get a "founder" and "leader" label.

 

[Sabril]

So I am a P1 and I don't have time for participating in organizations let alone hold a position, this is due to my coursework, I am not doing so hot academically despite my best efforts. so my questions are...

1. how important is leadership if I'm thinking of doing residency?
2. is there anything that I can do in the summer that can demonstrate leadership? so I don't interfere with my academics during the semester

Thanks

I didn't do a residency but since we are on this topic, I know others who matched (or got a job straight out of school) probably by putting in their best efforts during their rotations. They picked sites with residency and preceptors who were also residency directors. I do not know how much brownnosing they did but that seemed to work for a lot of so-so students. That being said, I also know of a lot of people who do not match at their own workplace. So I guess there is such thing as letting people know too much about you?