Ask me a Question. Just got a Fellowship Offer.

[PharmDFellow1]

Hello everyone I am a current P4 who has a very below average GPA and didnt do a ton of extracurriculars. I wanted to help out anyone that might be still applying to a fellowship or looking to apply in the future as to why I was successful. Feel free to ask me anything and I will try to help out. (Tried to post in fellowship/residencies forum but didnt give me permission just looking to help out anyone with questions)

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[projektreverb]

What kind of fellowship is it? Remote?

 

[mentos]

What's your GPA?

 

[PharmtoCS]

What do you think helped you stand out?

 

[PharmDFellow1]

What kind of fellowship is it? Remote?

It’s a clinical development fellowship. It’s technically remote but has some geographic region requirements.

 

[PharmDFellow1]

What do you think helped you stand out?

I honestly think it was that I studied the area so much that I was able to speak with them about the position. I also had an internship at a small pharmaceutical company that they said they liked because it showed I was committed to this path.

 

[PharmDFellow1]

What's your GPA?

My pharmacy school GPA is around a 3.2 so not good but I guess not so bad it stands out.

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

It’s a clinical development fellowship. It’s technically remote but has some geographic region requirements.

Couldn’t you have just gotten a low paying job in this field with your Pharm.D. and extensive study in the area?

 

[PharmDFellow1]

Couldn’t you have just gotten a low paying job in this field with your Pharm.D. and extensive study in the area?

Pharmaceutical industry is kind of hard to break into with a PharmD. The number one place PharmD graduates go in industry is a Clinical Research Organization as a CRA working with clinical trials. The job is really low paying (about the same as a fellowship). After the completion of a fellowship it’s is a lot easier to go into a manager or associate director role. That’s not to say it’s impossible to break into industry without a fellowship but the road is paved so much better with a fellowship. This is all from speaking to people who have done both routes.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Hello everyone I am a current P4 who has a very below average GPA and didnt do a ton of extracurriculars. I wanted to help out anyone that might be still applying to a fellowship or looking to apply in the future as to why I was successful. Feel free to ask me anything and I will try to help out.

do you always humble brag?





jk





congrats in avoiding the cesspool that is retail pharmacy

 

[RXDOC1986]

Hello everyone I am a current P4 who has a very below average GPA and didnt do a ton of extracurriculars. I wanted to help out anyone that might be still applying to a fellowship or looking to apply in the future as to why I was successful. Feel free to ask me anything and I will try to help out. (Tried to post in fellowship/residencies forum but didnt give me permission just looking to help out anyone with questions)

What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Will I ever find true happiness?

You did say "ask me anything"

 

[Dred Pirate]

What is the meaning of life?

42

 

[DagS132]

42

42 in ascii translates to * which represents 'everything' when talking about a package, in this case life. Very generic answer coming from a computer

 

[Dred Pirate]

42 in ascii translates to * which represents 'everything' when talking about a package, in this case life. Very generic answer coming from a computer

great movie thou

 

[PharmDFellow1]

What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Will I ever find true happiness?

You did say "ask me anything"

Just play golf lol it’s what makes me happy. Maybe golf is the meaning to life?

 

[PharmDFellow1]

do you always humble brag?





jk





congrats in avoiding the cesspool that is retail pharmacy

Haha my little brother has told me he has to bully me so my head doesn’t get to big after matching

 

[lord999]

Besides an extremely inappropriate question that comes to my mind, given your otherwise unremarkable resume, why do you think you were successful?

 

[PharmDFellow1]

Besides an extremely inappropriate question that comes to my mind, given your otherwise unremarkable resume, why do you think you were successful?

Hi lord999 to be honest it’s hard to say. The candidates whom I though were locks on fellowships in my class (high GPA and industry experience) ultimately got a no from everyone. I think for me it came down to preparing for every interview immensely. I would study companies, cite mission statements and learn about fellowship components to speak about it (things like GCP, cGMP, FDA standards) kind of fake it till you make it but not being misleading just showing that I studied. I also sent in letters of recommendation from every previous employer I had to show my work ethic. I did have a summer internship at a small pharmaceutical which helped but if I can give anyone advice for this process it’s prepare prepare prepare. There’s so many candidates you can’t get arrogant and have to prove yourself in every interview. Also apply broadly to many companies and positions you are passionate for!

 

[Sparda29]

My pharmacy school GPA is around a 3.2 so not good but I guess not so bad it stands out.

Lmaoooooooo. Brah, here I was thinking you had a 2.5 like me.

 

[PharmDFellow1]

Lmaoooooooo. Brah, here I was thinking you had a 2.5 like me.

Hey @Sparda29 in my experience it was about 50/50 with schools that required transcripts and those that didn’t. I would apply for both if I were you. They really aren’t looking for the top students like residencies (which I am very anti residency and have a very big agenda against resident pharmacists after having to deal with all the awful arrogant ones on rotation lol). But I fully believe you could land a fellowship with a 2.5! Just apply broadly, study up and represent yourself they’re looking for a good worker not a good student.

 

[projektreverb]

Hey @Sparda29 in my experience it was about 50/50 with schools that required transcripts and those that didn’t. I would apply for both if I were you. They really aren’t looking for the top students like residencies (which I am very anti residency and have a very big agenda against resident pharmacists after having to deal with all the awful arrogant ones on rotation lol). But I fully believe you could land a fellowship with a 2.5! Just apply broadly, study up and represent yourself they’re looking for a good worker not a good student.

Most of us responding are well out of school including Sparda. Which brings me to my question: what are you odds of getting a fellowship a few years out of school?

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

Hi lord999 to be honest it’s hard to say. The candidates whom I though were locks on fellowships in my class (high GPA and industry experience) ultimately got a no from everyone. I think for me it came down to preparing for every interview immensely. I would study companies, cite mission statements and learn about fellowship components to speak about it (things like GCP, cGMP, FDA standards) kind of fake it till you make it but not being misleading just showing that I studied. I also sent in letters of recommendation from every previous employer I had to show my work ethic. I did have a summer internship at a small pharmaceutical which helped but if I can give anyone advice for this process it’s prepare prepare prepare. There’s so many candidates you can’t get arrogant and have to prove yourself in every interview. Also apply broadly to many companies and positions you are passionate for!

Have you ever taken the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale? What was your score?

 

[PharmDFellow1]

Have you ever taken the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale? What was your score?

Hahahaha this is hilarious! My favorite comment so far!

 

[PharmDFellow1]

Most of us responding are well out of school including Sparda. Which brings me to my question: what are you odds of getting a fellowship a few years out of school?

Yea you can definitely get one far out from school! Some programs do have a rq you have to be within 3 years so avoid those (though it was very few) I might consider an entry level job.

 

[Sparda29]

Hey @Sparda29 in my experience it was about 50/50 with schools that required transcripts and those that didn’t. I would apply for both if I were you. They really aren’t looking for the top students like residencies (which I am very anti residency and have a very big agenda against resident pharmacists after having to deal with all the awful arrogant ones on rotation lol). But I fully believe you could land a fellowship with a 2.5! Just apply broadly, study up and represent yourself they’re looking for a good worker not a good student.

I'm 10 years out of school. I'm just saying that the people who got fellowships and residencies in 2012 were probably the best students in the class. Someone like me with a 2.5 had no chance unless there was nepotism at play (I have an uncle as a Chief of Staff at a VA and even he wasn't able to get me into a VA pharm residency, because there is zero tolerance for nepotism there.)

 

[letsquitpharm]

Pharmaceutical industry is kind of hard to break into with a PharmD. The number one place PharmD graduates go in industry is a Clinical Research Organization as a CRA working with clinical trials. The job is really low paying (about the same as a fellowship). After the completion of a fellowship it’s is a lot easier to go into a manager or associate director role. That’s not to say it’s impossible to break into industry without a fellowship but the road is paved so much better with a fellowship. This is all from speaking to people who have done both routes.

I am a pharmd out of school for <3 yrs and never did a fellowship, and I am at assoc. director level now albeit not in clin dev. Several of my coworkers in clin dev went straight into consulting (ZS) or contract clinical scientist positions then transition to FTE after 1 year or 2, and now they are all in senior, assoc. director or director level with 2-6 yrs exp.

Your comment of low pay maybe slow career progression via consulting vs fellowship is a misconception, just to point out. I was making $50/hr as a fresh grad contractor back in 2020, and my former fellowship colleague was making like half of that?

 

[lord999]

I'm 10 years out of school. I'm just saying that the people who got fellowships and residencies in 2012 were probably the best students in the class. Someone like me with a 2.5 had no chance unless there was nepotism at play (I have an uncle as a Chief of Staff at a VA and even he wasn't able to get me into a VA pharm residency, because there is zero tolerance for nepotism there.)

I’d severely beg to differ on the nepotism statement. It happens all the time.

The downside is that the way nepotism works in the VA, it’s a Sword of Damocles problem where if the client screws up, the patron also takes the fall. And with your recreational habit, that would have gotten your uncle sacked if you were caught at it. The VA tolerates nepotism but really, really does not tolerate intemperance unless a vet.

 

[PharmDFellow1]

I am a pharmd out of school for
Your comment of low pay maybe slow career progression via consulting vs fellowship is a misconception, just to point out. I was making $50/hr as a fresh grad contractor back in 2020, and my former fellowship colleague was making like half of that?

This is awesome to hear! I guess for me I found it tough to land a job (I tried reaching out and was often ignored or told to apply for CRO positions) this is so great to hear PharmDs are appreciated in industry enough to make a jump now! Can I ask if you are with a small or large company! Thanks!

 

[letsquitpharm]

This is awesome to hear! I guess for me I found it tough to land a job (I tried reaching out and was often ignored or told to apply for CRO positions) this is so great to hear PharmDs are appreciated in industry enough to make a jump now! Can I ask if you are with a small or large company! Thanks!

I went with temp agencies, and you can get a job fairly quickly if you match the right skill set the client company asks. It's not hard at all to secure $50+/hr starting out as a fresh grad. 2 years later, contractors are pretty much on equal footing in terms of exposure and skill set as industry fellows, and I didn't experience any discrimination whatsoever interviewing FTE positions. The plus side is of course 2x pay over 2 years vs fellowship, and that is like ~$100k alone.

My J1 has 1500+ head count, and my J2, a household name, has 3000-5000 head hunt.

 

[Sparda29]

I’d severely beg to differ on the nepotism statement. It happens all the time.

The downside is that the way nepotism works in the VA, it’s a Sword of Damocles problem where if the client screws up, the patron also takes the fall. And with your recreational habit, that would have gotten your uncle sacked if you were caught at it. The VA tolerates nepotism but really, really does not tolerate intemperance unless a vet.

What's different about VA than other hospitals when it comes to drug tests? Pre-employment (just don't smoke for a couple of months before you apply/interview).

Or are VA employees subject to random drug tests after being hired? Private sector, I've only ever been drug tested pre-hire.

 

[lord999]

What's different about VA than other hospitals when it comes to drug tests? Pre-employment (just don't smoke for a couple of months before you apply/interview).

Or are VA employees subject to random drug tests after being hired? Private sector, I've only ever been drug tested pre-hire.

There's the pre-employment which is standard, but there's RDT's post-employment. What's different about the government is failing one after employment comes with a referral to the US Attorney (the federal equivalent of the District Attorney) for prosecution after confirmatory tests.

 

[Dred Pirate]

What's different about VA than other hospitals when it comes to drug tests? Pre-employment (just don't smoke for a couple of months before you apply/interview).

Or are VA employees subject to random drug tests after being hired? Private sector, I've only ever been drug tested pre-hire.

I think we all are subject to random or for-cause tests - that being said in my 19 years as a pharmacist I have never had anything other than a pre-employment test and have seen a for-cause test like maybe two times.