GPA in Fellowships

[jr2493]

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I'm not sure how often this is asked but I don't think I saw this questions posted when I did a quick search.

I'm a P3 student and I was wondering how critical GPA is during the fellowship process? I've heard everything from "they don't look at it once" to "you want to have above a 3.0" to "3.5 minimum is what you should shoot for". I know every candidate is different, but I think on paper, GPA is my biggest weakness. I have leadership positions (president of student government and e-bord of IPhO), previous experiences (Internship in a pharma company, rotations at the FDA and an industry lined up for next year and possibly managed care, and some work experience in a manufacturing company prior to pharmacy school), research/publications (abstract and manuscripts) and (in my opinion) a pretty good personality that can get along with people generally.

As of now I have a 3.3 GPA which is what I'm pretty worried about. I'm hoping it will jump up during rotations, but I don't know if it'll be in time for when Midyear rolls around. I guess my question for those who just recently went through the fellowship process is, did having a stellar GPA help you tremendously? Or did not have a stellar GPA hinder you? Or does it not matter at all?

Thanks!

 

[cl0ud]

I went through the Midyear/PPS process and not once during my ~20 interviews was I asked about my GPA. My on-site interviewers also never brought it up. I also come from a pass/fail/honors system and was not questioned about that either.

I would say the more important factor to your success is how well you fit with the program. You could look amazing on paper, but if the fit isn't there, then you will likely not get 2nd or 3rd round interviews, let alone an offer for on-site interviews. On the flip side, you could have a low GPA, but if you are a natural fit with the program, then you will have a strong chance at getting a position. If you have BOTH, then you are in the top echelon of candidates and will be highly sought after by many programs.

Good luck!! 🙂

 

[jr2493]

I went through the Midyear/PPS process and not once during my ~20 interviews was I asked about my GPA. My on-site interviewers also never brought it up. I also come from a pass/fail/honors system and was not questioned about that either.

I would say the more important factor to your success is how well you fit with the program. You could look amazing on paper, but if the fit isn't there, then you will likely not get 2nd or 3rd round interviews, let alone an offer for on-site interviews. On the flip side, you could have a low GPA, but if you are a natural fit with the program, then you will have a strong chance at getting a position. If you have BOTH, then you are in the top echelon of candidates and will be highly sought after by many programs.

Good luck!! 🙂

Thanks for the info! I'm sure there's a lot I'll learn by Midyear but it really seems like a big portion of getting a fellowship comes down to luck. Let's see how this goes!

 

[cl0ud]

Thanks for the info! I'm sure there's a lot I'll learn by Midyear but it really seems like a big portion of getting a fellowship comes down to luck. Let's see how this goes!

What do you mean by luck?

 

[jr2493]

What do you mean by luck?

Well I guess I mean it comes down to if you really "connect" with whoever is interviewing you. I mean of course it helps if you have a good experience, can speak ww

What do you mean by luck?

Maybe "luck" was the wrong word but I guess I meant it really comes down to how well you get along with who interviews you. From what I've heard (and correct me if I'm wrong) but you can have all the qualifications and and a stellar GPA but if you don't "click" with the interviewer, you'll have an uphill battle.

But from what I'm hearing, it seems like GPA isn't really looked into when they make a decision, mostly experience, leadership, and how well you can express yourself. Is this right?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[student457]

Everyone that I know who got a fellowship is able to connect with just about anyone they talk to. To get a fellowship you have to go through many rounds of interviews with many different people so I think it more so has to do with being able to talk to anyone, rather than just connecting with one person

 

[cl0ud]

Well I guess I mean it comes down to if you really "connect" with whoever is interviewing you. I mean of course it helps if you have a good experience, can speak ww


Maybe "luck" was the wrong word but I guess I meant it really comes down to how well you get along with who interviews you. From what I've heard (and correct me if I'm wrong) but you can have all the qualifications and and a stellar GPA but if you don't "click" with the interviewer, you'll have an uphill battle.

But from what I'm hearing, it seems like GPA isn't really looked into when they make a decision, mostly experience, leadership, and how well you can express yourself. Is this right?

Thanks for all your help!

The ability to "click" with interviewers, or people in general, is not just exclusive to fellowships; that ability can take you far in any job or business. Like the previous poster said, this ability is especially important during the fellowship application process because you are interviewed by multiple people for a position. If you make your way to the on-site interviews, you will interview with several more people and ideally you would want to have good interactions with all of them. The goal for both ends is to find a mutual "fit" that comes naturally. As you go through the interviews, you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

As far as GPA goes, I cannot really comment on its importance because I was never on the employer side. Some programs require academic transcripts for a complete application, whereas others do not ask. I was not asked about my grades or class ranking in any of my interviews, but I'm sure the programs took a gander at my transcript.