Is it bad to want to apply for a less popular field?

[VeraShield]

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I tried out the retail and clinical experience, and even though I don't necessarily hate it or like it, I don't think I want to do something where I am neutral after a few weeks trying out each. After getting an epiphany from talking to a pharmacist, I determined that I really want to specialize in pharmacy informatics. Of course, after searching this forum, I think I would be the first person in this entire place to want to apply to pharmacy school for this reason. Frankly that kind of worries me. Would writing about this goal in specifics on my essays, or talking about it a lot during my interviews actually hinder my chances? Would I be better off pretending I don't want to go into a specific field yet? It just worries me that I am the only person I know who isn't applying for retail or clinical aspirations (Double-major in Biology and CS)

 

[ipinjoy]

I personally don't think it's a bad thing. It will only help you stand out as an applicant. I am also interested in pharmacy informatics and have written about it in my personal statement.

 

[sdn1977]

Vera - without being a pharmacist...how can you know what retail or clinical (are you meaning hospital - because retail is clinical also???) really is?

You've done a "few weeks of each"....I worked for 23 years in hospital pharmacy & it was still changing, always challenging & still has my interest.

I've done 7 years in retail & I'm still learning how to do what I can do to the best of my ability.

You don't have any knowledge (yet) of the actual clinical nature of pharmacy. I don't mean to be disparaging, but until you've actually experienced something in depth, its hard to just dismiss it.

That doesn't mean your interest in informatics is not important nor valid. There is lots of information on this subject.....its just that pharmacists are not inheriently (sp?) drawn to this area.

However, you seem to be. So...I'd encourage you to search out areas in which pharmacists contribute to information systems. Search out links with computer science & pharmacy. (There is a reference on a thread to a byline in a journal on this). A big contributor to this area commercially is First Data Bank - the group who provides most of the data for drug interactions & also provides international data bases.

Good luck! However, don't make it known on your applications you don't want to do retail or hospital, especially after only a few weeks of exposure!