Pharm school performance vs. job opportunities?

[calisoca]

Hey guys,
Before I begin pharm school in August I was hoping I could get some foresight on how ones performance in their curriculum correlates (if at all) to potential job opportunities upon completion of the Pharm.D. Other than for personal gratification is there a benefit to the individual who gets a 3.9gpa vs one who gets a 2.9gpa? Does any recruiting go on for the top students at an institution--perhaps better pay or better locations/first pick at a location?Or do job opportunities mainly come from your performance during your rotations?

I often hear the expression "C's get degrees" which seems to indicate there is no correlation at all between your grades in pharm school and your future as a pharmacist but I have heard otherwise as well. I'm going to bust ass either way but it would be nice to know if their is an advantage to those students who go the extra mile. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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[Hels2007]

It depends on what you want to do. If you are fine doing retail wherether they send you - then yes, as long as you get a degree and pass your boards (and you do need to understand and remember the basic information to pass rotations and boards anyway, so why not learn it while it's being taught - which automatically leads to decent grades) you are fine regardless of your GPA. But say, in your third or fourth year you decide you really want a more interesting job, or a residency, or a fellowship - basically, anything which is competitive and requires more than "a degree and a pulse" - and your GPA is below 3.0 - you are facing an uphill battle. It's a lot easier to maintain good GPA - and it's not that hard either. DIfficulty of pharmacy school is grossly overrated.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I don't even know what my GPA was...and I graduated a few scant months ago. Hell, it could be anywhere between 2.5-3.4 and I wouldn't be surprised. I got a quasi-clinical job, though. I appear to be pretty decent at it.

 

[bacillus1]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but what do people mean when they say a "good GPA" to get into residency. What is considered a good GPA? 3.0? 3.4? higher? I heard I didn't have to worry about grades anymore if I got into Rho Chi.

 

[mustang sally]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but what do people mean when they say a "good GPA" to get into residency. What is considered a good GPA? 3.0? 3.4? higher? I heard I didn't have to worry about grades anymore if I got into Rho Chi.

I have also been wondering what a "good" gpa is in pharm school. I don't think my gpa is going to be as good as I originally thought it would be. Guess I'm not so smart after all.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but what do people mean when they say a "good GPA" to get into residency. What is considered a good GPA? 3.0? 3.4? higher? I heard I didn't have to worry about grades anymore if I got into Rho Chi.

Hard to say but I would say a GPA above 3.4 puts you at in the top 15-10 percent of your class.

 

[J ROD]

Well, at my school, I am pres of our Rho Chi and we had our top 20% at a 3.87 and up. But, once you are in Rho Chi, it is for life!

To be competitive for residencies, I would say a 3.6 would get you there easily.

Seriously, it is not nearly as hard as I was expecting. I barely try harder than undergrad. Mainly is just more BS!

I work 20hrs a week too and volunteer.

 

[Hels2007]

Well, I'd say that good is >3.5. However, I will not care about applicant's GPA as long as it is above 3.0...

 

[bacillus1]

Well, at my school, I am pres of our Rho Chi and we had our top 20% at a 3.87 and up. But, once you are in Rho Chi, it is for life!

To be competitive for residencies, I would say a 3.6 would get you there easily.

Seriously, it is not nearly as hard as I was expecting. I barely try harder than undergrad. Mainly is just more BS!

I work 20hrs a week too and volunteer.

Well then I guess your school is easier than some others. I think for us Rho Chi is around 3.5-3.6. I'll be able to say with certainty next year.
But I guess people said 3.5 is good. That's what I'm shooting for.

 

[Glycerin]

But, once you are in Rho Chi, it is for life!

I've always wondered... At my school Rho Chi invites members during the spring semester of P2 year, but what about other schools? This, to me, isn't truly indicative of the overall top 20%, because only the first 3 semesters are taken into account, and none of those, at my school, include therapeutics classes. I know plenty of people with whom I've gone to school that got into Rho Chi but had lower GPAs at the end of pharmacy school than a lot of people who didn't get in.

 

[mustang sally]

Thanks for all the replies. I know I'll be above a 3.0, but a 3.5 or above...hmmm, that remains to be seen. I guess I wouldn't be quite so anal about my grades, but I'm not sure what I want to do after I graduate (don't want to ruin my chances for a residency or fellowship) and this is probably the easiest semester. Guess I'm going to have to make a better study plan for next semester.

 

[njac]

At my school there are rho chi awards for 4.0 2nd semester 2nd year but induction is 2nd semester 3rd year, after 1 semester of therapeutics

 

[bacillus1]

At my school there are rho chi awards for 4.0 2nd semester 2nd year but induction is 2nd semester 3rd year, after 1 semester of therapeutics

You guys have monetary awards for rho chi? If we did, they'd probably just subtract one of the other awards and put "rho chi scholarship" or something like that in that amount.

But for us it is 2nd semester P2, but that's not really a problem since for us that's really the 4th year of pharmacy school (and for my year that does include 1 semester of therapeutics).

 

[Glycerin]

You guys have monetary awards for rho chi? If we did, they'd probably just subtract one of the other awards and put "rho chi scholarship" or something like that in that amount.

But for us it is 2nd semester P2, but that's not really a problem since for us that's really the 4th year of pharmacy school (and for my year that does include 1 semester of therapeutics).

I'm gonna guess the awards she mentioned aren't monetary (if I'm wrong, njac, correct me). At the end of the P1 year at my school, the top 10 people in the class are given awards from Rho Chi as well, but they're a certificate and a gift, which I guess could be thought of as monetary.... For my class, that gift was a new pharmacology book to be used the following semester. For the current P2s, I believe their gift was a new stethoscope.

I guess my whole beef with how Rho Chi is done is that it's done halfway through didactic coursework (at least at my school) and isn't necessarily indicative of the top 20% at graduation, which to me is a more important prestige.

 

[AmphoTerrible]

I've always wondered... At my school Rho Chi invites members during the spring semester of P2 year, but what about other schools? This, to me, isn't truly indicative of the overall top 20%, because only the first 3 semesters are taken into account, and none of those, at my school, include therapeutics classes. I know plenty of people with whom I've gone to school that got into Rho Chi but had lower GPAs at the end of pharmacy school than a lot of people who didn't get in.

I agree...at my school, I see the rho chi kids in the professors office worrying about passing grades more than non-rho chi kids. I dont think getting an A in Chem I and Orgo should really qualify as being in a pharmacy honor society. Just my 2 cents...,.maybe it would be different if I were in it haha.

 

[museabuse]

Well, at my school, I am pres of our Rho Chi and we had our top 20% at a 3.87 and up. But, once you are in Rho Chi, it is for life!

r.

What does RHo Chi get you anyways? I am in it and besides first joining and getting a pin, it has not done anything for me nor have I recieved any mail or email from any rho chi national chapter since joining. So besides an extra chord at graduation it is pointless.


I graduated with a 3.95 average but I know people who graduated with 3.2 average who know more than me. Its all about how you study, I studied to get A's on the test a lot of what i knew for test was in short term memory. I wish I rather studied to get keep the relivant information into my long term memory insteady of studying irrelivant details into my short term memory for the test. If I studied that way I probably wouldn't have gotten into Rho Chi but at least I would remember more info.

I think if you are planning on doing a residency then get good grades, if not then don't worry about it, Hospitals and retail chains don't look at your grades, I know for a fact that there is no one at CVS that knows I graduated in the top 10 of my class or that I was in Rho Chi.

 

[J ROD]

What does RHo Chi get you anyways? I am in it and besides first joining and getting a pin, it has not done anything for me nor have I recieved any mail or email from any rho chi national chapter since joining. So besides an extra chord at graduation it is pointless.


I graduated with a 3.95 average but I know people who graduated with 3.2 average who know more than me. Its all about how you study, I studied to get A's on the test a lot of what i knew for test was in short term memory. I wish I rather studied to get keep the relivant information into my long term memory insteady of studying irrelivant details into my short term memory for the test. If I studied that way I probably wouldn't have gotten into Rho Chi but at least I would remember more info.

I think if you are planning on doing a residency then get good grades, if not then don't worry about it, Hospitals and retail chains don't look at your grades, I know for a fact that there is no one at CVS that knows I graduated in the top 10 of my class or that I was in Rho Chi.

I agree. Good grades are pointless unless you want to do a residency or go on further in school like med school.

C=PharmD. That simple...

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

I was a pretty good student. I'm pretty decent at what I do today. But most of my colleagues envy me for my low handicap in golf. Life is funny like that. Golf has certainly allowed me to network with key individuals in my line of work. It has certainly allowed me to travel and play golf in work related events more often than I could have ever imagined.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

What does RHo Chi get you anyways? I am in it and besides first joining and getting a pin, it has not done anything for me nor have I recieved any mail or email from any rho chi national chapter since joining. So besides an extra chord at graduation it is pointless.

At my school, it got you the responsibility of tutoring the younger students and dealing with people like me that tried to go to tutoring just so they could get notes without actually going to class.

 

[njac]

Z- I've been wanting to learn how to golf for years for exactly that reason. You should teach me!

Except it might feel sacrilegious to golf on what could be excellent riding areas!

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Z- I've been wanting to learn how to golf for years for exactly that reason. You should teach me!

Except it might feel sacrilegious to golf on what could be excellent riding areas!

I would hate to navigate through horse manure looking for my golf ball. But golf is one of the hardest thing I've ever done... a lot harder than pharmacy or healthcare. You won't have time to learn golf now! Only hope is for your BF and you to make golf a passion and do it together, often.

 

[Glycerin]

I would hate to navigate through horse manure looking for my golf ball. But golf is one of the hardest thing I've ever done... a lot harder than pharmacy or healthcare. You won't have time to learn golf now! Only hope is for your BF and you to make golf a passion and do it together, often.

Golf, schmolf. I'ma take up tennis...or archery.

 

[njac]

I love tennis. But I've always wanted to take fencing lessons.

Regardless, when I start riding again I likely won't have time for anything else. I don't think the golfers mind the poo as much as the divots...

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Golf, schmolf. I'ma take up tennis...or archery.

Every one I know who play tennis have bad knees..

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

I love tennis. But I've always wanted to take fencing lessons.

Regardless, when I start riding again I likely won't have time for anything else. I don't think the golfers mind the poo as much as the divots...

If my ball is sitting up nicely on a poo, I won't mind at all. If it's imbedded in a fresh pile of poo, you'll hear me cuss dang horses..

 

[Glycerin]

Every one I know who play tennis have bad knees..

Well, it's a good thing I still feel 18!

 

[njac]

I'm too short to fence well anyway. My arms only extend like 24" away from my torso.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

Well, it's a good thing I still feel 18!

Yeah? But I act 18..

 

[Glycerin]

Yeah? But I act 18..

This is evident.

 

[njac]

Lol

I don't think glycerin can talk much either...

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

both y'all pots calling the kettle black..