I'll be rooting for the huskies now, except when my hometown Arizona Wildcats come to town, then its time to "bear down" baby. I sent in the deposit money weeks ago and still haven't received my welcome packet in the mail, how about you? I am also dealing with fin aid and residency issues, so this first year could be a lot more expensive and difficult to pay for than anticipated. I have the option of living at home though, which is as sad as it is cheap, but I'm just happy to have the option.
On another tip, intern season is starting right now over here! There are several major hospitals in Seattle that each offer internships to several or up to 6 or 7 incoming Pharm D students. Some examples (not an inclusive list): Harborview Medical Center, Virginia Mason Hospital, Childrens Hospital, UW Medical Center, Swedish Hospital, and Overlake hospital. From my research (I have interviewed at three hospitals) they look to start interns around mid June when UW gets out and they don't need to recruit, they just let the applicants come to them. The reason for this early start date is to train an intern full time during the summer so that they can perform competently once school begins. The first year is basically tech work, but your responsibilities increase as your education and experience progress. The pay increases as well, starting around $13/hour first year and increasing ~2-3$/hour every year. The shifts are typically 8 hours, alternating with 2 shifts one weekend and 1 shift the next. A 4 hour week day night shift is also an option. The intern hours not only enhance your abilities and understanding, but help meet the REQUIRED experiental hours needed for graduation. By the way, it is an implied 3 year commitment to the internship site and that includes summers.
Another option would be retail internships at places like Safeway and Walgreens, although I am only going off of postings I have seen on the UW web site. You may want to look into making an early move to the city if you want to land one of these hospital gigs.
😡 😡