What do you do outside of studying?

[FixLittlePeople]

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I searched and didn't really find what I was looking for so here it goes.

Those of you in pharmacy school already, do just go to your classes and then go home or do you spend time outside of class to get involved in the community and/or organizations (I guess to better your resume), kind of like when you were pre-pharmacy. I am just trying to get an idea on what is important when you start looking for a job at the end of it all. Is a nice fluffed resume full of extracirriculars better than just a plane-jane pharmD. Any suggestions from recent grads or anyone in 2nd, 3rd or 4th year would be appreciated.

 

[janeno]

Pharmacy school offers a lot of possibilities for being involved in various organizations and community service projects. However, my advice for you would be to wait till you start pharmacy school to explore your options and adjust to coursework if you need to. I also think that you should do extracurriculars not because they look good on resume (and yes, they do look good for job, residency applications, etc.) but because you enjoy them. As a pharmacist you will get a job either way. Therefore, I think it is much smarter just to do things that you enjoy and that will teach you something not because they make you look good on paper.

I do recommend to get involved with something, but I think it is a personal decision how much you want to be involved and how much time you want to spend on that.

 

[FixLittlePeople]

Reason why I was asking was because I have a family (3 kids take a lot of your time) and I will be commuting to school about 90 miles each way (come home 3 nights, stay out by the school 2 nights) so time managament will certainly be a challange and I wasn't sure how it would fit in that hectic schedule. Anyways, I will wait untill school starts see how it'll work out.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

[Requiem]

Most of my hobbies aren't for bolstering my resume. I'm learning another language, I work out a lot, play several sports, hang out with friends, etc.

 

[Sevarious]

If there is some aspect of pharmacy you are particularly interested in, such as hospital, retail or long-term care there is probably an organization for it. It could provide some useful networking when it comes time to find a job. I'm not really a big fan of joining organizations just for resume padding. If you want to pad your resume, do meaningful things like write a research paper or get work experience. This will show your prospective employer that you are capable of doing more then just signing up and paying dues. If you want to get leadership experience, then you will have to join some organization and get a leadership role in that organization.

Pharmacy school can be rough, your free time should be spent doing things you enjoy. You will need the stress relief. If your pharmacy school is attached to a major university there will be tons of clubs and organizations. Look into some that match your interests or hobbies. If you want more social interaction with your peers you could consider joining one of the professional fraternities.

Personally I did a bit of everything. I got some research experience, joined a pharmacy fraternity, and participated in university activities completely unrelated to pharmacy.

 

[konkan]

Pharmacy school offers a lot of possibilities for being involved in various organizations and community service projects. However, my advice for you would be to wait till you start pharmacy school to explore your options and adjust to coursework if you need to. I also think that you should do extracurriculars not because they look good on resume (and yes, they do look good for job, residency applications, etc.) but because you enjoy them. As a pharmacist you will get a job either way. Therefore, I think it is much smarter just to do things that you enjoy and that will teach you something not because they make you look good on paper.

I do recommend to get involved with something, but I think it is a personal decision how much you want to be involved and how much time you want to spend on that.

if I have a girlfriend then ...it's obvious what I do. If I don't have one...well, it's obvious what I do too.

 

[firefighter9015]

I am involved in several organizations (and am in leadership in them)both inside and outside of the COP. However, while I know these look good on my resume, I do it because they are activities that I am passionate about. For example, I am currently our ASHP President-elect, becuase I am passionate about hospital pharmacy and the promotion of it, and I am currently the secrety of an oranziation called the Timmy Foundation which does medical service work in various Latin American countries, another thing which I am passionate about.

It is all about time management, and there are days that I do feel overwhelmed, however, since I enjoy the activities that I am a part of, it is not something that I have ever regretted.

 

[soyroger]

Reason why I was asking was because I have a family (3 kids take a lot of your time) and I will be commuting to school about 90 miles each way (come home 3 nights, stay out by the school 2 nights) so time managament will certainly be a challange and I wasn't sure how it would fit in that hectic schedule. Anyways, I will wait untill school starts see how it'll work out.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

I'm married with a kid (just one though) so I can see what you're getting at with this. It's hard at times, but definitely doable. Actually, a lot depends on how supportive your family is. Some days as I walk out the door my wife asks me to come home early and help out. It's usually ok, but when tests are coming up I've learned (more like WE'VE learned) to just accept the fact that I'll be studying late some nights. My brother got through his Masters in Accounting when his wife gave birth to twins very prematurely (one died), so if I have half of his diligence I can do this. I know of at least a few other P1s who have kids too. Maybe they'll chime in. Good luck.

 

[Sevarious]

Here's an addendum to my previous post on this thread.

You've probably been told from the time you were in high school, as I was, about how important it is to be involved in some organization or club. In reality, its not that important so don't rush and sign up for 12 organizations as soon as you get into pharmacy school. Not being involved means having time to yourself. No clearing out evenings for organizational meetings or spending time on some mandatory service project you really don't care about. You can spend more time with your family if you have one, or working part (or full) time if you need/want the money and experience. You can spend your time doing solo activities like taking walks in the park, playing video games or building ships in a bottle. Or just hang out with your friends.

If you enjoy being involved in things then get involved, if not then don't bother. If you change your mind, the organizations will still be there.

 

[rxlynn]

I'm in a similar situation - kids plus school. I would suggest (like some of the other posters) to not rush into anything until you get a sense of how coursework will be for you. Also, that will give you a bit of time to assess what sort of time commitment might be required by various organizations/jobs/etc. I try to do things that I know won't require time in the evening because 1) that's family time since my kids are all school age and 2) because I have to go back to campus if I do anything at night.

I can't speak for any pharmacy school except mine, but the students at my school who do the fraternities are generally young and single - I would not have been comfortable being a part of those organizations. So, a little time at the beginning will also allow you to "check out the scene" and decide where you might fit in best.

 

[Fatpharm]

Reason why I was asking was because I have a family (3 kids take a lot of your time) and I will be commuting to school about 90 miles each way (come home 3 nights, stay out by the school 2 nights) so time managament will certainly be a challange and I wasn't sure how it would fit in that hectic schedule. Anyways, I will wait untill school starts see how it'll work out.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

I have 1 kid and 1 on the way. My commute is 60 miles. I wouldn't recommend working during school. I would participate in organizations and try to get leadership positions that aren't demanding. Concentrating on my family has gotten me through pharmacy school.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Reason why I was asking was because I have a family (3 kids take a lot of your time) and I will be commuting to school about 90 miles each way (come home 3 nights, stay out by the school 2 nights) so time managament will certainly be a challange and I wasn't sure how it would fit in that hectic schedule. Anyways, I will wait untill school starts see how it'll work out.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

I used to commute 80 miles between two cities during my P1 year. It was the craziest era of my life! Ok... that's an exaggeration, but it was pretty freakin' nutz!!! I would wake up at 4:45am. Leave around 5:50-6am. Get to school at 7:30am. Leave school around 4:30 or 5pm. Get home at 7pm. Go to sleep at 10pm. Thankfully I had a commuting buddy. To top it all off, I was working 20 hours/weekend. My grades probably would have been higher 🙁, but oh well. Live and learn, right?

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Epic]

Reason why I was asking was because I have a family (3 kids take a lot of your time) and I will be commuting to school about 90 miles each way (come home 3 nights, stay out by the school 2 nights) so time managament will certainly be a challange and I wasn't sure how it would fit in that hectic schedule. Anyways, I will wait untill school starts see how it'll work out.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

90 miles from Austin? Heck..you gonna commute from Temple or outside of San Antone?

To answer your question.. outside of school, I played a lot of golf while in RX school. I played more golf in 3 years (couldn't play much during 4th year) than I probably have in my lifetime.. I think.

Oh..we partied a lot and drank heavily with frats. But as an upper classman, friends and I participated in new student orientation process.. not because we wanted to help them, we wanted to scope out for hot chicks coming into school..

And it has paid off handsomely. Now I'm the golf ringer for our company... and get called in for all important golf tournaments. And being good at golf is more impressive than having "clinical skills" at this point in my career.

👍👍