-
CycleTrack and SDN are teaming up to make medical school admissions more transparent and accessible! Read the announcement to learn how we’re supporting the future of CycleTrack’s free application-tracking tools .
What would you do different in Pharm School
Started by Othelo
Get help with your application
Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.
I'd have hired someone to pretend to be me and go to class for me for 3 years. I would have then stayed at home, read the powerpoints myself rather than have attended a class where some dude gets paid 6 figs to basically read said notes to me. I would have then just showed up for tests. I probably would have gotten better grades because I didn't waste my time in a classroom by studying at home and I wouldn't have been as constricted for time working 32 hours a week.
Yeah...I didn't "get" school...
Yeah...I didn't "get" school...
Professors don't get paid six figures, do they?
I thought majority of them got low salaries compared to pharmacists.
If I could go back in time I would go back to fall semester last year and not do all the crap in Drug Information class that didn't get graded. That way the B the Professor gave me won't seem as bad.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
At my school, the entry level profs in their mid-late 20s got $90k. The older ones got up to $180k. The Dean got $220k+. Absolutely redonkulous. I know this because it's public information and you can log into the secretary of state's website and look all of them up...haha.
Interesting....
Interesting, also. PharmD's or PhD's?
PharmDs...some of the PhDs made bank, too.
That makes more sense. I should have clarified that I didn't think PhDs made six figures. I was under the assumption that PharmDs did, but wasn't 100% sure.
I would probably stop flying into town the morning I have class
sounds like me. I used to go to concerts 8+ hours away and drive all night to get back for class in the morning. Sometimes the night before a test.
Ooops.
But totally worth it. And I wish I'd done it more.
Yup...concerts, sporting events, friends...all that good stuff.
I remember having a major Dynamics exam the morning after a World Series game. I can't even remember what I got on the test, but I sure do remember being at the game!
I'm not saying to slack off; I did well in Rx school. But if you consistetly put in the effort and don't put all of the pressure on yourself to nail specific exams (especially at the end of the course), you'll be able to enjoy the ride.
Oh! And work! Get as much pharmacy work experience while you're in school too.
I stopped going to class this week and have been more productive in those 4 hours than ever before. Class is a joke.
I wouldn't have joined every organization first day of P1 year because it was the cool thing to do. Also, the giant "flower vase" that APhA was giving out to new members ended up being ~11 shots worth. Terrible.
Other than that, I've managed to balance class/involvement/work pretty well with a good social life. Maybe a little less involvement if I were to do it again, but I've made some good connections around here.
Other than that, I've managed to balance class/involvement/work pretty well with a good social life. Maybe a little less involvement if I were to do it again, but I've made some good connections around here.
Never heard of a 20-something yr old PhD making 90k
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Never heard of a 20-something yr old PhD making 90k
So the consensus is,
1. work
2. don't join so many organizations
3. don't go to class (I'll filter this one out...I'm still going to class).
re: work......how much?
re: organizations......which are good to join? I find that they're so $$$ and I'm not sure it's really impressive on a CV to simply so you're a member of x, y, and z pharm organizations.
1. work
2. don't join so many organizations
3. don't go to class (I'll filter this one out...I'm still going to class).
re: work......how much?
re: organizations......which are good to join? I find that they're so $$$ and I'm not sure it's really impressive on a CV to simply so you're a member of x, y, and z pharm organizations.
If you go work in industry, you might be able to make around $70k or so in an industry post-doc, but those are rare.
If you go and get a law degree, too, in order to do patent law, you could make the same money lawyers make in your 20s. Or maybe early 30s, since I'm 28 and just finished a PhD right out of undergrad.
If you work as a post-doc in academia, you'll be lucky to make $40k. The only good news is you most likely won't be in too much debt b/c you got a stipend during grad school.
I have no idea what beginning instructors make, but I'm pretty sure it's not much.
Those are PharmDs straight out of two-year residencies...they got a few of those here and there.
if you go to a school that is a state school all salary info is public record. There are state run websites that tell you to the penny what each individual professor makes. Its a lot of fun.
What I did right - worked a little, but not too much
Got things that suck up a lot of time (like required service learning, presentations, etc.) done as early in the semester as possible (in fact, I did most of my service learning in the summers since we could)
Didn't restrict myself to just my one little group of friends, so now I know a lot of people in my class
Picked my extracurriculars carefully
What I did wrong - Worried too much about grades
Should have spent more time on my social life earlier
Should have cut a few more classes
Should have appreciated each day more - at the beginning, 4 years seems like such a long time, but it will go by like a flash and then you have to actually work 🙂
If its an organization that you're actively going to be involved in and participate in, then definitely join. The experience you get and connections you can make are absolutely worth it in the long run. If you're just going to sit back and join so you have something to put on your CV, then its not worth it.
I'm active in a few organizations, and I'm glad that I am. I've gotten my job out of it and will eventually get some pretty good letters of recommendation. I joined a whole bunch of others P1 year, did a whole lot of nothing with them, and let my membership lapse. Total waste of money.
apha offers a car insurance discount with geico so it pays for itself with me. and I joined one other since we have professional meeting requirements and again that pays for itself.
I havent spent large amounts of money per se.
My advice would be to join things that make you want to be and stay involved. I was a member of the student pharmacy association and active in my pharmacy fraternity. I didn't join either until I was in my 1st year of pharmacy school though because I really didn't know what they were all about in my pre-pharm years. Over the course of the next 4 years, I joined a few of the regional and national organizations. I found that many of the regional organizations had free memberships or meeting fees for students, and I joined the national organizations whose meetings I attended. That way, my CV looked full, but I could also talk about my membership in most of the pharmacy organizations listed. If money is an issue, either find organizations that offer reduced student fees or just join the organizations that you feel will be most worthwhile to you. Quality over quantity 🙂
Outside of pharmacy school, I was an athlete, a sorority girl, an environmentalist and a peer educator. I worked for my school's newspaper during the school year, and I worked in a different pharmacy in a different city every summer. Especially if you are doing it all in 6 years, your college life doesn't have to be all about pharmacy... I think being well rounded kept me sane in pharmacy school and added interest to my CV. If there are non-pharmacy organizations on campus that interest you and don't charge for membership, consider getting involved. You might be surprised at the doors that can be opened by those opportunities.
i kind of became disillusioned with extra curricular activities after i wrapped up undergrad. The social scene that came with it knocked around my GPA, so I've decidedly been absent from being involved in pharm school.
now when i hear the usual speeches about "oh! it'll help you with getting a job/help boost your resume!" i kind of just roll my eyes, because those are the random BS things we came up with doing publicity that we told everyone, even if it realistically applied to 3-4 people in the chapter (usually officers).
am i being too cynical? i'm making a conscious effort at saving my effort for 1) GPA, 2) clinical/experiential things. I somehow doubt employers want to know about all the little fundraisers and social events I helped plan....they want to know whether i fit into the company culture and have the qualifications to get the job done.
or am i the one that's missing the boat?
now when i hear the usual speeches about "oh! it'll help you with getting a job/help boost your resume!" i kind of just roll my eyes, because those are the random BS things we came up with doing publicity that we told everyone, even if it realistically applied to 3-4 people in the chapter (usually officers).
am i being too cynical? i'm making a conscious effort at saving my effort for 1) GPA, 2) clinical/experiential things. I somehow doubt employers want to know about all the little fundraisers and social events I helped plan....they want to know whether i fit into the company culture and have the qualifications to get the job done.
or am i the one that's missing the boat?
Had I done 4 years of undergrad prior to starting pharmacy school, my priorities and choices would have been much different. Luckily for me, many of my sorority sisters were pharmacy majors and I learned most of what I now know about STDs from my years as a peer educator. If your pharmacy classes and internships provide you with everything you need to feel fulfilled, then don't worry about what others are doing. I was involved in a bunch of random stuff, but I had friends who strictly went to class and worked. We all graduated, we all got the jobs we wanted and we all look back fondly on pharmacy school. People just have different ways of getting to the same goal. Not better or worse... just different.
And I don't think you're being cynical... just realistic. I mean, what does it matter if you're an officer in pharmacy school organizations but can't pass the classes necessary to become a pharmacist?
This was me. I wasn't overly involved in pharmacy school activities - I was really over that by the time I got around to grad school after being really involved when I was getting my BA. I had a lot of other issues going on during pharmacy school so I didn't have the time either.
I got the residency I wanted and work in a job I love for a great salary, so I don't regret how I did things. I suppose I missed out on some of the camaraderie my classmates had but I was also a good 4-5 years older than any of them and out of the house party phase by then.
I find your post kind of interesting since I've always heard how you have to be really involved in the activities and have leadership positions to have a good shot at residency. I know you have to have a good GPA as well; I guess I'm just curious how this worked out for you since you weren't really all that involved in other activities?
I don't know, my GPA was pretty good especially since I had what seemed like a bazillion credit hours from the 9 years of college I had. I graduated with honors and was in Rho Chi and all that. I know I was ranked for the other residencies I applied for as well, so I don't think it's all about extra-curricular activities 😕
I think it was my letters of recommendation, my job experience and my interviewing that probably helped me. As for my job now, it kind of fell into my lap, and it's not for everyone because it's in a small town, but it suits me perfectly. And I have every Friday off 👍
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Gotta love Fridays off! Thanks for telling about your experience. I am still debating yay or nay on a residency, so I always enjoy hearing about how it worked out (or not) for other people.
I wouldnt change much. I barely went to class. Professors would just see me for the exams as I would get notes from some girls with great handwriting. I loved it. Partied hard and still managed to get on the deans list. I have no idea how I did it, but it all worked out well.
Only thing I would change is to have not been in a serious relationship with one girl for 90% of it.
Only thing I would change is to have not been in a serious relationship with one girl for 90% of it.
I would have done something else *sigh*
...I am assuming what that something is.
not sure what you're talking about, but alright
Forgot to reply, but thank you spacecowgirl and MustLoveDrugs for your replies, they've helped quite a bit. 👍😍
