Pharmacy School Accelerated Track

[mjk470]

Hi! I'm a pre-pharmacy student in a program with a not so prestigious pharmacy school, and I was looking for input as to whether or not I should continue in the program.

The pros of my affiliation is the length of time spent in school; I am in the 2+3 program, so I will be in undergraduate school for 2 years and then Pharmacy school for 3 years.

I currently have a 4.0 GPA after my first year in undergraduate school, taking 18 and 19 credit hours per semester. Hopefully, I can keep up my grades during pharmacy school. With these grades, could I get a good residency after school, or should I consider going to school for a longer period of time and applying to a more prestigious pharmacy school?

Overall, my question is should I continue with my program or not?

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[Grace184]

I can answer your question, I believe, quite accurately, but first, I need to know- is there a particular residency you desire to pursue at JH ie a PGY2 or just a general residency?

 

[mjk470]

Ideally, PGY2. And, out of curiosity, how would your answer be different if I were aiming for a general residency at JH?

 

[Grace184]

Seeing if you wanted to go there bc of a specialty and the opportunities in place vs prestige...just was going to also give advice on priorities but if it's a pgy2 that's completely relevant and I agree on with you

I also went to what some may or may not consider a "non prestigious" pharmacy school a few hrs south of you. My grades were mediocre but I was able to do research (non laboratory) with my professors- showing dedication in the pgy2 field I wanted to pursue. Did poster presentations at mid year, other conferences, even got a publication. I received interviews at USC, MUSC, Purdue, and my top choice. I matched with my top choice and completed a pgy 1 and 2 and became a clinical pharmacist and a professor at the school for 3 years. I have many friends I graduated with that have also matched into top choice specialty residencies- including transplant at Yale.

I tell you this anecdote because people often say oooh it's the top pharmacy school, etc. and that's great. But it you prove yourself while you're there beyond grades, like getting involved in prof pharmacy sororities/frats(and hold a leadership position), volunteer, DO RESEARCH on the field you want to get into (JH will love that) as well as be involved in that field somehow, you can get in. People look great on paper sure, but the interview matters, and so does your CV, so start building it now (it's a pain to rebuild it from scratch later). You stay involved in what your dream is- you're equal to any other school.

 

[mjk470]

Great! Thank you so much! Your emphasis on research was very reassuring. I'm fortunate enough to already be involved with pharmaceutical research at the undergraduate level, but my research professor is pretty sure that I can publish a paper in the next year with the progress I've made. I also would like to teach eventually, so you were the ideal person to answer my question. Thank you again!

 

[Grace184]

That is so great that you're already ahead of the game! You've put yourself in a great position to succeed! Even if you don't get the publication or not, start taking that research to pharmacy events like ASHP, PA pharmacist presentations, etc. your professor/PI can teach you how to visually present an abstract for a conference- great for networking! Feel free to PM me anytime, ever with questions. I actually left my professor position at the end of the school year and am applying to med school (I'm not attempting to betray pharmacy!) I couldn't have learned all I did without my residency and my work and I feel a passion to learn more. But as I said, I do have some experience in the whole pharm residency/teaching spiel, so I'm always open for questions or to view your CV, etc.

 

[mjk470]

You've been a huge help! I'll be sure to reach out in the future if I have any more questions. Thank you!