An Unorthodox Approach to the Fellowship Process: Part 7 – Offers, Decisions, and What Nobody Puts in a Guide

Author: Ravi Parekh

Views are my own and do not reflect my employer.

---

How the Timeline Works

AIFA coordinates timelines for applications, interviews, and the extension of offers across its member programs, which include Rutgers, MCPHS, UNC, Northeastern, and many others. The agreed offer date among AIFA member programs is no earlier than mid-December, and the intent is to give candidates the space to make a real, considered decision.

Most students wait until after ASHP Midyear to decide, and that is a legitimate and well-reasoned choice. Midyear gives you one more touchpoint with programs and a fuller picture of your options before committing.

Why the Decision Was Not Hard

I received my first offer from an independent program in mid-November. Shortly after, offers from other programs followed. I made my decision within those timelines.

This was not impulsive. By the time offers came in, I had been deeply engaged with every program I was seriously considering for months. I had done the one-on-ones, the fly-outs, the research, and the conversations. I knew where I wanted to be before anyone extended an offer. The decision was not hard because the process had already made it.

If You Are Still Unsure

If you are uncertain when an offer comes in, that is okay. Talk to your family, mentors, and friends. Give yourself the space to consider the full picture. Having any offer is better than having none, and taking the time available to make the right decision for you is not a weakness.

Take Care of Yourself During the Final Stretch

Some things do not show up in timelines or checklists, but they matter as much as any of the tactical steps. Take care of yourself during this stretch. November, especially, is genuinely exhausting. Fly-outs, presentations, receptions, and decisions are all compressed into a few weeks while you are also on APPEs.

Build in recovery time. Sleep. Eat well. The version of you that shows up to a fly-out on five hours of sleep after a red-eye is not the version of you that spent six months preparing.

Start With ADP's Fellowship Guide

Beyond what I have described here, there are a few things worth bookmarking. ADP's fellowship guide is free, thorough, and the author is reachable on Reddit at u/AdenosineDiphosphate if you have questions. The Substack and Google Docs versions both exist and are regularly updated. It is as close to a comprehensive public resource on this process as anything out there.

IPhO has resources as well, though its guide is longer and costs money. The ADP guide covers the same ground for free. Start there.

Use LinkedIn as a Research Tool

LinkedIn is underused, and it is my favorite research tool during fellowship season. Past fellows at every program have public profiles. You can see where they went after the program, what title they exited at, and what kind of work they moved into.

Looking up past fellows on LinkedIn to assess exit trajectories is one of the most useful things you can do when evaluating whether a program is worth your time. A program where fellows consistently exit at the senior manager level in Medical Affairs at top 20 pharmaceutical companies is a very different opportunity from one where exits are scattered across associate roles at smaller organizations.

Keep It Collaborative

This field is collaborative, and there is no reason that should not start at the application stage. If you have questions or want to talk through any of this, reach out.