Unsolicited Advice For Incoming Students

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Originally Posted by SeekerofTruth

I get an intern license in my P1 year.

So be a tech.

EDIT: TOP!

Is that possible without certification?

I feel like you really ought to know the law about that in your state.

Originally Posted by owlegrad

I feel like you really ought to know the law about that in your state.

Or how to find it.

Just sayin'

Originally Posted by All4MyDaughter

Or how to find it.

Just sayin'

Don't be a jerk.

Originally Posted by SeekerofTruth

Don't be a jerk.

Then stop asking stupid questions.

I would cry if I had to close this thread.

SDN is not the place for personal attacks. Please keep it civil.

There is a pharmacy technician questions thread that will help you find the answers to your questions.

A lot of the advice so far has centered around networking, especially with professors. What if you don't normally talk to professors and don't really know what to approach them about that isn't an artificial topic?

Originally Posted by Golden Bear

A lot of the advice so far has centered around networking, especially with professors. What if you don't normally talk to professors and don't really know what to approach them about that isn't an artificial topic?

You've hit the nail on the head as to the issue with networking - any networking. It's worse with tangentially-connected business associates you may or may not see again & don't really care about / have any interest in.

My best advice is to remember that everyone is a person, with interests & hobbies too. One of my O Chem instructors likes to run. One of my A&P teachers owns two Great Danes. My other O Chem teacher likes to hike & scuba dive. I doubt these people remember me, since I haven't seen them in a couple years, but if I do see them, I have a hook into a conversation.

I would consider myself a - I learned some of these things from their faculty websites - but I am learning that's what it takes to survive in nearly any business these days. Fortunately (or unfortunately), it's part of my job now, and I get (have to?) be around master networkers. Any sort of social gathering is a good place to interact with networkers - church, parties (well, those that not everyone knows each other), business meetings / affairs, when you take your kids to the park.

Watch the masters, the people for whom networking seems to be part of their personality. See what they do that you can also do. PRACTICE. Networking is a skill!

I am just applying to pharmacy school - perhaps someone in pharmacy school or in the field has some more specific advice?

Originally Posted by xtsukiyox

You've hit the nail on the head as to the issue with networking - any networking. It's worse with tangentially-connected business associates you may or may not see again & don't really care about / have any interest in.

My best advice is to remember that everyone is a person, with interests & hobbies too. One of my O Chem instructors likes to run. One of my A&P teachers owns two Great Danes. My other O Chem teacher likes to hike & scuba dive. I doubt these people remember me, since I haven't seen them in a couple years, but if I do see them, I have a hook into a conversation.

I would consider myself a - I learned some of these things from their faculty websites - but I am learning that's what it takes to survive in nearly any business these days. Fortunately (or unfortunately), it's part of my job now, and I get (have to?) be around master networkers. Any sort of social gathering is a good place to interact with networkers - church, parties (well, those that not everyone knows each other), business meetings / affairs, when you take your kids to the park.

Watch the masters, the people for whom networking seems to be part of their personality. See what they do that you can also do. PRACTICE. Networking is a skill!

I am just applying to pharmacy school - perhaps someone in pharmacy school or in the field has some more specific advice?

i would say start with your advisor, who prolly is also a professor for some classes, they can help you branch off to other professors also

then join some club that may have some involvement with professors who are in it, just another opportunity to talk to them and network

and if you have indian professors, talking about cricket always helps break the ice

As a new student, it's hard to know which organizations to join, at least in terms of specialties (NCPA, SSHP, etc.) considering I have no real clue which direction I want to go.

I'm all about free lunches, but I'd feel kind of weird joining both the community pharmacy organization AND the health-systems organization. Plus, I hate spending money.

Originally Posted by NaOH

As a new student, it's hard to know which organizations to join, at least in terms of specialties (NCPA, SSHP, etc.) considering I have no real clue which direction I want to go.

I'm all about free lunches, but I'd feel kind of weird joining both the community pharmacy organization AND the health-systems organization. Plus, I hate spending money.

I have a pretty negative attitude towards the clubs to be honest. Their primary goal is to get dues, and they are stuffed with people trying to pad their resume, IMO. That said, I guess they are all a part of the game. Pick one or two that interest you and join them. I joined ASP because I figured they are the broadest as apposed to the more specialized ones. If you have a particular interest, the more specialized groups may have some benefit I suppose.

If one group has better food than the others, there you go.

What about your local/state pharmacy organization? Ours is pretty active. First year we have a deal where we can join four organization for a discounted price and then 2nd year, you decide which you want to stay in. I stayed in SSHP, AzPA, and APhA. I also joined ACCP.

Get involved but only to the extend that you can keep your grades up.

Don't get in a relationship right away...

Keep your grades up if you want a residency, even if you don't keep it above a 3.0.

Get plenty of sleep

Originally Posted by rxlea

What about your local/state pharmacy organization? Ours is pretty active. First year we have a deal where we can join four organization for a discounted price and then 2nd year, you decide which you want to stay in. I stayed in SSHP, AzPA, and APhA. I also joined ACCP.

Do you have any insights as to why you picked the organizations you did?

During orientation at my school most of the professors said they have an open door policy and actually encouraged us to go and talk to them and introduce ourselves in a more personal level.

So far i joined only the APhA-ASP chapter at my school.

great thread.. looking forward to starting school soon and will adjust accordingly. hopefully i'll remember what was said here

Originally Posted by xtsukiyox

Do you have any insights as to why you picked the organizations you did?

I am interested in clinical pharmacy, hence SSHP. I have worked in a hospital for quite some time now and doing a residency is something I am definitely considering. I also hold a national position with ASHP. As for APhA, I think it is important to be a part of this organization as a student/pharmacist. Although they draw a lot of criticism from the pharmacy community, it is the one with the most influence, at least from what I have seen...I could be totally off base. As for my state pharmacy org, I hold an executive board position and I am pretty active politically at the state level. I also want to learn about the issues facing my community should I decide to practice here one day. As for ACCP, like I said, clinical practice interests me but I am open to academia as well; probably a combo of the two if possible. TBH, I still have a lot to learn about where to put most of my energy. Right now I am focusing on making my GPA competitive and working on projects that interest me (health disparities/rural health, oncology research). Sorry if I seem like I am rambling. I hope this helps.

I recently took a couple of tests that really hit me hard. I made 84's on both, but the test itself really put me back. I had a really hard time with all the conceptual questions.

Do you have any advice on how to go about studying/changing your habits to be more prepared?

Originally Posted by Weakerthan

I recently took a couple of tests that really hit me hard. I made 84's on both, but the test itself really put me back. I had a really hard time with all the conceptual questions.

Do you have any advice on how to go about studying/changing your habits to be more prepared?

You have to figure out what works for you. Group studying can be very effective. So can homemade note cards. Also, learning that an 84 is a great grade in pharmacy school will make your life much easier.

Originally Posted by owlegrad

You have to figure out what works for you. Group studying can be very effective. So can homemade note cards.

Note cards can only help certain types of people. I won't go into analyzing anything on here since it will be too long of a post.

If you find out what helps you, you can do well and get the score you want. I had another statement to go with that, but I don't want to start a huge argument.

Only a P1, but since I'm doing decent half-way through the semester, might as well put in my 2 cents

1. Motivation: is very important. I used to slack off in undergrad because I felt like I wouldn't use most of those info once I got out (wrong: organic chemistry continues to haunt ), but now that I'm in pharmacy school, I always force myself to learn the important stuff. When I start working and someone asks me for information I'm supposed to know, I can't say "Sorry failed that test can't tell ya" . This single factor has helped me out the most so far. Also, I want to do well because it gives me more options in the future.
2. Prioritize: like many others have commented, not everything is equally important. If you've spent 5 hours studying for a 10-point quiz, you have too much free time. (unless the class is out of 100 points total, LOL)
3. Have a group of friends, early: I think this is extremely, if not the most important thing. Going to class will always be less boring if you have someone(s) to sit by and share your various sentiments during lectures (yawning, getting frustrated, almost passing out in class, etc.) Friends will also keep you on your toes when you can't avoid missing class, give you feedback on experiential education sites they've done, etc. I don't know about other schools, but my class is not very big (~ 130 students), so while everyone has someone to talk to and you don't, it just feels extremely miserable (vs. undergrad. with 300 people in a lecture hall, I felt okay not knowing anyone in there).
4. Try to enjoy your experiential education: granted, some are more exciting than others, but just try to find the ones you think are interesting (versus doing 99% of them at chain pharmacies; why would you want to have the same experience over and over again?). Those preceptors are also potential employers, so go there with the best attitude you can gather; it'll only help in the future!!!
5. Talk to upperclassmen as much as you can; they often have very helpful information, like which professor is generally straightforward and which one you should study your butt off for, or which preceptors are really cool and let you do various tasks at their site instead of just watching, etc. But don't take their words for granted either ie. if people tell you professor A will recycle all of the old test questions and that you should just study from old tests, don't.do.it. Things always change from year to year.

Also, another advice is you shouldn't do what you don't feel comfortable doing. A lot of people join certain organizations just because everyone else is joining, then becomes very unhappy. True, those organizations help a lot with networking (I would imagine), but they're not the only way to go about. Just get out, talk to your professors and preceptors, participate in school & volunteer events (where you can talk to upperclassmen; otherwise you don't really see them that often), and you should be fine.

Bump!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by rxlea

Bump!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by owlegrad

I enjoyed reading back over this thread... it seems I have finally fine tuned my interests/path.

If there is one piece of additional advice I have for you n00bs, it is to have an open mind-- you can do a lot of different things with a pharmacy degree. You might surprise yourself with the path you end up on

Originally Posted by 74777

Wouldn't it make sense for it to be easier to be at the top of your class in pharmacy school?

So was it easy staying at the top?

It is going to be more important than ever to stand out (even if you're not considering residency), so in addition to keeping your grades up, working, and networking, find opportunities in things that motivate you and use them to your advantage. They don't necessarily have to be directly pharmacy related. Though pharmacy-related activities are great, it's okay to think outside of the box!

Originally Posted by NaOH

As a new student, it's hard to know which organizations to join, at least in terms of specialties (NCPA, SSHP, etc.) considering I have no real clue which direction I want to go.

I'm all about free lunches, but I'd feel kind of weird joining both the community pharmacy organization AND the health-systems organization. Plus, I hate spending money.

Which ones did you end up joining? I'm in APhA-ASP and SSHP (and their associated state groups) and Phi Delta Chi (not very active, unfortunately).

Seems like SNPhA is just another flavor of APhA, and NCPA is a pretty niche group. Just for the heck of it, I joined the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, ACCP, and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (student membership is free).

First year seems to be the year that most people join just about every group. P2 they fine tune their memberships, and P3 they really narrow it down.

Originally Posted by pharm B

First year seems to be the year that most people join just about every group. P2 they fine tune their memberships, and P3 they really narrow it down.

Few people really narrow it down in their P2 year.

Then by P3 year, they already know what they want.

Originally Posted by crazybob

Few people really narrow it down in their P2 year.

Then by P3 year, they already know what they want.

I assume it varies by school. Here, we have no bargains like Lea had, so you have to pay each group's fees. I think I pay around $80 each for SSHP and APhA and about $100 for PDC.

Originally Posted by pharm B

I assume it varies by school. Here, we have no bargains like Lea had, so you have to pay each group's fees. I think I pay around $80 each for SSHP and APhA and about $100 for PDC.

That reminds me...I forgot to tell you that I dropped PDC. I'm only SSHP, APhA, and AzPA now. I'm glad I didn't run for any officer positions. I am barely keeping my head above water right now. Last semester was cake compared to this one! I know I complain a lot...the truth is I really love what I'm doing and learning but I am really getting pushed to my limit. The 3rd years say it doesn't get better (they are the first class with the new curriculum). When I see them, they all look depressed. That scares me!

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Originally Posted by rxlea

I know I complain a lot...the truth is I really love what I'm doing and learning but I am really getting pushed to my limit.

Dudette, from what you've posted, I really have no idea how you do it. Your s/o must be hella supportive. If you ever end up at loose ends, I think you could easily find a gig doing time management lectures.

Originally Posted by rxlea

That reminds me...I forgot to tell you that I dropped PDC. I'm only SSHP, APhA, and AzPA now. I'm glad I didn't run for any officer positions. I am barely keeping my head above water right now. Last semester was cake compared to this one! I know I complain a lot...the truth is I really love what I'm doing and learning but I am really getting pushed to my limit. The 3rd years say it doesn't get better (they are the first class with the new curriculum). When I see them, they all look depressed. That scares me!

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Originally Posted by joetrisman

Love this picture. It hangs in my staircase where I can see it every morning.

Best advice I can give an incoming student? Get an exercise program worked out, and learn to love it. Do something active at least three times a week. Your body and mind (and sanity) will thank you.

I just read through this post - There is some super awesome insight here.

I have a question, is pharmacy school a Monday-Friday, 9-5 experience? I find, that I do about 90% of my learning completely on my own. I am currently in my senior year of a chemistry degree. I go to my class, and I typically do not understand anything that is being communicated. My main purpose of going to class is so that I will not miss out on announcements. I then go and study the book, notes, or any other resources I might have, and I end up understanding the material very well. I am currently holding a 3.9 GPA, so I feel like my technique is working well.

My worry is, that this might burn me in pharm. school. I am concerned that if I am in class 9-5, I will spend more time not knowing what the heck is going on, and less time focusing on my style of learning. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Originally Posted by Pojman

I just read through this post - There is some super awesome insight here.

I have a question, is pharmacy school a Monday-Friday, 9-5 experience? I find, that I do about 90% of my learning completely on my own. I am currently in my senior year of a chemistry degree. I go to my class, and I typically do not understand anything that is being communicated. My main purpose of going to class is so that I will not miss out on announcements. I then go and study the book, notes, or any other resources I might have, and I end up understanding the material very well. I am currently holding a 3.9 GPA, so I feel like my technique is working well.

My worry is, that this might burn me in pharm. school. I am concerned that if I am in class 9-5, I will spend more time not knowing what the heck is going on, and less time focusing on my style of learning. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Depends on how your school does things. I can just study the notes for med chem and pharmacology but not for the other stuff. Three of my classes don't have text books at all. one of those does not provide powerpoints, either. One is discussion based. Lots of our classes are interactive/active learning with patient cases. This greatly facilitates learning.

Most people go to class.....

You learn the rhythm of things once you're there. In a given course, I might have 5 or more instructors. The good instructors, I sit in on. The bad instructors, especially the ones with significant language barriers, I stay at home and make better use of my time.

I literally cannot go to lectures even if I want to. They are recorded and I can watch them at my convenience (many people in my class do not watch them at all). Powerpoints are more than enough for most classes.

Everyone is going to say the same thing: it just depends on how the school is setup and also how you learn.

Glad you like the thread.

I too enjoy this thread and find it very helpful. Thanks!
Rxlea: I'll be starting P1 @ UofA this fall and appreciate your advice. You mentioned the new curriculum and upon review of it, I have a question. The first semester of P1 is a total of 17units. Do all the courses span the entire semester even though some count as only 1 or 2 units?

Originally Posted by Skawty

I too enjoy this thread and find it very helpful. Thanks!
Rxlea: I'll be starting P1 @ UofA this fall and appreciate your advice. You mentioned the new curriculum and upon review of it, I have a question. The first semester of P1 is a total of 17units. Do all the courses span the entire semester even though some count as only 1 or 2 units?

those go to november. You have to get a 93 for an A. The new curriculum is being tweaked. Third years had it the hardest. But based on student input, they are making some changes. They are very good about listening to students about the curriculum. We made some recommendations that you'll benefit from

Relax over summer cuz life is going to be rough come fall!

A big thank you to everyone who has posted. this thread has been very, very helpful!

Originally Posted by rxlea

those go to november. You have to get a 93 for an A. The new curriculum is being tweaked. Third years had it the hardest. But based on student input, they are making some changes. They are very good about listening to students about the curriculum. We made some recommendations that you'll benefit from

Relax over summer cuz life is going to be rough come fall!

Good to know and good looking out. I'm definitely taking the summer easy! It'll be nice to take a timeout for a beer!

Originally Posted by Skawty

Good to know and good looking out. I'm definitely taking the summer easy! It'll be nice to take a timeout for a beer!

Good idea!

loved this thread! I have about another year of pre-reqs to go and reading threads like this keeps me driven - thanks to everyone that contributed!

My pharmacy school was about a 3 hour drive from a ski slope and in the winter a group of us made a point of hiring the student union mini-van and driving up to the slopes every week. We had a blast and all became good mates. All of us passed with good grades and have carved out successful careers.

Point being, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Don't over do it or you will make yourself ill and miss out on the prime tears of your life. I also played on the golf team and soccer team and we organised a lot of away days to theme parks etc.

Try not to get tied down in a relationship as it causes arguements and stress if one partner not available at given moments. There will be plenty of time to meet the man/woman of your dreams later in your career.

Originally Posted by Hello2000

Try not to get tied down in a relationship as it causes arguements and stress if one partner not available at given moments. There will be plenty of time to meet the man/woman of your dreams later in your career.

This point I am not sure I agree with, though it is just a matter of opinion. I would certainly prefer to have my girlfriend there to support and push me through school as opposed to the go it alone mantra. I will agree about the stress if one partner not available at a given moment; however, to me that just means finding a partner who also has a very demanding schedule or at least understands it. Luckily for me, my girlfriend is a PhD student who fully understands the rigors of a time consuming field- as she lives one.

Originally Posted by Hello2000

Try not to get tied down in a relationship as it causes arguements and stress.

Wait a second!! So your telling me that its not like what I saw on the movie Ghost? Or, Sleepless in Seattle? What about Titanic?

Sorry for being off topic.. But this quote made me LOL.

Originally Posted by Pojman

Wait a second!! So your telling me that its not like what I saw on the movie Ghost? Or, Sleepless in Seattle? What about Titanic?

Sorry for being off topic.. But this quote made me LOL.

Lol, maybe I was just unlucky and got landed with a neurotic biatche who never stopped calling and would go off in a strop if I said I needed to hand an assignment in and couldnt see her for a few days etc, didn't need the hassle so she was binned quick time. Interestingly she didn't like me ski-ing, golfing, playing soccer or having a beer with my friends either.

Sleepless in Seattle is defo my favourite though :-D