6 month break between undergrad and pharm school. What to do?

[Bogos]

I'm sort of burnt out from undergrad/applications. I will start my break after graduating in March. What is something I can do over this time period that will unwind me, and REALLY make me want to go back to studying?

Couple of things about me:
I'm not very disciplined (my performance in school is almost completely dependent on motivation) so I really need to get my **** together before school starts.

I've been working as a tech for about 2 years (want to quit, but need money)

I don't think I have the money to "travel"

I would like to relearn Spanish, take Anatomy, possibly tutor/mentor kids, and get more involved in my hobbies, but idk if they're going to prevent me from being "ready to learn" or not. Most people have told me to not study.

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[BenJammin]

Or you could do what I know you'll do and just drop out of school and do something completely different than pharmacy. Everyone I know who goes on breaks or says this "I need to get myself together" crap never does. You need to keep on this train or you'll get off only to never return. Disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Reduc]

Things to prepare you for pharmacy school:

1. Vices: Build up a repertoire of hobbies and things you do to unwind and destress. Hiking, running, weightlifting, yoga, swimming, biking, cooking, music, etc. Get a head start in learning about things that make you happy now while you have the time. You'll need them once school starts and the grind begins. Keep on eye on your peers who do not have any positive vices and hobbies in their life vs the ones that do. Their is a big difference in attitude and productivity when you are able to effectively manage stressors in your life.
2. Study Skills: Don't spend your time learning anything specific about pharmacy, anatomy, spanish, etc. Instead just practice and learn good study skills. If you want to familiarize yourself with Spanish and anatomy, more important than learning the material is how you learn it. Learn how to organize large amounts of information. Learn what makes you study the most effectively. Periodization, repetition, application, attitude, etc. Review http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/laws-of-learning.92567/ Their is no material too difficult to learn in pharmacy school. Its the volume of material you must learn that is challenging. Learn good study skills now to avoid the mad scramble and nonstop cramming between midterms in pharmacy school.

Prepare or don't prepare. There is no correct way of going about it and don't feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to. Its 6 months of your life, just do stuff and live life until school starts up and then you have another 4 years of education.

5 years a tech. Took a year off between undergrad and pharmacy school. It was nice.

 

[AlPacino]

I was in the same situation. My advice is to just enjoy these last 6 months of freedom because you will have plenty to study and keep you busy once you start. Give your brain a rest for making it through undergrad. During my time, I just worked full-time and took couple weeks off to travel around the state. It was a great decision, and I do not regret it. Good luck.

 

[trailerpark]

Get a gym membership and work out! Now that I'm working as a pharmacist, it's shocking how many other pharmacists are Jenny Craigs.

 

[eagles22]

Re-learn Spanish. You could take a course or 2 at community college which would be a small time commitment and force you keep up study skills. You could immerse yourself in the language by only watching Spanish TV and listening to Spanish radio and reading whatever books you like in Spanish. It's a skill that will be useful. Anatomy is not very useful for pharmacy school. No sense in studying for school since you'll learn everything in the 4 years.