Anyone ever went to a uni or college and felt like you did not learn much?

[phathead]

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When you say the method of "passing the class" do you mean passing the class with like a c or a c+? I know that you won't be able to gain acceptance with mediocre grades like that. And how can you explain the 0+6 programs where they don't even require the PCAT? Let say a prestigious university filled with 300+ students in a class. How can you actually learn and truly master the materials under this situation?

I doubt every single student in pharmacy school mastered all the chemistry, biology, and other concepts they learned during their undergraduate years.

You're missing the point bud, you started this thread claiming not to have learned anything while finishing your first two semesters in college.

We have all conclusively tried to show you it's not about learning the material to get an A, but being able to understand the material and not merely regurgitate it on command.

This is the second thread in the last week where we have all provided the answer you seek, yet you choose to ignore the answer and argue. Some of us have a lot more experience in what you are trying to do and thus we have a right to suggest the differing ways to go about it.

You have to either learn to take ideas under consideration or stop asking questions because in reality you are not going to get anywhere.

 

[bottlecap1990]

You're missing the point bud, you started this thread claiming not to have learned anything while finishing your first two semesters in college.

We have all conclusively tried to show you it's not about learning the material to get an A, but being able to understand the material and not merely regurgitate it on command.

This is the second thread in the last week where we have all provided the answer you seek, yet you choose to ignore the answer and argue. Some of us have a lot more experience in what you are trying to do and thus we have a right to suggest the differing ways to go about it.

You have to either learn to take ideas under consideration or stop asking questions because in reality you are not going to get anywhere.

👍
I did not mean to argue. I just felt like the answers you provided were harsh and not constructive. More like intimidating.

 

[rxlea]

I don't believe that someone can learn something that he/she has no interest in. By the very act of relating a subject to something you know or some life experience, you're attempting to make it interesting or at least worthwhile of your time. If you intend on mastering (and truly learning) some subject, you need to be actively interested in it. Otherwise, you'll just memorize it temporarily and then drop it since it has no value to you. That's the difference between forgettable classes and classes that actually give you information that you can value. Of course, determining which classes are which is entirely subjective.

We can agree to disagree. But, I assure you...I had NO interest in math yet I learned it and can still do it. I had no interest in writing persuasive essays but I learned it. I also had NO interest in the "art" of public speaking, but I learned it. I was also not actively interested in many, many things I learned in college yet the knowledge has stayed with me. But hey, everyone is different.

 

[bottlecap1990]

We can agree to disagree. But, I assure you...I had NO interest in math yet I learned it and can still do it. I had no interest in writing persuasive essays but I learned it. I also had NO interest in the "art" of public speaking, but I learned it. I was also not actively interested in many, many things I learned in college yet the knowledge has stayed with me. But hey, everyone is different.

I agree with this 100 %. I hate when people say you must LOVE chemistry, Biology or whatever subjects that are required to get into pharm schools. I did not love those subjects but I tried to learn and like them.

 

[MiataMike]

We can agree to disagree. But, I assure you...I had NO interest in math yet I learned it and can still do it. I had no interest in writing persuasive essays but I learned it. I also had NO interest in the "art" of public speaking, but I learned it. I was also not actively interested in many, many things I learned in college yet the knowledge has stayed with me. But hey, everyone is different.

Do you still use any of these skills today? Apart from math, I think being able to write persuasively and speak in public are just necessary life skills that we should be able to use many times throughout our lives and careers. As I said before, those are subjects that one can value.

I spent all of last summer studying organic chemistry. I did great because all I did that entire summer was study. But orgo serves no purpose to me anymore. I can still remember bits and pieces of it but I'll be damned if I can remember some of the more complicated mechanisms and reaction pathways. That class was basically memorization in the sense that you had to understand and memorize what all the reactions did and how to manipulate them to get an end product. I have no reason to ever use this information again, though, which is why it hasn't stayed with me.

The information and skills that stay with us after we're finished with the class, like persuasive writing and public speaking, is the information that we learn. That's the distinction I'm trying to make.

 

[rxlea]

Do you still use any of these skills today? Apart from math, I think being able to write persuasively and speak in public are just necessary life skills that we should be able to use many times throughout our lives and careers. As I said before, those are subjects that one can value.

I spent all of last summer studying organic chemistry. I did great because all I did that entire summer was study. But orgo serves no purpose to me anymore. I can still remember bits and pieces of it but I'll be damned if I can remember some of the more complicated mechanisms and reaction pathways. That class was basically memorization in the sense that you had to understand and memorize what all the reactions did and how to manipulate them to get an end product.

The information and skills that stay with us after we're finished with the class, like persuasive writing and public speaking, is the information that we learn. That's the distinction I'm trying to make.

You were not being very clear with your sweeping statements that people can only truly learn things they are interested in. That statement, IMO, is false.

 

[MiataMike]

Actually, I just stated an opinion that I don't BELIEVE that someone can learn something that they are not interested in. 😛

If it makes you feel better, though, you can append it to say that people can only learn that which they are either interested in or can somehow apply to their own life.

 

[b1234]

Do you still use any of these skills today? Apart from math, I think being able to write persuasively and speak in public are just necessary life skills that we should be able to use many times throughout our lives and careers. As I said before, those are subjects that one can value.

I spent all of last summer studying organic chemistry. I did great because all I did that entire summer was study. But orgo serves no purpose to me anymore. I can still remember bits and pieces of it but I'll be damned if I can remember some of the more complicated mechanisms and reaction pathways. That class was basically memorization in the sense that you had to understand and memorize what all the reactions did and how to manipulate them to get an end product. I have no reason to ever use this information again, though, which is why it hasn't stayed with me.

The information and skills that stay with us after we're finished with the class, like persuasive writing and public speaking, is the information that we learn. That's the distinction I'm trying to make.

You're trying to learn about how drugs work and you think organic chemistry serves no purpose for you anymore???

 

[rxlea]

You're trying to learn about how drugs work and you think organic chemistry serves no purpose for you anymore???

I was thinking the same thing since I just took biochem this past semester and there was a lot of Ochem involved (functional groups, hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole interactions, carboxylation/decarboxylation, blahblah)

 

[delano2000]

I will be taking Orgo I and bio 102, and precalculus this fall, so do you think I should just go ahead and take the January 2011 PCAT?

I would wait until you at least get Calc out the way. Or do some independent studying in that subject. It wont be easy to grasp those concepts that quickly.

 

[deleted329060]

Man, people are being highly critical

Bottlecap, I think I understand how you feel. You obviously know your stuff since you are able to pull an "A" in the class. I assume that when you say you cannot "fully master a course", you mean being competent enough to actually teach someone else the same material. If that is the case, no worries. You aren't expected to know everything.

Also, I'll like to quote what diastole said since he/she pretty much said what I wanted to say:

You are scaring this poor person unnecessarily. I bet half my pharmacy class can't spit out all the steps in the Krebs cycle. I'm not sure I can but that isn't a big deal. If you need it, you learn it again. If you've learned it before, it gets easier to learn again. Some people don't have to learn it again because they already know it. It means that they will not have to work as hard but it doesn't mean that the person who has to learn something over again is doomed. They just need a few extra steps. No big deal...

As far as PCAT goes, I don't think it's entirely necessary to wait until you take the courses. It helps, but the prep books you have provide sufficient background. For example, I took gen bio in high school 3 yrs before my PCAT test date. It was my senior year in high school so I didn't really give a damn. When studying, I did not refer to ANY textbooks whatsoever because I felt the prep books I used were sufficient enough. In the end, I did pretty well so don't be so worried.

 

[bottlecap1990]

Man, people are being highly critical

Bottlecap, I think I understand how you feel. You obviously know your stuff since you are able to pull an "A" in the class. I assume that when you say you cannot "fully master a course", you mean being competent enough to actually teach someone else the same material. If that is the case, no worries. You aren't expected to know everything.

Also, I'll like to quote what diastole said since he/she pretty much said what I wanted to say:


As far as PCAT goes, I don't think it's entirely necessary to wait until you take the courses. It helps, but the prep books you have provide sufficient background. For example, I took gen bio in high school 3 yrs before my PCAT test date. It was my senior year in high school so I didn't really give a damn. When studying, I did not refer to ANY textbooks whatsoever because I felt the prep books I used were sufficient enough. In the end, I did pretty well so don't be so worried.

"you mean being competent enough to actually teach someone else the same material. If that is the case, no worries. You aren't expected to know everything."
These are the words I was trying to say. I just moved to this country 5 years ago at the age of 14 and English is a second language to me. I sometimes have a hard time expressing what I think or feel into words.

 

[owlegrad]

When you say the method of "passing the class" do you mean passing the class with like a c or a c+? I know that you won't be able to gain acceptance with mediocre grades like that. And how can you explain the 0+6 programs where they don't even require the PCAT? Let say a prestigious university filled with 300+ students in a class. How can you actually learn and truly master the materials under this situation?

I doubt every single student in pharmacy school mastered all the chemistry, biology, and other concepts they learned during their undergraduate years.

Some concepts are important, others are not. The problem is you don't yet know which is which. But if you understood it the first time through you will have no problem when you see it again in pharm school. I agree with the poster who said the important part of pre-pharm is learning how to learn. Actually being required to remember topics in depth from pre-pharm days is not required. Some topics do come back to haunt you, but as long as you understood it the first time the specifics shouldn't be that daunting when you see it again. Of course I am sure this varies from school to school.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

but you were able to do well in PCAT? What was your strategy? Do you just study hard from the practice books and tests?

I think you get out of your education what you put into it. Having said that, in 2003 I received my B.S. in B.S. after having spent three years in college. Yes, I graduated early. I earned a 3.45 or so and did so solely by listening in class. I didn't read one damn textbook the entire time I was in college except for the night courses I took down at the community college when I did the whole paramedic school thing. I think I also read parts of my vertebrate zoology and physical geology books. I liked those courses. I can tell you for a fact that I would fail college algebra and fine arts if I had to take test over those subjects right now. I can't write an outline to save my life (never could), I have no idea what qualities are involved in giving a successful speech, I can't tell you anything about each battle of the Civil War, none of the basic principles of marketing are known to me, I can't recite any of the statistics that we were lectured in sociology, and I know that despite having taken seven psychology classes, yielding six A's and one B, I know next to nothing about learning, psychopathologies, neurotransmitters, and early thinkers in the field. I took classes in all those aforementioned subjects. It was all very short-term, and in hindsight it seems to have been wasted time and money. My degree is rather useless in the workplace, and I've wondered since 2003 what I really should've majored in. Am I an intelligent person? I like to think so, and I believe others perceive me as such. I am definitely observant, and, in regards to what experiences and knowledge I call mine, I'm rather good at synthesizing it into other areas to figure out the whats, hows, whys, etc. I liked biologies, government, geography, U.S. history, and business law in college. Because of that I think I remember more about each of those subjects.

 

[MiataMike]

You're trying to learn about how drugs work and you think organic chemistry serves no purpose for you anymore???

Eh. To be honest, the pharmacy grads I've spoken to admitted to using little of orgo in the professional years. Maybe orgo wasn't the best example. I've taken tons of classes that I'll never use again, though.

 

[PharmGrrlJax]

No. You could have the same experience at a university. You can also have great professors at CC. Quality of instructors vary widely even within a particular college. Doesn't matter, it is up to you to learn/understand the material. Plenty of people come out of CC's well prepared for pharmacy school, so IMO you are at no disadvantage there. As far as I am concerned you are making excuses. Stop. The PCAT won't care who your instructor was, nor will your future professors who expect you to come prepared for your more advanced classes. I really am not trying to be mean here but you need to know that posts like these paint you in a negative light. You are not happy with your level of understanding so you blame the professor/your CC? I guess I might be over-reacting a bit (you are probably just venting, nothing wrong with that) but please keep in mind that you are responsible for your level of understanding. This attitude of "I only went to a CC" needs to go. I guess you can tell I went to a CC so I might be over-reacting a tad to this commit.

Side note: Congrats on getting all A's so far! Keep up the good work!

👍 I have had some amazing professors at my CC. Some that the local university students were filling the class before the CC students (with fewer credits) could register for. I used word of mouth and certain websites to pick the teachers that were the best in their subjects, perhaps you could do the same.

yes, there are a lot of "BS" classes...I would agree with you on that and some classes are just that- pump and dump. But, I can honestly say that I have taken away something from every class I have ever taken that has proven to be useful in some way....even if it was a bit of history that I could later talk about in a conversation. I think the only exception to this has been calculus except for needing to know it on the PCAT. However, pharmacy students have told me you use SOME calc in pharm school so I guess even that class was somehow important.

And everyone I have asked has said they didn't use anything above precalc... I loved calculus, so I am not worried, just curious. I know my husband (who is a clinical pharmacist) doesn't use any of it.

Eh. To be honest, the pharmacy grads I've spoken to admitted to using little of orgo in the professional years. Maybe orgo wasn't the best example. I've taken tons of classes that I'll never use again, though.

I have heard that too, perhaps the same people that told me we don't use calculus!!!

 

[nditebeck]

When you say the method of "passing the class" do you mean passing the class with like a c or a c+? I know that you won't be able to gain acceptance with mediocre grades like that. And how can you explain the 0+6 programs where they don't even require the PCAT? Let say a prestigious university filled with 300+ students in a class. How can you actually learn and truly master the materials under this situation?

I doubt every single student in pharmacy school mastered all the chemistry, biology, and other concepts they learned during their undergraduate years.

Bottle cap. this entire thread is useless. Dont y'all have some better than this to talk about? What the eff

 

[rxlea]

Bottle cap. this entire thread is useless. Dont y'all have some better than this to talk about? What the eff

I don't think the entire thread is useless.

 

[delano2000]

Bottle cap. this entire thread is useless. Dont y'all have some better than this to talk about? What the eff

 

[deleted329060]

And everyone I have asked has said they didn't use anything above precalc... I loved calculus, so I am not worried, just curious. I know my husband (who is a clinical pharmacist) doesn't use any of it.



I have heard that too, perhaps the same people that told me we don't use calculus!!!

i only worked in retail and for sure, the pharmacist do not use calculus. the most math intensive thing they do is calculating dosage using proportions.

 

[bottlecap1990]

Bottle cap. this entire thread is useless. Dont y'all have some better than this to talk about? What the eff

You are USELESS.

 

[MiataMike]

Oh SNAP. It's getting heated up in here! 🙄