How do you guys keep the goal in sight and not give up?

[serpant55]

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Pre-Pharm is a really long hard and expensive road. From all the fees to doing well in courses, it takes a lot of perseverance to stick to it. How do you guys prevent yourselves from giving up and taking another road out? This especially applies to ppl who are away from s.o's or don't have a lot of family support/supporting themselves on their own/have to deal with a lot of stress from family and so on..

Thanks for any tips.

(P.S. Also, question about p.statement - are they looking solely for reasons to becoming a pharmacist or can you also describe the hardships you endured to make it there? Thanks)

 

[jackal head]

Pre-Pharm is a really long hard and expensive road. From all the fees to doing well in courses, it takes a lot of perseverance to stick to it. How do you guys prevent yourselves from giving up and taking another road out? This especially applies to ppl who are away from s.o's or don't have a lot of family support/supporting themselves on their own/have to deal with a lot of stress from family and so on..

Thanks for any tips.

(P.S. Also, question about p.statement - are they looking solely for reasons to becoming a pharmacist or can you also describe the hardships you endured to make it there? Thanks)

2 things I can attest to

1. Hang out with other people who have similar goals (and are actually working towards them)

2. Keep a journal of your progress (ie once every month record how things are going)

 

[mike36]

Well...I started out as a microbiology major, then switched to clinical laboratory science. So my first goal was to get my B.S. I had not even considerdered pharmacy until after I was out of college. So considering that you only have to complete 2 years of pre-pharmacy coursework, and you are already complaining, can you really expect me to have a lot of sympathy? Seriously, get over it. 2 years is nothing compared to what I went through.

 

[atticus27]

Well...I started out as a microbiology major, then switched to clinical laboratory science. So my first goal was to get my B.S. I had not even considerdered pharmacy until after I was out of college. So considering that you only have to complete 2 years of pre-pharmacy coursework, and you are already complaining, can you really expect me to have a lot of sympathy? Seriously, get over it. 2 years is nothing compared to what I went through.

You sound like a prick.

 

[mike36]

You sound like a prick.

Seriously? You think I sound like a prick because someone says that pre-pharmacy is a long and hard road and I disagree? It is only 2 ****ing years. That is nothing.

If pharmacists want to be taken as seriously as M.D. phsyicians, then you need to have a 4-year degree just like most Med Schools require.

 

[anyr]

To actually contribute to the thread: I keep a picture of my parents at my desk, it's a nice reminder to stop being a baby and suck it up like they did. 😀

 

[JJVmom]

When I feel overwhelmed w/balancing school, work, and my family, I read this board. Most posts are so motivating.

Unlike Mike36, the further away I am from reaching my goal, the more motivation I need. It's daunting to think of it as being at the bottom rung of a tall ladder. Many of us already have a bachelor's in another field, so we've already done 4 yrs of school. Most of us need motivation to do our best in the middle of a difficult semester. It's not easy to spend a Saturday at the library, when everyone else you know is enjoying the day.

I just remind myself of where I want to be in 6 years. I also remind myself that when my children are grown, I'll still have 25 years left to work. I see myself spending those years as a pharmacist.

 

[mike36]

Unlike Mike36, the further away I am from reaching my goal, the more motivation I need.

What? If you gots something to say, then say it. Otherwise, don't.

 

[Artful Dodger]

lol damn. real salty.

i really could take what mike has posted & incorporate it with mines, but that would be too harsh & unrepresentative of the character of members on SDN. however, NEVER consider cost when deciding what to study. You won't like the effect of it at all. Anyway, what keeps me on track is the things that got me interested in the subject of healthcare itself, particularly pharmacy...then, I put my mind to it and motivate myself until the end of it. It's really that simple...I got passion for it. Without passion, I would've considered another career path, which I have no idea what it may be. And if you're a person of many interests, I wouldn't limit choices to just pharmacy...keep searching for answers. People always change their minds. You think I had it right the first time? Wrong! I changed my mind plenty of time...When the passion disappears or when I'm enlightened, I go wherever my heart desires. And I'll be honest with you, I have never felt so confident for a career in Pharmacy. It's really the perfect fit for me!

yeah, in the PS, you want to be unique...and of course, they expect you to jot down a few things that caught your attention to pharmacy. In fact, I'd put Pharmacy in the center and the things I've done to prepare myself for a career in pharmacy, which could involve type of personality I have, unique/inspiring experiences, academic interests, failures/successes in life. Anything that makes you shine as a student interested in the pharmacy profession.

Anyway, good luck to you & your journeys. Stop by with any other questions you may have about Pharmacy, struggles, renewal of interests, englightment, etc. Hope you find some of this useful. Let me know if you want me to elaborate on some points.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I think: if I sacrifice 6 years of hard ass work, I'll be rewarded with 70+ years of easy great living and being financially secure.

(I'll be 30 when I finish pharm school and plan on making it past my 100th birthday. 😀)

 

[mike36]

In retrospect, I was out of line with my posts. I was in a bad mood last night and took it out on the OP and others. My apologies to the OP and anyone else I offended last night. Best of luck on your journey to becoming a pharmacist.

 

[ffpickle]

You've got to enjoy the journey....

Even if it is at some deep visceral level, you must, at least partially have an interest in the challenges which confront you in the path towards your objectives.

It might be sadistic & twisted to enojy the type of grueling effort required, but if you don't like it, it will never seem worth it.

I also agree with some above statements: 1) Make goal-oriented friends; ambition is infectious. 2) Try to put aside finnacial concerns because you're making an investment in yourself, and education, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is one of the less riskier investments (financial advisors recommend this).

 

[PharmPrincess]

The journey is hard and a lot of stress because of the competition, but you gotta remind yourself the feeling you'll get once you get in (and even more graduate with a Pharm.D.). That was the motivation for me: the feeling of the deserved reward after all the hardship I went through.

And yes, I didn't do the 2 year minimum pre-req. I finished with a B.S. in biology because I was deciding between pharmacy and medicine. And after working in both fields (in a doctor's office vs. a pharmacy) and considering starting a family ASAP (plus my hubby is going to end up being a Dr. anyways in a few years), i decided pharmacy was the best pathway for me to go. I had the motivation, the grades, extra-cirricular activities, research and the help from other pharmacists/people to keep me going. Don't despair!!

 

[phar2013]

I think: if I sacrifice 6 years of hard ass work, I'll be rewarded with 70+ years of easy great living and being financially secure.

(I'll be 30 when I finish pharm school and plan on making it past my 100th birthday. 😀)

I agree!!!

 

[mdsweetie1]

The journey is hard and a lot of stress because of the competition, but you gotta remind yourself the feeling you'll get once you get in (and even more graduate with a Pharm.D.). That was the motivation for me: the feeling of the deserved reward after all the hardship I went through.

And yes, I didn't do the 2 year minimum pre-req. I finished with a B.S. in biology because I was deciding between pharmacy and medicine. And after working in both fields (in a doctor's office vs. a pharmacy) and considering starting a family ASAP (plus my hubby is going to end up being a Dr. anyways in a few years), i decided pharmacy was the best pathway for me to go. I had the motivation, the grades, extra-cirricular activities, research and the help from other pharmacists/people to keep me going. Don't despair!!

i was on the premed track before as well-how did you decide that you wanted to be a pharmacist over a doctor? less stress?

 

[kismet]

Pre-Pharm is a really long hard and expensive road. From all the fees to doing well in courses, it takes a lot of perseverance to stick to it. How do you guys prevent yourselves from giving up and taking another road out? This especially applies to ppl who are away from s.o's or don't have a lot of family support/supporting themselves on their own/have to deal with a lot of stress from family and so on..

Thanks for any tips.

(P.S. Also, question about p.statement - are they looking solely for reasons to becoming a pharmacist or can you also describe the hardships you endured to make it there? Thanks)

I went into my freshman year knowing I wanted to get to pharmacy school, so basically if things start sucking, you just tell yourself "this is what it takes." Some crappy stupid GE class that has nothing to do with anything? This is what it takes (pre-req's or degree GE). A ridiculously hard molecular biology class where you walk away every day not knowing what just happened? This is what it takes (pre-req's or degree requirements).

Pretty much I have no idea what I would do with my life if not pharmacy. So I gotta do what it takes.

I can remember, though, every quarter around finals time I'd call my mom, near a breakdown, and tell her "I can't do this! I can't learn this! I can't decide where I want to apply! Being an adult sucks!"

Her response was always "Suck it up." 🙂

As for the personal statement, there are a bazillion threads about it, try doing a search and you'll find some good advice.

 

[sakigt]

Its kind of like climbing the pyramid of the Sun in Mexico City. I stared up the stupid thing I kept thinking "theres no way..."

So you just take a swig of water and start marching up. If you get too tired you take a break. Next thing you know youre up there looking down at all the people at the bottom who decided "its just too high" "its just too difficult" "maybe next time Im at Teotihuacan Ill try" and revel in your strength and accomplishment.

Either that or halfway up you fall down and decide climbing pyramids isnt for you after all. 😀

 

[diastole]

I can remember, though, every quarter around finals time I'd call my mom, near a breakdown, and tell her "I can't do this! I can't learn this! I can't decide where I want to apply! Being an adult sucks!"

Her response was always "Suck it up." 🙂

Your mom sounds cool.

 

[Storm90]

First, don't be concerned about money. Money can always come and go, so don't focus on it. Otherwise you'll hate yourself for spending so much. As far as motivation, I discovered pharmacy after my 1st year of school. Since then I have worked as a pharmacy tech for the last 9 years. My motivation was I knew I could do what pharmacists do, I just needed a chance. I did everything that was asked of me, and any time an opportunity presented itself to do some of the pharmacist's work, I was always first in line. I've had several part-time jobs, but seeing how much my dad struggles and how hard he works, I know what I want to do (be a pharmacist) and what I don't want to do (work 60-100 hours/week in various entrepreneurial fields). That's motivation. As far as PS, it all depends on what you're writing for and which schools are asking. I volunteer for reviewing PS for anyone who asks for help (see proofreading forum), and I'd be happy to help if you want it. Just PM me. Keep with it. It's worth it in the end.

 

[GatorVista]

I agree with Storm that money really should not be the focus. When you graduate, you will be making 100K+ a year and it will not take long to repay the loan. I'll admit that Prepharm can be discouraging at times, but you must keep focused on the goal of becoming a pharmacist. For example, I almost decided to change my major after making a D on an exam in Chem 2. My professor kept telling me I would be okay and not to worry. I am thankful that he did not let me drop the class because I managed to pull out an A in the class on the final.

As for your personal statement, the only advice I have is to be genuine in your essay. If you endured a lot of hardships during your life that influenced your choice for pharmacy, I think it would be essential to include it somewhere in your statement.

Just remember to stay focused!🙂

 

[Kirbypuff]

Like mike, I came to pharmacy after a long journey of searching for the best career for me. I've spent 5 extra years in school just figuring out that pharmacy is the perfect fit for me. The past 3 years I've had to deal with feeling like I'd wasted my time and money pursuing other dreams... along with facing the negative opinions of my friends and my parents. During the pre-pharmacy phase, I had no choice but to persevere because I know that pharmacy is what I want. There's nothing else for me. I was rejected last year by all the schools I'd applied to, (albeit I submitted my pharmCAS app rather late due to a mishandled LoR,) but I did not feel daunted. I applied to 17 schools this year early in September. 3 interviews, 2 waitlists, and 1 rejection later, I've finally been accepted to a pharmacy program. I'll admit in the middle I thought about nursing as a back up, but I had absolutely no motivation to substantiate that thought. I think the sacrifice is only worth it if the prize is what you truly desire.

I'd say more than good luck, give it your all, your heart, sweat, blood, and you will have no regrets.

 

[waryman]

For me it was simple...I just love to learn about medicines. But if I knew it would take me this long to get a good enough background to get some decent interviews then I would've switched my major from chem to bio and went to med school for those 300k specialty salaries. But if there's one thing you need to know its that this **** ain't easy. I didn't do so well during my sopohomore year and I was real pissed off. But you know you can do it if you study and I got A's on all of my science courses the following year and I knew I had what it took. But with pharmacy if you just do well on your courses and put in the actual time then you will succeed. Hopefully I will with my interview to my dream school UMB in two weeks.

 

[waryman]

Like mike, I came to pharmacy after a long journey of searching for the best career for me. I've spent 5 extra years in school just figuring out that pharmacy is the perfect fit for me. The past 3 years I've had to deal with feeling like I'd wasted my time and money pursuing other dreams... along with facing the negative opinions of my friends and my parents. During the pre-pharmacy phase, I had no choice but to persevere because I know that pharmacy is what I want. There's nothing else for me. I was rejected last year by all the schools I'd applied to, (albeit I submitted my pharmCAS app rather late due to a mishandled LoR,) but I did not feel daunted. I applied to 17 schools this year early in September. 3 interviews, 2 waitlists, and 1 rejection later, I've finally been accepted to a pharmacy program. I'll admit in the middle I thought about nursing as a back up, but I had absolutely no motivation to substantiate that thought. I think the sacrifice is only worth it if the prize is what you truly desire.

I'd say more than good luck, give it your all, your heart, sweat, blood, and you will have no regrets.

I have to ask how much it cost to apply to 17 pharmacy schools. I applied to about 10 and it cost me about 700 including the applications. WHat program finally accepted you?

 

[ngynththo]

Pre-Pharm is a really long hard and expensive road. From all the fees to doing well in courses, it takes a lot of perseverance to stick to it. How do you guys prevent yourselves from giving up and taking another road out? This especially applies to ppl who are away from s.o's or don't have a lot of family support/supporting themselves on their own/have to deal with a lot of stress from family and so on..

Thanks for any tips.

(P.S. Also, question about p.statement - are they looking solely for reasons to becoming a pharmacist or can you also describe the hardships you endured to make it there? Thanks)

If your goal is the one you really desire, then it is not easy for to give up. Yes, you are right. Pre-pharm is a really long hard road for those who have to work full-time and dealing with a lot of stresses. Just keep in mind that you will be "that person-that pharmacist you want".
Step by step reaching your goal and shortening it if possible, such as reducing work hours, scheduling classes taken to ensure the good grade then avoid wasting time retake the class, etc....
The long time you stick to your goal is also a proof to show your passion for career to the add. com., through your personal statement.
Ask yourself if you really love it. This is important.
Good luck!

 

[SexyPlexi]

In retrospect, I was out of line with my posts. I was in a bad mood last night and took it out on the OP and others. My apologies to the OP and anyone else I offended last night. Best of luck on your journey to becoming a pharmacist.

Hey that is cool of you to apologize! That takes balls and I appreciate that. (LOL I just said I appreciate balls )


As for the OP, I would say definitely passion for pharmacy keeps me motivated. SURE I have had weeks, moments, even a whole month once where I thought I just wasn't into this long haul anymore...but what it comes down to is that pharmacy is my passion and I will have MANY years to practice what I am studying once I finish. That and the financial security for my family that comes with finishing this goal.

 

[SexyPlexi]

Oh and try not to look at the whole picture that much...just take a day at a time and do your best. Take care of the moments and the years will take care of themselves.

And like my dad always says, "You can only eat an elephant ONE bite at a time!"

Just keep taking bites and one day you will have eaten the whole damn elephant!

 

[Kirbypuff]

I have to ask how much it cost to apply to 17 pharmacy schools. I applied to about 10 and it cost me about 700 including the applications. WHat program finally accepted you?

including kaplan, pcat, apps, supps, interviews, postage, etc, i'd say i spent over $4,000. i got into jefferson =).

 

[alenadoma]

including kaplan, pcat, apps, supps, interviews, postage, etc, i'd say i spent over $4,000. i got into jefferson =).

OMG!! You got into Jefferson, I didn't know!! Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you 🙂!!

 

[Kirbypuff]

OMG!! You got into Jefferson, I didn't know!! Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you 🙂!!

thanks!! =)

 

[Pharmdapp87]

When I was a HS senior I had a really harsh heart and neurocardiac disorder that caused me to miss over half of fall semester. When I returned for Spring Semester I was told that I needed to complete spring and Fall semesters work to graduate. It was the hardest thing I had to do not just because I was still missign classes but because I was responsible for my own education. My teachers, as nice as they were, just gave me the assignments and I tought myself everything. Anatomy and Physiology, AP Chem, Honors English 4 and Pre calc.... do you know how difficult it is to teach yourself those things and still keep up with the class when they are 3-4 chapters ahead of you? Anyway, that was the first time i REALLY had to work hard. Everyone was having fun their senior year and I was stuck inside doing hw and trying to graduate on time

Amidst all this after seeing over 6 different physicians I realized they all almost killed me with diff medications and it was always a pharmacist who ended up saving my life. It left a huge impression. So... with that my mind has never detered away from Pharmacy. And it never will. I wanna be the one to help those who could possibly be in my shoes. So when times get tough I think of that... Plus my freshman year when i joined pre-Pharmacy society, they gave us Pill Bottles with M&M's in them and I have not opened it yet. I don't plan to either until I graduate from pharm school. Can't wait to take a whiff of success!

 

[Artful Dodger]

When I was a HS senior I had a really harsh heart and neurocardiac disorder that caused me to miss over half of fall semester. When I returned for Spring Semester I was told that I needed to complete spring and Fall semesters work to graduate. It was the hardest thing I had to do not just because I was still missign classes but because I was responsible for my own education. My teachers, as nice as they were, just gave me the assignments and I tought myself everything. Anatomy and Physiology, AP Chem, Honors English 4 and Pre calc.... do you know how difficult it is to teach yourself those things and still keep up with the class when they are 3-4 chapters ahead of you? Anyway, that was the first time i REALLY had to work hard. Everyone was having fun their senior year and I was stuck inside doing hw and trying to graduate on time

Amidst all this after seeing over 6 different physicians I realized they all almost killed me with diff medications and it was always a pharmacist who ended up saving my life. It left a huge impression. So... with that my mind has never detered away from Pharmacy. And it never will. I wanna be the one to help those who could possibly be in my shoes. So when times get tough I think of that... Plus my freshman year when i joined pre-Pharmacy society, they gave us Pill Bottles with M&M's in them and I have not opened it yet. I don't plan to either until I graduate from pharm school. Can't wait to take a whiff of success!

Great story! Wish you all the success in the world.

 

[trailrider400]

Oh and try not to look at the whole picture that much...just take a day at a time and do your best. Take care of the moments and the years will take care of themselves.

And like my dad always says, "You can only eat an elephant ONE bite at a time!"

Just keep taking bites and one day you will have eaten the whole damn elephant!

I'm moving to atlanta tomorrow!!!