If You Could Go Back In Time

[pharmer1982]

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If you could go back in time to any stage in your pre-pharmacy experience, what would you do differently?

I would have taken physiology during my final semester of pre-pharmacy instead of using the extra time to study for the MCAT (I was applying to D.O. schools as well). Had I done this, I could have focused solely on 8 west coast schools, and if I were offered interviews to all of them, I would have flown to only 2 of them and driven to the other 6.

 

[danibella]

I would have built a relationship with more than one pharmacist at the hospital I interned at... Then I wouldn't be in such a pickle when he flakes out on my letter of rec after almost 3 months! Grrrrr....

 

[Golden Bear]

I probably would have wanted to learn a whole more about commonly prescribed drugs than just brand/generic names while working as a tech.

I also would have tried to correct my sleep/study routines (namely, not waking up for 8am classes and cramming instead of studying) during undergrad. Thankfully, I've learned a lot about myself in those aspects and prepared myself to study regularly in time for pharmacy school.

 

[xNeenax]

I would have built a relationship with more than one pharmacist at the hospital I interned at... Then I wouldn't be in such a pickle when he flakes out on my letter of rec after almost 3 months! Grrrrr....

Heck yeah a staff at my school did that to me.


I would have taken the easier classes, join organizations starting freshman year, find this site sooner, take classes like art and humanities at a CC, researched ways on how to study for college, tried to make a lot of friendships staring freshman year, volunteer earlier, planned out my path more, study for PCAT more, and being more positive and happy!

Writing down all my mistakes makes me feel like a complete failure. lol

 

[rxlea]

I would have taken a more in depth physiology course. I am struggling a bit with some pharmacology and med chem because I didn't have a strong physiology foundation (I took A and P online). I am doing OK now though- I caught up a bit.

 

[NaOH]

I would have kicked my 18-year old ass and let him know that he'd still be working on pharmacy when he's 30, so he might as well buckle down and do it right the first time.


Dammit, I could be driving dat dere C63 right now.


But aside from that, I would say - find a way to take Biochem. It will help a lot. That and A&P.

 

[Indypharm]

AMEN! Ugh, why did I want to be a French major?

I would have kicked my 18-year old ass and let him know that he'd still be working on pharmacy when he's 30, so he might as well buckle down and do it right the first time.


Dammit, I could be driving dat dere C63 right now.


But aside from that, I would say - find a way to take Biochem. It will help a lot. That and A&P.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Nothing. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences from undergrad or my degree for finishing my Pharm.D. a few years earlier than I will now.

 

[Kansas Pharmer]

Nothing. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences from undergrad or my degree for finishing my Pharm.D. a few years earlier than I will now.

I would have to mostly agree. I would not have taken as much time off between degrees (only thing I regret) but I would never give up my experience in the military or any of my completely unassociated degrees. I think these are the two things that finally got me ready to attend grad school.

 

[Rx MPLS]

If the time had been there during prerequisites, I wish I could have taken an additional, upper level physiology course prior to matriculation. That, and I also wish I had a better/more extensive biochemistry background. Additionally, I wish I'd done research at some point previously, because I now worry it's too late to do any (as so many of my classmates already have that background experience, whereas I have none).

Here's the stuff I'm really glad I did do:
-Got real pharmacy experience. It's so nice to know how to pronounce drugs already and have an idea of what they're used for. Very useful!
-Networked prior to admissions. This has been my golden ticket. I hope it helps me land a job later.
-Kept a positive mental attitude. Be positive about your future and things will fall into place for you.
-Took a lot of prerequisites on the cheap at a community college. This has been an excellent deal for me compared with university pricing.
-Kept it local. This relates to the networking thing, but it's a heck of a lot easier to network when you go to school close to home!

 

[R xxx]

I would hang out around med school, find me a sucker, and not have to work now lol

 

[mbpuffer]

One thing I would change would have been to go to pharmacy school immediately after my undergrad instead of taking a six year educational hiatus.

 

[chemtopharm]

One thing I would change would have been to go to pharmacy school immediately after my undergrad instead of taking a six year educational hiatus.

I've felt this way at times too, but when I think about all of the experiences I've had and the great people I've met, I realize that I wouldn't trade any of it. Yes, I could've been making that pharmacist salary for a couple of years at this point, but I'd rather keep the friends I've made and the knowledge I've gained.

 

[mbpuffer]

I've felt this way at times too, but when I think about all of the experiences I've had and the great people I've met, I realize that I wouldn't trade any of it. Yes, I could've been making that pharmacist salary for a couple of years at this point, but I'd rather keep the friends I've made and the knowledge I've gained.

True. I appreciate the real world experience I encountered working full time and supporting myself but it's hard to go back to school once you leave. Plus some pharm schools won't accept my grades because it's been too long! But then again, I was immature in undergrad and didn't prioritize my time to my academics.

 

[FlavyFlav]

I'd invest my student loan money into google and yahoo instead of spending it partying and being an idiot. Then I'd take all my gains and put it into the deflated housing market and pick up houses for 20% of value and say F YOU to pharmacy school 🙂

Well, I'd probably still do pharmacy school because I'd know everything I needed and I could get an awesome residency!

 

[megandupe]

I woulda told myself dont go to pharmacy school, go to PA school. And not be in my P1 year annoyed with it

 

[rxlea]

I woulda told myself dont go to pharmacy school, go to PA school. And not be in my P1 year annoyed with it

you're only in p1 so it's not too late to jump ship.you might regret it if you don't

 

[veyep]

If you could go back in time to any stage in your pre-pharmacy experience, what would you do differently?

I would have taken physiology during my final semester of pre-pharmacy instead of using the extra time to study for the MCAT (I was applying to D.O. schools as well). Had I done this, I could have focused solely on 8 west coast schools, and if I were offered interviews to all of them, I would have flown to only 2 of them and driven to the other 6.

This really got me thinking...I would've done few things differently, but at the same time everything turned out fine...so i don't know if i would've changed those or just role with it like i did and hope it would work haha

 

[chemguy79]

I woulda told myself dont go to pharmacy school, go to PA school. And not be in my P1 year annoyed with it

megandupe,

I remember your posts regarding your research career prior to starting pharmacy school. Are you pursuing the PharmD/PhD track?

Frankly, I concur with rxlea's comment about bailing and going to PA school if you really don't enjoy the program. Abandon ship before you become one of the people on the board who constantly regret their decision about pursuing pharmacy school and share said opinions constantly. You endured scientific research, go to PA school.


As for myself, while I KNOW that I would have changed my academic career (changing majors a billion times, transferring schools, and forcing myself to work full-time which caused me to think that B's are OK, etc.) ... I can honestly say that I've always had a bit of wanderlust (academic, personal, whatnot), so I would have wondered what scientific research was like. Therefore, I believe that I'll appreciate Pharmacy school much more versus a 19-20 year old who isn't quite sure that pharmacy school is for them, but they pursue it because their parents/professors/pharmacists/etc told them that they should do so because I've experienced another career and I have a stronger perspective about what to expect from a career.