pressure of taking meds to do better in school..???

[threegrntrees]

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hello. i;m a first year pharmer, and struggling pretty hard. i made 2 D's, 2 C's, and a B. b/c of the 2 D's and how much the classes were worth, the recommendation is for me to stop now, and start over in the fall. however, i have the option to go before an appeals committee to appeal this recommendation...in a day and a half. i have already decided to do so. if they allow it, i will then continue on for the spring semester, and if i do o.k., then retake the two D classes in the summer and then if that goes o.k., keep on keepin' on in the fall. so my real question and concern. i have always done pretty good in classes (did undergrad at comm. college), A's and B's. no degree. but i really stress out... probably like mosts students. this first semester of pharm school was of course the worst. it was really bad. i moved to a new town solo, ......... point is it was really horrible. during tests, i start to kind of freak out in my head and repeat the same questions over and over. i have heard from many people about taking some type of anti-anxiety med to get through it more reasonably. i am not one that likes to medicate myself, and have been arguing against it for a long time. talked to my sis tonight, and she gave a good argument. no one from my entire family have graduated from college (6 kids), and have came from a really "colorful" family upbringing. she suggests that maybe i have some conditions that wold qualify me for something that would help. i am now in a fairly rough spot with schooling, with a lot weighing on how i do. i know i could do many other things that are less stressful, but not ready to give up. any thoughts would be great.

 

[baggywrinkle]

Don't do it. Forget the meds.

Suck it up and do what needs to be done or throw in the towel and change your major.

It is just you, all you, and how bad you want it. That is something no one else
can decide for you. Forget your upbringing, your parents, your siblings, your wife, your kids, and your dog. Now focus.

If I did it you can do it.

I have faith in you.

 

[pinkyrx]

....
It is just you, all you, and how bad you want it. That is something no one else can decide for you. Forget your upbringing, your parents, your siblings, your wife, your kids, and your dog. Now focus.

If I did it you can do it.

I have faith in you.

Excellent post!! 👍

threegrn: Did you talk to anyone about your grades during the semester? To your teachers for example, about how you could do better? Does your school have a resource for tutoring or academic help?

Did you come straight from comm. college into pharmacy school? If so, I can see that it would be a very tough transition. Hopefully once you get the hang of it things will be a little less difficult for you.

Good luck! 🙂

ps. about the meds... I guess that is something you need to talk to your physician about. if it was me, I would consider other ways with dealing with my stress/anxiety before trying the meds.

 

[no-see-um]

You shouldn't start a dependence on meds when it comes to classes. You could probably do it without them. Exercise before exams, and get sleep. Don't take every exam like it's life and death.

Pharmacy is rough for many students who don't do a four year degree. It's supposed to be hard, but it'll be very rewarding in the end. 😀

Good luck. 👍

 

[usi]

How do you feel about behavior modification therapy? (it sounds weird I know, but, ...) See the school's therapist.
Since you are pretty sure that is due to test anxiety, how do you feel about using some technique to help you focus.
By now you should know if is due just to your testing deficiency, and not your study habits.
Do you feel anxious other times?
I think the meds can help you but only you and your doctor can determine if you may be better trying other techniques like relaxation, meditation, etc...
Good Luck, and
if you are the only one in your family to graduate college, give yourself a pat on the back!

http://www.geocities.com/rebtus/testanxiety.html

 

[ButlerPharm.D.]

I know exactly how you feel, I felt the same way during Organic exams ( Don't we all??) during my pre-pharm years!! One thing that Butler HIGHLY RECCOMENDS is that students form study groups to help each other out. I live with 3 other pharmacy students and we all study together, this definitely helps out because I may understand and be able to explain the underlying Pathophysiology of Type 1 Diabetes but I may not understand Cushing's Syndrome and that is where my roommates jump in. One thing all new pharmacy students need to realize is that it isn't a competition anymore; we are all there to learn as much as we can in 4 years so that we can be the best possible Pharmacist upon graduation. The one attitude that I have developed as of late is that the next day or next exam will occur whether or not I am prepared so I better get my butt in gear and study for it. Just say to yourself tomorrow will come no matter what I do so I should try my hardest to prepare. Make some friends and see if they are willing to form study groups, it can't hurt. What classes were you taking this semester?

Our Dean at Butler is very supportive of all of the students and she really wants everyone to succeed. Did you go to your professors during the semester to express your concern over your grades? My suggestion would have been when you found out that you received the grades you did, I would have gone to talk to the Dean of Academic Affairs at your school. Often times they are on the petition committee/Academic Affairs committee and going to speak with them before hand might have helped you out. During our orientation to pharmacy school our Dean told us that, "We are not here to weed you out, that is what undergrad/pre-pharm was for. At this point and time we have invested in you and we have a personal interest in seeing each of you walk across the stage at graduation." Dean Chase went on to tell us about student who in the past had troubles and how they over came these troubles and eventually graduated. My advice to you is DON'T GIVE UP, I'm sure you've run into some walls in your past whether it has been during your pre-pharmacy years or in your personal life, what makes this any different? Work to over come them and to improve yourself in the future.

On a personal note I know someone who (was a friend of mine who went to a pharmacy school in Illinois) was in their last semester of classes before rotations and who didn't really care about their grades at this point. My friend ended up not passing a class by 1 point, not one percentage point, 1 single point. As a result of not passing this class her GPA fell below the required GPA for her school and she was called before the Academic Affairs Committee. My friend hoped that she would be allowed to go on rotations but she wasn't, she was made to repeat the courses she did not pass and she was held back a year. The point is, she will be graduating this year and no one will ever know she had some academic troubles.

Hopefully you will be able to figure out what types of things snagged you and work on those. WORK ON IDENTIFYING THE TYPES OF THINGS YOU NEED TO WORK ON TO DO BETTER NEXT SEMESTER! My advice is that before tomorrow you look back on your semester and identify some things that you feel you could change to do better in the upcoming semester. If the Academic Affairs committee hears that you have identified some issues that you feel you could work on to improve your study habits, they will be more willing to allow you to continue on with the curriculum. If you simply go in there without having a plan to improve the Academic Affairs committee might not feel that you are taking your academic situation seriously.

If you have any questions or anything you'd like to talk about feel free to PM me or e-mail me at jegel at butler dot edu.

Best of luck with your situation.

hello. i;m a first year pharmer, and struggling pretty hard. i made 2 D's, 2 C's, and a B. b/c of the 2 D's and how much the classes were worth, the recommendation is for me to stop now, and start over in the fall. however, i have the option to go before an appeals committee to appeal this recommendation...in a day and a half. i have already decided to do so. if they allow it, i will then continue on for the spring semester, and if i do o.k., then retake the two D classes in the summer and then if that goes o.k., keep on keepin' on in the fall. so my real question and concern. i have always done pretty good in classes (did undergrad at comm. college), A's and B's. no degree. but i really stress out... probably like mosts students. this first semester of pharm school was of course the worst. it was really bad. i moved to a new town solo, ......... point is it was really horrible. during tests, i start to kind of freak out in my head and repeat the same questions over and over. i have heard from many people about taking some type of anti-anxiety med to get through it more reasonably. i am not one that likes to medicate myself, and have been arguing against it for a long time. talked to my sis tonight, and she gave a good argument. no one from my entire family have graduated from college (6 kids), and have came from a really "colorful" family upbringing. she suggests that maybe i have some conditions that wold qualify me for something that would help. i am now in a fairly rough spot with schooling, with a lot weighing on how i do. i know i could do many other things that are less stressful, but not ready to give up. any thoughts would be great.