so for classes next year....

[sellout59]

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How hard are pharm classes supposed to be compared to upper level bio and chem classes in college? Im a senior and starting to get burnt out and wondering if its just going to be 4 more years of super intense classes. I dont mean to imply that i think its going to be a breeze by any means.

 

[nerv12345]

i guess it depends on the person. i worked with a recently graduated pharmacist and she said that she thought her undergrad @ UC Davis was harder than pharmacy school (i forgot which school she went..)

 

[PharmDstudent]

Just be ready to memorize. I hate to think about memorizing for the sake of getting a grade, but in some classes, that's what you'll have to do. In other classes, you'll memorize information because you enjoy the material, and you want to get a good grade in that class. My favorite subject so far has been Medicinal Chemistry.

The empty spaces in my brain are starting to fill up!

 

[RXpress]

My senior year classes were pretty difficult; physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, etc. etc. I would say the classes are probably equally difficult, maybe a little more so, but it's a lot different being in pharmacy school vs. working toward a Bachelor's and comparing classes. First, depending on the school, you'll have a lot going out outside classes, or special labs/projects within classes that will make you time manage if you aren't already good at it. Second, when you're in pharmacy school there's a feeling of working toward something that you can grasp, it makes it a lot more satisfying to study harder and work harder now that you have a good picture in mind. Don't worry so much about how hard it's going to be, you'll find out soon enough and you'll make changes and adjust the way we all have. We all did it! Enjoy

 

[Rumplestiltazepam]

Just be ready to memorize. I hate to think about memorizing for the sake of getting a grade, but in some classes, that's what you'll have to do. In other classes, you'll memorize information because you enjoy the material, and you want to get a good grade in that class. My favorite subject so far has been Medicinal Chemistry.

The empty spaces in my brain are starting to fill up!

I always hear the P2s complaining about Med Chem but maybe it is a love/hate thing....the stacks of notecards I see them with are a little overwhelming but is probably all doable in stride.

I agree though, so far I have done my fair share of memorizing for the grade but I have also done a lot of memorizing because the material is interesting and hopefully will benefit me down the road.

Seems to me that if you can handle all the prereqs, you will be fine. There is a lot to know but the concepts are not any harder than what you have already gone through.

 

[PharmDstudent]

I always hear the P2s complaining about Med Chem but maybe it is a love/hate thing....the stacks of notecards I see them with are a little overwhelming but is probably all doable in stride.

The material in Med Chem makes sense if you've been taught well. In classes like pharmacology or therapeutics, the material doesn't have to make sense; it just is. For example, it doesn't make sense that you would use a potassium wasting diuretic with a potassium sparing diuretic. If you have low K+ levels, why wouldn't you just use a K+ sparing diuretic in the first place? Supposedly the K+ sparing diuretics aren't strong enough, so patients have to use the stronger K+ wasting diuretics along with the weaker K+ sparing to have the diuretic effect and a proper K+ level.

I don't use drug cards or charts. They don't help me. I can't associate the information on charts and cards--> I can't draw connections within the material because it's too divided that way.
When I study for Med Chem, I'll look at my notes and memorize the differences between the structures in my notes. I'll go over my notes thoroughly three or four times. The only downside to not "memorizing" is that I always have to study until the bitter end to keep the information fresh, but it usually comes together the night before the exam.

Good luck next year!