Social life

[BIGA121781]

hey everybody. for those in pharmacy school already, is it easy to have a social life or is there going to have to be a big adjustment from undergrad? i've heard things both ways. i don't want to spend like 4 years just studying ya know and want to actually meet different people and do different things before the working world. any input is great

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[jdpharmd?]

hey everybody. for those in pharmacy school already, is it easy to have a social life or is there going to have to be a big adjustment from undergrad? i've heard things both ways. i don't want to spend like 4 years just studying ya know and want to actually meet different people and do different things before the working world. any input is great

I don't think it's that hard to have a life while in school. There are weeks when you'll be "dead to the world" and your non-pharm friends might wonder what happened to you. Luckily, "hell weeks" only happen a few times per quarter.

The good news is that most weeks are pretty tame as long as you keep up. We have a running joke that one of the local bars is going to go out of business after we graduate because we spend so much time/money there now.

People love to make things harder than they really are, and you'll witness this in the "gunners" in your class. One of our first exams had an extra credit section with brand/generic naming. A few of our students would not stop asking about the drugs and their side effects, mechanisms, contraindications, etc. It' was our FIRST exam ever in pharmacy school! All we needed to know was the brand and generic name. On top of that, it was only worth 5 points. So, if you WANT to study all the time, there are certainly things to study. If you want to have a life, there are ways of doing that too.

Now that I think about it, this coming week is a "dead to the world" week for me. I worked all day yesterday (Sat), I am studying all day today and tomorrow. I have a huge immuno exam at 8am on Tuesday, and lab Tuesday afternoon, then class all week and another exam at 8am on Friday. In addition to that, I have a few written/group assignments due. I also work all day next Saturday and Sunday.

 

[ultracet]

It also depends on how smart you are (sorry) and how much you have to study to get the grades you want. I personally enjoy public relations (fun) much more than straight As. After all C=Continue!
There are some in my class who study all the time and still make Bs and Cs and there are some who don't have to but WANT to study all the time and they are Rho Chi and make straight As.

 

[spacecowgirl]

Like the previous posters mentioned, it all depends on your definition of success. If you want straight As - plan to study all of the time. Being in a small class with the same people day in and day out and seeing who got on the President's List (4.0) last semester, it's pretty safe to say that those people study constantly except for the few lucky bastards who are just that smart.

I used to be an A-grubber, but since pharmacy school I've mellowed out a bit. I still maintain the best GPA I can without going overboard (my goal is to stay on the Dean's List every semester) I mean, these are some great years in my life and I want to enjoy them, I don't want to graduate close to 30 years old and go - what in the heck happened to my 20s? I have a husband, and house, volunteer work and hobbies, not to mention a job. But that's just me and I digress

If there is ONE thing, ONE piece of advice I can give people, regardless of their educational or GPA goals it is this: do not procrastinate. Let me say it again for emphasis: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. If you are by nature (and I am) a procrastinator, it's time for a study-habit overhaul or you're going to find yourself in big trouble in no time flat. I don't have nearly the social life I had when I was 21 and single (for obvious reasons) but it is possible to have fun and go to school - in fact you should!

 

[dgroulx]

I agree with Spacecowgirl. You need to moderate everything. There's nothing wrong with going out and celebrating when you've gotten an exam out of the way. This semester, I've managed to watch some TV every night and spend weekends with my husband. I'm not making all A's, but I'm happy with B's. The way I see it, the hard part was getting accepted, now I want to slack off just a little. UF only requires a C or better to graduate, so I don't see the point in studying hard enough to make A's.

 

[Leah27]

I think it probably depends on where you went to undergrad too... that is if pharamcy school will be harder or not... believe it or not i've had friends who say it is harder than undergrad, and other friends who say it's EASIER than undergrad.. it depends 100% on your personality and how hard your undergrad career was. I just can't wait to find out for MYSELF! (fingers crossed)

 

[ultracet]

I think it probably depends on where you went to undergrad too... that is if pharamcy school will be harder or not... believe it or not i've had friends who say it is harder than undergrad, and other friends who say it's EASIER than undergrad.. it depends 100% on your personality and how hard your undergrad career was. I just can't wait to find out for MYSELF! (fingers crossed)

just as a piece of advice.... assume that it will be HARDER than undergrad. At least until after the first tests in all of your classes. I have had many a classes in pharmacy school which seemed straight-forward and "easy" and was KILLED on the test.

 

[Ivorymist]

Many times it comes down to this -

Sleep, grades, social life. Pick two.

Personally I'm fine with Bs. That way I can at least get some sleep at night and do things outside of school.

 

[Oxycotin]

everthing you all said sounds encouraging. for those of you who are involved, how many organizations are (were) you in?