Students Who Are Doing Well in Pharmacy School
Started by JackFruitLover
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I think the overwhelming response here is going to be that time management is the key. The biggest difference for me between Pharmacy school and undergrad is just the huuuuuge amount of material that you are responsible for. You have to quickly learn how to manage your time wisely and also how to sift out the VERY important stuff from the LESS important stuff when it comes to studying. You'll get the hang of it! Congrats on your acceptance! Pharmacy school is really great... tough at times, but very rewarding!JackFruitLover said:
pharmagirl said:
One clarification: when studying for tests, do not bank on "what you think is more important" vs "not important". Tests have a tendancy to be completely random, way out in left field and test completely obscure details. You have to study the important concepts, but be prepared to see anything on tests.
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Its usually about double your undergrad studying time. Like I studied the day before a test in undergrad I study two days before in pharmacy school. Ive just finished my 2nd year and have a 3.5. Of course its all gonna depend on you and your intelligence level and ability to memorize random knowledge such as this drug inhibits CYP-3A4 versus inducing CYP-2D4 without really knowing why it does it. Ceutics sucked the worst for me bc it was nothing but memorizing random stuff that I doubt I will ever use again.
just forget about having a life! I spent way too much time in the library. But it did pay off.
every other weekend is very doable. THink about it... it is only working an average of 8 hours a week. If you don't have any other things going on(ie... kids) 8 hours a week should have no effect on your grades. I am almost done with school and have NEVER studied on friday or saturday. I can easily work 8 hours on friday and saturday every week without any impact on my grades. However I chose to work 8 hours on saturday and 8 hours on one day during the week, so that I can have friday off to just relax. Studying is about quality, not about quantity.nonyagirl said:
Also I believe once you study beyond a certain point your grades actually start to decrease. It's my too much studying theory. For example... if I have a test on Friday. I find that the times I started studying before wednesday for the exam I would always do worse than when I studied a little wed, and thursday. I also found I do the best when I start thursday, go over material once. Go to sleep for 4 hours. Wake up around 3am. Then study straight from 3-8(pure memorization).
Oh and there are a couple of people in my class that actually work full time at a 24 hour store(late nights) and are still passing.
nonyagirl said:
I'm a hospital intern and I work 24 hours every two weeks during the school year (always one weekday evening per week and then every other Saturday evening). My overall GPA for the first year is a 3.65, so I don't think it's too hard to handle. 😀 Plus, my current boss and the last one I had in FL both told me they're rather hire people who worked while in school because not only do they have more practical experience, but it shows that they can juggle and manage reponsibilities.
i definately agree that time management is the key. i am definately not the type of person to cram before a test, so i try to study a little bit at a time for about 6-5 days before a test. trying to cram alot of info at once just doesnt work for me. we also have experiential time to fit in and volunteer hours to meet, so there is more to do than just classwork. i also work every other weekend at a hospital too and it has not been a problem at all. i have a 3.9 average for my first two quarters so i must be doing something right! congrats on your acceptance and good luck!
That's a dangerous question to ask in this forum. I think a lot of the people here are mega-type A's who freak out if they see a B- in any class (see posts above of GPA).
Honestly, I study more than I did for undergrad. However, I don't spend endless hours in the library. We have tests every Monday, so I go over the material once during the week before, then about 4 hours on Saturday and 6-8 hours on Sunday... works everytime for me.
I only worry about the big concepts and what I "think" is important. I don't worry about the fine details for the most part. Sorry, but my memory is not photographic and it's absurd to think you can know everything.
Good luck, and try to have a little fun. It's not worth it to kill yourself for 4 years. Oh, and join a study group. I never had a group before pharmacy school, but it has helped me out a lot.
Honestly, I study more than I did for undergrad. However, I don't spend endless hours in the library. We have tests every Monday, so I go over the material once during the week before, then about 4 hours on Saturday and 6-8 hours on Sunday... works everytime for me.
I only worry about the big concepts and what I "think" is important. I don't worry about the fine details for the most part. Sorry, but my memory is not photographic and it's absurd to think you can know everything.
Good luck, and try to have a little fun. It's not worth it to kill yourself for 4 years. Oh, and join a study group. I never had a group before pharmacy school, but it has helped me out a lot.
1) Understand things. Don't be hellbent on memorization. All of the important stuff you need to memorize will stick in your head because it will come up all the freaking time. Everything else is in references.
2) Don't try to get As. You will clog your brain with useless info. Cs are fine.
3) Get a job. Linking what you learned in class to a bottle on a shelf actually helps you learn quite a bit.
4) Learn to use critical thought.
2) Don't try to get As. You will clog your brain with useless info. Cs are fine.
3) Get a job. Linking what you learned in class to a bottle on a shelf actually helps you learn quite a bit.
4) Learn to use critical thought.
Requiem said:
One clarification: it is all important. And by testing the completely obscure some professors feel that if you know that information you are likely to know all the information.
And of course when you have a patient, just knowing what the drug does isn't always enough.
That may work for you, but mortals have a more difficult time remembering everything. I think it's much more advantagous to learn the big things. If you're able to remember all the drug interactions for every medication or every drug regimen for each disease state, you're super-human. Sorry, it's just not possible... that's what all of our references are for.
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