Things/people that bother/annoy me in pharmacy school

[rxlea]

lol, what planet are you from? i've got cramming/not going to class down to an art form.

...and I am from the same planet you are from: Earth

No need to be rude.

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[tootoo30]

I have no doubt that it is difficult. I am just saying...it makes more sense to study throughout the course of the class rather than cramming at the last minute or asking "Is that going to be on the test?" I had some very difficult courses required for my degree and they were no joke. I just found it better to spread out the "work" over a longer period of time rather than procrastinating and cramming in the material last minute that was going to be on the test.

Okay it's not the procrastination that kills most people GPA, its the sheer amount of information being thrown at you at one time....there's no way to remember eveything sometimes so you find yourself sacrificing one grade for another....it's hard to explain ya kinda have to be here to know what I mean

 

[naseuy]

I have no doubt that it is difficult. I am just saying...it makes more sense to study throughout the course of the class rather than cramming at the last minute or asking "Is that going to be on the test?" I had some very difficult courses required for my degree and they were no joke. I just found it better to spread out the "work" over a longer period of time rather than procrastinating and cramming in the material last minute that was going to be on the test.

Yeah okay.

 

[IrishHammer]

I just realized that I'm already 3/4 of the way through my first year of pharmacy school. That went quick. Hypalaz.

 

[twinspharm]

I have no doubt that it is difficult. I am just saying...it makes more sense to study throughout the course of the class rather than cramming at the last minute or asking "Is that going to be on the test?" I had some very difficult courses required for my degree and they were no joke. I just found it better to spread out the "work" over a longer period of time rather than procrastinating and cramming in the material last minute that was going to be on the test.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^AGREE^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When you procrastinate you may do well on the test, but after that test you will forget it all. Then trying pulling it all back when you have to take your boards, or finals is tough!!

I have found that if you study as you go in class you will actually understand the material, and remember the material. When I procrastinate it may take me all night to memorize the material, and then I get stressed out cramming. Two days later ask me the test, and I've probably already forgot most of it.

When I study a little every week I actually understand the material, remember it, and when I'm a pharmacist someday and a patient asks me a question, I won't look like a retarted duck who forgot to fly.

 

[crazybob]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^AGREE^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When you procrastinate you may do well on the test, but after that test you will forget it all. Then trying pulling it all back when you have to take your boards, or finals is tough!!

I have found that if you study as you go in class you will actually understand the material, and remember the material. When I procrastinate it may take me all night to memorize the material, and then I get stressed out cramming. Two days later ask me the test, and I’ve probably already forgot most of it.

When I study a little every week I actually understand the material, remember it, and when I’m a pharmacist someday and a patient asks me a question, I won’t look like a retarted duck who forgot to fly.

I stayed up all night trying to study once. It didn't help even though I was reading through my notes over and over again.

 

[twinspharm]

I stayed up all night trying to study once. It didn't help even though I was reading through my notes over and over again.

yeah if i study for too long at once, lets say over three hours, I remember nothing. I can't focus on the notes, and just end up reading them over and over again, retaining nothing.

 

[rxlea]

^^^^^ ditto!!! Glad you agree.

As for sacrificing one grade for another: how do you suppose all those rho chi students do it? who are involved and working? There must be a method to their madness I hope to find out what it is LOL

 

[crazybob]

^^^^^ ditto!!! Glad you agree.

As for sacrificing one grade for another: how do you suppose all those rho chi students do it? who are involved and working? There must be a method to their madness I hope to find out what it is LOL

You want to actually become one of them?

 

[tootoo30]

^^^^^ ditto!!! Glad you agree.

As for sacrificing one grade for another: how do you suppose all those rho chi students do it? who are involved and working? There must be a method to their madness I hope to find out what it is LOL

All of the Rho Chi students I know did not work...Rho Chi is based on your first year and half of second year grade only! All they did was eat, sleep and study....ummm I'll pass, but just for the record, I get all A's and B's and don't study all day so I must be doing something right, haven't had one bad grade yet and trust me I don't study all day, just the opposite, so it's gonna depend on the person also and how they go about learning and retaining information.

 

[twinspharm]

Wow, take it easy on the Rho Chi students lol.

They all arn't book nerds are they??

Im just wondering bc my sis is one of them and she doesn't study excessively, she just procrastinates and studies excessively a couple nights before the tests.

 

[rxlea]

LOL bob...yes I want to become "one of them". I am only going to work part time on the weekends so I have all week to figure out how to balance everything else-

As for those who don't study that much and get all A's- is it because you are taking good notes or study with others? My soon to be classmates are already talking about how we are going to post class notes and study guides onto our facebook group. It is gonna be AWESOME to work together with everyone. In undergrad there was such competition it sucked.

 

[Sparda29]

One thing that annoys the **** out of me is how the lecture hall always feels like a sauna. It just makes it that much harder to stay awake.

 

[diastole]

One thing that annoys the **** out of me is how the lecture hall always feels like a sauna. It just makes it that much harder to stay awake.

I have the opposite complaint. Our classroom is always so cold. Even if it is 100 degrees outside, I have to take a sweater to school because I'll freeze otherwise. Hopefully, next year the room will be warmer.

 

[Sparda29]

I have the opposite complaint. Our classroom is always so cold. Even if it is 100 degrees outside, I have to take a sweater to school because I'll freeze otherwise. Hopefully, next year the room will be warmer.

I'm used to the cold. Besides, if it's too cold you can put clothes on. If it's too hot, nothing you can do unless the professors don't mind if all the students are in their underwear.

My computer likes it cold too. Since it's always hot in the lecture hall, my computer is always spinning up its fans and the people sitting near me always think it's going to blow up or something.

 

[crazybob]

In the fall, our lecture rooms used to be kinda cold. Lately, it has been just ok. I dunno how it will be once spring break hits us.

 

[tootoo30]

LOL bob...yes I want to become "one of them". I am only going to work part time on the weekends so I have all week to figure out how to balance everything else-

As for those who don't study that much and get all A's- is it because you are taking good notes or study with others? My soon to be classmates are already talking about how we are going to post class notes and study guides onto our facebook group. It is gonna be AWESOME to work together with everyone. In undergrad there was such competition it sucked.

I have never been a group studier, but basically I make A's and yes I procastinate but that's only because my memory is great a few days before the test, if I studied all the info weeks ahead of the test, I would be sure to forget. Yeah you want to hang with someone that takes good notes cause they will come in handy. Be careful what ya'll post on facebook cause it could come back to bite you!

 

[crazybob]

I have never been a group studier, but basically I make A's and yes I procastinate but that's only because my memory is great a few days before the test, if I studied all the info weeks ahead of the test, I would be sure to forget. Yeah you want to hang with someone that takes good notes cause they will come in handy. Be careful what ya'll post on facebook cause it could come back to bite you!

We already know that our teachers and pharmacists look at Facebook. During the summer before school started, one girl created a group for my class on FB and people joined. Well, during orientation, one of the associate deans told us that she knows about the FB group and emailed us about it.

Then in ceutics lab, the pharmacist told us that he looks at our profiles and statuses (if they are made public for users on our school network) and knows what we discuss.

 

[tootoo30]

We already know that our teachers and pharmacists look at Facebook. During the summer before school started, one girl created a group for my class on FB and people joined. Well, during orientation, one of the associate deans told us that she knows about the FB group and emailed us about it.

Then in ceutics lab, the pharmacist told us that he looks at our profiles and statuses (if they are made public for users on our school network) and knows what we discuss.

My point exactly, that's why you have to be careful what you discuss because your friend profile may be public and the professors can go down the wall and still see comments from you and everybody else who profile is private

 

[crazybob]

My point exactly, that's why you have to be careful what you discuss because your friend profile may be public and the professors can go down the wall and still see comments from you and everybody else who profile is private

Yeah. I know plenty of my classmates who mention professors and pharmacists at school in their statuses. I never do in case they ever look at it or in case my classmates talk about it too much. You'd be surprised to see how much gossip can go around after someone posts something on facebook

 

[rxlea]

Is the gossip really that bad in pharmacy school? So many people mention it on SDN, but when I talked the the pharm students at interview day, it seemed everyone got along well and really emphasized group cohesiveness.

 

[crazybob]

Is the gossip really that bad in pharmacy school? So many people mention it on SDN, but when I talked the the pharm students at interview day, it seemed everyone got along well and really emphasized group cohesiveness.

There are so many things that students are not allowed to tell you on the interview day

I sit with 119 others in my class in the same room for 3-4 hours a day. If one person starts flirting with another where everyone can see them, people will talk about it and sometimes give them so much crap

Also, if you suddenly move from your original seat to a different seat to sit next to some girl from that day until forever, then people will notice and talk about it. They will usually assume that you two are dating or that you two like each other. If some people don't notice, their friends will say something, and then soon enough, the entire class knows about it and everyone notices

Then after that, people in your class who have friends in other years (like P2s and P3s), the upper class students will talk about it, and then the entire school will know

 

[diastole]

I must be really out of the loop. I rarely hear gossip. But then again, I'm older, married and I mostly hang out with other married people. I don't care who is flirting with who. My classmates could sleep with someone new every night of the week and I wouldn't care. Well, maybe I would wonder how they can manage that without being too tired but other than that, it isn't any of my business.

 

[naseuy]

We've never really had that issue at my school. At least to my understanding (because I just really don't care). But then again, after 2 years with these people, I know less than half of them.

 

[crazybob]

I must be really out of the loop. I rarely hear gossip. But then again, I'm older, married and I mostly hang out with other married people. I don't care who is flirting with who. My classmates could sleep with someone new every night of the week and I wouldn't care. Well, maybe I would wonder how they can manage that without being too tired but other than that, it isn't any of my business.

I know what you mean (except for being married and hanging out with other married people). Most people keep personal matters to themselves, and my classmates are good at keeping things quiet if it's too personal. But if someone chooses to share it in order to get opinions and such, then people know about it, and they'll talk about it only with other pharmacy students and rarely with anyone else.

 

[tootoo30]

Gossip is really big here, you know everyone's business by the end of the first class....they put it out there so it's discussed

 

[terse]

There are so many things that students are not allowed to tell you on the interview day

I sit with 119 others in my class in the same room for 3-4 hours a day. If one person starts flirting with another where everyone can see them, people will talk about it and sometimes give them so much crap

Also, if you suddenly move from your original seat to a different seat to sit next to some girl from that day until forever, then people will notice and talk about it. They will usually assume that you two are dating or that you two like each other. If some people don't notice, their friends will say something, and then soon enough, the entire class knows about it and everyone notices

Then after that, people in your class who have friends in other years (like P2s and P3s), the upper class students will talk about it, and then the entire school will know

this sounds about right. sad unfortunately.

 

[crazybob]

I try to be careful on which people I talk to about personal stuff. I trust my friends in my class, so I tell them stuff, but I don't tell random people in my class.

When I ask for personal favors from my friends, I try to ask them quietly so my classmates won't talk about it or even laugh about it because they think they're so cool

 

[rxlea]

Well, since I am essentially married, I won't be a part of the who is dating who drama. And, I couldn't care less.

 

[crazybob]

Well, since I am essentially married, I won't be a part of the who is dating who drama. And, I couldn't care less.

Not unless you happen to sit next to some people who are popular or very social

I know some people in my class who are married, but they sit right behind some people who tend to hang out a lot and gossip a lot too. So I'm sure they can't help but overhear a lot.

 

[rxlea]

Not unless you happen to sit next to some people who are popular or very social

I know some people in my class who are married, but they sit right behind some people who tend to hang out a lot and gossip a lot too. So I'm sure they can't help but overhear a lot.

Oh, I am sure I will overhear stuff, but have you ever heard of the phrase "In one ear and out the other"?

 

[crazybob]

Oh, I am sure I will overhear stuff, but have you ever heard of the phrase "In one ear and out the other"?

That only applies to certain things from school. One of the pharmacists at school told us that people might not remember every point on a powerpoint slide from a lecture, but they remember stories

 

[xiphoid2010]

The thing that pisses me and a lot of good students off the most:

doing a group project with someone who doesn't give a damn. Had a huge project that was 50% of our grades, one guy just didn't give a damn, never did his part. 5 of us ended up doing the whole thing and the guy got a free A. There was a peer eval at the end, but that was only worth 5%. Why he doesn't give a ****? because he's a C student, so getting a free 95% on the project and get a 0 on the peer eval he still got a way better grade than he would normally get.

 

[rxlea]

The thing that pisses me and a lot of good students off the most:

doing a group project with someone who doesn't give a damn. Had a huge project that was 50% of our grades, one guy just didn't give a damn, never did his part. 5 of us ended up doing the whole thing and the guy got a free A. There was a peer eval at the end, but that was only worth 5%. Why he doesn't give a ****? because he's a C student, so getting a free 95% on the project and get a 0 on the peer eval he still got a way better grade than he would normally get.

Did you talk to the professor about that? Just like that one game show: vote him off the island LOL

 

[Sparda29]

The thing that pisses me and a lot of good students off the most:

doing a group project with someone who doesn't give a damn. Had a huge project that was 50% of our grades, one guy just didn't give a damn, never did his part. 5 of us ended up doing the whole thing and the guy got a free A. There was a peer eval at the end, but that was only worth 5%. Why he doesn't give a ****? because he's a C student, so getting a free 95% on the project and get a 0 on the peer eval he still got a way better grade than he would normally get.

I give a damn about projects but I don't give a **** about losing 1-2 points here and there, I'm not out to get a perfect grade on projects. For example, the project guidelines said it had to be in Times New Roman 12. Personally, I think Times New Roman is a ****ty font so when editing it, I made it Perpetua 11. This resulted in me getting hounded by my teammates from 11PM-11:59PM (it had to be sent in exactly by 12AM to the professor's e-mail) to change the font to Times new Roman.

 

[ucrx]

As for sacrificing one grade for another: how do you suppose all those rho chi students do it? who are involved and working? There must be a method to their madness I hope to find out what it is LOL

I'm actually a rho chi student who worked 2 part time jobs through pharmacy school and was involved in several organizations. I think doing so much forced me to prioritize my time so I got things done when I had too. I've never been one to study throughout the whole semester, but I do try to get a good understanding of topics during lecture and worry about the details closer to the exam. I also think taking time for myself and going out made a big difference in my ability to focus! I'll never be the type of person who can study all the time.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Did you talk to the professor about that? Just like that one game show: vote him off the island LOL

No, there is no intervention by the professor. In fact, the groups are set up to have bad students mixed in with the good -- supposed to develope "problem solving" skills or the good students are suppose to "help" the bad.

The problem with group probject is that there is no hirachy. In real world, you can fire someone who doesn't pull their own weight, you can't do that in school.

 

[xiphoid2010]

I'm actually a rho chi student who worked 2 part time jobs through pharmacy school and was involved in several organizations.

Rho Chi here as well. 3.9 GPA and working 2 internships (2 days every week).

Pharmacy school is hard, especially when you are shooting for straight A's. But it's not unreasonably so. Just stay on top of everything, study few hours everyday, don't allow yourself any excuses for slacking off and letting things accumulate.

Do that, you'll get mostly A's and your knowledge level will show during your rotation year. Bad P4s are clueless, but the good ones go in there knowledgable, and with that comes confidence and impress the hell out of the preceptors.

 

[diastole]

No, there is no intervention by the professor. In fact, the groups are set up to have bad students mixed in with the good -- supposed to develope "problem solving" skills or the good students are suppose to "help" the bad.

The problem with group probject is that there is no hirachy. In real world, you can fire someone who doesn't pull their own weight, you can't do that in school.

You'd think that is true but it isn't always the case. My husband used to run a magazine and some people just didn't work out. He had the power to hire but he couldn't just fire them. He would have to go through HR and they didn't want to get sued so they would tell him to make the person better. Eventually people would leave after getting a few blunt performance evaluations but until they decided to leave on their own, he was stuck with them. And that was his experience as a boss. When he was just one of the workers, everyone else would have to cover for the slacker to get the magazine done. It was exactly like your experience in school except the person in question would do a minimal amount of work.

Maybe his company was especially cautious but I suspect that lots of slackers in other fields get away with it because they are friends with the boss, or they look busy, or it is just too much hassle to fire someone when the work is getting done anyway.

 

[crazybob]

Rho Chi here as well. 3.9 GPA and working 2 internships (2 days every week).

Pharmacy school is hard, especially when you are shooting for straight A's. But it's not unreasonably so. Just stay on top of everything, study few hours everyday, don't allow yourself any excuses for slacking off and letting things accumulate.

Do that, you'll get mostly A's and your knowledge level will show during your rotation year. Bad P4s are clueless, but the good ones go in there knowledgable, and with that comes confidence and impress the hell out of the preceptors.

Depending on your teachers, study habits, commitments outside of school, etc.

 

[Sparda29]

I can't stand it when people who are on time or early to class sit in the seats in the back row or the seats by the aisles. The whole point of the back row and seats in the aisles is so the person who is late can come in from the back door and find a seat without disturbing the class.

 

[desklamp]

The thing that pisses me and a lot of good students off the most:

doing a group project with someone who doesn't give a damn. Had a huge project that was 50% of our grades, one guy just didn't give a damn, never did his part. 5 of us ended up doing the whole thing and the guy got a free A. There was a peer eval at the end, but that was only worth 5%. Why he doesn't give a ****? because he's a C student, so getting a free 95% on the project and get a 0 on the peer eval he still got a way better grade than he would normally get.

haha funny story. my boyfriend who's a mechanical engineer was doing a group project that was worth 15 or 20% of their final grade. there was one guy who never came to class, or any of the group meetings or helped with the presentation at all. then on the day before their presentation, he sends out an email to the group saying

"hey guys. sorry i haven't been to any of the meetings i have practice so i can never make it. however i have been cross checking all your data on my own to make sure it is correct. it looks correct. can you email me the presentation and tell me what to say? or since it is a 7 minute presentation maybe i don't even need to say anything because i don't think we can all present something in 7 minutes LOL. thanks!"

we facebooked him and he was a 5th year frat guy from the douchiest frat on the campus. i hope he gets a 0.

 

[crazybob]

I haven't had to do a group presentation.... yet.

 

[xiphoid2010]

You'd think that is true but it isn't always the case. My husband used to run a magazine and some people just didn't work out. He had the power to hire but he couldn't just fire them. He would have to go through HR and they didn't want to get sued so they would tell him to make the person better. Eventually people would leave after getting a few blunt performance evaluations but until they decided to leave on their own, he was stuck with them. And that was his experience as a boss. When he was just one of the workers, everyone else would have to cover for the slacker to get the magazine done. It was exactly like your experience in school except the person in question would do a minimal amount of work.

The company I used to work for before pharmacy school was like this: get 1 bad performance eval, it's a written warning. get 2, and you are on probation for the next 3 months. You can't kiss your bosses ass enough by then, you are fired. Most people will have the good sense to use those 3 months to look for another job (because fired or not, your career there is doomed).

For any kind of group, you need a well defined chain of command and leadership structure, so when an issue arises you know the proper route of escalation. When nobody has any actual power like a pharmacy school group, it's hard to motivate people when you got neither carrots or sticks.

 

[twester]

The girl in my class who twirls her hair while she talks like a baby. The Edith-Ann routine really makes it hard to take her seriously.

 

[renetto]

I can't stand "the guy" who always asks questions that either question the professor or try to make the student look like the Oscar Wilde of pharmacy school. Dude, just ask after class...I'm trying to concentrate on the lecture dammit!

 

[ucrx]

I can't stand "the guy" who always asks questions that either question the professor or try to make the student look like the Oscar Wilde of pharmacy school. Dude, just ask after class...I'm trying to concentrate on the lecture dammit!

And these are the people who think that they're smarter than all of the professors. HELLO, a lot of what you know you learned from them. And pharmacy isn't a field that is just about regurgitating information from a book. You actually need to be able to apply the information. Luckily, the guy in my class like that is getting a harsh reality check on this fact during rotations.

 

[Sparda29]

Therapeutics was run by Professor A in Fall Semester, and now Professor B is running Therapeutics in the Spring. I can't stand it when Professor B changes the format of how things are done. Keep it consistent with who taught the students before you.

For example, the drug card quizzes, with Professor A, all you need to know is Brand-Generic, MOA, dose for the main indication(usually highlighted yellow on the card, you don't need to know the other doses), major adverse reactions, contraindications, dosage forms available (never understood why this needs to be memorized, you can easily just check the shelf or the computer system to see what's available if you are asked), patient consultation information.

Now with Professor B, pretty much all information about the drug is fair game.

 

[rxlea]

Therapeutics was run by Professor A in Fall Semester, and now Professor B is running Therapeutics in the Spring. I can't stand it when Professor B changes the format of how things are done. Keep it consistent with who taught the students before you.

For example, the drug card quizzes, with Professor A, all you need to know is Brand-Generic, MOA, dose for the main indication(usually highlighted yellow on the card, you don't need to know the other doses), major adverse reactions, contraindications, dosage forms available (never understood why this needs to be memorized, you can easily just check the shelf or the computer system to see what's available if you are asked), patient consultation information.

Now with Professor B, pretty much all information about the drug is fair game.

Ok- tangent. What's the deal with the drug card? Some people say buy them and some say don't. Can't you just make your own? And are they only the Top 200?

 

[Sparda29]

Ok- tangent. What's the deal with the drug card? Some people say buy them and some say don't. Can't you just make your own? And are they only the Top 200?

I don't know how you'd make your own. I bought them.