Lesson #1: Studying

Hey there guys,

This week I wanted to talk about something I get asked about all the time: Studying. Studying is definitely the most time consuming part of pharmacy school and for many it's the hardest adjustment when starting the program. When I was in my undergrad I always thought I was a pretty dedicated student, but when I started at PCOM I realized I wasn't nearly as committed as I needed to be. I really had to change my study habits completely. While studying is different for everyone in my program I thought I would share with you what my study schedule is like.

During my first year of pharmacy school I didn't work so I had all the time in the world to study and I used it all. Every day at noon after class (except for lab days and IPPE days) I would head into one of PCOM's study rooms with a friend or two and start studying. We would often order pizza or get food to warm up in the cafeteria and stay for hours. Even if I didn't have anyone to study with I would try to go in for at least an hour or two. The wonderful thing about getting out so early in the afternoon was that I was able to study for a good while and still be home in time to eat a good dinner and have some free time. On Saturdays I would meet up with a group and study all day. It worked well for me and I was pleasantly surprised with my grades for the year.

This year my study schedule has had to shift drastically. In addition to an increase in the rigor of my classes I also started working first one and then two jobs. I could no longer study my afternoons away. That meant that I had to learn to work in the spaces that were left open after classes and shifts at work. It was hard at first, but I adapted pretty quickly. As it stands today, I still get to watch football and spend time with my friends. Now I just have to bring my notes with me and study while I do it. It's all about dedication and if you're willing and able to make studying a part of your daily life, you can succeed in pharmacy school.

Kate

Student Research

Good afternoon!

This week I wanted to talk to you about student research at PCOM. I am currently a work-study research assistant at school and have been working with one of my professors on projects since last July. Before I came to pharmacy school I had never really thought about doing research but after I took a class with the professor I currently work with, I knew I wanted to get involved in the process. There are so many different projects going on in our research labs and if you are interested in doing research as a student at PCOM you can talk to our professors about possible opportunities. Last year, I approached my professor about his project and during the summer he hired me to work with his current student. They both worked with me throughout the break to help me learn all of the diverse lab techniques I needed to know to handle my project. When school started the student I had been working with left the lab and I took over her work. I now work about 10-15 hours a week in the afternoons after classes are over. It been a lot of fun and because students from all of our programs work in the labs, I've met a lot of really awesome friends I would have never met otherwise. I have really enjoyed the experience and will be sad when it's my turn to move on to other things but I know that it will be opening up the position to someone else who will no doubt love the experience. 

Here's a picture of some of our pharmacy students who worked in the lab over the summer:

Katie

Case Studies

Hey guys,

The holidays are over and that means the second year students are all trying to get back into the swing of things at school. It can be a little difficult adjusting back to early mornings but we're surviving like always with a little caffeine and a lot of determination.

This week I wanted to tell you all a little about our school's active learning techniques. Let me first start out by explaining the concept of active learning. Active learning is a style of education that uses direct student participation to learn or reinforce course material. PCOM uses active learning techniques in a lot of our classes and throughout both second and third years everyone takes a set of courses that are basically all active learning. They are called Case Study courses. The Case Study courses follow hand in hand with our Integrated Therapeutics classes so that as we study each major disease state and how to treat it, we then are able to apply it in the case studies. Most Fridays this year we get together in groups and discuss the case study we have been presented. Usually is a fairly complex patient case with multiple disease states we have to consider. We then decide and document what we believe is the best course of action for the patient. After our plans are complete, the class all comes together with our professors to discuss our ideas and plans. It's been a great way to apply the things we've learned and it's great practice for when we get into the real world because patient cases are often complex. 

On another note next month is GPhA's VIP day at the state capitol and a bunch of us are signing up to go and represent our school and also have a fun day downtown. 

Here's a picture from last year when we got to meet Georgia Governor Nathan Deal:

Katie

Georgia

Hello again!

As promised, this week's post will be about some of things I love about my hometown Lawrenceville/Suwanee, Atlanta and Georgia in general. This is more of a multi-part post since I have way more to talk about than what I'll say today so I'm sure I'll re-visit the subject again later too.

Lawrenceville/Suwanee:

I grew up right on the border of Lawrenceville and Suwanee so I really consider myself from both areas. I really love it here, and there are lots of reasons I never moved to far away. I live about five miles from the PCOM-GA campus and from school you can reach three different malls within 10 minutes. I love sports and will always make time for a baseball, hockey or football game. About 10 minutes away from school is the Gwinnett Braves stadium, a newly built stadium for our AAA team. We are also just a few minutes away from Gwinnett Arena where you can catch a Gwinnett Gladiators game for cheap or see a great concert. The Arena is huge and so it attracts a lot of big name acts. For example, this March Eric Clapton will be playing there.

Here is a picture from one of the Gwinnett Braves games I went to last summer:

Atlanta:

Atlanta is my home away from home. It's my place to go for anything and everything fun. If we have a "night out" it almost always means a trip to Atlanta. Atlanta is about 30-40 minutes away from campus and that means it's really no trouble at all to hop in the car for dinner or a show. Atlanta is also a great place for sports. We are crazy about the Falcons and I've been to more Braves games over the years than I can begin to remember. I've even seen a few good concerts after Braves' games down on the field. Last summer, Ludacris (who is from Atlanta and a big Braves fan) did a big show after a Braves' win that ended with his biggest hit "Welcome to Atlanta". It's the random things like that that make me love this city so much. 

I also love Atlanta for its concert venues that make for great shows and its visiting events. I always make an effort to go downtown for festivals and street fairs. They can be a lot of fun and make for some awesome shopping. I also try to make it every time Cirque du Soleil comes to town. This tickets can be expensive but Atlanta's Atlantic Station has an area set up specifically for them to set up their tents when they come through. 

Here are some pictures of Atlanta!

Centennial Olympic Park after a light summer shower.

Turner Field

Cirque!

Georgia:

I am big into "outdoorsy" stuff and Georgia is an amazing place to live if you like getting out into nature. The winters are very mild and the summers are hot which make swimming a blast. I love to rock climb so in the spring summer and fall I love to drive to Lafayette, Georgia to visit Rock Town. It's acres and acres of tall granite rock faces that you can climb plus the park contains multiple cave systems that you can explore.

This is one of my favorite rock faces to climb at Rock Town:

Katie

Holiday Break

Hello everyone!

I hope your are all having a wonderful holiday! I am currently on break so today will be a short post. I am spending my time with my friends and family, wrapping presents and putting up the tree. I wish everyone a great season and I will post more very soon.

Lots of love and holiday spirit,

Katie

PS. Expect a good post this coming week about Atlanta and Suwanee. I want to tell everyone about my hometown and why you'll love it as much as I do!

It's beginning to look a lot like PCOM

December is in full swing and that means it's beginning to look a lot like the holidays at school. I love this time of year and it's so fun that my school really gets in the spirit. PCOM is really big on giving back and our students always make a big effort to live up to the task.

This is our school Christmas tree with donated toys and clothes:

There are so many toys it makes our tree look tiny!

It's awesome that there are already so many presents and we're still two weeks away from Christmas. It really makes me smile to see how much we all can and want to give. Pharmacy, Biomed, and DO schools are really an investment of time and money so a lot of students don't have excess spending money to throw around. That's why it's so great that so many people still found it in their hearts to pull together enough to make our communities' holidays a little brighter.

PCOM also had a big event this week for the students. Every year in December the school has a big holiday luncheon. It is always so much fun. They cater the whole thing so the food is amazing and the staff from Philly flies down to serve the students. This year and last the President of PCOM, Dr. Matthew Schure, served all of us (and yes the line was long... students do love free food) with a warm greeting and a smile on his face.

Side Note: I really appreciate how much he gets involved with us here in Georgia. I often see him around campus and he always takes the time to talk to me and ask me about classes. He always makes me feel like he really wants to know and be directly involved with how our students are doing down here.

Anyhow here are some more photos from the luncheon:

Hope ya'll have a great week!

Katie

Study, Study, Study!

Hello everyone!

It's been a busy day and I'm currently studying up for my first test of the term (Integrated Therapeutics II) but I wanted to take a few minutes to give you all an update about my week. The winter term here at PCOM started the week of Thanksgiving but since we were off a few days for the holiday this was our first full week of classes. It has been a long one since we have been covering so much material but everyone is looking forward to Christmas break and that makes things much easier. 

We also had a few fun events going on this last week. When a new term starts the School of Pharmacy socials committee always plans different things to do in the evenings so this week we had karaoke night and bowling night. I didn't get to go to karaoke but I went bowling and had a blast. I am a terrible bowler but it was great to relax and laugh with my friends and one of my favorite professors who came out to join us. 

Here's a picture of some of my friends deep in discussion about the next frame:

Alright it's time for me to get back to studying. Have a great night!

Katie