Finding the Perfect Study Buddy

Everyone has a different way of learning.  Hopefully you’ve figured out what works for you by now, but if not there’s still time.  One of the most important aspects of studying is your study buddy and it may or may not be an actual person.  Some people need complete silence and a white erase board, others a small group where they can discuss, and others still may need a coffee shop and their favorite Pandora station to be their study buddy.  Whatever works for you, stick with it.  For me I always study best in a familiar place with some background noise.  That perfect study combination got a makeover when I came to pharmacy school, and it wasn’t just the adjustment to a new school, new apartment, and new friends.  I got a dog during the spring semester of my P1 year!  Her name is Molly, and she has become the perfect study buddy.  She cuddles quietly in my lap or in her bed for the most part, but she also forces me to take study breaks to play with her or take her outside.  She also ensures that I get up early in the morning to take her out and feed her and as a result my day gets going sooner.  While a dog may not be an ideal study buddy for everyone, there is someone or something out there who will be.  At the end of the day your study buddy will be a very big part of your time in pharmacy school because most of those 4 years will be spent studying.  

Written by Cortney, P3 student 

State and National Pharmacy Organizations

My name is Angela, and I am a P3 at PCSP.  As a pharmacy student, it is very important to be involved in the state and national pharmacy organizations.  Being a member of these organizations allows you to be up to speed with the career of pharmacy and allows you to meet other pharmacy students.  The national and state pharmacy organizations hold meetings where students, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacists can interact with each other.  They can also listen to presentations by their peers about what are the latest happenings in pharmacy.  I recently attended the ASHP Midyear Convention in Las Vegas, NV.  This convention was for students interested in hospital pharmacy and pharmacists and technicians who work in a hospital.  It was a great experience!  At this convention a residency showcase was held.  This is where residency programs from all over the United States are there promoting their residency programs.  There were hundreds of them!  If you are thinking of doing a residency, it is a very good idea to attend the residency showcase.  The rest of the convention consisted of sessions for students, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.  The sessions I attended, while at the convention, discussed how to make yourself the best candidate for a residency program and what to expect during the application process.  Even though these sessions took most of the day, there was still time to enjoy the sites of Las Vegas.  Each year the ASHP Midyear Convention is held in a different city. 

Pharmacy organizations are a great way to interact with other pharmacy students and pharmacists.  They allow you to see the current areas of health care that are important to pharmacy.  Although pharmacy school can sometimes bog you down, it is good to take time to enjoy yourself….. and learn at the same time!

Advice for High School Students

My name is Lynne, and I am a P1 at PCSP.  To all those high school students who are pondering what to do in their future, this is for you.  High school is an important time in your life which most students do not realize.  There are so many important decisions that have to be made during that time, such as going to college or starting a new job.  If one decides to go to college, more difficult decisions have to be made.  Which college should you attend?  What should you major in?  When I was a junior in high school, I began my first job as a clerk in an independent pharmacy.  While working there I had the opportunity to observe and learn the roles of a pharmacist and pharmacy technicians.  After a week of working there, I fell in love with the environment of a pharmacy; I enjoyed interacting with patients, learning about medications, and helping others in the community.  Working in the pharmacy when I was 16 years old changed my life.  Who knew that starting as a clerk would lead to becoming a technician and intern, and eventually a career as a pharmacist?  The best advice I can give any young student is if you are even slightly interested in pursuing a career as a pharmacist, go out and search for opportunities to work in a pharmacy or become an intern.  It is extremely important to be familiar with pharmacy as a career before starting pharmacy school. 

When choosing a college that best fits you, it is important to look at colleges that offer the appropriate prerequisites.  There are numerous colleges/universities that offer classes for pharmacy school, including Presbyterian College.  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of starting the process for pharmacy school early.  There is so much to do and time seems to fly.  I would strongly recommend talking to your advisor so he/she can guide you further in starting this process.  Good luck!!

Community Service is Fun!

Here at PCSP, we are required to do pharmacy and non-pharmacy related community service every year. At first I was scared that I wouldn’t have time to get all of my hours completed since we have to have five pharmacy-related hours and one non-pharmacy hour each year. I quickly found out that it’s not only easy to get all of your hours but it’s also tons of fun.

This year, my non-pharmacy related community service was done for Happy Wheels charity. This charity donates toys to sick children in hospitals around the country. And no, I did not donate money or toys or even time with children for this community service. I paid a small fee to run in a 5K in Columbia. I was not excited about the running part since that’s not really my thing, but I was excited that during the entire race you get pelted with colors! It was so much fun running and getting messy with my friends for such an amazing cause. Plus, I was really surprised that I finished the whole race in less than an hour. It really showed me that community service can be fulfilling, exciting, and showed me a lot about myself that I didn’t know before.

A few of my pharmacy related opportunities this year were through an organization that I joined called National Community Pharmacists Association or NCPA. I helped to run an information booth at the Greenwood County Fair that gave people resources to learn about flu shots, blood pressure, etc. I also helped to recruit people and collect samples for our annual bone marrow drive. This was particularly interesting because I never really knew much about bone marrow transplants before this event. I ended up getting swabbed myself and entering my DNA into the national database.

Community service is a very important part of the learning experience here at PCSP, and I am very glad that it is. I love learning new things about the community and pharmacy while helping others and having fun. There are so many opportunities each year for many different areas of interest, so it isn’t hard to find something that you will enjoy. I will continue to do community service for the rest of my career, and I owe every bit of that motivation to my school and my school family. Thanks PCSP! 

-Written By Courtney, P1 student

Living Options While Learning at PCSP

Hello everyone!  My name is Marija, and I am a P2 student at PCSP.  From the first time when I visited PCSP during the Open House to now, when I am half way finished with my second year, I still love everything about this school.  As previously mentioned by my fellow classmates, this school has a lot to offer to help mold us into the best future pharmacists.  We get to learn using top notch technology, integrated curriculum, and the best professors a student can ask for.  In addition, the sense of community and togetherness at PCSP is incredible.  These were some of the aspects that were important to me when I was deciding on which school to apply to.  There are many other aspects to consider, including where one chooses to live in relation to where PCSP is located.  I personally live in Greenville, South Carolina, fifty miles north of Clinton.  Although the drive from Greenville to Clinton is a long distance, I carpool with two fellow classmates to keep fuel costs down and the drive more enjoyable.  Rather than moving to Clinton, I chose to remain in Greenville in order to live close to home and enjoy the charm that Greenville offers.  Many of my student colleagues live in cities closer to PC, including Simpsonville, Laurens, and Clinton. The city you choose to live in determines the length of a commute you will drive to and from school.  For example, the family-friendly city of Simpsonville is nearly a 30 minute drive, whereas Laurens is more of a 15 minute drive.  Clinton, in which PCSP is centrally located, offers students the opportunity to either walk to school or drive a very short distance.  Although the prospect of finding a home before your first year of pharmacy school can be stressful, a facebook housing page was created for future PC pharmacy students to inquire about buying and renting, as well as roommate opportunities.  As you can see, there are many options to choose from when deciding where to live, but you can be certain that your PC family will help make that transition as smooth as possible.

Go Have Some Fun

My name is Candice, and I’m currently a P2 at PCSP.  I know some of you are wondering if I have a life outside of school.  Though school is the most important reason you will be coming to Clinton, SC, you have to give yourself a break, physically and mentally before you go crazy!!!!

So what is there to do in the small town of Clinton?  Not much, but you are in driving distances to Columbia, Greenville, Gaffney, Spartanburg, Greenwood, and surrounding areas. There is SHOPPING (my favorite stress reliever) at the different malls and shopping centers.  There are also a variety of restaurants for you and your soon to be new friends to go and dine, especially Chick-fil-A in Simpsonville.  There’s also Frankie’s Fun Park to have a day full of games and bowling alleys.

So don’t let the town be the deciding factor of whether or not to go to Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy.  This school has a great family environment away from home, as well as a great faculty and staff whose main goal is to see you succeed.  So with that being said, I hope you decide to make PCSP your home away from home.