Should I label this as a pre-pharmacy or pharmacy post, hmmmmm, a question. Overwhelming stress and loss of motivation can creep up and consume us at any level either in undergrad or during our post grad - professional school years.
Sleepless nights, devoting hours on end to memorizing enzymes and cytokines, bouncing between study groups, putting all forms of fun on hold to focus solely on a subject you're probably not particularly interested in; believe me I overly understand.
[Sidebar] Courses involved in your desired major/degree path are allowed to be uninteresting and difficult. You're not required to be over the moon excited about every single topic. You're also not obligated to be at 100% all the way through...
I can be so in love with pharmacy but one specific block of it is just too hard to grasp; that's perfectly fine. Well, fine and discouraging I guess.
Not to mention the constant tune of competitiveness ringing through your ears especially during those preparation years. I remember never being allowed a moments peace in undergrad to forget exactly how competitive pharmacy school applications are. I'll say the process honestly built a character trait in me but that's something to speak on another day.
Whether the scenario is pulling through undergrad Orgo as the course flogs you physically, mentally, and emotionally or sitting in Medicinal Chemistry (pharmacy school) rethinking your accumulated federal loans; I've either been there or know someone who has.
Let me leave you with the ever so clichéd statement; It gets better beloved
...but in the meantime if the doubts and current stressors are becoming too much
1) Remind yourself of that personal statement question. Why pharmacy? There had to be a reason you chose this journey. Something that drove your passion to make it as far as you've come
2) Spend some more time 'experiencing'. A large part of my perseverance through pre-pharmacy was being able to work behind the counter in one.
Surrounding myself with the medication and being able to read drug inserts, learning how people/patients are taking all these different products, the therapeutic durations, for what medical reasons; I was brought back to my number one --- why I chose this in the first place
3) Research. Behind the counter pharmacy isn't for everybody of course and interestingly many students don't realize there's way more to this profession. Then when the hard times of school come forward and the demands of retail can't keep them, it's finished.
Hopefully you can find some time during the off class period to look into these other options to see if anything fits. Adequate research into your future is the BIGGEST MUST IN THE WORLD.
4) Talk to your peers outside the tension filled classroom walls. I'm sure you aren't the only one with reservations.
5) If all else fails and you truly truly truly want to dip... the earlier the better. There's nothing more admirable than knowing where your limit is and leaving. Put your SELF first.
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