Pharm Chat- The First Step
By: Abigail Shell
If you are like me, you have had questions about your future plans repeatedly asked by friends, family, and interviewers for years, but at the end of the day, you wondered, “Is it okay to simply say ‘I don’t know’?” Coming to college, I picked a major that related to the one thing I knew I liked to do and could do well: writing. As soon as I set foot in my general chemistry class, however, I knew I had chosen the wrong field. Immediately, I switched my major from Journalism to Chemistry and found that a career in pharmacy would perfectly marry my new-found love of chemistry with my interest in medicine.
Epiphanies like this are rare and valuable, but I believe every person experiences at least one over the course of his or her college career—that “Oh, my gosh!” moment when the fabled lightbulb turns on, and suddenly, your future path makes sense. For you, that moment may have already happened, may be hiding just around the turn of a day, or may be several months in the future. Regardless of where on this timeline you fall, all the details supporting your path are not yet clear. Pre-Pharmacy students, like other Pre-Med students, have many facets of their futures to nail down within a few short years. Which medical or pharmacy school to choose, which degree path to pursue, how to approach study-abroad opportunities, and how to handle the ever-important internships are just a few of the questions that must be considered. Above these technicalities, however, floats the single most important consideration: how to personalize this endeavor. Ultimately, after all the O-chem tests are over and all the doctorate degrees obtained, you have to carve your own niche in the world, and by evaluating your needs at each of the previously mentioned steps, you can stride boldly into the pharmaceutical world after graduation. Join me on this journey, and these seemingly thousand miles can glide past like a single step.