P4 Student Advice to P1 Students

It's been said that the people with the best advice are usually the ones who have been through the most. With that spirit in mind, we asked current P4 students what their best advice would be for incoming P1 students. This is what they told us.

"Be self-motivated and build good relationships with your peers."

"Enjoy the moment. It does go by fast."

"Advocate for yourself. Network with other pharmacists."

"Be adaptive in study habits. Every professor has a different teaching style and will expect you to adapt."

"Don’t be afraid to ask for help"

"Develop good study habits early."

"Learn about and expose yourself to different pharmacy areas as much as possible early on so that you can tailor your pharmacy experience to the career you want."

"Stay on top of your classes. Don't wait to study and have to cram."

"It can be daunting at times, but embrace the daily grind, because before you know it, you'll be graduating."

"Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if it's a lot or seem silly. When studying for tests, don't memorize but understand."

"Be open to new opportunities, and to possible career paths in the Pharm.D. field. Like with anything, interests change and likely will once you finish your P4 year"

"Be honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable. There are going to be long nights and countless hours of studying and no real shortcut to get around it. Knowing this going into the program is something I think everyone could benefit from."

"Please go to class."

"Be open to everything. Do not be afraid to speak up for the right thing (respectfully) during clinical rotations or to administration."

"Be prepared to be challenged and try to keep your head level. Find a studying method that works best for you and study with a group if you can."

"Learn how to manage your time! I had to relearn how to study when making the transition from undergrad to grad school and it can feel defeating, but definitely worth it!"

"Find a group of friends that help you study and bring out the best version of yourself to help get you through the challenges of pharmacy school."

"Start studying for quizzes/exams as soon as you get the materials, to break things down and try to alleviate some stress."

"Keep an open mind and you will enjoy your experience and learn a lot (pharmacy, life, business, relationships, etc.)."

"Find a group of friends to be your study group. Pharmacy school is 20x better with a solid group of friends."

"Don't compare yourself to everyone else. In my class we all had our different strengths and in the in end we all got to the same place."

"Study hard, but one bad grade is not the end of the world. Enjoy your time with your class!"

"You are going to make lifelong friends and learn so much more than you ever thought possible!"

"Persevere through the first few semesters, get outside your comfort zone on rotations, and don't beat yourself up."

"Be prepared to work hard. Earning a Pharm.D. is a very rewarding, yet challenging feat."

"Stay focused, cultivate relationships with your classmates, have fun."

"Re-watching lectures is an absolute must to not only review, but understand what professors are focused on and what will be on the test."