Pharmacy is far from being an easy field. As a pharmacy student, it can be quite difficult to get started and learn how to study efficiently. And unless you can master the intricate “art” of studying, you can’t possibly achieve success. If you feel like pharmacy school is too stressful and overwhelming, this article is just what you need! We’ll offer you five useful tips that can ensure your success in pharmacy school and beyond! While our article is primarily aimed at pharmacy students, we’re certain you can also find these tips helpful if you’re in a different field.
1. Pay Attention in Class and Take Notes
When studying pharmacy, paying attention in class and taking notes is essential! There are many note-taking methods you can choose from, like Outline, Charting, Mapping or Cornell. There is no right or wrong here – it all depends on which method seems to be the most useful for you. Regardless of your chosen note-taking system, you must always be well-organized!
We recommend that you take notes using your own words, as that is the best way of actually understanding and remembering the information. This study method is generally referred to as active learning. If a question arises at a certain point during class, you need to use your knowledge to find an answer. To do so, you must be able to make connections in your course material. In some classes, you may find it easier to take notes on your laptop. In others, writing things down by hand may be a better idea. The key is to test out all of the methods and see which ones work best for you.
2. Be Well-Organized and Keep Track of Your Time
In pharmacy schools, students are usually tasked with writing many assignments and completing a vast number of projects. On top of that, you’re also required to study for your exams and prepare yourself for your lab works. The one thing you lack the most as a pharmacy student is free time. To put the limited amount of time you have to good use and maximize efficiency, you must always be well-organized.
Managing your time is of the essence! A good idea would be to create a calendar in which you pinpoint the dates of your exams and the deadlines for your assignments. Then, you can make a timetable and allocate a portion of your daily time for each of these tasks. This way, you’ll be able to create a study pattern that you can stick to. If you aren’t a big fan of calendars and timetables, placing sticky notes on your desk could also work.
3. Study in Group
As pointed out by many specialists, studying together with other people has many advantages. For example, if you enter a study group you have the opportunity of taking part in more thorough discussions. In addition to that, you can get acquainted with other viewpoints on specific subjects. This way, it will be easier for you to acknowledge the areas in which you need to work harder.
When studying alongside other students, it’s also easier to avoid procrastination. Seeing as the primary target of each member of the group is to cover as much as of the topic as possible, the distractions are very few. Another important benefit that shouldn’t be overlooked here is the fact that study groups have an outstanding potential for strengthening your interpersonal communication abilities.
The best way to go about this is to study the course by yourself first. By doing so, you’ll already have a general idea of the topic before engaging in group discussions. Once you familiarize yourself with the material, you can either start studying with other students or get help from friends or family members who study/studied pharmacy.
4. Steer Clear of Distractions
If you give in to distractions and start procrastinating, the results can be disastrous. While studying the course material, you should disconnect yourself from any elements that can distract you. Ideally, you should turn off your phone, laptop or tablet. Also, never study with the TV or radio on. In general, when writing your assignments or studying for your exams, you should keep yourself away from any technology that is not directly related to your task!
The best way to avoid distractions is to study in an environment where there aren’t any! It’s up to you to pick the location that best suits your needs. Nevertheless, regardless of where you choose to study, you need to have a well-established study routine. In case you feel like there are too many distractions at your home, it would be wise to study at the library.
5. Do Not Study Excessively
Although in pharmacy school it is paramount to spend a lot of time studying, you must NEVER overdo it! Studying excessively and pulling all-nighters is very unhealthy and can do more harm than good. When spending an excessive of hours studying, it’s much harder to remember information. If you don’t catch enough sleep and if you don’t take breaks from time to time, your brain just won’t function properly.
Time management is imperative here. Whenever you start feeling tired, take a break from studying and do something you like. To put it simply, never study like a robot! We’re all humans, and we all need a bit of fun from time to time. As revealed by numerous studies, to be productive and avoid stress and fatigue, you need to sleep for at least eight hours every night. In general, we advise you to allocate approximately two to three hours of study for each one-hour lecture.
Now that we’ve let you in on these useful tips, we feel like we should emphasize the importance of writing high-quality essays in pharmacy school. When handing you assignments, teachers always expect you to do a great job. So, never write in a hurry and always use well-researched information. Also, be very careful about meeting the requirements imposed by your professor! Last but not least, when you proofread an essay, make sure you don’t leave any grammar errors uncorrected. If you feel overwhelmed with your assignments, you can always ask for the help of a professional essay writer.
We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading our article and that you’ll put these tips to good use. We’re positive that if you take our advice into consideration you’ll be successful and you’ll get perfect grades in pharmacy school! This being said, we wish you best of luck with your assignments and exams, and we hope you’ll be able to keep stress to a minimum when studying! Don’t hesitate to leave comments on your own ways to achieve success in the chosen field.
Thank you very much
But I still need help. Thanks once more again