It’s funny that, as the semester draws to a close and work begins to accumulate, I find myself fitting in regular workouts.  At the end of my second year, I just don’t care about grades.  It’s a hard line to straddle:  maintaining a good GPA while realizing that grades don’t actually matter and employers could care less.

Having said that, the “C” I thought I was destined to get for my neuropsych course magically turned into an 80% B at the end of the day. I’ve worked hard to maintain A’s and B’s in this tough degree program.  Sometimes, things work out.

I’ve certainly been working out often, looking up exercises I can quickly do in front of my desk while watching Daredevil Season 2 on Netflix.  Next year, I plan to hit the campus gym with a fellow pharmacy student, but it’s amazing what you can do with some hand weights, a chair, and simple exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and military press.  I plan to maintain my workout schedule through the summer months during my pharmacy rotations.

The UMB School of Pharmacy is awesome because they set up mandatory rotations for us throughout our four year curriculum.  This summer, I will have two 3-week rotations.  One will be at the Walgreens Pharmacy next to the Rockville Town Center.  The other will be at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring.

I’m excited about this second rotation because it states that I will be working in pediatrics.  My courses have discussed treatment options for the pediatric population, but these lectures and clinical pearls were scattered throughout the last two years and across multiple different subjects.  I’ll have to take a day or so to compile my notes and brush up.  I want to make a good first impression.

Your internship preceptors may be the key to landing  your first job, so always be prepared.

Now that we’re at the end of the school year, I want to say that I’ve had fun sharing my experiences with you, and I hope you can take away tips to enhance your academic success.  I always try to give advice to young students so they don’t have to learn the hard way like I did.  Stay motivated, keep seeking out new opportunities, and don’t be discouraged when things don’t go your way.  My son recently started taking foil fencing lessons because it sounded cool.  Because, why not?

Have a great summer, and maybe I’ll see you around Rockville!