At 9:41 a.m. today, I submitted my LAST exam of the year. Assuming that I passed all my classes this semester, I am officially a P3 and 50% pharmacist!

This morning, one of my friends posted on Facebook a “self-reflection rant”. Five paragraphs long, it described the challenges she faced this year related to exams, meetings, deadlines, event planning, etc., but served primarily to recognize the amazing friends, family, and classmates who helped her get through it all. I am so glad she posted this because it’s really something I (and many of my peers, I’m sure) can relate to. This academic year has honestly been the most difficult I’ve ever experienced – even beating out those semesters in undergrad with organic chemistry, physics, and advanced genomics!

As with many professional and graduate programs, the pace at which we zip through material in the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy PharmD program is mind-blowing. While the struggle was definitely real this year, I’m proud of all that I was able to accomplish. I’m glad that it’s over for now, though, and am looking forward to sweet summertime. For those of you who are in the midst of studying for upcoming exams, May the 6^th be with you! Below are just a few things that I’ve completely (or almost completely) pushed aside due to the stress of school, and am more than ready to make up for:

1. SLEEP. Not 4-5 hours of sleep like I’ve been getting this past month… a normal, healthy amount of sleep.
2. Family time. I’ve been neglecting the most important people in my life! I’ve even missed three family birthday celebrations
3. Exercise. So excited to resume my morning jogs!
4. Current events. I miss my lazy mornings with coffee and theSkimm. It’s time to catch up on the world beyond my bubble, starting with Trumpcare.
5. Organization. My bedroom literally looks like a tornado just hit. Clothes, paper, random materials from all the events I’ve been involved with scattered everywhere. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be snapping my fingers and singing “A Spoonful of Sugar”.
6. FUN. While executing events, studying therapeutics, and attending banquets are “fun”, I’m ready for fun in the conventional sense!

That’s all for now — have a fantastic summer everyone! Best of luck on internships, rotations, jobs, and summer classes. Please don’t forget to relax, have fun, be adventurous, and most importantly — make time for those who matter most to you.

Me (all the way in the back) with some of my USG classmates celebrating the end of P2 year at Ted’s Bulletin