Oh, the places you’ll go!

Throughout my undergraduate experience, I silently settled with the fact that a career relating to psychology was impractical as I scattered classes for this major into my schedule that was heavily packed with prerequisites. By the sixth and final semester of my undergraduate degree, I looked at my bachelor’s degree as the end to one chapter and the start of another.

While your time in pharmacy school comes with many exciting opportunities and chances to learn about the world of pharmacy, it can also come with a lot of pressure to determine what you want the next phase of your life to look like. During school, I tried to explore as many practice settings as possible, and I was determined to find one that felt like the perfect fit. But despite my efforts, I found myself in the middle of my last year confused and unsure of what the future would hold.

It can be hard to juggle APPEs, life, and job-hunting in your final year of pharmacy school. For me, it felt like I was in a pressure cooker for about a year. There is so much pressure, both internally and externally, to do well in APPEs, network with pharmacists, and find time to figure out your career.

My entry into the world of pharmacy was not standard. My interest started in high school, when I attended a pharmacy open house at the University of Minnesota. I had planned to go to a 0- to 6-year PharmD program but ended up attending a 4-year college in my home state. Four years later, I graduated with a triple major in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, and sociology/anthropology, and most of my pharmacy prerequisites. While I thought pharmacy was interesting and I wanted to help people, I was a bit grossed out by bodily fluids and hospitals. So, I took a detour and joined Teach For America.