Setting the Tone
So I had five finals ahead of me, but at least I had an easy one to get off to a good start and feel good about myself, right? False! The first final started last Wednesday with my old friend, Medchem! Regarded as the most difficult class in the spring semester of your P1 year, SCCP 620 Introduction to Medicinal Chemsitry/Pharmacology has been the metaphorical gorilla on our class’s collective back the entire semester. In one sense, it was kind of rough to kick finals off with the hardest class we had, but at the same time, it would be kind of nice to get the gorilla off our back so we could get on with the rest of our finals.
Ideally I wanted to set the tone and feel good about my first final, and the studying came early and often, as I began the study guide making process on the Wednesday prior to the exam. In addition to preparing for MedChem, I also had to be wary of the other two exams in that first week, Intro to Drug Information on Thursday and Pharmaceutics on Friday.
In order to break up the monotony of straight MedCehm studying for a week, I took “breaks” of studying for Drug information and Pharmaceutics with small “respites” to sneak peeks at Patho and Biochem that would come the following week. I think the worst part about studying for such an extended time in advance of the exam is that I spent too much time focusing and waiting. As Tom Petty sang, “waiting is the hardest part” and I think several of my classmates would agree that having to wait, study and wonder what would be on the exam was pretty difficult to stomach. I mean, after so many times of reviewing, quizzing, and re-reading my notes, I began to get sick of just looking at anything related to our exam.
Anyways, Wednesday came, and I can say looking back at the time I felt, how should I say, “lukewarm” about how I did. Luckily, the delay in posting has allowed me to see I scored a solid 97.5, allowing me to keep my A. In retrospect I could feel good about setting the tone for finals with a strong start. I think that the strong start kept me going through to my next two exams as I was able to snag a 95 on Fridays pharmaceutics and a 96 on Drug Info.
With the end of the Pharmaceutics on Friday (if you love transdermal drugs, you would have LOVED this exam!) came getting “over the hump” of the five finals. Just two classes stood between sweet summertime and me: Pathophysiology and Biochemistry, but those deserve a post all their own for another time (that is pretty soon actually). Until the next installment, take care and stay tuned!