I cannot believe I'm officially done with my first quarter of Pharmacy School! I must say that I procrastinated / crammed like a mad woman the week before finals. I ended up studying for some classes just 1 or 2 days before the actual exam - I really don't recommend it since it involves lots of late nights and heightened anxiety levels. Anyways, I now have time to focus on my blog! I will be taking lots of outfit pictures during my break and I will definitely post more often (at least once a week). Oh, I got a lot of feedback from you guys through personal emails and the mentor-mentee form so I will be addressing a lot of your concerns in future blog posts!

Even though school's out, I still have yet to talk about my white coat ceremony! It was pretty low key since it was held in a lecture hall. It was quite a large turnout though - friends, family and loved ones gathered to celebrate our "initiation" into the health profession. All 56 of us were called up to receive our white coats. It was a symbolic moment for us and I am certain everyone in the crowd felt the same. I was waiting for some sort of glorious feeling to overcome me and was quite disappointed when it didn't. As the last person dawned their white coat, we were asked to remain in front to read, "The Oath of a Pharmacist." It was only then that I began feeling as if I were a true professional. To this day, the notion of calling myself a student pharmacist and future pharmacist still seems foreign but maybe I'll get used to it someday.

I made numerous of life-altering decisions leading up to my first day of orientation however, I won't dwell on all the details in this particular post. A plethora of my pharmacy school applicant readers emailed me about my choice to attend UCSD even though I was accepted at UCSF. The most influential reason, that ultimately determined the school I would pursue my pharmacy degree, was cost. I loved everything about UCSF but there were many things I had to put into consideration - I was looking for a house in the bay area and the price tag was absurd. UCSD was the most cost effective decision - it's a reputable public school with a strong emphasis on research and has great housing opportunities all around. I'll save the rest of my reasons for a separate post or this one will drag on!

Keep your comments and questions about pharmacy school, applications or anything else coming my way! I really do enjoy reading all your emails! Oh, a majority of my class also participated in the mannequin challenge - scroll down to see the UCSD, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Class of 2020's take on the current rage. Until next time!