What all were you involved in during your time in college? (clubs, sports, extra-curriculars, volunteering, etc)
During my time at STLCOP, I was involved in WHIG (Women’s Health Interest Group), ACCP (American College of Clinical Pharmacy), Rho Chi Honor Society, Phi Lambda Sigma Leadership Society, and last but not least LKS. I also volunteered at a local healthcare clinic called HPES for uninsured and under-insured people through our local LKS chapter.
What would you consider the “perfect balance” for studying, work, sleep, and a social life?
Achieving the ‘perfect balance’ is a tricking subject because every day requires a different balance. But, I always kept my priorities (social life, school life, work life, and leadership duties) in my mind and kept checklists and planners to keep all deadlines, events, and shifts straight helped me day to day to stay balanced.
Did you ever have to sacrifice one of the things above to maintain such good grades?
I really tried not to sacrifice anything in order to study, but there are times (like the night before an exam or the morning of an exam) that school would definitely have to come first. But, I also tried to plan ahead. For example, if I worked every Tuesday night and had an exam coming up on Wednesday, I would try to study the weekend before and Monday, so I didn’t have as much cramming to do after work on Tuesday. Being as busy as I was throughout college really helped me to stay focused. It forced me to develop time management skills. because when I wasn’t busy, I found myself procrastinating more often.
What advice would you give your sisters about managing the stress that comes with trying to live a “balanced” life in pharmacy school?
My advice to all my LKS sisters and really anyone in college would be to lean on your friends/family during the hard times, get a full night of sleep whenever possible, and treat yourself occasionally, (get ice cream, hang out with your friends/family, go on spring break, etc.). Lastly, every day and every semester bring a new challenge and if something doesn’t go as planned, it’s important to learn from the experience move forward as a better person for having gone through it.
