Embarking on the Journey of Pharmacy School

June 4, 2017January 15, 20181 Comment

It’s crazy sitting here thinking that at 20 years old I will be entering the realm of graduate school. It’s crazy to think that as everyone my age is just now going into Junior Year and into their major-related classes I’m starting a whole new chapter of my life. Sometimes I feel so mature, and then again, I’m barely mature enough to be on my own. I worry about how I’m going to do it. I worry about spreading myself too thin and being far too stressed and exhausted all the time. I keep reminding myself that it is completely natural to be scared to start a new journey, but I should also be excited. And I am! I’m excited to be a graduate student. I’m excited to be learning all of the things that I’ve wanted to know my whole life. I’m excited to make friendships and partnerships that will benefit me professionally and beyond. Most of all, however, I’m excited to start my journey and ready to see wherever it will take me.

There’s no specific way to feel about this transition. I’m happy, sad, anxious, excited, and every other emotion that is normal to feel in a major life transition.

So here’s to my journey, to our journey,

May we work as hard as we need to and live as much as we can.

Stay golden,

Emily

To the Best Friends I Never Expected to Find

May 11, 2017December 23, 2017Leave a comment

Wow. It’s crazy how things turn out. I guess it’s true that everything happens for a reason whether we know what that reason is or not. If I hadn’t broken up with my ex, I would have never felt so out of place that I accepted an offer to play Intramural Basketball. I mean let’s be real, me playing basketball? Who would have thought that would happen?

That’s how I met you guys though, or at least that’s how I started becoming a part of the group. As we started hanging out more and more, I knew that this friendship was going to be a great thing for me, so thank you.

Thank you for the lunch/dinner dates. Thank you for fueling my Insomnia addiction with late night cookie runs. Thank you for always supporting me even though I don’t always think before doing something. Thank you for the random car rides and jam sessions to get me out of a bad mood. Thank you for staying with me when I didn’t want to be alone.

Just thank you guys for everything. You really don’t know how much you guys mean to me. It’s insane how we could have gotten close over one semester. It’s crazy to think of how I ever went through college without you guys. I guess something good always has the possibility of coming from something bad, and some friendships pop up from the most unexpected experiences.

I love you guys!

Stay Golden,

Emily

Midterms: The Worst GIF(T) of Them All

March 1, 2017January 4, 2018Leave a comment

Here is a little compilation of the best GIFs to show a little bit of how much I hate midterm exams.

Photo Credits: GIPHY

Someone needs to sedate me, these midterms are killer.

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At least we can all cry together…

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Did I actually learn any of this?

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I will study if I must…

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Yes, exactly what I was wondering.

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SOMEONE SAVE ME

Same cat…same.

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I am the giraffe…

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The homesickness is real.

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Sleep, what is that?

Stay golden and power through,

Emily

Junior Year of College

March 1, 2017January 4, 2018Leave a comment

Junior year of college is a mix of all different kinds of emotions- excitement because I’m almost done with college, sadness because I’m not quite ready to go. This juxtaposition of emotions is something I’m constantly struggling with.

I’ve been waiting for this stage in my life for as long as I can remember, yet I hear my dad’s voice in the back of my head. “Nicole, stop rushing to get through things, you need to stop and enjoy where you are in life right now.”

Ever since I was a little girl, I’d constantly be wishing to be in the next stage of life. I wished I could be a teenager already, then that came along and still wasn’t enough. I wanted to be out of high school and in college living out my life and finding my career path. Yet here I am… and for the first time, I don’t know that I’m ready to move on to the next stage…

For the first time, I’m realizing since entering college as a freshman that I didn’t really take the time to enjoy college as much as I should have. I realize now college is much more than just getting good grades, going to every class and being on time. College is about socializing, meeting new people- like the friends who you’ll have for life, and being able to make mistakes while it’s still okay to mess up.

Junior year has honestly been one of my favorite years here at High Point University. I’m finally finding the friends I’ve been searching for all along. Many friends have come and gone before I got here: because they transferred or because we just grew apart. I’m finally at the stage where I’m taking mostly major and minor related classes and starting to really be able to visualize my future, which is a beautiful thing. With the help of my advisor, I was able to find an internship and get on track to get a job in my field of study.

Now when people ask me what I want to do once I graduate, I can actually answer their question instead of dancing around the subject. At the same time, though, it will be hard to leave this place. It’s become not only my home these past 4 years but a place full of some of the most inspiring people who have wanted nothing but the best for me. I fear leaving these amazing individuals behind because I don’t know where my life will take me.

I take comfort in the fact that most of these amazing, inspiring, and caring people will always be just a phone call away when I need them. As my 4 years at HPU are nearing their end, I know I have to take the next step in life and not be fearful of the unknown but embrace it with open arms!

Stay Golden,

Nicole

(Also if you enjoyed this post feel free to take a look at my own personal blog)

Just Hold On a Little Longer, Princess.

February 28, 2017December 23, 2017Leave a comment

I know things have been a little rough for a long time. I know you’re overwhelmed with the chaos of life. I know you’re ready to do anything and everything possible to avoid feeling this way, but hold on a little longer.

Hold on in hopes that everything will get better… because it will. I’m not saying there won’t be bad days, and I’m not saying there will be more good days than bad, but I’m saying one day you won’t have to fake it. One day you’ll look up and smile that beautiful, genuine smile, and you’ll know you made it. Hold on a little longer.

Hold on because you’ve made it this far. You’ve overcome so much; you’re so strong. Don’t underestimate the things that you can overcome. This pain, this stress, they won’t be a problem soon enough. Hold on a little longer.

Hold on for your loved ones. Don’t underestimate how many people care about you. Build these relationships up, and allow these people to help you heal. Allow them to be your shoulder to cry on and your strength when you feel weak. Hold on a little longer.

Hold on for me. I know you probably don’t even know me, but I hope when you come across this you know I love you. You can get through anything, trust me. I’m so proud of how far you’ve come. You can do anything you set your mind to. Remember, stay strong and keep moving forward. That should be your new motto. Never forget it. Hold on a little longer.

Things may be rough now, and you may just want to give up on everything, but don’t. Don’t give up. Hold on to your hopes and dreams. Hold on to who you are inside. Hold on to everything good in the world, and never let it go.

And always…

Stay Golden,

Emily

The Life of a Pre-Pharmacy Student

January 17, 2017January 4, 2018Leave a comment

Every pre-professional track is on the more difficult side of things, but being a Pre-Pharmacy student gives me a little intel on how their day-to-day lives are structured. This field is nothing if not difficult, and here’s why:

1. Going to a lab every week and not understanding anything about what you are doing.

Photo Credits: Google Images

2. Having constant stress and not having time to relax.

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3. When you realize that nobody understands how truly difficult it is to juggle all of the things going on in your life and stay sane.

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4. When you take Organic Chemistry and the professor tells you that you need it for the rest of your schooling.

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5. When people expect you to know everything there is to know about pharmaceuticals before you have even entered Pharmacy School.

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6. When you and your friends are in all the same classes, and you don’t have to suffer alone.

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7. Realizing you are studying just as hard as Pre-Med students just to do what they want you to in the future.

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8. When you’re either really early to class or basically late because you overslept due to a lack of sleep on a day-to-day basis.

Photo Credits: Google Images

9. When someone with an easier major talks about how difficult their major is and how they never have free time.

Photo Credits: Google Images

10. After spending all this time stressing about hypothetical situations that never happened like failing Organic Chemistry, you finally get the call that you got into Pharmacy School, and you’re on top of the world.

Photo Credits: GIPHY

To all of my Pre-Pharmacy fam, you’ve got this!

Stay golden,

Emily

Reflecting on Freshman Year

April 30, 2016January 4, 2018Leave a comment

As I’m rounding the home stretch of my freshman year, taking exams, having heartfelt goodbyes, I’m reminiscing on all that has changed and impacted my life this year.

Wow is it hard to believe my first year of 6 as a college student is already over. I can’t believe it’s time to pack up my things and turn over my key.

I want to thank all of the people that have been with me through thick and thin. No matter what happened, no matter how many arguments we had, we always bounced back and came back stronger.

I especially want to thank my roommate for putting up with my endless anxiety attacks about school and just life in general, and for being there to go get meals with when I needed someone.

To my other friends, I won’t forget about you when I’m commuting next year. Thank you for the good times, the study groups, the late nights, and of course for just being there for me. We will have plenty of opportunities to hang out next year as well.

I haven’t made a ton of friends this year, but the friendships I have made have grown greatly over the year.

I also want to thank my family for always supporting me and allowing me to come home whenever I want because it is only a 45 minute drive. I couldn’t have made it through this trying year without you guys. I love you.

And of course to my boyfriend, although we had a rough few months, I’m so glad that we were able to move past it and come back stronger than we were before. Thanks for being there for me and a shoulder to cry on when I’m stressing.

I love each and every one of you.

Now academics..

Thank you to all of my science professors for continuously supporting me and pushing me to my limits. You have truly tested my strength this year, and it is official that I am never giving up on my dream of being a pharmacist.

Thank you to all of my other professors for making me realize that even though your class wasn’t a “major required” class it affected me as a person in ways I can’t even articulate. These classes have taught me that a well-rounded liberal arts education is extremely beneficial to students. I’ve learned more about the way I learn and interact with people than I ever thought I would.

This year has had so many ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I may be commuting next year, but High Point University is and will always be my home away from home. I’d like to thank my university and its staff for making my freshman year such a memorable one.

Stay golden,

Emily

GPA Doesn’t Define You

April 1, 2016January 4, 2018Leave a comment

All through our lives we are driven by the people in our lives to make the best grades, take the hardest classes, and have the best GPA. So I know when I tell you that GPA is not a defining factor in who you are, you are probably skeptical.

That being said, grades do not define you.

I am taking a class called “College Uncovered” right now, and a lot of the reading we are required to do has lead me to this conclusion.

Even if you are not a star student, you are still intelligent in your own way. There are many different kinds of ‘intelligence.’

These types of intelligence include “Naturalist Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Existential Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence, Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, Linguistic Intelligence, Intra-personal Intelligence, and Spatial Intelligence.”

I will explain these a little bit.

Naturalist- someone who shows expertise in the recognition and classification of plants and animals

Musical- the ability to recognize music and produce it

Logical-Mathematical- the ability to do deductive reasoning and do mathematics. These individuals are drawn to problems and experiments

Existential- the ability to understand deep questions about human existence (Why are we alive? etc.)

Interpersonal- “People Smart”

Bodily-Kinesthetic- the ability to manipulate their bodies to do what they want (Dancers, athletes, surgeons, etc.)

Linguistic- the ability to use words to express complex things (Writers tend to have this)

Intra-Personal- the ability to understand one’s own thoughts, feelings, and life.

Spatial- the ability to picture things in their mind and create pictures with their hands. (artistic)

That being said, you are smart. Do not ever let anyone else define your worth, especially not by your grades or GPA.

College has stressed me out beyond belief because I have been defining myself by my grades and GPA. Not anymore. My best will be good enough from now on.

Maybe you are meant to do something with your life that doesn’t involve college, and that’s okay. I don’t feel that everyone should have to go to college. If you feel that isn’t the path you need to be on, don’t take it just because people are pushing you towards that.

However, you can still get through college with other types of intelligence. It will be difficult, but if it is something that you want to do, find your niche and take classes that revolve around that.

Work hard and Stay Golden,

Emily

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Definitions of Intelligences from:

Gardner, Howard. “The Nine Types of Intelligence.” The Nine Types of Intelligence. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.

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End of Semester Thoughts

December 16, 2015January 4, 2018Leave a comment

Wow. Exactly 1 year ago today I decided on attending my dream university, High Point University. The time has seriously flown by. It feels like just yesterday I was moving into my dorm room for the first time and so excited to meet new people and spend time with the ones I already knew. Today was the last day of my first semester of Freshman Year, and let me tell you, things have changed more than I realized.

From Relationship to Single

This one was a bit of a shocker at first. I spent all summer and the first 2 months of school with my new boyfriend. He was going to the same school. This relationship was great, but it ended rather abruptly towards the end of October. I can’t say it isn’t weird being single, because it is. However, this has given me the opportunity to find myself and get to know my friends even better.

4.675 High School GPA to 3.78? GPA in College

Grades haven’t come out yet, but as long as I did well on my exams I should be able to pull off a 3.78 GPA for my first semester. Its strange to me not having all A’s, but I was expecting that going into college. It hasn’t discouraged me at all, but rather made me realize that I am going to have to work harder for A’s in college.

18 to 19 Years Old

My birthday is in November, so while I still feel the same age, I am actually 19 now. This is even more reason for me to start taking care of myself (working out, eating healthy, being independent, etc.). This will be one of my goals next semester and beyond.

Growing More Outgoing

Sure, I’m still quite a reserved person, but I have grown far more outgoing than I have previously been. I’ve been to parties, I’ve talked in class, I have never eaten dinner alone, etc. I never really saw myself growing in this way, but I clearly have.

Learning and Having a Growth Mindset

Over the past semester, I have come to believe that everyone can grow. There is not a set intelligence that we are born with. We can grow as we learn and become more intelligent.

Overall

I have changed a lot over the past semester, and I wouldn’t change any of it. It taught me many valuable lessons.

Stay Golden,

Emily