For most students, college is the first opportunity to be an adult, live on your own, pay your own bills, and basically do whatever you want. But with freedom comes a big responsibility. So when you’re attending college, keep that in mind.

When I first started at the University of South Carolina, I was literally into everything. I couldn’t get enough or fill up on my planner with events to attend or volunteer opportunities or with club meetings. I really invested in campus and because of it, I was able to network with some amazing people, grow with those individuals, and learn a different side of me that I never knew about.

While I’m not done with college, I still get the opportunity every day to really be successful in college and to make it the best chapter of my life. Are you ready to do the same?

Here are my tips on how to be successful in college that are easy to do and can be done right now!

Take studying seriously

As always, I have to mention it, but you’re in college to get a degree! This means that you have to take the time to study, ask questions, and get to really know the material. Hopefully, it’s material that you enjoy and want to learn more. While studying doesn’t have to take up your entire day, make sure to set aside some time every day to sit down to dive into the books. Want to learn more study tips? Read this guide that I put together of the very best study advice. 

Take every opportunity that comes your way

College is all about the adventure and the challenges that come with finding yourself, learning more about your likes and dislikes, and learning through your mess ups. If you are given an opportunity to do something, such as being a part of a research project or to job shadow an influential person in your dream field, take it! You never know where an opportunity might take or who you might meet during the journey.

But that doesn’t mean you have to wait for an opportunity to fall into your lap. Go out there and find their own adventures to join! Figure out what you’re interested in and see how you can get involved.

Choose the professor, not the course

Many people believe that the course is what’s going to decide whether or not you pass the class or the difficulty of the material. But the real reason for that is the professor. When you’re choosing what class you want to take, take a look on Rate My Professor to check out the reviews of the teachers teaching the material. You can learn a lot from a harder professor or learn nothing from a horrible teacher, depending on the teaching style the works best for you. Take a moment to think about what you are trying to get out of the course and what kind of teaching are you going to need to pass the class.

Teachers are an important aspect of college that can truly make or break your experience, not just with the material but with the entire major itself.

Get connected to campus life

Nobody wants to go to college by themselves so trust me when I say, everyone is looking for companionship and friendship in college. Getting connected to campus life could mean that you join an organization, rush in a sorority or fraternity, or it could mean that you run for office of your entire class. I promise you that whatever you’re interested, there’s more than likely a club out there waiting for you to join!

Make friends, join an organization that strikes an interest with you, and enjoy the journey that is college. Plus, once you’re connected to campus life, you’ll be more open to the opportunities around you and have more confidence about taking those opportunities to heart.

Try things out of your comfort zone

College is literally the perfect time to try new things because it’s at this time that you’re learning about yourself as an individual, as a student, and as an adult. If you’re scared of doing something or scared of looking foolish in front of your friends, I want you to just imagine the regret you’ll feel later on because you didn’t try something really fun.

For me, I was so scared of dancing in front of people and being laughed at. I was thinking all kinds of horrible things, like maybe everyone will think that I am a terrible dancer or they’ll laugh directly into my face. And guess what? It wasn’t like that all, and I actually had an amazing time once I joined a local hip-hop dance team on campus. I still won’t dance in front of people, but the team definitely grew my confidence, and I made a ton of lifelong friends who I know have my back.

Learn to listen and take care of yourself

For me, the worst part about college is the stress. We as students are under so much pressure to do well in school and to always be on our A-game, but that’s not usually the case. Some people, like myself, know when enough is enough and can take a step back to take a break. Others need a little nudge from others to go out and have a good time every once in a while. Not that doesn’t mean to just become a party-animal! But it does mean that even when you’re in college, you deserve a mental break too.

Go to office hours or get tutoring

The funny part about college is that the teachers actually really and truly care about your success, especially in their class. They want you to succeed, but a lot of people are too scared to sit down with them and ask for help. Don’t be like that! Ask for help and make time to go get the help that you need in a class before it’s too late.

Go to most of your classes

I say most of your classes because you can miss a class here and there without doing poorly in the class. Most classes have a restriction of how many classes you can miss before getting docked a letter grade while other bigger classes could care less. Just check what class category that your class falls into and to plan accordingly.

You’re going to learn so much more when you get the opportunity to actually listen to the teacher and be able to review your notes after the class is over.

Test out your career field before settling down into a major

No matter what major you are in, please try to job shadow or network with people that are currently doing what you want to do for your career. It could be a simple phone call or an actual job shadow experience, but it’s such a great idea to be able to see where you want to go.

Plus, you won’t really know for sure that a job is something that you want to do forever, if you’ve never actually done it before. Like before I picked pharmacy school, I went through a pharmacy technician program and worked in a pharmacy before choosing my major in my second year of college. I wanted to be positive it was something that I wanted to do before I wasted my money on classes.

Take a class just for fun

College is meant to be a fun learning experience, so take a class that isn’t in your major just to see what it’s like. You might be surprised and find out that you’re really interested in that subject matter. One year, I needed an extra class to maintain one of my scholarships, but I didn’t want a hard class that would actually make me study. So, I decided to take a horseback riding class, because I always interested in riding but it can get expensive quick! I had so much fun during the class and was actually able to get over my fear of big animals! See, something like that could happen with you or you could find another major that interests you more.

Well there you have it folks: my 10 tips to be successful in college, which are all super easy to do and can easily be implicated right NOW!

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The post 10 Tips to be Successful in College appeared first on Uniquely Mickie.

With this backpack necessities guide, hopefully you can get set for school and not miss a beat!

Snacks

Imagine having to sit in a cold classroom for hours on end and your stomach starts growling. Yea, it’s not a fun picture to imagine and it’s definitely not fun in real life. For me, I have to have snacks in my backpack for those emergency situations where I’m hungry in class or when I have to quickly run out of my apartment before class. I can’t sit still and pay attention to the professor if my stomach is aching from hunger.

My favorite snacks to bring to class:

• Cheez-its
• Poptarts
• Granola Bars
• Chips

Planner

If you’re a student, then a planner is an absolute must. My personal favorite is the Erin Condren Life Planner. It’s a little pricier but it’s totally worth it in my opinion and you get to have fun with decorating with unique stickers. You can pick from a few different layout formats including horizontal, vertical, and time. By having a good planner that works for you, you’ll be able to stay organized, keep up with all of your assignments, and never overbook yourself.  

Here’s my planner so you can get a look inside! You can get a free $10 coupon for your order if you want to purchase this great planner from Erin Condren!

If you love my cover as much as I do, you can get it  or other cute covers from this great Etsy shop called StylishPlanner!

Lotion

I never thought this was a necessity, until I needed lotion one day and I didn’t have any on me. As the seasons start to change, our skin starts to need a little more TLC than before and can easily become scaly. Keep those alligator hands or white, ashy feet away by keeping some lotion in your backpack. I also get the trial size or travel size just so that I’m not lugging around a 16 oz. bottle of lotion.

Tylenol

Sometimes you never know when you might need some Tylenol or aspirin on you. From headaches, menstrual pains, to accidently knocking your toe into a corner of a desk, you’ll never know when you or a friend might need a pain reliever on the fly. They have travel size Tylenol that is perfect to stash in your backpack or purse for those emergencies.

Female products

When I first started having a period, I always was taught to keep a few pads or tampons in my backpack as well as in any purse that I carried around. It’s just a safe precaution to do just in case shark week takes you by surprise one day! Plus you never know when you’re in the bathroom and someone else’s needs a pad because they didn’t think of carrying them on them too.  True story, this has totally happened to me and the girl was so thankful that had a backup in my backpack to give her.

Chapstick

Nobody wants to kiss someone with crusty lips nor does anyone want to look at your dry lips, so keep some chapstick in your backpack, just in case your lips need a little TLC on the go. My favorite chapstick by far is the original chapstick brand in the cupcake flavor. It smells like heaven and is super moisturizing on the lips.

Tide to go pen

This is a recent add-on to my backpack essentials. When you’re clumsy like me, I’m always getting stuff on my clothes that I desperately don’t want to stay there forever. A tide-to-go pen will be your best friend for battling stains while in class or during lunch hour. It’s small and compact size so it won’t take too much space in your backpack nor weight you down.

Headphones

I don’t think I need to explain this one for us millennials. I personally love playing music between classes or while I’m waiting for class to start. If you’re interested to see what songs I’ve been loving for the summer, then you can check out my playlist here on my blog. When you’re deciding on what pair of headphones you should store in your bag, keep you mind that you want comfort and accessibility. I wouldn’t recommend lugging around your big Beats headphones, but if you like to, then do you boo!

Computer & Charger

Once you go to college, your computer and charger will literally be the life of your college career. It’s the most important piece of information that you can carry around with you so it’s a definitely must have for your backpack essentials. I would recommend keep your laptop dimensions small and compact so it’s not too heavy, especially for those long walks across campus.

Water bottle

Staying hydrated while working hard on campus is an absolute must, if you want to get the full benefits of all of your work efforts. Keeping a water bottle on you while in class will leave you with no excuse not to drink water throughout the day.

Umbrella

You never you want to get caught on campus in a drenching down pour! Talk about ruining your computer or any textbooks you’re carrying around so keeping an umbrella on hand is a must-have for a college backpack. Keep it small and compact and you’ll never get stuck in thundering rain on campus again. Okay, maybe you will, but at least you won’t be soaking wet once you arrive to class or back home to your dorm room apartment.

Fluffy socks

Yes, fluffy socks are totally a must have, at least for me. I’m always getting stuck in a really cold room in the library or in a long lecture class that’ll actually take off my shoes and put on my fluffy socks. They keep warm and are super comfy so I can easily stay focus while in class or cramming in the library. For me, I just can’t hardcore study in shoes like I need to be comfortable.

Thanks for reading everyone! If you enjoyed this post and think that others would to, then please share this post on your social media accounts. It only takes a few minutes of your time and it helps me out tremendously!

What are your backpack essentials that you can’t live without?

The post Backpack Essentials For the On-The-Go Student appeared first on Uniquely Mickie.

There are 5 main ways to gain the experience that you need that also allows you to network, which is always a key concept. Those 5 ways are working, volunteering, interviewing, jobshadowing, and attending meetings or pharmacy-related conferences.

Become a Pharmacy Technician

There are two types of pharmacy technicians: registered and certified. Registered is exactly what it sounds like. Being a registered pharmacy technician means that you went into your local board of pharmacy office, signed a few papers, and now are able to work in a pharmacy legally. This type doesn’t have any formal training besides the one that is learned on the job. Certified pharmacy technician is when you actually go to school to become a certified and take a national test called the PTCB. Depending on your state, some states allows you to work in pharmacy with only being registered while others require you to be certified.

I actually have a cool story to tell you all! So the high school that I graduated from had a technical school close by that they allowed high school students to take classes there. I ended up taking the pharmacy technician course, taking the PTCB, and becoming certified right after high school.

But regardless of what you get being able to work in a pharmacy is the best way to gain pharmacy experience and get paid for it.

Volunteer

Volunteering is also a great way to gain pharmacy experience as well as network with some really awesome people. Some of your local hospitals and the free medical clinic will gladly take on volunteers and teach you the ropes around the pharmacy. You just have to ask and you shall receive for this kind of experience.

Be sure though when you are volunteering to document your hours and any important people you might’ve met while volunteering. These will be really important for when you apply for pharmacy school and you need documentation or recommendation letters.

Jobshadow

It’s very similar to volunteering except you’re an observer and you’re only there for the day. The great part of jobshadowing a local pharmacist or a specialty pharmacy is that you get to experience different types of pharmacy and ask as many questions as you can think of. A lot of people don’t know all of the different fields that pharmacists can go into, such as nuclear pharmacy, veterinary pharmacy, compounding, infectious diseases, board of pharmacy, and so many more.

Conduct an Interview

An interview is when you get the chance to ask more in-depth questions as well as make a real connection with a pharmacy teacher or pharmacists. It sounds like a scary experience, but it’s really not. You get the chance to speak to someone who’s been there done that and is willing to help you learn everything you want to. Take that advantage and get your notepad out. It’s also a great way to network, the thing that everyone keep saying throughout your career. Have a set of questions ready for the interview then tailor any further questions based off of their responses to the previous questions.

[bctt tweet=”Conducting an interview is like interviewing your future job. So ask away!” username=”uniquelymickie”]

Attend a pharmacy-related conference or pharmacy meeting

If you have a pharmacy program nearby, then some of the pharmacy school clubs allow pre-pharmacy students to participate in meetings as well as volunteer with the group. This is a great way to gain pharmacy experience as well as get the chance to meet pharmacy students in the program. You’ll also get to learn more about pharmacy as a profession and nitty-gritty of what a PharmD degree can do for your career.

What is your favorite way to gain pharmacy experience or funny story that you have working with a pharmacist?

You may also enjoy: How to Ace Your Pharmacy or Medical School Interview, 8 Questions to Ask During Your Pharmacy School Interview, and 3 Study Tips to Ace the PCAT

The post Pharmacy School Advice: How I Gained Pharmacy Experience as a Freshmen in College appeared first on Uniquely Mickie.