Deciding that you want to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals is big undertaking. You should be prepared for an intense educational experience. There are several things you can do to make sure you survive.
Get Into a the Best Possible School
Don't assume that just because a college offers a pharmaceutical program that it's going to be a good fit for you. Choose several pharmaceutical programs and learn as much as you can about each one. In addition to finding out if they're going to be a good match for your needs, make sure they're well respected.
Read Ahead
Most of the time the first few weeks of your classes will be fairly light; your professors are trying to ease you into things. Instead of going out with your friends, take advantage of the light workload to read ahead in your text books. You'll already know what concepts you don't fully understand and will find studying for the exams to be a piece of cake. Reading ahead and having a solid understanding of concepts means you'll be more comfortable while working in the lab.
Get an Internship or Entry Level Job in your Chosen Field
Yes, you want to devote as much of your time as you can to your studies, but there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to find 10-20 hours a week that you can dedicate to working in your chosen field. Even more importantly you will start to understand the practical application of the things you're learning in your HPLC courses which helps the information stick better.
Don't be Afraid to Talk to Your Professors
HPLC courses are intense. During a single hour of class time you will be provided with all sorts of information. If you find yourself struggling to understand something, it's in your best interest to meet with your professor and ask for additional tutoring. Most of the time the professor will be happy to help, or will pair you with a student who can. Be persistent, It's important that you get help as quickly as you can or else you'll find yourself struggling for the rest of your academic career.
Create an Efficient Organization System
You're going to have a difficult time surviving the HPLC course if you're not organized. At the very start of the course you need to sit down and create a good way to keep everything organized. You should also sit down and create a study schedule that you stick to for the entire semester.
Find a Great Lab Partner
As your education proceeds, you're going to find yourself spending more and more time working on clinical research. When you're working in the lab, you want to make sure you align yourself with people who take clinical research very seriously, are incredibly organized and good at processing data, and who have a strong understanding of what they're doing. The better your lab partner is, the easier the lab work will be.
Visit Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences (AAPS) Inc. for more information on other career paths, like a food safety course.
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