Need some well-meaning advice

[Kavy697]

Hi, so I'm in a complicated situation. I am currently under academic probation at my pharmacy school where I have to repeat my second year this coming fall. Unfortunately, I failed two classes Medchem and Therapeutics due to health reasons and family emergency. I actually tried to get LOA knowing my grades weren't doing the best in the middle of the semester but my Dean said it was not possible. Totally understandable since I am literally asking in the middle of the semester. I am really anxious about starting this upcoming fall semester with a totally new class and attempting to make friends, or at least acquaintances during the year to study with. I just don't know if anyone has been in this situation since I am incredibly stressed and I hate meeting new people and being under so much pressure. I also really don't know if I can do this since I think I am losing interest in pharmacy and want to try something else. Definitely regret not preparing myself knowing what pharmacy school was about it. I gave up on medical school way to easily.

Additionally previously, I held a lot of committee positions however my academic probation letter did not really state me dropping these leadership positions nor did my Dean propose me drop them. I feel incredibly bad because I told Eboard I was taking a LOA instead of telling the whole truth as well as several advisors who are professors. I really should have been honest to them in this situation but I just didn't know what to say at the moment I found out I had to repeat the year. My mental health was through the roof and my family had to cut ties from some of our extended family which really hurt my parents. Do you think I should tell the whole truth to my advisors more specifically. I know a few people from the upcoming class and I definitely feel I have to explain to them what happened, but I don't want to.

Has anyone been in situation where they experienced an academic probation? How did you handle the new class and trying to not get academically dismissed?

Would really appreciate it, thanks!!!

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[Dred Pirate]

you are only two years in - cut your loses and transition to a new major - note - this isn't just because of your academic difficulties, but because dismal job prospects when and if you graduate,

 

[BC_89]

... I told Eboard I was taking a LOA instead of telling the whole truth as well as several advisors who are professors. I really should have been honest to them in this situation but I just didn't know what to say at the moment I found out I had to repeat the year.

Do you think I should tell the whole truth to my advisors more specifically.

- Yes

If you plan on pursuing any role in your academics and extracurriculars (positions in clubs, volunteerism, organizations, academics) you should always be truthful and take accountability. If you do not take ownership and try to mislead at the smallest level (office positions for clubs) then what does that say about bigger issues you may come across when you're licensed?

This sounds like a familiar past experience you had with narcs and the pyxis machine when you were interning at a hospital site (not knowing what to say, acted on your first impulse, so on and so forth). What has already happened cannot change, all you can do is learn from it.

I am incredibly stressed and I hate meeting new people and being under so much pressure. I also really don't know if I can do this since I think I am losing interest in pharmacy and want to try something else.

I am going to give you a bitter-love-tap:

From your few past posts, it seems like you have outlined stumbling blocks in your education and a loss of your concentration that seems to be correlating to your low interest of pharmacy (past convos longing for medicine, your labeled stress as a student, the pyxis incident and acting on your first impulse, buyers/education remorse, so on and so forth).

If you are forcing your way into pharmacy (same for those forcing their way into medicine) because you feel there is no alternative, you're going to have another long year of transitioning with a new class to possibly ending up in the same situation with more debt. Even worse (really think on this one), you may indeed end up graduating and realize you have little gratification in your career choice coupled with high debt.

Take time off. Recharge your batteries. Take care of your mental health before starting anything else. See if it's being burnt out from school and life circumstances that's holding you back or if you really are lacking interest in your choice of work. If medicine is it, why not try to do it despite the uphill battle?

P.S., I wouldn't normally bring up doom n gloom of the reality of this career in a straightforward matter, but your past posts are screaming for a career change. I am just not sure if you're looking for reassurance to push you into something you don't want, or if you're actually looking into options for a career-change.

 

[Kavy697]

- Yes

If you plan on pursuing any role in your academics and extracurriculars (positions in clubs, volunteerism, organizations, academics) you should always be truthful and take accountability. If you do not take ownership and try to mislead at the smallest level (office positions for clubs) then what does that say about bigger issues you may come across when you're licensed?

This sounds like a familiar past experience you had with narcs and the pyxis machine when you were interning at a hospital site (not knowing what to say, acted on your first impulse, so on and so forth). What has already cannot change, all you can do is learn from it.



I am going to give you a bitter-love-tap:

From your few past posts, it seems like you have outlined stumbling blocks in your education and a loss of your concentration that seems to be correlating to your low interest of pharmacy (past convos longing for medicine, your labeled stress as a student, the pyxis incident and acting on your first impulse, buyers/education remorse, so on and so forth).and now your even bigger stress while on academic probation).

If you are forcing your way into pharmacy (same for those forcing their way into medicine) because you feel there is no alternative, you're going to have another long year of transitioning with a new class to possibly ending up in the same situation with more debt. Even worse (really think on this one), you may indeed end up graduating and realize you have little gratification in your career choice coupled with high debt.

Take time off. Recharge your batteries. Take care of your mental health before starting anything else. See if it's being burnt out from school and life circumstances that's holding you back or if you really are lacking interest in your choice of work. If medicine is it, why not try to do it despite the uphill battle?

P.S., I wouldn't normally bring up doom n gloom of the reality of this career in a straightforward matter, but your past posts are screaming for a career change. I am just not sure if you're looking for reassurance to push you into something you don't want, or if you're actually looking into options for a career-change.

Hey, thank you a lot for the advice! No, I agree my past posts have been screaming for a career change plus an easy way to get out of this probation. However no matter who I tell about my career change, they tell me to stick out and I don't know how to convince them I'm not happy. I drafted up an email to my advisor talking about pretty much everything I told you. I'm planning to send it tomorrow. It's a professional fraternity so they kind of operate differently regarding rules, but i for sure want to be transparent as possible. I really want to take a break from that fraternity since they expected a lot from me. I also kind of freaked out because one of the girls who was helping me in the committee said I wasn't even doing anything and that I'm taking all the credit from my co-chair, so I might as well drop out. During that time, I was struggling figuring out an issue that our committee was stuck on and hearing about my academic probation that I resorted to saying I'm taking LOA to the president. Definitely should have been transparent, but I didn't want everyone to know I failes 2 coueses. I don't know if I want to take an LOA but I'm going to retake these 2 courses and gage out if pharmacy is something I truly like. I really do like the research side. I

I think I was mainly forced to do this career after applying to medical school and being waitlisted to the two schools. This was also the start of COVID so everything was different that year. I truly made a mistake and not reapplying. I definitely jumped ship on to this career without researching properly first plus I wasn't confident in myself to ever reapply again, so my parents told me to find the next best "option" I guess. I tried explaining them that I really want to leave but it ended up super messy with some arguing and crying and overall made me feel bad. I have asian parents so the whole thing of settling down is kind of ingrained in us, especially for women. My plan was to tell them about career interests once I'm kind of situated this upcoming semester since right now my confidence is a little skeptical with the failed courses and I feel better knowing that I'm at least doing well in these classes. I'm just nor too sure how to situated myself with the new cohort which is making me a little anxious.

Yeah... my post history isn't the greatest, but thank you. Your responses give me some reassurance

 

[owlegrad]

I reiterate what others have said. It’s got to be tough to change plans now but put your time and energy and money into something that will reward you for that. You will be glad you did.

 

[Kavy697]

I reiterate what others have said. It’s got to be tough to change plans now but put your time and energy and money into something that will reward you for that. You will be glad you did.

Yeah I feel like it's tough having a career change. Ultimately I want to be happy I'm just not sure if pharmacy school is demotivating me or if pharmacy as a job is a fluke for me. Thanks!

 

[Lexington2012]

I agree, cut your losses.