Motivation for pharmacy students during exam time

We are more than half way through, with just another semester, that's only four months to go. But not everyone is taking this cheery view.

Some of us need a moral booster. And so a blog idea became clear this morning as I was having my cup of coffee, sat in the library enjoying the sun streaming in.

Dan (pharmacy student) joined me pointing to the table, apparently too drained to speak.  He hadn’t had much sleep because of late revision, the night before. Looking at the sheet at the table, I could see what he meant- the list of exams and coursework deadlines seemed endless.

At the beginning of the year everyone is ready to go to any lengths  to achieve stellar exam scores. Now as the fatigue descends its easy to fall to a place of complacency hoping for just 'passing' grades or worse giving up all together.

So here are a few tips to keep on track...

 1.Remember why you are here- you wanted to become a pharmacist. Assuming you still do and  have not been discourage by the long journey ahead of you, imagine your end point- make that your motivation. It will feel great in the end!

2.Speak to a friendly tutor- Whenever I feel downtrodden, there are certainly a few lecturers that come to mind from whom I can seek advice and support. After speaking to one such university professor   – relaying  to him my concerns about achieving my fullest potential, I am made to rethink my words. Giving me exactly the kind of penetrating stare I know so well was an easy motivator in causing me to rush out of his office and in a dash finish all my work. I pace myself well in my studies now - never wanting to be at the receiving end of that withering look again.

3. Make a list of tasks- once you start checking them off, you'll feel more motivated to complete more of your work. Just get the ball rolling. Some friends urged me to do this at the beginning of the year. I didn’t like the idea at first but now with serious worries growing, it helps to have them on a list to keep track of them.

4.Believe in yourself and your own methods-  Sam (another pharmacy student) asks everyone for advice, then confused and worried, rushes from task to task in attempt to complete them. Dan takes no ones advice, and does whatever his instincts tell him. Both are acing their exams so make sure to go by your own style of student life management.

 5.Give yourself time to regain your breath- I tried to point this out to my friends partly because I notice that without taking even a 10 minute break from studying long hours, revision becomes counterproductive. I can imagine that by this point in the academic year, stress running high and revision piling, it is tempting to think revising endlessly would be the solution. However,  I’m equally certain you’ll feel better and be a lot more productive if you set yourself specific targets per day. For example, set yourself a reasonable target of finishing the first draft of an essay within a set  limit of time, say 5 hours max. You are more likely to achieve a target that is 'SMART'.

6.  Resilience is Key - especially true for us pharmacy students. The ability to get back up after a setback is incontrovertibly important for excelling in your osces, in pre-reg applications and in general every day assignments. If you do not see the immense significance of this quality, let Mo Farah's success speak for itself. He won his 3rd Olympic gold medal (long-distance) even when he'd  fallen half way through the race. So called 'mistakes' are merely paving stones to success!

 So, hope this helps and now I'll return to my list of tasks for the day. If you felt unmotivated before, I hope these points act as something to think about or at least prove to you that you are not in this alone.

Good luck  – may everyone achieve their best!!!