Feeling the Pressure

The beginning of a new year brings the excitement and anticipation of a fresh start—the opportunity to reinvent oneself with new beginnings, goals, and resolutions. For students, a new year means a new semester.

The spring, however, along with its showers and blossoms, brings with it the pressure of planning.

Although winter break gave me the opportunity to refresh and renew myself, the second semester of my junior year is all about planning and preparing for my future.

I hope to attend pharmacy school beginning the fall of 2021, which means my agenda, as you can imagine, looks quite intimidating upon first glance.

In two weeks, I will be taking the Pharmacy Technician Certification Test, which will help me gain experience in the pharmaceutical field as a technician. Then, this summer, I will be taking the PCAT, which is the Pharmacy College Admissions Test, and applying to my dream pharmacy school—the University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy!

Right now, my days (and nights) look pretty much the same: study, eat, sleep, and repeat!

On top of all of the studying I do, I am a member of the Pre-Pharmacy Society, which means I have to think about my school assignments, exams, and events while also preparing for my tech and PCAT exams—a pretty stressful combination, if you ask me!

My vision of the future, however, is what motivates me each and every day.

I recently ordered my Aggie ring, which was quite an emotional day for me because it represented everything I hope to achieve and everything I’ve accomplished thus far.

No matter how hard a situation might seem or feel at first, I have learned that every cloud has its silver lining.

I have found myself overthinking and, at times, doubting myself, in many situations.

Sometimes it is easier to focus on how difficult a task may seem and we don’t ever give ourselves the opportunity to overcome our obstacles or even give ourselves a chance.

If there is one piece of advice I can offer a friend, a family member, or a fellow stressed student, it is to focus on your present and your reality, not the negativities or the “what ifs.”

At the end of the day, you are your No. 1 supporter!

One of my favorite things I’ve learned through my college experience has been that affirmations and positive thinking are more powerful than you might think!

We can do this!

Home Sweet Home

As a junior biomedical sciences (BIMS) student, I have had a good amount of time really get used to my college life and what it really means to balance school, work, a social life, and most importantly, sleep!

The homesickness that results from living away from home, however, never really goes away—especially when home is a 10-hour drive, in sweet, old El Paso.

Homesickness is something everyone, at one point or another, experiences. Calling and video-chatting home to ask for mom’s recipes and dad’s help with “that strange sound the car’s been making” seems to help even the most stressed students cope, but it just simply isn’t the same as having a home-cooked meal and a warm hug to come home to.

As a very family-oriented individual, attending a school so far away from my parents, a school as great as Texas A&M, seemed nearly impossible! Fast forward to three years later, though, and here I am, so close to graduating!

I have officially finished my first round of exams, all in the same week. Having to choose between studying for biochemistry, immunology, or “Great Diseases of the World” was not an easy task, might I add.

After a long couple of weeks, almost halfway through the semester (and after saving up), I decided to reward myself with a trip home!

Driving 10 hours, back and forth, is almost impossible to do in just one weekend, so flying is the best option.

I have been looking forward to this little getaway from busy College Station for so long, and I cannot believe it is finally here! I am overwhelmed with joy by just thinking about seeing my friends and family!

As CVM Ambassadors, we are asked all kinds of questions. One of the most common, and my personal favorite, is, “What was the hardest thing about coming to college?” While, of course, study habits and college workloads do take a while to develop and strengthen, I always answer with a variant of the same thing: independence is something that takes a bit of time to really get used to!

When we are younger, we are so eager to start the rest of our lives, to move out, to be ourselves, and to be on our own! We fail to realize how much of home some of us might miss, how comforting it is to ride in the back of the car with your siblings, how hard it is to get your favorite dish to taste just how Mom made it, or how reassuring a smile or hug from your family was after a long day.

Life comes at us very quickly and soon we are real adults with real responsibilities! So, as every romantic comedy has mentioned before, enjoy every little moment!

I know I sure will this weekend!