ACPHS

Hi Everyone!


Since this is my first time posting on the blog, I would like to take a second to introduce myself. My name is Tyler Bogardus and I am a second year student in the PharmD program. I am from the Syracuse area, about 2 hours West of Albany.

I would like to begin by giving you an idea of what classes second year students take. Our two main lecture classes are Organic Chemistry and Physics. In addition to the twice-weekly lectures for each of these classes, there is also a weekly lab session for 3 hours. Although a 3 hour lab may seem like a long time, I can honestly say that the time flies by. Labs are a great opportunity to see the ideas and concepts that are being taught in lecture first-hand. For example, in Organic Chemistry, we may learn about a particular type of reaction in lecture, and then have the opportunity to perform that reaction in lab. Not only does this help with learning new material, it is also fun and very interesting.

In addition to those two classes, we also take statistics, humanities, and anatomy and physiology. In statistics, we learn about how to analyze and interpret data using different methods. As I'm sure most of you are wondering, I too wondered why we would have to take a statistics class as future healthcare professionals. However, after taking the class, I now realize it will be incredibly relevant to us in the future. Just as one example, any new drug, before going to market, has to go through numerous studies. Using statistical methods, the data collected from those studies must be analyzed and interpreted in order to determine if the drug is both safe and effective. Humanities is similar to a history class, with a greater focus on art and literature. Although this class may not seem relevant to future healtcare professionals, it is necessary to be a well-rounded individual and aware of the different cultures that exist in the world. This class also gives you a chance to practice your public speaking skills, a skill that will definitely be needed later in the program. The final class that I am taking is anatomy and physiology. I find this class to be very interesting. It is amazing to think about how the body works and all the processes that our body does without us even realizing it.

I hope you all have enjoyed this blog post. I look forward to continuing to blog in the coming weeks. Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and best of luck with your college search process.

-Tyler