Hafsha’s Story
You know when you get on a rollercoaster, you’re filled with emotions of happiness, nervousness, excitement and fear, but when you get off the ride, you’re whole body just feels ecstatic that you survived? At least, that’s what I think and that is exactly how my first year of college felt. Coming into St. John’s, I was scared. I didn’t know how it would be except hearing stories about how hard it is, especially pharmacy! I was worried about having to make friends all over again and the idea of how hard the classes were going to be. My college experience started off just like any other student’s. I started off with a tour, and attending Accepted Students Day and the infamous Orientation. By the time I started my first day, I had already made some good friends that would be there with me throughout my college years and life after that.
The classes seemed manageable to me. It wasn’t as hard as people made it out to be. The tough part was managing my time wisely. There were many times when I was working hours before an assignment was due trying to finish it on time. I couldn’t balance my time because I was either working, in class, with friends, or at a meeting. Poor time management definitely affected my grades and I learned that I have to work on better time management for the future. It happens to everyone and it just goes to show how important it is to learn to balance pharmacy school and a social life.
The most important thing that happened to me during my first year in college was getting involved. When I first found out that I was attending St. John’s, I knew that I wanted to get as involved as possible because I was going to be commuting and wanted a way to meet new people and have fun. I knew that one organization I wanted to join was Student Government, Inc. I ran for Freshmen Representative for the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health and was excited to get the position. I instantly became more involved my second semester of college by being appointed as Assistant Chair of the Student Affairs Committee of SGI. I helped in planning a successful Relay for Life event. During the month of March, I ran for executive board position of SGI as Sophomore Senator of the P.A.R.T.Y. ticket and I have to say that it was the best experience of my first year at college. The Student Government Executive Board Elections is the craziest thing I have ever been a part of. I found myself standing in the rain at 10PM handing out club cards and singing at the top of my lungs to annoyed students in front of Montgoris Dining Hall. I will never forget this experience! Unfortunately, I lost the position, but a wise person once told me, ‘Being Sophomore Senator wasn’t in your destiny, but that just means something better will come along.’ I am now the Co-Chair of the Student Affairs Committee and the Sophomore Pharmacy Representative.
I also wanted to get more involved with my major so I ran for Student Liaison of APhA-ASP, which is the American Pharmacists Association at St. John’s University. I learned more about what APhA-ASP does and then continued to become the Pre-Professional Vice President for the 2010-2011 school year. I look forward to working with all of you next year so you have an easy transition into college and learn more about pharmacy.
My advice to you is… Get involved on campus because it will help you feel more connected with the school, but don’t let it get the best of you. Don’t spend so much time being involved and hanging out that you forget that pharmacy school is now your first priority. I learned the hard way that being TOO involved can affect your grades. Learn from my mistakes and manage your time wisely next year. Use your breaks to finish homework or get ahead on an assignment. When you’re in a program as competitive as this, you have to learn to let things go to be successful.
My name is Hafsha Hafiz and I am proud to say that I survived this rollercoaster ride of my first year at pharmacy school!
