When I first entered University of Ilorin as a pharmacy student, I made many mistakes. I thought university will be like secondary school where you can read one night before exam and pass. Pharmacy is not like that. I see many new 100 level students making the same mistakes now.
First mistake is missing lectures. Some new students feel that since lecture is early morning by 8am, they can skip and copy note later. That is very wrong. In Unilorin pharmacy department, lecturers explain things that are not even in the textbook. If you miss it, you will not understand. Some lecturers also do attendance and it affects exam. So always go to class even if you are tired.
Second mistake is buying all textbooks. When you enter 100 level, seniors will tell you to buy many textbooks, anatomy, physiology, chemistry textbooks that cost 10k each. Don't rush to buy everything. Most of those books are in school library and you can borrow or snap pictures. Some senior students also have PDF. Use that money for food and handouts first.
Third mistake is not joining good reading group. Some students isolate themselves and try to read alone always. Pharmacy courses are too much to read alone. If you have two or three serious friends, you can share topics and explain to each other. When someone explains drug classification to you in simple language, you will remember better than reading textbook alone.
Fourth mistake is all-night reading every day. Many new students think if they don't do TDB (till day break) every night they will fail. Doing all-night every day will only make you sick and you will sleep in class next day. I did it in my first semester and I had malaria for one week. Read early morning like 4:30am, read small small daily, and sleep well. That is better.
Fifth mistake is comparing yourself with others. You will see some students who say they have finished reading three textbooks. Don't let that put pressure on you. Everyone has different speed. Focus on your own timetable and read at your own pace. If you read small everyday and understand it, you will pass.
Avoid these five mistakes and your 100 level will be easy. Pharmacy is hard but if you are serious from first year, you wi
ll enjoy it.
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