Walking into the lecture hall this very early morning, I had not expected to add a major to my list of potential futures. Much to my surprise, the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, or the BSPS for short, slid its way to near the top of my list of possible majors. (This has to stop happening or else the short list will grow to be too long).
Within the BSPS, I am most interested in the Health Professions Pathway. This pathway provides students with a strong foundation in the math and sciences, while also fulfilling most or all of the prerequisites for health related professional programs. With its strong focus in the math and sciences, along with the highly qualified pre-health training, the BSPS Health Professions Pathway perfectly aligns with my interests. I am currently very interested in attending medical school and, eventually, becoming a doctor. The BSPS not only equips students with the necessary courses to apply to professional school, it also provides students with a solid knowledge base of medications which is an integral part of any health profession. In addition to lining up with my career interests, the BSPS is also very appealing to me academically. The heavy core of math and science courses, two of my favorite subject areas, would encourage me to become invested in my classes and their various applications.
Although I had initially chosen to attend this lecture on a whim to satisfy the class requirements, I am very glad to have been introduced to the BSPS major. Previously, I was under the preconceived notion that the BSPS was only for students intent on continuing on to pharmacy school and becoming a pharmacist in some capacity. Instead, I learned that the BSPS can, and often does, prepare students for a variety of health professions and other various careers.
The most interesting, and inspiring, information to hear is that the renowned faculty that teach at the professional and graduate level also instruct the BSPS students. Many of the BSPS graduates have even emphasized the high level of interest and care the faculty have for the undergraduate students; in fact, 81% of the graduating class would choose BSPS again. As a smaller undergraduate program, students can really get a more specialized and individualized education.
In considering this major, a few questions have come up. Does the BSPS major offer built in internship/clinical opportunities like some of the other health related majors? And if, in the end, I decide not to continue on to medical school, what are my other career options, with a special interest in those that are similar to a physician?