Once upon a time pharmacy degrees were only three years long and students would emerge triumphantly, cap-in-hand from the graduation ceremony alongside their arts counterparts.

Now the degree is four years and the pre-reg year takes us up to five years until we can legally hold that responsible pharmacist role. Some universities do integrate the pre-reg year into the degree, but many tend not to.

Recently, I was asked whether the change to a four-year degree was necessary and often people are surprised when I tell them my degree lasts this long. Many then look at me aghast when I tell them my typical timetable involves three hours of lectures, four days a week. Not forgetting those all-important labs that are generally held on Thursday and Friday mornings every other week.

"While I would love to save myself a year's tuition fees as well as London living expenses, it is just not feasible"	Educating to be healthy Pharmacy in 2012 More blogs from Thorrun...
	But while it is easy to say that we are hardly ever in university and so this could all be squeezed into three years, I firmly disagree. Coursework fills up a lot of our time. This, as well as going over previous lectures, inter-professional education and case-based learning, makes for a very busy time.

So while I would love to save myself a year's tuition fees as well as London living expenses, it is just not feasible.

Squashing everything we do into three years would also mean that I might as well attend a campus university and give up my time in the capital - visiting London sites, drinking away the student loan (sorry mum!) and those cheeky mid-week meals in Soho I can't afford would all be a distant dream.

(Seriously though, if you are ever in Soho you should check out Carom - they do a mean Indian)

Tweet me at: @thorrungovind

Thorrun Govind is studying pharmacy at King's College London