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.
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"While I would love to save myself a year's tuition fees as well as London living expenses, it is just not feasible" |  |
| 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. |
Educating to be healthySo 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
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