Student Profiles
Shama Acharya, fourth year MPharm student from Canada.
There are so many reasons why my time at the Medway School of Pharmacy has been so amazing, it’s hard for me to elucidate them all.
As a Canadian student, I had previously been enrolled at a 30 000 person university, pursuing my undergraduate degree in Life Sciences. Coming from a place where I was used to being known by my student number, I was shocked and thrilled by what I encountered at The Medway School of Pharmacy. The teachers were as qualified as they were approachable; a concept I had yet to experience. I was genuinely amazed to see professors in every workshop, lecture and lab we had, happily instructing and helping out students as needed.
I came to further understand just how innovative The School of Pharmacy is – the relationship between the staff and students at the school of pharmacy encourages students to be proactive in their learning rather than passive recipients of knowledge. While lectures provide background information, workshops are a reciprocal endeavour where students discuss matters between themselves and the teachers and engage in learning activities.
Furthermore, the integration of hospital and community placements into the curriculum has helped me apply the clinical knowledge the school so amply provides and understand its importance – it takes the lecture material out of obscurity and into real-life skills for the workplace. In my experience, pharmacists have been consistently impressed with the knowledge base our students carry!
Aside from the academic benefits, I’ve also had a great time taking advantage of extra-curricular opportunities on the multi-university campus. I was the Entertainment/music editor for the campus newspaper, and currently have jobs as a student ambassador and as an IT assistant at the library.
Within the school, I sat on the Staff-Student committee for two years, and am currently the president of the Medway Pharmacy Student Association, a unique, student-run society that enriches the social life of students on campus.
In terms of my social life, the last three years have been a blast. There are so many different kinds of people on our course – all age groups, races, you name it! I was also pleased to find that I was one of many international students.
I’ve also enjoyed the close proximity to London – I have had some of the most memorable nights of my life taking in the sights and sounds of London nightlife. Being an international student, I haven’t been able to resist the temptation of travel and have been lucky enough to go to France, Spain, Morocco, Greece, Italy, and am hoping for a trip to Iceland by the end of third year. Traveling is definitely something overseas students should try and take advantage of!
Mostly though, I head to the campus pub where there is an event nearly every night or one of the many clubs around Medway – there is never a shortage of things to do!
In my fourth year, I will also be going to Lille, France, to undertake my research project. The school has been great in coordinating my exchange and I am certain that it will be another great experience to add to my growing list here in Medway.
