The semester has been flying by, and it is already the half way mark.I just had my second set of tests in pharmacology and pharmaceutics. My life has been consumed by work at Dana Farber, my work study job and also studying for my exams. Balancing all of these tasks seems second nature to me now, due to the experience of handling it all before. Managing to find time to study for school and working has helped me vastly with my multi-tasking ability. The next few weeks will be a little more relaxing, until the next set of tests comes. Election day is also approaching, and I sent in my absentee ballot. I feel that voting is the most important thing a college student can do. Our generation is the future, so we need to express our opinions and ideas on what is important in life.

It is also starting to get really cold in the city. The mix of wind and cold is not a fun mixture for someone that walks to school everyday, like me. For now, I am staying warm by staying instead and studying. It may not seem like much fun, but it is very important to understand the basic concepts of pharmacology and pharmaceutics. Have a great night.

Posted by Neil Labak at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The month of October is at its midway point as well as the semester. My first string of exams have come and passed, and my mid terms are just around the corner. I volunteered at the first Open house this fall, last Saturday. It is always refreshing to see the anticipatory incoming freshmen decide on their choice for school. I love to inform potential Huskies of my experiences and my time here, because I truly cherish every second of it. I cannot talk highly enough of the staff at Northeastern. Whether it is the counselors, the professors, the deans, or even the teaching assistants; they all show passion towards their teaching, and also to the students.

My educational experience has been enriching, and the community surrounding NU has given me all the opportunities in the world to succeed. If you are a tentative high school student who is still unsure about whether they would like to attend NU, I encourage you to email me. Labak.n@neu.edu is my email. I will look forward to answering any questions you might have.

Have a good night.

Posted by Neil Labak at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow, is all I can say. September came and went before I could even blink, it seemed. It feels like I was just carrying a mattress up 3 flights of stairs to new apartment just yesterday, but I have already been in school for a month. I am taking four classes right now and in addition to this, I am working per diem at Dana Farber (20 hours a week) and also at my work study job in the Bouve Office of Student Services. Time management, like I always say, is an absolute must for pharmacy school. I would like to tell you a little about each of my classes to give you an idea of what a typical day for me is.
I have pharmacology and medicinal chemistry (2 subjects combined into 1 class) three days a week. One of these days the class meets for two hours and twenty minutes, and the other two days just for an hour. The classes rotate from either all medicinal chemistry or all pharmacology so it is really like taking two classes in one. Medicinal chemistry is similar to organic chemistry in that you learn about all the different functional groups for compounds and how they can be used advantageously toward the formulation of drugs. Pharmacology is similar to physiology because you learn how the body processes drugs and how each functioning organ operates in relation to the drug. Another class I am taking is biochemistry. This is just the biological functions and chemistry of the body and is a mix of my first two years of general science classes. This class meets twice a week for an hour and forty minutes. There is a homework assignment based on the reading due every Tuesday and a quiz every Friday. One of my other classes is pharmaceutics. This class meets twice a week for an hour and forty minutes and describes the basic background of drug development and how to compound drugs, and there various forms. My last class is my professional health writing class. This class is to help prepare for research papers and health articles for the future. It is the middler year English course.
That pretty much sums up my classes. When I am not in class, I am either mixing chemotherapy at Dana Farber, or in the Office of Students Services in Bouve. If anyone has any questions on my classes, co-op, or just a general college question, please let me know. Thanks and have a great week.

Posted by Neil Labak at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)