Sorry for the delay in my blog posting, but I have been very, very busy. I have worked four nights this week and Sunday at Dana Farber in addition to my full time job at Novartis.

I received an email from a prospective student earlier this week and I just wanted to address it so everyone could hear my answer.
The question that was posed was:
Would I fit in at NU and in Boston, seeing how I am a non-party type of person and I am from a smaller town? Also, would attending NU be a disadvantage for me if I planned on working in NJ/NY when I graduated?

My answer: Boston (and NU) is composed of thousands and thousands of college students with many different personalities and hobbies. Many of these people like to party, many like to read..etc. At NU there is such a diverse population of students from all over the country and the world, which helps to enrich the community with many various types of personalities and contributions. Many students would rather read a good book on a Friday night than go out and find a party. Many students would also rather party than read. Every college campus in America is like this. Wherever you go, you will find a group of people with the same hobbies and interests as you and you will make friends. NU might be considered a party school by some people, but I view it as an opportunity school. The opportunities are endless. You can go out and have fun through community volunteer work, socializing, working in the community, or get involved in campus clubs, or sports. I, myself, am from a very small town, and the transition to college was much easier than I could have ever imagined. The Bouve College of Health Sciences does a fantastic job with helping freshmen transition into college and also the city of Boston through the “Introduction to College� course.

Part 2 of my answer was that, NU prepares you for the working world and also the pharmacy world. The co-op program helps students adapt to new environments and relate their studies to the real working-world. NU is the best pharmacy program at getting students ready to work (and also getting jobs) after graduation. The knowledge I have accrued from my work experience at Dana Farber over the last 8 months has been tremendous, and also my 2 months at Novartis so far have been amazing. NU has consistently exceeded the state average for the passing rate of the National Pharmacy Board Exam. Also, many students who wish to apply for a residency have a leg-up on the completion through their co-op experience.

I am also aware that it is crunch-time for many accepted students on what school to choose. I strongly urge you to email me or ask any questions you might have regarding NU, because I wish that all of you could have the amazing experiences that I have had thus far in my college career.

Best of luck in your college choice!

Have a good night.

Posted by Neil Labak at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Its been awhile since my last blog, but I have been ridden with strep throat and a fever for the majority of the past week. My co-op has been very interesting lately, as I have been exposed to more meetings and conferences. I attended a conference at one of the nicest hotels in Cambridge last week. It was titled "ID to NDA". It discussed all the various steps and processes that a Investigational New Drug must take in order to make it to the market. One drug from the beginning to end costs an average of 1.5 billion dollars to make. This success only occurs about one out of nine attempts, because of all the various safety and toxicology factors that must be met. Producing a successful drug product is a very challenging thing to accomplish, especially nowadays with such refined therapeutic areas that are being targeted.

I have now been on co-op for four weeks. Time seems to move much faster when I am on co-op, and school is starting to slowly sneak into the picture. My summer classes start in May and run through the second week of August. NU does not hold classes on Friday's in summer, which gives me plenty of time to spend at the beach and on golf courses. I plan to work as much as I can until the weather starts to get really nice. This might be the last summer that I will be able to enjoy until after college. My classes will start to get significantly more challenging in the next few semesters.

I am now going to rest and sleep off my strep throat.
If you have any questions, as always, feel free to email me.

Posted by Neil Labak at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)