A message from the SGA president

What’s it like to be a student at the MUSC College of Pharmacy during a pandemic?

I’m Sarah Wyatt, president of the Student Government Association (SGA), and I want to give you an inside view of the college through the eyes of its students.

In many ways, MUSC pharmacy students today do the same things every MUSC pharmacy student has done – study, work, study, go to class, study, play a little, study some more, and get as much sleep as we can. Which is not much.

Remote Classes

You might be wondering what it's been like having school virtually. It hasn't been the easiest change, but we’ve adapted quite nicely. Each week we log in to watch our professors' presentations. We can "raise" our hand, unmute ourselves or type in the chat to ask questions. The presentations are recorded so we can watch them again to study for exams. 

We still take exams on Exam Soft, but in the comfort of our homes. While most of our classes are virtual, some have been in person. Extra sessions of compounding lab, calculations, hospital lab, and applied community lab were added so we could all be accommodated safely in person (shoutout to Dr. David Shirley, Dr. Jennifer Wisniewski, Dr. James Sterrett and Dr. Anthony DeClue!). 

Student Input

As students, we are actively involved in our virtual learning experience.

• Dean Philip Hall has held individual town hall sessions for each class.
• The college SGA executive committee asked that each SGA class representative acquire feedback, questions and concerns that we can consider for next semester.
• As SGA president, making sure student feedback is heard and taken seriously is one of my top priorities.

Most classes will still be virtual next semester, but there will be changes made based on the concerns that we have collected.

College Life

Most of our events had to be canceled, but we were able to have one socially distanced event at the Holy City Drive In where students, faculty members, alumni and families were all invited to watch “Home Alone.” We designed T-shirts that will help us remember the fun we had together during this socially distant time (shoutout to P1 Helen Wilm for the amazing design!). 

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges, I can proudly say that our MUSC College of Pharmacy students have resiliently persisted with the help of our amazing professors and faculty. We know that next semester will not be completely normal, but we are very grateful to our college for providing us with safe, reliable and challenging virtual classes that will benefit us in the years to come. 

We’re excited about the future and look forward to claiming the honor of being MUSC pharmacy alumni.

And, as a Clemson graduate, I’d just like to add, “Go Tigers!”

See more of Sarah Wyatt in her Pharmacy Friday video