From Chemistry Hater to Pharmacy Student: My Transformative Journey

How the right teacher changed everything and why I’m passionate about helping other students discover their love for chemistry

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Fresh out of graduation, headed for pharmacy school

If you had told my high school self that I’d be writing a blog about my love for chemistry while completing clinical rotations in pharmacy school, I would have laughed. Actually, I probably would have cringed. Chemistry was that subject—the one that made me feel defeated, confused, and honestly, a little stupid.

But here I am at 25, just months away from graduating pharmacy school, and I can’t imagine my life without chemistry. More importantly, I’ve spent the last several years tutoring students who felt exactly like I did in high school, helping them discover that chemistry isn’t the enemy—it’s actually pretty amazing.

The High School Struggle Was Real

Let me paint you a picture of 16-year-old me in chemistry class. I’d sit there staring at equations that looked like hieroglyphics, watching my teacher race through concepts at lightning speed. Balancing equations? Might as well have been rocket science. Stoichiometry? Don’t even get me started.

I remember feeling like everyone else “got it” while I was drowning. The periodic table felt like a foreign language, and I couldn’t understand why we needed to memorize all these random facts about elements. What was the point? When would I ever use this?

I scraped by with a C+ and swore I’d never take another chemistry class again. Chemistry was clearly not for me.

College: Everything Changed

Fast forward to my freshman year of college. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, but I knew I needed to take chemistry to keep my options open for any science-related field. I walked into General Chemistry I with the same dread I’d felt in high school, already preparing myself for another semester of confusion and frustration.

Whether it was the environment change or just the right professor, it clicked differently. .

My professor didn’t just teach chemistry—she made it come to life in a sense. Instead of rushing through formulas, she took time to explain the “why” behind everything. She showed us how atoms actually behave, helped us visualize molecular interactions, and most importantly, she connected every concept to real-world applications. This approach to learning entirely changed the game for me. 

When we learned about chemical bonding, she didn’t just make us memorize ionic versus covalent bonds. She explained how this knowledge helps us understand everything from why salt dissolves in water to how proteins fold in our bodies. She showed us how chemical principles govern biological processes, how they’re used to develop new materials, and how they explain everyday phenomena we’d never thought about before.

Suddenly, chemistry wasn’t just abstract formulas—it was the foundation for understanding life itself.

The Lightbulb Moment

My real breakthrough came during analytic chemistry. I know, I know—most students consider advanced chemistry the ultimate nightmare. But with the right approach, it became my favorite subject.

My professor helped me understand that analytical chemistry is like learning a language. Once you understand the basic “grammar rules”—how different functional groups behave, how electrons move, reaction mechanisms—everything else starts to make sense. Instead of memorizing hundreds of reactions, I learned to predict them.

That’s when I realized what had been missing in high school: context, connection, and a teacher who cared about actual understanding rather than just getting through the material.

From Student to Tutor

As my confidence grew, classmates started asking for help. I began tutoring other students, and I quickly discovered something incredible: I could help them have the same breakthrough I’d experienced.

I still remember my first tutoring session with a particular freshman student, a pre-nursing student who was failing general chemistry. She came to me truly discouraged, convinced she’d have to give up her dream of becoming a doctor. We spent three hours going through acid-base reactions, but instead of just showing her how to solve problems, I helped her understand what was actually happening at the molecular level.

The look on her face when it finally clicked—that’s a moment I’ll never forget. She didn’t just pass the class; she ended up excelling and succeeding in the nursing program. 

Chemistry Led Me to Pharmacy

As my passion for chemistry grew, I found myself drawn to its practical applications in healthcare. I was fascinated by how chemical principles could be used to understand and improve human health. This naturally led me to consider pharmacy as a career path.

The more I learned about medicinal chemistry, drug design, and how medications work at the molecular level, the more excited I became about the possibility of combining my love for chemistry with healthcare. Pharmacy wasn’t my original plan—it became my calling after I discovered what chemistry could really do.

Now, as I complete my clinical rotations in pharmacy school, I see how that initial spark in my freshman chemistry classroom led me to exactly where I’m meant to be. Pharmacy is applied chemistry at its finest. Every day, I get to use chemical principles to understand how medications work, how they interact with each other, and how they affect the human body.

During my clinical rotations, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial chemical understanding is for patient care. When I counsel patients about their medications, I’m not just reading from a script—I understand the molecular mechanisms behind why certain drugs work, why they might cause side effects, and how lifestyle factors can affect their effectiveness.

Chemistry isn’t just my academic background; it’s the lens through which I understand my future career.

The Tutoring Mission Continues

Throughout college and pharmacy school, I’ve continued tutoring chemistry students. What started as helping a few classmates has become one of my greatest passions. I’ve worked with everyone from high school students struggling with basic concepts to pre-med students tackling organic chemistry. Each student reminds me of my own journey and reinforces why I’m passionate about this work.

I’ve learned that most students who “hate” chemistry haven’t actually been given the chance to truly understand it. They’ve been rushed through memorization without understanding the underlying logic. They’ve been taught to solve problems without learning to think like a chemist.

My approach as a tutor is simple: I meet students where they are, help them build a solid foundation, and show them how chemistry connects to their goals and interests. Whether they want to be doctors, pharmacists, engineers, or they’re just trying to pass a required class, I help them see that chemistry is everywhere and it’s actually fascinating.

If you’re reading this as a student struggling with chemistry, I want you to know: you’re not alone, and you’re not stupid. Chemistry is challenging, but it’s also logical and beautiful once you have the right foundation and approach.

The fact that you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for science—it might just mean you need a different teacher, a different approach, or someone who can help you see the bigger picture.

I hated chemistry in high school, and now I’m about to graduate from pharmacy school with a deep love for the subject. If I can make that transformation, so can you.

Your chemistry breakthrough is waiting. Sometimes all it takes is the right explanation, the right teacher, or the right moment for everything to click.

And that’s exactly what I’m here to help you find.

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Ready to discover your own chemistry breakthrough? I offer personalized tutoring sessions designed to help you not just pass chemistry, but actually understand and appreciate it. Let’s work together to turn your chemistry struggle into your chemistry success story.