A Lab Coat, Glasses, and A Prescription for Success
Written and Photographed by Hope, March 22, 2025
Andrew Bragg
“I didn't really need an undergraduate to get into pharmacy school. I did need to take some base classes, but originally my plan was to go to medical school. But after four years of college, I don't want to spend another 12 in college.”
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On the road to becoming a clinical pharmacist, senior chemistry major Andrew Bragg has just about finished his fourth year at Union and then has four more years of school left in order to get a PharmD. doctorate - which is a doctor of pharmacy- in order to get a job.
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When Bragg was a freshman in college, he didn’t start off with the major is now. He originally started as a biology major with a chemistry minor, but now it has switched. In Bragg’s mind, it was a decision that was made with ease for two reasons.
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“After my freshman year, I learned from some other fellow students that chemistry students have a higher entry rate into medical school than biology students,” Bragg said.
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That was the first reason, the second is because there was only a one class difference between being a chemistry minor or not.​
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“I've always liked science. It was my favorite subject in high school, and I had actually made 101 in chemistry,” Bragg said. “Little did I know that high school chemistry is nothing like college level chemistry.” ​
Now I think chemistry is so cool, with all the experiments and lab work, but at the same time I don’t think I could successfully pass any of his classes, especially since it isn’t like high school, and also since Bragg had also struggled a bit with these hard classes.​
When looking for a college, Bragg could have chosen any place to get this degree, but just like choosing his major, he had a few reasons for choosing Union.​
“With both of my parents going to school here, I was qualified for the alumni scholarship. My dad's also a Southern Baptist pastor, so I get money for that too,” Bragg said. “It just boils down to that. It was cheaper than most other colleges for me to come here with all of that.”
​Even though some of the expenses were easily paid off, the academies did not come so easily and really challenged Bragg. For him, the labs are the most difficult because he has to follow a bunch of steps with the hope of understanding as he goes. Then, after the experiments, he has to write a lengthy report.
​Bragg brought up that his professor handed back their last report, but was able to learn from whatever mistakes were in it in order to write the next lab report that he was working on at the time of our conversation.
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​“The labs are the most challenging,” Bragg said. “As for what's rewarding, it's just a lot of skills that I'll need to have learned for pharmacy school. It has really helped to prepare me for my graduate program.”​
Bragg revealed something that would be very informative for future chemistry students entering in, something that he probably didn’t realize when picking his major.​
“Unless you're very good at math or enjoy math and
writing, pick a different field,” Bragg said.“If you thought that you were gonna get out of all the writing and stuff you had to do by picking a science class, you were dead wrong. I thought the same thing.”
​Considering Bragg mentions you need to be good at writing and math, he never mentioned whether he himself was good at it. Based on the fact that he is graduating, he seems to be doing something right.​
Throughout his time at Union, Bragg found one lab the coolest out of any others.
​“One time, we synthesized nylon, and we had a competition of how long we could get a nylon strand. I lost,” Bragg said.​
I wish I could have done that lab. My own prideful and competitive side would have jumped in and said ‘I can make my strand the longest,’ and then I probably would have lost. Regardless, it sounded like a blast and one that many science students enjoy.​
Now, even though Bragg has had a wonderful education at Union and still has to do more school after graduating with an undergraduate degree in May, the route of where he goes is still unknown to him. He is willing to consider whatever job accepts him since this is a broad field. He can go anywhere from working retail in pharmacy in Kroger or Walgreens to working in the ER or health clinic.​
With many different options available, he is close to done with his undergraduate and will soon be on to the next chapter of his academic career.