The Half Decent Pharmaceutical Chemistry Blog

Back in December, when I was frantically visiting one of my academic supervisors to make him sign official forms to back my application for a studentship, I was told the faculty of pharmacy was to award some money to particularly bright students. Unlike what generally happens in Italy, where grants are given on the basis of how poor you are (or, more likely, how poor you make the government believe you are), in this case it was all about the merit: number of exams taken, how quickly you’ve marched through them and your marks. Simple and fair, isn’t it?

Two years ago, I had been so stupid I didn’t even realise such a thing was going on (for the first time in the recent history of the faculty), while last year there was no money for such generous gifts. This year, though, I gave it a try. And guess what? I have make it: I’ve awarded on of the three €1,000 cheques. An amount of money predictably reduced once taxes will have been paid, but none the less a considerable sum, which I plan to spend almost entirely. First of all, I will get myself a proper digital camera, to finally take decent pictures for the next blog. Or, instead, turn to a video camera to turn myself into another, annoying, European, independent film-maker.
Plus, perhaps, a new, Euchromatic Blog-tagged iPod. Actually it may not have anything to do with technology: there are clothes, wines, etc. There are so many gratifying ways of burning your money these days.

It’s not only about the money, to tell you the truth: I’m pleased by the fact that, in the end, and on the verge of leaving this university, years of hard work yield some sort of financial feedback.

The news came as totally unexpected: the deadline was on March 3 or some and, in the meantime, some many things happened that I had almost forgotten about it, assuming that someone else had been given the award and the faculty hadn’t bothered sending a mail to the rest of the candidates (which is how people at Oxford university do when dealing with your application for a studentship).

By the way, feel free to share your opinions on the best way to invest this amount of money.