Personal Statement -- Help and Proofreading

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aboveliquidice

aboveliquidice

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To those interested in having your Personal Statement proofread - Please note the following:

- Use caution when deciding whom to send your PS to - on an anonymous forum, information can easily be plagiarized.
- Utilize the following list for those willing to proofread personal statements - they will all be P1's in the Fall (2007)
- For questions, comments, complaints, or critiques - feel free to PM me (aboveliquidice)

Proofreaders:

LECOMorBUST - LECOM - Lake Erie Campus
trojanRX - USC
drugdoc - Creighton, Web Based
Utterdevotion - UMB - Also an SDN Advisor
zeke1955 - Texas Tech
abt04 - Nova Southeastern University
binghamkid - UMB - Also an SDN Advisor
StringTheorist - University of Florida
ForcedEntry - University of Florida

A useful guide to writing a PS can be find in the Pre-Allo forum here: (Credit to All4mydaughter)

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=375844

PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS>>>>

Likewise - this is NOT a place to ask for someone to send you a PS. You should write your own - and then have it proofread.

Happy writing :D :thumbup:

This thread is brought to you by the SDN Pharmacy Volunteer Staff and maintained by SDN Advisor, aboveliquidice.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Hi all. I'm planning on applying to pharmacy schools this summer. I was just wondering if there are any willing proofreaders who are already in / have already completed pharmacy school. This might be helpful for me as well as other pharmacy applicants out there :)
 
I am willing to proof your Personal Statement and give you my honest/objective assessment. I have already been accepted to LECOM Erie for the fall 2007, so my Personal Statement must have been fairly decent.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Since this topic has been brought up recently - with considerable discussion - I think it merits pointing you to the specific thread to read it.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=381889&highlight=personal+statement

You were not asking the same thing as in that thread, however...

Sending your personal statement to someone on this forum - while they may have the best intentions, may or may not be a good idea.

Instead - the recommendation is to have people you know and trust - with experience writing personal statements - proof read and critique it...

Just a thought

~above~
 
Ah. I remember about that post.
Aboveliquidice has a very good point. But for me, I asked 3 SDNers to read mine. I only gave to those who said they were already in a pharmacy school (granted, they could be lying). They were all very helpful.
So it depends on how much you trust us :p

Since SDN helped me with mine, I will gladly give the service in return. I'm attending UMB in the fall. Just PM me :)

Good luck with apps!

------------------------
You can find some more through the search. But here are some that stuck out to me when I was doing mine:

http://drslounge.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=375844

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1700980&postcount=21

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=3930961#post3930961
 
shikamaru said:
Hi all. I'm planning on applying to pharmacy schools this summer. I was just wondering if there are any willing proofreaders who are already in / have already completed pharmacy school. This might be helpful for me as well as other pharmacy applicants out there :)
Click to expand...

As the other posters have alluded, think of it this way:

Do you know me, or anyone else here, well enough to be sure that we won't steal your work and possibly get you in trouble for a service you requested in good faith?

For my statement, I had an English professor proof it for style, mechanics, and grammar. I had an actual M.D. who taught one of my classes to proof it for relevance to the health care field. Perhaps you can find similar people in your life that can do the same, or you can at least find some current pharmacy students you can trust.

Since I'm going to be in pharmacy school this fall and I consider myself to be mostly honest, I wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize your application to pharmacy school. Regardless, I have done nothing to earn your trust as I am merely an anonymous message board member somewhere on the Internet.;)
 
I believe some schools (or most schools) have a career center where they will proofread your personal statements (for whatever graduate studies/professional school) either for free or for a small nominal price. I'd go with that rather than send it out to someone on the forum or anywhere else online.

I'd tell you right now, I'd steal your work if you gave it to me....and I already got in. I could give it to someone else I know that needs it.
 
Utterdevotion said:
Ah. I remember about that post.
Aboveliquidice has a very good point. But for me, I asked 3 SDNers to read mine. I only gave to those who said they were already in a pharmacy school (granted, they could be lying). They were all very helpful.
So it depends on how much you trust us :p

Since SDN helped me with mine, I will gladly give the service in return. I'm attending UMB in the fall. Just PM me :)

Good luck with apps!

------------------------
You can find some more through the search. But here are some that stuck out to me when I was doing mine:

http://drslounge.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=375844

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=1700980&postcount=21

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=3930961#post3930961
Click to expand...

I asked Utterdevotion to read an early version of my PS and her comments were very helpful :) I can say that I at least trust her as a proof reader :)
 
shikamaru said:
Hi all. I'm planning on applying to pharmacy schools this summer. I was just wondering if there are any willing proofreaders who are already in / have already completed pharmacy school. This might be helpful for me as well as other pharmacy applicants out there :)
Click to expand...

I'd be willing to check grammar, mechanics, etc. I don't know if I'd trust myself on the whole applicability. Sure, I got in to USC, but that doesn't mean I think my PS was stellar. Be warned though, I can be brutal. Also it'll take some time to do a thorough job, especially while I still have classes.
 
I'd be willing to read essays and give comments on the ideas and direction of the essay. I wrote quite a bit of essays for the different schools I applied to and they have served me well from what I can tell. Although I'm not the queen of grammar so don't come to me for the technicial stuff! PM me (I might respond a couple days later since I don't come on here everyday anymore), I'm willing to help out through July since I'm moving to school in August :)
 
LECOMorBUST said:
I am willing to proof your Personal Statement and give you my honest/objective assessment. I have already being accepted to LECOM Erie for the this fall, so my Personal Statement must have been fairly decent.
Click to expand...


..."I have already being accepted..." :D
 
Members don't see this ad :)
OP: I'm a senior in undergrad (psych major, chem minor, premedical with a ~3.9 but thinking about making the switch), and I'll be happy to take a look at your PS. Send it to me as a .doc / .docx, and I'll do some markup with my thoughts and get it right back to you.

PM me if interested.
 
mtravaglini27 said:
You're not worried about the potential of someone else using your personal statement to make themselves look good?
Click to expand...

Actually I am now, after reading all the comments and the ones from the other link too. Originally I thought that since my friends and professors already know me, having them read my PS might not be too helpful as opposed to having a complete stranger read it (since I would be a complete stranger to the adcom, I'd like to see how a stranger views me as an applicant and as a person). I never thought of the idea of lurkers and etc though! Ahh how frightening :(

In any case, thank you to all those who offered to help! There may just be a new PM on your screen some day if I am in need of an outside opinion!
 
I'm making this thread a sticky and renaming it. This can be a directory of proofreaders for Personal Statements.

I'd echo what the advisors have said about using caution when sending your PS to people you meet on the internet. Just be careful.


So here are the ground rules:

If you want to help others with personal statements, post a message here indicating your interest.

If you want help with your personal statement, PM someone on the list.

Don't post your personal statement in this thread, please.
 
I can help proofread personal statements. I'll be attending Creighton distance-based this fall as a P1. I applied to two schools, Creighton and Minnesota and was accepted to both. I'd be happy to help anyone out.
 
(I'm a senior premedder, so if anyone would like the opinions of someone external to pharmacy, I'll be happy to proof, as well.)
 
I'd be willing to help give critiques for personal statements.

I'm going to be a P1 @ Texas Tech this fall. While I think my personal statement and pharmacy experiences essays were "good," I'm no AdCom! However, I'd be willing to give a few pointers and suggestions to anyone that wants me to take a look at their statement.

Feel free to PM me.
 
Oh something to add....

Texas Tech had a very wide-open prompt for their personal statement. There were a few suggestions, but no word limit or real concise directions. It might be a good idea to include the essay directions/prompt with the essay for the reader to judge how well it addresses the requirements. Just a suggestion...
 
i can help too.. i applied to 13 schools and so doing the pharmcas and private along with secondaries-i think i may have some kinda of knack for essays. to show for it i got interviews to about half of them, its just the interviews that kicked my butt.
im not great on the grammar, but i can tell you if the essay has something that i feel is important- YOU (in the right context of course). :D

im gonna be a P1 at Nova Southeastern. so feel free to PM
 
My most useful resource was Barron's Essays that will get you into College. The best advice I got from reading this book was "write with your real voice, informally, as though you were telling someone a story." Once I had that mindset of trying to tell a friend a story about myself, it was much easier to write my essay.
 
id be willing to help for UF applicants
 
I'd be willing to help proofread personal statements as well. If it helps any, i got interviews to Howard, UOklahoma, and UMB. I'll be attending UMB in the fall.
 
Please allow me to be the proofreader for the university of florida. i have sent you a PM about why I believe i should hold this position...
 
I am willing to proofread. Send me your essays and I'll offer my suggestions.
 
I messed with the thread a little, hope you don't mind. It puts above in the position of editing his own thread instead of someone else's, gives shika his own post back. It does throw the chronology off a bit, but I hope you like the change.
 
Farmercyst said:
I messed with the thread a little, hope you don't mind. It puts above in the position of editing his own thread instead of someone else's, gives shika his own post back. It does throw the chronology off a bit, but I hope you like the change.
Click to expand...

THE NERVE!!!!!

;)

Note: List updated

~above~
 
quick question, can i write one personal statement...and send it to all the schools, or does each school require different things???
 
chem123 said:
quick question, can i write one personal statement...and send it to all the schools, or does each school require different things???
Click to expand...

If you're applying through PharmCas to PharmCas schools, they will all get the same PS (the one that you submit OL). Last year all four of the schools I applied to required an additional statement (shorter, more specific) to be sent in with the supplemental application. Hope that helps...
 
chem123 said:
quick question, can i write one personal statement...and send it to all the schools, or does each school require different things???
Click to expand...

That depends entirely on the essay prompts for the schools you apply to. Like what Julianne said, for PharmCAS your one essay will be sent to each school. For the supplemental essays, a lot of the prompts are similar and you probably could get away with writing one personal statement and altering it slightly to fit each prompt better.
 
Just make sure to proof your essays so they don't sound generic. You run the danger of writing an essay that lacks personalization toward each specific school. Remember, each school will offer you something different and may fit you better than others; if you're using the same essay with only minor changes, that could potentially limit your ability to really talk about each school.
 
Wow I am glad my thread became a sticky, although I don't own it anymore :laugh: it's ok :D

Anyways, did anyone here (1) think their personal statement really gave them an edge (or at least perpetuated their application life) and (2) got invited to an interview with low stats?

My stats are sitting on the lower end of the spectrum and I would like to get some idea on whether my essay will at least lead the adcom to review my file completely (as opposed to having them toss it into the reject pile within two minutes :().
 
shikamaru said:
Wow I am glad my thread became a sticky, although I don't own it anymore :laugh: it's ok :D

Anyways, did anyone here (1) think their personal statement really gave them an edge (or at least perpetuated their application life) and (2) got invited to an interview with low stats?

My stats are sitting on the lower end of the spectrum and I would like to get some idea on whether my essay will at least lead the adcom to review my file completely (as opposed to having them toss it into the reject pile within two minutes :().
Click to expand...
i got in with a 2.99 prepharm GPA. and i know my personal statement kicked ass. it was inspiring, even by my standards :D if you need help, just message me.
 
shikamaru said:
Wow I am glad my thread became a sticky, although I don't own it anymore :laugh: it's ok :D

Anyways, did anyone here (1) think their personal statement really gave them an edge (or at least perpetuated their application life) and (2) got invited to an interview with low stats?

My stats are sitting on the lower end of the spectrum and I would like to get some idea on whether my essay will at least lead the adcom to review my file completely (as opposed to having them toss it into the reject pile within two minutes :().
Click to expand...

Yes to both. I got three interview requests with a 2.65 GPA, and like stringtheorist, I thought mine was inspiring as well =)
 
Hi everyone! I'm a current pharmacy student right now. I actually have quite a lot of time during the summer and if anyone needs help with their PS, go ahead and PM me and I'll try to get back to you ASAP. Good luck fellow pharmacists :)
 
hi there, are you still willig to read personal statements?
 
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