Advice on supplemental apps

[pharmnut]

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A couple questions about the supplemental applications...

1. How do you go about answering the questions without it sounding just like the pharmcas personal statement? Some are pretty much the same questions.

2. Any advice on answering the "why did you choose our school" question without sounding like you just copied the website? I chose the school based on my prerequisites and partly location...not exactly a great essay answer. I just really really want to get into pharmacy school at this point, I don't care where.

3. Does it look bad not to put anything in the "use this space to provide additional information to consider" portion of the application? I feel like I already covered everything in the pharmcas statment as well as the supp. app. What are they looking for in this question?

 

[vafcarrot]

I would suggest to make it not sound like your pharmcas personal statement it just to start completely from scratch. Just put all the things that you used for your ps out of your mind and look at the supplemental application with a fresh mind. Answer all the prompts truthfully as you can. If some of the points that you come up with are similar to what you used in your ps, that's ok. Just reword everything and put a different "favor" or perspective to it. Example: Why do you want to be a pharmacist? If in you personal statement you wrote because you wanted to help people because you've seen through volunteering at a pharmacy that deals with mainly low income individuals that alot of help needs to be given, then write in your supplemental that you want to help people because you've seen first hand working in a pharmacy that drugs can be the difference between life and death for certain individuals....

About the school: Say because it's of the location and that it's been highly recommended by your porfessors and people you have asked advice from and you've had pleasant interactions with the administration at the school when you had to contact them for any reason (make sure this actually has happened though).

#3 I think they are looking for people to write "The resaon my sophomore 2nd semester grands have faltered a tad is in result of the death of my mother in may 2003. I had difficulty concentrated and staying completely on focus while in mourning." ... stuff like that. If you feel completely horrible about leaving it blank, maybe you could write something like "I am very excited about entering the pharmacy profession"

 

[Glycerin]

About the school: Say because it's of the location

One of my professors told me NOT to say anything about the location of a school. Location really shouldn't have any affect on your decision. Schools want to hear that you've chosen their college for the college itself and its curriculum, not where it is located. Just something else to think about.

 

[vafcarrot]

I disagree. I think location is very important because everyone needs a good support system of friends and family nearby. You can add the other stuff about the college and its curriculum, but I would put in the stuff about location if you feel it's important.

Don't say you want to go to a certain school because it's warm there and it's a party town or something stupid. But if you did say something like "I am interested in pursuing a pharmacy education in "insert city here" because my husband has recently taken a job position there," I don't think it would be a bad idea.


For me, location is a HUGE factor in the school I am applying to and I want the school to know that.

 

[off2skl]

I remember at my interview for Midwestern one of the questions was "Aside from location, why did you choose our school?" I was honest and told them that location definitely was a factor since it woudl be difficult to pull up stakes and move so to speak. But, be prepared to give other reasons..for me it was the integrated and accelerated program, the reputation, and the feel I had gotten wheneverI called or visited the campus.

 

[Glycerin]

To put it into those terms (if you have family in one place where you currently live and cannot move, or if your spouse cannot relocate due to a job), then I agree. However, I was referring to the average student with no familial or financial attachments to one particular place. What I think should be avoided is the student that wants to attend a school simply because it is located in a place that only received 10 inches of rain a year, is a party town, etc.

 

[bananaface]

Location can be a good thing IF you relate it to the program. For example I could say something like, "I grew up in WA and want to go to school and practice here. There is no need to move elsewhere when I have one of the best pharmacy schools in the nation right in my back yard. Attending UW in Seattle would give me a tremendous variety of internships, clerkships, and other opportunities to choose from."

In that statement, I not only told the admissions committee that I applied to UW because of their location, but I gave them a reason to see why they were my preference over the other school in my state. WSU is located in the small town of Pullman and does not share the same big city opportunities. These ideas are okay because they show how I value the school and the opportunities it presents to me. I would want to play w/ the phrasing a bit, but the basic ideas are useful.

Now a dumb thing to say would be "I want to go to this school because I always wanted to live in Seattle."

 

[toki]

dear pharmnut,

for question #1
i agree with vafcarrot.

for your question #2
imho, i would only mention location as a tactful passing note... like at the end of your "real" reason as something like, "oh and by the way, (blank)school happens to be (blank)". for me in my i.v. i slipped in at the end of my answer to the "why our school" question that my husband happened to work at USC as a resident physician also so it would be very convenient for our marriage. but i made it quick... and it actually opened up the convo bc they asked me more about him. but i would defintely make it a quick statement. but what is important and should be the meat of your answer should be something that you discovered about what makes the school different. how would it feel to you if in your admissions letter the school said- "we chose you bc you live close by" ? its not really giving you the credit you deserve... or making you feel very accomplished. so instead, focus on what genuinly interests you in the program, other than location, other than the kind of weather etc. for me, i may have overkilled, but i scoured the schools entire website, i found out what their prof's research interests were, what current community projects the students were working on... what was special about their curriculum... etc, etc.

for your question #3
why make excuses for yourself? you don't need to explain yourself- unless something really terrible happened, like you had a lifethreatening illness or a death in the family etc. even at that, don't dig a hole for yourself here... i left mine blank. the grades, extracurric and personal statement should speak for themselves. 😍

 

[pharmnut]

Great advice guys, thanks!