be creative or just answer the question?

[PharmHopeful3]

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With my pharmcas essay I tried to be unique and touch on some topics that may help me stand out as an applicant...

A lot of the schools ask for essays in the supplemental and it looks like most of them are along the lines of "why do you want to come to this school"

Is it ok to just give a straight forward answer as to why? I assume most people are going to say the same kinds of things: location, opportunities that school offers, etc. Should I try to be more creative when answering? or just write the basic answers?

 

[Chill Pill]

Is there a limit to how much you can write?

 

[PharmHopeful3]

the one i'm working on now has a limit of 500 words

that's a decent amount just to talk about why you want to go to their school. I can answer it in 6: Because I want a pharmacy degree!
haha just kiddingggg

 

[nerv12345]

you can be as creative as you want but remember that they want you to answer the prompt DIRECTLY and CLEARLY. if your essay is wasting their time they'll just trash it and go onto the next application

 

[PharmHopeful3]

should i spend time trying to make it creative though?
(I dont even know how I would go about doing that....it would take some thought lol)
Do you think it matters to them? or would straight out answers be just as good?

 

[nerv12345]

you know what...i'm just like you. i'm a creative writer and i like to "spice up" my papers. but the fact of the matter is the more creative your paper is, the less room you have to add in crucial information.
i've noticed that when proofreading i've taken out "creative" sentences/topics and filled the space in with factual information.

this was very apparent for my pharmcas essay especially...so i've just given up being creative lol. but hey, to each his own

 

[StringTheorist]

i agree completely with nerv1234. plan out your answer(s) and then see if you have any room for flair. flair is less important than answering the questions completely and competently.

 

[twester]

I think that too much frilly prose could be a distraction from what you want to say. I would make the essay clear and to the point with as few words as possible, but that's just my approach.

 

[Chill Pill]

I would just answer the question.

 

[eelo]

With my pharmcas essay I tried to be unique and touch on some topics that may help me stand out as an applicant...

A lot of the schools ask for essays in the supplemental and it looks like most of them are along the lines of "why do you want to come to this school"

Is it ok to just give a straight forward answer as to why? I assume most people are going to say the same kinds of things: location, opportunities that school offers, etc. Should I try to be more creative when answering? or just write the basic answers?

Just answer the question. And remember, the question isn't "why do you want to go to pharmacy school," it's "why do you want to come to this school?" You need to point out what makes that particular school your choice, whether it's the location, the proximity/involvement with premier medical centers, or something about the school (for example, a rural outreach program) that sets it apart fro others in your mind. This is their way of asking what you know about their particular institution and why you want to go there and not to any of the other pharmacy schools in the country.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

My writing question was about my favorite book. (At WVU at the time, you drew the subject out of a hat.) I wrote about 3.5 pages in 15 minutes about The Republic by Plato. I was as creative as ****, too. I started writing **** in triple metaphor. Got a 5/5.

 

[Wan2BPharmD]

Can you answer the question clearly and directly in a creative manner? Like everyone said, a clear answer can get lost behind fancy words and whatnot. If you can't do it correctly, you're probably better of not doing it. An essay that actually answers the question is better than a pretty one that doesn't.

However, if you CAN write a fancy paper that answers the question at the same time....well, it's those papers that stand out from your "average essay."

 

[leoproductionz]

i dont get the point of trying to be fancy when telling someone why you want to attend there. in fact, if i were admissions, i would look at your supplemental like 😕

 

[Wan2BPharmD]

err...fancy sounds off. Effective writing is more appropriate. Sometimes people use big words, but use them incorrectly. If you can use the proper words at the proper time, you sound more learned (as opposed to an 8th grader's explanation). I feel that it helps to drive the point home.

Example:

I feel confident enough to handle any situation I may come across.

I feel confident enough to handle any situation I may encounter.



This is a minor example, but replacing just those two words with a stronger, single-word verb makes the sentence more effective, in my opinion. If you're able to do this throughout the paper (without over-doing it, of course), it makes for a better essay.

 

[wigwam]

i originally was going to write about how i don't like sick people, so i want to make them better. But i decided this was probably not the best topic to write about.

 

[chibipinkbunny]

Well I didn't have to answer that question in an essay, but I had to answer it at my interviews. I only had two interviews with two schools (both of which I really wanted to go to), but the reason I wanted to go to those schools was because of their teaching philosophies. I had researched their school, and I really felt that their programs would challenge me intellectually and push me as both a student and a person. I actually didn't mention the location at all because that didn't matter; I would go to their school wherever it was located, just because I liked their teaching philosophies. Anyway, I don't think you should make up stuff that isn't true, but do some research and think of at least one really good reason that you want to go to that particular school in addition to stuff like the weather, location, facilities, etc.

 

[nerv12345]

Example:

I feel confident enough to handle any situation I may come across.

I feel confident enough to handle any situation I may encounter.

I am confident enough to handle any situation I may encounter.
^that sounds more assertive + stronger

 

[Farmercyst]

i originally was going to write about how i don't like sick people, so i want to make them better. But i decided this was probably not the best topic to write about.

I'd say an okay topic, but poorly worded. It sounds like you don't like peope... ones that are sick specifically, and you'd like to change them, for what you feel is the better. At least that's the way I read how you wrote it.

Not that you were looking for a critique, it just seemed funny to see "I don't like sick people"

 

[bananaface]

PharmCAS assesses writing style and grammar, not your experience. Just answer the questions well and you will do your best. Be sure to give supporting evidence, etc.

Check out their website. They list very specific evaluation criteria.