creative + ucsd?

[endlesslove]

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i was just wondering whether or not UCSD cares about how creative your writing is do they want you to get to straight to the point, dry?

 

[Apteka]

At the interview, you are asked to write an essay, and for that, it seemed more creative. We were actually given right then and there, it wasn't situational or anything... just "If you could invite 3 people, living or dead, over for dinner, whom would you invite?" We all headed to the library to write the paper in less than 1 hour, came back, and turned it in.

As for the essay for the applications--- I applied to both UCSF and UCSD and was told by the UCSD Admissions office to use the same essay that I used for the PharmCAS application in their 'supplemental' application. I thought this strange, but that's what they wanted (this may have changed.) There were no additional essay questions required at UCSD last year- has the application changed considerably? I was surprised the supp app for UCSD was SO short last year compared to UCSF's!

Which specific essay are you concerned with?

 

[LCTran]

Hey Apteka, I went to the UCSF application workshop and they told us that the one for pharmcas and the one they want for their supplemental application are different. So I think this year they're doing it differently! It was really annoying to do two personal statements!

 

[Lexian]

Hey Apteka, I went to the UCSF application workshop and they told us that the one for pharmcas and the one they want for their supplemental application are different. So I think this year they're doing it differently! It was really annoying to do two personal statements!

Last year the UCSF supplemental application was also different from PharmCAS. The supplemental app was really long. 😎

I think Apteka was referring to the UCSD supplemental application not being that much different from the PharmCAS application. I think I remember the UCSD supplemental app being filled online, in fact.

 

[Apteka]

Last year the UCSF supplemental application was also different from PharmCAS. The supplemental app was really long. 😎

Wow, so they have changed a bit...In all cases- keep in mind that one of the essays is about 'what makes you unique', and the other is more specifically about what made you choose Pharmacy as a prospective career. If UCSD is following in UCSF's footsteps (which I've been told they are,) the key thing to keep in mind is to *not* repeat yourself in each essay. If you mentioned that hiking up to the top of HalfDome was an achievement, don't mention it again in another essay, since it makes you sound like a broken record. Each of the essays (for UCSF, anyway,) we were told, should be a reflection of an aspect of you that makes you a unique applicant. It's a lot of writing, so it's great to have a few ideas in mind, set it aside, then come back to it. I spent about 3 months total writing my essays and reworking them all...
good luck!

 

[tanyas]

APteka, are you russian? I just realized apteka means pharmacy in russian

 

[endlesslove]

Wow, so they have changed a bit...In all cases- keep in mind that one of the essays is about 'what makes you unique', and the other is more specifically about what made you choose Pharmacy as a prospective career. If UCSD is following in UCSF's footsteps (which I've been told they are,) the key thing to keep in mind is to *not* repeat yourself in each essay. If you mentioned that hiking up to the top of HalfDome was an achievement, don't mention it again in another essay, since it makes you sound like a broken record. Each of the essays (for UCSF, anyway,) we were told, should be a reflection of an aspect of you that makes you a unique applicant. It's a lot of writing, so it's great to have a few ideas in mind, set it aside, then come back to it. I spent about 3 months total writing my essays and reworking them all...
good luck!

hi, there's no "what makes you unique" essay prompt. anyways, with regards to your hiking up to the top of half dome example, of course you can talk a lot about it in one essay. if that example leads to something else new about yourself in another question, i think it's okay to mention (in just a few words) half dome again and then talk ab something new about yourself.

 

[Apteka]

The 'what makes you unique' part actually comes from the application workshop that I went to at UCSF. I took tons of notes at the workshop, and came away with the idea that the entire application (for UCSF, at least) as a way to show the admissions committee different aspects of yourself. We were even told not to repeat the same theme over and over. just fyi.