eddie269 said:
thanks guys for the advice. that's exactly what I was hoping to find in a sample PS but I guess having you guys tell me helped even more. I'll get on it soon and send a copy of my ideas to everyone who offered their help.
EDIT: did anyone verify what jemc2000 suggested? or know of a page like that for pharmacy? My main reason for asking for a sample ps is because I want to see how it should be "built" and what jemc2000 put up is great for medicine or whatever field it was meant for. It's like writing a resume: everyone knows what they are capable of or want, but there's always specific format, wording, and unspoken rules to follow. I assume it's the same for PS for pharmacy.
I've helped a few people write personal statments (mostly med, but one pharmacy). Both prompts are about the same, so I wouldn't think that what the admissions people look for is very different. But the first thing is to realize that they aren't grading you, the purpose of a personal statement is to make yourself stand out more than numbers. Writing a resume in paragraph form is not going to help, since they can read about your experiences from your application.
My advice is usually to think of a few things you want to say about yourself, and think of specific examples or situations where you demonstrated that, or learned it. You want to answer the prompt, so one should be why you chose pharmacy; this is likely to correspond to what a PharmD will do for your goals. Usually, at least one should demonstrate what a good person you are (stress something specific though: communication skills, compassion, determination), and one might be related to your physical abilities (ability to handle the academic load, or special skills that are useful in the field). If you have a certain event that made you want to be a pharmacist, write about that. Again, write it by describing an event, talk about what it shows, and why it's important.
Finally, try to tie together everything with an overall theme, message about yourself, etc. Some people use an analogy to something they are really passionate about (e.g. a hobby where all of these traits are also used). Or maybe in each case, you wanted to do more but couldn't, and the degree will allow you to do so. You don't need it, but doesn't it just seem so much nicer when you read something and everything comes together in the end? Remember, the people who read these might be experienced in reading them, but they most likely aren't English teachers looking at the structure of your essay. They are looking for something to make you stand out and to know that you are sincere about wanting to do this. Don't stress about format or wording, focus on finding something that will make them remember you and want to know more about you.
Oh, and try not to be as long-winded as this is. 4500 characters runs out quickly. If you are running out of space, try replacing big words with small ones, and use only one space after periods if necessary.
