How specific for personal statement?

[applejuju]

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I'm writing the pharmcas PS right now and I'm debating about how specific I would be for the examples.

Would it be good to write really specific like "one day a patient came and asked me about OTC and I helped them like this yada yada..... which shows me as a responsible yet compassionate person."

Or, would a generic statement of how I try my best to help patient's resolve their problems and answer questions and that shows how good of a provider I could be.

It seems like the first one I could be talking too much in detail and taking too much space. The 2nd does seem kind of boring though...

 

[mrblah]

While you are writing a personal statement, you also want to sound professional. My PS was concise and to the point, and basically was a "letter of intent". I said, "I went to X, and I learned Y, which makes me a good candidate for your school and I intend on one day of doing this". By doing so, you can talk about ALL your experiences vs. a singular experience, and ultimately giving adcom a better picture of you as a individual.

I tell people to cut out the BS, nobody wants to hear it, or read through it. Telling people that you volunteered is enough, you don't have to PROVE what you did or go into any real specifics.

Keep in mind, you will have a interview and depending on the questions, will give you the opportunity to really show who you are.

Lastly, I want to reiterate, cut the BS. You didn't choose pharmacy on a singular experience, or due to some epiphany. You aren't choosing pharmacy because you really want to help others as your only reason. Adcom wants honesty, professionalism, teamwork, and dedication. They want to know why you choose pharmacy, how you will succeed, and what you bring to the table. Its quite simple. If you were going to apply for a high paying job, or if i asked you in person, would you say what you wrote? Would I want to hear it, let alone want to read it?

Thats my advice, so others may disagree with me, lol.

 

[sasukewalker]

i agree with mrblah, but its your application and you can do whatever you want. most of the essays are probably going to be very similar to yours, but your grades, extracurriculars, and pcat score will help distinguish you from everyone else who writes similar things.
you should probalby write something taht if someone were to ask you the question in person, you could tell them without hesitation, being ashamed, or lying. 🙂

 

[apteryx]

I wrote on myself from the heart, without sounding very cheesy or emotional. I explained my flaws, and I gave them a reason to accept me, drawing on specific experiences.

Of course, I haven't had my app sent out yet, so who knows if it is actually good...

 

[applejuju]

Thanks for the advice. I guess my main problem is that my essay is incredibly dense. I do talk about all aspects (personal, school, work) and how they relate to my goals but most of them are not too specific. It's like saying that I work well dependently and independently without explaining into details of a certain situation in which I demonstrated both.

I also have a supplement app that asks me to describe myself in the traits that the pharmacy school is looking for, such as compassion, integrity, leadership etc. So I'm thinking that essay would be a much better one for me to go into specific examples, leaving the pharmcas PS to be more vague.

 

[ufdlim]

I went the route of covering the widest range of topics as possible. As a result, nothing is too specific except my personal inspiration to become a pharmacist.

I feel because it is a personal statement, they want to know about ALL of you, not just a single instance where you were responsible and compassionate. Because there is a hard limit on characters, you can only tell so many stories before you run out of room to talk about other points.

Anyways, there is always the supplemental essay to discuss things you left out. I would use the personal statement to provide a general view of yourself.

 

[mrblah]

well, you are still going to use examples, but they need to be brief. A good format to copy is how professors write about themselves on school websites. Your credentials, stats, EC should allow the reader to figure out if you are indeed compassionate, dedicated, etc.

For example:
I have volunteered at the hospital for the last 3 years, and I've learned the importance of being empathetic, and I strongly believe that we need more empathetic pharmacists today. I have also worked in the pharmacy for 3 years, and the pharmacists have been influential in both my personal and professional life. They've taught me how to be X, Y, and Z and I believe those traits will help me succeed as a pharmacy student and ultimately as a pharmacist. Academically speaking, I've maintained a 4.0 gpa, and have come to realize that the pursuit of knowledge isn't about grades, but the knowledge itself. As a pharmacist we are constantly expanding our knowledge not only to become more knowledgeable, but to safeguard the health of others.

...concise and to the point. You should have multiple examples that tie into a central theme how you want to be portrayed as. You aren't explaining anything, other than what you did, and what you learned. You have to remember that adcom members were once in your shoes, they know exactly what it means to want to become a pharmacist, and they also know what traits to look for. Hopefully, your writing will show that you are qualified enough to be admitted, as your writing assesses your OVERALL character vs. one or two specific examples that may not say much about you. Also, don't grasp for thin air. Their is nothing compassionate about customer service when you are paid for it, but it doesn't mean you can't use it to show that you enjoy your job, etc.

good luck

P.s. when I proofread essays, sometimes I want to shoot myself. People will use one example and draw all their experience from it. Or they say, some tragic event happened and they were miraculously saved by the power of medicine. The problem is this, do you always base your career on one event, let alone a tragic one. What if this event happened again, and medicine didn't come to the rescue. Lastly, the pharmacist may have had nothing to do with it all together other than dispense a medication on a doctor's orders. I want to know about you, and what makes you tick, not a story. You are selling yourself.

 

[evilolive]

While you are writing a personal statement, you also want to sound professional. My PS was concise and to the point, and basically was a "letter of intent". I said, "I went to X, and I learned Y, which makes me a good candidate for your school and I intend on one day of doing this". By doing so, you can talk about ALL your experiences vs. a singular experience, and ultimately giving adcom a better picture of you as a individual.

I tell people to cut out the BS, nobody wants to hear it, or read through it. Telling people that you volunteered is enough, you don't have to PROVE what you did or go into any real specifics.

Keep in mind, you will have a interview and depending on the questions, will give you the opportunity to really show who you are.

Lastly, I want to reiterate, cut the BS. You didn't choose pharmacy on a singular experience, or due to some epiphany. You aren't choosing pharmacy because you really want to help others as your only reason. Adcom wants honesty, professionalism, teamwork, and dedication. They want to know why you choose pharmacy, how you will succeed, and what you bring to the table. Its quite simple. If you were going to apply for a high paying job, or if i asked you in person, would you say what you wrote? Would I want to hear it, let alone want to read it?

Thats my advice, so others may disagree with me, lol.

I had a different approach - I wrote about several very personal (and controversial) topics/experiences that made me choose pharmacy and demonstrated how I got to where I am today. For some, it would have been considered unprofessional or a death sentence for admissions, but every institution that I interviewed at appreciated my honesty and resolve. It's highly individual I think how personal statements work out - every person needs to find her own niche in how she can express herself. In general though, I think we can all agree that it's more important to be detailed rather than full of platitudes.

 

[mrblah]

true. There are no wrong ways to write a PS, and everyone's PS is different.

 

[applejuju]

One more question, this is just about writing etiquette.

Would I be able to write shorthands such as

OTC
UW = university of washington

or should I spell everything out? I'm already over for my character count so I'm trying not to write unnecessary words.

 

[luckyphooey]

You spell it out the first time and put the abbreviation in parentheses for sequent usage.

University of Washiongton (UW).

 

[AngelaCL]

I tell people to cut out the BS, nobody wants to hear it, or read through it. Telling people that you volunteered is enough, you don't have to PROVE what you did or go into any real specifics.

I would say the exact opposite. EVERYONE is going to say "I like pharmacy because I like to help people" "I like problem solving" "I'm good at working with others." Have a couple examples to "show" why you would be a good candidate instead of just telling. When have you seen a pharmacist really make a difference? How have you worked with patients in the past?

Obviously you don't have enough room to share a little story for every characteristic you mention, but it's much more interesting to say "I really got interested in pharmacy after working at a low-income clinic and realizing how much patients rely on a pharmacist's advice. I helped an old lady get a prior auth for chemo meds and now she's in remission and boy I feel good" instead of "Pharmacists help people. Helping is nice."

I don't have a copy of what I wrote on this computer, but I do remember talking about how my dad my dad ended up in the hospital when his glucose meter broke, and the pharmacist helped my family immensely by contacting his doctor, using a promotion to get a new meter, teaching us how to use the new meter, etc and it helped me realize how a pharmacist can help be an advocate for a patient.