Personal Essay Advice?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

PharmDoReMe

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
172
Reaction score
36
Hi everyone, I'm trying to write out my personal essay and I'm not sure what to write in it... I have a lower gpa (2.7 something), so I know I should incorporate that somehow, but I don't know where to begin or how to even address it?

Can anyone give me advice on how to approach the personal essay for PharmCAS?

Members don't see this ad.
 
The PE is the hardest part on any application. It's typically not something people finish in one day. Luckily, PharmCAS gives you a few hints at what should be in there. I think it's best if you divide your PE into three main parts.

1) Background - briefly talk about your background and how it influenced your decision to choose pharmacy as a career path. This includes family ties, school accomplishments, experiences, extracurricular, etc. It's very broad, and it will probably be the largest of the three parts.
2) Personal ambitions - Smallest of the three parts. Role models and goals should go here. Slay this portion, because Pharm Schools love people with big ideas.
3) Personal qualities - talk about what qualities you have that will make you a great pharmacist. Don't worry about coming off as arrogant. It's hard not to. Because your GPA is on the lower end, you should really put a lot of effort into this part.

Then the Conclusion - Just a wrap up, and reiteration of why your personal experiences and qualities would make you a good pharmacist and thus an ideal candidate for pharmacy school.

I hope you kill it. Good luck.
 
I disagree. Do worry about coming off as arrogant. There are certainly ways in which to praise yourself without arrogance.

The most important aspect to address regarding your GPA is not what caused you to end up with a 2.7 but what you have learned from the mistakes that led you there and what you are doing to change yourself so you don't repeat those same mistakes.

It is okay to make mistakes. It is human to make mistakes. It is not okay to not grow from them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Top