Personal Statement difficulty

[TpharmD]

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Hi all,
I really need help on personal statement. I have read other threads but still i have difficulties.
- I know that I have tell why i am good applicant. However, i am clueless on where to start from.
- Moreover, I can't think of good reason that would impress them on why I am doing pharmacy as career.


Do i have to say why i got lower grade? i have only one C.

is there any site on SDN particularly focusig on pharmacy personal statement? This site is for MD.. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=375844

Any HELP is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks.

 

[UES Girl]

Hi all,
I really need help on personal statement. I have read other threads but still i have difficulties.
- I know that I have tell why i am good applicant. However, i am clueless on where to start from.
- Moreover, I can't think of good reason that would impress them on why I am doing pharmacy as career.


Do i have to say why i got lower grade? i have only one C.

is there any site on SDN particularly focusig on pharmacy personal statement? This site is for MD.. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=375844

Any HELP is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks.

One good piece of advice, that several successful applicants have given to me - is be very concrete in your statement. Don't just say: I'm a very compassionate individual envisioning myself dedicating my lifetime to helping less fortunate. Instead illustrate and support your claims with descriptive concrete examples, even if they are only a sentence long. For example say: I'm a very compassionate individual and this compassion that I feel for the lesser privileged is what lead to be to get involved into volunteering last semester at the program for blah blah blah.

 

[PharmD321]

One good piece of advice, that several successful applicants have given to me - is be very concrete in your statement. Don't just say: I'm a very compassionate individual envisioning myself dedicating my lifetime to helping less fortunate. Instead illustrate and support your claims with descriptive concrete examples, even if they are only a sentence long. For example say: I'm a very compassionate individual and this compassion that I feel for the lesser privileged is what lead to be to get involved into volunteering last semester at the program for blah blah blah.

cheburashka has a good point....

But to TpharmD, I would make your personal statement more interesting like a story in your life that inspired you to be a pharmacist. Think about this, how do you think that Barack Obama became a presidential candidate (or maybe president on tuesday)? He gave his life story to everyone when he wrote a book about when he was growing up and the poverty life in indonesia and so on....it was very interesting....and that is why everyone likes Barack.

 

[calisoca]

Best advice I ever got:

Don't write your statement thinking it's going to be the first one read at 10am by a reader stimulated with a fresh cup of coffee; rather, write it thinking it's going to be the last essay of hundreds read at 11pm by a reader who is exhausted and nearly asleep. Wake them up.

be UNIQUE. You're thinking too hard, all of the answers are in your head within your experiences. Good luck.

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

cheburashka has a good point....

But to TpharmD, I would make your personal statement more interesting like a story in your life that inspired you to be a pharmacist. Think about this, how do you think that Barack Obama became a presidential candidate (or maybe president on tuesday)? He gave his life story to everyone when he wrote a book about when he was growing up and the poverty life in indonesia and so on....it was very interesting....and that is why everyone likes Barack.

Wow, speak for yourself only please.

Please don't compare all of our stories of wanting to practice pharmacy to him. 😀

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

I will agree with PharmD321 in that it should be something like a story. However, we don't have the space of a novel like Obama to tell out story, so you have to be brief.

What led you to pharmacy, what have you done to confirm that decision, what research have you done into to the field, what have you learned about pharmacy and yourself.

I agree too that specific examples of clubs, organizations, jobs, etc. that you have done are good ways of showing who you are and what you are wanting to do with a pharmacy career.

 

[tritonvision]

I will agree with PharmD321 in that it should be something like a story. However, we don't have the space of a novel like Obama to tell out story, so you have to be brief.

What led you to pharmacy, what have you done to confirm that decision, what research have you done into to the field, what have you learned about pharmacy and yourself.

I agree too that specific examples of clubs, organizations, jobs, etc. that you have done are good ways of showing who you are and what you are wanting to do with a pharmacy career.

I concentrated mainly on the personal events that drove me toward pharmacy, then my tied in my work/school experience to elaborate my short and long term goals. I left the extracurricular activities to the supplementals.

 

[PharmD321]

Wow, speak for yourself only please.

Please don't compare all of our stories of wanting to practice pharmacy to him. 😀

LOL

Yes, I know there are some people out there that don't like him, but that is not my point. I meant like everyone should think about what Obama did and how he became a very important figure in the democratic party. So, how did Barack rise to fame with his wierd name? I want to cut short and say this: He wrote a book about his personal life to show everyone about his ideas and how he is qualified enough to be president.

This same idea is exactly like when a pharmacy student needs to share his personal statement to show the pharmacy school that the student is qualified enough to be in pharmacy school.

 

[Texas PharmDoc]

LOL

Yes, I know there are some people out there that don't like him, but that is not my point. I meant like everyone should think about what Obama did and how he became a very important figure in the democratic party. So, how did Barack rise to fame with his wierd name? I want to cut short and say this: He wrote a book about his personal life to show everyone about his ideas and how he is qualified enough to be president.

This same idea is exactly like when a pharmacy student needs to share his personal statement to show the pharmacy school that the student is qualified enough to be in pharmacy school.

Well I hope all of us applying to pharmacy school have the entire national media to make us look good no matter what how little qualifications we may have. 😀

 

[esca]

like cheburashka said, make sure your claims are firmly supported by examples. And I have to add that due to the limited space of a personal statement, do not waste any useless sentences that do not explain or expand your claims. also make sure all of your ideas/paragraphs are connected by transitions (any kind will do a good strategy i found was "too learn more about this...i did this. and on to your next claim/example).

pick several experiences that had an impact on your decision to become a pharmacist and explain what you learned from it or how it affected you. your personal statement should be a reflection of who you are as a person. adcoms should look at your essay and say "I like his professionalism" or "I like his dedication"

Do i have to say why i got lower grade? i have only one C.
if you only had one C I don't see a why you should tell them. In fact I don't see any reason to tell them why you had 5 Cs unless there are circumstances that helped you grow as a person from getting those Cs (like illness, family tragedy...etc.).

I can't think of good reason that would impress them on why I am doing pharmacy as career.
I'm sure the adcoms have read enough PS over the years to not be impressed about a majority of our essays, so don't worry about it. You just need to make them see that you belong in pharm school.

good luck

 

[ceruleansky]

I will agree with PharmD321 in that it should be something like a story. However, we don't have the space of a novel like Obama to tell out story, so you have to be brief.

What led you to pharmacy, what have you done to confirm that decision, what research have you done into to the field, what have you learned about pharmacy and yourself.

I agree too that specific examples of clubs, organizations, jobs, etc. that you have done are good ways of showing who you are and what you are wanting to do with a pharmacy career.

i agree completely. you want the reader to learn more about you, your passions for pharmacy and why you chose this career out of every other field out there. think about your past life experiences, a certain event, etc that motivated you to pursue pharmacy and how your current experiences reinforce that drive.

when writing my personal statement, i found it difficult to convey everything with the max word limitations, trying to be concise yet still keeping to my original idea. it was also challenging to formulate my ideas and organize it into an essay that wasn't boring to read. I actually had help with a really great editor (PM me if you want his info)..it took me months to write and I must have gone through at least 4 drafts, but it was worth it. I am proud of my essay...I would say the work paid off since the PS was one of the main reasons why i received 10 interview invites!