Personal Statement

[mjad]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi guys,

I need help on my personal statement. I dont know where to start. How should I start it off? What should be in the first paragraph? Also, I know it doesnt sound good, but I dont have a specific reason why I want to do pharmacy. I chose it because its a professionally good program and I like science. I just started working at a pharmacy a couple of weeks ago and like it. I dont know how to explain exactly why I want to do pharmacy and how I should expand on that topic. And what else should I talk about?

Thanks!

 

[otcandrx]

Hi guys,

I need help on my personal statement. I dont know where to start. How should I start it off? What should be in the first paragraph? Also, I know it doesnt sound good, but I dont have a specific reason why I want to do pharmacy. I chose it because its a professionally good program and I like science. I just started working at a pharmacy a couple of weeks ago and like it. I dont know how to explain exactly why I want to do pharmacy and how I should expand on that topic. And what else should I talk about?

Thanks!

hey, how come you get to post a new thread but i can't...wasssup..i want to post up a new thread title: PHARMACY 101 - CALLING FOR ALL WORKING TECHS AND INTERNS

Objective: The purpose of this collaborative study is a one year....

....... because i have some good input to share....

 

[omnione]

Hi guys,

I need help on my personal statement. I dont know where to start. How should I start it off? What should be in the first paragraph? Also, I know it doesnt sound good, but I dont have a specific reason why I want to do pharmacy. I chose it because its a professionally good program and I like science. I just started working at a pharmacy a couple of weeks ago and like it. I dont know how to explain exactly why I want to do pharmacy and how I should expand on that topic. And what else should I talk about?

Thanks!

There's a thread stickied to the top of this board about personal statement evaluations. Use that when you write your statement.

My general advice is to tell the story about why you felt pharmacy was right for you. Since you don't know why you want to go into pharmacy, you need to spend some time thinking about why.😉

 

[sdn1977]

Your first paragraph needs to be something that will make the reader want to know more about you. So, don't start chronologically beginning with kindergarten - we've all been there & done that!

I agree with the other poster - you really do need to think about why you want this. I like buying & wearing shoes, but I don't want to sell them. So...think about what about work you actually like ..... the people interaction, watching the pharmacist solve problems, listening to the counseling, balancing the business with the clinical side? (this is assuming you're working in retail...)

Now...think about how you got to this point. You say you like science. What about science do you like? Is it the "discovery", the "making sense out of apparent random events", the "explaining in real terms what seems to be unexplainable"??? So many different ways people find the same subjects fascinating. What is yours????

Then....think about the process it took you to get where you are right now. You must have thought about all the other career paths science minded folks think about - medicine, research, teaching....so why pharmacy??? This is important because you'll be actually asked this if you're invited for an interview.

Don't worry...the process for a ps is long & tedious. You'll undergo so many rewrites you'll get them all mixed up in your head. Get a good mentor who will read them for you and make honest suggestions & take them to heart. You may not use them all, but at least consider them.

Remember - this is your only way to say why you are important to not just the school, but also to the profession!

Good luck!

 

[nerv12345]

good luck! i'm in the exact same position as you...i have 272 words down but that's just the introduction...i still have the hardest part infront of me.

i also don't have a specific reason, or a life changing event that makes me want to get into pharmacy

 

[eelo]

good luck! i'm in the exact same position as you...i have 272 words down but that's just the introduction...i still have the hardest part infront of me.

i also don't have a specific reason, or a life changing event that makes me want to get into pharmacy

Jeez. if you used 272 words just to introduce yourself, I think you've gone a little far.....

 

[binghamkid]

good luck! i'm in the exact same position as you...i have 272 words down but that's just the introduction...i still have the hardest part infront of me.

i also don't have a specific reason, or a life changing event that makes me want to get into pharmacy

I'm sure you can find a reason to explain why pharmacy is the right career path for you.

 

[nerv12345]

Jeez. if you used 272 words just to introduce yourself, I think you've gone a little far.....

well they encompass 1.5 paragraphs....my first paragraph is an introduction of where i come from, etc.
then the first half of the 2nd paragraph is a very shallow explanation of why i want to go into pharmacy...i will expand on it and go into depth with examples, etc (which is the hard part since i need to make those examples look meaningful)

i hope this will help the original poster get started..

 

[binghamkid]

well they encompass 1.5 paragraphs....my first paragraph is an introduction of where i come from, etc.
then the first half of the 2nd paragraph is a very shallow explanation of why i want to go into pharmacy...i will expand on it and go into depth with examples, etc (which is the hard part since i need to make those examples look meaningful)

i hope this will help the original poster get started..

Keep in mind that you want to grab your Adcom reader's attention quickly. If you're going off on a narrative for an entire paragraph about you without addressing the prompt, you will be wasting valuable (and i mean, valuable) character count. It's better to let them infer your personality, experiences, and background from the way you are writing; no need to tell them who you are directly (save that for the interview).

 

[nerv12345]

the intro is captivating (at least to me) but long. i moved here from a 3rd world nation and that was one of the factors that got me into the medical field/pharmacy, etc..

is it bad that my introductory paragraph is 272 words long? is that too long?

 

[ForcedEntry]

is it bad that my introductory paragraph is 272 words long? is that too long?

if the reader is snoring by word #138, then yes, 272 words is a tad long-winded.

The point is write your statement and let someone help you by allowing them to proof it. 272 captivating words may not be enough to introduce yourself, but it surely is one loooong paragraph.

Heck, my entire PS was only 505 words. But I subscribe to the "brevity is the soul of wit" modus operandi.

 

[binghamkid]

the intro is captivating (at least to me) but long. i moved here from a 3rd world nation and that was one of the factors that got me into the medical field/pharmacy, etc..

is it bad that my introductory paragraph is 272 words long? is that too long?

It's not that it's too long, it's that you could condense the same information to maybe a sentence or two. If that introductory paragraph is just saying why you want to go to pharmacy school, you could probably condense it and say the exact same thing. You want to strike that fine balance where it's full of information but not long-winded where the reader already gets what you're trying to say and is just waiting for you to move on to the next point. Touch on points and make them want to take notes so that they can ask you about your experiences in the interview. The fact you come from a 3rd world nation is a great experience that an interviewer would love to hear in person (i don't think writing a paragraph could do it justice anyway) Just touch upon it and talk about your other experiences. I'm sure there's a lot more experiences you have that you could talk about given the space. If you want to see my personal statement from last year, PM me and we'll arrange it.

 

[nerv12345]

quick question about the personal statement...i've done a lot of volunteer work but i can't include everything i've done in my personal statement.

the person writing my LOR is from the place i volunteer and i'm pretty sure he is going to give examples of what i've done.

do the adcoms read both the PS and the LOR's when determining if we're a good candidate? or do they read the PS...and then filter out some people and those that stay, they read the LOR's

 

[RNtoPharmD]

I have stupid question this... I composed it using pharmcas word document. I tried to post it in to the space provided by pharmcas website. I seem like my essay lose paragraph format by simply cut and paste? I haven't e-submit the application yet though.

 

[omnione]

I have stupid question this... I composed it using pharmcas word document. I tried to post it in to the space provided by pharmcas website. I seem like my essay lose paragraph format by simply cut and paste? I haven't e-submit the application yet though.

Yup, the only thing you can really do is make sure that there is a space between paragraphs. If you used formatting such as italics and underlining, you or the adcoms will not see the formatting in the final PharmCAS transcript.

 

[omnione]

quick question about the personal statement...i've done a lot of volunteer work but i can't include everything i've done in my personal statement.

the person writing my LOR is from the place i volunteer and i'm pretty sure he is going to give examples of what i've done.

do the adcoms read both the PS and the LOR's when determining if we're a good candidate? or do they read the PS...and then filter out some people and those that stay, they read the LOR's

For the first cut off that determines who gets an interview and who doesn't, schools often focus on the key stats PCAT and GPA and use LORs and PSs as secondary tools. So, having distinguishable LORs and PSs can make your application stand out leading to a better chance at an interview, but it won't make up for low grades and/or PCAT scores.

 

[TheDrugMan]

omnione

You have replied to many of my posts which I have found very helpful. Thank you. Would it be alright if I asked you to critique my personal statement? I can PM it you. It's not super long. I would really appreciate it. 🙂

 

[omnione]

omnione

You have replied to many of my posts which I have found very helpful. Thank you. Would it be alright if I asked you to critique my personal statement? I can PM it you. It's not super long. I would really appreciate it. 🙂

I have to do some catchup work on PSs since I was off for the holidays.🙂