Thoughts and questions regarding essays on applications.

[bigalaz1]

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Hey everyone,

So I'm currently working on my pharmcas personal statement essay and am getting a little frustrated with it. What exactly should I write about and what are you guys writing about? I'm also wondering how much schools really look at the essay and whether it is really a place to shine and stand out or more of just a tool they may use to eliminate people who obviously don't have sincere intentions. I know that most feedback I have received from advisors from the local pharmacy schools in AZ (Midwestern in Glendale and Univeristy of Arizona) stress the GPA and PCAT numbers, interview, work experience, and volunteer experience a lot and hardly say anything about the essay. What do you guys think? Is it really that much of a factor?

Also, does anyone know if the "supplemental application" sent out from schools asks for ANOTHER essay typically? I sure hope not, good grief.

 

[Pharm47]

USC and UCSD each have additional essay. Lame topics too. I'm losing momentum...

 

[aboveliquidice]

does anyone know if the "supplemental application" sent out from schools asks for ANOTHER essay typically? I sure hope not, good grief.

Hate to say it - most often yes. Supplemental really just means 'more info'. They want more essays and more money... (pharmcas cant get it all) So yeah, you can pretty much bet on more essays to come. Luckily, most essays tend to be similar in structure - if you are applying to more than one school, you should be able to port your essay for one school's supplemental to another with minimal rewriting/reworking. note - do not port your personal statement over to the supplemental, they already have that one...

Also, if your school does interviews - you might be looking at another essay during the interview process as well. Remember, what doesn't kill us only makes ya stronger - until something actually does kill ya, but thats a point for another thread...

What schools are you applying to?

~above~

 

[senzabee]

The PharmCAS essay seems to be more about why you want to be pharmacist and your plans/goals, while the supplementals seem to be looking at your personality and what qualities you will bring. They ask questions such as "Name a difficult time and how you got through it" or "How do you personify these characteristics". The supplementals are definitely not as interesting of topics, or at least in my opinion, but you gotta do what you gotta do 😛 .

I think I was looking for other schools to apply to as "maybe" schools, and from the look of the U. Colorado supplemental app, you don't have to write an additional essay ! It seems like they just want informational stuff from you, and not personal essays or more LORs. Can someone tell me if I'm wrong? But I doubt I'll apply there, it's too cold

 

[patmcd]

The PharmCAS essay seems to be more about why you want to be pharmacist and your plans/goals, while the supplementals seem to be looking at your personality and what qualities you will bring. They ask questions such as "Name a difficult time and how you got through it" or "How do you personify these characteristics". The supplementals are definitely not as interesting of topics, or at least in my opinion, but you gotta do what you gotta do 😛 .

I think I was looking for other schools to apply to as "maybe" schools, and from the look of the U. Colorado supplemental app, you don't have to write an additional essay ! It seems like they just want informational stuff from you, and not personal essays or more LORs. Can someone tell me if I'm wrong? But I doubt I'll apply there, it's too cold

Its not too cold in Colorado.... I mean its only been around 100 the last few days

The supplemental application is short and easy for UCHSC.

 

[senzabee]

Its not too cold in Colorado.... I mean its only been around 100 the last few days

The supplemental application is short and easy for UCHSC.

Well, maybe the summer is different, but the winter would be too cold. The first time I saw snow was up in college 😛 and only once more after that, haha. I'm just not used to the seasons changing much, but I might give it a try.

 

[fidelio]

Yes they typically do, just like med schools do.

 

[xturquoise]

The PharmCAS essay seems to be more about why you want to be pharmacist and your plans/goals, while the supplementals seem to be looking at your personality and what qualities you will bring. They ask questions such as "Name a difficult time and how you got through it" or "How do you personify these characteristics". The supplementals are definitely not as interesting of topics, or at least in my opinion, but you gotta do what you gotta do 😛 .QUOTE]


I agree with senzabee. On my PharmCas essay, I wrote about why I wanted to become a pharmacist and what experiences led me to it. I didn't focus on the story I wanted to tell; I focused on my reactions to it and how it changed me. However, I heard that some schools do not even bother to look at the PharmCas essays but instead focus on their own supplemental essays. I'm sure they take a look at it if they have time. Either way, it's always helpful to have a good, well thought-out PharmCas Personal Statement for them to read.

YES, there are supplemental essays to write. You should not use the same one as the PharmCas one. There are Candidate's Statements to write for some schools. I focused on my personality and academic challenges so they get a chance to get to know me as a person.

 

[Scrubs Fan]

i went to a USC info session, and they said they don't really look at the pharmCAS personal statement and that they mainly look at the supplemental essay. It's just a requirement that PharmCAS requires of you to turn in the application. However, this is just USC and i'm sure there are other schools that look at the PharmCAS essay.

my advice is to put more effort into the essays in their supplemental application. There is probably a reason why the require it in addition to the pharmCAS essay.

good luck, cheers.