Writing has always been a weak point in my abilities throughout my life. I have gradually improved over the years. My writing ability improved dramatically in college when I took English 101 and Technical Writing courses. Honestly, the best way to improve writing ability is practice and read as much as possible. Once I entered Pharmacy School there were few assignments that required writing. Years have passed since my writing prime. I practice by writing these blogs hoping to improve my skills. Thus it is important to keep in mind that writing ability is considered for pharmacy school. Writing ability will be assessed through the PCAT and personal statements. Most of these statements will involve asking why you want to be a pharmacist or how you have overcome a challenge in your life.
Pharmacy School Personal Statement
Generally you will have to write anywhere from 1-3+ personal statements depending on the pharmacy school application requirements. PharmCAS will require a personal statement and additional personal statements may be required by the pharmacy school’s supplemental application.
I get asked quite often about what to write in the personal statement. All I can say is that you have to decide this for yourself. I do not know why you personally want to be a pharmacist. This is something I cannot possibly answer for you. My advice would be to find the schools you are considering. Keep a list of the personal statement questions and start to brain storm for the next few weeks. A great way to brain storm is to create a map outline of all the information you might want to include in the personal statement. Sit down every night or morning and just start typing away for 30 minutes. Do not worry about the quality at first. You need to get the rough draft down on paper to start editing and improving it.
I spent several months writing my personal statements. I took it to the writing center at my school and had several teacher assistants look over it. I had friends and family read it and my english professors as well. Each revision gave me insight on different styles of writing from each person that read and commented. It was a great learning experience and I highly recommend this route. Over this time period, not only will you learn how to write more effectively, but you will have a polished personal statement to submit to pharmacy schools.
I hope the recommendations above will help guide, motivate, and inspire you to achieve your goals. Follow my blog for more tips and advice on how to become a pharmacist. What are your experiences? Please comment below and share your thoughts.