Prompt:
[] Why you selected pharmacy as a career
[] How the doctor of pharmacy degree relates to your immediate and long term professional goals
[] Describe your personal, educational, and professional background that will help your achieve your goals
The mere thought of blood oozing out makes me squeamish and the idea of sticking my hands into another person's bacteria-infested mouth repulses me to the highest degree possible. These reasons would have surely made me a poor candidate for a physician and dentist. The decision to move toward becoming a pharmacist started off as a process of elimination as I had a little objection about every other health profession available. I never completely ruled out the possibilities of becoming a physician, dentist, or even an optometrist, but my ultimate decision to become a pre-pharmacy student was solidified after joining a pre-health honors society on campus called Alpha Epsilon Delta, or AED for short. Through AED, I was exposed to a countless number of health professionals from a variety of fields and though I attended too many meetings to recall precise details, one thing stood out above all else: the endless smiles upon each and every pharmacists' faces. That is not to say that the other health professionals were irritable, discontent people, but simply that the pharmacists radiated more undeniable joy and passion for their careers. Though the stable income, normal working hours, and job security were enticing perks in the pharmacists' speeches, what attracted me most was the added component of satisfaction and enthusiasm they all had with them.
When my parents and I moved to the United States, we had some family issues with my distant relatives and we soon were looked down upon and ridiculed. Rather than holding dear to the traditional teachings such as respecting one's elders, my aunts believed that money meant power and with power came status and began belittling my parents, who were the only people who did not have any college education. Try as my parents might though, they were just unable to smoothly transition to American ways and learn English. Before long, my parents began investing all their time, effort, and what ever little money they earned in me and my future. My drive to succeed in education and life stems from the hopes that one day, my parents will not lose face as I will continue to achieve and pursue goals that they only dreamt of. By majoring in biochemistry in a leading research institution such as University of California, San Diego, I took advantage of the numerous opportunities and became a lab assistant for two and a half years. This job has reaffirmed my desire to become a pharmacist as I soon came to realize that repeating an experiment with slight variations was not the lifestyle I envisioned. I cannot imagine routine task work and being confined to a room all day, everyday and for those reasons, I have set my sights toward becoming a hospital pharmacist. As such, I would be able to interact with different physicians and patients to rid any sense of the mundane. Through volunteering and interning at three hospitals over the past couple of years, I have acquainted myself with a hospital setting and the roles of pharmacists in hopes that one day, I too, will be able to join that elite healthcare team.
As days become months and months become years, my parents are beginning to lose their vitality. No more than a year ago, my mother was infected with the notorious Helicobacter pylori, developed arthritis, began having fainting spells and became severely ill. With the help of her physician, gastroenterologist, pharmacist, and the medicine they prescribed, she was able to regain her health. With the doctor of pharmacy degree, I want to be able to assist my parents by providing guidance and advice regarding medicine. I yearn for the ability to dispense potentially life saving medication to the sick and ailing in the long run. There will be no greater sense of accomplishment than being the pharmacist responsible for dispensing the medication that helped someone as my mother's pharmacist did for her.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I really hope the admissions person reading this can appreciate good writing, as I do. I really appreciate this excellent essay. It is a cool glimpse into your mind. You knew you wanted to be a health care provider, but you did not like blood or bodily fluids, etc. that is kind of cute! Yet, it shows that you have long known that you wanted to be a pharmacist.
Will you study herbal medicine, too? How about the healing arts, like craniosacral therapy, acupressure, and even chiropractic medicine? You have other options, too, so keep an open mind and supplement your pharmacy training with other healing arts as well.
The mere thought of blood oozing out makes me squeamish, and the idea of sticking my hands into another person's bacteria-infested mouth repulses me to the highest degree possible. These reasons aspects of my personality would have surely made me a poor candidate for a physician and dentist.
...was something I noticed in the quality of their character: the satisfaction and enthusiasm they all had with them.
How about that?
:-)
I really like how you personalized the essay, sharing information about your past, moving to the United States. It really adds to the essay.. urging the reader to want to get to know you more! Good job.
