Undergraduate / Drugs Are Cool (University of Pittsburgh Undergraduate Application) [8]

There wasn't really any prompt for this essay, Pitt just asked for a "personal statement" or an essay on a topic of your choice. Does this look okay? Feedback would be great!

I've always thought drugs were cool. No, not like that! What I mean to say is, I've always found medicine fascinating. I remember peeking above the counter at Giant Eagle pharmacies as a little girl and being amazed by the shelves and shelves of medicine they held. How did the pharmacists not get confused? Once, I asked my dad how they never made mistakes, because after all, shelf B, row 2, had what seemed like a million bottles. How did they always know which one to pick, how did they always know which exact medicine my dad needed to feel better? He told me something that has had me hooked on pharmacy since age 7. He explained how the pharmacists went to a special school where they learned all about medicine and which ones do what. He said that even though he didn't have the slightest clue what the difference was between zolmitriptan and rizatriptan was, the pharmacists knew which one was right for my mom's migraines. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and really, I still haven't stopped. As I grew older and became wiser about the world of medicine, my fascination only grew. I wanted to understand why 2 little white pills that look practically the same to the naked eye can do such drastically different things. The first, Tylenol, can get rid of a headache, fend off menstrual cramps, and subdue fever, while the second, ecstasy, or MDMA, can give a person mild hallucinations, lasting depression, and many other dangerous side effects. Chemistry opened a whole world of answers for me. Every drug has a chemical makeup, and I can't help but find it intriguing that if a chemical has just one extra oxygen molecule added to it, it becomes an entirely different chemical, doing an entirely different thing.

I am currently employed at Schiller's pharmacy in Pittsburgh and it has been entirely enlightening for me. Though I'm only a sales clerk, just being behind the scenes in a pharmacy (my childhood dream!) has made me more than excited to pursue it as my career. The University of Pittsburgh is my first choice in education and I have every intention to enroll in the undergraduate program if accepted. Growing up here in Pittsburgh, I've admired the school and have been on campus more times than I can count. My brother attends Pitt, my mother taught at Pitt, and many of my siblings have aspired to go to Pitt. I have found my calling and I know that the University of Pittsburgh and the Pitt School of Pharmacy are the schools that will best prepare me for my long awaited career in pharmacy.