Personal Statement:Pharmacy 18

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

From a young age, I have always admired the work of pharmacists. They are highly qualified professionals that are helpful, patient and very knowledgeable. These are important attributes of a pharmacist, however these are also qualities that I fulfil. What intrigued me more about pharmacists is how they constantly use knowledge acquired from university and apply it to everyday situations such as the dispensing of drugs, recommending over the counter medicines and learning how to deal with patients professionally. Becoming a qualified pharmacist means that I am in a very privileged position to help and serve people in my community. Organic chemistry is the backbone of pharmaceutical drugs and I would relish the opportunity to learn and acquire the necessary knowledge about how changes to these organic compounds can affect the human body. Recently, my interest in organic molecules ignited when a lecturer from UCL visited our school to explain how to run and identify different organic structures using IR spectra. In year 12, I won the Chemistry prize for achievement and effort in my year group, which shows how well I embrace this field of science.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Two of the strongest skills that I was able to develop through my A-Levels were my organisation and communication skills, which have improved substantially since the start of my AS studies. For instance, my organisational skills, have helped me to set feasible revision timetables to revise efficiently and also to meet crucial deadlines for homework and coursework. I fully understand the significance of meeting everyday deadlines, such as arriving to my workplace on time and meeting customer deadlines for prescriptions. Maths A-Level has provided me with the knowledge to analyse and become a better problem solver, however it also plays a crucial role in pharmacy as accurate quantities of drugs must be calculated for prescriptions. Furthermore, I was part of the 'Young Gifted and Talented' register in Maths from 2008 onwards.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Last summer, I underwent three weeks of work experience in a local pharmacy. I learnt how a community pharmacy operates and got involved in duties, which included generating sales at our perfume counter, as well as developing conversations with customers to discuss their symptoms and which medication would be best for them. Overall, this experience made me realise that pharmacists not only dispense and recommend certain medications, but can perform additional roles, such as discussing confidential issues with patients. A month ago, I spent a week within the pharmacy department at ********* Hospital (London). I was given an overview of how the entire department operates, which included doing ward rounds and also visiting the highly sterile laboratories in the technical services area. I was fortunate to have been given the chance to dispense several prescriptions collaboratively with the pharmacy technicians. I got to look around the pharmacy store, which contained an even wider range of drugs than what a community pharmacy would have to offer. The experience underlined the sheer importance of being able to communicate to patients (in the wards) and relay important messages, back and forth to my colleagues.

For seven years, I have been actively part of my church youth group, where we meet up every Sunday and regularly get involved in community events such as offering to clear up litter from events in the borough, as well as leafleting houses to invite visitors to our church. In my spare time, I run a small repair shop in my house where I buy broken games consoles and sell them once I have repaired them. This gives me a good feel for selling items, as community pharmacies stock healthcare products such as vitamins and even hair products. Overall, from participating in these activities, I have acquired an array of skills that will prove invaluable for my coming years of higher education, but more so, successfully performing the role of a pharmacist.

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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