Uconn Pharmacy School Admissions Essay

Stride after stride after stride, I was oblivious to the pain in my calves or the sweat dripping down my forehead; the only thing on my mind was outdoing my summer's best time. After running close to six miles every day, I had no intention of breaking that streak. However, that hot July day I had no choice but to end it. At the halfway point, as I turned my body to look behind me, my left knee underwent a full lateral patellar dislocation. My hopes of becoming a UConn athlete subsequently came to a standstill, but I took it as a meaningful sign that I would have extra time to focus on my number one aspiration of getting accepted into pharmacy school and becoming a pharmacist. A year and two pre-pharmacy semesters after my injury, I returned to a hospital, this time as a volunteer. Though no pharmacy positions were available, I volunteered close to 100 hours in Hartford Hospital's Surgical Family Lounge. My task involved communicating with physicians and nurses to provide updates for families regarding the status of their loved ones. My time at the hospital grew to be a fruitful learning experience about teamwork. The numerous tasks and busy environment of the hospital made it imperative to work well with staff. During one chaotic summer day, joint effort with one additional volunteer substantially improved the efficiency of the whole process. With time I expanded my communication skills as well, as I mastered the ability to relay messages. I had to translate complex medical terminology into layman terms for the families. This allowed me to develop communication skills and expand upon my medical vocabulary, which would unquestionably prove useful in pharmacy. While I have improved my teamwork and communication abilities in the hospital, I look forward to the opportunity for further development of these and other valuable skills throughout pharmacy school. Eager to get actual pharmaceutical exposure, I shadowed pharmacists in three different settings. From