Featured Supplemental Essay Prompt For MCPHS Applicants:

Please submit an essay discussing your reasons for choosing the specific healthcare career you wish to pursue and why you are applying to Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences? 500 Word Maximum.

Successful Supplemental Essay Example From Our Accepted Alumni Student:

From seeing my friend’s father battle an addiction, to working as a Pharmacy Technician—I have learned that the world of pharmacy is more than distributing pills or creating compounds.

There is a deeper meaning that varies with every person a pharmacist encounters.

A pharmacist can provide support through guiding patients with their treatments and medications—and can provide support as patients experience struggles and hardships.

I have enjoyed seeing many patients stop in to the Pharmacy at the Rite Aid where I currently work. We are able to help them in the small interactions when they stop in, offering guidance and friendly smiles. In my future, I hope to work in a more long-term role caring for patients as a pharmacist in a hospital.

Along with saving lives, I have been fascinated by science for years. I found my sophomore year Chemistry class captivating, as I learned about reactions and conducted calculations to balance equations. At MCPHS, I hope to continue exploring this intellectual passion through courses like Chemical Principles I (CHE 131) in my first year, to Medicinal Chemistry I (PSB 441) in my professional years.

I love that MCPHS has a small Pharmacy program—and that the school specializes specifically in Pharmacy and Health Sciences. I have learned well in small settings—from my small Catholic high school to my small team at the [Name] Pharmacy, where I am a technician. I look forward to small, hands-on courses like Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (PPB 430).

To integrate technical knowledge with my passion to help others and maintain high ethical standards, I love that MCPHS would allow me to have hands-on experience with individuals, from my early years working at the Mock Pharmacy, to my final years in the Advanced Pharmacy Experience Program Rotations (PPBC 601-606). Thus far, I have learned so much from my past shadowing role at [Name] Pharmacy, and I continue to learn at every shift as a current pharmacy technician at my local [Location].

The most important parts of becoming a pharmacist, to me, lie in the ethical ways we distribute medications and the ways we care for each patient as an individual, rather than a statistic. MCPHS courses like Introduction to Interpersonal Communication for Health Professionals (LIB 220) are important to me, as I aim to bring kindness and empathy to every patient interaction. I look forward to advanced MCPHS courses that explore the humanity behind treatments, like Healthcare Ethics (LIB 512). I am passionate about helping to combat the opioid crisis through responsible pain management methods. It is our responsibility in the healthcare industry to prevent crises like these, and to provide support and care to those struggling with addictions.

I know that MCPHS will be a community where I can learn the technical knowledge I need to become an excellent pharmacist—but also the care, compassion, ethics, and empathy that make us able to help others when they need it most.