Pharmacy Personal Statements- What you should include to guarantee that place

Zeenat Akmal
Aug 8
6 min read

What is a Personal Statement and Why Does It Matter?

A personal statement is more than just another part of your university application — it’s your chance to stand out from the crowd. While your grades prove your academic ability, your personal statement proves something far more valuable: who you are, what drives you, and why you’d make an excellent pharmacy student and future pharmacist.

For years, pharmacy applicants (and all UCAS applicants) had 4,000 characters to tell their story in one continuous piece of writing. This was your opportunity to capture admissions tutors’ attention by explaining your motivations, experiences, skills, and ambitions — all in one carefully crafted essay.

From 2026 onwards, that format will change. The word count remains the same, but instead of one long block of text, you’ll answer three structured questions. This change aims to make the process more approachable, reduce the stress of facing a blank page, and help applicants provide the specific evidence universities are looking for.

But whether you’re applying under the current or new system, the purpose of the personal statement remains unchanged:

➡️ To prove that you have the passion, skills, and dedication needed to thrive in pharmacy.

The Change in Format: From 4,000 Characters to Three Questions

If you’re applying to start university before 2026, you’ll still use the traditional format — a single statement of up to 4,000 characters or 47 lines. From the 2026 entry cycle onwards, UCAS will replace this with three targeted questions, each with a minimum of 350 characters.

The overall limit will still be 4,000 characters (including spaces), but your answers will be split into:

Why do you want to study this course or subject?
How have your qualifications and studies helped you prepare for this course or subject?
What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

This is good news — it creates a clear scaffold for your thinking and ensures you hit the key areas universities expect to see.

Breaking Down the Three New Personal Statement Questions for Pharmacy Applicants

Question 1: Why Do You Want to Study Pharmacy?

This is where you bring your motivation and passion to life.

Universities want to know:

Your inspiration: Was it a family experience with healthcare? A fascination with medicines? A passion for science applied to patient care?
Your understanding of pharmacy: Show you know what the profession involves — not just handing out medicines, but offering clinical advice, working in multidisciplinary teams, managing medicines safely, and contributing to public health.
Your future ambitions: Perhaps you see yourself in hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy, research, industry, or regulation.

Pharmacy-specific examples you could include:

A role model, such as a pharmacist you shadowed, who showed you how vital the profession is to patient safety.
An experience where you saw the impact of medicine optimisation — for example, a patient whose treatment plan was improved through careful monitoring.
Curiosity about pharmacology sparked by learning about how a specific drug works (e.g., monoclonal antibodies in autoimmune disease).

Pro tip: Avoid vague phrases like “I have always wanted to help people” unless you back them up with a concrete example.

Question 2: How Have Your Qualifications and Studies Helped You Prepare?

Here you connect your education to the skills needed in pharmacy.

Think about:

Relevant subjects: A-level Chemistry builds your understanding of molecular structures, bonding, and drug formulation. Biology develops your knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. Mathematics supports pharmaceutical calculations.
Transferable skills:
- Precision and accuracy from lab work → vital for dispensing medicines safely.
- Critical analysis from coursework → helps when evaluating clinical evidence.
- Communication skills from presentations → essential for patient counselling.
Achievements: These could be leadership roles (e.g., prefect, team captain) that show responsibility and decision-making ability.

Pharmacy-specific angle: If you’ve done experiments involving titrations, chromatography, or spectrophotometry, explain how these have given you skills directly relevant to quality control or medicine formulation.

Question 3: What Else Have You Done to Prepare Outside of Education?

This is where you show the breadth of your experiences.

Potential pharmacy-relevant examples:

Work experience: Shadowing in a community pharmacy, hospital, GP surgery, or care home. Even non-healthcare jobs can be relevant — retail can develop customer service and teamwork skills, both vital in pharmacy.
Volunteering: Could be at a vaccination clinic, charity shop, or science outreach event.
Personal experiences: Caring for a relative and understanding the importance of correct medicine use.
Hobbies and extracurricular activities: Sports (teamwork, discipline), music (attention to detail), writing/blogging (communication skills).
Post-education activities: If you’ve been working, highlight skills like time management, organisation, and adaptability.

Reflection is key — don’t just list experiences. Explain why they matter and what they taught you about pharmacy.

Going the Extra Mile: Wider Reading for Pharmacy Applicants

Admissions tutors love seeing evidence that you’ve explored pharmacy beyond the classroom. This shows curiosity, dedication, and an understanding of the wider healthcare landscape.

Recommended sources:

The Pharmaceutical Journal — for industry news, drug developments, and professional insights.
PubMed literature searches — look up studies on specific drugs or clinical trials. For example, researching how SGLT2 inhibitors are used in diabetes management.
Books:
- Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre — explores drug industry practices.
- Bad Science by Ben Goldacre — challenges pseudoscience and promotes evidence-based medicine.
- The Drug Hunters by Donald R. Kirsch — a history of drug discovery.
Clinical trial awareness: Read up on trial phases, ethics, and the role pharmacists play in research.

Pro tip: If you do wider reading, mention what you learned and how it links to pharmacy — e.g., reading a clinical trial paper and understanding the importance of placebo controls.

What Are Universities Looking for in Future Pharmacists?

When writing your statement, remember that pharmacy is a profession that requires:

Accuracy — small mistakes can have serious consequences.
Communication skills — explaining complex information to patients in plain language.
Empathy — understanding patient needs, especially in sensitive situations.
Teamwork — working alongside doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
Problem-solving — resolving medication errors or identifying better treatment options.
Lifelong learning — medicines and guidelines change constantly.

Link your school-developed skills to these competencies. For example:

Efficient note-taking and revision → helps with accuracy in prescription checking.
Science project work → builds analytical skills for interpreting lab results.
Debating society → improves persuasive communication for clinical discussions.

Tailor Your Personal Statement to the Universities You’re Applying To

A common mistake is writing a personal statement that could apply to any healthcare course at any university. Admissions tutors want to see that you’ve done your homework — not just about pharmacy as a profession, but about how their particular course will help you become the pharmacist you want to be.

Before you start writing:

Check the university’s pharmacy course pages — Look at their module list, placements, facilities, and any specialist areas they emphasise.
Note down what excites you — Is it the fact they offer placements in each year? A strong focus on clinical pharmacy? Cutting-edge drug discovery modules?
Match your experiences and interests to their strengths — If they emphasise research projects, mention how you enjoyed analysing data in chemistry practicals or how you’ve read clinical trial papers on PubMed.

Examples:

If a university offers a strong focus on clinical pharmacy, you might write:“I am particularly drawn to [University Name]’s emphasis on patient-facing clinical practice from the first year. My experience volunteering in a vaccination clinic taught me how important clear communication is when advising patients — a skill I am eager to develop further through early placement opportunities.”
If they highlight industrial pharmacy and formulation science, you could write:“[University Name]’s modules in drug formulation and quality control align perfectly with my interest in pharmaceutical manufacturing. My A-level chemistry coursework on solubility and pH control sparked my curiosity in how excipients affect drug stability — a topic I am eager to explore in greater depth.”

By tailoring some of your answers to reflect the specific strengths of each course, you show universities that you’re not just applying blindly — you’ve chosen them because they’re the right environment for you to thrive as a future pharmacist.

Final Thoughts — and a Step-by-Step Resource to Guide You

Writing a pharmacy personal statement can feel overwhelming, but if you:

Understand the purpose behind each question,
Provide clear, pharmacy-relevant examples,
Show curiosity through wider reading, and
Reflect on the skills you’ve built,

…you’ll be in an excellent position to impress admissions tutors.

To make the process even easier, I’ve created a step-by-step personal statement course for pharmacy students. It’s designed to help you adapt to the new UCAS format, avoid common mistakes, and craft compelling answers that highlight your strengths.

Whether you’re applying now or in the 2026 cycle, this guide will walk you through exactly what to include and how to structure it — taking the guesswork out of your application and helping you secure your place at pharmacy school.