Sharing by Le Ngoc Phuong Mai – a freshman at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) – a leading pharmacy school in the United States.

Phuong Mai, could you share about the essay you wrote to win a scholarship from the school? Why does the essay play such an important role in the application? And how can one write an essay that impresses the admissions committee? Regarding my essay, at that time, I liked Harry Potter, and in Harry Potter, there are four houses, and we are sorted into those houses based on our personality. I was sorted into Hufflepuff, which is known for its kindness. From there, I found a way to relate my personality to the extracurricular activities I participated in, like in July about two years ago, I went on a trip to Quang Tri to visit victims of Agent Orange. That trip left me with many unforgettable emotions; I saw circumstances that I never thought I would witness. I connected those feelings and memories from that trip with my love for Harry Potter and wrote my essay.

Do you have any advice for students who are preparing to study in the U.S.?
Besides studying in class, students should also participate in extracurricular activities to develop their emotions and improve soft skills. And after completing any task or participating in any program, students should write down their feelings, the experiences they gained, the successes they achieved, and the failures they went through. Later, when writing an essay, open those journals and remember, “Oh, back then, I did this, and I felt this way…” At that moment, students can compare how they were before and how they have grown, and then find a way to incorporate that into their essay, addressing related topics and questions.
This way, students won’t have to waste time thinking from scratch.

Can you share some tips on writing an essay that meets the word count requirement?
To write a good essay, you should participate in many extracurricular activities to have rich life experiences and material to write about. If you only go to school and then come home, you won’t have enough life experience, and you won’t have enough ideas to choose an engaging topic.
The basic essay will have an introduction, body, and conclusion. You shouldn’t force your essay into any specific framework; what’s important is writing an essay that is engaging and interesting for the reader. The schools I applied to are mostly top-ranked, and these schools receive many applications from students with similar qualifications, so what makes them decide to choose you and even award you a scholarship? It’s the competition reflected in the essay. The essay must show your personal thoughts, experiences, and lessons learned. It must come from the writer’s heart and convey motivation and emotion, making it engaging and compelling. So that when the reader finishes, they still remember you. Therefore, you shouldn’t rigidly adhere to any template for your essay.

Regarding the essay length, Common App only allows 650 words, but I wrote more than 1,000 words (laughs). Writing more isn’t a problem, but when you submit the essay to the system, the software will automatically cut it. I struggled a lot with this. An essay can’t be written in a day or two; it takes at least a few weeks, but I think a few months would be better. First, list out all the ideas you could discuss, but when it comes to writing the essay, only choose one or two prominent ideas. Then, write down all your feelings and what you want to express. After several drafts, you can condense the essay into a concise and complete piece.
When shortening or cutting content to meet the word limit, save each draft so you can compare and see if you accidentally cut out any important ideas. Compare the later versions with the initial one, so if you delete an idea, you can revisit it.
And really, the word limit they set is for a reason; you don’t need to hit the exact word count, just make sure it’s concise and impactful without exceeding the limit.

Could you share how to nurture your emotions and convey them into your essay?
When I was in high school in England, high school students were required to participate in many social activities to contribute to the community. Before going, the volunteers would gather to have fun and get to know each other. At that time, they took us to an amusement park, where we climbed up a very tall pole, about 25 meters, and jumped down – of course, with safety gear. The feeling of jumping from that height, I wrote in a separate notebook, keeping it as a memory. Later, when I started writing my essay, I opened it and was able to recall those previous emotions and experiences.

These are some of Phuong Mai’s shares for students preparing to study in the U.S. Hopefully, these tips will help you get into your dream school in the future.

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