Should I mention using illegal drugs as a learning experience?

Question: I was wondering if learning from my mistake of taken ecstasy got me into wanting to learn about drugs and its affects is a good thing to talk about in my PharmCAS essay. I let a reviewer read it and she say that that was a good one, but I don’t know if the admission will look at me different.


Answer: Regarding illicit drug use, I would strongly discourage referencing this in your statement. Or maybe I should say, do so at your own risk. There have been many instances where we have denied admission to otherwise worthy candidates because of concerns with character (and I will lump drug use in that category. I am not personally judging you, but I think you would have many committee members concerned with such an admission of drug use.
I wouldn't want to be anywhere near our dean if we had a student fail a drug test while in school or preparing for clerkships. Obviously, the question would be asked of the committee if we had any idea that this might happen and we would look back at the personal statement and second guess ourselves. I'm sure there are committee members who have dealt with this before and would rather screen you out for just such a reason than deal with the possible headaches later during your academic career. These are extreme examples, I know, but I hope it makes you think about the reasons why you might want to keep something like that private.

I suppose you could spin your experience as having a positive impact on your life, but it wouldn't be something I would mention in my personal statement when applying for a professional school. Good luck with whatever you choose.