Explanation statement on VMCAS

[fluffpuffbichon]

Hi all, first post on SDN.

I wanted to ask about the explanation statement on VMCAS, and how I can avoid sounding like a whine-y person.

Basically, I've had a lot of personal struggles since freshman year of high school. My personal issues hit me hard when college began, and I've been struggling with depression and anxiety on and off since then. A lot of it was caused by things out of my control, but it seriously has been a LOT of crap happening left and right and that I've had to deal with within the last several years (things like rape, my brother being hit by a car and being admitted to ICU for several days, burglary at my parents home, my own medical issues during college, my mother being diagnosed with cancer, my brother being in jail, my mother passing away with cancer while brother is in jail, I had also taken 4 months or so off school and work to help my mother before she passed away.... etc etc). I sound really whine-y right now, and I get that, but how do I explain that due to my off and on issues at home affecting me, I wasn't able to do my best in school?

I have about a 3.0 ~ 3.1 undergrad GPA, and I don't necessarily have a "clear-cut" time when I suddenly did worse or suddenly did better, and it being reflective on my transcripts. Overall, it might have been just that the some of course work was hard and that all I needed to do was to study even harder?-- who knows. I've always worked on being logical about my emotions so I kept thinking that although all this crap was happening around me, it doesn't/didn't affect my studying, but I feel like I might benefit explaining myself to vet schools that all of this was happening while I attempted my best at keeping things together. I am also the first from my entire family (incl. extended family) to graduate from a 4 year college, and didn't get any support from my parents for school, but I don't know how much vet schools care about that.

I've read other things in the forums saying that you just need to include what you've learned from it and how you overcame it but since a lot of it are things that was totally out of my control, I'm not sure how to explain? It's definitely made me more resilient and tenacious, as well as someone who's capable of handling a lot of things at once without breaking in half, and I doubt anything academic will make me depressed like how a lot of graduate level students experience. Should I list it rather than writing (basically) a novel?

I don't quite think it's appropriate to clump it all to "personal struggles 2009 - present," and I'm not sure what a good approach would it be for this topic.



TLDR; Lots of personal struggles during college, affecting undergrad GPA. No clear cut time frame on when I had done better or worse. First person from entire family to pursue higher education. How to include in my app all my struggles (all independent events, and at different times throughout my time in college leading up to now) without sounding like I'm trying to buy pity?

Thanks everyone! :)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

I'm in a similar boat, but years out now. The official line is that many difficult events happened both to you and those around you. You may not need to go into further detail if you can say that they made you aware of your strength, your ability to overcome emotional turmoil and still succeed.
Years out from undergrad, I've had a lot more crazy crap happen. I got to show people who matter exactly how I deal with intense situations this year and now they will be writing recs for me. I now know that I don't need to explain exactly what happened anymore, just what my response was.
Prior explanation statements went into too much detail and apparently gave them reasons to reject me: her life is too hectic and complicated, she has no family support, she barely survived undergrad why does she think vet school will be different? That was not the point I wanted to make. So now, if they want to know more... they can ask me when they invite me to interview!

 

[fluffpuffbichon]

Ah, thanks so much for your input! I don't think a lot of people I see on the forums here go too much into detail with their explanation statements (a lot of it seems like 1 event happened, which caused a tank in the grades, but did well after the ordeal, kind of thing). It sounds like you've already applied before and included an explanation statement. How did you write it? I'm not sure what kind of "format" they want to read it in, cause I don't know how much effort they put into reading those.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

I don't know yet how much space they've given us for explanations, but in the past it's been about 2 paragraphs. What they really seem to want from most students is a bullet point list to explain inconsistencies:
-BIO 540 could only be listed as a full letter grade but I scored a 89.5 and the professor does not round.
or
- While my overall GPA may be low, there is a general upward trend as I learned how to manage 18 credits and a full time job or 2.

You can also write in story form:
In West Philidelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool...
or
Undergrad was not a cake walk. It is where I met my soul mate but also where my super abilities first appeared. Chemistry was difficult when every time I saw Lois in that mini skirt I also tended to super heat my beakers. Needless to say, I nearly failed my lab...
or if there is just too much drama, write something that let's them know how life affected you, ignoring the depths of your despair and what the result was. In this case you focus on the benefits of the stupid crap that happened but whatever you do: BE BRIEF!

I tend to need to do a combo of the bullets and a short story. I haven't figured out how I want to do it this year yet...

According to the advisors, all of the above work, as long as you make it about how you were improved not about how much life sucked.

 

[Minnerbelle]

-BIO 540 could only be listed as a full letter grade but I scored a 89.5 and the professor does not round.

That has got to be the most asinine explanation statement I've ever come across...

the explanation statement can be interpreted to mean whatever you want, but what you choose to list on there absolutely reflects on your character.

Like... A great explanation statement would be something like how your 2.9 gpa for the first two years of school was subpar because your parents were unemployed/sick or whatever and you needed to work full time to help support your family and there were other stressors in your life outside of school, and that your 3.7 gpa over the past 2 years is more indicative of your true abilities.

Or like explaining leave of absences, arrests, disciplinary actions are things adcoms are interested in.

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

I agree, but I actually have an advisor who wants me to mention the 89.5 I have in one class because I nearly have a 4.0 and my crappy undergrad grades are what they cite in every prior deny review. He suggests a bullet system to list seperate event and use order to tie them together.
Every situation is different. There are people for whom info listed is an apt way to approach an explanation. Depite my advisor's recommendation, I'm not sure it's right for me either.

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

4.0 in my MS, sorry.
2.7 in my BS

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

The bullet system seems to make the most sense for people who have "easy" problems: Their school uses quarters not semesters, they need to use an advanced course to cover a pre-req, their year abroad was in the middle of school and while no credits were applied they did study plankton biology... just stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else. Every advisor has told me that this is where it goes.

But for anyone with more drama in their lives, this is also the chance to show that while the giant stepped on you, you weren't even slightly broken. In fact, you rose above.

 

[LadyOtheFarm]

I've been told that this is a really common way to write these. Similar to: "I wanna go to vet school because I've always loved animals."
People love to write about how they didn't get to do their best because of anyone else they can blame. Sometimes it is true. But what they want to read is not a bummer story about poor broken student x, but the super hero creation story.
Superman could be a story about the poor orphan kid that never fit in and ran away to the north pole to get away from all the people who shunned him for being different. The story we would rather hear is how those differences made him not only stronger, but more moral than he would have been without the challenges. So while Clark Kent was found naked and afraid in a field, he grew to be loved by an entire planet for what he did IN RESPONSE to those challenges.

I only listed the other bit because it has been recommended, it does sometimes fit some people, and the last supplemental I filled out had what I wrote as a near direct example of what they thought applicants should put. I agree: dumb. Obviously dumb.

But, I will not be writing what I wrote the first year I applied: Mother stole all my money, threatened to kill my siblings, nearly killed me when I went home for Christmas break, I worked up to 80 hours per week while taking a minimum of 17 credits and lived out of my car... blah, blah, blah. They don't need to know what broken me looked like. Just that that same person wrote all this while rocking a teething baby while her new loving family supports her in her endeavors.

Does that make sense?

 

[Jess Monster]

Some things I would suggest:

1. Don't mention mental health issues unless you're prepared to talk about them and can discuss how you're managing them (counseling, medication, etc.).

2. Don't mention events you may not be comfortable talking about with complete strangers (like a sexual assault).

3. I would not mention your brother's incarceration unless you are his legal guardian and had to attend to his court dates or are financially dependent upon him in some way. I'm sure it's a stressful family event, but its impacts on you are likely indirect. Plus, I'm cynical and this goes through my head, "Your brother went to jail and you ended up getting some C's? That's terrible for you."

Remember to write your explanation statement up and share it with friends for feedback before you submit your application.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

Did you touch upon your struggles and somehow tie them in to your personal statement? If you did talk about them already and how they've influenced you and made you a better/stronger person, I feel the explanation statement should be be kept short and sweet and more of a bullet point list rather than drawn out prose. My opinion might be wrong, and I know my situation is different, but here's what I did:

My personal statement tied in a lot of my life-experiences and connected them to vet med and my preparation for vet med education. I went into enough detail to highlight my growth and increased maturity/wisdom from the situations, but not so much that it seemed "poor me." These included being a caregiver for my father during his battle/death from cancer and my spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed.

From there, I used the explanation statement to expand a bit (using bullet points only) on the situations. For example, I know committees will wonder "Is he completely paralyzed from the neck down? Can he meet minimum standards? Is he independent? etc, etc." I put this for my disability:

"Disability/Medical Explanations

– T12/L1 spinal cord injury
– Loss of motor function/sensation below navel
– Chronic neuropathic pain and fatigue (managed with lifestyle and medication)
– Recurrent skin integrity issues (pressure sores)
– Independent in all activities of daily living and transportation
– Full-time use of a manual wheelchair

I'd rather the committee know what they're getting into and understand my situation than for me to show up to an interview and be greeted with "WTF!?!" faces.

 

[finnickthedog]

1. Don't mention mental health issues unless you're prepared to talk about them and can discuss how you're managing them (counseling, medication, etc.).

Assuming you are prepared to talk about how you're managing them... but the school you're applying to does MMIs rather than interviews so you aren't going to get asked anything further than what you put... would say is inadvisable to mention mental health issues in an explanation statement?

I'm having serious debates with myself over whether to use the explanation statement or not.

On the one hand, I've heard that mentioning it at all can be a red flag.

On the other hand I had a god awful semester (like 1.9 semester gpa) and being that my grades on the whole are not great--but nowhere near that bad--I wonder whether just leaving that sitting there with no explanation might not do me any favors either.

Plus I'm mildly concerned that one of references might mention my condition. They really shouldn't because I can't imagine why it would be relevant, but it's not like I asked them not to and at this point in my life I'm very used to people thinking it's okay to just bring these things up.

On the off chance that they do mention it, again I worry that having it out there with zero explanation from me also won't do my favors.

Opinions from you or anyone else would be great. I'm writing an explanation statement just in case I end up using it... but I'm just really unsure.

 

[Jess Monster]

If you have a condition that has impacted your ability to function normally, even if temporarily, I would consider mentioning it in an explanation statement, especially if it has impacted your academics. Though to go a little further, I think it's important to remember that mental health issues are still very stigmatized and how you discuss your struggles is important to a person who will be judging you for a professional program. To me that makes the management aspect key because it shows people who are relative strangers to you that you can recognize when you have a problem and you're willing to seek out help. At the end of the day, that's what admissions people want to know, how does this person deal with adversity?

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I think that, with proper phrasing/wording that you're comfortable with, you can talk about deeply personal information without laying it all out on the table. Things like sexual assault and mental health are painful to discuss, more so on paper with a character limit. I suggest having a lot of proofreaders (who you are comfortable sharing this information with). The biggest thing to remember is that an explanation statement is necessarily where you can attempt to 'excuse' bad semesters/grades, but where you can explain why your academics might not reflect your true ability, and how you have/are improving and how. You don't know who is reading this statement, so you could have one person say "Well, that's not a good enough excuse for these low grades." And another say "Wow, I'm impressed this applicant pulled through like that."

My first cycle, I used the explanation statement. My dad was pretty sick...he spent the majority of a semester in the hospital. Between driving home to see my family, working 2 jobs, volunteering, and 16 credits, my grades dipped. Maybe I should have cut a job or something...too late now. I had no success that cycle, but no one mentioned my statement in my file reviews. I didn't use it my 2nd try, and I'm attending school this fall. No one specifically asked about my lowest semester, either. Part of me really thinks adcoms skip or skim over the essay/statement, but that's just my opinion.

Assuming you are prepared to talk about how you're managing them... but the school you're applying to does MMIs rather than interviews so you aren't going to get asked anything further than what you put... would say is inadvisable to mention mental health issues in an explanation statement?

I'm having serious debates with myself over whether to use the explanation statement or not.

On the one hand, I've heard that mentioning it at all can be a red flag.

On the other hand I had a god awful semester (like 1.9 semester gpa) and being that my grades on the whole are not great--but nowhere near that bad--I wonder whether just leaving that sitting there with no explanation might not do me any favors either.

Plus I'm mildly concerned that one of references might mention my condition. They really shouldn't because I can't imagine why it would be relevant, but it's not like I asked them not to and at this point in my life I'm very used to people thinking it's okay to just bring these things up.

On the off chance that they do mention it, again I worry that having it out there with zero explanation from me also won't do my favors.

Opinions from you or anyone else would be great. I'm writing an explanation statement just in case I end up using it... but I'm just really unsure.

Maybe since there isn't a lot of context...but your reference has no business mentioning a private medical condition on a letter of recommendation. I can't really think of a situation where it'd be appropriate.

 

[finnickthedog]

Maybe since there isn't a lot of context...but your reference has no business mentioning a private medical condition on a letter of recommendation. I can't really think of a situation where it'd be appropriate.

I agree... but I've watched people that I thought should know better bring it up in situations where it's not really appropriate so maybe I'm just a little paranoid about it because of that. It seems like people don't really consider it private--even though they should. I mean, perfect example is that all of my references know about my issue and I am not the one who told any of them, so this worry of mine doesn't come from nowhere... but I get that I may be being a bit irrational here.

Which is part of why I'm just really uncertain about whether to bother with the explanation statement or not. I am leaning towards "no" at the moment... but I'm not set either way.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I agree... but I've watched people that I thought should know better bring it up in situations where it's not really appropriate so maybe I'm just a little paranoid about it because of that. It seems like people don't really consider it private--even though they should. I mean, perfect example is that all of my references know about my issue and I am not the one who told any of them, so this worry of mine doesn't come from nowhere... but I get that I may be being a bit irrational here.

Which is part of why I'm just really uncertain about whether to bother with the explanation statement or not. I am leaning towards "no" at the moment... but I'm not set either way.

Is there any way you could talk to this evaluator about it? I know it'd be kind of awkward...but I mean really. If you are that concerned about it, you obviously have a reason to be.

 

[Caiter92]

Now I'm torn if I should even use the explanation statement.

I had a really bad quarter where my grades tanked due to health issues, and I even ended up applying for and receiving a hardship withdrawal in a class for it. All Ive said in mine right now is that there were health issues, they impeded my ability to perform to my ability in school, and I think my subsequent quarters better reflect on my academic ability.

That's not exactly what I wrote, but it's still very short (maybe three or four sentences?) and is basically just acknowledging that quarter. Should I even bother?

 

[dyachei]

Now I'm torn if I should even use the explanation statement.

I had a really bad quarter where my grades tanked due to health issues, and I even ended up applying for and receiving a hardship withdrawal in a class for it. All Ive said in mine right now is that there were health issues, they impeded my ability to perform to my ability in school, and I think my subsequent quarters better reflect on my academic ability.

That's not exactly what I wrote, but it's still very short (maybe three or four sentences?) and is basically just acknowledging that quarter. Should I even bother?

Yes. Short is fine.

 

[fluffpuffbichon]

I don't know yet how much space they've given us for explanations, but in the past it's been about 2 paragraphs. What they really seem to want from most students is a bullet point list to explain inconsistencies

Since mine wasn't an inconsistency with a trend or anything, should I even bother writing anything in the explanation statement...?

Did you touch upon your struggles and somehow tie them in to your personal statement? If you did talk about them already and how they've influenced you and made you a better/stronger person, I feel the explanation statement should be be kept short and sweet and more of a bullet point list rather than drawn out prose.

I sort of hinted that since my family had no placed any importance on higher education, I basically pushed myself through college and explored different environments in the animal industry... I'm not sure if that is something that explains enough about my situation...?

If you have a condition that has impacted your ability to function normally, even if temporarily, I would consider mentioning it in an explanation statement, especially if it has impacted your academics. Though to go a little further, I think it's important to remember that mental health issues are still very stigmatized and how you discuss your struggles is important to a person who will be judging you for a professional program. To me that makes the management aspect key because it shows people who are relative strangers to you that you can recognize when you have a problem and you're willing to seek out help. At the end of the day, that's what admissions people want to know, how does this person deal with adversity?

That's a good point. But in my case, I didn't really seek 'professional' help. Although I can definitely say that I'm a much better person, I can handle a lot of stress, and that it's given allowed me to relate to a lot of different people -- just overall a stronger, better person. Is this something to highlight on my personal statement or explanation statement?

 

[LetItSnow]

I'd rather the committee know what they're getting into and understand my situation than for me to show up to an interview and be greeted with "WTF!?!" faces.

I think that's a pretty mature thing to do giving them the head's up so they don't have to be surprised and then try to cover up their surprise. I'd give you points just for that.

 

[wheelin2vetmed]

I think that's a pretty mature thing to do giving them the head's up so they don't have to be surprised and then try to cover up their surprise. I'd give you points just for that.

Points from LetItSnow, cha ching!

 

[LetItSnow]

Points from LetItSnow, cha ching!

Wouldn't it be nice if they actually counted for something? Alas......

 

[Cocobear88]

So I am planning on expanding more on my path towards vetmed ( I was originally premed not by choice). I have already discussed my academic struggles ( I failed all my finals after fracturing my face and suffering from a major head concussion, blah blah) in other parts of my application. Should I discuss these topics again or discussed my new topic that is related to my personal statement? Please let me know your thoughts! I also have a 3.7 GPA (from making only 4.0s after freshman year), working in a vet clinic, and am about to take my GRE. I'm done with almost everything in my app except my freaking explanation essay! Haha SO if anyone has any advice on what I can do to spruce my app I'd love to get some advice! TY!

 

[clairebear210]

Would it be appropriate to mention an abusive relationship on the explanation statement? It definitely affected my grades because my significant other used to berate me for studying too much, but I still graduated early and finished school with a 3.12. I just did poorly for a few semesters, but I don't want to sound like a whiner. I ended up getting out and going to counseling for depression and codependency, and I am doing much better now.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Would it be appropriate to mention an abusive relationship on the explanation statement? It definitely affected my grades because my significant other used to berate me for studying too much, but I still graduated early and finished school with a 3.12. I just did poorly for a few semesters, but I don't want to sound like a whiner. I ended up getting out and going to counseling for depression and codependency, and I am doing much better now.

IMO, it depends on how personal you want to get on your statement. I don't know how specific/detailed most people get on their statements, but it's solely dependent on how comfortable you are with potentially subjecting yourself to questions about it during an interview. I'm also not totally sure how comfortable interviewers would be about bringing it up. You wouldn't sound like a whiner provided you address how you've improved and maybe even provide a few examples of it.

 

[battie]

I would not mention your brother's incarceration unless you are his legal guardian and had to attend to his court dates or are financially dependent upon him in some way. I'm sure it's a stressful family event, but its impacts on you are likely indirect. Plus, I'm cynical and this goes through my head, "Your brother went to jail and you ended up getting some C's? That's terrible for you."

I can see where you're coming from here and I agree with you. Asking for advice, what would your opinion be in my situation? My sister and boyfriend's sister were at the Aurora movie theater shooting and one girl was shot. I left for RA training two weeks later and the rest of the semester was a suck fest as far as mental health for everyone all the way around. My grades certainly suffered because of the event and the mental and emotional healing that happened during that year.

Would you suggest mentioning it? I have put it in my explanation statement for all my applications and it hasn't been brought up at all during reviews. I mention it because grades were not the priority that following semester (or really even the semester after that), the mental and emotional problems everyone was experiencing were. I failed organic chemistry that semester (otherwise would have a 3.4 or 3.5 for the semester) and subsequently got a B- when I retook the class the following summer.

 

[kieradi721]

If it is truly something that affected your life and academic performance, mention it. Just be sure to write it in the proper way. Know how to differentiate emotions with professionalism in stating what happened. Also, make sure to assure them in your interview that it's certainly a hurdle you've overcome and grown from.

 

[sheltermed]

Hi all, first post on SDN.

I wanted to ask about the explanation statement on VMCAS, and how I can avoid sounding like a whine-y person.

Basically, I've had a lot of personal struggles since freshman year of high school. My personal issues hit me hard when college began, and I've been struggling with depression and anxiety on and off since then. A lot of it was caused by things out of my control, but it seriously has been a LOT of crap happening left and right and that I've had to deal with within the last several years (things like rape, my brother being hit by a car and being admitted to ICU for several days, burglary at my parents home, my own medical issues during college, my mother being diagnosed with cancer, my brother being in jail, my mother passing away with cancer while brother is in jail, I had also taken 4 months or so off school and work to help my mother before she passed away.... etc etc). I sound really whine-y right now, and I get that, but how do I explain that due to my off and on issues at home affecting me, I wasn't able to do my best in school?

I have about a 3.0 ~ 3.1 undergrad GPA, and I don't necessarily have a "clear-cut" time when I suddenly did worse or suddenly did better, and it being reflective on my transcripts. Overall, it might have been just that the some of course work was hard and that all I needed to do was to study even harder?-- who knows. I've always worked on being logical about my emotions so I kept thinking that although all this crap was happening around me, it doesn't/didn't affect my studying, but I feel like I might benefit explaining myself to vet schools that all of this was happening while I attempted my best at keeping things together. I am also the first from my entire family (incl. extended family) to graduate from a 4 year college, and didn't get any support from my parents for school, but I don't know how much vet schools care about that.

I've read other things in the forums saying that you just need to include what you've learned from it and how you overcame it but since a lot of it are things that was totally out of my control, I'm not sure how to explain? It's definitely made me more resilient and tenacious, as well as someone who's capable of handling a lot of things at once without breaking in half, and I doubt anything academic will make me depressed like how a lot of graduate level students experience. Should I list it rather than writing (basically) a novel?

I don't quite think it's appropriate to clump it all to "personal struggles 2009 - present," and I'm not sure what a good approach would it be for this topic.



TLDR; Lots of personal struggles during college, affecting undergrad GPA. No clear cut time frame on when I had done better or worse. First person from entire family to pursue higher education. How to include in my app all my struggles (all independent events, and at different times throughout my time in college leading up to now) without sounding like I'm trying to buy pity?

Thanks everyone! :)

So, my situation is similar to the OP in that "I have about a 3.0 ~ 3.1 undergrad GPA, and I don't necessarily have a "clear-cut" time when I suddenly did worse or suddenly did better, and it being reflective on my transcripts." I have an explanation statement written out, but I'm told it's going to draw negative attention to my application and I should perhaps not utilize this section at all. I haven't received much feedback beyond this from just a couple people, so I was hoping to get some more comments/suggestions. It reads:

After graduating high school in June 2011, the following August I began college at _________ (no credits earned at this institution). Approximately one month into classes, a death in my immediate family required me to leave the college in order to assist my family, mainly with caring for my young half-siblings. In addition to helping my family, I worked full-time during my year away from college.

In August 2012, I began attending classes at _________. Because I was responsible for paying my tuition at this time and was ineligible for financial aid, I was only able to take two courses. I was able to obtain financial assistance from my family for subsequent semesters, allowing full-time attendance. During my two years at _________, I maintained part-time employment to manage financial obligations.

In August 2014, I began attending classes at _________. Halfway through the semester, another death in my immediate family had occurred, which lead to the need to withdraw from several classes. I attempted to remain a student in the Spring, but ended up taking the year off to help family and regroup. During this time, I received treatment for depression and anxiety, which, along with the aforementioned experiences, have helped provide me with a unique tenacity that pushes me to continue working hard despite difficult circumstances. I worked both part- and full-time jobs during this year.

In January 2016, prior to beginning classes again, I was diagnosed with ADHD and was started on new medication. I am currently still working through a proper medication regimen with my doctor and receive weekly counseling in order to continue learning strategies for coping with traumatic events, time management, and other executive skills.

I have made some slight changes/additions since the couple of people who have read this so far. I think the main concern is that this sounds too negative? That I didn't end on enough of a positive note? I can say that I already have learned these skills, which I have, but I am definitely still a work in progress and still working through these issues - so I can't say everything is 100% "better."

Any thoughts?

 

[Jess Monster]

So, my situation is similar to the OP in that "I have about a 3.0 ~ 3.1 undergrad GPA, and I don't necessarily have a "clear-cut" time when I suddenly did worse or suddenly did better, and it being reflective on my transcripts." I have an explanation statement written out, but I'm told it's going to draw negative attention to my application and I should perhaps not utilize this section at all. I haven't received much feedback beyond this from just a couple people, so I was hoping to get some more comments/suggestions. It reads:

After graduating high school in June 2011, the following August I began college at _________ (no credits earned at this institution). Approximately one month into classes, a death in my immediate family required me to leave the college in order to assist my family, mainly with caring for my young half-siblings. In addition to helping my family, I worked full-time during my year away from college.

In August 2012, I began attending classes at _________. Because I was responsible for paying my tuition at this time and was ineligible for financial aid, I was only able to take two courses. I was able to obtain financial assistance from my family for subsequent semesters, allowing full-time attendance. During my two years at _________, I maintained part-time employment to manage financial obligations.

In August 2014, I began attending classes at _________. Halfway through the semester, another death in my immediate family had occurred, which lead to the need to withdraw from several classes. I attempted to remain a student in the Spring, but ended up taking the year off to help family and regroup. During this time, I received treatment for depression and anxiety, which, along with the aforementioned experiences, have helped provide me with a unique tenacity that pushes me to continue working hard despite difficult circumstances. I worked both part- and full-time jobs during this year.

In January 2016, prior to beginning classes again, I was diagnosed with ADHD and was started on new medication. I am currently still working through a proper medication regimen with my doctor and receive weekly counseling in order to continue learning strategies for coping with traumatic events, time management, and other executive skills.

I have made some slight changes/additions since the couple of people who have read this so far. I think the main concern is that this sounds too negative? That I didn't end on enough of a positive note? I can say that I already have learned these skills, which I have, but I am definitely still a work in progress and still working through these issues - so I can't say everything is 100% "better."

Any thoughts?

I would get rid of the second piece. Lots of students work part-time or full-time jobs to support themselves and their families. If you're asked more specifically about financial hardships on a supplemental application, that would be a better place to discuss work and financial aid troubles.

I would also mention the specific relationship of the immediate family members who died. I feel that is important information that allows the reader to better understand your situation. Leaving it at "death in my immediate family" is too vague and too open to interpretation - will you and the reader have the same definition of immediate family? Ex: If a parent or other guardian died, I can understand and empathize with how that loss could negatively impact college attendance and family finances. Now if a cousin died, I'd need a little more explanation about how that loss led, basically, to dropping out of college.

Overall, only mention things that you absolutely believe have hindered your academic progress. Be concise. End in a positive note.

 

[dvmcatdog]

I would get rid of the second piece. Lots of students work part-time or full-time jobs to support themselves and their families. If you're asked more specifically about financial hardships on a supplemental application, that would be a better place to discuss work and financial aid troubles.

I would also mention the specific relationship of the immediate family members who died. I feel that is important information that allows the reader to better understand your situation. Leaving it at "death in my immediate family" is too vague and too open to interpretation - will you and the reader have the same definition of immediate family? Ex: If a parent or other guardian died, I can understand and empathize with how that loss could negatively impact college attendance and family finances. Now if a cousin died, I'd need a little more explanation about how that loss led, basically, to dropping out of college.

Overall, only mention things that you absolutely believe have hindered your academic progress. Be concise. End in a positive note.

Would mentioning financial troubles make admissions hesitate to accept because of the debt to income ratio?

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Would mentioning financial troubles make admissions hesitate to accept because of the debt to income ratio?

I would think yes and no. They expect you to be aware of the financial situation you're getting yourself into (with that being said, my class lost someone in the first month because she got cold feet regarding the debt). On the other hand, they may think you don't have a clue about what you're going to be paying for the next four years if you're citing financial problems as having an effect on your academics. Pretty much every veterinary student is flat broke and living off of their loans. If you have current financial issues, dropping everything to go to school may seem strange too. It probably depends on how you spin it, what the details are, etc. There are plenty of people who have gone to veterinary school with past financial, legal, family, etc. troubles. I wouldn't assume that bringing it up would automatically reject you. In general, use the explanation statement carefully and word it well. Have a lot of people read it.

 

[vetmedhead]

I would get rid of the second piece. Lots of students work part-time or full-time jobs to support themselves and their families. If you're asked more specifically about financial hardships on a supplemental application, that would be a better place to discuss work and financial aid troubles.

I would also mention the specific relationship of the immediate family members who died. I feel that is important information that allows the reader to better understand your situation. Leaving it at "death in my immediate family" is too vague and too open to interpretation - will you and the reader have the same definition of immediate family? Ex: If a parent or other guardian died, I can understand and empathize with how that loss could negatively impact college attendance and family finances. Now if a cousin died, I'd need a little more explanation about how that loss led, basically, to dropping out of college.

Overall, only mention things that you absolutely believe have hindered your academic progress. Be concise. End in a positive note.

To me, immediate family refers to parents, siblings, spouses and children, similar to how medical forms use the term when asking for history.

 

[EngrSC]

My thought ... is an explanation statement necessary if academic performance hasn't been an upward trend? I'm not sure that I personally would want to bring attention to my weaknesses unless I could say 'look how awesome I am now'.
Thoughts from others on this?

@sheltermed - I think your verbiage is fine. Agree with others about ending on a positive note

 

[cheathac]

I also had a question. Is it ok to leave it blank? My grades have been solid.. Just 4/5 Bs with an upward trend.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[dyachei]

yes, you can leave it blank if you don't need it.

 

[sheltermed]

I would get rid of the second piece. Lots of students work part-time or full-time jobs to support themselves and their families. If you're asked more specifically about financial hardships on a supplemental application, that would be a better place to discuss work and financial aid troubles.

I would also mention the specific relationship of the immediate family members who died. I feel that is important information that allows the reader to better understand your situation. Leaving it at "death in my immediate family" is too vague and too open to interpretation - will you and the reader have the same definition of immediate family? Ex: If a parent or other guardian died, I can understand and empathize with how that loss could negatively impact college attendance and family finances. Now if a cousin died, I'd need a little more explanation about how that loss led, basically, to dropping out of college.

Overall, only mention things that you absolutely believe have hindered your academic progress. Be concise. End in a positive note.

What were you referring to with "the second piece?" I think that's the part where I explained why I attended school part time (it was a 6 credit semester) which - to my understanding - isn't ideal. (isn't 15+ credits per semester the recommended amount?) I also thought I'd mention my jobs because they definitely limited the amount of time I was able to devote to school. Between having ADHD and working and family issues, school was difficult, to say the least haha. Anyway--let me know what you meant! Thanks

 

[Jess Monster]

What were you referring to with "the second piece?" I think that's the part where I explained why I attended school part time (it was a 6 credit semester) which - to my understanding - isn't ideal. (isn't 15+ credits per semester the recommended amount?) I also thought I'd mention my jobs because they definitely limited the amount of time I was able to devote to school. Between having ADHD and working and family issues, school was difficult, to say the least haha. Anyway--let me know what you meant! Thanks

This part...

In August 2012, I began attending classes at _________. Because I was responsible for paying my tuition at this time and was ineligible for financial aid, I was only able to take two courses. I was able to obtain financial assistance from my family for subsequent semesters, allowing full-time attendance. During my two years at _________, I maintained part-time employment to manage financial obligations.

Other parts of your application will state how many credits you took and how many hours a week you were working. Personally, I don't see one semester (or more) of 6 credits being a big deal. Lots of people go to school on a part-time basis and work to support themselves. You don't really need to explain that... and, honestly, it's better for you not to draw attention to it. What's ideal isn't always realistic. If a school wants to talk about any semester in which you weren't a full-time student, let them bring it up in an interview. Do discuss your recent ADHD diagnosis. Of all of the things you've discussed, this is where you can easily point a finger and say, "This is what has hindered me from achieving my academic potential." No one will argue with that.

 

[vetmedhead]

This part...


Other parts of your application will state how many credits you took and how many hours a week you were working. Personally, I don't see one semester (or more) of 6 credits being a big deal. Lots of people go to school on a part-time basis and work to support themselves. You don't really need to explain that... and, honestly, it's better for you not to draw attention to it. What's ideal isn't always realistic. If a school wants to talk about any semester in which you weren't a full-time student, let them bring it up in an interview. Do discuss your recent ADHD diagnosis. Of all of the things you've discussed, this is where you can easily point a finger and say, "This is what has hindered me from achieving my academic potential." No one will argue with that.

I don't entirely disagree with you here, but a few thoughts on this:

Not all schools interview, and I would also argue that schools do care about your work schedule relative to your school schedule and/or why you had to work so much (depending on the situation). They will never know why that was a 6 credit semester unless OP tells them. If I recall correctly, VMCAS doesn't explicitly ask you to list out your work hours per week for each semester (i. e. even though you can enter work as an experience, you cannot specifically show a semester break down at a glance that shows that you took 6 credit hours and worked 40 hours a week one semester and took 15 credit hours and worked 5 hours a week at the same job another semester). Schools would have to look at work timelines and put the information together themselves, which may not always happen readily.

Not receiving financial support from someone else during undergrad is important information for a school to know, because many students do receive support from their parents etc. and are not fully financially independent. This gives those students more potential opportunity to volunteer (and get vet hours), focus on school, and participate in extracurriculars without having to worry about rent/food/electricity/etc. Students who have to work to support themselves may find they have more limited access to opportunities like that due to the need to be able to financially support themselves.

It may also give a school a chance to recognize that a student comes from a disadvantaged background/upbringing, which some schools take into consideration when reviewing candidates.

I would also strongly argue against "not drawing attention" to potential weak spots in your applications. Adcoms are not stupid and they recognize weak spots when they see them. I think it is better to face those spots frankly and acknowledge them as you see fit.

 

[sheltermed]

I don't entirely disagree with you here, but a few thoughts on this:

Not all schools interview, and I would also argue that schools do care about your work schedule relative to your school schedule and/or why you had to work so much (depending on the situation). They will never know why that was a 6 credit semester unless OP tells them. If I recall correctly, VMCAS doesn't explicitly ask you to list out your work hours per week for each semester (i. e. even though you can enter work as an experience, you cannot specifically show a semester break down at a glance that shows that you took 6 credit hours and worked 40 hours a week one semester and took 15 credit hours and worked 5 hours a week at the same job another semester). Schools would have to look at work timelines and put the information together themselves, which may not always happen readily.

Not receiving financial support from someone else during undergrad is important information for a school to know, because many students do receive support from their parents etc. and are not fully financially independent. This gives those students more potential opportunity to volunteer (and get vet hours), focus on school, and participate in extracurriculars without having to worry about rent/food/electricity/etc. Students who have to work to support themselves may find they have more limited access to opportunities like that due to the need to be able to financially support themselves.

It may also give a school a chance to recognize that a student comes from a disadvantaged background/upbringing, which some schools take into consideration when reviewing candidates.

I would also strongly argue against "not drawing attention" to potential weak spots in your applications. Adcoms are not stupid and they recognize weak spots when they see them. I think it is better to face those spots frankly and acknowledge them as you see fit.

Do you agree about specifying who I had lost in my family? Thank you for the feedback, as always!

Sent from my SM-G935V using SDN mobile

 

[Jess Monster]

I would also strongly argue against "not drawing attention" to potential weak spots in your applications. Adcoms are not stupid and they recognize weak spots when they see them. I think it is better to face those spots frankly and acknowledge them as you see fit.

My opinion is that a single semester or two of part-time status and non-failing grades while working is not a "weak spot" you have to explain or feel a need to excuse. Every applicant has 2000 characters on VMCAS to briefly explain anything that may have impacted their academic career. If you're an applicant who has multiple issues to discuss, be choosy with what you discuss and how you discuss it in that section.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I don't entirely disagree with you here, but a few thoughts on this:

Not all schools interview, and I would also argue that schools do care about your work schedule relative to your school schedule and/or why you had to work so much (depending on the situation). They will never know why that was a 6 credit semester unless OP tells them. If I recall correctly, VMCAS doesn't explicitly ask you to list out your work hours per week for each semester (i. e. even though you can enter work as an experience, you cannot specifically show a semester break down at a glance that shows that you took 6 credit hours and worked 40 hours a week one semester and took 15 credit hours and worked 5 hours a week at the same job another semester). Schools would have to look at work timelines and put the information together themselves, which may not always happen readily.

Not receiving financial support from someone else during undergrad is important information for a school to know, because many students do receive support from their parents etc. and are not fully financially independent. This gives those students more potential opportunity to volunteer (and get vet hours), focus on school, and participate in extracurriculars without having to worry about rent/food/electricity/etc. Students who have to work to support themselves may find they have more limited access to opportunities like that due to the need to be able to financially support themselves.

It may also give a school a chance to recognize that a student comes from a disadvantaged background/upbringing, which some schools take into consideration when reviewing candidates.

I would also strongly argue against "not drawing attention" to potential weak spots in your applications. Adcoms are not stupid and they recognize weak spots when they see them. I think it is better to face those spots frankly and acknowledge them as you see fit.

I just wanna throw my two cents in here...I've been flat out told by adcoms that using a full-time work schedule as a reason for weak spots isn't going to sway anyone. Working full time while taking part time classes isn't unique. Heck, working full time while taking a full course load is becoming more and more common. Also, you'd be surprised how many students are on their own 100% when they begin undergrad. I'm not sure that I would assume that students without any support were unable to get as much non-academic experience. I'm not trying to toot my own horn at all, but I held two jobs (which brought me to ~40 hours each week) and volunteered each week, all while taking a full load. I finished undergrad with a little over 1000 hours. There are many other SDNers who have done the same/similar. The 'problem' with pre-vet students is that the majority are type A, highly overachieving students that can spread themselves thin and survive. A school may still care to hear you worked 40 hours a week, but there is definitely a lot of "okay, so did x% of the entire applicant pool."

I'm certainly not trying to discount anyone who had a different experience than me or insinuate they didn't work hard or anything of the sort. I just want it said that a rigorous schedule is not as unique as you may think it is, and not all schools will see it as a valid reason to be part time or have less than stellar grades. However, everyone's situation is unique. If you feel you can adequately express your situation in a way that isn't making excuses or sounding whiny, go for it. Just have a lot of proofreaders.

Also, not all schools specifically use academic rigor (what institution you attended, how many courses you took at once, what kind of courses you took and when) when making decisions. You could chat with the schools and see if/how much they value rigor and make decisions off of that as well. I had a single semester of 10 credits (because of scheduling issues) and it wasn't brought up. I agree that one single semester is not likely to do you in, especially if you've been doing well in more rigorous semesters. Don't over-stress about the explanation statement. Sometimes I feel it's best to leave it blank if you really aren't comfortable with what you've written.

 

[sheltermed]

I just wanna throw my two cents in here...I've been flat out told by adcoms that using a full-time work schedule as a reason for weak spots isn't going to sway anyone. Working full time while taking part time classes isn't unique. Heck, working full time while taking a full course load is becoming more and more common. Also, you'd be surprised how many students are on their own 100% when they begin undergrad. I'm not sure that I would assume that students without any support were unable to get as much non-academic experience. I'm not trying to toot my own horn at all, but I held two jobs (which brought me to ~40 hours each week) and volunteered each week, all while taking a full load. I finished undergrad with a little over 1000 hours. There are many other SDNers who have done the same/similar. The 'problem' with pre-vet students is that the majority are type A, highly overachieving students that can spread themselves thin and survive. A school may still care to hear you worked 40 hours a week, but there is definitely a lot of "okay, so did x% of the entire applicant pool."

I'm certainly not trying to discount anyone who had a different experience than me or insinuate they didn't work hard or anything of the sort. I just want it said that a rigorous schedule is not as unique as you may think it is, and not all schools will see it as a valid reason to be part time or have less than stellar grades. However, everyone's situation is unique. If you feel you can adequately express your situation in a way that isn't making excuses or sounding whiny, go for it. Just have a lot of proofreaders.

Also, not all schools specifically use academic rigor (what institution you attended, how many courses you took at once, what kind of courses you took and when) when making decisions. You could chat with the schools and see if/how much they value rigor and make decisions off of that as well. I had a single semester of 10 credits (because of scheduling issues) and it wasn't brought up. I agree that one single semester is not likely to do you in, especially if you've been doing well in more rigorous semesters. Don't over-stress about the explanation statement. Sometimes I feel it's best to leave it blank if you really aren't comfortable with what you've written.

I completely agree with you here! I am definitely seeing more and more students who are on their own and work part or full time jobs while in school. In my particular situation, my work schedule along with other factors (that most likely had more of an impact than the work schedule) I've mentioned (death in the family, ADHD/depression/anxiety diagnoses) have certainly hindered my academic progress--I wanted to mention all possible sources of the problem, not just my work schedule or the other factors. Not sure if you read my explanation statement, but I don't think I made it come across as "I was working so that's why I didn't do well." My main point in mentioning my work schedule was to either fill in gaps in my education, or explain what I did in addition to my one part-time semester, and why it was a part-time semester.

I believe that I actually over-emphasized working and experience over my academics throughout undergrad. I have thousands of hours of work, volunteer, and research experiences (whether or not I needed to be working is another story) alongside my less than stellar 3.1 cGPA. But, like I said, I think I accounted for my work schedule as like 25% of the reason why I couldn't devote all of my time to my studies--I had the other circumstances as well, which just seemed to pile on top of each other without a break.

If you have some suggestions on how I could better word the explanation statement so that it comes across the way I intended it to, I'd really appreciate it!!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I completely agree with you here! I am definitely seeing more and more students who are on their own and work part or full time jobs while in school. In my particular situation, my work schedule along with other factors (that most likely had more of an impact than the work schedule) I've mentioned (death in the family, ADHD/depression/anxiety diagnoses) have certainly hindered my academic progress--I wanted to mention all possible sources of the problem, not just my work schedule or the other factors. Not sure if you read my explanation statement, but I don't think I made it come across as "I was working so that's why I didn't do well." My main point in mentioning my work schedule was to either fill in gaps in my education, or explain what I did in addition to my one part-time semester, and why it was a part-time semester.

I believe that I actually over-emphasized working and experience over my academics throughout undergrad. I have thousands of hours of work, volunteer, and research experiences (whether or not I needed to be working is another story) alongside my less than stellar 3.1 cGPA. But, like I said, I think I accounted for my work schedule as like 25% of the reason why I couldn't devote all of my time to my studies--I had the other circumstances as well, which just seemed to pile on top of each other without a break.

If you have some suggestions on how I could better word the explanation statement so that it comes across the way I intended it to, I'd really appreciate it!!

I wasn't saying there was something wrong with your statement. I was pointing out to the other advice offered to you that it may not be as accurate as you'd hope. When I read it though, I immediately thought that you bring up a lot of missteps/weaknesses and give reasons for why those occurred, but offer nothing positive to counteract it all (which is kind of what you're supposed to do with this statement). Then my mind wanders into "Soooo is she doing better or not? Has she attempted to right these things? Can I clearly see a difference in her grades after her new medication to prove to me she is in control of her academics at this point?" My issue is that you have a cGPA that's low for vet med, but you haven't indicated that you've improved after seeking treatment for either depression of ADHD. You really need to direct the reader regarding that, assuming you have improved. They aren't going to assume you are automatically on the up and up just because you say you saw someone for help. I don't think a school would ever reject you because of depression/ADHD, but your cGPA isn't competitive and you haven't offered a reason as to why they should still consider you. Something like "I acknowledge my lower GPA, but feel that my performance in my most recent semesters is more indicative of my academic capabilities." Whatever phrasing you feel most comfortable with though, because you're the writer. If you feel you haven't clearly improved like you said, I can see that as a reason to not write this statement altogether. Unless you have particularly stellar experiences/PS/letters, your reasons/explanation for your academic difficulties still won't get you an interview if you don't make the cutoff, unfortunately.

It's also school dependent. Some schools don't even touch your file if you don't make the initial academic cutoffs, some do. There's a chance that the schools you apply to won't even read it while the cycle is active. They may be willing to read it in a file review (hopefully you won't need any!) and give you pointers on it after the cycle, though.

If you ask me, a good explanation statement is harder to write than a good personal statement. Besides not knowing if a situation is worth extra explanation, there's a lot of tone and content that can very easily come across the wrong way. There are a lot of threads on explanation statements with good advice already, have you searched for those? I don't think you had bad tone, you just need more content. You may not get that content unless you can directly point to good performance in high level classes or more recent semesters.

 

[sheltermed]

I wasn't saying there was something wrong with your statement. I was pointing out to the other advice offered to you that it may not be as accurate as you'd hope. When I read it though, I immediately thought that you bring up a lot of missteps/weaknesses and give reasons for why those occurred, but offer nothing positive to counteract it all (which is kind of what you're supposed to do with this statement). Then my mind wanders into "Soooo is she doing better or not? Has she attempted to right these things? Can I clearly see a difference in her grades after her new medication to prove to me she is in control of her academics at this point?" My issue is that you have a cGPA that's low for vet med, but you haven't indicated that you've improved after seeking treatment for either depression of ADHD. You really need to direct the reader regarding that, assuming you have improved. They aren't going to assume you are automatically on the up and up just because you say you saw someone for help. I don't think a school would ever reject you because of depression/ADHD, but your cGPA isn't competitive and you haven't offered a reason as to why they should still consider you. Something like "I acknowledge my lower GPA, but feel that my performance in my most recent semesters is more indicative of my academic capabilities." Whatever phrasing you feel most comfortable with though, because you're the writer. If you feel you haven't clearly improved like you said, I can see that as a reason to not write this statement altogether. Unless you have particularly stellar experiences/PS/letters, your reasons/explanation for your academic difficulties still won't get you an interview if you don't make the cutoff, unfortunately.

It's also school dependent. Some schools don't even touch your file if you don't make the initial academic cutoffs, some do. There's a chance that the schools you apply to won't even read it while the cycle is active. They may be willing to read it in a file review (hopefully you won't need any!) and give you pointers on it after the cycle, though.

If you ask me, a good explanation statement is harder to write than a good personal statement. Besides not knowing if a situation is worth extra explanation, there's a lot of tone and content that can very easily come across the wrong way. There are a lot of threads on explanation statements with good advice already, have you searched for those? I don't think you had bad tone, you just need more content. You may not get that content unless you can directly point to good performance in high level classes or more recent semesters.

I feel like I'm in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, lol. No, I don't have recent good semesters to point to in order to say I've improved (unless a B- in biochemistry is "good," I didn't think so). Since it's a recent diagnosis, I'm still working on finding the right meds and learning coping skills in counseling. I had ended the discussion about my depression/anxiety treatment on a positive note, but all I was really able to say about the ADHD was that I'm continuing to do better for myself. I don't want to not use the statement and have them think that I think my GPA is fine, because it's not. I also don't want it to look strange that I used it when I don't have a clear-cut example of improvement, at least not on my academic record. I'm retaking the GRE, maybe that will count for something if I do better. I have another year of undergrad where I can hopefully show concrete improvement in my grades, but that means waiting another cycle. I don't really want to do that. It's all super discouraging. It's not like I don't have any academic ability, because I know I do. My records say otherwise. I will have a biochemistry professor LoR speaking for me academically, but I'm not sure that will be enough, no matter how good I know the letter will be.

 

[LetItSnow]

I feel like I'm in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, lol. No, I don't have recent good semesters to point to in order to say I've improved (unless a B- in biochemistry is "good," I didn't think so). Since it's a recent diagnosis, I'm still working on finding the right meds and learning coping skills in counseling. I had ended the discussion about my depression/anxiety treatment on a positive note, but all I was really able to say about the ADHD was that I'm continuing to do better for myself. I don't want to not use the statement and have them think that I think my GPA is fine, because it's not. I also don't want it to look strange that I used it when I don't have a clear-cut example of improvement, at least not on my academic record. I'm retaking the GRE, maybe that will count for something if I do better. I have another year of undergrad where I can hopefully show concrete improvement in my grades, but that means waiting another cycle. I don't really want to do that. It's all super discouraging. It's not like I don't have any academic ability, because I know I do. My records say otherwise. I will have a biochemistry professor LoR speaking for me academically, but I'm not sure that will be enough, no matter how good I know the letter will be.

Well, you ARE in a bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. That's life. You can only put on the application what you actually have done or experienced. And if all those experiences lead you to a place where right now you think you're getting things under control but don't have anything that really demonstrates it .... then that's where you're at. It sucks, but it's life.

You need to see it from their point of view, too - they'll be looking at an applicant who understands they have a problem, but can't provide clear evidence that they are managing it well. You "knowing" you have academic ability is great for your self-confidence, but lots of people say they have this or that ability - clear proof is the only thing that counts.

Not that you shouldn't apply - you definitely should, because your application package as a whole may carry you quite well through the process and into vet school - but you should also be prepared to take another cycle to really demonstrate your academic capabilities. Who knows - maybe the fact that you're actively adjusting therapy and whatnot will be sufficient to allay their concerns. Maybe your overall GPA will be good enough that they'll shrug and say "don't care - academics aren't great, but they are good enough."

You can't let it be discouraging. It's just the process.

 

[OtterMayhem]

I had a kitten who had a fatal disease and it really took up all of my time one semester. I ended bio 1 with a D retook and got a B. Should this be put in the explanation statement?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[sheltermed]

Well, you ARE in a bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. That's life. You can only put on the application what you actually have done or experienced. And if all those experiences lead you to a place where right now you think you're getting things under control but don't have anything that really demonstrates it .... then that's where you're at. It sucks, but it's life.

You need to see it from their point of view, too - they'll be looking at an applicant who understands they have a problem, but can't provide clear evidence that they are managing it well. You "knowing" you have academic ability is great for your self-confidence, but lots of people say they have this or that ability - clear proof is the only thing that counts.

Not that you shouldn't apply - you definitely should, because your application package as a whole may carry you quite well through the process and into vet school - but you should also be prepared to take another cycle to really demonstrate your academic capabilities. Who knows - maybe the fact that you're actively adjusting therapy and whatnot will be sufficient to allay their concerns. Maybe your overall GPA will be good enough that they'll shrug and say "don't care - academics aren't great, but they are good enough."

You can't let it be discouraging. It's just the process.

Thank you. I think what I'm going to do this cycle is apply to less schools than I would have if I were in a better place. I'm definitely prepared to have to apply during at least one more cycle. Next year, assuming that by then I'll have some evidence of my improvements, I'll broaden my application scope and take it from there. Doing my best to stay somewhat positive!

 

[genny]

I had a kitten who had a fatal disease and it really took up all of my time one semester. I ended bio 1 with a D retook and got a B. Should this be put in the explanation statement?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

No.

One grade that you retook and did fine in doesn't need an explanation statement. Any admissions committee can look at that and see that you were able to cope with whatever caused you to get the lousy grade in the first place.

Whole semesters of bad grades, large gaps in your education or employment, being diagnosed with a learning disability later in life: those are the kinds of major things that should probably be explained somewhere in your application because the AdComs will wonder about it. If you don't address them in your personal statement, the explanation statement gives you a little extra room.

 

[LetItSnow]

I had a kitten who had a fatal disease and it really took up all of my time one semester. I ended bio 1 with a D retook and got a B. Should this be put in the explanation statement?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I wouldn't. In addition to what Genny said, if taking care of a single kitten caused your grade to drop that much, It would raise this question in my mind: How much resiliency does this person have that that one thing would have such a huge impact? The first negative thing that happens in vet school are they going to nose dive academically? Was it REALLY the kitten that was responsible for the grade, or is that an excuse?

Not minimizing your experience. Just saying those are things I would wonder if you wrote an explanation statement attributing a D to taking care of a cat for a semester.

 

[cdo96]

So, as I've mentioned before a couple times on SDN, I'm 65% deaf. Sometimes this causes me to have difficulties in large classes and lecture halls because I can't hear- even though I sit in the front row. I'm playing my PS on overcoming challenges, is it worth it to put that in an explanation statement, or is it just overkill?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile