200 word personal statement ... help?

[kermit123]

Hello!

I am applying to WCVM in Saskatchewan this year for the first time and noticed I am only allowed 200 words for a personal statement, and then a "Special Circumstances" section for another 200 words below that.

Now, I wrote a pretty good personal statement before I had seen the application, but there's no way I can edit everything I have down to 200 words. What is most important to put in there? A lot of people have personal stories but if I put one in I'm basically out of words by the end ... what are the most important things I should touch on? I want to highlight my qualifications as well but I can't really "show not tell" in 200 words ...

Also, for Special Circumstances, it says to put things you consider "uniquely pertinent to your own circumstances" that you wish you have the admissions committee consider. I don't come from a wealthy family so I ended up doing a lot of non-animal related work to make money, and thus I don't have thousands of hours of experience (well, actually I kind of do) but I also had to work during school and had less time for studying. Also I was diagnosed with depression in my second and worst year of school. I feel like listing those things makes me sound whiny and I really just feel like leaving that section blank.

I need guidance!! 🙁

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[PppermintTwist]

Hello!

I am applying to WCVM in Saskatchewan this year for the first time and noticed I am only allowed 200 words for a personal statement, and then a "Special Circumstances" section for another 200 words below that.

Now, I wrote a pretty good personal statement before I had seen the application, but there's no way I can edit everything I have down to 200 words. What is most important to put in there? A lot of people have personal stories but if I put one in I'm basically out of words by the end ... what are the most important things I should touch on? I want to highlight my qualifications as well but I can't really "show not tell" in 200 words ...

Also, for Special Circumstances, it says to put things you consider "uniquely pertinent to your own circumstances" that you wish you have the admissions committee consider. I don't come from a wealthy family so I ended up doing a lot of non-animal related work to make money, and thus I don't have thousands of hours of experience (well, actually I kind of do) but I also had to work during school and had less time for studying. Also I was diagnosed with depression in my second and worst year of school. I feel like listing those things makes me sound whiny and I really just feel like leaving that section blank.

I need guidance!! 🙁

hmmm...200 words is a hard one!

I would write something as unique as possible. Personal stories about saving puppies and kitties have probably been done a lot, so if you have something more unique that makes you who you are, write about that. I dont think it necessarily needs to involve animals or veterinary medicine directly. Just try to write something about who you are, and why that will make you a good veterinarian.

For the other essay. I wrote something similar for vmcas. I agree, you dont want to sound whiny. Focus on the positives. I overcame. Sounds like you had a lot on your plate. Focus on that you got through it and are now ready to tackle the difficult veterinary curriculum.

Not sure if that helps any. Good luck though!🙂

 

[Escalla]

I'm finding it difficult as well somehow squeezing everything into 200 words.....It's hardly any room to really talk about yourself!

I'm just doing my best to cut my VMCAS PS to less than 1/4 the size. Did you apply anywhere with VMCAS as well?

 

[kaydubs]

I wasn't directly in your particular position before but had a similar one. Tufts makes you write extra little essays and for some people, these are insanely hard. Took you long enough to crank out your PS for VMCAS, ya know? My advice: try and start from scratch. Brainstorm and narrow down what you want to include. 200 words is kind of nice simply because it eliminates any time for flowery language and babbling. Feel free to PM if you want some major help that could only be given by me looking at what you've got and going from there😀

 

[LetItSnow]

I feel like listing those things makes me sound whiny and I really just feel like leaving that section blank.

Avoiding a 'whiny' tone is all about how you talk about the issues. If the statement reads like you're "excusing" yourself for weaknesses in your application, it will sound whiny. If you spend the majority of your words describing the challenge/problem, it may sound whiny. If, instead, you spend 25% of the words describing the issue, and 75% of the space elaborating on what you learned from it, you'll sound like someone who is smart enough to learn from their mistakes.

There's a difference between "I had depression and that's why my GPA is so low" and "I did suffer from depression, but with blah treatment modality I was able to recover from the setback, as evidenced by blah positive performance indicator." The former sounds like you're saying "you should ignore my weak performance because I had this problem" and the latter sounds like "yeah, I had this problem, but I took responsibility, worked through it, and here's the proof."

I'm way oversimplifying, but you get the drift.

 

[Braki]

I kept mine very simple. I wrote about why I wanted to be part of vet med, why I liked it, and what I wanted to get out of it. Don't overthink it too much; that personal statement doesn't really have a lot of weight. The vast majority of your "score" as an applicant is going to be based on grades and your interview.

 

[kermit123]

Okay! These suggestions sound good! Thanks so much, guys!

Braki: I know it has basically no weight and I could probably write 2 sentences about how cool I think vets are and it would affect my application negligibly, BUT I would feel uncomfortable submitting an application in which any question wasn't answered "to the best of my ability" ...

 

[LetItSnow]

I would feel uncomfortable submitting an application in which any question wasn't answered "to the best of my ability" ...

I'm not familiar with their application process, and thus really don't have an informed opinion, but ....

.... if I were in their shoes, I may not give a lot of positive weight to such a short statement, but I *would* give a lot of negative weight to someone not taking it seriously. So I'd do what you're doing and give it attention.

 

[Braki]

Okay! These suggestions sound good! Thanks so much, guys!

Braki: I know it has basically no weight and I could probably write 2 sentences about how cool I think vets are and it would affect my application negligibly, BUT I would feel uncomfortable submitting an application in which any question wasn't answered "to the best of my ability" ...

Absolutely answer it to the best of your ability! I am in no way suggesting that you half-ass it, but in 200 words you're probably not going to be able to say everything you want to say. Do your best, edit your statement down as best as you can, but try not to stress yourself too much or lose a lot of sleep from second-guessing yourself. I'm sure that it's going to come out great, and hopefully I'll see you here next year!

 

[kermit123]

DONE! And it feels pretty good ... and scary to know it is out of my hands.

Thank you all for your insight!