Anyone writing Explanation statements?

[jemappellejane]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I didn't see a thread for this for the current cycle.

I'm going to be submitting an explanation statement this cycle, regarding my interruption in college and subsequent horrible grades. I suffered from anxiety/panic disorder, which led to a truly dark spot on my transcript. I eventually got medicated, graduated, and now have a 4.0 in graduate school, but my science gpa is terrible.

Are any of you 2016 hopefuls using this area of the VMCAS? Anyone in the past used it? What for? Also, did you write it in the same tone as your personal statement, or differently? I'm curious to see what people have done here...

Success stories are ALWAYS welcome!!! 🙂

 

[bbeventer]

I used it last cycle. For a year I was having problems with swelling on my brain, which resulted in terrible headaches, bad grades, etc. However, I thought it just drew more attention to my transcript faults and my exit reviews seemed to reflect that.

So we will see what this cycle turns out. 🙄 I have removed that portion from my application and solely have focused on my strong points.
This year I will probably get told that I should of used the explanation section

 

[BlackDog618]

I'm kind of a non-trad with only ~150 hours veterinary experience, but with lots of research experience. I left my research tech position just last week and will be starting full-time as a vet tech on October 3rd. I'm going to put this in the explanation statement in hopes the adcoms take this into consideration when they review my application.

 

[kakurubird]

I'm not applying this cycle, but have a question about what can go in the explanation section. Would this be where it would be best to explain classes that have a funky name that don't reflect the class (like topics sections that don't have the topic in the title)?

I just assumed that in terms of writing the explanation statement, a "just the facts, ma'am" tone would be best. Sort of just say what you need to say concisely and clearly and then move on.

 

[Psorophoraferox]

Yeah, my <2.0 GPA from my first 3 years of college has some 'splainin' ta do. 😉

 

[mulletsarelove]

I used it to put a sentence stating that I had two minors since there was only enough room for one

 

[heylodeb]

I'm not applying this cycle, but have a question about what can go in the explanation section. Would this be where it would be best to explain classes that have a funky name that don't reflect the class (like topics sections that don't have the topic in the title)?

I just assumed that in terms of writing the explanation statement, a "just the facts, ma'am" tone would be best. Sort of just say what you need to say concisely and clearly and then move on.

this is one of the things you can use the explanation statement for but if you have questions - don't be afraid to call VMCAS. They are normally very happy to help! 🙂

 

[Bisbee]

Yes. I'm also non-trad and using the space to explain that I was home taking care of my kids instead of in school full time. Also, Jemapellejane...is that a newfie puppy you have there? I have two newfies myself...a black (16 months old) and a landseer (10 months old) both females and not too, too huge (yet).

 

[kakurubird]

this is one of the things you can use the explanation statement for but if you have questions - don't be afraid to call VMCAS. They are normally very happy to help! 🙂

Oh that's good to hear! I'm sure next year I'll be using their number at least a few times!

 

[FutResearchVet]

I contacted the VMCAS hotline to ask about what I could put in the "explanation: section and they said I could use the "explanation" section to describe my PhD work, since I couldn't described it in 480 characters in the veterinary/scientist experience section.

 

[jemappellejane]

Yes. I'm also non-trad and using the space to explain that I was home taking care of my kids instead of in school full time. Also, Jemapellejane...is that a newfie puppy you have there? I have two newfies myself...a black (16 months old) and a landseer (10 months old) both females and not too, too huge (yet).

Bisbee- YUP! I LOVE NEWFIES!!!!!!! 😍 This picture is actually random, from the internet, but I thought it was supercute. I have a 5 y/o female- I just weighed her today, she is 113lbs, so also on the small side. She is the best thing ever. Just gave her a bath, now she's all fluffy & clean!!

 

[PppermintTwist]

I didn't see a thread for this for the current cycle.

I'm going to be submitting an explanation statement this cycle, regarding my interruption in college and subsequent horrible grades. I suffered from anxiety/panic disorder, which led to a truly dark spot on my transcript. I eventually got medicated, graduated, and now have a 4.0 in graduate school, but my science gpa is terrible.

Are any of you 2016 hopefuls using this area of the VMCAS? Anyone in the past used it? What for? Also, did you write it in the same tone as your personal statement, or differently? I'm curious to see what people have done here...

Success stories are ALWAYS welcome!!! 🙂

I used a different tone to explain a similar problem I used more of a matter of fact tone for the explanation. I stated the facts, that its fixed now, and now Im ready to succeed basically. I used more of a narrative for the personal statement.

This is my first time applying so can't tell you if it worked or not. I had a coworker go through it and weed out any unnecessary fluff.

 

[libster06]

I had to explain my DWI. I got in so obviously was a good explanation.

 

[mulletsarelove]

I had to explain my DWI. I got in so obviously was a good explanation.

Out of curiosity...how did you explain this, if you don't mind me asking? I've always wondered how people with minor records like this explain it successfully.

 

[libster06]

Out of curiosity...how did you explain this, if you don't mind me asking? I've always wondered how people with minor records like this explain it successfully.

I just said when and where I was arrested and what it was for, and that it was a hugely regrettable mistake and uncharacteristic lapse in judgement, however I had learned and grown exponentially from it, and sincerely hoped it would not affect my future ambitions in the veterinary field. It was probably 3 or 4 sentences.

 

[Zusie]

My dad almost died of a freak medical problem right after Thanksgiving my sophomore year of undergrad. He was hospitalized over a month. Also, one of my dorm apartment roommates died my junior year right about the time of Spring Break. I decided to mention it because my grades weren't affected at all (got A's and B's like usual) and I didn't miss any classes. I guess I hoped it would show I could handle stress and focus on a heavy schedule of classes in spite of bad stuff happening during the school year. I still don't know if that was a good idea or necessary but I got in so maybe it was an interesting read at least.

Also, that Urban Legend about getting all A's for your college roommate is complete BS. All we got (there were 3 of us) was an annoying grief group therapy session with a counselor that just about got her face punched in before it was over.

(I'm sorry, but she was really patronizing!)

 

[hopefulinva]

Would the explanation statement be a good place to explain the RIDICULOUS amount of difficulty I had landing a clinical job?

I'm not exaggerating - with the downturn of the economy in my area, I spent three YEARS looking for clinical work. Literally nobody in my area would even take a peek at student hires. I had a friend convince his boss to interview me, and she told me directly I was a solid applicant, but they just couldn't afford to bring on summer help.

I mean I landed a job eventually, but it definitely wasn't for lack of trying... Good lord...

 

[Psorophoraferox]

Would the explanation statement be a good place to explain the RIDICULOUS amount of difficulty I had landing a clinical job?

I'm not exaggerating - with the downturn of the economy in my area, I spent three YEARS looking for clinical work. Literally nobody in my area would even take a peek at student hires. I had a friend convince his boss to interview me, and she told me directly I was a solid applicant, but they just couldn't afford to bring on summer help.

I mean I landed a job eventually, but it definitely wasn't for lack of trying... Good lord...

If it falls under being both out of work and not in classes for >3 months, I would definitely include it in an explanation. That way if they're like, "Um, so what WERE you doing those three years?" there's already an answer for them. Or if you're low on experience hours because of the delay, you could mention that you were looking to get veterinary experience earlier, but due to the economic downturn, you were unable to find an opening.

 

[forks4spoons]

I used it to explain that my biological father was unknown and that my biological grandparents raised me... I'm sure I had a lot of s'plainin' to do (like, why I went to medical school??) but I figured I'd leave that for the interview if/when they brought it up.

 

[jemappellejane]

I used it to explain that my biological father was unknown and that my biological grandparents raised me... I'm sure I had a lot of s'plainin' to do (like, why I went to medical school??) but I figured I'd leave that for the interview if/when they brought it up.

Just out of curiosity, did you finish med school? What brought you to vet med and how did you get here? lol weird questions, but I'm interested!

 

[forks4spoons]

Just out of curiosity, did you finish med school? What brought you to vet med and how did you get here? lol weird questions, but I'm interested!

Did not finish med school. I withdrew of my own accord after about a year and a half. 🙂

I wanted to be a vet from the time I was 8, but when it came to my senior year of undergrad, I didn't think I was good enough. Beyond that, I got married shortly after graduating, so I just wasn't dedicated. By the time my marriage started getting rocky, I was looking for a way out - I didn't have Biochem under my belt, so I applied to med school. (When opportunity knocks.....)

Needless to say, I loved the sciences, but didn't so much like the thought of human medicine and hightailed it out of there. 🙂 I finally (wo)manned up and started biochem this semester!

 

[jemappellejane]

Did not finish med school. I withdrew of my own accord after about a year and a half. 🙂

I wanted to be a vet from the time I was 8, but when it came to my senior year of undergrad, I didn't think I was good enough. Beyond that, I got married shortly after graduating, so I just wasn't dedicated. By the time my marriage started getting rocky, I was looking for a way out - I didn't have Biochem under my belt, so I applied to med school. (When opportunity knocks.....)

Needless to say, I loved the sciences, but didn't so much like the thought of human medicine and hightailed it out of there. 🙂 I finally (wo)manned up and started biochem this semester!

I wanted to apply to vet school out of college too and didn't think I was good enough. I still don't. But it's not keeping me from spending hundreds of dollars applying and countless hours writing and filling out the VMCAS.... Amazing how dedicated we are. Or pathetic. Not sure which!! 😱

 

[LetItSnow]

I finally (wo)manned up and started biochem this semester!

I just took a physiochemistry (same thing) test today, and all I have to say is "pbbbbbbt" to biochem.

Piece of advice, though - I wish I had taken the time to commit undergrad biochem to long-term memory. I had to waste a lot of time relearning material that was basically review for our first test.

I used a different tone to explain a similar problem I used more of a matter of fact tone for the explanation.

I think that's wise. That's the approach I used. I more or less wrote: I failed out. I did this to correct it. This and this other thing were the (positive) result.

In other words, I acknowledged the historical trouble spot, but I also took advantage of that to re-emphasize later success. I didn't ramble on about what I did wrong, or why, or whatever. Take responsibility for the screw-up (even if you don't feel it was entirely your fault), give them evidence you've moved on, and end on a positive.

I wanted to apply to vet school out of college too and didn't think I was good enough. I still don't.

It probably won't help, but that feeling doesn't go away once you start vet school, either. 🙂 If anything it gets worse because now you're surrounded by people who are really darn smart - there's nobody holding up the other end of the bell curve.

 

[equitate]

The very last thing I have to do is the explanation statement before I can submit my $#^%*#@ VMCAS application . Honestly, it never really occurred to me that it could be used for anything other than explaining bad grades/illnesses/etc. - I thought I was just SOL and couldn't explain transcript/course name discrepancies, an explanation of my work status or extra space to list duties from experiences that didn't fit within the 480 character limit.

SO, my question is this: If I wanted to explain all of those things listed about, does the format have to be one, succinct and flowing paragraph? Or can I break it up into smaller sections on separate lines? (example below):

A sentence or two about overcoming serious challenges in college.

A brief explanation why I had to choose "Other" for employment/student status (I am technically a part-time employee but I usually work 40+ hrs/week 🙄)

A continuation of the description of duties section from one of my veterinary experiences because I couldn't fit it all in the 480 characters.

PVS 300: Special Topics: It is not clearly stated by the course title on my transcript, but this course was an independent study blahblahblah

 

[Reader19]

The very last thing I have to do is the explanation statement before I can submit my $#^%*#@ VMCAS application . Honestly, it never really occurred to me that it could be used for anything other than explaining bad grades/illnesses/etc. - I thought I was just SOL and couldn't explain transcript/course name discrepancies, an explanation of my work status or extra space to list duties from experiences that didn't fit within the 480 character limit.

SO, my question is this: If I wanted to explain all of those things listed about, does the format have to be one, succinct and flowing paragraph? Or can I break it up into smaller sections on separate lines? (example below):

A sentence or two about overcoming serious challenges in college.

A brief explanation why I had to choose "Other" for employment/student status (I am technically a part-time employee but I usually work 40+ hrs/week 🙄)

A continuation of the description of duties section from one of my veterinary experiences because I couldn't fit it all in the 480 characters.

PVS 300: Special Topics: It is not clearly stated by the course title on my transcript, but this course was an independent study blahblahblah

My inclination is to list factual information is separate sentences or bullets. For the less concrete stuff, a small paragraph summarizing challenges or special circumstances. If you can't connect all the lengthier topics you want to include, then separation seems okay. I think the risk would be having a list that seems like a bunch of excuses (not that any of these would necessarily apply to that).

Just my two cents...

 

[Trilt]

I only had two things to write about, but they both involved decent explanation paragraphs... I just numbered and titled them to make it as clear as possible. So mine was something like:

1 - Regarding Volunteer Work at the Veterinary School:
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

2 - Regarding Online Statistics & Study Abroad Coursework:
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah​

 

[thatsallfolks97]

The very last thing I have to do is the explanation statement before I can submit my $#^%*#@ VMCAS application . Honestly, it never really occurred to me that it could be used for anything other than explaining bad grades/illnesses/etc. - I thought I was just SOL and couldn't explain transcript/course name discrepancies, an explanation of my work status or extra space to list duties from experiences that didn't fit within the 480 character limit.

SO, my question is this: If I wanted to explain all of those things listed about, does the format have to be one, succinct and flowing paragraph? Or can I break it up into smaller sections on separate lines? (example below):

A sentence or two about overcoming serious challenges in college.

A brief explanation why I had to choose "Other" for employment/student status (I am technically a part-time employee but I usually work 40+ hrs/week 🙄)

A continuation of the description of duties section from one of my veterinary experiences because I couldn't fit it all in the 480 characters.

PVS 300: Special Topics: It is not clearly stated by the course title on my transcript, but this course was an independent study blahblahblah

I had sort of a similar situation. I had a few different issues to address in the explanation statement. One issue was about bad grades one quarter during my undergrad, another about some confusion on a specific course classification, and finally an issue about courses that appeared like they were repeated on my transcript, but actually weren't.

The format I used was to write a separate paragraph for each issue and to keep it short and simple. Also I made sure to downplay the cause of my bad grades and focused more on the positives and how I have improved academically since then.

I'm sure paragraphs or bullets would work. I would hope that vet schools wouldn't be too critical on the formatting.

Hope that helps!