Do you like personal statements?

[CurrySpice]

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I don't.

I can do academics, I love helping out at the vet clinic, adore animals, like working with the clients, and so why should I need to spend 5,000 characters trying to put some fancy spin on this?

Does writing a good personal statement mean that I will be a good veterinarian? One of the best vets I know is a terrible writer. He would never be accepted to vet school today, but he is a fantastic practitioner.

I'm sure someone will chime in that it gives the adcom more insight into who we are. But I question whether it really matters who I am? Do they think it isn't difficult to write a completely fake essay? 3 of the schools I am applying to don't interview. What I have submitted is all that they know. I tried to make mine heartfelt, relevant, convincing, whatever, but who knows what anyone else will think of it?

p.s. is this icon a pizza?!?! yuuuuuuuuuuuuum

 

[Trilt]

I think it's a chocolate chip cookie, not a pizza. Still yum though!

I've come to the conclusion that personal essays are a fact of life... I like writing more than most, but I would have loved the ability to submit something a little more creative instead. Oh well.

 

[bbeventer]

With a PS I hope I can get the Acoms to see me as an individual who truly wants to peruse this field, not a bunch of less then stellar numbers and experiences that everyone else shares.

But no, I don't enjoy writing them.

 

[jemappellejane]

I agree with bbventer. A PS gives me the opportunity to truly set myself apart and give myself a voice. While everything can be listed on VMCAS just as easily, there is no inflection to it- no feeling. Everyone deserves this opportunity, whether you like it or not! 😛

 

[jemappellejane]

I agree with bbventer. A PS gives me the opportunity to truly set myself apart and give myself a voice. While everything can be listed on VMCAS just as easily, there is no inflection to it- no feeling. Everyone deserves this opportunity, whether you like it or not! 😛

*bbeventer

 

[hopefulinva]

Illinois' statement was awesome. =)

Basically, the FDA uses living animal testing for analgesics/antibiotics in the species for which they're being developed. Do you think there are any viable alternatives?

Since my last two years of undergrad have been all of my business classes, it was really refreshing to defend a position on something I feel very strongly about. (Sorry business... I like you, but I'm just not passionate about you.)

The VMCAS PS was a pain in my butt. I ended up scrapping/re-writing it a number of times - I think my final version came after the 8th draft, haha. It's definitely difficult; I've done a lot of stuff at college that's not related to vet med, but reflects a little bit better about who I am as an entire being - unfortunately the prompt (and that blasted limit) leaves little room to talk about it.

God forbid this ever become jut a numbers game; I'd lose SO fast.

 

[pooter]

Yeah, I broke all the rules with my PS. I didn't let anyone read it, I put it off 'til the last minute. I read it once and then didn't reread even when I submitted it. I got cutesy. I got sentimental. In retrospect, it's really kind of embarrassing. But, I got in, so *shrug.* Glad I didn't have to do it twice.

 

[sunnex3]

i didn't mind the personal statement per se, but i had the biggest problem trying to present myself in the way i wanted to with only 5000 characters. i've worked in a variety of areas in small animal medicine from shelter to general practice to emergency/icu + internal medicine so i had a ton of little anecdotes i wanted to talk about. in the end i was satisfied with what i wrote, but i wish i had more space to talk more about myself...i don't think i did it justice which makes me sad 🙁 i just don't think i had enough space to talk about how i'm qualified and the journey i've made for my career dreams.

 

[Cowgirl24711]

Yeah, I too am exasperated about trying to use words to qualify myself for something I know I can do....I chose OSUs supplemental app to express this feeling probably a little too much....but felt like taking a gamble on one of them....who knows maybe it will work

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Personal statements are so 1998. I prefer strip-o-grams.

 

[Psorophoraferox]

Personal statements are so 1998. I prefer strip-o-grams.

ROFL.

Yeah, I hated writing the VMCAS personal statement. I put it off 'til the last minute, and could barely edit it without cringing over how bad it was. I just could NOT think of anything to write that didn't sound super corny. I tried to keep it to how my experiences were relevant to my field of interest, and gave examples of some of the challenges my area of interest (exotic/zoo med) presented and how I and the doctors I worked with had overcome those problems. But still... it was pretty cheesy.

I actually enjoyed filling out the NCSU supplemental application: where do I envision myself five years after vet school, what will I do after retirement, what would I do if I never got into vet school, etc. It was all stuff I've actually given thought to, so writing those essays was a breeze. The only one that stumped me was explaining how I'd contribute to "One Health". I had to Google WTF "One Health" was, and still had a hard time answering that.

 

[PppermintTwist]

Personal statements are so 1998. I prefer strip-o-grams.

haha,

I wrote 3 drafts, sent one to my mother and had her edit it for me, then I ignored it until Sunday the 2nd and rewrote it leaving maybe a sentence or two from the original. I didnt write about my experiences in veterinary medicine because that felt like rewriting my experiences section. I tried to write more about how I came to decide to apply and some life experiences I had that are maybe a bit more unique, hopefully.

I didnt particularly love writing the PS but I think its a good thing to have. Its our chance to show who we are and not just a list of interesting experiences and numbers.

 

[yann]

I think PS gives individual candidates the opportunity to stand out...especially the ones without the 4.0 GPA or stellar GRE scores, or impressive experience like help giving birth to a lion cub (I just made that up, but you know what I mean). If not being able to write has nothing to do with how amazing of a vet a person can be, I think the same goes for those who don't have stellar grades. Grades are only a part of defining someone's intelligence, but it's definitely not the only, and a PS gives us the chance to show in what other areas we shined. Our compassion cannot be defined by numbers, nor the unique experience and risks we all took to jump into the field.
That being said, I struggled with my PS too, but that was because there were SO MANY stuff I wanted to include, but had to cut down to fit the impossible 5,000 characters. And I used to work in publications, and I've always loved writing, so I can only imagine how much of a struggle it must have been for some of you guys.

 

[CorporateFatCat]

In the end, I was disappointed with my PS. I had my mom and my boyfriend edit it and they guided my content so much that I felt it wasn't me. I mean, I wrote it, but I guess I thought it was "safe". The only thing I liked was my intro and maybe conclusion, but in general I think it made me sound...normal. I'm still just really glad it's in and now my job is to wait.

 

[squirrelsrule]

I wish we didn't have to write a PS, but thought that was a ton better than Ohio's supplemental essay! I started my PS in Feb and had like 10 drafts, had quite a few people edit it. Overall I was pleased with the final product. It was torture writing that first draft though, after that it got easier.