Personal Statement Help

[parrotlover26]

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I have a quick question regarding my personal statement. I have already drafted it like 5 times and still am not satisfied. I am struggling with the body of it. Im not quite sure how to get across the point that I understand the veterinary med profession. I have about 2000 research hours with animals....and a lot of animal experience. I have done a lot of shadowing as well. Ive never been a vet tech or anything...so my hands on experience under veterinarians is slightly limited. Should I write about what I saw and realized during my shadowing experiences (although I feel like observing doesnt say much about me as a person)...or should i try and pick out personal qualities veterinarians should have and then personally back that up with how I have those qualities and relate it to the profession? Or should it be a mixture of both? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long winded message. NCSU is my top choice because I am in state. NCSU also does not give interviews....so I feel that the personal statement is even more important than normally.

 

[vethopes]

I think it should be a mixture of the two; pick out things that you realized as you observed that would be needed to succeed as a vet, then back it up with examples showing that you have what it takes. . .they want examples in a narrative form (I think), so maybe you could show that you have these skills through some story (it doesn't even necessarily need to be from an animal experience, as long as it shows you have the skills).

 

[psjlg2]

Focus on your strengths, such as your research experience. Don't draw attention to anything you don't want attention drawn to, such as your lack of veterinary technician experience. Your PS should sing and dance your praises! I have no (NO!) research experience but I didn't go on about it, and therefore had no problem writing about it!

Think about what you think makes a good veterinarian, and draw examples from your experience to back it up. There are many different types of veterinarians, you can certainly find a niche to fit yourself into.