Personal Statement Prep

[bee83]

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Hi Everyone,
I am preparing to write my general personal statement for my application to veterinary school next fall. My advisor gave me some great resources, but only one sample statement which I didn't care for at all. Would anyone be willing to share their personal statement with me, or give tips on writing one? I would really love to see some actual examples, so feel free to send me a message if you don't mind doing so. I would really appreciate any tips!

 

[sask17]

Hello,

I am wondering about the same thing, I will start my personal statement next week. What school are you applying to?

 

[EllieGirl89]

You'll probably have more luck getting people to share their personal statements after we hear back from vet schools this cycle. We're all a little superstitious;-) Until then, try doing a search of the forums; there were quite a few PS threads this cycle. You should find some advice to help you get started. Or, you could just write a first draft of it and then wait until some of us are ready to share ours. You should plan to write several drafts anyhow.

 

[bee83]

Thanks EllieGirl. sask, I am applying to Purdue in October 2011.

 

[twelvetigers]

Also, this might help some.

http://www.studentdoctor.net/answers/99/what-should-write-about-veterinary-school-personal-statement

When the end of summer rolls around, you can usually find a lot of people willing to 'trade' their PS - you critique theirs, they critique yours. It's pretty helpful. For this early, well, I would almost just make an outline and leave it at that for a while. You would be better off making sure you have all your hours of experience recorded somewhere, because that will be listed in detail on VMCAS.

 

[sumstorm]

Also, the books on personal statements for med schools and grad programs can give you a feeling of how to write a PS for vet school. Generally, if you skim through some books, you might find a style that suits you and can help you frame your own thoughts.

Also, different folks do this different ways. My roommate just sat down and wrote hers out and submitted it (far braver than I am.) She literally went from start to finish.

I jotted down ideas about what I wanted to include in mine over a couple of week, then set it aside for about a month, and let my mind work on it. When I came up with a good phrase, I'd write that down. Or if I realized how to connect some components, I'd note that down. Then, I gathered all those 'pieces' together and literally cut and pasted an essay, then read through it to refine it, then sent it to anyone and everyone (including non academic/animal people) asking them to consider whether they would, given this information, hire me for the toughest job they could think of. I didn't want a whole bunch of 'I think you'd make a great vet so of course your 'I love animals' essay is great.' Sometimes you have to be specific in the type of feedback you are looking for (grammar, construction, voice, content, etc.)

 

[pennyonthefloor]

The best advice I was given by some faculty on the admissions board at OSU was to think of your essay from their perspective-- they're going to be reading tons of these, you want to make a good and memorable impression. Don't approach it with the "I love animals and that's why I want to be a vet" argument or anything of that nature. If you didn't love animals, you wouldn't be wanting to put yourself through torture for four years to work with them. I was also told to focus on some things to show that I am a well rounded individual (not just with vet experience)-- financial aspects, dealing with conflict, etc. Take characteristics of what you've seen in good practitioners and show the admissions board how you exhibit those traits.

At least that's the approach I took, but then again, what do I know.... I'm still waiting to get in.....