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Now that everyone's revving up for this app cycle, and we have a ton of PS readers set up, I thought it might be nice to consolidate old threads that had great advice about PS's and maybe get new contributions.
So to start, a few links. If you go down a couple posts on the first one, TT linked a ton of others too, so def look into that. And feel free to add to the list!
Help with Personal Statement (2009) <--- READ THIS ONE
What should a personal statement contain (2010)
VMCAS Personal Statement (2011)
Anytime I read a PS for someone, I end up saying the same thing to pretty much everyone, so I figured I should just post it. I'm sure there are others in the same boat, so it might be nice to compile these comments for applicants to read before they struggle through a draft and have it hacked apart. So my personal opinions on the PS (which may or may not mean much):
*The 2 main missions to accomplish in writing the PS is to 1, answer the freaking prompt and 2, make you "likeable." It's actually amazing how many people don't actually answer the prompt!
*A part of making you "likeable" is writing a PS that's easily readable. The overly flowy sentences with adverbs/adjectives for every verb/noun was cute in 5th grade, but it's reeaaallly taxing to the reader. I totally understand the urge to put in as much information in that little bitty space they give you, but try to think about what the reader wants to read, not what YOU want them to hear. If the reader can breeze through your PS and have positive thoughts about you, you're golden. That's much more important than spending 200 words describing what the cyanotic dog looked like when it died. It's really not pertinent to your becoming a veterinarian, and you're lucky if the reader even actually cared to read each word (that you spent hours constructing). Best advice I've ever gotten in writing was to go through and cross out EVERY word that is not absolutely necessary to get your point across. It's a painful process, so if you don't have the balls for it, ask someone else to do it. Then you can add back in a couple that you would just die without.
*Another part of being "likeable" is to stand out in some way. But I think some people take that a little too literally. Standing out doesn't HAVE to involve the most ground breaking idea or anecdote, or some edgy writing style if that's not your thing. What's really horrible is when you take something that's NOT super special and make it out to be that way. There's really no reason to make a blood draw sound like open heart surgery, no matter how proud of it you are. Standing out can be as simple as showing that you have a mature and composed view of the profession that applies to you. Just keep it real, and have the reader like you for who you are.
*Have a ton of people read and comment about your PS, and more importantly, be smart about how you take those comments. Everyone will have opinions and there's no one PS that's going to make EVERYONE happy. So you have to decide in the end what to dump/leave. Make sure you get some opinions from people who are in the veterinary field and/or have read many vet school PS's. Even if you write a touching PS that your English professor or your mom thinks is a work of art, they don't know what's cliche or appropriate for this profession. Remember that in your life, you are probably THE "vet/animal person" and any story you have about animals is very intriguing to those around you. But when you send your PS in, you are just one of hundreds/thousands of animal lovers who have gone out and spent time in a vet's office. This again goes back to the standing out thing. Hundreds of PS's starts out with a story about a childhood pet, a sad euthanasia, or a pet being rushed in on emergency (or even worse, the no money pet that gets treated free out of the kindness of the veterinarian's heart). There's nothing wrong with using one of those stories. But don't count on it being the thing that will set you apart. And just really really keep in mind your audience. Again, it's about what they want to read, not what you want them to hear.
*Do not make your PS a resume regurgitator. You're wasting space! This is also not the place to brag about your job description. I've seen several PS's where it seemed like all the writer wanted to do was talk about what a great (vet/lab) technician they were. Just remember that your PS is about why you should become a veterinarian, not why you should win the technician of the year award.
*You can talk about how adversity makes you who you are or whatever if it's pertinent to what you're saying in your PS. But there's no reason to draw unnecessary attention to your flaws in your PS. You might think that you have one giant blemish on your application that is hindering your ability to get an acceptance, and the PS is a tempting place to talk about it. But that's what the explanation statement is for. People might have differing opinions about this, but there are so many positive things you can say about yourself. The PS is your chance to sell yourself. You don't want to waste space talking about your negatives, unless it's one of those negatives that turns into a positive ya kno?
*If you do send your PS out to PS readers on this forum, be appreciative of their time. Even if you don't like what they have to say, acknowledge that some random stranger took time out of their day (and sometimes seriously hours of their day) to help you out asking for nothing in return. Do not throw an embarrassing tantrum about what they have to say. You can ask for clarification, but don't get all bitter and tell them off. Like I said before, you are the captain of your PS ship. You make the decisions about what advice to take/not to take, and you certainly don't have to incorporate every suggestion.
That's about all I got for now. Let's get some more on here!
So to start, a few links. If you go down a couple posts on the first one, TT linked a ton of others too, so def look into that. And feel free to add to the list!
Help with Personal Statement (2009) <--- READ THIS ONE
What should a personal statement contain (2010)
VMCAS Personal Statement (2011)
Anytime I read a PS for someone, I end up saying the same thing to pretty much everyone, so I figured I should just post it. I'm sure there are others in the same boat, so it might be nice to compile these comments for applicants to read before they struggle through a draft and have it hacked apart. So my personal opinions on the PS (which may or may not mean much):
*The 2 main missions to accomplish in writing the PS is to 1, answer the freaking prompt and 2, make you "likeable." It's actually amazing how many people don't actually answer the prompt!
*A part of making you "likeable" is writing a PS that's easily readable. The overly flowy sentences with adverbs/adjectives for every verb/noun was cute in 5th grade, but it's reeaaallly taxing to the reader. I totally understand the urge to put in as much information in that little bitty space they give you, but try to think about what the reader wants to read, not what YOU want them to hear. If the reader can breeze through your PS and have positive thoughts about you, you're golden. That's much more important than spending 200 words describing what the cyanotic dog looked like when it died. It's really not pertinent to your becoming a veterinarian, and you're lucky if the reader even actually cared to read each word (that you spent hours constructing). Best advice I've ever gotten in writing was to go through and cross out EVERY word that is not absolutely necessary to get your point across. It's a painful process, so if you don't have the balls for it, ask someone else to do it. Then you can add back in a couple that you would just die without.
*Another part of being "likeable" is to stand out in some way. But I think some people take that a little too literally. Standing out doesn't HAVE to involve the most ground breaking idea or anecdote, or some edgy writing style if that's not your thing. What's really horrible is when you take something that's NOT super special and make it out to be that way. There's really no reason to make a blood draw sound like open heart surgery, no matter how proud of it you are. Standing out can be as simple as showing that you have a mature and composed view of the profession that applies to you. Just keep it real, and have the reader like you for who you are.
*Have a ton of people read and comment about your PS, and more importantly, be smart about how you take those comments. Everyone will have opinions and there's no one PS that's going to make EVERYONE happy. So you have to decide in the end what to dump/leave. Make sure you get some opinions from people who are in the veterinary field and/or have read many vet school PS's. Even if you write a touching PS that your English professor or your mom thinks is a work of art, they don't know what's cliche or appropriate for this profession. Remember that in your life, you are probably THE "vet/animal person" and any story you have about animals is very intriguing to those around you. But when you send your PS in, you are just one of hundreds/thousands of animal lovers who have gone out and spent time in a vet's office. This again goes back to the standing out thing. Hundreds of PS's starts out with a story about a childhood pet, a sad euthanasia, or a pet being rushed in on emergency (or even worse, the no money pet that gets treated free out of the kindness of the veterinarian's heart). There's nothing wrong with using one of those stories. But don't count on it being the thing that will set you apart. And just really really keep in mind your audience. Again, it's about what they want to read, not what you want them to hear.
*Do not make your PS a resume regurgitator. You're wasting space! This is also not the place to brag about your job description. I've seen several PS's where it seemed like all the writer wanted to do was talk about what a great (vet/lab) technician they were. Just remember that your PS is about why you should become a veterinarian, not why you should win the technician of the year award.
*You can talk about how adversity makes you who you are or whatever if it's pertinent to what you're saying in your PS. But there's no reason to draw unnecessary attention to your flaws in your PS. You might think that you have one giant blemish on your application that is hindering your ability to get an acceptance, and the PS is a tempting place to talk about it. But that's what the explanation statement is for. People might have differing opinions about this, but there are so many positive things you can say about yourself. The PS is your chance to sell yourself. You don't want to waste space talking about your negatives, unless it's one of those negatives that turns into a positive ya kno?
*If you do send your PS out to PS readers on this forum, be appreciative of their time. Even if you don't like what they have to say, acknowledge that some random stranger took time out of their day (and sometimes seriously hours of their day) to help you out asking for nothing in return. Do not throw an embarrassing tantrum about what they have to say. You can ask for clarification, but don't get all bitter and tell them off. Like I said before, you are the captain of your PS ship. You make the decisions about what advice to take/not to take, and you certainly don't have to incorporate every suggestion.
That's about all I got for now. Let's get some more on here!
