Personal Statement

[Chouzan]

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I haven't been able to find much on what my vet school of choice want in a personal statement, so can anyone recommend a book or website that might help me out? One aimed specifically at a vet-student wannabe like me would be great... Or, if someone doesn't mind and still has their statement, possibly sending me a copy to look at? I don't have much more than ideas and things I want to make sure make it into my statement, so I'm looking for formatting help, and things that I should put in it... I'm a few years from applying, but I want to add in some experiences as I go along and get a head start on things. Any help is much appreciated!

 

[wishes]

One book that I used was Essays That Will Get You into Medical School. While obviously the book is geared more toward the allopathic medical crowd, I found a lot of the content to be helpful for my veterinary school admissions essay. The book is fairly inexpensive and it is an easy read with lots of sample essays.
When it does come time for you to apply to veterinary school, I would highly suggest finding some mentors to look over your admissions essay. I asked my undergraduate advisor and one of my professors to read my essay, and found their imput to be very valuable.
I am happy to let read my admissions essay if you want to. You can private message me with your e-mail address and I will send it to you via e-mail.
Good luck!

 

[Apollo84]

I have read that book and it is a good reference as far as examples of what actually worked, even though it's med school. I know a few people who did get in and they told me the topic of their essays just to give me an idea, so if you know anyone in vet school, that can help.

I'm kind of annoyed that there doesn't seem to be any books on the topic of trying to get into vet school, but there are tons of books on how to get into medical school, law school, business school, etc. Well ok, there is this book that I am seeing on Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/18...f=pd_bbs_1/104-1085699-1131967?_encoding=UTF8
but there are no comments on it. No idea if it's any good.

 

[irish_pompano]

[/COLOR][/QUOTE]I am happy to let read my admissions essay if you want to. You can private message me with your e-mail address and I will send it to you via e-mail.
Good luck![/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Hi, wishes...I found your post after I searched the forums for 'personal statement'. I am applying for the 2007 cycle and have *no* clue what to write. I got into grad school, and that PS worked, but I'm thinking it's not going to cut it for vet ADCOMS. Do you mind if I read a sample of your statement, just to get the gears going? I totally understand if you'd rather not, but thanks for the help anyways!

Erin

 

[ginkogirl]

Hello All,

On a slightly different note also relating to personal statements, would anyone applying this year be willing to trade personal statements with me in order to swap comments/corrections? I've already gotten some really great advice from friends and advisors but I'd like to get a few more to look over it before I submit in Sept. I thought it might be helpful to get some insight from someone who doesn't know me (everyone who has read it so far has known me very well.) I like to consider myself a decent writer and would be more than happy to read over your personal statement and offer my best comments and corrections also. Private Message me if you're interested.

Thanks 🙂
Lisa

 

[philomycus]

I would exchange pers. statements with you. let me know!

-Alana

 

[shine_bluesky]

Hello All,

On a slightly different note also relating to personal statements, would anyone applying this year be willing to trade personal statements with me in order to swap comments/corrections? I've already gotten some really great advice from friends and advisors but I'd like to get a few more to look over it before I submit in Sept. I thought it might be helpful to get some insight from someone who doesn't know me (everyone who has read it so far has known me very well.) I like to consider myself a decent writer and would be more than happy to read over your personal statement and offer my best comments and corrections also. Private Message me if you're interested.

Thanks 🙂
Lisa

Hiya,
yeh, i'd be happy to swap statements to have a read and comment and edit etc.
Could i just ask, does anyone have an english personal statment i could have a look at or swap with? It seems to be slightly different for america and for england.
Cheers everybody.
🙂

 

[Boxsterluv]

I'm not sure if they are doing the same thing this year, but last year Michigan posted an example personal statement on their website.. It might be helpful to go click around some vet schools' websites even if you don't plan to apply to that particular school, to look for some examples. Here is the link to the PS example on Michigan's site, I found it very helpful last year.

http://cvm.msu.edu/admis/documents/Excellent personal statement.pdf

 

[HorseyVet]

I'm not trying to start a fight here...but...

Does anyone else think that getting "too much" help on the personal statement is a little unethical? I guess IMHO I looked at the statement as a test of my writting skills and clarity and depth of expression. I realize it's important to tackle anything no-so-great in ones application in the personal statement, so the issue of content is huge, but to me it's more about how YOU can and want to represent yourself rather then having the fanciest essay constructed by a professional writer...(and theoretically the better you are a writter is related to your intelligence/expression abilities)

Having someone read it for any glaring issues is one thing, but I don't think I'd be comfortable having someone else read or use mine as a template. I guess the goal of my personal statement was simply to "talk" about everything in my application...as if *I* was the one reading the application to the adcoms...they already know what I did and what my grades were, what's important for me for the statements is for the adcoms to know the person behind the resume. If someone else wrote it or worked on it very extensively, then that's not really "me" or my story...

just some food for thought I guess...

 

[ReinaDeLuz]

I'm not trying to start a fight here...but...

Does anyone else think that getting "too much" help on the personal statement is a little unethical? I guess IMHO I looked at the statement as a test of my writting skills and clarity and depth of expression. I realize it's important to tackle anything no-so-great in ones application in the personal statement, so the issue of content is huge, but to me it's more about how YOU can and want to represent yourself rather then having the fanciest essay constructed by a professional writer...(and theoretically the better you are a writter is related to your intelligence/expression abilities)

Having someone read it for any glaring issues is one thing, but I don't think I'd be comfortable having someone else read or use mine as a template. I guess the goal of my personal statement was simply to "talk" about everything in my application...as if *I* was the one reading the application to the adcoms...they already know what I did and what my grades were, what's important for me for the statements is for the adcoms to know the person behind the resume. If someone else wrote it or worked on it very extensively, then that's not really "me" or my story...

just some food for thought I guess...

I agree with you, especially after some recent experiences :-/

One of my cousins friends knows I am now in vet school, and since she is applying this year decided to use me a sounding board for her personal statement. She sent me hers, and then asked me to send her mine. So I did. Which I now hugely regret, because after I spent *alot* of time reading over hers and giving her constructive criticism, she just turned around and copied mine. She used almost the exact same format I did..and even had a bunch of the same sentences I used (not even reworked very well). I was pissed off, and to be honest thats the last time I'm going to give mine out. I worked really hard to write that, and I started over more than once. For someone to just rip off what I wrote makes my blood boil!

Just be careful who you send yours to, make sure you trust them and that they aren't just going to use you and abuse you!

 

[kate_g]

Does anyone else think that getting "too much" help on the personal statement is a little unethical?
...
Having someone read it for any glaring issues is one thing
...
what's important for me for the statements is for the adcoms to know the person behind the resume. If someone else wrote it or worked on it very extensively, then that's not really "me" or my story...

Three disjointed comments... I agree with the first thing I quoted, but only because I'm a good writer and I'm jealous of that advantage - the opposite side's argument would be if you're a really cool person and would be a spectacular vet but are a crappy writer and just can't get your coolness across in words very well, it's somewhat unfair that you lose your chance to be a vet, which in the end requires very little creative writing as a job skill.

As for the second, for me having other people read stuff like this is a necessary check on my tendency to push the envelope too far. I hate personal statements, they're always crap. Especially after reading the example that Boxsterluv posted... stuff like that makes me gag. The trouble is, I can play the game. I can write a perfect "what they want to hear" essay, and I always hate myself for doing it. I am *so* going to start my statement with "I can tell all the requisite cute childhood stories, but quite honestly those experiences deserve no direct credit for my decision to become a veterinarian." Now, I know I shouldn't do that. It's too much. But usually I need a rational person to look at my statement and say "wow, that sounds really harsh, maybe you should... you know, tone it down a bit." In that sense, other people govern my content a lot. But, I always write the words. Stealing literal chunks of someone else's writing, that's shady.

And on the third point, and relating to the first as well... Abilities to communicate in writing and in conversation are very well correlated, in my experience. If you're a truly crappy writer but you get someone else to write your essay, you'll get invited for an interview and your ability to speak off the cuff will not match the level of your essay. I think the astute adcom member would notice something like that, and realize that interactive communication is a much more important part of a veterinarian's day, and that person would not get in. At least, I hope they're looking for stuff like that.

Gosh, I sound really bitter and angry. <sigh> Did I mention how much I hate personal statements...?

 

[ginkogirl]

I'm not trying to start a fight here...but...

Does anyone else think that getting "too much" help on the personal statement is a little unethical? I guess IMHO I looked at the statement as a test of my writting skills and clarity and depth of expression. I realize it's important to tackle anything no-so-great in ones application in the personal statement, so the issue of content is huge, but to me it's more about how YOU can and want to represent yourself rather then having the fanciest essay constructed by a professional writer...(and theoretically the better you are a writter is related to your intelligence/expression abilities)

Having someone read it for any glaring issues is one thing, but I don't think I'd be comfortable having someone else read or use mine as a template. I guess the goal of my personal statement was simply to "talk" about everything in my application...as if *I* was the one reading the application to the adcoms...they already know what I did and what my grades were, what's important for me for the statements is for the adcoms to know the person behind the resume. If someone else wrote it or worked on it very extensively, then that's not really "me" or my story...

just some food for thought I guess...

Hi HorseyVet,

I agree that getting too much help on one's personal statement is unethical, however I wanted to clarify that I'm not asking anyone to write my personal statement and that my personal statement had gone under numerous revisions and was in its final stages long before I posted this. The comments I have been getting (and giving in return) have simply been suggestions about parts which may be confusing to someone who doesn't know the writer, organizational issues, and typos/incomplete sentences. No one is writing anyone else's statements here.

I also understand the dangers of plagarism, and thought about this issue before I posted. Perhaps I am being overly trusting or naive, but I sincerely hope (and believe) that no one here is planning on copying (or using parts of) anyone else's statements in this forum. Worrying about who may see/use my personal statement was actually the thing that kept me from pursuing kate_g's comment on another thread about posting a statement open to the public for general revision.

As long as your post was simply a recommendation for caution, rather then a finger point, I appreciate your concern and your warning. However, as long as veterinary schools look at the personal statement so seriously and expect it to be clear, well-written, and without grammatical or spelling mistakes it will be in an applicant's best interest to have others help in the revision process. I'm sure you too had at least a few people look over your personal statement when you were applying...

Lisa

 

[shine_bluesky]

I'm not trying to start a fight here...but...

Does anyone else think that getting "too much" help on the personal statement is a little unethical? I guess IMHO I looked at the statement as a test of my writting skills and clarity and depth of expression. I realize it's important to tackle anything no-so-great in ones application in the personal statement, so the issue of content is huge, but to me it's more about how YOU can and want to represent yourself rather then having the fanciest essay constructed by a professional writer...(and theoretically the better you are a writter is related to your intelligence/expression abilities)

Having someone read it for any glaring issues is one thing, but I don't think I'd be comfortable having someone else read or use mine as a template. I guess the goal of my personal statement was simply to "talk" about everything in my application...as if *I* was the one reading the application to the adcoms...they already know what I did and what my grades were, what's important for me for the statements is for the adcoms to know the person behind the resume. If someone else wrote it or worked on it very extensively, then that's not really "me" or my story...

just some food for thought I guess...

Hi
I do to some extent agree with what you say, but noone can really copy anyone else's personal statement successfully because the work experience and personal qualities are always going to be different.
I try to read other people's personal statements to get an idea of the layout and to some extent the amount of detail people have put in about their work experience, i would never copy any part of a personal statement because i would feel terrible about it.
I get other people to read my personal statement to check the obvious things like spelling and grammer. And also if i am over the character limit to see if they can find a way of cutting it down.
I appreciate what you say, and i hope this post doesn't upset you in any way. But this is how i feel.
🙂

 

[dvm'08]

I'm not trying to start a fight here...but...

Does anyone else think that getting "too much" help on the personal statement is a little unethical?

holy crap i cannot believe you typed this. absolutely unbelievable.

 

[kate_g]

I'm not trying to start a fight, but...

holy crap i cannot believe you typed this.

Hee hee... This happens a lot, has anyone else noticed? At first I just thought it was a very specific personality conflict, such that everything HorseyVet says just rubs dvm'08 the wrong way. But y'know what I think is actually going on? I think what we have here is one person with multiple personality disorder. HorseyVet says something opinionated or provocative, and then dvm'08 says "I can't believe you said that!"... HorseyVet says "I'm going to wear a blue shirt today" and dvm'08 says "no I'm not, I'm going to wear a *red* shirt"...

Heh. Yeah, it's been a long day, forgive me. (Especially HorseyVet and dvm'08... all in good fun, I assure you.) Anyway, back to the topic at hand...

 

[dvm'08]

muahaha

 

[HorseyVet]

Hee hee... This happens a lot, has anyone else noticed? At first I just thought it was a very specific personality conflict, such that everything HorseyVet says just rubs dvm'08 the wrong way. But y'know what I think is actually going on? I think what we have here is one person with multiple personality disorder.

Are you suggesting that this is a trolling/alias situation? I really promise it's not.

 

[kate_g]

Are you suggesting that this is a trolling/alias situation? I really promise it's not.

Nonono! That would have required me being serious in my allegation. "All in good fun" meant it was a joke. 😀

(In this particular situation it really struck me, because I didn't think what you said was all that bad, particularly given Reina's reply with an actual incidence of "too much help". I found myself wondering what you could possibly say that dvm'08 *wouldn't* think was "absolutely unbelievable", and the thought process just degenerated into silliness from there, prompting me to write the dual-personality thing.)

Sorry for derailing the conversation... 😳 To add a little more useful content, even though I suggested the PS repository, I had the same reaction as ginkogirl once Reina told her story... I put lots of work into things like that and am proud enough not to *want* to copy someone else, so I wasn't really thinking about the people desperate enough to plagarize. Unethical people suck. 😡

 

[ginkogirl]

Unethical people suck. 😡

I'll second that! 👍