Should I Include My Weight Loss in MY PS?

[russellang]

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I am writing my personal statement and I have been thinking of things to write about. I thought I should talk about my weight loss.

About two years ago, I weighed almost 300 pounds and now weigh 165. I had mentioned writing about this in my ps to my parents a few months ago and they think it is a very bad idea. They say that if I admit I weighed that much admissions will think I let myself go and that they are discriminatory towards obese persons regardless of the fact I lost the weight. I think they think it is a character flaw.

Yesterday my weight loss came up with the vet and he said I would be stupid not to include it in there to show my dedication to exercise/diet etc. The vet said its something to make me stand out that does not involve vetmed or animals. I again asked my parents about it and they still think its a bad idea.

What do you guys think?

Thank you

 

[Bearby]

I am writing my personal statement and I have been thinking of things to write about. I thought I should talk about my weight loss.

About two years ago, I weighed almost 300 pounds and now weigh 165. I had mentioned writing about this in my ps to my parents a few months ago and they think it is a very bad idea. They say that if I admit I weighed that much admissions will think I let myself go and that they are discriminatory towards obese persons regardless of the fact I lost the weight. I think they think it is a character flaw.

Yesterday my weight loss came up with the vet and he said I would be stupid not to include it in there to show my dedication to exercise/diet etc. The vet said its something to make me stand out that does not involve vetmed or animals. I again asked my parents about it and they still think its a bad idea.

What do you guys think?

Thank you

Personally, I agree more with the vet than your parents. I think it shows a great strength that you were able to lose the weight. I don't think it should be the sole focus of your PS, but it's something that you are proud of and if you can work it in, I think that's great. Congratulations btw.

 

[PppermintTwist]

I agree with the vet as well. I would mention how much work and dedication you had to drop that much weight. Vetmed is also something that is important to you and they should know that you have the dedication to see it through.

Congrats and good luck!!!

 

[Bismarck]

I guess it would depend on where the extra weight came from in the first place. I'd lean toward not including it in a PS personally and use the space to tackle experiences directly related to vet med. I see the letters of rec as space for where personal qualities can shine. Maybe if the vet wants to discuss how you are a motivated individual (and use the weight loss as an example) it could work.

I see it more as a distraction in a personal statement and would be more inclined to discuss it if appropriate in an interview.

/$.02

 

[russellang]

Thanks for the congrats guys!

The reason i was thinking about including it is that I could talk about it in my interview and its something interesting about myself. The vets who I work with are new grad at the IS vet school and they said in the interviews they like to talk about things about you that dont involve animals. But obviously I dont know for sure if thats true or not.

My concern with having my LOR's include the weight loss is that those persons I met after I lost the weight so they never saw me back then. I am not sure if that matters, I just think it woudl only be meaningful to include if they saw my dedication to my weight first hand.

 

[Dsmoody23]

Seems like something that would be worth a line or two, especially in the context of other achievements.

As in: "During Fall semester of 20XX, while taking 15 credits and being honored on the deans list, I also made significant lifestyle changes in order to drop my weight from XXX to XXX. "

It's an impressive feat regardless, but you might get some extra ground if you tie it into your developing academic and professional personality.

Congrats, either way.

 

[breenie]

Clearly it ties into your personal narrative about who you are as a person and how you've developed over the last few years. That's relevant! I think you just need to find an elegant way to work it in and phrase it to get the most impact and relevancy out of it.

 

[LetItSnow]

I am writing my personal statement and I have been thinking of things to write about. I thought I should talk about my weight loss.

Generally, I'm with your vet and not your parents. The question, though, is where and how to bring it up. I think it's a rare and remarkable achievement that says a lot about you. A 45% weight loss is really impressive.

As in: "During Fall semester of 20XX, while taking 15 credits and being honored on the deans list, I also made significant lifestyle changes in order to drop my weight from XXX to XXX. "

That's clever. I like.

I'd lean toward not including it in a PS personally and use the space to tackle experiences directly related to vet med.

That's going to vary considerably from applicant to applicant. People who have a lot of vet experience (or research, perhaps) can write excellent PSs based around it. Those of us who squeak in on the lower side of the experience game can't. My PS opened with a story from my shadowing experience, closed with an assessment of my interests/goals, and otherwise had only one (I think...) mention of any specific veterinary experience in the guts of it. The rest was drawn from other life and work experiences, but designed to highlight characteristics I thought would play into vet school+career success.

I could see writing something that connected the weight loss to a developing interest in medicine/health care in general.

 

[Dsmoody23]

Orrrrrr....

(and i like this one, almost enough to gain 150 lbs and lose it, so i can use it myself...)

"During Fall semester of my junior year, while taking 15 credits of upper level science and making the Dean's list at my university, I utilized my new found focus to finally tackle my lifelong battle with my weight, dropping from ### pounds to ###. "

 

[Angelo84]

I would probably leave it out of the PS, that is where you want your path to vet med, experiences, and career goals to be clear and free standing remember you only have a limited number of characters.

However this is a great topic for those pesky supplemental essays often there is a tell us more about your self/ tell us about a challenge you overcame etc... so I would look into those.

 

[pooter]

I guess I'm the minority in that I think it's a bad idea to give adcoms/interviewers any excuse to judge based on appearance or to subject your body/perceived health to public scrutiny. But I'll be the first to admit that it's mostly a philosophical objection. It sounds like this is an accomplishment that brings you a lot of pride and maybe helped define/change you in some way, and at the end of the day you know your own story best.

Best of luck with your application, whatever you decide.

 

[Minnerbelle]

They say that if I admit I weighed that much admissions will think I let myself go and that they are discriminatory towards obese persons regardless of the fact I lost the weight. I think they think it is a character flaw.

I'm not sure if this topic is something that should be in your PS (totally depends on how you go about it), but if not, I definitely don't think it'd be because of the reason your parents cited. If anything, it's because the topic doesn't fit with the overall flow of your PS or because it doesn't necessarily answer the prompt. I think it's extraordinarily admirable that you've gotten yourself in shape. Anyone who disregards that and focuses on who you were before is a complete tool IMO.

 

[vetme]

I would probably leave it out of the PS, that is where you want your path to vet med, experiences, and career goals to be clear and free standing remember you only have a limited number of characters.

However this is a great topic for those pesky supplemental essays often there is a tell us more about your self/ tell us about a challenge you overcame etc... so I would look into those.

I guess I'm the minority in that I think it's a bad idea to give adcoms/interviewers any excuse to judge based on appearance or to subject your body/perceived health to public scrutiny. But I'll be the first to admit that it's mostly a philosophical objection. It sounds like this is an accomplishment that brings you a lot of pride and maybe helped define/change you in some way, and at the end of the day you know your own story best.

Best of luck with your application, whatever you decide.

I'm not sure if this topic is something that should be in your PS (totally depends on how you go about it), but if not, I definitely don't think it'd be because of the reason your parents cited. If anything, it's because the topic doesn't fit with the overall flow of your PS or because it doesn't necessarily answer the prompt. I think it's extraordinarily admirable that you've gotten yourself in shape. Anyone who disregards that and focuses on who you were before is a complete tool IMO.

I agree that it is a bad idea to put it in your personal statement. like mentioned above you could put it in a supplemental essay. I also agree that it is an amazing accomplishment, but does it really have anyting to do with wanting to become a veterinarian?

 

[lareinesoleil]

I wouldn't make it the focus of your PS, but I agree with Dsmoody. I'd throw it in there as a mention of how you can handle a lot of discipline and responsibility, and you can stick it out even when things aren't easy. Sure, it's not vet related. But if you work it in a sentence (again, I think Dsmoody nailed it) then you're only using what...5 words? It's an amazing accomplishment, you should be proud.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I also agree that it is an amazing accomplishment, but does it really have anyting to do with wanting to become a veterinarian?

I'm surprised at several people saying that it has no place in the PS. Your PS should not be entirely about veterinary medicine/wanting to be a vet/animals galore/etc. I would be bored to tears by a PS that was a total rehash of veterinary experience and gave me no insight onto who this applicant is as a person.

Your statement not about your accomplishments - they can look on your resume and see all that (of course, it can be used to extrapolate on a select few to further explain your role and what you learned). It should include what experiences defined you (vet med AND non-vet med), your positive traits, your work ethic, determination - in LIFE, not just in veterinary medicine. And overcoming obesity takes tremendous determination. That would very much stand out to me in a PS rather than endless "I worked at xyz clinic for blah blah years and learned blah blah blah and I want to be a vet due to blah blah blah" x 1000

What I am trying to get at is, it is a PERSONAL statement, not a veterinary statement. Of course you can, and should, include other non-veterinary experiences that helped shape you as a person - not as a main focus, but definitely as concrete examples of who you are.

 

[russellang]

I really am still not sure about whether to include it or not. Most of you are saying not to but then the last reply was in line with what I was thinking the whole time. My vet experiences are rather unique but I guess I just felt saying something like my weight loss that has nothing to do with animals might stand out.

If I was going to include it I would probably make it in a small pararaph. I think saying it in one sentence is not sufficient and lessens its impact. My parents still feel that if I imply I was overweight I send a message to adcoms that I have a character flaw and let myself go. BTW, the weight gain started due to surgery that made it difficult for me to walk.

 

[LetItSnow]

I agree that it is a bad idea to put it in your personal statement. like mentioned above you could put it in a supplemental essay. I also agree that it is an amazing accomplishment, but does it really have anyting to do with wanting to become a veterinarian?

Well. That's a fair criticism, but in response I think I'd ask: Did my accomplishments in the telecom industry have anything to do with becoming a vet? My handling of critical emergencies flying? My leadership on a board of directors of a $1M/yr-revenue non-profit? (They were all in my PS.)

I think sometimes people get too focused in their PSs; they get this notion that if it doesn't directly involve vet med, it shouldn't be in there. I disagree. I think you can use anything from your life if it demonstrates character traits that would help you be successful. They don't need you rehashing how you can put a catheter in a cat; that's evident in the Experiences section. The PS can (and should, in my opinion) be much more far-reaching.

Caveat: It's not like I'm on an AdComm. 🙂

 

[bunnity]

The PS prompt is pretty specific and you have very little space. Since you asked us, I'll ask you a question: how does your (very impressive) weight loss relate to your desire to be a vet or your ability to succeed in vet school and in the profession?

 

[Minnerbelle]

I really am still not sure about whether to include it or not. Most of you are saying not to but then the last reply was in line with what I was thinking the whole time. My vet experiences are rather unique but I guess I just felt saying something like my weight loss that has nothing to do with animals might stand out.

I think it just really depends on how you put it. Why don't you include it for now and see how it goes? Have a bunch of people read it and comment once you have it written.

I think you can pretty much put anything into a PS (minus being a child molester or animal abuser or something like that) and make it work, but it HAS to make sense. I've read several PS's where people have talked about their personal challenges outside of vet med, and though inspiring and with lots of potential, most of them have fallen flat. Generally it's because they spend like 1/3-1/2 of their word count talking about how they overcame their challenge in a "chicken soup for the soul" type story, then climaxes it with "Overcoming this challenge made me realize that I can do anything. Therefore I want to become a vet," without saying anything else at which point I go 😕. Don't get me wrong, I love chicken soup for the soul... but it makes me wonder if the writer thinks anyone who's overcome adversity should automatically be admitted to vet school for their tenacity and nothing else. I'm sure that's not what the writer's intentions are, but it comes off that way in writing.

I do think it's important to talk about personal/professional development and or personal character that fits in with what the applicant perceives to be important for a veterinary career, but that link needs to be clear.

 

[LetItSnow]

"chicken soup for the soul"

Now I want chicken noodle soup. AND crackers. Thanks a lot, Minn. 🙂

 

[libster06]

I think it would be fine to include it. It's not the sole reason you want to go into vet med, but it speaks to your personal qualities that make you a good vet school candidate. I don't think it could harm you, and I like the way Dsmoody worded it into a paragraph, tying it into how it ties into your vet school focus (discipline, etc.). I can't imagine a panel reading it and discounting you because you made a significant lifestyle change and wanting to share about it. Personal statements are just that. If you want to talk about it, go ahead. It makes you who you are and it IS relevant to this whole process, so I vote yes.

 

[Graduatedly]

DEFINITELY put it in your PS! Going from 300 lbs to 165lbs is NOT an easy feat at all (let alone losing 5 lbs)!

It doesn't have to be the focus of your statement, but definitely an eye-catcher that the adcoms will remember you by. After looking through THOUSANDS of statements, which one will they keep in their mind at the end of the day?

Losing all that weight shows true dedication, self-discipline, and an unfathomable level of determination. These are definitely qualities that make a great vet student! The vet that I'm currently shadowing told me about how so many of her colleagues gained so much weight during their time in school because they didn't have a good diet and exercise regimen (she said she gained close to 50 lbs). You could relate those qualities that enabled you achieve your healthy weight to your experiences in the vet field, and I'm sure you'll be a candidate to be remembered 🙂

Goodness, I think I'm a little jealous of your achievement! You're going to have to pass along some of your secrets to me!

 

[russellang]

Thanks guys!

I put the weight loss in my PS. I put it in a small paragraph and it is not the main focus of the PS.

I think I made the right decision.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

It doesn't have to be the focus of your statement, but definitely an eye-catcher that the adcoms will remember you by. After looking through THOUSANDS of statements, which one will they keep in their mind at the end of the day?

........

Losing all that weight shows true dedication, self-discipline, and an unfathomable level of determination. These are definitely qualities that make a great vet student!

👍 🙂

Indeed, congrats!