the Personal Statement

[lailanni]

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What do they expect of a personal statement?

I've some rough drafts, but have no idea what they want.

--Why I want to be a vet?
--Why I'm a uniqely qualified applicant?

Please help nudge me in the right direction. There's not even a prompt to help guide me, like in undergrad admissions.

 

[wildfocus]

in the instructions last year they specifically asked us to address certain points. i can't remember off the top of my head, but basically, you want to discuss how you got to vet med, what makes you want to stay, and where you think you will go (AND how YOU will contribute to the field). i think it is really important to "KNOW THYSELF" (plato's tenet) - otherwise the candidate comes across naive/immature. also, the essay is what can make you stand apart from all the other outstanding 1500 applicants to your school of interest - so make it good! i suggest meditating or taking a really long walk to think about why you really want to spend the next four years in such a grueling program.

 

[youthman]

This is directly from the VMCAS instructions:

Discuss briefly the development of your interest in veterinary medicine. Discuss those activities and unique experiences that have contributed to your preparation for a professional program. Discuss your understanding of the veterinary medical profession, and discuss your career goals and objectives.

HTH!

 

[palomino985]

FWIW, I empathize.. I personally didn't find the instructions on VMCAS all that stimulating.. so I googled for veterinary personal statements and got a few additional ideas of what one is supposed to be like through that..

When all else fails.. google. 🙂

 

[ShelterGirl]

There's also an old thread in this forum where people who were accepted this year shared their PS. Apologies, I don't have a link offhand. It's good, though.

 

[efab]

i have asked several current students, recent grads, and seasoned professionals. they say the point of the statement is to introduce yourself to the committee before you hopefully get an interview. the take home message from everyone was "be enthusiastic and stick to topics and activities you have already tackled". they want you to speak of experiences you HAVE had and NOT those you think you want to tackle and make a career out of.

 

[wildfocus]

i have asked several current students, recent grads, and seasoned professionals. they say the point of the statement is to introduce yourself to the committee before you hopefully get an interview. the take home message from everyone was "be enthusiastic and stick to topics and activities you have already tackled". they want you to speak of experiences you HAVE had and NOT those you think you want to tackle and make a career out of.

i don't totally agree with this... they want to see that you have actually thought about the vet profession and that you have a plan, a vision for yourself in it. i worry that people will read your statement above and then totally ignore this aspect. be sure to include all the points that the vmcas instructions list.

 

[ShelterGirl]

i don't totally agree with this... they want to see that you have actually thought about the vet profession and that you have a plan, a vision for yourself in it. i worry that people will read your statement above and then totally ignore this aspect. be sure to include all the points that the vmcas instructions list.

Yeah, I got dinged for that this year - my PS didn't have any mention of what I wanted to do once I actually *got* the DVM, and that was brought up in my post-mortem discussion as a weak point.

 

[youthman]

How many of you are saying somewhere in your statement that you enjoy working with animals, or that you grew up with animals? Or is this pretty much "boring news" that is already assumed to be the case by adcoms? So far I have avoided including this on faith that the adcoms will see by my animal experience I've been involved with animals most of my life.