Tone of the Explanation Statement?

[EllieGirl89]

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As I'm wrapping up my personal statement I find I'm having a hard time setting the tone of my explanation statement. Should it just be matter of fact, or should I try and be more formal? If it helps anyone answer my question, my explanation statement will include why I went to a community college for my first two years of undergrad and why I took one class at another 4 year university, so nothing heavy or "personal." Should I just explain it outright or does it need to be "fluffy"?

 

[Maddiegirl]

Let me start by saying that I have not done mine yet and am just beginning my pre-reqs, so this is just my opinion.

I would tend to avoid fluff in the explanation as it may come off as sugar coating it or perhaps making excuses. I would just succinctly explain your situation and the circumstances that led you to be in that situation.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[david594]

Be concise. Community college for first 2 really doesn't need much explanation if you then went on to a 4 year college. A single class elsewhere also barely justifies more than "Their course offering best accommodated my schedule and academic goals at that point in my academic career."

 

[turnandburn]

I'm sure others will disagree with me on this, but they have given you the space... use it to your advantage and sell yourself! Most importantly keep the tone positive. 😉

 

[EllieGirl89]

Thanks for the input everybody! Turnandburn, that's kind of along the lines of what I was thinking. The reason I went to the community college was that I was given a full scholarship there. Even though I didn't really want to go there at first, I made the most of my time there and earned both an Associate of Science and an Associate of Arts in those 2 years. I had also planned on utilizing their "University Partnership" program which is why I had the one class from the other 4 year University. Also, I wanted to point out the fact that even though my VMCAS is littered with classes that are labeled "lower-level" simply because they were 200-level classes at the CC, many of them transferred to my current University as upper level (300-level) courses. In other words, I took classes that had the same content as upper-level university courses, they were just labeled differently because they were offered at the CC level.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys, and keep them coming!

 

[lunajett]

From the sounds of it, I think you're missing your best opportunity to "sell" yourself. If I remember correctly, there are other short places to offer a brief explanation of any academic "issues," although I think what you're talking about doesn't really even require an explanation. Lots of people go to CC's and take classes at multiple colleges; it's what many of us need to do to "get it done." Really no big deal at all, so don't waste precious PS space going on about it.

Use the PS to tell adcomms about your passion (without getting TOO emotional, of course) for being a vet. Why do you want to be a vet? Why would you be a great one? How have your experiences and education confirmed that this is the right choice for you? What do you want to do as a vet, and why? Don't make it just some dry formal explanation. Draw them in, get them on your side, make them think "Wow, this is someone I would be proud to work next to as a colleague some day."

 

[EllieGirl89]

Thanks, Lunajett, I actually am talking about the explanation statement and not the personal statement. I plan to touch on it briefly in the PS, but only as it pertains to my journey towards vet school. I was planning on writing about it in the explanation statement (even though it doesn't really require an 'explanation' per say, the VMCAS instructions DO say to include GPAs other than your primary school's GPA in the ES).

 

[OneDay81]

the VMCAS instructions DO say to include GPAs other than your primary school's GPA in the ES).

Straight from VMCAS:

Explanation Statement
Use the explanation statement to record information that could not be listed within the web application, such as missing parental information, and disciplinary action(s) which require detailed explanation. This section can also be used to provide the admissions committee(s) additional information that you consider vital to your application. Your explanation statement should be clearly and succinctly written – 2000 characters (including spaces) have been allotted for this purpose.

Examples of pertinent information might include explanations about interruptions in your studies or experiences, unique circumstances you have faced, or reasons for decisions you have made. "

However, further up in the instructions, for overall GPA, it does say:

"Overall GPA
If you have attended multiple colleges list the GPA for your primary college. GPAs from other colleges should be listed on the Explanation Statement at the end of this section."

I'm not really sure if I will actually do that (I'll be applying next year). I've taken courses through ten different school and I don't really want to waste space listing GPAs when I could use it for other more important things. I'm not even sure which would be considered my "primary college"... I got my AS through one school in 2004, my BS in another in 2008, and in the Spring I will be full time at Purdue. So maybe Purdue will be my primary when application time comes???

 

[EllieGirl89]

Yeah, I guess it really shouldn't hurt if I do, even if it doesn't necessarily help. I think I will, only because my GPAs at my other 2 schools are better than the GPA at my primary school. My primary school (the CC) is 3.52, the University where I took the 1 class is a 4.0 since I got an A in the one class I took, and now at Ohio State, where I've done 1 year, it's 3.67. I kind of want to show the upward trend; that I've gotten progressively better as time has gone on.

BTW, your primary school is the one where you earned the majority of your credits. I really wished I could list Ohio State as my primary school, since that's where I'll be finishing my bachelor's, but I had to list the CC since I earned most of my credits, as of the time of application, there. However if I end up having to reapply after I've graduated OSU I will probably list OSU as my primary school, seeing as I'll have about the same number of credits from there as I do from the CC but will have earned a higher degree from OSU.

 

[OneDay81]

Yeah, after I posted that (about not being certain about what makes a school your "primary") I found in the VMCAS instructions that it is the school where you earned your BS, the school where you earned the most credits, or the school where you completed the majority of your prereqs. I am going to use the school where I earned my BS (3.81) vs the cc where I earned the majority of my credits (3.49). My prereqs were completed all over the place. Both are better than my overall (3.34).