What goes in a personal statement?

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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If you're talking about VMCAS, there is a prompt:

THE FREAKING VMCAS INSTRUCTIONS said:
Personal Statement (MANDATORY)
Your personal statement should be written clearly and succinctly - 5000 characters (including spaces) have been allotted for your statement.

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.
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gibbons are you starting your PS for this application cycle?
 
Yeah, I'm one of those little wormies. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on using quotes in personal statments? I know it might be cheesy, but this Rudyard Kipling quote is creeping up on me seductively....
 
I'm another little worm from the woodwork. Don't suppose anyone would be willing to read my PS at this point and give me feedback? I'm willing to beg if necessary.
 
CorporateFatCat said:
Yeah, I'm one of those little wormies. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on using quotes in personal statments? I know it might be cheesy, but this Rudyard Kipling quote is creeping up on me seductively....
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i read a PS that started with a quote from one of last year's applicants and it fit really well. i think it depends on the quote itself and how you use it.
 
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rileyroo said:
i was thinking the same thing lol and wondering if this was normal around this time every year.
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Yes. Happens every year-there are also usually new people around interview time.
 
gibbons482 said:
What goes in a personal statement?
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Hours, days, weeks of suffering, of blood, sweat, and tears. More drafts than you've ever put into a piece of writing before. All of your hopes and dreams.

Oh, wait, you wanted practical advice. Never mind.
 
eventualeventer said:
Hours, days, weeks of suffering, of blood, sweat, and tears. More drafts than you've ever put into a piece of writing before. All of your hopes and dreams.

Oh, wait, you wanted practical advice. Never mind.
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so true! i have almost NEVER drafted any papers throughout college. first draft = final draft. i can't even count anymore how many drafts i wrote for my PS.
 
I've been saving each major stage as a new document so that I can go back if I want to take a different angle. I have 5 different named documents, and that doesn't count all of the more minor edits! My friend/editor is a saint for putting up with me.
 
I was so disorganized about it - at any given time I had 2 or 3 different revisions sent out to different people and would just decide to change things on a whim. My very final copy of it was actually read by nobody but me, though it was right after a session with my professor going over the revision right before. Hopefully I got across what I wanted!
 
Hi I remember seeing a post earlier this month about some members who were willing to proofread and offer feedback for personal statements? I am not sure how to go about doing this since I am fairly new on the SDN anyone have any advice or know the link to where I can get some feedback? Thanks so much and happy applications 🙂
 
eventualeventer said:
Hours, days, weeks of suffering, of blood, sweat, and tears. More drafts than you've ever put into a piece of writing before.
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I sat down and just poured my heart out for an hour. And I am at 5500 characters. I am beginning to think my PS is no bueno. I do like to write, and I love animals and have known since well, birth probably, that I wanted to be a vet. I can try and give advice about helping with anyones, but I fear that I am at the wrong end of the spectrum... where as eventualeventer is on the other end 🙂. Maybe we should combine forces?

To the person who originally posted, sorry forget the name now that I am writing... you do have plenty of time, and my logic behind it was the more time I gave myself to write/edit/rewrite, the more I would do that, when maybe, the first draft (or five) are exactly what you need. Does that make sense?

Again, I am a tad bit worried that mine happened so quickly and now I just need to reduce it to a tidy 5000 characters. Advice? Maybe I should have someone read it...
 
futurevet3000 said:
Again, I am a tad bit worried that mine happened so quickly and now I just need to reduce it to a tidy 5000 characters. Advice? Maybe I should have someone read it...
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Have someone read it, you have to balance why you want to be a vet and why they should see you as a vet, and that can be hard...or as one of our ad coms say 'we get hundreds of applications that essentially say 'I love animals.' and it needs to say a lot more.'

I'd volunteer, but my schedule just isn't open enough. Having said that, I read over 3 dozen last year....and I can tell you it was very easy to sort those into a hand full of 'amazing' PS's and a stack of 'hmmmm' PS's, and the amazing PS's had far less to do with what the applicant wrote about than the tone, enthusiasm, sincerity and personality that came through (along with proper grammar and writing conventions.)

And you may have it down; one of my classmates wrote hers, proofed it herself, and submitted.
 
Thanks for the advice sumstorm. I really do feel my sincerity exudes from what I have written, but I may be a bit shy of really portraying why I deserve to be a vet. I kind of open it up with a really personal childhood experience (animal related of course). I have one review, which was a good one. Does anyone else want to take a gander, or swap details of PS's? Obviously that would be comparing apples to oranges but if you're like me... I love the camaraderie of it all.
 
I started off with "Vet PS" and sent it to 3 kind and wonderful SDNer's to read through. After their comments and feedback, I have written "Vet PD edit 1", "Vet PS edit 2" and "Vet PS edit 3". However, I discovered along the way that what one person likes, another might hate. After I sent out round one, one SDNer recommended I move my closing paragraph to my opening, as they felt it was more emotionally provocative . I did that, as well as completing many other changes. After sending out round 2, a different SDNer questioned why I moved that last paragraph and most of them thought the overall feeling was quite scattered. I think asking for help on your PS is absolutely worth it, but in the end, you need to do the final editing for yourself. I think my PS is 10x better than where I started due completely to my fellow SDN family, but eventually, I had to make the final decisions for myself. Let's just hope I'm right and my PS isn't a complete bomb!😴
 
twelvetigers said:
IHATEWRITINGABOUTMYSELFSOMUCH! Argggggggh. I'm resorting to studying and doing homework weeks in advance as a form of procrastination. It's pathetic.
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TELL ME ABOUT IT. I usually like writing about myself SO MUCH but I just can't handle it right now. I've been telling myself I'll finish this darn thing for three days now. I NEED to finish it by Monday and I really want to finish it tonight so I can send it out to people to look over...it's just SO HARD. =(
 
Jakesmom said:
However, I discovered along the way that what one person likes, another might hate.
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Hmmm. Could that be because 2 of the people you picked are quarrelsome, argumentative, and attending rival schools? 😱

Jakesmom said:
I think asking for help on your PS is absolutely worth it, but in the end, you need to do the final editing for yourself. I think my PS is 10x better than where I started due completely to my fellow SDN family, but eventually, I had to make the final decisions for myself.
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That is a great point! It should probably be posted at the top of the PS reader thread as a disclaimer.
 
nyanko said:
If you're talking about VMCAS, there is a prompt:
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Are the instructions the same every year on the VMCAS because I know I'm applying next year and I'm terrible at talking about myself or selling myself so I should probably start thinking about what I should say LOL! :scared:
 
So I am starting to panic.
What I thought was a semi-decent PS is now look disgusting. I wrote something sentimental and heartfelt but now I am wondering if it is too cute. I tend to be a romantic and flowery writer, which usually works out in my favor, but I am thinking that this time around, its going to hurt me....
Does anyone have time to give it a glance? I had a few people read it and I am getting some mixed reviews. I know it is MY ps but can't hurt to get a fresh set of eyes on it, and I love sharing my work with others, because I do enjoy writing, but as the weeks go by here and the due date gets closer... I have entered severe panic mode. I am just going to start writing another one now just in case...
is this normal? 😱
 
futurevet3000 said:
So I am starting to panic.
What I thought was a semi-decent PS is now look disgusting. I wrote something sentimental and heartfelt but now I am wondering if it is too cute. I tend to be a romantic and flowery writer, which usually works out in my favor, but I am thinking that this time around, its going to hurt me....
Does anyone have time to give it a glance? I had a few people read it and I am getting some mixed reviews. I know it is MY ps but can't hurt to get a fresh set of eyes on it, and I love sharing my work with others, because I do enjoy writing, but as the weeks go by here and the due date gets closer... I have entered severe panic mode. I am just going to start writing another one now just in case...
is this normal? 😱
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I'll take a peek at it for you if you want. I'm not in vet school but I am applying this cycle and your writing style sounds a lot like my own. PM it to me if you like =)
 
futurevet3000 said:
So I am starting to panic.
What I thought was a semi-decent PS is now look disgusting. I wrote something sentimental and heartfelt but now I am wondering if it is too cute. I tend to be a romantic and flowery writer, which usually works out in my favor, but I am thinking that this time around, its going to hurt me....
Does anyone have time to give it a glance? I had a few people read it and I am getting some mixed reviews. I know it is MY ps but can't hurt to get a fresh set of eyes on it, and I love sharing my work with others, because I do enjoy writing, but as the weeks go by here and the due date gets closer... I have entered severe panic mode. I am just going to start writing another one now just in case...
is this normal? 😱
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I'd be happy to proof for you as well. I am a paralegal (currently enrolled in my pre-reqs for vet school) and I regularly edit documents for content and clarity.

If you'd like you can send me a PM.

Kim
 
I'd be willing to help out
 
Wow you guys are all so nice, and I am sure you are all super busy. I am currently working on some Biochemistry to take a break from my applications and such... but once I get back on the PS track I will definitely take you up on the help! Thanks again for all the responses... this forum is so wonderful 😍
 
futurevet3000 said:
Wow you guys are all so nice, and I am sure you are all super busy. I am currently working on some Biochemistry to take a break from my applications and such... but once I get back on the PS track I will definitely take you up on the help! Thanks again for all the responses... this forum is so wonderful 😍
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We've reached a sad, sorry state in our lives when Biochem is considered a "break" from anything. lol
 
I have a question about my PS. One of the vets I am currently working for read my PS and she thought that I spent too much time (a paragraph) talking about my transition from human med to vet med. I told her the reason I talked about it was because I didn't have any vet experience prior to January of this year. She said that she didn't have any vet experience prior to her junior year, and she didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Anyone have any thoughts/comments on this?

FWIW, she's been out of vet school for probably 20 years (don't know if thinks were different then or not).
 
hunterjumper12 said:
I have a question about my PS. One of the vets I am currently working for read my PS and she thought that I spent too much time (a paragraph) talking about my transition from human med to vet med. I told her the reason I talked about it was because I didn't have any vet experience prior to January of this year. She said that she didn't have any vet experience prior to her junior year, and she didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Anyone have any thoughts/comments on this?

FWIW, she's been out of vet school for probably 20 years (don't know if thinks were different then or not).
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It depends on what you said....do you explain what made you switch or did you explain how you went about doing it? I think it would be important to tell them why now you are interested in veterinary medicine instead of human medicine. I don't think it would be important to talk about what classes or experiences you did in order to make this switch (unless the experience made some sort of impact on your view of vet med or something)
 
luplodw said:
It depends on what you said....do you explain what made you switch or did you explain how you went about doing it? I think it would be important to tell them why now you are interested in veterinary medicine instead of human medicine. I don't think it would be important to talk about what classes or experiences you did in order to make this switch (unless the experience made some sort of impact on your view of vet med or something)
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I talked about what made me switch and the aspects of vet med that I liked more than human med. I briefly mentioned (1 sentence) that although I enjoyed shadowing physicians, I didn't feel that it was my life's calling anymore. Then I went into the aspects of vet med that were different than human med, and why those appealed to me more (2-3 sentences).
 
Then I think it is really important to keep in your PS! It was a big decision in your life...if you don't address it in your PS, then they will definitely ask you about it in the interview.
 
I'd appreciate someone to read through my PS. I can swap PS too.
Someone told me my PS sounds too people orientated and that there is no theme. I felt like I related my people experience to vet med. Besides, all my animal experiences are listed in the application. Please can someone take a gander? Thank you very much.
 
i'm always open to helping out with personal statements
 
Hey! I have been following some of the PS threads while I was brainstorming about my essay. I decided on a story about a stray that lived around my house for a short period of time when I was much younger, but the stray had some health issues and ended up dying. Would the reader look on the fact that I never took the stray to the vet negatively? Looking back, I know I should have but I was pretty young. Sorry, this is a bit of a random question but I wanted to ask before I churned out an essay!
 
I mean if you were really young then you couldn't have taken in the stray...plus no vet thinks that you would be obligated to spend your own money on a stray cat. As a vet you must understand that you can't save them all!
 
haha always happy to help!
 
I can look at a PS if any one needs help. I'm applying this cycle but I'm a good proof-reader. PM me if needed.
 
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