Which is better for my explanation statement??

[hwolfe]

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I have two directions I want to go for my explanation statement...I'm not sure which will be looked upon more favorably by the ad coms.

1) my poor grades were simply due to poor choices/not working hard enough (worded more eloquently of course)

2) I began having panic attacks/anxiety right around when my grades began to drop and I definitely feel this affected my grades - I have since learned to manage the attacks

I don't want them to think I'm crazy since I have anxiety and severe panic attacks! So I'm not sure which to direction to go in.....give me your thoughts 🙂

 

[parietal]

I have two directions I want to go for my explanation statement...I'm not sure which will be looked upon more favorably by the ad coms.

1) my poor grades were simply due to poor choices/not working hard enough (worded more eloquently of course)

2) I began having panic attacks/anxiety right around when my grades began to drop and I definitely feel this affected my grades - I have since learned to manage the attacks

I don't want them to think I'm crazy since I have anxiety and severe panic attacks! So I'm not sure which to direction to go in.....give me your thoughts 🙂

Whichever is true. 🙂

Seriously, ad coms and the people on them are pretty different. What one loves, another will hate. Just write what you honestly feel affected your grades and how you have fixed it and will prevent it from happening again.

 

[BlacKAT33]

i would not waste the adcoms time making them read that your grades were just due to poor choices. Isn't that true for almost anyone?? This is for deaths, significant events, injury, major things, mental issues. Anyone who has poor grades and leaves this section blank is basically saying they got them because of bad choices. In this case, they will look at all the OTHER things...if you deserve an interview then when you're in it own up to your bad choices and say how you've changed.

the anxiety is a different thing. not sure if you want to put that or not. if it was severe then i guess so. Honestly tho, i had panic attacks all the time but that didnt change my grades. You dont have the panic attacks every day up until the exam. So if you chose to procrastinate til the week of, then freak out and have a panic attack...i feel like it was your fault for not studying before hand.

just my opinion though, maybe it's a harsh one? but i think #1 is pointless to mention because it is obvious. #2 i think may be putting the blame on the panic attacks instead of you not managing your time well. if you studied the whole semester you cant just fail a course because of a panic attack

Dont force this section. if it was bad choices then fine. leave it blank. It is possible to get an interview with a lower GPA!! that is the time to own up to stupid mistakes

 

[nyanko]

the anxiety is a different thing. not sure if you want to put that or not. if it was severe then i guess so. Honestly tho, i had panic attacks all the time but that didnt change my grades. You dont have the panic attacks every day up until the exam. So if you chose to procrastinate til the week of, then freak out and have a panic attack...i feel like it was your fault for not studying before hand.

You do realize that clinical anxiety itself can really, really contribute to this sort of procrastination/inability to focus, right? It seems like a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario, yeah, but I see no reason to leave this kind of thing out of an explanation statement.

Caveat: this holds true if you've demonstrated that you turned things around. I feel this way because it can really serve to highlight contrasts and show that you can overcome stuff.

Also, it's all well and good to say to address it at the interview...sometimes. In fact, make sure that when CSU, MSU or Cornell offers you an interview that you are careful to note this there! 😉

 

[PearlDVM]

I think that the explanation statement is a great place to address less than ideal grades. But I would only advise doing so if you can also explain why it's not going to be a major issue in the future. I think that anxiety is a perfectly valid reason - and can be very debilitating. If you've already begun to get your anxiety under control (as much as it can be), so that you are either minimizing overall anxiety or number of panic attacks, than that's great. I think adcoms like to see people acknowledge a problem, and then fix it. I do think that leaving no explanation for poor grades leaves then wondering if you just didn't study hard enough. It's especially helpful if you are able to prove your academic merit following your poor grades - so that they have evidence that anxiety may have poorly affected your study habits, but that it was a temporary problem. Everyone hits roadblocks, and sometimes it takes a few grading periods to recover. Adcoms know that. And I don't think they will think you're crazy! 😛 Good luck!

 

[hunterjumper12]

Not trying to hijack, but didn't want to start a new thread.

Should I put in the explanation statement that I was pre-med up until 2nd semester of my junior year? The only reason I ask this is because I have no vet experience before that (because I was intent on med school), but did do several medical shadowing programs at hospitals, doctor's offices, surgeries, etc. I was thinking that if I were to include this in my explanation statement, I would talk about the reasons why I decided to change from pre-med to pre-vet and how being pre-med will allow me to be more diverse. If it matters, I will have approximately 1,000 vet hours when I submit my application.

 

[hwolfe]

Alright, I might go the anxiety route. That is what I initially wanted to write about. And no, my anxiety is not due to procrastination hahaha, I never procrastinate for exams. Anxiety/depression/panic attacks runs in my family and this did legitimately affect my ability to study effectively! I just wasn't sure if this was something I needed to sure with the ad coms! But thanks all for replying 🙂

 

[Willowhand]

Not trying to hijack, but didn't want to start a new thread.

Should I put in the explanation statement that I was pre-med up until 2nd semester of my junior year? The only reason I ask this is because I have no vet experience before that (because I was intent on med school), but did do several medical shadowing programs at hospitals, doctor's offices, surgeries, etc. I was thinking that if I were to include this in my explanation statement, I would talk about the reasons why I decided to change from pre-med to pre-vet and how being pre-med will allow me to be more diverse. If it matters, I will have approximately 1,000 vet hours when I submit my application.

I wouldn't put that in an explanation statement, but your medical experience should definitely be in your application. Perhaps in the PS? I'm sure you gained a wealth of experience applicable to vet med, as there are many parallels between human and vet med --we're animals too, after all. I know that Tufts, for one, specifically asks that you expound upon any experience you have had in human medical science as well.

 

[nyanko]

Should I put in the explanation statement that I was pre-med up until 2nd semester of my junior year? The only reason I ask this is because I have no vet experience before that (because I was intent on med school), but did do several medical shadowing programs at hospitals, doctor's offices, surgeries, etc. I was thinking that if I were to include this in my explanation statement, I would talk about the reasons why I decided to change from pre-med to pre-vet and how being pre-med will allow me to be more diverse. If it matters, I will have approximately 1,000 vet hours when I submit my application.

To be honest, the reasons you switched from pre-med to pre-vet are really more of personal statement material than explanation statement material. The personal statement prompt IIRC is to describe the development of your interest in vet med, sooooo..

 

[hunterjumper12]

Ok, I was planning on putting it in my personal statement. Now I know that I don't have to write a separate explanation statement...sweet! lol Thanks for the help! 🙂

 

[rhinocerotidae]

I don't think it's a bad idea to state in your explantation statement that your poor grades were due to a lack of effort. I'm in that boat. I think it shows that the person understands and can admit why they got bad grades in the first place. With an upward trend it would hopefully show their commitment/drive improve their academic standards and ability to handle the vet med curriculum. I guess, I would just hope that the Ad coms would look at it in a positive way… But who knows, there are so many factors that go into an application it's hard to say what is best!

hwolfe: The above statement is NOT directed at you! I have a friend who has anxiety issues, so I somewhat understand how hard it is to over come/deal with. I think if you feel it's important enough to state, then you should!