Why do you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine?

[misshayyy]

Programs open in just a week, and I’ve been trying to find a better answer to the question, “Why do you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine? " Something beyond the typical 'I love animals' because I know that gets one look tossed aside since it’s everyone’s go-to. I can’t help but keep writing, “I want to give myself a better future.” I can’t waste away at another dead-end job where I’m not fulfilled. I also don’t want to waste the knowledge I’ve gained. I want to build on it and go further.

Is that still not a good enough reason to apply to vet school? Please help. :/

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[blackcatgreeneyes]

Hi! I think you already have your reason, you are just struggling to put it into words. Something that is asked of human medical students all the time is why they want to pursue and MD/DO instead of a PA/NP or other similar degree that isn’t as time-consuming— and the key difference between those pathways is the degree to which the practitioner is deciding treatment plans/RX, as well as the kind of procedures they can perform. Forgive me if I’m interpreting this wrong, but it sounds like you are a VA/VT now? So maybe your reason for going to vet school isn’t just because you love animals— you’ve already proven that you do because you are already working with them every day. What you could focus on now is your drive to turn that experience and your compassion for animals into a passion for driving change. As a DVM, you will be steering the ship. Yes, you will be taking control of your life and giving yourself a better future, but you will also be giving so many animals a better future by directly impacting their wellbeing. How will you do that? Why does that call to you? Also, you can write about your struggles with feeling stuck in dead end jobs and about how you would lead teams in a way to make sure that others don’t feel stuck in the same way. Be careful of being too accusatory/negative though, focus on how YOU can change things for the better as a leader. You could also write about any other areas of vet med that you would like to explore.

 

[pp9]

Programs open in just a week, and I’ve been trying to find a better answer to the question, “Why do you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine? " Something beyond the typical 'I love animals' because I know that gets one look tossed aside since it’s everyone’s go-to. I can’t help but keep writing, “I want to give myself a better future.” I can’t waste away at another dead-end job where I’m not fulfilled. I also don’t want to waste the knowledge I’ve gained. I want to build on it and go further.

Is that still not a good enough reason to apply to vet school? Please help. :/

The age old question! Reminder that I am not on any adcoms or currently involved with admissions beyond interviewing at certain schools, but here is my advice:

When I'm reading personal statements, I want to briefly understand how you came into the field and how you know it is the right choice for you. If I have the info available to me, I might also cross reference your experiences/hours while I read it to get a good idea of how in depth your experiences might be.

This next bit is entirely anecdotal, but I'll say that out of all of the applicants I've helped in some way, the ones that don't answer this question, or don't answer it convincingly, are also the ones that have the hardest time getting in. Or if they simply don't have the experience to back up what they are saying (example: 'I've seen the worst of vet met and it didn't scare me off, I know I want to do this!' All while having only 40 hours of veterinary experience, or only working in a very specific niche that doesn't give you a good idea of the average vet's day-to-day). It's easy to say that you want to be a vet - a lot of people have said this at some point in their lives and either realized the career wasn't for them, or they found something they liked better. Why is this the right choice for you, and why are you the right choice for the field?

And personal opinion, but I'm tempted to argue the idea that a DVM would give you a 'better future.' If I'm wondering about your thought process for that, I would guess adcoms would be too. Your WAMC post doesn't give us a good idea of your background (which is fine), but would going into hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt in a fairly tumultuous field really be giving you a better future? That might not be the best foundation for your PS or even your drive to become a vet.

 

[ThunderMuffin]

Programs open in just a week, and I’ve been trying to find a better answer to the question, “Why do you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine? " Something beyond the typical 'I love animals' because I know that gets one look tossed aside since it’s everyone’s go-to. I can’t help but keep writing, “I want to give myself a better future.” I can’t waste away at another dead-end job where I’m not fulfilled. I also don’t want to waste the knowledge I’ve gained. I want to build on it and go further.

Is that still not a good enough reason to apply to vet school? Please help. :/

I'd stick with what I assume is your core/true motivation (giving yourself a better future) but spin it to be less self-centered. Not that there is anything wrong with wanting a better future for yourself, but it could come off the wrong way if not done right.

For example, something like "my brother Billy was such a smart child but after watching him waste his potential I now see that taking care of yourself is also helping others. Becoming a veterinarian would allow me to be the best version of myself while helping others."