Personal Statement and application essays

The personal essays are a chance for you to stand out from the hundreds of other applicants being considered. In addition to the personal statement on the common veterinary school application form used by 27 of the 28 schools, many schools require
supplemental applications that will require further essay writing.  If your GRE scores or grades are borderline, your essays may be  your chance to interest the admissions committee enough to earn you an interview.   Additionally, many of the interview questions will be based on the content of your essays.   This is your chance to address any problem areas in your application, demonstrate that you will be a successful student, a good doctor and a contributor to the veterinary profession, and have something unique to add .

Craft your personal statement to address the following questions:

 Who are you and why are you special?  

What is your background?  What have you done in life so far?  Is there anything that makes you unique?  What accomplishments do you have?  What challenges have you overcome to get where you area?  What are your values and how have you demonstrated them in the past?  Are you a leader?  an innovator?  a teacher?  a counselor? Do you have experience with people from different social, economic and religious backgrounds?  What has that taught you?

Why do you want to be a veterinarian?

Even if you have wanted to be a veterinarian since the day you learned what the word meant, avoid using phrases such as “I have known all of my life that I have wanted to be a veterinarian.”  Instead, talk about specific experiences that drew you to the profession, what you have done to learn more about veterinary medicine, and the specific goals you have set for yourself once you have graduated.   Discuss other careers you have considered and why veterinary medicine is the best career for you.Talk about how your past experiences have helped to shape your interests.  Demonstrate a passion for animals, people, science, medicine and society, and show the admissions committees that you have something to add to their schools, the veterinary profession and animals and society.  Be sincere and specific in your response.  

What have you done to prepare yourself for veterinary school and the veterinary profession?

In this part of your essay, discuss the formal and informal experiences (working, volunteering, internships and the like) that have shaped your views and driven you to go to veterinary school.  Share with the committee the ways in which your experiences have broadened your understanding of the practice of veterinary medicine and the challenges in the profession.  Talk about specific skills you have acquired and how they will help you to reach the goals you laid out for yourself. 

Why this veterinary school?

Somewhere in your supplemental application essays, take some time to consider the particular strengths and programs at each school where you apply.  Make it a point to personalize your application by showing the admissions committee that you have done your research and you can point out why you want to go to their school.  Comment on why you would fit in with that  school’s student body, teaching styles and overall mission and programs.  

What makes you stand out from other applicants?

This may be a separate section of your essay or a theme that you weave throughout the entire piece.  Make sure that your readers come away from your essay knowing that you are not just another applicant, you are somebody special who should  be recruited to the school.  Your essay is your biggest marketing tool, so use it as such.

Other important considerations

All veterinarians, regardless of where they work, benefit from strong written and verbal communication skills; knowledge and skills are useless unless the need for them and their worth can be communicated to others.  Furthermore, anyone wishing to go into private clinical practice would benefit from business training.  An animal hospital is a small business, and like all businesses, must be well-managed to succeed.  Increasingly, the veterinary schools are looking for applicants with business skills in addition to strong communication skills. Veterinary schools have realized the benefit of communication and business training for pre-veterinary and veterinary students, and will value such knowledge in your application.
Beyond the academic potential of potential students, veterinary schools are looking for students who demonstrate leadership, compassion,  a commitment to community service, effective interpersonal skills, a strong sense of personal and professional ethics, and maturity.  These are qualities that you should cultivate throughout your education regardless of your major, and that you should convey through your personal statement, references, personal interview (if invited) and whenever you interact with representatives
from the school.  Ultimately, there are many qualified applicants for veterinary school each year, and it is those students who distinguish themselves above their academic qualifications who are selected for admission.