vet school application essay

How to Write Great Personal Essays for Veterinary School

If you are getting ready to go to veterinary school, the first step in your formal acceptance process is preparing your application through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS). There are many sections to this application, from general demographic information to a list of your academic history and veterinary experience, and this application takes a lot of time to fill out. While most of the application is just about listing facts, one of the more daunting aspects for many hopeful applications is crafting the perfect personal statement for the VMCAS.

The VMCAS personal statement or essay portion has changed some over the years, from a one or two-page essay during my application cycle to the most recent three essay questions with specific prompts. The prompts from the 2020 application cycle were the following:

• There are many career choices within the veterinary profession. What are your future career goals and why?
• In what ways to veterinarians contribute to society and what do you hope to contribute?
• Consider the breadth of society which veterinarians serve. What attributes do you believe are essential to be successful within the veterinary profession? Of these attributes, which do you possess and how have you demonstrated these in the past?

Regardless of the format of the essay portion when you apply to veterinary school, the following tips are sure to help you create a great essay portion for your own VMCAS application.

1. Read the Requirements and Stick to Them!

This is an obvious suggestion, but it is important to adhere to the following requirements that VMCAS lists.

• Keep your topic general (not program-specific), as this application will be sent to multiple veterinary colleges.
• Stay within the character limits! Last year it was 2,000 characters per essay.
• Use your own words and DO NOT plagiarize.
• Use simple formatting.

2. Don’t Try to Re-List Your Experience and Achievements

The admissions committee members can see the rest of your application, where you will have plenty of space to list all of the bullet points on your resume up to this date. So when it comes to the essay questions, don’t waste time trying to re-highlight your previous experiences within your answers. Focus on answering the prompts directly without feeling the need to list your qualifications.

Except for your answer to question three, you do not even need to list any specific past examples. And when you do get to essay number three, keep in mind that you can think outside the box and are not limited to instances where you demonstrated these qualities in a veterinary-related capacity. Your attributes and personality traits outside of school and veterinary clinics are just as reflective of who you are. And who you are outside of a veterinary clinic or formal education setting can have a big impact on your personality and future success as a veterinarian.

3. Don’t Be Vague

Come up with specific examples for your essay answers that really help the admissions committee get to know you. Telling the admissions committee that you want to help improve the lives of animals doesn’t really tell them anything. You want to demonstrate insight, maturity, and depth in your essay. Show that you put a lot of thought into your answers.

Instead of generally helping animals, maybe you want to contribute to society by donating your time at a local humane society providing veterinary care at lower cost to qualifying low-income households. Maybe you want to work in rural Iowa to help decrease the barriers to accessing veterinary care for those that live in underserved regions of the United States.

Being specific will help you demonstrate more of who you are and help you stand out from the crowded pool of applications.

4. Avoid the Cliches

Another way to stand out with unique answers is to avoid cliches. For example, you probably don’t need to mention that an essential attribute to becoming a successful veterinarian is to “love animals.” Instead, think about things that are less cliche but just as essential and more specific, such as being a great communicator, so that you can improve the lives of animals by clearly discussing the importance of preventative care with a dog’s caretaker.

In addition to loving animals, it can be cliche to discuss that you have wanted to work with animals since you were young or that you feel that veterinary medicine your passion or calling. When you craft your answers to these essays it can help to write down multiple ideas for answers and get rid of the obvious responses. The more obvious the response, the less likely it will be to stand out from other applications.

5. Match Your Future Goals with Your Experience

Make sure your future goals are in line with the experience that you have listed on your VMCAS application. If not, explain why. For example, if most of your veterinary experience has been obtained working with cats and dogs, it would be expected that you are interested in working a small animal veterinary clinic after graduation.

If your future goals do not match your experience, let the admissions committee know why. Maybe you had a recent experience assisting with a research project and found purpose in research as a way to improve the lives of cats and dogs.

By explaining any discrepancy between your future goals and your past experience, you create a cohesive application and don’t leave the admissions committee wondering about the differences.

6. Set a Confident and Positive Tone

When you discuss your future goals, write about the good things that you are going to do WHEN you graduate from veterinary school. Not the things you will do IF you graduate from veterinary school. This will help you come across as confident and capable. Other people are more likely to believe in you when you also believe in your success.

And don’t make any excuses or focus on any negatives in these 3 short essays. You want to leave the admissions committees with a positive overall impression after they finish reading your essay responses.

7. Pick 3-5 Main Points for Each Answer

Since you only have 2,000 characters in which to write a great essay answer to each question, it can be helpful to list out your ideas and main points before you begin writing. Then you can review your ideas and pick the 3-5 strongest ideas for each answer. Throw out any ideas that seem cliche or vague.

By focusing your thoughts ahead of time, you can write a more clear and concise essay that clearly answers the question.

8. Write Your Essay Answers without Focusing on the Character Count

Once you have picked your main 3-5 points, write without focusing the character count. After you have written what you want to convey, read the essay and then cut out information that you don’t need and work on shortening sentences.

No fluff is needed, get straight to the point. Any sentence that isn’t directly supporting your answer can be shortened or removed. And limit descriptive words to help get as much information as possible across in your 2000 character limit.

That being said, if you have the opposite problem and your essay is not close to the 2000 character limit, consider adding another point to that essay. You do want to try and fill most of the space allowed.

9. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!

Type your answers out in a program like Microsoft Word or Google Docs so that you can easily proofread your essays. I recommend having at least 3 other people read through your essays to look for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

When you proofread the essays yourself, read them aloud so that it is easier to catch any errors.

If you don’t have anyone in your life to help you proofread your personal statement, then head over to The Student Doctor Network Pre-Veterinary Forum . There is a whole topic thread of people willing to help read personal statements for the prospective class of 2025!

Time to Get Writing

Good luck in your journey to veterinary school! I remember how stressful the application process can be, but remember to take a deep breath and leave plenty of time to fill out your application in as stress-free a manner as possible.

And if you are looking for more advice on writing your personal essays, check out this great guide for writing a personal statement from Loop Abroad . It is very thorough and helpful!

The writer of this blog, Dr. Kate, has been practicing veterinary medicine since 2014. She works at a small animal practice, focusing on dogs and cats. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her two dogs. You can find out more about her adventures with her pups on PawsitivelyIntrepid.com

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VMCAS Essay Examples

VMCAS essay examples are a great place to start when you're preparing to apply to veterinary school. After researching vet school rankings and looking into the best vet schools in your chosen area, you’ve finally decided on the schools you would like to apply to. One of the items you’ll need to include in your VMCAS application is a personal essay. We’re here to show you how to highlight your personal story and provide you with some VMCAS essay examples to make the process easier.

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Article Contents 10 min read

Personal essay example 1.

I grew up in a family with no pets. An experimental goldfish or two, but there is no family dog I can look back on fondly. My parents were both immigrants who left their homes young and understandably focused on providing for their kids and ensuring we did well in school.

But like a lot of young kids, I developed a love and fascination for horses. My parents thought it was a phase, but when my requests for horseback riding lessons continued year after year, they finally relented and took me to a local farm for lessons. I remember my first connection with the pony. I felt like it could understand, hear, and accept me, without being able to say a word. That’s when I started to understand the relationship that people have with the animals in their lives, and I wanted nothing more than to experience it again.

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Several years later, I jumped at the opportunity to help out at the riding camp during the summer break. I didn’t realize until then how different it is to participate in the care of the animals, instead of just passively riding them. Every chore was to make sure the horses were comfortable, healthy, and happy. I felt like they relied on me, and they, in turn, provided peace and enjoyment to the people around them.

Since then, I’ve volunteered at the Second Chances Animal Sanctuary for several years, developing and applying the knowledge I’ve gained from my biology and zoology classes. My proudest moments were when we were able to help a family’s beloved pony walk again after a leg fracture that might have otherwise resulted in euthanasia. Being able to give the family hope when they thought there was nothing we could do was amazing, and giving the animal a chance at a full life was incredibly fulfilling.

I developed a special interest in animal orthopedics while completing an internship at the Main Street Animal Hospital. What I want more than anything is to be a vet who works within the field of orthopedics for large animals, developing therapies and treatment programs to help regain mobility. These animals are often essential to rural businesses or farms and should get the care a partner deserves. The sense of responsibility I feel toward them and their quality of life continues to drive me to pursue the skills and knowledge I need to care for them as a practitioner of veterinary medicine.

My parents didn’t believe in going to conventional places when it came to vacations. They wanted to see places that were unusual and immerse themselves in everything the locals did while they were there.

This meant that my brother and I were regularly exposed to places that were very culturally different from ours, but also climates that were totally new to us. As I got older, what struck me wasn’t always the exotic animals and plants, but the relationship a lot of people had with wildlife, and how it was different from what I experienced at home. At home in the urban setting where I lived, “wildlife” was what got into your garbage if you didn’t secure the lid properly. It was what dug through your flower pots at night. But in a lot of countries I visited, wildlife was an inseparable part of everyday life, and vital to the local economies. The animals there were valued as pollinators, decomposers, and yes, food. It made me curious about how people could value and experience wildlife back in the city where I lived.

At the beginning of high school, a friend and I decided to volunteer at the city’s wildlife center. As untrained volunteers we would mostly be cleaning cages and measuring feed for the animals, but I had never been so excited. The vets and vet technicians were so dedicated and resourceful. They relied on local donations, and the center survived on a shoestring budget, but they made it work. To them, even the common sparrows deserved kindness and care. Witnessing that level of empathy from vets and vet techs is humbling and inspiring.

Since that experience, I’ve taken as many opportunities as possible to work with wildlife organizations as possible. I volunteered at a summer program that was specifically created to help and preserve local turtle species, treating and tracking injured animals to ensure their survival. I’ve also participated in local songbird data collection, aiding in gathering information about migration patterns and population decline.

What I want is to be one of those veterinarians who cares for animals that don’t have anyone to care for them, or are treated like nuisances. Dogs and cats are loved and cared for, but so many city-dwelling animals are displaced or trapped or impacted negatively by humans. Working at a wildlife organization has taught me to be creative and resourceful, making the most out of the materials and equipment we had. I want to show people that even the plainest city wildlife deserves respect and help when they need it.

The VMCAS essay is one of the application components required by the Veterinary Medical College Application Service when you use their process to apply to vet schools. This essay is intended to provide admissions committees with “a clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.” While they may have your credentials on paper through your vet school resume , they might not have a good idea of what your personality is like, or what your goals are. Even your veterinary school letters of recommendation only represent who you are through someone else’s eyes, not your own.

Different from your vet school letter of intent , which must make a clear connection between your background, training, areas of interest, and the objectives and mission of your chosen veterinary school program, the VMCAS essay is more personal. It’s your chance to show the admissions committee why you love veterinary medicine and why you think you will make a good veterinarian.

Requirements

The VMCAS essay or vet school personal statement can be a maximum of 3,000 characters (including spaces). This comes out to about one page of writing. It’s important to make sure your essay falls within the character count and contains all the listed requirements .

Note that the application site doesn’t have spell-check, and you can’t edit your work once you’ve submitted it. Making sure your punctuation and spelling is correct is the most basic way to show you’ve paid attention to the details in your essay. If you aren’t sure about a word or grammar choice, look it up so you know you’ve used it properly.

For help writing your essay, you could consider medical school personal statement editing services, which can easily be modified by an advisor to suit veterinary school requirements. Engaging an expert, such as those at BeMo Academic Consulting, is well worth it to improve your application documents and stand out from the crowd.

Is the VMCAS Essay Important?

The personal essay might not seem as formal or intensive as other parts of your application, but it’s still very important and can help or hurt your chances of being accepted into a program. A great essay showcases your personality traits, your sense of responsibility, as well as your motivations for going into veterinary medicine. A middling essay may be acceptable but fail to separate you from the pack, while a poor essay can show a want of attention to detail. One of the easiest ways to figure out what should be in yours is to look up VMCAS essay examples and see what you should aim for.

Want to learn more about vet school rankings? Check out this infographic:

What Should I Include in My Essay?

You may immediately think of a hundred things you want to tell the admissions committee, from your first pet hamster to your experience as an intern at the city zoo. However, keep in mind that you only have about 500 words, and you need to make them count. Here are some ideas of what you’ll want to include in your VMCAS essay.

• Career goals. Where do you ultimately want to be, and what is your dream job? Don’t just list a title – explain what appeals to you about it, or why you want this specific position over any others.
• What you want to contribute. You don’t need to make up a grand, world-altering contribution here, unless that is what you sincerely want to do. Your goal can be to simply bring joy and comfort to families by taking care of their pets. It can also be to make significant advancements to the field of veterinary science. Make sure you’re authentic.
• Characteristics that make you a good vet. Yes, you need good marks to get into vet school, but the admissions committee also wants to know that you have the right personality traits. For example, you may be a very motivated self-learner. This is a great attribute to have, but you need to highlight how being an excellent self-learner would help you in vet school and ultimately, as a vet.
• Always give examples. Remember that the committee doesn’t know you, so they will be wary of applicants who make claims without backing them up. It’s important to give examples so that the committee can see how you’ve used your skills and individual attributes in real-life situations: “show, don’t tell.” If you write that you’re an empathetic and caring person, write about a time when you demonstrated that empathy. This shows that you aren’t just listing what you think they want to hear.
• Set yourself apart. Any special experiences, personal revelations, or big life events that affected your desire to be in veterinary medicine are worth noting. You have a limited amount of space, so stick to the most important ones. These unique experiences are what will help the admissions committee remember you and set you apart from the crowd.

With only 500 or so words to make your case, what you don’t include can be just as vital as what you do include. The admissions committee likely doesn’t want an entire essay on your childhood pet, so be careful about getting stuck on one aspect. In fact, the VMCAS guide explains that while many applicants “have had meaningful experiences with animals or veterinarians as children … these should only be mentioned briefly.”

Here are some other things you’ll want to make sure you avoid when writing your VMCAS essay.

• Information they already have. At this point, the admissions committee already knows about your academic achievements. They may be familiar with the jobs you’ve had, based on your letter of intent or high school resume . They may have a list of any vet school extracurriculars in which you participated. In your essay, don’t repeat what they already know. Instead, tell them something they don’t have on paper, expand on one or two of those experiences, or explain how an event impacted your motivation to go into veterinary medicine.
• Vague, generalized information. Telling them that “you’ve always liked animals” is nice, but vague, and likely a trait that many applicants share. Make it more specific: What is it that draws you to animals? When, exactly, did you start taking a special interest in animals?
• Jargon, unless it’s necessary. The admissions committee is unfortunately not going to be impressed if you throw terms around or use 5-syllable words in every sentence. You aren’t a vet yet, and one of the more embarrassing things you can do is attempt to use a term and use it wrong. Stick with language that is used in everyday conversation.
• Make unnecessary explanations. The members of the admissions committee don’t need you to explain the process of getting into vet school or how medical procedures work. Explain something if it is very specific to you, like the type of club you were in at school, or an event that occurred in your year of study. Giving an example is a better way of showing the committee what you mean, instead of getting bogged down in explanations.
• Irrelevant things. If the event isn’t relevant to why you want to be a vet or what you are looking for in a school/program, you probably don’t need to write it here. Take note of the various parts of the application process that would allow you to go into more detail. For example, should you be invited to answer vet school interview questions , you will have such an opportunity. The “tell me about yourself” vet school interview question would be the perfect moment to discuss your personal background further. It’s a good idea to go back and examine each piece of information you’ve provided in your essay and make sure it ties into the main topic: why you want to have a career in veterinary medicine.

Language and Tone

Ideally, the tone in which you write your VMCAS essay is similar to the way you would talk with someone in person. Keep your word choice conversational. Writing in a way that is overly formal doesn’t give the admissions committee members a clear sense of your own voice, and doesn’t humanize you. You’re writing your story, so it helps to read the essay aloud and see if it sounds like an accurate representation of yourself. Having a friend or family member read it can also be beneficial.

Admission to vet school is challenging, as shown by veterinary school acceptance rates ; some schools are more difficult to get into than others. Applying is a long process with a lot of pieces to consider. Your VMCAS essay is perhaps one of the least restrictive parts, where you’re given the freedom to tell the admissions committee why you’re there and what you want to do. Being authentic and specific is your best approach to being accepted into the school of your choice.

It won’t make as much of an impact as your grades or your resume, but it can make you more memorable and more likeable to the committee members. An average essay likely won’t hurt you too much, but a bad one can.

The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges is a good place to start. There you’ll find all the pieces you’ll need to submit for the application as well as contacts if you need more help. You can also have a look at our list of the best vet schools, along with tips for getting in.

A letter of intent shows how serious you are about your application and emphasizes what sort of experience and education you have related to veterinary medicine. The personal essay is more about your personality, motivation, and goals.

You don’t need to list everything you’ve ever done that is related to the field. That is already outlined in other parts of the application. Highlight the personal impact certain experiences have had on you – be specific about how they made you feel, how they changed your perspective, and how they moved you in the direction of veterinary studies. 

Admissions committee members aren’t expecting fine literature when you submit your personal essay. They know that not all candidates are natural writers. What they’re interested in is your ability to express yourself in a short piece of writing. Don’t worry about using fancy terms – write in a way that sounds natural and authentic to you. 

The committee will want to know about your experiences if they’re specific to you and have impacted you in a tangible way. You don’t have to tell them about every interaction you’ve had with animals, just the ones that were special to you.

Use the language you would use in a normal conversation in your essay. Very few people speak in a formal tone, and it can end up sounding stilted and unnatural. Be expressive but stick to the requirements. 

There is no editing once your VMCAS essay has been submitted. However, if there is a serious mistake in the essay, you can contact the admissions committee and forward them a corrected copy as soon as possible. 

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July 11, 2024

Vet School Personal Statement Examples to Guide You

You’ve done the work you needed to to prepare yourself for vet school. The academic work. The volunteer work. The clinical work. And now you must answer the VMCAS (Veterinary Medical College Application Service) essay prompt “Why do you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine?”  You have just 3,000 characters with which to do so.  

Many vet school candidates find writing scientific lab reports or manuscripts easier than writing a narrative vet school personal statement. And there are so many suggestions of what you should and should not do when writing a personal statement that it’s easy to get overwhelmed.  

To help you better understand what a strong vet school personal statement looks like, in this post, we present the following example, which was written by an Accepted client who ultimately received several offers of acceptance.  

Titans. In Greek mythology, the Titans were the pre-Olympians, the elder gods. They ruled the Earth and had enormous amounts of strength. In my childhood, I had a titan too, a canine. At the age of nine my family adopted a healthy Leonberger puppy that we named Titan. Little did we know at the time that his name would not only represent his size but also his unwavering strength. At the age of one, he was diagnosed with a multitude of chronic health issues and was not expected to make it to two years of age. However, as a true titan, he proved everyone wrong. I watched his bravery and will to live as the veterinarians went above and beyond to help Titan with numerous treatment plans all while showing great kindness and empathy. This helped me realize I wanted to be a veterinarian to help other animals and foster strong relations between clients and veterinarians; Titan was my defining moment.

Growing up, I lacked self-confidence and avoided talking to people I did not know. With Titan as my constant companion, I had a plethora of strangers ask me questions about him, thus fostering my interpersonal communication skills. Being able to confidently answer questions about Titan, his breed, and his health helped to prepare me for similar conversations I currently have in my position as a veterinary assistant. I am able to handle both easy and difficult conversations with pet owners by being an engaged listener, an empathetic pet owner, and having confidence in my knowledge of animals and in myself. I also recognize that not all owners have the courage or understanding to ask the questions needed to best support their animals. With this in mind, one goal I have as a future veterinarian is to help bridge the gap of knowledge that exists between animal owners and those in the veterinary industry by providing more education for owners about their animals.

 Another aspect that I will bring to the veterinary profession is inclusivity. My older brother has special needs and I have seen the progress he has made through interactions with our dogs and cats. He has gained confidence, become more social, and is able to more freely express himself. My long-term goal to contribute to the field of veterinary medicine is to create a veterinary practice that employs people with disabilities. My future practice would offer a valuable and engaging place of employment by helping decrease the stigma surrounding the capabilities of those with special needs, and foster meaningful relationships between people and animals.

The connection and experiences I had with Titan started me on my path to becoming a veterinarian. I have persevered through every opposition I have faced, learning from my mistakes and successes while remaining dedicated to my goal of becoming a veterinarian. By being a strong communicator and working well with others I have shown my ability to lead by example. All of these attributes and more are why I will be a successful veterinarian. 

This vet school personal statement has three key strengths: 

#1: The initial narrative about the applicant’s childhood pet, Titan, coupled with the writer’s ability to be vulnerable (e.g., stating that they lacked self-confidence), allows an adcom reader to form an image of the candidate and want to learn more. Furthermore, the connection between the candidate and their dog clearly lays the foundation for their interest in the field of veterinary medicine.  

#2: This applicant not only refers to their position as a veterinary assistant but also notes very specific skills they’ve cultivated in that role, such as being an engaged listener and their ability to have difficult conversations. This demonstrates that the applicant is actively invested in the process of learning as much as possible while working.  

#3: The applicant does a great job of highlighting their vision of their future as a practitioner, both holistically (i.e., wanting to be a good educator) and specifically (i.e., wanting to employ staff with special needs). This lets the adcom know that the applicant is thinking not just about the point of matriculation but also about being a provider who will contribute to the growth and development of the field.  

As the former assistant dean of student affairs and career development at the William Beaumont School of Medicine, Dr. Valerie Wherley worked directly with the dean of the School of Medicine, the associate dean of student affairs, the associate dean of clinical curriculum, and the assistant dean of admissions, as well as with Year 4 students on both residency application reviews/critiques and mock interview preparation. Work with Valerie! Schedule a free consultation today!

Related Resources:

• Highlighting Your Leadership Experience in Your Application
• Four Tips for Displaying Teamwork in Your Application Essays
• How Personal Is Too Personal In Your Application Essays?

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Mastering the VMCAS Personal Essay

Introduction.

This free guide to mastering the VMCAS Personal Essay is brought to you by Loop Abroad, the leader in pre-veterinary and veterinary study abroad programs. Go to www.LoopAbroad.com for info on all of our pre-veterinary programs around the world, including one- and two-week programs, pre-veterinary semesters, internships, and virtual programs.. If you’d like to organize a private group for your pre-vet club or school, you can travel with your group for free – contact [email protected] for more information. Programs for vet students, including an elephant medicine course, are also available.

The application to vet school, commonly referred to as the VMCAS, can be overwhelming. Vet school applications are competitive, and they only come after years of gathering experience, mastering science classes, tracking veterinary hours, and making sure that vet school is the path for you.

Many students who plan to attend vet school do not consider themselves writers. (If you do, lucky you!) As such, the VMCAS Personal Essay can feel like just one more thing that you have to do in the complicated process of completing your application to vet school.

But don’t be afraid! It’s actually pretty easy to write a compelling, convincing, successful personal essay on your application, if you know what to do. This little guide will take you through all the steps of writing a successful VMCAS essay, including important pitfalls to avoid.

And if you need extra help, from proofreading to brainstorming, we are there to assist you.

So let’s write a great personal essay!

The New Personal Essay

At the time of revising this ebook (July 2022), the personal essay prompt is as follows:

“Your personal statement is a one-page essay that gives veterinary admissions committees a clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. ”

The response is limited to 3,000 characters (less than a page – about 500 to 750 words). The instructions also give some ideas about how to write an effective personal statement.

Now, think from the perspective of the admissions committee members. Their goal is to pick the best collection of students for their incoming class. They are looking to the Personal Essay to give them information that they can’t learn elsewhere, and to help illuminate something about the applicants.

The prompt makes it clear that this is a chance to clearly articulate why you want to be a veterinarian and to tell the committee more about you that they don’t already know from your application. They don’t want you to re-list your resume or wax poetic, and vaguely, about your interest in being a vet . In other words, follow the directions and write about what the prompt asks.

So, now that we know what we’ll be writing about, let’s go ahead and get your essay ready. But, how much should we worry about it?

How Much Does the Personal Statement Matter?

The answer is: it depends. Your personal statement can’t outshine bad grades, and it can’t make up for a lack of experience. But it can do two things:

• It can set you apart if you are an otherwise “average” successful applicant, but your essay shows insight, maturity, care, and depth; or
• It can show that you haven’t taken the process seriously if it is sloppy, off-topic, or very poorly written.

In other words, a mediocre essay probably won’t hurt you, but it definitely won’t help you. In this way, it doesn’t matter as much as, for example, your Common Application essay when you applied to undergrad. After all, you’re applying to be a veterinarian, not a novelist.

However, a very bad essay can hurt you. If you were an admissions committee member and you reviewed an essay that was off-topic, full of typos, and in any way revealed ignorance of the profession, it would be hard for you to put those things aside in your mind when considering the rest of the application.

What’s more, a very good essay could help you by strengthening your application. If you can show more dimension to your understanding of veterinary medicine and make yourself stand out, you can humanize yourself to the reader a bit.

So, for short, it matters a lot that your essay is at least adequate. And it can help you a little if it’s really, really good.

Now that we know we should invest at least a little time and attention in the Personal Essay, we’re almost ready to start brainstorming and making a plan. But first, we have to go over what  not to do.

Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid

Remember, our #1 goal is to not write a bad essay, so that means avoiding the following common mistakes. This list does not include grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the other basics of effective writing, but rather reviews ten mistakes of content that you want to avoid.

1. Stating the obvious.

You only get 3,000 characters to show yourself to the admissions committee and make sure you clearly articulate the reasons why you want to be a member of the veterinary profession.

You probably have a lot of thoughts on this topic; if you don’t, you will by the end of this book! So you don’t have space for anything that doesn’t help answer the questions or give the admissions committee a glimpse into what makes you special.

Here are some examples of obvious statements that you can erase from your essay right away:

• “I love animals.” Most people don’t become vets because they hate animals. The admissions committee is already pretty sure that you love animals.
• “The process of becoming a veterinarian takes a lot of schooling and hard work, and is very competitive.” What does this tell me about you? Nothing. Also, I promise the members of the admissions committee already know this.
• “It’s difficult to fit all the ways veterinarians contribute to society into just 3,000 characters.” Yes, it is. So don’t use 15 of them on that pointless sentence.
• “There’s no way I can explain all the attributes that are essential to success as a veterinarian.” Again, correct. They don’t want you to explain every single thing a successful person has to do every day.
• “I’m sure you’ve read lots of essays that say that focus is important.” They probably have, but there’s no need to say “I’m unoriginal” expressly in your word count. (Also, don’t use the word “you” in your essay. It’s about you , not the reader.)

2. Going off topic.

You have a lot of ground to cover if you want to write a convincing and interesting essay that introduces you to the admissions committee. This is the only place in the application they really get to hear your voice.

Now is not the time to talk about your childhood pet. Please don’t talk about how much you loved your childhood pet. Everyone loves their childhood pet; it doesn’t tell the admissions committee anything about you. In general, if you spend more than one sentence talking about your childhood, you have likely gone off-topic.

Now is not the time to talk about anything that doesn’t tell the admissions committee more about what makes you uniquely suited to be a member of the veterinary profession and why that’s your goal. If a sentence doesn’t help to do one of those things, cut it, or find a way to rewrite it that makes it refer directly to the prompt.

3. Using terminology incorrectly.

Here’s a guiding principle for your essay: the people reading your essay know more about veterinary medicine and vet school than you do. If you aren’t sure exactly how to use a medical term, look it up first or just don’t use it.

Using medical terminology incorrectly makes you look as if you are trying to pretend to know something you don’t. It can be off-putting to the reader.

Not sure if something’s capitalized? Look it up. Not sure if an abbreviation has punctuation or not? Look it up. Not sure if you’re using the correct name of an instrument? Look it up. Not sure the difference between a zoo vet or an exotics vet? Not sure if you’re describing the correct medication? At this point, you can probably guess that you should look it up .

4. Making generalizations and speaking in absolutes.

You should avoid making broad, sweeping statements that either can’t possibly be true or that you can’t possibly know are true. Often these are ideas that are meant rhetorically, but they end up feeling disingenuous and can make you sound pompous, ignorant, or just uninformed. At worst, they will make the reader find you arrogant or unlikeable; at best, they add nothing to your essay.

Here are some examples:

• “No one works harder than me.”
• “Every veterinarian faces this challenge in his or her career.”
• “Everyone knows that dealing with animals can be emotional.”
• “There is no job more important than being a veterinarian.”
• “Nothing could be more difficult than the choice I faced.”
• “I will be the best and most devoted student you have ever seen.”
• “I know I will love every moment of the challenge.”
• “I would never do that if I were making the same decision.”
• “I always think about the interests of others before my own.”

There’s a reason that the Star Wars franchise chose the sentence, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” Absolutes generally do not reflect a mature, moral, developing understanding of the world, so you should try to avoid them whenever possible.

To make sure you avoid statements such as these, you can do a quick search of your essay for the words “none”, “no one”, “everyone”, “every”, “all”, “always”, “never”, “most”, and pretty much any other superlatives (words ending in “est” such as “best” and “hardest”).

5. Explaining too much or too little.

The committee members reading your Personal Essay understand more about the veterinary profession and veterinary education than you do. However, they likely didn’t attend your school, and even if they did, they didn’t attend it this year.

That means you don’t need to explain:

• What certain medications do
• What certain surgeries are for
• How surgical instruments are used
• What common veterinary abbreviations stand for
• The process of becoming a veterinarian

But you do need to explain:

• The acronym for your school club or organization
• The purpose of your school event with a cute but unclear name
• The full name of a particular course at your school
• Any acronyms or abbreviations that are unique to your school or town

In short, you don’t want to waste words explaining something the committee members already know, but you don’t want to leave them confused as to what you’re talking about.

6. Making excuses.

Your essay is not the place to explain why you got an F in a class, or why you had to withdraw during your sophomore semester, or why you don’t have as many veterinary hours as some other applicants. Your essay is the place to make yourself sound like a strong applicant, not talk about the weaknesses of your application.

You can address a weakness if you mention it in passing in a way that informs your answer to one of the questions. It should not sound like you are making excuses for your failures.

No: “Once I retook the course with a professor who knew how to explain things in a way that made sense, I quickly mastered the content.”

Yes: “Retaking the course gave me the opportunity to master the material, and I know this tenacity will be a key to my success in my veterinary career.”

No: “Working two jobs meant that I was not able to collect the veterinary hours that some of my more affluent classmates could easily fit into their schedules.”

Yes: In every veterinary office where I have worked, resourcefulness has been an essential skill. Finding opportunities to volunteer and learn that fit my lean, self-supported budget has only helped me to build these skills.

No: “I had to withdraw because my school did not make me aware of the deadlines that were approaching, and I had no choice.”

Yes: “Because my school doesn’t have a pre-vet advisor, I have had to be organized and dedicated in pursuit of my educational goals.”

No: “Not everyone can afford to pursue fancy pre-veterinary volunteer programs all over the world.”

Yes: “I believe that veterinarians are an essential part of their communities, and I was grateful to be able to find opportunities to get involved close to home.”

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t use these exact sentences , but you get the idea. You don’t want to sound bitter or give off the impression that you don’t take ownership of your own successes and failures. You don’t have to ignore the weaknesses in your application, but you if you mention them, you should frame them in terms of what you learned and how you improved. Speaking of not using these exact sentences…

7. Plagiarizing.

This one doesn’t need a lot of reiteration. If you find a sample essay that seems to say just exactly what you wanted to say , and you feel like you’ve finally found the words, that’s great–but you can’t use it.

Put the sample essays down. Stop asking other people on the APVMA Facebook page to share their essay with you as a sample. Write your own work. All the time.

8. Restating other parts of your application.

The Personal Essay is the chance to include new information that isn’t already in your application. If you’ve already described the details of a class or activity elsewhere, you don’t need to include them here. If you already mentioned an award elsewhere, don’t mention it here.

You don’t want to waste your word count telling your reader something he or she already knows. This is your chance to share the qualitative aspects of your application: the things that can’t be measured in grades, hours, or ranks. This is your chance to talk about your values, your beliefs, your interests, and your ambitions. It’s your chance to show the kind of person you are, and the kind of person you are is never a grade or an award. (And even if it were, there are other places to include that information.)

9. Writing filler sentences.

You should view the word limit as a length guideline; while you can’t write more than that, you shouldn’t write much less.

That said, you have probably had lots of unique and interesting experiences in your life up to this point, so you don’t have room for lots of flowery introduction and conclusion sentences. Check out this grammatically correct, completely-on-topic opening:

“Veterinarians are an important part of every society around the world and throughout history, and they contribute in myriad ways. In considering all the ways they contribute to society, I realized that they may indeed be the cornerstone of progress in a culture.”

Uh, okay. But what does that tell me about the applicant? Exactly nothing. Use this space to tell the admissions committee about you. Skip the fluff.

10. Playing the expert.

Repeat after me: you are not a veterinarian . You don’t know what a veterinarian would or should  do in a medical emergency. You don’t know what you would do as a veterinarian in any given setting. You don’t yet understand all the ins and outs of owning or running a veterinary practice. It’s important that you honor that truth in your essay.

Someday, you might know more about being a veterinarian than your reader does, but now is  not that time . You cannot impress your reader with your knowledge of veterinary medicine, so don’t use your time trying. However, you are an expert in one thing: you . Luckily, that is exactly the one thing that your reader wants to know about. Don’t spend your essay trying to impress with what you know; spend your essay trying to share who you are.

Now You’re Ready to Brainstorm

Clear thirty or sixty minutes from your schedule. Turn off your computer, your TV, and your phone. Get a pen and paper (or use your computer if you prefer), put in some thought, and write down some answers to the following questions.

You don’t have to have the correct wording right now, or say things in the right way. Just get something down on paper that matches your real feelings and experiences. Even writing a couple words is great. Bullet points can make it easy to get your mind flowing.

• What are my future vet career goals? a. Do I want to practice, research, or teach? b. What kind of animals do I want to work with? c. Pets? Conservation? Wildlife? Food animals? What comes to mind? d. Where would be my dream to end up? Writing a book? Saving animals in the rainforest? Opening a free clinic? Discovering a new vaccine
• Why do I want those goals in my career? a. Am I more motivated by my talents or my aptitudes? b. What motivates me? c. Who motivates me? d. What do I believe is the measure of success? e. What’s the best thing a vet can do? f. What have I done so far that helped me choose these goals? g. What have been my favorite classes? Why? h. What has been my favorite work with animals? Why?
• What do I want to contribute as a vet? a. What kind of animals do I want to help? b. What kind of people do I want to help? c. What kind of difference do I want to make? d. Why is it important to me?
• What attributes are essential to the success of a vet? a. What am I good at that helps me be a vet? b. In what areas could I improve that would help me? c. Who are my professional role models? d. What traits do I admire in my professional role models?
• What are my strongest attributes? a. What do people say I’m good at? b. What do I find easy and enjoy? c. What am I proud of? d. What’s important for me to be good at?
• What are some examples of times I showed these attributes? a. What are some examples from work? b. From school? c. From my personal life and relationships? d. From childhood?
• Do I have special or unique experiences that informed my understanding of the veterinary profession, helped set my career goals, or gave me unique perspective? a. Personal growth moments that built positive attributes? b. Unique animal experiences? c. Diverse perspectives to share? d. Challenges I faced that show my capabilities? e. Role models in the profession that inspired me?

You won’t use everything you wrote above, but this is a good starting place.

Take a look over your brainstorming session. Are there any themes that stand out? Any great ideas? Any concepts that you didn’t realize mattered to you until now? Is there anything that sounds unique to you? Is there anything there that truly tells your story and sums up who you are?

You want to look for any themes or ideas that recur throughout the brainstorming session; that might help to guide your ideas and help your essay paint a picture of who you are. Review the list above now, and try to clarify and write down the top three things that you want the admissions committee to understand about you after reading your responses.

You don’t get a lot of words, so you want to stay on one message and make sure that all your answers are cohesive. You cannot possibly include everything you think or might want to say in your essay, so focus on making the points that are more important to you and that help tell the story of who you are as a candidate. This brings us to the most important concept of your Personal Essay: it should tell a story.

Think about what you identified as the three most important things you want the admissions committee to know about you from your essay. Everything you write should be directly related to one of those three things. You only get one page to share everything that makes you a good candidate for vet school, so make every sentence count

Remember: it’s very important to answer the prompt, but your real goal in answering the prompt is to show the admissions committee something about who you are as a person and a candidate. So you absolutely want to make sure you clearly answer the question of “why you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.”

The story you tell in your essay, ultimately, should match with the rest of your application. If all your volunteer work and vet experience is with dogs, but your entire essay is about elephants, you’ll need to explain how those two connect. If all your coursework and research is about reptiles, but your essay emphasizes that you want to work with horses, you should explain. It’s okay if your experiences and goals don’t match perfectly, as long as you can connect them.

For example, maybe you’ve been studying horses because learning about horses is a good way to prepare for a career with elephants, which is your goal. Maybe your volunteer hours are with dogs because that activity is supervised by a very experienced vet at your university, but in your summer internship at a zoo you fell in love with zoo medicine.

You don’t want to leave the reader wondering if your goals make sense and if you’re really informed about your educational plans. Think about the three things you most want to convey in your essay: do they match the rest of your application? If so, your only goal is to convey them clearly in a way that also answers the prompts. If not, you may need to reshape your application to make everything “match” and tell a cohesive story. Whether this means rearranging your resume, reshaping your essay, looking for a new recommendation letter, or some other combination of little changes, you will need to find a way to shape the application so that it’s clear to the admission committee exactly who you are and what you bring to their potential incoming class.

Making an Outline

With all the information from your brainstorming session, and an understanding of the story you want to tell, it’s time to make an outline.

It’s important that each paragraph has a key point. Then you can add support for the point you are trying to make. It’s easy to be all over the place when you feel like you have a lot to tell the admissions committee, but an outline can help you make sure that everything you write conveys your most important points.

Choosing the points you want to convey is more important than beautiful or poetic writing in this case. You have a short window in which to tell your story, so you want it to be concise, accurate, and interesting.

Now that you know what you want to include, the actual writing is the easy part. This doesn’t have to be the most beautiful thing you’ve ever written, but it should be grammatically correct and free of errors. It should also have the right tone.

What Tone to Use

Some of us naturally write in a more formal or informal tone, and it’s okay to sound like yourself. Your essay doesn’t have to sound just like everyone else’s — in fact, it shouldn’t!

Here are some general rules of thumb to follow in making sure that your tone doesn’t go too far either way.

• Don’t say “you”. Don’t address the reader as “you”. There’s no need to address the reader in any way.
• …But it’s okay to say “I”. Many of your college classes may have required that you avoid the first person in formal writing, never saying “I” or “me” in a paper. This isn’t an academic essay; it’s a personal essay that is asking questions about you and your beliefs. It’s perfectly fine to write in the first person; it would be kind of weird if you didn’t.
• Don’t try to write “fancy”. There’s no need to use words like “aforementioned” or use introductions such as, “Given the above, it is therefore commensurate that such results would ensue.” If you wouldn’t say it, don’t write it. Long, fancy words don’t make you a better writer, and they certainly don’t make you sound more like yourself.
• …But don’t use text-speak. While you don’t have to be fancy, you should be somewhat formal. This is a personal statement, not a text. You may think it goes without saying that LOLs and smiley faces don’t belong in your personal statement, and it’s a relief if you do. But if you aren’t sure if something belongs in your statement, then it doesn’t.
• You can use contractions. Very formal writing avoids contractions like “can’t” and “don’t”, but in the interest of saving space, you can use them in your personal statement if you’d like.
• …But what about things that are right but sound wrong? This area is a bit more tricky. Consider the sentence, “Zoo medicine is what I’ve chosen to devote my life to.” You would be more likely to say that than, “Zoo medicine is that to which I’ve chosen to devote my life,” but the second option is grammatically correct. (The first, in case you’re wondering, has a preposition at the end of the sentence.) In these cases, should you be formal but correct, or should you try to sound like yourself? My advice is to avoid making the choice by shuffling the order of your sentence whenever possible. “I’ve chosen to devote my life to zoo medicine” is both correct and normal sounding, and it has the added benefits of being more clear and more direct than your initial draft.
• Don’t give advice. Your readers are not looking for advice, so don’t tell them what they should or should not do. Remember who you’re talking to.
• …But don’t apologize. At the same time, you don’t have to apologize for not being an expert in veterinary medicine or not knowing exactly what you want to do with your life. The word “sorry” shouldn’t be anywhere in your essay.

Write, Then Cut

Now you’re ready to write! I suggest that you write first, not worrying about perfection but instead trying to convey all the main points of your outline in a way that answers the prompt. Your first step should be including everything you want to include in a way that answers the question and gives the reader some insight into your personality.

Then, you can worry about the length! Editing generally takes longer than writing. Start by shortening your introduction or conclusion–anything that doesn’t get right into answering the question and showing who you are.

Next, you can look for phrases that don’t add to your main point or that can be replaced with one or two more descriptive words. “The place I worked for many years” can become “my workplace”, or “the medications that we always stored in the cabinet” could just be “medications”. If something doesn’t contribute to one of your main bullet points, then cut it out.

The harder part of editing is choosing if one of your main points needs to be cut. It’s likely that it does. Choose the one that says the least about you, is the least unique, or has the least relevance to the rest of your application, and start deleting.

Your final answers should be very close to the word limit permitted.

Check for Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

You aren’t going to school to be a writer. That said, correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling are essential in your Personal Essay. Why?

• Grammar, punctuation, and spelling show attentiveness and care. For the purposes of vet school, this is the most important reason to care about your quality of writing. Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling show that you have put time and thought into your application. They show that this is important to you. They show that you have learned a set of rules and know how to follow them. If you can imagine why those things would be important to a vet school admission committee, then you can take the time to make sure your essay is grammatically correct.
• Correct grammar makes reading easy. The purpose of grammar and punctuation is to make life easy for the reader, which is something you definitely want to do in an application.
• Correct grammar makes your message clear. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are tools for ensuring that your message is conveyed clearly and correctly, which is an asset to you in this process.
• Correct grammar is concise. Good writing saves space and words, which you’ll find important with such a strict word limit.
• Correct grammar makes you sound smarter. Whether it should or not, it does. And who doesn’t want to sound smart in their application?

For these reasons, you should ensure that your grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct. Microsoft Word or Google Docs spell-check is a good first start, but that red, squiggly line doesn’t know everything.

Please take at least one of the following three steps to ensure that your grammar, punctuation, and spelling are correct.

• Read it out loud. Reading something out loud (to yourself if necessary, but preferably to someone else) can help you discover typos, grammatical mistakes, repetitive word use, phrases that are unclear, or anything that doesn’t sound like you intended. This is a great first step to writing a solid Personal Essay.
• Ask someone to proofread for you. Asking a friend or family member to read over your essay can be a great way to catch typos or grammatical mistakes.
• Read it backwards. Read the last sentence. Then read the sentence before that. Continue until you get back to the beginning. This method will not help you with continuity or the sound of your writing, but it can be incredibly helpful for finding typos or misspellings.

Congrats, you’re done with this section of the VMCAS. If you find that your application is lacking in research hours, veterinary hours, or hands-on experience, or you otherwise want to have an amazing experience abroad working with animals, we encourage you to check out Loop Abroad for two-week pre-veterinary experiences around the world (generally 3 credits and 80 vet hours each) or a full semester abroad (300+ veterinary hours, 20 credits, designed specifically for pre-veterinary students) in Thailand, South Africa, or around the globe. Good luck on your vet school admissions journey!

Your adventure is waiting. Start your application today!

Vet School Personal Statement Examples

Learn to Write an Impactful Vet School Personal Statement With Inspira’s Database!

Your personal statement is one of the most important application materials you can submit for vet school. However, it can be challenging to write. That's why Inspira Advantage's Veterinary School Personal Statement Database is here to provide you with the relief and the reassurance you need.

Our database provides successful samples to inspire your personal statement. And the best part? It’s incredibly easy and free to use. No need to worry about complicated processes. 

Start today and make your vet school application stand out, giving you the relief and reassurance you need.

How Do You Access Our Veterinary School Personal Statement Database?

Simply provide your first and last names and a valid email address to access our database.

Once submitted, you'll gain access to our successful vet school personal statement samples—a valuable resource to guide you in writing your own statement.

Take a look through our database and use these examples to create a personal statement that stands out to the admissions office!

4 Tips to Writing a Stand-out Vet School Personal Statement

1. start with a strong introduction.

Your introduction should make a good first impression and set the tone for the rest of your statement. Make it personal and unique to you, avoiding clichés like "I've always wanted to be a vet." Instead, focus on a specific experience or event that sparked your interest in veterinary medicine.

2. Use a Specific Anecdote to Illustrate Your Passion for Veterinary Medicine

Instead of simply stating that you're passionate about veterinary medicine, use a specific anecdote to illustrate this passion. For example, you could describe when you helped care for a sick animal and how this experience reaffirmed your desire to become a vet. Make sure to include sensory details and emotions to bring the story to life.

3. Highlight a Specific Skill or Knowledge Area You've Developed Through Experience

Rather than just listing your experiences, focus on a specific skill or knowledge area you've developed through these experiences. For example, you could describe how working at an animal shelter taught you about animal behavior and body language and how this knowledge will help you as a vet. Be specific about what you learned and how you applied it.

4. Address a Specific Challenge Facing the Veterinary Profession and How You Plan to Address It

Show that you're aware of the challenges facing the veterinary profession and that you're thinking critically about how to address them. For example, you could discuss the issue of antimicrobial resistance and how you plan to contribute to solving this problem through your work as a vet. Be specific about the steps you would take and the skills you would use to address this challenge.

Inspira Advantage offers vet school admission services , including help with personal statements. If this is something that you’re interested in, you can book a free consultation with us. Increase your chances of getting into your dream veterinary school today!

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers:

1. How To Write A Personal Statement For Vet School Admissions?

A good veterinary medicine personal statement should convey your dedication to the field and highlight unique experiences and qualities. It must also demonstrate a strong connection with animals and utilize effective storytelling and structure.

2. What Is The Best Line To Start A Personal Statement?

The best line to start a personal statement grabs attention by highlighting a pivotal moment or unique experience that sparked your passion, such as: "From the first time I cared for an injured animal, I knew veterinary medicine was my true calling.

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How to Get Into Vet School: 8 Application Tips for Aspiring Animal Doctors

While many students are interested in careers with animals, not all of them are meant for veterinary medicine. It takes someone like you with a knack for science and a drive to succeed. In fact, you’re already thinking about how to get into vet school.

There’s no tried-and-true method for gaining an acceptance letter to a veterinary medicine program, but these expert tips can help you put together the strongest possible application.

8 tips for students researching how to get into vet school

According to Dr. Laura Flatow, clinical assistant professor of animal science and pre-vet coordinator at Berry College, it’s wise to think about what’s motivating you to pursue a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree before you get started. “Really think about working on all your experiences and building a solid application based off what it is about the field that makes you want to be a vet,” she suggests.

1. Aim for academic excellence

Veterinary schools are explicit about the courses applicants need to complete, so you’ll want to identify which prerequisite classes you’ll need to take early on in your education. And it’s essential that you perform as well as you can in those required courses because vet schools carefully scrutinize your science GPA.

“That science GPA really tells schools if students have the ability to do well in a rigorous DVM curriculum,” Dr. Flatow explains.

When thinking about how to get into vet school, it’s also important to do well in your other classes. Dr. Flatow notes that some schools won’t look at the rest of your application if you don’t meet their minimum GPA standards. The only other chance you have to prove your academic prowess is the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), but that’s becoming less important to DVM programs.

2. Gain as much animal and veterinary experience as you can

Students need to accumulate both veterinary experience (work done under the supervision of a veterinarian) and animal experience (any activity that involves working with animals). Dr. Flatow  suggests students think more about gaining a breadth of experiences than obsessing over the specific number of hours.

“Vet schools would prefer that students divide their time to get experience in different clinics and with different animals,” she explains.

Looking for a benchmark? The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) reports veterinary students who began class in 2020 accumulated a mean of more than 1,600 veterinary experience hours and more than 1,100 animal experience hours.

3. Consider participating in research

Getting involved in research isn’t a requirement for veterinary schools, but participating in a project that you’re really passionate about can be beneficial. That said, it’s not always easy to find opportunities depending on your school.

“Berry College is a smaller school,” Dr. Flatow says. “There are no graduate students doing the research, so we have more opportunities for undergraduates to get that experience.”

4. Work closely with a pre-vet advisor

Students who have access to a dedicated pre-veterinary advisor should take full advantage. Most everyone knows that getting good grades and accumulating relevant experiences are both essential for getting into vet school, but Dr. Flatow says figuring out all the other nuances like how to approach letters of recommendation can be tricky.

“Pre-vet advisors keep up with the individual vet schools and what their admissions processes look like,” she points out. “That's not something you're going to get from just a typical advisor.”

5. Write a thoughtful essay

The essay portion of the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) asks students to compose a personal statement that illustrates who they are and why they want to pursue a veterinary medicine career. This composition must be 3,000 characters or less.

“Students need to show who they are, what experiences they had that shaped them and what their goals are,” Dr. Flatow explains.

6. Secure glowing letters of recommendation

Every vet school applicant needs to obtain at least three letters of recommendation . But don’t think of these evaluations as items you can check off a list. Most DVM programs expect at least one letter be written by a veterinarian. More importantly, letters should be composed by individuals who know you well.

“Admissions committees are looking for those letters to complement the application by telling them who the candidate is as a person,” Dr. Flatow elaborates. “They can provide insight that may not be in the rest of the application.”

7. Let your personality show through

It’s wise to focus on activities related to animals and veterinary medicine, but don’t forget to mention other valuable experiences in your vet school applications. The VMCAS help guide also lists extracurricular activities, volunteering and even paid work. Mentioning these experiences can give admissions committees a better sense of who you are and where your passions lie. Consider what your time playing sports or volunteering might say about you.

“Schools want students who have soft skills like communication and the ability to work well with others,” Dr. Flatow says. “Things like employment and extracurricular activities can show that.”

8. Be selective when choosing an undergraduate program

“Look for programs that offer courses that are going to be challenging,” Dr. Flatow urges. Berry College’s animal science program, for instance, has developed a reputation for pushing students to do their best. “Students who do well in our program are prepared for a rigorous DVM curriculum, and they end up doing quite well when they get there,” she adds.

Start your journey toward vet school

There’s no proven checklist on how to get into vet school. Remember that admissions committees are looking for candidates who would make good veterinarians, not just good students. Focusing on your studies and gathering experiences that can help you become a well-rounded person will go a long way toward helping you achieve your goal of becoming a veterinarian.

Curious about what else it takes to pursue this career? Learn more by checking out our article “ How to Become a Veterinarian: An Aspiring DVM’s All-Encompassing Guide .”

Related Articles

Personal Statements

Your personal statement is a one-page essay that gives veterinary admissions committees a clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine

UGA Supplemental Application questions for 2024-2025 application cycle:

• Veterinarians contribute to society in many different ways. Describe several roles they play in society and how you hope to contribute, including the qualities or traits you would bring to the profession. (3500 character limit)
• Describe a significant experience or challenge in your life that was unrelated to veterinary medicine, what you learned from that experience, and how you have grown from it. (3500 character limit)
• Personal Statement

What should be included?

Although there is no set of rules mandating what a strong personal statement should include, here are a few tips to help you successfully craft an effective personal statement:

• Explain a defining moment that helped steer you toward a career in veterinary medicine. Consider using that moment as the focal point of your essay.
• Be original and thoughtful: Discuss how you would contribute to the profession and patient care, all of which will help you stand out from other applicants.
• As you are telling us why you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine , explain why you are good candidate for veterinary school. Ask yourself—in a pile of 100 applications, would I enjoy reading my statement? Be sure to convey your passion for veterinary medicine in your statement.
• Many of you have had meaningful experiences with animals or veterinarians as children and these are important but should only be mentioned briefly.
• Your application materials already contain a summary of your accomplishments, so avoid repeating information from your transcripts or reference letters.
• Give yourself time to organize your thoughts, write well and edit as necessary.
• Ask yourself if this essay is a good representation of your character, ideals and aspirations.
• Don’t forget to proofread!

What should NOT be included?

• Avoid cliches: How many times do you think admissions committees have read the phrase, “I love animals”?
• Avoid being vague: "[Insert experience] was challenging and rewarding." What does that mean? Be specific about what was impactful and how it affected you.
• Avoid brash decision-making:   Your decision to become a veterinarian should be the result of a series of thoughtful, conscious, and reflective decisions. NOT an instantaneous realization. Similarly, you have not “always known” that you want to be a vet. No one is "born to be a vet." Nothing is innate, you have to work for it.
• Avoid excuses:   In general, there are better uses for your essays than explaining away and justifying poor grades, incidents of misconduct, etc.  However, if you choose to address these subjects, be sure to focus on what you have learned from those incidents and how your experiences have made you a stronger person.  Never, ever blame anyone else for your mistakes.
• Avoid restating resume:   Choose ONE or TWO significant and distinguishing experiences to elaborate upon.
• Avoid grandiosity:   For example, claiming that you “know what it is like to be a vet from [shadowing/clinical volunteer experience].”  No, you do not.  That is precisely why you are hoping to go to vet school.
• Avoid inflammatory or controversial topics:   You do not know the values, beliefs, and background of the person who is reading your essay.  For these reasons, it is advisable to avoid making any strong statements regarding politics, religion, and other polarizing topics.  Be extremely cautious to avoid expressing any views that could be construed as derogatory to any group.  Additionally, your beliefs are not the only “correct” beliefs.
• Do not lie: Honesty and ethical behavior are the hallmarks of being a veterinarian. Do not include details that you are not prepared to talk about or are simply untrue.

When should I start writing?

You need to begin working on your essays early in the fall semester prior to the application opening in January.  Remember that the people who are helping you with your essays will need time to review them and you will need time to work through multiple drafts. You should have several different people objectively read your personal essays and provide constructive feedback. There are also resources on campus that can assist you, such as the Career Center and UGA Writing Center .  Consider the feedback you get carefully, but be sure that the essays are still written in your voice. In addition, some of your letter writers will want to see a copy of your essays before they write your letter, so you should strive to have competent drafts on hand by October or November. Your letter-writers are often a great option to help review your essays.

Life In Vet School & Tips On Getting In

So you want to become a veterinarian. Now what? Some people say that veterinary school is the hardest type of professional school to get accepted to. I disagree. Getting accepted in to veterinary school is not that hard, but it does take strategy! This blog will: 1) Provide information to aspiring veterinary students that will help them become the most competitive candidate they can be. 2) Provide a glimpse into what veterinary school is like at UC Davis. Enjoy! -Sharon

How to Write a Personal Statement for Vet School

Posted on June 21, 2010 Author [email protected] 4 Comments

Personal statements are often the most difficult and yet the most fun part of the veterinary school application. Most of the VMCAS application is simply a matter of entering in data from transcripts or copying and pasting information from your resume or CV. The personal statement is the one and only area of the VMCAS application that allows the admissions committee to get a sense of who you are and your personality. This is why I consider the personal statement to be fun!

My advice for writing a winning personal statement for veterinary school:

• Don’t force yourself to write. While you may be able to write a paper for class at the last minute (or even ahead of time) by simply forcing yourself to sit down and write, this is generally not an effective strategy for a personal statement. Rather than forcing yourself to start, simply let ideas formulate in your head for some time before you actually sit down to write.
• Jot ideas down as they come to mind. When you’re working in the field or just going about your daily life, jot ideas down as they come to mind. Many of them you will ultimately not end up using; nevertheless it is beneficial to get those ideas down on paper as they come to mind so that you can contemplate them more later. Of course, writing down one word might not do the trick. I can speak from personal experience that you may write down a word or two when you have an epiphany and then come back to your notepad hours or days later and the notes mean nothing and you stare at the words, confused, wondering whether that is really your hand writing and what you might have been getting at. That being said, be sure to write down the thought process or at least where you’re going with your idea. The more you can include in your notes, the more helpful your notes will be when you sit down to write your statement.
• Don’t expect to write the entire statement in one, two, or even three sittings. Sure it can be done, but you really don’t want that to be the case for you. The amount of time and thought you put into your statement will be readily apparent in the finished product. Sit down to write when inspiration strikes and stop when you’re feeling like you’re tired or have run out of things to say. Come back to it later to add, revise, etc. I know even once I created the first full draft of my personal statement (which took many writing sessions), I did another 13 revisions before I was content with the final version.
• Do not waste time or space attempting to put your resume into your personal statement. There are places in the VMCAS application to list all veterinary, animal, and other employment experience as well as to list honors and activities you’ve been involved in. Your personal statement should not sound like an autobiography! If it does, you should scratch it and re-write or make significant revisions.
• Spend the most time on the first sentence! You need to catch the audience’s attention and draw them into the statement, making them excited and interested to read and learn more about you. You can do this in many ways and there is no real way to advise you to write the perfect introductory sentence, but you’ll know it when you have it. My personal statement began with the following, “Brakes screeched, tires squealed, and the car abruptly came to a halt.” You may wonder how that statement is at all related to veterinary medicine, but I can guarantee you that it all tied in. In fact, I will be posting my own personal statement on this blog in the near future — so stay tuned for it!
• Make sure the first paragraph and the last paragraph are the strongest. Notice that I do not call these paragraphs the introduction and conclusion; that is because a personal statement doesn’t necessarily have to have the strict format that is generally used in literary essays. That being said, if you are able to, try to tie things together by referencing something from the first paragraph in the last paragraph, excellent! If not, don’t stress over it. Sometimes it just won’t work and it is better not to force the connection. In psychology we talk about something called primacy and recency effects. This is a principle that describes how people tend to remember the first and last things in a list or, in this case, essay the best. A good way to gauge whether or not you have effectively developed your first and last paragraphs is to read them by themselves and ask yourself whether or not you sound like a person that should be accepted.
• Proofread, proofread, proofread! I cannot stress this enough! Proofreading can often get difficult when you’ve read your statement so many times that you can practically recite it by heart (yes, I almost got to that point). Once you’re there, no matter what you read, it will sound correct to you. My advice is to read it aloud and slowly — perhaps to a friend or family member, if they are around. By doing so you are forcing yourself to hear how the words sound and often makes mistakes or awkward sentences more apparent. Or, you can do the reverse and have a friend or family member read the statement aloud to you. This is particularly useful because you are able to hear how an admissions committee member is likely to read the statement and will make any potential issues readily apparent.
• Get feedback! Once your statement is at a point that you are happy with it and it’s been proofread for any and all grammatical and spelling mistakes, email it out as an attachment to anyone and everyone who would be willing to read it. Don’t just send it out though — be sure to ask people ahead of time whether they will have time and are willing to provide feedback to you on your statement. The more people, the better, but try not to send it out to multiple people at the same time. This is for multiple reasons: 1) many of them will provide the same feedback which creates redundancy 2) it gets difficult to coordinate the changes of so many different people. It’s okay to ask people if they can have it back to you by a certain date/time so that you can pass it on to the next person.
• Let your personality shine through! The entire purpose of the personal statement is to give the reader an idea of what you’re like. This can give the admissions committee a “good” or “bad” feeling about you, so be sure to make a good impression! Of course, I would advise you to avoid things like negativity and sarcasm, even if that is really your personality as they won’t translate well to admissions committees. W hen you ask people for feedback, be sure to ask them whether or not the statement sounded like “you” and had your personality. If they know you, they’ll be able to gauge that pretty well.

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All things Vet school

Reusing applications for vet school

Hello everyone! This is my first time posting here and I feel you all can help with my question.

I applied to several vet schools in 2019 and I was not accepted to any of them. I contacted the admissions department for each school and was told something similar. They said my application was great, but my GPA needed improvement. Many of the schools suggested enrolling in a master's program, which I did and I will be graduating next spring. I am reapplying this year and I am a little unsure about reusing my VMCAS and supplement application essays. Granted, I would be editing and updating the essays in regard to new life experiences, etc.

Does anyone know whether reusing essays is frowned upon?

UPDATE: I reused some of my essays and made edits to incorporate things that have changed since I last applied. So far I have received 1 invite for an interview, but I still have several other applications to submit before the deadline.

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