Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

personal statments

hey guys,
im new to this so sorry if ive messed this up. i was just wondering if any of you folks have your personal statement handy as i started to write mine and its over 5 pages long, and they expect you to get it into half a page!!!!! its ridiculous. please help!!!

thanks, Mayflower.x.

Reply 1

Shockley

Focus on the important bits like what you've learned from your work experience, your highest achievements etc (nothing about grades, they know about them) and don't harp on about extra-curricular stuff, just stick to the impressive things that will make your application stand out. Five pages! There must be loads you dont need. Re-draft! :wink:

Reply 2

mayflower

thanks for getting back to me :smile:

lets just say i go on a bit! if i get an interview i wont have a problem talking anyway :p:

what are the important bits, what kind of thing did you put for your highest achievments? and whats going to make me stand out? i need my personal statment to work hard cos i dont think my grades are going to be quiet what i need!

Mayflower.x

Reply 3

k-lee C

haha...it will be hard for YOU to personally cut stuff out because it all feels so important. get someone else (probably a teacher...they will know about this whole process, what works, what doesn't) to ruthlessly, mercilessly remove any bit of info that isn't fundamentally necessary!

what you end up with will probably feel under-developed but it will honestly be fine!

Reply 4

mayflower

yeah i think i will, thank you :smile:

still i just dont understand how they can expect you to get everything into half a page! its craziness¬!!!!

awell i shall see what can be done.

thanks for the help :smile:

Mayflower.x

Reply 5

Shockley

Think of the really interesting/unusual cases you have seen on work experience, and write about them. Mention if you did any extra reading, what field of veterinary medicine are you most keen on and know most about, for example I have an interest in BSE and could talk about it at length if I had an interview.

Things that will make you stand out are things like voluntary work, and organising work experience at the more unusual places like a pathology lab, or perhaps with a farrier or horse dentist.

For highest achievements, think about things like sport, music or even something you have done to help others.

Reply 6

mayflower

excellent, thanks for the advice! i was thinking of doing a cruciate repair i saw a few weeks ago, but i dont know if it will make my life harder, would i be better going for an easier topic that i know more about but would make me stand out less or should i just learn what i can on that? also is diabetes a gd medical? its all so confusing!!! i went to the SAC would it be a gd idea to play up the im intrested in reserch thing or what are they looking for? do they want ppl that are intrested in research or more large animals etc?

thanks agian for the help

mayflower.x

Reply 7

mayflower

oh yeah whats BSE? and ive dne some stuff with oxfam, would that b ok or should it be animal related?

mayflower.x

Reply 8

Shockley

mayflower

oh yeah whats BSE? and ive dne some stuff with oxfam, would that b ok or should it be animal related?

mayflower.x

BSE is bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease." Yes, I would definately mention your work with Oxfam, it shows good people skills. Anything at all which shows good character is great for your application.

Reply 9

eurasianfeline

Key points are probably:
Why vet?
Brief mention of your work experiences and what you got out of them. Be BRIEF please.
Other extra-curricular activities (ECA). Show you have a life OUTSIDE school and vet stuff, like sports etc.
Awards? Achievements? ie. Duke of Edinburgh Award etc - again ECA
What you hope to acheive with your degree.

Make yourself stand out with the personal statement. They have millions of applications, and you need to catch their attention. Be yourself, and don't sound like you're trying too hard either.

Reply 10

)(--becca--)(

One good tip I was given was to bullet point work experience. This makes it look neat, concise, cuts out all the unnecessary connecting words and stops you saying more than you need to. I just wrote "2 weeks at such and such a place" and then the dates. Try and make youself look into everything - research, small animals, large animals, exotics ect: Focus on veterinary things and then put in one paragraph about other activites to make you look well-rounded. Also, if you say you do or have done something, back it up by saying how it would make you a good vet and which skills it helped you develope. But make sure you don't repeat the same skills!

Don't worry about it being long at this stage - your finished piece will be completely different. I did like a million drafts! Oh, and try to have a good opening sentence, not just the old "I would like to be a vet because...."