Personal satement (help please!!)

So Ive written my first draft of my statement because college were pushing for it before we left for summer. But before summer I hadn't done half of my experience and now I'm having real issues writing in the stuff I've learnt from my new experience without going way over the limits :s-smilie:

So can anyone give me some tips on how to summerise all that I've done without basically listing it and having very little substance about the actual work which is what I really want to write about. Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

CHEM AND BIO TIME!

Original post by Aliloo

summarise with what you learnt and skills you got dont go into story mode!

Reply 2

Lizziefickling

You need to show what you've learnt so you can pick one interesting case and write something about it but link it to a skill you learnt. So if you've worked in practice say how you've worked as a team, say how you've learnt to work under pressure, and connect that with why it's important to have those qualities as a vet. Have a look at some example personal statements and look at how those applicants linked everything together, but don't write a list consisting of 'I did this and did this' etc, make sure there's a reason behind everything you did and what you learnt from the experience. There are personal statement helpers, and if you join or have joined the 2017 vet medicine applicants group on fb then you'll find their names and the email on there.

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Reply 3

Treen98

Original post by Aliloo

So I had this trouble too last year, basically I said I had done X amount of wex and then went on to talk about what I'd learned and the most important ones for me. This lets the universities see how many weeks you have but you don't need to talk about them all individually.
Don't worry about character counts yet though, write all you can think of and try to get a good flow and half-decent structure before you start cutting bits down to get within the limit

Reply 4

Angry cucumber

Go over the word count then send it to applyingtovetschool :smile:

Reply 5

Little Tail Chaser

To build on what others have said, make sure you're explicitly clear about how many weeks you've done, especially if you happen to be applying to Bristol. Try to avoid lists, but if possible mention all of your placements but from there pick a few specific ones to expand on, ensuring that anything you mention is something that you would be happy to discuss at interview. Ensure all of your comments reflect on what you learned and how this will make you a better vet, rather than just showing off that you've seen some fancy procedures.

Skatealexia's Veterinary Personal Statement Guide is a very good read. You can find some examples of vet personal statements to get a feel for how much detail you can go into here. The Guardian have an article about writing vet personal statements here. There are other links on the resources thread, but once your done, do as Angrycucumber has suggested and submit your work to Applying To Vet School for a free review.

Best of luck with your application! :smile:

Reply 6

Aliloo

Thank you all very much for the tips! I feel way calmer about this now and my AS grades have given me some hope (BBB) that I could get there. I am looking to apply to Bristol which is why I was worried as I know that they don't give a questionnaire they just get the idea of what experience you have from your ps and I don't want to miss out because I didn't make it clear what I have done! :smile:

Reply 7

Lizziefickling

Original post by Aliloo

I filled in a questionnaire out for Bristol before I was offered an interview...

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Reply 8

Aliloo

Original post by Lizziefickling

I filled in a questionnaire out for Bristol before I was offered an interview...

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Oh right I didnt realise... I went to their vet quest day earlier this year and they said they gauged work experience off of the ps and I think they said that on their website too. They might have changed the process though :smile:

Reply 9

Lizziefickling

Original post by Aliloo

This was 3 years ago, maybe they have changed it. They do go through ps's though, Liverpool however don't even look at them

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Reply 10

Little Tail Chaser

I applied two years ago and it's definitely changed so that your work experience is judged from your personal statement. They sent out questionnaires, but only after offering interviews, so it's important that your PS explicitly states amount and variety that you've done. You can expand on placements a bit more in the interview.

Reply 11

Lizziefickling

Original post by Little Tail Chaser

It is possible my questionnaire came after my interview offer, I just can't remember last week let alone 3 years ago haha!

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Reply 12

Little Tail Chaser

Original post by Lizziefickling

It is possible my questionnaire came after my interview offer, I just can't remember last week let alone 3 years ago haha!

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Wasn't trying to undermine you or anything, I know they change little things regularly. My year had to physically post our documents back to them whereas this year could email, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if they changed it between our years :smile:

I totally get what you mean about not remembering stuff. On campus tours I get asked which other vet schools I applied to and the length of the :confused:

moments is getting worrying :lol:

Reply 13

Des_Lumières

Always start with a first draft - then can edit down. Remember that things are written in editing. In terms of summarising points, once you have a first draft you may find that several experiences demonstrate the same point and then you will be better placed to select one. In general it's best to stick near to the formula: P) Point E) Example E) explanation. This can be elaborated on however it is a good basis for starting.

Original post by Little Tail Chaser

I totally get what you mean about not remembering stuff. On campus tours I get asked which other vet schools I applied to and the length of the :confused:

moments is getting worrying :lol:

Oh no I didn't think that don't worry haha! I have trouble keeping up to date with what qualifications Liverpool want half the time 😂 I don't remember much about my application, apart from the stress!

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