Hey friends, in this post I share the tips I used to help write my veterinary medicine personal statement which got me interviews and offers from the University of Cambridge, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and also UCL (for biomedical sciences). For my application, I did my A-levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics and applied via the UCAS portal.
I divided my personal statement into 3 sections: the introduction, body and conclusion.
Introduction
- You want to be personal, share your reason for pursuing veterinary medicine, your ‘WHY‘. It also helps if you can catch the readers attention so be creative and original! I talked about my introduction in the video at the end of this post.
Body
- I wrote 2 paragraphs on the work experience I did, I discussed the insights I gained while on placement and how it reinforced my decision to pursue the veterinary medicine degree. For applicants that are facing difficulties securing work experience due to the pandemic, check out this free virtual work experience resource by Vet Medic Mentor (sign up closes soon I think!) and this free course on futurelearn.
- I wrote 1 paragraph on the extra-curricular activities I was involved in school and how it contributed to building my character, soft skills acquired in the process (communication skills, leadership roles and all sorts).
- I wrote 1 paragraph on my hobbies and interests outside of the school setting, so any volunteer work or music/ sport activities that help you wind down after a stressful day. This demonstrates that you are a well-rounded person and able to handle a challenging (but v rewarding) degree.
Conclusion
- Summarise your points and reinforce your position why you think you suit the veterinary career or talk about other specific interests you have in veterinary medicine. This could be a good talking point for when you go for your interviews!
Final tips
- Start early! Give it a go before reading other personal statements so that you’re not influenced by others and you have sort of an original framework to start with. Don’t worry about ‘perfecting’ the first draft as you will reiterate your personal statement over and over (and over) again!
- Re-read your personal statement before interviews as they will most likely ask you about the books or cases you listed, studies you’ve mentioned, read up and remember some facts.
- Get it proof-read by an English teacher or people you trust!
- Be concise! You only have 4000 characters, ensure each paragraph has a purpose in conveying your passion/ capability of pursing vet med.
- Don’t stress too much about your personal statement as remember that they are looking at your grades and interview as well so have faith and just do your best!!
Lastly, if you’d like a copy of my personal statement, you can download it below
PS: If you’d like to sign up for my free newsletter where I share interesting vet articles, studies & practical tips on how to live your best life, click here.
Video here:
Resources
- Personal statement examples (Student room): https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Category:Veterinary_Science_Personal_Statements
- Ibz Mo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcLwTjsDGwU
- Vet mentor video (so you want to be a vet): https://youtu.be/sDs5mT3FEL4
- UCAS resource: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/how-write-ucas-undergraduate-personal-statement
Thanks so much for reading and watching my content, hope it helps!! Best of luck with applications, May xx
Vet school things 