If you’re reading this then it means you’re either interested in applying to vet school in the future or are in the process of preparing to do so this year. If the latter is you then absolutely read on.

The UCAS application used to be the only bit of application ‘paperwork’ that prospective new vet students had to do, with all the info that the vet schools needed included within it’s various pages, the most important of all being the hallowed Personal Statement. How, pray tell, is one to distill down the Essence of Awesomeness that is you and your compelling case for being awarded access to the fabled halls of epic that are the vet school of your choice sufficiently to fit on 47 measly lines of text?! It is indeed a challenge but like any good challenge there is a good way to approach it and a bad way.

Bad way = wing it, writing it in one sitting without editing, spelling and grammar checking or proof-reading, and then hit send. That’s a really good tactic to ensure it takes the least amount of time out of your busy life but it’s also a foolproof strategy for getting your application to head straight into the trash can.

Good way = prepare, prepare some more, plan, write, review, edit, proof-read, get someone you trust to proof-read, make any suggested amendments, proof-read again, get that person you charmed before to continue helping you, give a copy to your reference writer, think “am I done?” for enough time to actually feel confident in your answer, and then…… hit SEND.

If you’re an incredibly disciplined person then you’ll have most of this covered already and may even be drafting your masterpiece as we speak. If you’re like most of us, however, then you may benefit from a little expert guidance when it comes to what to include, how to structure your statement, what NOT to say, etc. It may also be helpful to have a little inspiration from, say, a bunch of people who have been exactly where you are right now and who made it in with their statements. Even great, original artists took inspiration from others – NOT copying as that is plagiarism and is quite rightly rejected for the bad thing that it is. Being inspired, on the other hand, can be instrumental in cutting through all the ‘me-too’ sameness that vet school applications can suffer from and help craft the ultimate ‘I’m your candidate’ message!

Remember some of the important basics:

• Get your application in on time – the deadline for applications to the vet schools is 15th OCTOBER. Best to get yours in BEFORE that date.
• A number of vet schools request supplementary information that is sent to them directly. For example, Edinburgh and Glasgow both request a work experience survey be submitted. Make sure you leave sufficient time to collate all the information needed and get these additional bits of admin completed.
• Referee report – don’t expect your referee to be able to drop everything and turn around an awesome reference at the very last minute just because you couldn’t get organised in time. Who knows, they may even have a life of their own?! Start talking to them well in advance of the deadline and provide any useful info that they might need to be able to talk in a glowing, affirmative manner about you.

If you do feel as though some additional help could be useful then look no further than Vet School: Book 1, as it has a whole chapter devoted to this very subject. Alternatively, if you’re feeling like you want to invest in yourself and get the very best help there is then you might want to take a peek at the UPDATED Personal Statement Success service.

Whatever you decide and however you go about completing your application, good luck and give it your very best 🙂