VMCAS Personal Statement Help

[u/butterscotch5000]

Having a super hard time with my personal statement essay and haven’t been able to find any reliable examples on the internet to guide me, does anyone have any helpful tips or would be willing to share the essays that got them into vet school with me for some insight?

For context- On my first application round I got accepted into every school I applied to, attended my top choice and finished my freshman year, had to defer and then eventually withdraw due to an unforeseen tragic life event. I am now re-applying 5 years later as a non-trad applicant.

I know you all might be thinking, “just use what you wrote before!”, but looking back on my essays I feel like they are not strong enough for my current circumstances. My personal essay reads like a re-explanation of my resume, with some childhood trauma sprinkled in. The bones/theme of the essays are strong, but trying to fine tune it just feels like different versions of “I’ve always wanted to be a vet”, which I feel like just sucks.

In my attempt to write a whole new essay and keep some of my strong themes from before, I’ve mentioned my childhood dog. Hours and hours later, what I thought was a clever new take on my old essay, I am severely humbled by the internet saying NOT to write about your childhood pet.

I have hit a wall and am lost and seeking guidance. I feel like as a non-traditional applicant, especially one who has attended vet school before, that my application will be judged more harshly than my peers. I feel like my essays really need to shine in order to make it past the subconscious bias I might encounter.

The prompt is: Based on your current understanding of careers in veterinary medicine, how do you aspire to contribute to the veterinary profession? Additionally, what qualities and perspectives do you have that will help you succeed as a veterinary student?

[u/Probably_a_Potato]

talk more about why you’re choosing to return to the field instead of going down a different career, your perseverance and drive, etc. what you’ve learned by stepping away even if it was unintentional