Wet Cleanup on Aisle 5

Vet School Personal Statement, Round 1

When I was applying for vet school, I wasn’t able to find many good examples of personal statements.  It would have been really helpful to read someone else’s personal statement, which is one reason I am including these on my blog.  I hope those of you who are in the throes of the application process find these helpful.  The other reason I’m including these is they help explain how I became a non-traditional vet student.

Below is the personal statement from my first application.  It’s good, but not great.  I didn’t get admitted with this application, but it was the lack of coursework that did me in more than anything.  I got the idea for this essay when I heard an admissions committee member say that the most memorable essay she’d ever read compared being a veterinarian to climbing a mountain.  See this post for the essay from my second application.

What do a park ranger, computer nerd, veterinarian, and actress have in common?

While it sounds like the start of a joke, it is a question I had to answer for myself before I decided to become a veterinarian. I have been all of those things (save the veterinarian) and more: a teacher, business owner, writer… I have not always wanted to be a vet.

During my late twenties, as thirty began to loom large on the horizon, I thought I should decide what I wanted to do with my life. Because I have many diverse interests, I listed the possibilities one by one, and systematically began to explore and eliminate them.

The process I used is not unlike the process a veterinarian would use when diagnosing an illness: evaluate the signs and symptoms, generate a list of possible causes, and then, through careful testing and observation, eliminate possibilities that do not fit the symptoms. This critical thinking ability is one I honed during my five years as a network administrator at Fabulous National Park. Sick computers can be diagnosed in much the same way one would diagnose a sick pet.

While I enjoyed the analytical thinking it involved, computer work is not something I am passionate about. I crossed one off my list and kept exploring.

Because “actress” was also on the list, I began participating in numerous theater and film productions, and even started a small theater company.

Good actors are able to experience life from another person’s (or animal’s) point of view. In order to translate a character to the stage, actors must be able to empathize fully with the character. Good vets, too, must be able to empathize, not only with their human clients, but also with their voiceless patients, and to consider these feelings during the course of treatment.

Although I loved being onstage, seeing the world through the eyes of my characters, I also learned that acting was not my calling, so I returned to my list.

I had, at this point, already crossed “park ranger” off the list. By the time I was 25, I was a full-time park ranger at Fabulous National Park, a dream job that often takes decades to come by. I have a deep love for nature, and, as a park ranger, I shared that love with others through a variety of interpretive programs.

Love of nature alone is not enough to succeed as a ranger. One must have an intense curiosity and drive to learn all that one can, so that when one is asked, “How do beavers get tularemia?” one has a ready answer. The public views a park ranger as an expert in all things, and that is what a ranger must become to succeed.

But a ranger must also be able to communicate scientific ideas in language that is easy to understand. A ranger is a teacher who can distill a complex subject in ten seconds flat, who can cheerfully answer the same question 100 times in a row, yet seamlessly field the oddball question as well.

Likewise, veterinarians must be excellent communicators; they must be able to explain complex ideas in straightforward language. Good vets must also have a love of nature, one that inspires them to constantly learn more about their field.

I loved being a park ranger, but it is true that they are “paid in sunsets.” I worked my way down my list until I arrived at veterinary medicine, and, when the opportunity to work for a vet arose, I jumped at the chance. It was a big jump–I had a comfortable job and a mortgage to pay–but I landed exactly where I am supposed to be.

As I learned about the profession firsthand, I saw how veterinary medicine incorporated the analytical thinking that I love. I saw how it required a love of learning, a love of nature, and a talent for communication. I saw how it required empathy, and a desire to connect with other people and other beings.

In returning to school to complete my veterinary prerequisites, I have discovered what a joy it is to be an adult student with a strong work ethic. I am finding myself completely engaged in my studies, performing at a level far beyond that of my first college experience.

I am also finding not that I have another career to cross off my list, but that my interest in veterinary medicine continues to grow. I intend to pursue either of two aspects of the field: holistic medicine, because a scientific understanding of alternative treatments is necessary for the growth of the profession, or working with exotics in a preserve environment, using my veterinary knowledge and education skills to promote conservation.

I have come to realize that my past experiences, rather than being diversions which kept me from finding my true path, have instead led me here. They have given me the skills I will need to succeed as a veterinarian. I have finally found the thing that makes my heart say, “YES.”

I know now what a park ranger, computer nerd, veterinarian, and actress have in common, and they are all me.

So, how many veterinarians does it take to change a light bulb?