This is MY Personal Statement.

Since the vet school application is due today, I guess it's safe to assume that no one will plagiarize my work and get me in trouble for posting my personal statement.

The personal statement is the essay on the vet school application. You pretty much have to summarize your life in relation to veterinary medicine and tell them about your version of the American dream in less than 3800 characters or something. So here's what I said.

Although I had considered it a possibility, I never seriously planned to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. I decided, however, that the fairest way to eliminate it as a career possibility was to try it. I took an internship at Sugar Hill Animal Hospital during my senior year of high school, and--much to my surprise--I loved it. I continued working at Sugar Hill for another 2 1/2 years. The work inspired me to expand my proverbial horizons, and I found an internship at a wildlife and exotic animal hospital. I was once again pleasantly surprised by how engaging veterinary medicine can be. I learned that veterinary medicine is not the austere profession I imagined. It is about compassion. It is as much about treating the client as it is about treating the patient. It is about less-than-ideal circumstances and the fine line drawn by the word "humane." It is about innovation, overcoming a challenge, and having the knowledge and ability to solve a problem.

I unexpectedly learned even more about what it means to be a veterinarian from my host family during my study abroad trip to Peru. Upon telling my familia of my aspirations, my madre replied, "Ah, que bonita." After pondering for a while what she meant by calling veterinary medicine "pretty," I realized that it is something of a dream career. Veterinarians do not become veterinarians for the income or the prestige; few achieve much of either. In fact, a veterinarian's detachment from these coveted qualities of the "ideal" occupation is what makes the career "bonita," for the veterinarian has pursued his dream in spite of it lacking those ideals. As I have never had much regard for an excessive salary or even the title of "Doctor," my desire to become a veterinarian is shared by every veterinarian: it is a passion. I realize that by entering this profession I am committing myself to continually improving my professional knowledge and my technical skill both during school and throughout my career.

In accord with my method of eliminating careers by experiencing them, I have explored some of the many facets of veterinary medicine in order to determine in which area I do not want to specialize. I have worked medically with small animals, large animals, exotics, wildlife, and even such bizarre creatures as humans. Of these, the only one that I have decided that I will be unable to medically treat is the human. I truly enjoy interacting with human clients, but I have found that even the most fractious feline patient is not half as fussy as many of the human patients I have worked with. Cooperation between the doctor, the client, and the patient are the key to recovery and maintenance of health. In my experience, animal patients are more pleasant to treat because the client is eager to help, and animal patients are more likely to recover because they are less inclined to object treatment as resolutely as human patients.

Since I have been unable to eliminate anything but humans from the possible medical specializations, I have instead taken the opposite approach and looked at what I like the most. After much contemplation, I have found that I most enjoy working with poultry. Over the past year, I have expanded my knowledge of poultry science through my coursework and research; in so doing, I have learned the value of a challenge and essential problem-solving skills. These qualities have given me a respectable degree of confidence. After attending several lectures given by poultry veterinarians at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center in Athens, Georgia, I have found many areas of poultry science that I am eager to further explore as a veterinarian. Although I value the one-on-one interaction that I had with clients and patients in the small animal practice, I want to take my degree beyond the exam room. I want to use the knowledge and skills that I have gained in college and that I will gain in veterinary school to help the chicken, the farmer, the producer, and the everyday chicken-sandwich-lover. I want to improve not only poultry medicine, but also everything that comes with it: population health, food safety, agriculture- and science-related politics, poultry production, and the ground-breaking research in the field of poultry science. Poultry is my passion, and I am willing to do everything it takes to become a poultry veterinarian. I plan to pursue further education after earning my DVM degree via the Master in Avian Medicine program offered at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center. After earning my MAM degree, I see myself working for the poultry industry for a few years in order to gain what cannot be taught in a classroom: real-world experience. I would like to then enter academia and share my knowledge, experience, and passion for poultry medicine with other aspiring young individuals. For now, I intend to make the most of what lies immediately ahead: next week's avian medicine exam.

I think the personal statement is what they use to weed you out when they can't use your GPA, GREs, or possible felonies to put you in the reject pile. I applied to three schools: UGA, Iowa State, and Kansas State. UGA did not require a supplemental application, Kansas State's supplemental application was very basic, and Iowa State's supplemental was actually kind of challenging, which I appreciate. Here are the questions that they asked me and the answers that I gave them (though I guess technically I'm still revising the answers; the supplemental isn't actually due until tomorrow)

What do you believe the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University has to offer you that is unique? (1750 character limit)

Why would a Georgian who wants to become a poultry veterinarian come to Iowa to earn her DVM degree? By any direct and logical reasoning, it does not seem to make sense. Iowa is the pork capital of the nation—not the chicken capital. Why would I choose to attend veterinary school at Iowa State University? The simple fact is this: no veterinary college in the country can boast of having an excellent poultry medicine program because poultry medicine is such a specific specialization. The fact is that there are very few opportunities for me to expand my knowledge of poultry medicine during veterinary school no matter which school I attend. I understand that my next step in becoming a poultry veterinarian will be to pursue a Master in Avian Medicine degree after I earn a DVM degree, but in the meantime, I would like to take the opportunity to expand my knowledge of a more general specialization: food animal medicine. In that area, Iowa State University does have bragging rights. The Midwest is known for its livestock, and I understand that Iowa State is one of the best schools in the nation for students who wish to become food animal veterinarians.

Iowa State has more to offer me than just its excellent food animal program, however. My strong professional interest in research is another reason why I would like to attend this school. Iowa State University is something of an epicenter for veterinary research, with three major research laboratories nearby. There are also numerous opportunities for summer research via the Summer Scholars program, and I know that I will take advantage of this if I am admitted to the college.

In short, the combination of Iowa State University’s strong food animal program and dedication to veterinary research make the college an excellent fit for me.

What (other than your veterinary and animal experiences and your academic pre-veterinary work) will you as an individual bring to the ISU veterinary community? At ISU we are committed to building a diverse student community with students of varied talents, personal and professional experiences, opinions and cultural backgrounds. (3500 character limit)

I realize that my suburban upbringing is not unique, but it is not something that I would have changed even if I could have. I was raised in a culturally diverse environment and I believe that my open mind is a product of this upbringing. I have come to respect and often admire people whose backgrounds, races, and opinions are different from my own. Because many of my classmates throughout my educational career have had such varied backgrounds and ethnicities, I understand the value of diversity in advancing ideas and learning. This diverse community with which I have grown and learned is still somewhat homogeneous, however. I have lived in Georgia for over thirteen years, so you could say that I have something of a Georgia mindset—my perspective, my values, and even my opinions are somewhat similar to those of other Georgians. If I am admitted to Iowa State University, I as a Georgian will not only challenge the Iowa mindset, but I will also most certainly learn from it.

My professional interest in poultry medicine is another factor that will contribute to the diversity of the veterinary community. I have sought out any opportunity I could find to further develop my professional interest in poultry medicine. Through research with my professors and by attending lectures given by poultry veterinarians at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center in Athens, Georgia, I have gained a strong background in poultry. Furthermore, I have learned that my research projects in nutrition and endocrinology of poultry are applicable and relevant to veterinary science. I believe that my deep professional interests in poultry and in research will make me a unique student in a veterinary classroom, and I hope that this will enhance my own education as well as that of my fellow classmates.

Leadership is one of the talents that I possess that I most value. My first major leadership role was as editor of my award-winning high school literary magazine. Since then, I have developed my leadership abilities in college by taking various officer positions in Pre-Vet Club and Poultry Science Club. A test of my leadership abilities came forth this year when I decided to start a new student organization to help manage the population of feral cat colonies on the University of Georgia campus. Because of my leadership abilities, Cats on Campus is now an official student organization with about 40 members and a very enthusiastic board of officers. I aspire to start the club off in the right direction, and I believe that I can do so with my strong leadership abilities.

As far as opinions are concerned, I suppose that most of my pertinent opinions are related to animal agriculture. I am not afraid of a bird flu pandemic, though I realize that it is a potential risk. I do not believe in “natural” beef, “free-range” chicken, rBST-free milk, or a ban on farrowing cages for sows. When it comes to animals, I am a compassionate person, but my opinions are based on what I know about animals and agricultural practices rather than on misplaced anthropomorphism. I weigh the options, the ends, and the means so that I can form an educated opinion. This may not make me unique in a veterinary community, but I know that I would not be able to stand behind my opinions nearly as strongly if I did not research both sides of the debate.

So I have to wait around until Kansas or Iowa call me for an interview or tell me that I'm not good enough for them. I won't hear anything from UGA until the end of March or April. In the meantime, wish me luck!