Help for every stage of your veterinary career
I’ve spent a lot of time writing about personal statements. There are general rules, which I’ve written about here and here. Also, there are important and simple grammar rules to pay attention to, like these and these. I’ve provided some examples of poor letters of intent, so now it’s time to look at some good
Although time consuming, I greatly enjoy reading the intern application packets we get. They are packed full of interesting stories, and the accomplishments of these applicants honestly amazes me. Many of them have faced serious personal hardship- cancer diagnoses, generational poverty, fleeing war-torn countries. Many of them are truly inspirational. Most of them are just
I turned out to be a huge Stephen King fan as an adult. Growing up, my sister loved his horror stories, but I don’t really like horror, so I never read any King. Until, that is, I read The Dark Tower. That sold me. Now Stephen King is a go-to for me, particularly when I’m
I just finished writing a letter of intent for a position I applied to. I thought it would be valuable to share my process, to serve as inspiration for you if you are stuck or struggling with what to write. Step 1) Review the job description. I read through the entire job description, even though
I am a strong proponent of including extracurricular activities in applications and during interviews. Every now and then, I will discover an activity someone does during an interview that wasn’t on their application. I was in a student interview recently where it came out that the student was on the national gymnastics team, but this
A theme we have encountered before is individuals unable or unwilling to ask mentors for letters of recommendation or for help with their professional progression. This is evidently true for so many applicants because I STILL get applications that are just Not Good. The applications clearly haven’t been vetted by a mentor. Why in the
I thought I would share with you the way I have worked with students in the past and the sorts of comments I provide. In general, I try to offer the writer the perspective an evaluator will have. This sometimes comes off as blunt, but I’m trying to genuinely share what goes through my mind.
We have previously given examples of good stories in letters of intent, so I wanted to take the opportunity to show some examples of poor letters of intent. These examples are from letters which were overall evaluated as “unrankable” for internships, but they apply to any stage of your professional progression. Although the entire letter
Once, I read a letter of intent from an applicant which was filled with personal, but relevant, stories. It created a compelling narrative which I believe made them a great applicant. That, right there, is a narrative story. It relates an event on a personal level, rather than just relating the facts. Another way to
This is a short, but important, PSA-style blog entry. You are probably using abbreviations like i.e., e.g., and etc. incorrectly. It isn’t a fatal flaw, but it is really distracting to those of us who spend a lot of time reading and writing. So here is a quick, simple guide on the use of these