Tag: veterinary

Writing a Cover Letter for a Letter of Recommendation

Once you’ve identified mentors to write you a letter of recommendation (LOR), the next step is to reach out to them to ask that they write said letter.  In that process, you might want to write a cover letter which provides them with some information to help them write the LOR. Why write a cover

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Examples of Good Letters of Intent

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

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Two Types of Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is the feeling that you are in a certain position but don’t deserve to be.  Someone made a mistake somewhere- you’re not as good as people think you are.  You feel inadequate as a consequence of this belief.  Even though there’s external evidence of your success (e.g. getting a job, getting good annual

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Grade Inflation Is Bad

I believe that grade inflation hurts everyone- admissions committees, faculty, and parents.  But, most importantly, it hurts students.  To understand why, we have to examine the purpose of grades and what grade inflation is. Why Grades? There are two types of assessments.  Formative assessments are designed to provide feedback to the student so they know

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Why We Declined Vet School Applicants Last Year

I participated in the interview and selection process for a vet school this year, and we had another amazing pool of applicants.  Nonetheless, the three faculty conducting the interviews generally agreed to place some applicants on the “do not offer” list.  This is not out of any malice- we just needed a way to reduce

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Financial Advice for Interns, Residents, and New Graduates

The other day a work friend of mine and I were chatting about student loans and the current forbearance for student loans.  They are working in academia partly to get Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), which pays off all loans after 10 years of working for a qualifying charity or government organization.  Unfortunately, they didn’t

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What I Learned Reading Intern Applications Last Year

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

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