What you write in your Cambridge personal statement can set you apart from other Cambridge Veterinary Medicine applicants. It gives you the opportunity to highlight your strengths, talk about your accomplishments and show the Cambridge admissions tutors your potential. Additionally, it offers the interviewer a focal point to base discussions about an understanding of and engagement with Veterinary Medicine, including personal research outside of your A level curriculum. To help guide you through the process, our Cambridge application experts have compiled a list of dos and don’ts for your Cambridge Veterinary Medicine personal statement for the 2024/25 application cycle.
Background
At Cambridge, you study the basic veterinary sciences first before learning to apply that knowledge to veterinary practice as a clinical student.
During your pre-clinical studies (Years 1-3), you are taught through lectures and practical classes (including 120 hours of dissection across the three years) in the central science departments, and College supervisions – you can typically expect 20-25 timetabled teaching hours each week. The clinical studies teaching is a mixture of lectures (in Years 4 and 5), practicals, group work in directed learning sessions, seminars, discussions and tutorials and a substantial element of practical clinical classes, together with a lecture-free final year. Students must undertake the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment.
Your Cambridge Veterinary Medicine personal statement must clearly demonstrate the link between Veterinary Medicine and your own interests. Moreover, when planning out your personal statement, make sure you demonstrate an understanding of Cambridge’s research and work in Veterinary Medicine.
5 Things to DO in Your Cambridge Veterinary Medicine Personal Statement
1. Tell your story.
Outlining why you want to study Veterinary Medicine, along with anecdotes indicative of your personality and hunger for the subject, will be how you get the admissions team to notice your university application. Some ways to do this include brainstorming what your plans are with this degree for the future, why it has interested you for so many years, and any experience or extra-curricular work you have done in relation to it.
2. What makes you suitable.
What qualities or passion do you have that will allow you to convince the Cambridge admissions tutors that you will excel in the Veterinary Medicine field at Cambridge? Any skills or experience from previous placements will be relevant to mention here. Additionally, think about what qualities Cambridge would admire- examples include practical skills, as well as problem-solving skills.
3. Read around the subject you’re applying for.
Podcasts, magazine articles, documentaries or research papers relating to the field of Veterinary Medicine are all great ways to engage with new content. Examples include the free international journal Frontiers, and the podcast by the Royal Veterinary College. A good way to incorporate this extra reading into your life would be to replace music with podcasts, and select topics that interest you and further your reading on them, beyond the A-Level curriculum.
4. Proof read & read aloud your work.
Once you’re happy with the content of your draft, check it, check it and check it again! Certain people would be best for proofreading such as a teacher in the subject, a Cambridge student, or a student on the Cambridge Veterinary Medicine course who has written a personal statement before.
5. Why Veterinary Medicine.
Why have YOU applied to Veterinary Medicine? What careers will this enable you to reach? Examples include, conservation work, RSPCA worker, veterinary surgeon and more. Consider your ambitions, and how you will benefit society in the future. For example, informing animal policy changes, maintaining animal rights, and lifelong learning.
5 Things to AVOID in Your Cambridge Veterinary Medicine Personal Statement
1. Writing a list of achievements
Avoid listing things for the sake of it. Make sure each point is relevant and backed up by evidence. Expanding on a few key points is always better than listing your achievements with no relation or link to Veterinary Medicine.
2. Write anything that isn’t true
Don’t exaggerate. You may be asked to provide evidence of your stated achievements. Regarding your personal statement veterinary medicine admissions tutors will ask you questions, and they may be able to tell if you have exaggerated certain points or experiences, which, if true, will reflect poorly on you.
3. Copying other people’s personal statements
Don’t plagiarise. You can look at other veterinary personal statement examples. However, looking at these veterinary medicine personal statement examples could sway you into writing information that is not personal to you. Do not copy someone else’s UCAS personal statement or use something you have found on the internet. If you copy personal statement examples veterinary medicine tutors will probably be able to tell. UCAS also uses software to check every personal statement for plagiarism. Not only will this reflect badly on you, but it won’t sell your personal statement as being authentic.
4. Not reflecting on or justifying your point
Avoid using up valuable words with obvious statements. Write succinctly and explain points without repeating yourself. Don’t tell the admissions tutor what they already know – instead, expand on how you’ve acquired certain skills and why they’re important.
5. Sounding unprofessional
Steer clear of slang, clichés and quotes. It will sound repetitive to Admissions Tutors to hear about how students are “passionate” about their subject or that they have a “thirst for knowledge”. Write about your personal experience with your Cambridge Veterinary Medicine journey, and allow the Admissions Tutor to do the rest.
