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Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Vanderbilt requires a full autobiography. It was my second choice school since I'm from TN but that essay made me not even finish the secondary.
 
I really recommend not letting secondary length deter you from applying unless you are SURE that you wouldn’t even go there (then you shouldn’t apply in the first place!)

Duke and Vanderbilt are amazing schools and the little amount of extra work to apply is worth the opportunity to interview!! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the essays, just take them one at a time. And start writing them now. I was told that Duke’s would change and only one or two did (I think) so, use last years as guides 🙂
 
marcosma said:
I really recommend not letting secondary length deter you from applying unless you are SURE that you wouldn’t even go there (then you shouldn’t apply in the first place!)

Duke and Vanderbilt are amazing schools and the little amount of extra work to apply is worth the opportunity to interview!! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the essays, just take them one at a time. And start writing them now. I was told that Duke’s would change and only one or two did (I think) so, use last years as guides 🙂
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Yes, the only thing I would change is pre-writing the autobiography schools.

An autobiography requires a little more work than a longer essay and would be on par with writing a second personal statement.
 
erenyeager said:
Should the autobiography be related to medicine? I'm not sure how it is different from my PS?
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For my autobiography, I adapted an old version of my personal statement that told a more "complete" story, started with an early childhood anecdote, and just hit my story at different angles than my personal statement did. My PS was mostly about education and education was just one paragraph of my autobiographies. I talked about some of my identities/diversity topics in my autobio that I didn't mention in my PS.
 
Duke for sure! Once I was done writing it , though, I had LOTS of material for all my other secondaries.
 
USF was brutally long. It's a double edged sword though. The longer the secondary the more people will drop off meaning you have a chance to put yourself ahead of the pack.

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
 
MedSchoolTutors said:
USF was brutally long. It's a double edged sword though. The longer the secondary the more people will drop off meaning you have a chance to put yourself ahead of the pack.

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
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USF Morsani? I didn’t think that one was terrible. Only 4-5 essays I think.
 
erenyeager said:
Should the autobiography be related to medicine? I'm not sure how it is different from my PS?
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I actually had no clue what they wanted. An autobiography with no direction on theme has to be one of the craziest things I've ever been asked in a med school essay.

The consensus is that it should be different from your personal statement.
 
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