*** 2008-2009 Secondary Application Thread ***

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zpiff said:
UChicago Essays

The open-ended essays are designed to help the Admissions Committee gain insight into you as a person. Please understand that we are interested in your personal experiences and reflections; we do not have preconceived responses in mind. Many applicants have commented that they learned a great deal about themselves in answering these questions. You must complete the questions within the character limits provided: 3500 characters for essay 3A, 2400 characters for essay 3B, including spaces. Special characters, such as quotation marks, will use more than a single space and should be used sparingly. You may paste in any reasonable font but your choice will not be reflected in the version reviewed by the Committee. We advise you to compose your essays using a word processing program, saving them as you work in the usual manner. And then, when you are ready to complete your supplemental application for submission, copy and paste them into the appropriate text boxes.


3A. At the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, we strive to identify students who will be a great "fit" with our medical school. Our Mission Statement is an expression of our core purpose and educational philosophy. Please reflect on its content and write an essay describing why you see yourself as a great "fit" for Pritzker. Please include examples of past service, community, clinical, educational, and research experiences. Please also discuss your future goals.

"At the University of Chicago, in an atmosphere of interdisciplinary scholarship and discovery, the Pritzker School of Medicine is dedicated to inspiring diverse students of exceptional promise to become leaders and innovators in science and medicine for the betterment of humanity."




3B. Tell us about a difficult or challenging situation that you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills that you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice.



5. Premedical Advisor If your school has a premedical committee or premedical advisor who composes a letter for each applicant from your school and you choose not to avail yourself of this service, please provide an explanation in the textbox below for your decision not to do so.



9. Additional Information Please feel free to use this space to convey any additional information that you might wish the Committee to know. There is a limit of 1000 characters including spaces.
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Ugh this is exactly the types of prompts I didn't want to see in the secondaries. I got the Pritzker e-mail today as well. I'm just a white, middle class male who has never overcome any adversity, and I'm definitely not going to be able to contribute to the "diversity" of any campus anywhere. Oh well, I'll think of something to write for these essays that will make sense for my situation.
 
I love how you get emails that say your secondary has been received (Downstate, GW) and then you check the status website and it says not received. BOO!
 
3. Please provide a narrative or timeline to describe any features of your educational history that you think may be part of particular interest to us. For example, have you lived in another country or experienced a culture unlike your own, or worked in a field that contributed to your understanding of people unlike yourself? Or, have you experienced advanced training in any area, including the fields of art, music, or sports? This is an opportunity to describe learning experiences that may not be covered in other areas of this application. It is not necessary to write anything in this section. (2000 character limit, approximately 400 words)

Plus the usual about LORs and stuff


VI. Optional Section
Most applicants apply to many medical schools and we are aware that the cumulative work of the application process is substantial. Furthermore, we find that for most applicants, an extra essay written expressly for Boston University adds little to the information content of the portfolio. We have, therefore, decided to eliminate our request for a supplemental essay.

While we no longer require an essay, we find that some applicants feel that additional information is necessary in order to provide us with a comprehensive understanding of their strengths as a candidate for a career in medicine. If you wish to use the space below to offer an essay or any other information, up to a total of 500 words, addressing any issue you feel is of importance, feel free to do so. If you choose to use the space, please do not duplicate information provided elsewhere in this supplemental application or in material you have submitted to AMCAS. Use this optional section only if you believe that the additional information will help us to learn something about you as a person, to get a sense of who you are and what you are about, beyond the basic facts of your academic work and your life history as it is otherwise available to us.

Please be assured that we offer this opportunity only for those applicants who wish to provide additional information and that it is entirely optional. For most applicants, no supplementary material will be necessary and this space can be left blank.
 
Vanderbilt sent me an email earlier today saying that they received my application and will screen my application for interview within 4-6 weeks.

Both Vandy and U Chicago sent out nice emails... is it sad that their nice emails made me a bit happy?
 
rowerlauren said:
Vanderbilt sent me an email earlier today saying that they received my application and will screen my application for interview within 4-6 weeks.

Both Vandy and U Chicago sent out nice emails... is it sad that their nice emails made me a bit happy?
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Hahaha I agree, especially about Vandy. It made me smile. It's so cheerful! It's like, yay, you're applying here! How awesome is that!

I really like that too.
 
Maybe, just maybe, we'll hear back from Vandy before 4-6 weeks because we're pretty early and they don't have as many apps to read through yet?

One can hope... 😳
 
ChubbyChaser said:
btw did you really apply to all those schools!!!!😱...what is it like 60 different ones?
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Yah, my dad does not want me to have to reapply.... Plus he is paying for it, so why not. I am not really doing anything else during the summer.
 
BostonU LOR's

* A letter of recommendation from the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee at your college and/or any post-baccalaureate program you have completed. This should be submitted directly to AMCAS.

* In the event that a Committee letter is not available, we will accept three (3) letters of recommendation, two (2) of which should be from undergraduate faculty who have taught you in Biology, Chemistry or Physics. Please indicate why no Committee letter is available. All letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to AMCAS by the author or the institution of origin.
 
did anyone get a second email from vanderbilt?
 
funkydrmonkey said:
BostonU LOR's

* A letter of recommendation from the Pre-Medical Advisory Committee at your college and/or any post-baccalaureate program you have completed. This should be submitted directly to AMCAS.

* In the event that a Committee letter is not available, we will accept three (3) letters of recommendation, two (2) of which should be from undergraduate faculty who have taught you in Biology, Chemistry or Physics. Please indicate why no Committee letter is available. All letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to AMCAS by the author or the institution of origin.
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any essays?
 
SO I just got SUNY DS's secondary for the second time, damn all these schools want me bad.
 
What's the prompt for Brown?
What's the URL for Connecticut?

PM it to me.
 
I got Medical College of Wisconsin's Secondary. I think someone posted it already. I have a question though..

For the letters part, there are optional letters. How would I classify letters from physicians that I shadowed? Professional? Other?
 
hypnix said:
I got Medical College of Wisconsin's Secondary. I think someone posted it already. I have a question though..

For the letters part, there are optional letters. How would I classify letters from physicians that I shadowed? Professional? Other?
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Doubt it matters but I would put Other...
 
Just got an email from UCF. I was provided with a link to UCF's secondary application, but it was dead 🙁. So, I'll let everyone know when I get the one that works.
 
What are you guys doing for essays which pretty much ask for the same material in your personal statement?
 
You must submit a statement, not to exceed 200 words, about why you want to attend the UWSOM. This cannot be fulfilled by the AMCAS Personal Statement or the additional Autobiography Statement.

You must submit a brief autobiographical statement. It should describe the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, your prior experiences in health care, steps taken to explore a career in medicine, your eventual goals as a physician, and other issues of importance. The Personal Comments section of the AMCAS application may be used to satisfy this requirement, or an additional autobiography may be submitted with your supplemental materials. Your AMCAS personal statement will already be on file with our office. If you wish to use your Personal Comments to fulfill the autobiography requirement please leave this section blank.

Due to the volume of applications we receive, publications or manuscripts will not be included in your application file, and cannot be returned if sent. Instead, please submit abstracts or other brief descriptions of your work.

You may submit a letter from a premedical advisory committee (list the name of the school) OR three letters from faculty from whom you have taken college-level courses (list individual faculty names). Letters should critically evaluate your academic ability, strengths and weaknesses, motivation for medicine, maturity, difficulty of course work, and special attributes and assets.

http://depts.washington.edu/mdadmit/secondary/
 
Does anyone know how to check your Status for Univ of Buffalo?
 
ChubbyChaser said:
Does anyone know how to check your Status for Univ of Buffalo?
Click to expand...

If you go on their website and click the MD/Early Assurance tab, then there is a choice on the left that says applicant status. Go there, enter your AMCAS number, and it will let you know whether you are complete or not.
 
Does anyone know if Boston University screens? I haven't received their secondary
 
kalia said:
Does anyone know if Boston University screens? I haven't received their secondary
Click to expand...

They do not screen. I have not received their secondary either, although a few people on SDN have. I am assuming we will receive it soon.
 
"Indicate the institution(s) that will submit the Dean's Certification form(s) on your behalf."

above comes from washu's secondary....

WHAT'S THAT MEAN?
 
bUBBA gUMP said:
"Indicate the institution(s) that will submit the Dean's Certification form(s) on your behalf."

above comes from washu's secondary....

WHAT'S THAT MEAN?
Click to expand...

Which school is verifying that you haven't cheated/stolen/swindled them while you were enrolled?

That school needs to fill out and send the form.
 
I'm curious, did Baylor send out secondary invites or did you guys just decide to fill it out because it was available. Same thing for JHU anybody can access it but is it worth it if they didn't invite you?

Also, no BU either. Maybe they decided to screen this year.
 
Once you submit your AMCAS application can you apply to more schools?

Thanks and good luck!
 
RapplixGmed said:
I'm curious, did Baylor send out secondary invites or did you guys just decide to fill it out because it was available. Same thing for JHU anybody can access it but is it worth it if they didn't invite you?

Also, no BU either. Maybe they decided to screen this year.
Click to expand...

BU sent me information and my AMCAS sint even verified/they dont have my MCAT scores. They arent screening, just be patient.
 
This evening I got the VCU Secondary and it looks like the essays are the same as last year:

Please share with us your thoughts on specialties and how you plan to choose yours (limit of 250 words).

The admissions committee requests that you write another essay that provides us with some insight into you as a person. The content should NOT repeat anything that we can learn from the AMCAS essay. However, other than that you may discuss any topic you choose. The essay has a limited length, so be certain that you know your material will fit in the allotted space (approximately 500-600 words).
 
I received UCF's secondary today...

1. They ask you about your activities listed on your AMCAS - only fill this out if you have OTHER information NOT INCLUDED on your primary.

2. If not in school, what will you be doing in your year off.

3. If you have any withdrawals or grades less than a B-, to explain them and how they were resolved.

4. Only one essay. It is the standard essay for all Florida schools.....how will you add to the diversity of the school, the field of medicine, etc. in the future.

Other than that, just some standard questions about residency, etc.

Good luck. :luck:
 
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My premed committee will only give a letter if you finish all your prereqs. How should I put this...I want to say that they only give a letter upon completion of the entire program, however I feel prepared as an applicant while in the process of finishing my required courses, as reflected by my past grades. Also, they have expressed their support but cannot give a formal letter as per the rules of the committee? or should I just not say anything....
 
What are the URLs for VCU and UCF?
 
Got an email from MUSC yesterday. No essays that I can tell, unless you need to explain your "Close Ties" to the state.
The secondary and online form is found here:
http://www.musc.edu/em/admissions

These are the materials you get after your online forms and payment are sent in:
http://www.musc.edu/es/app_pdf/MD_MD.pdf

If you are in-state, there are some forms for you. If you are out of state, you only need to do "Close Ties".
 
Is it possible to get a sticky on this thread?
 
I second the sticky.

Is it weird that I'm getting secondaries when my AMCAS isn't even verified yet? I submitted on Jun 26th, and I've gotten a number of secondaries already.
 
NYGirl12 said:
I second the sticky.

Is it weird that I'm getting secondaries when my AMCAS isn't even verified yet? I submitted on Jun 26th, and I've gotten a number of secondaries already.
Click to expand...

No, it's not weird. Some schools act on the students before they are verified. Most wait till verification however.
 
NYGirl12 said:
Is it weird that I'm getting secondaries when my AMCAS isn't even verified yet? I submitted on Jun 26th, and I've gotten a number of secondaries already.
Click to expand...

JWLuiza said:
No, it's not weird. Some schools act on the students before they are verified. Most wait till verification however.
Click to expand...

Which schools let you submit the secondaries before you're verified. I know Columbia, GWU, and UC. Any others? Thanks.
 
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